Unique Genius

Every great person has become great when their unique talents combined with the right opportunity. To 'combine' and to give your talents, you must have those talents that we all have, AND be ready, willing and able to give.

Many of us are scared to put ourselves on the line, of really believing in something and ourselves... Of taking our ego out of the equation. Our ego needs to be put out in the trash so that we can let go of its weight and fly.

Advice for young inventors...

In an interview with Red Herring, Dr Robert Dennard, the pioneer of what we know of as memory chips, was asked the following:

Q: What advice do you give to young inventors today?

A: I would say that first of all, education in science and technology—getting that kind of foundation—is very important. With that in mind, the next most important thing is attitude. The idea being: Why not really work on developing new things that change the world?

I find it fascinating that many of my fellow young people are so focused on getting a job as a lawyer or doctor or engineer, without really thinking about the whole world, and how they can best contribute something of value... this isn't about deluding yourself into being something that you're not, rather it's about giving your best, rather than settling for less.

Creating value from the ground up...

Focusing on small amounts for a moment, a real estate agent friend was telling me about a place that she's selling at the same price that it was purchased for off-the-plan two years ago in Brisbane. For those unfamiliar with the Brisbane market, prices have boomed by about 10-20% in that time (and this is for a very nice little unit)... so why was this person selling?

Simple: They couldn't pay the settlement costs!

So here they are, offloading a place for $375,000 that's worth about $425,000 or more because they can't handle the holding costs for a month or two while it sells.

Such great deals show up from time to time, and this one could yield whoever lands it (I've been in touch with a good friend...) about $50,000 for a month of holding something that doesn't even use any of his own money (it's fully secured against the value of the property!).

Is it ethical to make money like that?

What it takes to be at the top...

What does it take to make a billion dollars?

In Business Week's latest collection of the top 50 companies in the world, you can see a listing of how much the CEOs have made in the past year.

• William W. McGuire managed to rake in $816 million - that's right $816,000,000 in personal income last year!!!
• Fred Smith (FedEx) only made $120m last year

(Sure, it's not enough to live off, but damn it's a good start!)

What do you think it takes to make the best part of a BILLION DOLLARS in a year?

A few people scored in the hundreds of millions, though really: What does it take?
Surely, these people aren't THAT much smarter than you are... are they?

What gives them the ability to make hundreds, thousands or perhaps even ten thousand times more money than you made? Are they that much better than you are, or are they using what they have that much better than you're using what you have?

Hell, it's making me think...

Martial arts: Microcosm-Macrocosm

We ought give respect to all those who follow their path, no matter what that path might be.

We ought look for excellences that we might emulate.
We ought be aware of deficiencies in others that we might correct those flaws in ourselves.

We ought pursue our path while remaining detached and focused; Detached from the actual outcomes achieved, though focused on giving our all in each moment.

Martial arts training is a powerful metaphor because the links are many, multi-faceted and yet retain depth. Martial arts is a microcosm of life: Perfecting a cut or a punch or a kata has parallels and lessons that can be applied throughout the Universe.


Our strengths, unleashed, grant victory.
Our weaknesses, hidden, ensure defeat.

Appreciating the paradox is a mental exercise. Applying the paradox through distinction, contradistinction and self-awareness of ourselves and our place in the Universe is a spiritual experience. Training ourselves to unleash our strengths without hiding our weaknesses is a physical discipline.