Recent news stories point to improved job prospects and increased pay to go with them. This is encouraging if you have the credentials (read: degree and/or certification) your prospective employer is looking for, but what if you don’t?

At a recent convention I attended, I heard a keynote speech that inspired this post. I’ll share more of what I learned from that talk in Part 2, but first I want to encourage you to become an entrepreneur. Instead of waiting for someone to hire you, why not start your own company and be the boss?

Let’s be clear: I’m not suggesting that you pull a Costanza and make up a Vandelay Industries. Nor am I talking about falling into the trap of turk work and setting yourself up for obsolescence. Instead, I mean that you should develop a product or service and the plan for delivering it — and then you should deliver it as profitably as you can.

Make your own luck

Let’s talk about the upsides, starting with creating your own momentum and your own luck. Now before you think there’s this mystical force our there called Luck that runs parallel to God, let me clarify. What people call luck is actually the meeting of preparation and attention. When you’ve done the homework and acquired and/or mastered the knowledge of your marketplace, you’ll harness the positive power of confirmation bias. As I’ve written before, when you drive an old Volvo, you start to see them everywhere.

When you’ve developed expertise in your chosen market, you’ll see opportunities everywhere. Then, if you’re confident and diligent, you’ll pursue the more promising opportunities. And if your preparation includes the cultivation of some selling skills, you’ll close some business. Then people will consider you lucky.

One man from my hometown used to like to say that the harder he worked the luckier he got. I got it back then, and I still remember it. I also appreciate the saying attributed to Thomas Edison that goes like this: Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

Be your own boss

Becoming an entrepreneur has another huge upside: you are your own boss. Unless you’re also highly self-motivated, that’s also the downside. Every day, you’re going to have to summon your motivation, your desire to get things done or they won’t get done.

By the way, this is the same skill you need to manage your career, as I discussed in this post.

But… It takes money

Yes, it’s true that you have to have some money to get started, but not as much as you may think. For most entrepreneurial enterprises, you aren’t going to need your own skyscraper and helipad — at least, not at first. Some people with landscaping businesses started with not much more than a lawnmower and a willingness to sweat. Other people have figured out how to open online stores on a shoestring budget. Web domains are very inexpensive — and there are lots of free tutorials that can help you design your website and launch your business.

Chris Guillebeau wrote a book called The 100-Dollar Startup. You may find just the idea you need there.

Be prepared to learn

There are lessons everywhere, many are free. There are online publications, podcasts, and webinars devoted to entrepreneurship. There are books on management and leadership in your public library (you do have a library card, right?). And there are local entrepreneurs who want to share what they know. But reading and discussing aren’t the only sources of lessons.

In the kicker above, I said you should expect to fail. This is because you will likely fail in your first attempts at entrepreneurship. Many times. Failure can bruise your ego, but it is also a rich mine of hard-won knowledge.

This is one reason why silicon valley types talk about failing faster. This means you should embrace the probability and learn to shrug off the sting of failure in order to acquire the lessons that will come through the failure and keep going. Author, speaker, and success coach Michael Hyatt says it this way: “In my world there is no failure — only learning.”

Success comes from good judgment…

I know I’ve quoted him before, but Arthur Jones, the eccentric creator of Nautilus Fitness equipment used to say, “Success in life comes from good judgment. Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment.” I hope you see that to make your way in the world and provide for yourself and your household, you will have to endure some seasons of suck. Don’t let it throw you — you’re learning.

Congratulations, You’re a Technician

One lesson that arrived for me fairly recently was in Michael Gerber’s book Beyond the e-Myth. Gerber says that if your enterprise can’t function without your hand on it, you’re not an entrepreneur — you’re a technician. He prescribes the creation of methods and systems that will enable you to delegate the functions of and to increase the scale of your business.

A business has products and is a product

The last bit is important because in addition to having products, a business is a product in itself. If you’re truly an entrepreneur, you’ll enjoy the thrill of the launch, but become bored with the operations side of things. In that case, you’re going to have operators who can implement your systems, or you’re going to need to find a buyer who’ll operate what you’ve built. You can make money either way, but the key is to work on your business instead of just working in it..

Coming up

We’ll talk about insights I gained from that keynote address.

So how about you? What’s preventing you from becoming an entrepreneur? What do you have to lose? Add your comments below.

Note: I have linked to a couple of books on Amazon. I do not receive any compensation for doing so — these are two books I have bought and read and I am comfortable recommending them.

“Find something, found something, or fund something.” – Bob Shank

Recent news stories point to improved job prospects and increased pay to go with them. This is encouraging if you have the credentials (read: degree and/or certification) your prospective employer is looking for, but what if you don’t?

At a recent convention I attended, I heard a keynote speech that inspired this post. I’ll share more of what I learned from that talk in Part 2, but first I want to encourage you to become an entrepreneur. Instead of waiting for someone to hire you, why not start your own company and be the boss?

Let’s be clear: I’m not suggesting that you pull a Costanza and make up a Vandelay Industries. Nor am I talking about falling into the trap of turk work and setting yourself up for obsolescence. Instead, I mean that you should develop a product or service and the plan for delivering it — and then you should deliver it as profitably as you can.

When you drive one, you see them everywhere!

Make your own luck

Let’s talk about the upsides, starting with creating your own momentum and your own luck. Now before you think there’s this mystical force our there called Luck that runs parallel to God, let me clarify. What people call luck is actually the meeting of preparation and attention. When you’ve done the homework and acquired and/or mastered the knowledge of your marketplace, you’ll harness the positive power of confirmation bias. As I’ve written before, when you drive an old Volvo, you start to see them everywhere.

When you’ve developed expertise in your chosen market, you’ll see opportunities everywhere. Then, if you’re confident and diligent, you’ll pursue the more promising opportunities. And if your preparation includes the cultivation of some selling skills, you’ll close some business. Then people will consider you lucky.

