2009 August

Monthly Archives: August 2009

Do You Really Not Have The Ability To Be On Time?

Posted by Grant on August 26, 2009 – 8:00 am

Filed under Thinking Out Loud..., Time Management/Organization

People showing up consistently late is a huge pet peeve of mine. Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand that occasionally, something legitimately random happens and you’re 5 minutes late. I get that. I’ve even been guilty of it from time to time.

But it’s the people (and we all know people like this) who are late to EVERYTHING. Before long, you start telling them to be somewhere 15-30 minutes (or more) ahead of when you actually need them there, so by default, they will show up “on time”.

When you can’t show up on time, it shows a complete lack of respect for the other person (or people) who do show up on time. You come across as irresponsible and in some cases even lazy.

You’re an adult for crying out loud! You own a clock…you know what time you’re supposed to be there…you know how long it takes you to get from point A to point B…you know how long it takes you to get ready. What else do you need from the outside world so that you can be responsible enough to do what you said you would do?

Whether you’re a teenager or an adult, learn to be on time. Better yet, be early. It shows people that their time is valuable and you respect them.

I’m not trying to be a jerk, but just trying to figure out how some people can be so irresponsible. Thanks for letting me vent.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got an appointment to get to, and I plan on being there on time early.

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Are Students More Or Less Literate Than Their Parents?

Posted by Grant on August 24, 2009 – 7:00 am

Filed under Current Events, Students

Over the weekend, I read a great article in the new issue of Wired Magazine called “The New Literacy” by Clive Thompson. It began with the argument from a college professor that students today were losing the ability to write and over time, could become borderline illiterate.

Wow.

But the case was made that students today not only write more but may be more literate than their parents. Teens’ parents basically did their writing in school and unless they had a career that required that they write, they never had to pick up a No. 2 pencil again.

But think about the number of opportunities that students today have to write. Facebook. Blogs. Twitter. MySpace. Texting. I don’t think it would be a stretch to say that students today do more writing than any other group of students in history.

Why? Because there are so many opportunities and platforms to use.

Sure you may see some random shorthand and smiley faces in their online writing, but they are developing the ability to think and write creatively.

The article ends with this great statement: “We think of writing as either good or bad. What today’s young people know is that knowing who you’re writing for and why you’re writing might be the most crucial factor of all.”

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Three Life Lessons Learned From The Sports World

Posted by Grant on August 18, 2009 – 7:53 pm

Filed under Current Events, Thinking Out Loud...

Just a couple of life lessons and observations from the sports world over the last few days…

You Can’t Win Them All (thanks Tiger Woods) – If you’re a golf fan, then you no doubt watched Tiger collapse at the PGA Championship over the weekend. And it was a good reminder…the guy is human. Sure he’s the greatest golfer on the planet and arguably the greatest golfer to ever live. But even Tiger Woods loses golf tournaments…even when he’s expected to win. No matter how good you are at something, you won’t win them all. That should take some of the pressure off you.

Learn To Stand By Your Decisions (thanks Brett Favre) – It doesn’t matter how good of a football player he is, people lose respect for you and you tarnish your own legacy when you’re wishy washy about your decisions. If you’re in, then be in. But if you’re out, then stay out. Cut this back and forth crap. Being lukewarm in life doesn’t get you anywhere. You know what people are looking for? Someone to stand up for what they believe in. The world may not agree with your decision or your stance, but at least be confident in your choice.

Make The Most Of Your Second Chances (thanks Michael Vick) – I’m a huge dog fan, but Vick has more than paid for his crime. If people are remorseful and genuine, they deserve a second chance. What he does with this second chance (more off the field than on) is up to him. People make mistakes everyday. Some are obviously bigger than others. Make sure you not only take advantage of your second chances but provide those fresh starts and clean slates to other people as well.

Oh and one other observation from the sports world…the St. Louis Cardinals are the hottest team in baseball, and we plan on winning the World Series this year. Just thought you should know…

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Is A College Degree Still Worth Anything? (The Future of Higher Education)

Posted by Grant on August 17, 2009 – 6:19 am

Filed under Current Events, Thinking Out Loud...

In my work with students, it is fairly standard that educators/speakers/counselors/parents push students towards attending college after they graduate from high school. I’m sure this is blasphemy to say out loud but I’ve been weighing whether or not this is still sound advice in our current world.

Is a college degree still worth anything?

I’m not sure, but I do know that the face of education is changing. To better understand how it’s changing, think of the newspaper industry. Twenty years ago, the newspaper was a staple within American society. But think about how technology has changed that. The majority of people don’t get their daily intake of news through a newspaper anymore. In the coming years, newspapers could possibly even become extinct.

Why?

Two primary reasons: access and cost. Why would I pay any dollar amount for a printed newspaper when (A) I can get the news I need from Yahoo or another online outlet and (B) most newspapers put all their articles online for free anyway.

Think about how this affects the world of education. Access and cost. Why would I spend $100,000+ to get a four-year degree when most of the same education I gain from that degree is readily available for free? For example, did you know that major universities like MIT and Stanford are starting to make all their classes available online for free?

The thing that excites me is that with education being more readily available online, it will drive the cost of learning down. Our current higher education model is really broken when you think about it.

