I’ve been trying to read 30 to 60 minutes of fiction or autobiography every night before falling asleep. I find that it’s a good mind decompressor.

Last night I wrapped up The Alchemist by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho (which, by my best guess, is pronounced “quel-yo”.. like Ronaldinho). I’ve run across Coelho’s name a lot lately & I know he has some rabid fans, so I had to see if all the buzz was warranted.

I’d say it certainly is.

Coelho is a pretty enchanting storyteller who has a rare ability to say a lot about life - to even change lives - without wasting a single page on meaningless narrative. This particular book is an effortless read with a deep message about following your dreams.

Like Santiago, who leaves the simple comfort of a shepherd’s life in Spain to seek buried treasure abroad, we all have something we were meant to do. A passion that is rooted in the deepest fabric of our being.

The question: Are you living the fullest extent of your passion at this moment?

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Posted on Monday, 26th May 2008 in Books, Faith, Life | Comments (1)

Can we all collectively agree to behave like civil, peaceful adults when it comes to dealing in the marketplace?

I’ll explain.

First some background. I send regular emails to the Teamwork Lead System community and everyone who has opted to receive information from us. These emails typically highlight a great new product, service, or news feature that I believe will benefit our community of real estate investors.

On the sidebar I usually post ads for our Teamwork Lead System and Teamwork Comps products. These ads have been there on every email I’ve sent for months.

Today we received a profanity-laced, CAPS-LOCK-heavy email from a guy, who was apparently completely incensed that we advertised he could “try Teamwork Comps 30 days for free” and when he went to the site it was actually $9.95.

It was a mistake on my part. For a short promotional period we offered it free, but then we raised the price to $9.95 and I had simply forgotten to change the ad in my email.

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Posted on Friday, 9th May 2008 in Life | Comments (0)

My wife & I have been married for 14 months now & the reality of kids is still beyond the foreseeable future.

In fact, we JUST added a third member to the house… a scrappy Hawaiian mixed-martial arts kitten named Cooper. This is step #1a in preparing me for diapers & other related obligations.

Solomon gave me some serious wisdom in Proverbs 24:27 that I’ve taken to heart:

Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.

I’ve still got some serious field work to do before I get busy on the house! But this doesn’t mean I haven’t thought about child-rearing strategy.

There’s a pervasive attitude in America that children “must be taught the value of hard work.” Having taken the proverbial red pill (comprised of equal parts Rich Dad Poor Dad & 4-Hour Workweek), I am fairly convinced it’s immeasurably more important to teach the value of “smart work” as a parent.

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Posted on Sunday, 4th May 2008 in Life | Comments (0)