One man from my hometown used to like to say that the harder he worked the luckier he got. I got it back then, and I still remember it. I also appreciate the saying attributed to Thomas Edison that goes like this: Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

Be your own boss

Becoming an entrepreneur has another huge upside: you are your own boss. Unless you’re also highly self-motivated, that’s also the downside. Every day, you’re going to have to summon your motivation, your desire to get things done or they won’t get done.

By the way, this is the same skill you need to manage your career, as I discussed in this post.

But… It takes money

Yes, it’s true that you have to have some money to get started, but not as much as you may think. For most entrepreneurial enterprises, you aren’t going to need your own skyscraper and helipad — at least, not at first. Some people with landscaping businesses started with not much more than a lawnmower and a willingness to sweat. Other people have figured out how to open online stores on a shoestring budget. Web domains are very inexpensive — and there are lots of free tutorials that can help you design your website and launch your business.

Chris Guillebeau wrote a book called The 100-Dollar Startup. You may find just the idea you need there.

Be prepared to learn

There are lessons everywhere, many are free. There are online publications, podcasts, and webinars devoted to entrepreneurship. There are books on management and leadership in your public library (you do have a library card, right?). And there are local entrepreneurs who want to share what they know. But reading and discussing aren’t the only sources of lessons.

In the kicker above, I said you should expect to fail. This is because you will likely fail in your first attempts at entrepreneurship. Many times. Failure can bruise your ego, but it is also a rich mine of hard-won knowledge.

This is one reason why silicon valley types talk about failing faster. This means you should embrace the probability and learn to shrug off the sting of failure in order to acquire the lessons that will come through the failure and keep going. Author, speaker, and success coach Michael Hyatt says it this way: “In my world there is no failure — only learning.”

Success comes from good judgment…

I know I’ve quoted him before, but Arthur Jones, the eccentric creator of Nautilus Fitness equipment used to say, “Success in life comes from good judgment. Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment.” I hope you see that to make your way in the world and provide for yourself and your household, you will have to endure some seasons of suck. Don’t let it throw you — you’re learning.

Congratulations, You’re a Technician

One lesson that arrived for me fairly recently was in Michael Gerber’s book Beyond the e-Myth. Gerber says that if your enterprise can’t function without your hand on it, you’re not an entrepreneur — you’re a technician. He prescribes the creation of methods and systems that will enable you to delegate the functions of and to increase the scale of your business.

A business has products and is a product

The last bit is important because in addition to having products, a business is a product in itself. If you’re truly an entrepreneur, you’ll enjoy the thrill of the launch, but become bored with the operations side of things. In that case, you’re going to have operators who can implement your systems, or you’re going to need to find a buyer who’ll operate what you’ve built. You can make money either way, but the key is to work on your business instead of just working in it..

Coming up

We’ll talk about insights I gained from that keynote address.

So how about you? What’s preventing you from becoming an entrepreneur? What do you have to lose? Add your comments below.

Note: I have linked to a couple of books on Amazon. I do not receive any compensation for doing so — these are two books I have bought and read and I am comfortable recommending them.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28 (ESV)

I owe a number of debts to author John Eldredge. His collaboration with the late Brent Curtis, The Sacred Romance, revolutionized my perception of the character and the heart of God. His Wild At Heart came at just the right time in my life — and my sons’ lives — and altered the course of our lives in wonderful ways. This was what led me to initiate my sons into manhood, and what led ultimately to the creation of this blog.

In his latest book, All Things New, John unpacks the basis of our life’s hope — God’s promise to renew all things.

Is that a promise?

We have so much to look forward to at the end of the road!
(Photo by M. Booth)

The text that informs the book is from the Revelation to John (the last book of the Bible). Here’s the vision as John the apostle reports it:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

^“And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’”

A new heaven

Notice that the promise is for a new heaven and a new earth — and they are going to be joined in a way the current heaven and earth are not. My pastor explains that in the current heaven, Satan retains access to the presence of God, since he appears before the Lord in the first chapter of the book of Job. A new heaven is necessary to remove every trace of the evil one’s rebelliousness and deception.

A new earth

Recall that our original parents Adam and Eve lived in a paradise here on this earth. Their fall into sin marred this world irreparably, so a new earth is necessary to restore what was lost to its original splendor. I have to tell you, this is beyond exciting — way more interesting than a cloudy, harp-strewn wasteland with nothing but endless church services. And I like church. But imagine intimacy with God every moment as we explore and appreciate, and yes, worship Him while we scale mountains, sail oceans, and bask in absolute and unlimited beauty.

All things new

Jesus didn’t say, “I’m making all new things.” Our new and eternal home will be like earth, but with all the murder, hatred, greed, pollution, terrorism, disease, poverty, injustice, and corruption scrubbed away. It’s even better than that, because so many things we have and use now — including our careers — are compensations for what was damaged due to sin. Everything from sunscreen and insect repellent to fire engines to courtrooms, all these are intended to overcome the limitations sin imposes. It all goes away! And we get to be free for the first time. Imagine it!

Better still, as Eldredge explains, all our losses will be restored. Every injustice will be made right. Every wrong we suffered will receive divine vindication. God will do this out of His generous love.

Why I’m telling you

This reminder that God will make it all right has helped me enormously over the past several months. When I began thinking actively that God would make me whole in every way in His time, I felt myself began to relax and quit being so driven. As I meditated on His willingness and His ability to repair and restore anything broken, anything lost, I let go of these nagging doubts and fears. And when our family faced the devastating loss of my mother-in-law, I was able to see through the pain to the hope of an eternal reunion that was brighter than the grief we feel.