Come spend $100,000 at our school for a piece of paper that will give you the ability to get a $35,000/year salary so you can spend the next decade or two paying off the $50,000 in school loans you have.

Brilliant.

I’m just thinking out loud here, but in another 10 years or so, I’m not sure a college degree will still have the value it does today. Don’t get me wrong. There will always be a premium placed on learning and knowledge, but I’m not sure that you’ll still need that expensive piece of paper to validate what you know.

Agree or disagree?

(For more on this subject, read Fast Company’s article called “How Web-Savy Edupunks Are Transforming American Higher Education” and Seth Godin’s recent post, “Education At A Crossroads“)

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New BrokePiggy LIVE Program For Students!

Posted by Grant on August 14, 2009 – 6:30 am

Filed under BrokePiggy.com, Money & Finances, Speaking

I’m really excited to announce a new program to educate students about money and personal finance called BrokePiggy LIVE! It is a relevant one-day program that partners with high schools and other youth events to teach students about personal finance in a way that makes sense to them! One of the best parts…BrokePiggy LIVE is actually two programs in one!

A high-energy and entertaining 45-minute assembly/keynote
An interactive and more in-depth workshop (up to 3 hours) for a smaller group of your students.

You can download more information about the program here or visit our new page on the BrokePiggy.com website. If you’re interested in bringing BrokePiggy LIVE to your school, conference, or other student event, click here or email us at info@brokepiggy.com.

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What’s Your Big Compelling Story?

Posted by Grant on August 14, 2009 – 6:00 am

Filed under Thinking Out Loud...

I’ve been chewing on this question a lot lately.

“What’s your big compelling story?”

Not sure what started me thinking about this, but it’s definitely been rattling in my head lately. I’ve been thinking about people/businesses who have compelling stories that people are willing to share…

Toms Shoes – Simple concept: you buy a pair of shoes, they give away a pair to kids in need.
Dave Ramsey – Two big things Dave does: 1) the guy doesn’t borrow money for anything for any reason. 2) was a millionaire…went bankrupt…became a millionaire again
iPhone – Ask any iPhone user about their phone, and they will probably go into a sales pitch about how awesome it is.

All of these are great examples of stories you want to share with other people. They have unique, compelling stories that stand out from the crowd.

So whether you’re a business, an organization, or just an individual…what’s compelling about what you do? What’s that unique element you have that makes others want to tell your story for you?

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Teens & Money Survey From Seventeen Mag & Bank of America

Posted by Grant on August 13, 2009 – 8:33 am

Filed under Current Events, Money & Finances

Yesterday, I read a new survey that was released in Seventeen magazine regarding Teens & Money.

Yes, I subscribe. Please don’t judge me.

Anyway, it was a survey of 2,000 teenagers across the U.S. Here were some of the findings with my 2 cents…

88% are stressed about money – That seems fairly high to me. I wonder how much of it is attributed to their parents being stressed about money or the shock value of the news media?
34% believe they’re in total control of their finances – I’d be interested to know what they define as being in “total control”. I’m sure some students are and hopefully with resources like BrokePiggy.com, more students will feel this confident with their money.
63% would rather have a career that makes a difference over one that makes a lot of money – I wonder how this would compare with their parents? Most of our parents were taught to find a career for the money rather than passion but Gen Y is the opposite.
40% think their parents should bail them out if they don’t have enough money or find themselves in debt – This needs to be 0%. Stop expecting someone else to bail you out for your lack of responsibility. If you want to be an independent adult, then don’t count on bailouts.
45% say their parents are worrying/fighting more about money lately – Studies consistently show that the #1 cause of divorce is money-related issues. My guess is that continues to increase in this economy. All the more reason to learn to handle your finances.
38% have had to altar their college plans because of the economic downturn – Hopefully this economy has been an eye-opening experience for students so they may attend less expensive schools to save money and avoid school loans.

Any observations you have from these numbers?

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August CHANGES Update

Posted by Grant on August 5, 2009 – 6:19 am

Filed under Family, Personal, Thinking Out Loud...

Here’s my update of progress for the various CHANGES in my life I’m trying to create. You can read more about the original concept in the post, “Introducing Small Changes To Your Life,” and also updates from February, March, April, May, June, and July.

CHANGES For July:

• Read 3 Books – I read one full book and half of three others. I’m good at starting books! The book I finished was “Predictably Irrational” by Dan Ariely. The ones I’ve started and am in progress with are “Please Send Money” by Dara Duguay, “The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing” by Al Ries and Jack Trout, and “The Jamie Oliver Effect” by Gilly Smith. (Grade: B-)

• Go Camping With Sydnee – We did this, and it was a blast! We set up a tent, had our sleeping bags, but I will confess it was indoors! Nonetheless, it was a great time with my daughter. We’ll do it again sometime soon. (Grade: A-)

• Go To The Pool More With My Family – We actually did pretty good at this the first few weeks of the month, but it’s turned out to be an odd July. We’ve had a lot of cooler weather, which is nice in July, but not nice for going to the pool. (Grade: A-)

CHANGES For August:

I’ve noticed as I’ve gone along with this experiment that several of these items aren’t necessarily life changes, but rather experiences that create memories. I’ve completed most of the items on the list I made at the beginning of the year, so I’m looking for some new ideas. What are some experiences I need to have with my family that will create memories? Ideas?

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