Use as directed

This is so different from the hackneyed idea of “pie in the sky, by and by,” because it doesn’t ignore the scars that sin leaves, and it doesn’t demand that we not grieve real loss, real pain. Instead, it places those wounds in a holy context, and into the hands of a loving God who gave His Son to redeem us and restore us.

This one’s for you

Please check out these scripture verses in-depth and see if what I’m saying is true. God Himself told John to write it down because He meant it. And if you agree with me, then ask yourself how much more audacious would you be for the Kingdom’s sake if you knew that ultimately, you couldn’t lose. What career decisions wold you take? What relationships would you pursue? What evil would you challenge? And would idols and seductions would you refuse?

My own experience has been that my greatest compromises have come when I doubted that God would come through for me. I repent of that slander against God’s heart, and I put myself in His hands.  I trust that what happens to me in this life will come through His hands, and I trust Him to lead me and to guide the outcomes. All I want to do is to be faithful.

So how about you? What hope does this idea stir in you? What do you look forward to in the new earth? Add your comments below.

P.S. I am providing the links to outside sites as a convenience to my readers. I do not receive any form of compensation or consideration if you choose to make a purchase.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
-1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)

From the time my first son was born I have been a fan of C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia.  During my sons’ formative years, we probably read through the entire series — aloud — at least seven times.  This does not include the various other times I read one or another of the books for the enjoyment of it.

In book five (according to the copyright date — don’t get me started) titled The Horse and His Boy, we encounter a character who, despite his brief appearance in this one volume, made a real impression on me.  I am referring to King Lune of Archenland, a model of manliness as I hope you’ll see in the following passage:

“The King’s under the law, for it’s the law makes him a king.”

“As was certain to happen sooner or later, King Lune said it was time for young people to be in bed. “And tomorrow, Cor,” he added, “shalt come over all the castle with me and see the estate, and mark all its strength and weakness: for it will be thine to guard when I’m gone.”

“But Corin will be the King then, Father,” said Cor.

“Nay, lad,” said King Lune, “thou art my heir. The crown comes to thee.”

“But I don’t want it,” said Cor. “I’d far rather–”

“‘Tis no question what thou wantest, Cor, nor I either. ‘Tis in the course of law.”

“But if we’re twins we must be the same age.”

“Nay,” said the King with a laugh. “One must come first. Art Corin’s elder by full twenty minutes. And his better too, let’s hope, though that’s no great mastery.” And he looked at Corin with a twinkle in his eyes.

“But, Father, couldn’t you make whichever you like to be the next King?”

“No. The King’s under the law, for it’s the law makes him a king. Hast no more power to start away from thy crown than any sentry from his post.”

“Oh dear,” said Cor. “I don’t want to at all. And Corin– I am most dreadfully sorry. I never dreamed my turning up was going to chisel you out of your kingdom.”

“Hurrah! Hurrah!” said Corin. “I shan’t have to be king. I shan’t have to be king. I’ll always be a prince. It’s princes have all the fun.”

“And that’s truer than thy brother knows, Cor,” said King Lune. “For this is what it means to be a king: to be first in every desperate attack and last in every desperate retreat, and when there’s hunger in the land (as must be now and then in bad years) to wear finer clothes and laugh louder over a scantier meal than any man in your land.”

–C.S. Lewis, The Horse and His Boy in The Chronicles of Narnia

As a man, you are made to exercise your masculine strength.  If you’re called to be a husband, your mission is to be her head and to lead your wife toward ever-increasing Christlikeness.  If you’re blessed to be a father, your mission is to teach your children and train them in right living under the grace of God.  This type of spiritual headship has been described as a man’s being the king of his castle.

If you’re a leader — a king —  here are four concepts I offer for your consideration, based on the example of good King Lune.

Even kings are under authority

King Lune submits to the law, making him a moral and just leader.  If you read the entire series, you’ll understand that in the fictional realm of Narnia, there are laws because there is a transcendent law-giver.  So Lune wouldn’t have tried to change the law even if he wanted to. This is consistent with the saying that we are a country of laws, not men.  Everyone is subject to the same standard, even the king.

A king has a duty – he is not his own

Everyone in Archenland has his role.  As Lune points out, it isn’t a matter of what he, his son or anyone else prefers.  If your job is to be king, then by all means rule.  The monarch can’t shirk his responsibilities any more than a soldier or a sentry in the king’s army can be derelict in his.  As Robert E. Lee said, “You should do your duty in all things. You can never do more, you should never wish to do less.”

A king leads from the front

As Lune explains to his son what it means to be king, he models a concept known as leading from the front.  A good king is first in every charge, and the last man in every retreat.  He puts his own life on the line in battle, since it is by his authority that the kingdom is at war.  If there are hard times, he bears them with his subjects and doesn’t exempt or isolate himself from the suffering in his domain.  The motto at the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School is Ductus exemplo — lead by example.

A king sets the tone for those in his kingdom

Note that King Lune is no politician. He doesn’t promise never-ending prosperity, and he recognizes that bad years will come.  He understands and articulates that in those circumstances a good king doesn’t go into hiding.  Rather he brightens his attitude and those of his people by force of his optimism.  He wears fine clothes and laughs despite the lack of food on his plate because he has hope.

A husband and a father needs to be strong before his wife and children in this same way.  They are looking to their leader — you — to set the emotional and spiritual tone in good and bad times.  I personally couldn’t do this without God’s help, but I do it because I have hope

So how about you?  How do you — or how do you intend to — wield your authority in your domain?  Add your comments below.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28 (ESV)

I owe a number of debts to author John Eldredge. His collaboration with the late Brent Curtis, The Sacred Romance, revolutionized my perception of the character and the heart of God. His Wild At Heart came at just the right time in my life — and my sons’ lives — and altered the course of our lives in wonderful ways. This was what led me to initiate my sons into manhood, and what led ultimately to the creation of this blog.

In his latest book, All Things New, John unpacks the basis of our life’s hope — God’s promise to renew all things.

Is that a promise?

We have so much to look forward to at the end of the road!
(Photo by M. Booth)

The text that informs the book is from the Revelation to John (the last book of the Bible). Here’s the vision as John the apostle reports it:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

^“And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’”

A new heaven

Notice that the promise is for a new heaven and a new earth — and they are going to be joined in a way the current heaven and earth are not. My pastor explains that in the current heaven, Satan retains access to the presence of God, since he appears before the Lord in the first chapter of the book of Job. A new heaven is necessary to remove every trace of the evil one’s rebelliousness and deception.

A new earth

Recall that our original parents Adam and Eve lived in a paradise here on this earth. Their fall into sin marred this world irreparably, so a new earth is necessary to restore what was lost to its original splendor. I have to tell you, this is beyond exciting — way more interesting than a cloudy, harp-strewn wasteland with nothing but endless church services. And I like church. But imagine intimacy with God every moment as we explore and appreciate, and yes, worship Him while we scale mountains, sail oceans, and bask in absolute and unlimited beauty.

All things new

Jesus didn’t say, “I’m making all new things.” Our new and eternal home will be like earth, but with all the murder, hatred, greed, pollution, terrorism, disease, poverty, injustice, and corruption scrubbed away. It’s even better than that, because so many things we have and use now — including our careers — are compensations for what was damaged due to sin. Everything from sunscreen and insect repellent to fire engines to courtrooms, all these are intended to overcome the limitations sin imposes. It all goes away! And we get to be free for the first time. Imagine it!

Better still, as Eldredge explains, all our losses will be restored. Every injustice will be made right. Every wrong we suffered will receive divine vindication. God will do this out of His generous love.

Why I’m telling you

This reminder that God will make it all right has helped me enormously over the past three weeks. When I began thinking actively that God would make me whole in every way in His time, I felt myself began to relax and quit being so driven. As I meditated on His willingness and His ability to repair and restore anything broken, anything lost, I let go of these nagging doubts and fears. And when our family faced the devastating loss of my mother-in-law, I was able to see through the pain to the hope of an eternal reunion that was brighter than the grief we feel.

Use as directed

This is so different from the hackneyed idea of “pie in the sky, by and by,” because it doesn’t ignore the scars that sin leaves, and it doesn’t demand that we not grieve real loss, real pain. Instead, it places those wounds in a holy context, and into the hands of a loving God who gave His Son to redeem us and restore us.

This one’s for you

Please check out these scripture verses in-depth and see if what I’m saying is true. God Himself told John to write it down because He meant it. And if you agree with me, then ask yourself how much more audacious would you be for the Kingdom’s sake if you knew that ultimately, you couldn’t lose. What career decisions wold you take? What relationships would you pursue? What evil would you challenge? And would idols and seductions would you refuse?

My own experience has been that my greatest compromises have come when I doubted that God would come through for me. I repent of that slander against God’s heart, and I put myself in His hands.  I trust that what happens to me in this life will come through His hands, and I trust Him to lead me and to guide the outcomes. All I want to do is to be faithful.

So how about you? What hope does this idea stir in you? What do you look forward to in the new earth? Add your comments below.

P.S. I am providing the links to outside sites as a convenience to my readers. I do not receive any form of compensation or consideration if you choose to make a purchase.

“A good name is more desirable than great riches;
    to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” -Proverbs 22:1 (NIV)

A couple of years ago, the New York Times published an op-ed piece by Lee Siegel titled “Why I Defaulted on My Student Loans” in which the author explained — duh! — why he wasn’t paying back his student loans. Let us at least give credit to the editors of the Times for accuracy in titling this article. Further, let’s give one cheer for this window into one man’s capacity for rationalization. Now let’s explore why this should approach should not enter the thoughts of a man of consequence.

When you owe a legitimate debt, you shouldn’t have to wrestle your conscience. (photo credit: Ryan McGuire)

It’s called theft

If I could only express one objection to Mr. Siegel’s default it is this: he earned and received a college degree — getting all the benefits it provides — and only then decided not to pay. This is stealing, pure and simple.

That’s one of the top ten

Whether you believe in God or not, whether you practice your faith or not, you cannot ignore the profound influence of the Ten Commandments over civic law and personal ethics. I point this out first to note that nearly every culture frowns on stealing. I also point out that even my atheist friends don’t want people stealing from them, so even if they deny the existence of a Transcendent law-giver, they appreciate the utility of the law.

In his article, Siegel addresses the “what-if-everbody-defaults” issue by glibly claiming that this would be a good thing, as the greedy profiteers would be exposed. Not coincidentally, the author bio at the end of his op-ed says that Lee Siegel is the author of five books who is currently writing a financial memoir. I wonder how he would feel if consumers — inspired this piece of his — simply stole his books.

Going the extra mile

The late financial counselor and author, Larry Burkett, used to have a radio talk show — in many ways it was similar to what Dave Ramsey does now. Callers would explain their situation and Larry would help them figure out a path to solvency. One bit of advice I heard him give has stuck with me for years: Larry Burkett always recommended that people make their creditors whole — paying every penny — even if the debt had been erased through bankruptcy. This was essential to maintaining one’s reputation

Higher stakes

In addition to your reputation, and your ability to sleep soundly, there are other benefits to paying your bills. Society flourishes or fails according to the strength of its families and its markets. Interestingly, both depend on the ability to trust and to be trusted. I have the same opinion of people who steal as I do of those who take solemn vows and break them.

In God We Trust

Consider whose likenesses appear on US currency. To name a few: George Washington — to whom legends attribute the statement “I cannot tell a lie;” Abraham “Honest Abe” Lincoln; and Benjamin Franklin — mister “a penny saved is a penny earned.” And on every coin and every note, the national motto: In God we trust. Clearly, our founders emphasized liberty, but even more virtue — the greatest form of self-government. Skipping out on your debts doesn’t just injure the victims of your theft, it also injures your neighbors who have to pick up the slack. And this doesn’t include what it does to your character, your soul.

All others pay cash

Perhaps you can earn a scholarship, or two, or three. If not, I know several young men who are working and paying their way through their first two years at the local technical or community college. There are also co-operative programs that enable a student to alternate semesters or years working and attending school. Serving in the military is yet another way to earn money for education. My late father-in-law earned his bachelor’s degree on the GI Bill following WWII. If you’re determined, there is a way.

I’m actually on your side

I agree with Lee Siegel that the cost of a college education has increased at a rate that has eclipsed its overall rate of return. A man can’t accumulate hundreds of thousands of dollars of indebtedness to take a job that tops out at, say, $35,000 a year. This is, however, an argument for making better and more informed decisions instead of playing the educational equivalent of dine and dash.

If you’re on the hook for student loans, you have a moral and a legal obligation to pay what you owe. Unfair as it may seem, bankruptcy does not discharge student loan debt.

If you haven’t gotten into debt, avoid it and find another way to fund your education. There are already free college courses available online, and other providers are charging a fraction of what residential colleges and universities charge — without the pathologies of Marxist social engineering that make college a hostile environment for men.

I’ve said before that formal education may not fit your budget. Even so, there is no excuse for being ignorant. Cultivate your mind by reading, and cultivate your character — you can start by paying what you owe.

So how about you? Share your story about how you got into — or out of — debt below.

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
    profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” – Proverbs 27:6 (ESV)

The story I’m about to tell you is true. While I am not particularly proud of certain aspects of this story, I think it has a happy enough ending, as well as a useful moral, so I’m willing to live with the discomfort. If you are a student or you are launching your working life, I hope my telling you this story will help you find the motivation to do your best work now.

When I graduated college back in the last century, it was late in May. When I received my diploma, I had not yet secured that all important J-O-B, despite interviews and even some call backs from some well-known companies still in business today. Through contacting friends of friends, I eventually landed an entry-level sales job with a textile machinery manufacturer in a nearby small city. It was more exciting than frightening — and even though I knew absolutely nothing about textile machinery, I had sold everything from Christmas cards to cogs to clothing while I was growing up. How hard could it be?

Want treasure later? Hit the books today.
(Photo by Glen Noble)

After college, the real education begins

Through the grapevine,  I knew that many of my classmates were working in the big city, and that their starting salaries were about 20% higher than mine. I didn’t care, because I had a degree, a job, a car (a ’69 VW Beetle with a fuel leak) and my own apartment. The first lessons were hard ones. “Real” life as an adult doesn’t operate by the rules that govern campus life, and the range of appropriate self-expression in the workplace is more narrow and well-defined. (I’m telling you this so you’ll have a clue when you get there.)

On top of the cultural lessons, there were the business lessons. Companies don’t simply “have” money. If they are selling products and services, they have some coming in, but if the amount coming in isn’t greater than the sum of expenses, they won’t be in business long. For this reason, a company can’t simply decide to pay its employees more, nor does a company always have the option of raising prices. Usually, a company’s best path out of trouble is to increase sales while reducing expenses. If the former doesn’t happen, people who aren’t the owners or related to the owners will find their hours curtailed or their positions eliminated to accomplish the latter. I have never forgotten this — and I want you to know and understand it.

Then there were the personal lessons. I had a vague idea about how the whole paying bills thing worked, so I dove into it headlong. I was never late on my student loans, my car payment, or my rent, but without a budget, I often found myself with month left over at the end of the money. Oh, and early on I didn’t understand that I was supposed to have the electricity switched over from the apartment complex to me, so I did come home from work one evening to find I had no power.

So, there I was — a single man in a small town with no friends nearby and nearly no experience in a tough industry.  The one grace of that first year was that my company expected me to be on the road making sales calls during the week. As long as I was doing that, I had food to supplement my meager groceries and I received mileage reimbursement to cover the wear and tear on the new car I bought. Still, it was tough.

Connecting the dots

I recall being at home in my shabby apartment one evening, eating barbecued Spam. (And if you only know that word as another name for junk email, click here. In certain parts of Polynesia it’s considered a delicacy.) I thought to myself, “This sucks.” I remembered the interviews with the big-name companies where the recruiters told me they were looking for the top 10% of the class, the captain of the football team and the president of the fraternity – in other words, not me. I also thought back over the squandered opportunities to study longer, dig deeper and learn more. At the time, I didn’t see how excelling in the classroom would correlate to my standard of living so soon after graduation.

Cue the flashback

And I thought back to that afternoon late in my senior year. The college had posted the list of inductees into Phi Beta Kappa — the premier academic honor society —  and I didn’t make the cut. I don’t mind telling you, I wasn’t anywhere close. I knew this. At lunch, a fraternity brother a year behind me expressed surprise that I wasn’t on the list. I thought he was mocking me. He assured me he wasn’t. I laughed ruefully and we dropped it.

Later that afternoon I swung by to see my major adviser and told him the story. Offhandedly, I said how unlikely it would have been for me to receive such an honor. What he said has stuck with me ever since:

“You could have been Phi Beta Kappa. Why not? Your problem is not with your head; it’s with your (posterior). If you only knew how frustrating it is to read a better paper from you than any others I get and to know that you haven’t done the reading, the WORK. The only reason you aren’t Phi Beta Kappa is YOU.”

I was mortified and felt sick to my stomach. For one thing, I admired my professor a great deal (I still do) and wanted his approval. I didn’t expect such an endorsement of capability to come wrapped in such a thermonuclear truth-bomb. But alone, months later over my plate of spam, I saw that he was right. I had no plans to go to graduate school — and certainly no money for it — but I remember saying out loud, “If I ever go back to school, I’m going to work so hard…”

I guess I was praying after all

A short time later, my employer sent me to meet with a textile research institute to talk to them about our product line and the philosophy behind our approach. I had two names to ask for — the first was out of town, but the second one agreed to meet with me.

We spent two-and-a-half hours with him asking me questions and me answering them. As our meeting wound down, he asked where I had learned about textiles and textile processing. “On the job, ” I said. He asked if I had graduated college and what sort of grades I had made. I told the truth. To my surprise, he asked if I had ever thought about graduate school. I told him I had, but that I couldn’t afford it.

He told me that every student at the institute was there on a graduate fellowship that covered tuition, books and fees, and that the fellowship included a stipend. As a result the program was very competitive. He said based on our discussion that he wanted to encourage me to apply. If I’d do that, he said he could guarantee I’d be invited for an interview. And if I conducted myself in the interview the way I had in our meeting, he was over 90% sure I’d be accepted. It was a miracle.

How did it turn out?

I’ve gone on too long already, but to sum up: I did apply, I did get an interview and I did receive a fellowship. And yes I worked so hard. I was a much better student in graduate school than I was in college. And I had three offers from top-notch companies. You can learn from my experience. Do the work now. It will pay off.

So how about you? What steps are you taking now to work for your future? Add your comments below.

“Like the useless legs of one who is lame
    is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.” – Proverbs 26:7

It seems we are awash in data. The sheer amount of stuff one has to learn and retain has increased geometrically over the course of our lifetimes. Don’t ask me to cite the source — it’s too difficult to figure out who said it first — but I have read in several places that knowledge is doubling every twelve months, but soon it will likely double every twelve hours. That means if you’re old enough to read and understand this paragraph, you have already lived through several doublings of “all the stuff there is to know.”

Hit the books and cultivate wisdom.
(photo by John-Mark Kuznietsov — used with permission)

You may have heard the famous business fable about a peasant who won a chess match with his emperor. As his prize, the poor man asked for a grain of rice to be placed on the first square of the chess board, and for the number of grains to be doubled on each successive square. The emperor, thinking this a foolish thing to request, agreed, only to find himself bankrupted before he got halfway through the squares on the board. Thinking only in terms of doubling grains of rice, the 64th (last) square of the chessboard would have to hold 15 quintillion grains of rice.

But we’re not talking about rice

With a worldwide population of seven billion and growing, it’s not entirely surprising that inquisitive people would develop new ways of solving problems, earning a living, and entertaining themselves. Think about all the domains of knowledge that have come into existence in the last 120 years. Cars, airplanes, manned and unmanned spacecraft came into being in a meaningful way in the 20th century.  Along with them came television, computers and the wonder that is the internet. And although these are not the newest fields, they continue to develop and change. If you try to take it all in, you’ll be swamped.

Not all facts are created equal

My way of thinking about this explosion is to sort it into four main categories. Data are like the bricks in a Lego set. You can arrange them to add up to something, but their value is more in the potential they hold. Information is data that have been arranged to support or advance one or more ideas. Knowledge is information that has become “sticky” either because it works, or because it has a memorable form. Rhyme, alliteration, metaphors, and or emotional triggers are all examples of stickiness.

And then there’s wisdom. This is the highest form of knowledge. Not only is it practical, wisdom stands alone because it provides the synthesis of knowing what to do — and why it is the right thing to do.

How do you handle it?

If data multiply faster than roaches in a low-rent restaurant, how can anyone keep up with what he needs to know and still become wise? It’s not an entirely rhetorical question. There are several large and small strategies, but let’s start with information and knowledge: We can outsource our memories, relying on our smartphones and the cloud to keep track of everyone’s birthdays, multiple phone numbers and email and social media addresses. (My mother moved and I still haven’t memorized her new home phone number.) These isolated facts (bits of data) don’t hold much meaning apart from their context, so there’s little risk unless your phone goes swimming.

For larger issues, such as presidential candidates’ respective positions, or the newest treatment regimens for catastrophic illnesses, we can assemble cooperative repositories of data and knowledge — for public or private uses. (Hello Wikipedia, Watson, and Big Data. These fall into the “I don’t know, but I know where to look” category.) None of these will add to the capacity of your brain or your heart, though.

The real effect of these moves is to make certain types of knowledge so readily available they become irrelevant. I don’t remember my mother’s phone number (sorry, Mom!) because the phone I carry with me “knows” it for me. Although I know how to build a cooking fire, I don’t have to build one if I’m not camping. I don’t have to build a car to be able to drive one. And the relief of not having to actively recall these things enables me to devote my mental capacity to other, more specialized topics — and to the moral context in which they exist.

You gotta have a system

I worked with a very intelligent PhD chemist several years ago. As a teenager, he had encouraged his parents to buy a television. They didn’t think much of the idea, so instead they bought him a set of encyclopedias. Then another. Then another. The man had literally read several sets of encyclopedias — from cover to cover. After that, he never really cared much for television.

I must add that he was extremely knowledgeable about his own field of expertise, and he was also a master of many others — and he also had a quick wit and a great sense of humor. Reading entire encyclopedias gave him something remarkable, but he was already extraordinarily gifted. But the man was truly wise. His great learning enabled him to sort what was genuinely good from its attractive counterfeits.

So if there were one strategy I’d offer for making one wise, I’d recommend reading broadly. Read fiction and nonfiction. Great stories can be great teachers. You’ll remain mentally agile and you’ll also encounter new ideas. This is a Very Good Thing as long as you recognize that everything you read cannot be correct. Logically, some ideas are true — others are false. It isn’t possible for a thing to be true and false at the same time. So how can you sort it out?

Start with the Bible

If you live in the West, you cannot understand your culture without an understanding of the Bible. Even if you’re not a believer, the Bible’s stories, sayings, and syntax reverberate through the art, literature, and law of the Western world — from Shakespeare to Nick Cave. There are even books of the Bible referred to as Wisdom Literature. To cultivate wisdom, start with the Old Testament book of Proverbs and do what I do. Read the chapter whose number corresponds to the calendar date. Read chapter one on the 1st, chapter two on the 2nd, etc. There are 31 chapters, so even in leap year you won’t get all the way through Proverbs in February. No matter — start at Chapter one on the 1st and go again. I’ve been doing this for years. Repetition also makes knowledge sticky.

Something higher

If you read through Proverbs, you’ll see that one of the themes is that wisdom is a gift from God. He is its source, and he gives it generously to any who will seek it. If a man will avail himself of Divine wisdom, he will cultivate discernment and sound judgment — and avoid a lot of painful lessons in the process.

You’ll also meet the biblical opposite of the wise man in Proverbs:  the fool. This is the man governed by appetite. He is short-sighted and morally dull. This is no way to go through life.

The late Arthur Jones — the inventor of Nautilus fitness equipment — used to say, “Success in life comes from good judgment. Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment.” As data, information, and knowledge increase, we all need to cultivate our capacity for wisdom to help us learn from others’ poor judgment. I’m still working on it myself.

So how about you? How do you intend to increase your wisdom? Add your comments below.

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” – Charles M. Schulz

Recently, I wrote about how I broke through from fat to fit. In that post, I promised to share what I’ve learned over time about eating for optimum fitness. Some of this might be new to you — even contrary to what you may have been taught. I hope you’ll do your own research and try what seems best to you. Eat the meat and spit out the bones

Protein and fat — it’s what’s for dinner!

The Basics

There are only three macronutrieints: protein, fat and carbohydrates. Each contains calories, but one flaw in most nutrition strategies is the assumption that all calories are equal. Using this logic, well-meaning people cut back on their eating across the board — or worse, shift to a higher percentage of carbohydrates in their diet.While they may lose weight, they end up with a higher percentage of body fat and less muscle, thus becoming a skinny fat person — a lose-lose scenario.

At one level, you could say that an excess of calories from any source would necessarily cause you to pile on the pounds. However, it’s not as simple as that.

Of the three, you only need protein and fats to survive. Carbohydrates can have a place in your diet, but you do not require them. Protein supplies you with the amino acids you need to support lean body mass – the most metabolically active and desirable stuff for health. So whenever you sit down to eat, make sure you’re taking in adequate protein and eat your protein first.

How to calculate protein requirements

Let’s start by saying that, unless you have a history of kidney disease, we’re going to calculate the minimum daily protein. To do this, you need to know your lean body mass. There are multiple ways to calculate this. (I like the method devised by husband and wife M.D.s Michael and Mary Eades — authors of the book, Protein Power.) If you don’t have access to the tables and constants, you can use an online calculator like this one.

Once you know your lean body mass, you can determine how much protein you need per day. If you’re athletic, you should aim for 0.9 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass a day. If you weigh 175 pounds and have 15% body fat, your lean body mass is 148.75 pounds. An active man with this lean body mass should take in at least 134 grams of complete protein per day. Spread over three meals a day, that would be approximately 45 grams of protein per sitting. And for your information, one ounce of lean meat contains approximately 7 grams of protein.

Wait? Fats are good for you?

In a word, yes. Eating fat will help you to feel full, but it won’t make you fat unless you combine that fat with carbohydrates. They provide the kind of fuel you need, and interestingly, when you’re consuming fat, your body takes this as a signal that all is well and you do not attempt to store it.

At our house, we use grass fed butter, avocados, nuts, extra virgin olive oil and unrefined coconut oil as our sources of dietary fats. This, of course, is in addition to the fats present in meat, fish, eggs and dairy products.

If you want to gain a better understanding of the ways dietary science has been skewed to disfavor fats, check out the book, The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz. She reports how the entire country’s eating habits — and nutritional education — rest on some shaky foundations.

But let me tell you that your brain needs fat to function. And your body needs cholesterol in order to produce testosterone. That’s right. In our area there are radio and TV spots talking about America’s plummeting testosterone levels and selling remedies. And this while we are telling men to avoid cholesterol in their diets. If you want to avoid being low-T, crack some eggs.

For the record, two-thirds of your serum cholesterol is produced by your liver. It does this, not in response to cholesterol you eat, but in response to insulin you produce — that production happens when you eat carbohydrates.

If you’re concerned that eating protein and fat will skew your health metrics, I have been eating this way for over 15 years and my cholesterol numbers are consistently within normal limits.

Kick carbs to the curb

So let’s say you’ve figured out how much protein you need per day, and you’ve decided to let fat back into your diet. Good man! You lack one thing: you must now break your addiction to carbohydrates and cut your consumption of them way back.

Let’s start with what sports trainer Mark Verstegen calls “the Devil’s carb” — high fructose corn syrup. This inexpensive sugar appears as a leading ingredient in nearly all sodas and many, many prepared foods. Become a reader of food labels and wherever possible choose whole foods, or at least options that are free of high fructose corn syrup.

You can get rid of a lot of carbohydrates easily through your choice of beverages. I drink black coffee, unsweet iced tea and water — all of which have zero calories. The only exception to this practice is the protein shakes I use to make sure I get enough protein every day. Quit drinking your calories. And if you’re serious about getting fit, that includes alcohol.

But don’t stop there. Eliminate all white carbs from your diet — sugar, bread, rice, noodles, potatoes. These spike your insulin, which is the master fat storage hormone.

Tim Ferriss says

In his book, The 4-Hour Body, Tim Ferriss decribes an eating plan we’ve followed for the past four years. The Slow-Carb diet employs a lot of the principles above, but replaces refined carbohydrates with legumes — beans. Six days a week, you eat meat (protein), non-starchy vegetables and beans, while avoiding white carbs, fruit and dairy. One day a week, you’re allowed to have a cheat day where everything is back on the menu. We have found this to be rather easy to sustain over time, but you should know there is no exit plan when one hits his ideal weight/body composition.

Ferriss says, “The decent method you follow is better than the perfect method you quit.” I think this is great guidance as you make progress toward the best possible version of yourself. Don’t be afraid to experiment and to modify any plan to enable you to improve your appearance and your health.

So how about you? What method have you used or do you plan to use to improve your fitness, your health, your life? Add your comments below.

“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” – Charles M. Schulz

Recently, I wrote about how I broke through from fat to fit. In that post, I promised to share what I’ve learned over time about eating for optimum fitness. Some of this might be new to you — even contrary to what you may have been taught. I hope you’ll do your own research and try what seems best to you. Eat the meat and spit out the bones

Protein and fat — it’s what’s for dinner!

The Basics

There are only three macronutrieints: protein, fat and carbohydrates. Each contains calories, but one flaw in most nutrition strategies is the assumption that all calories are equal. Using this logic, well-meaning people cut back on their eating across the board — or worse, shift to a higher percentage of carbohydrates in their diet.While they may lose weight, they end up with a higher percentage of body fat and less muscle, thus becoming a skinny fat person — a lose-lose scenario.

At one level, you could say that an excess of calories from any source would necessarily cause you to pile on the pounds. However, it’s not as simple as that.

Of the three, you only need protein and fats to survive. Carbohydrates can have a place in your diet, but you do not require them. Protein supplies you with the amino acids you need to support lean body mass – the most metabolically active and desirable stuff for health. So whenever you sit down to eat, make sure you’re taking in adequate protein and eat your protein first.

How to calculate protein requirements

Let’s start by saying that, unless you have a history of kidney disease, we’re going to calculate the minimum daily protein. To do this, you need to know your lean body mass. There are multiple ways to calculate this. (I like the method devised by husband and wife M.D.s Michael and Mary Eades — authors of the book, Protein Power.) If you don’t have access to the tables and constants, you can use an online calculator like this one.

Once you know your lean body mass, you can determine how much protein you need per day. If you’re athletic, you should aim for 0.9 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass a day. If you weigh 175 pounds and have 15% body fat, your lean body mass is 148.75 pounds. An active man with this lean body mass should take in at least 134 grams of complete protein per day. Spread over three meals a day, that would be approximately 45 grams of protein per sitting. And for your information, one ounce of lean meat contains approximately 7 grams of protein.

Wait? Fats are good for you?

In a word, yes. Eating fat will help you to feel full, but it won’t make you fat unless you combine that fat with carbohydrates. They provide the kind of fuel you need, and interestingly, when you’re consuming fat, your body takes this as a signal that all is well and you do not attempt to store it.

At our house, we use grass fed butter, avocados, nuts, extra virgin olive oil and unrefined coconut oil as our sources of dietary fats. This, of course, is in addition to the fats present in meat, fish, eggs and dairy products.

If you want to gain a better understanding of the ways dietary science has been skewed to disfavor fats, check out the book, The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz. She reports how the entire country’s eating habits — and nutritional education — rest on some shaky foundations.

But let me tell you that your brain needs fat to function. And your body needs cholesterol in order to produce testosterone. That’s right. In our area there are radio and TV spots talking about America’s plummeting testosterone levels and selling remedies. And this while we are telling men to avoid cholesterol in their diets. If you want to avoid being low-T, crack some eggs.

For the record, two-thirds of your serum cholesterol is produced by your liver. It does this, not in response to cholesterol you eat, but in response to insulin you produce — that production happens when you eat carbohydrates.

If you’re concerned that eating protein and fat will skew your health metrics, I have been eating this way for over 15 years and my cholesterol numbers are consistently within normal limits.

Kick carbs to the curb

So let’s say you’ve figured out how much protein you need per day, and you’ve decided to let fat back into your diet. Good man! You lack one thing: you must now break your addiction to carbohydrates and cut your consumption of them way back.

Let’s start with what sports trainer Mark Verstegen calls “the Devil’s carb” — high fructose corn syrup. This inexpensive sugar appears as a leading ingredient in nearly all sodas and many, many prepared foods. Become a reader of food labels and wherever possible choose whole foods, or at least options that are free of high fructose corn syrup.

You can get rid of a lot of carbohydrates easily through your choice of beverages. I drink black coffee, unsweet iced tea and water — all of which have zero calories. The only exception to this practice is the protein shakes I use to make sure I get enough protein every day. Quit drinking your calories. And if you’re serious about getting fit, that includes alcohol.

But don’t stop there. Eliminate all white carbs from your diet — sugar, bread, rice, noodles, potatoes. These spike your insulin, which is the master fat storage hormone.

Tim Ferriss says

In his book, The 4-Hour Body, Tim Ferriss decribes an eating plan we’ve followed for the past four years. The Slow-Carb diet employs a lot of the principles above, but replaces refined carbohydrates with legumes — beans. Six days a week, you eat meat (protein), non-starchy vegetables and beans, while avoiding white carbs, fruit and dairy. One day a week, you’re allowed to have a cheat day where everything is back on the menu. We have found this to be rather easy to sustain over time, but you should know there is no exit plan when one hits his ideal weight/body composition.

Ferriss says, “The decent method you follow is better than the perfect method you quit.” I think this is great guidance as you make progress toward the best possible version of yourself. Don’t be afraid to experiment and to modify any plan to enable you to improve your appearance and your health.

So how about you? What method have you used or do you plan to use to improve your fitness, your health, your life? Add your comments below.