My Blog

The Blog About Everything

As year 2004 winds up and professionals and corporate bodies plot strategies for business excellence in 2005 and beyond, it is time to put their Imagination to real work. In the first part of this message, IMAGINATION, as a person, started an inspirational charge for the professional and business class on what the world of business would be like in the year 2030.He continues to speak.

God made the earth one world. But man turned it many worlds. What is the key to one world? Alliances, mergers, and acquisitions, common markets and currencies.

It is already happening. The EU is here. Twenty five European countries have merged into a common market served by a single currency, the Euro. By 2030, the USA and Canada will completely fuse into a single market ruled by a new Dollar. Asia will evolve into a continental whole. The Asian Economic Tigers will evolve into a super Tiger. I am IMAGINATION. I inspire people.

At the other end of the globe, Latin American countries will fuse into a continental market. Soccer will facilitate it. Great news is coming from Africa. Ravaged by poverty, military rule, AIDS, malaria, and battered economies, their continental body, the Organization of African Unity has transformed into the African Union (AU). The aim is to fuse markets and economies. Before 2030, Africa will have a common currency, The Mandela. Remember the great African statesman, Nelson Mandela who moved from Prison to Presidency after 27 years in jail to emancipate his people in South Africa.

That is not all. The economies of Oceania and Australia will fuse into a common market. These market dynamics will herald the forming of One World in 2050. E-Business and globalization will be the drivers of change. Governments will not necessarily merge by year 2030. They will remain, but markets and currencies will merge completely. Then we shall have One World of diversity. Markets represent the anatomy on One World. And a common currency is the economic blood that will lubricate trade and promote free exchange of goods and services.

Before 2030, more than 100 currencies of countries will fuse into five continental currencies. One: The Dollar will rule North America. Two: The Euro is already in charge of Europe. Three: The Mandela will hold sway in Africa. Four: Latin America will throw up The Columbus, to immortalize the man who discovered the continent. Five: The Oceania will adopt Oceanics as their currency. Australia will be too proud to adopt it and will try to muzzle its own currency through to cover that region. As national currencies fuse, so will the orientation of their nationals.

But there will still be trouble spots. The Middle East will still be in turmoil. The Arabs and Israelis will never end their hostilities. The region will refuse to fuse with any of the emerging continental markets and currencies. And they will use oil as a global weapon. Same way, for Asia. They will agree in principle for a single currency, but the rivalry between Japan, Korea, and China will delay implementation.

In 2030, the five continental currencies, barring all odds and delays, will fuse into one global currency- The Globo that will rule the world from thence. This global currency will feature the picture of a revolving globe serving a truly one-world market. It will be an electronic currency, accessed by information technology. That is when the world will completely be ruled by e-business. I am IMAGINATION. I inspire people.

Dear professionals. You think a global currency is not feasible? It is already being discussed. See what The Economist of London wrote about One World, One Money: The magazine says, “In difficult times, people are encouraged to think the unthinkable. A global currency is not a new idea, but it may soon get a new lease of life.

Mark the two words on thinking, they are products of Imagination.

That lease of life can only come from professionals who use their Imagination to think the unthinkable. If this comes from The Economist, you better listen because the magazine commands global attention. It is factual and authoritative. That is the mission of this message. Not only to picture the world of business in 2030, but for you to acquire wisdom from leading authorities on your way to 2030.That will be when The Globo will usher in the era of total free trade across nations and markets where most trade barriers will be dismantled. It will be One World, One Currency.

By 2030, it will no longer be who are you or where are you from? That will not be necessary. What matters will be, what is your vision is? Where are you going? What can you do? How global are you? How much value can you add to humanity because the world then will be completely value-driven? Take the Economist magazine for instance. It churns out more than 124 pages of information and analysis on global business, finance, politics, and economics every week. Yet you do not see the bylines (names) of the editors and writers. It is a pointer of things to come in 2030. I am IMAGINATION. I inspire people.

In 2030, the World Bank will become a global bank that oversees one truly global market. Central Banks of nations will give way for Continental Banks. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will change to the International Monetary Force. Still IMF, but with a new focus. A global currency, The Globo, needs a global bank, and a global monetary force to sustain it.

Globalization and one currency will throw up global opportunities in 2030. You need a global mindset to tap these opportunities, and it takes Imagination to do that. Use me dear professionals, I will put the world in your pocket.

Have you observed this? Every event that brings the world together commands global attention and promotes peace, joy and harmony. Check out the soccer World Cup and the Olympic Games. Nations are clamoring to host them. In 2030, there will be no single host. Events and matches will hold in different parts of the world simultaneously. Technology will make that possible and people will watch events on palm top electronic devices. Technology will compress the world into your hands.

FIFA, the world’s governing football body is already moving in this direction with the dual hosting of Japan-Korea 2002 World Cup. In 2030, the World Cup will be played in a world of many nations, no longer in a nation of many cities. The Olympic Games will also transform. No longer Moscow 80, Barcelona 92, Atlanta 96 or Sydney 2000. It will be Global 2030. I am IMAGINATION. I inspire people.

We own a home on the island of Puerto Rico nestled high in the mountains against the backdrop of the United States’ only national rainforest, The Yunque. To say that the trees, faunas and wildlife are incredible is an understatement.

Where we live there are only a few handful of houses spaced apart enough to enjoy one’s own privacy. One of my neighbors is a wonderful retiree name Emilio. When you look at Emilio he reminds you of that favorite grandfather who would probably play pranks on you. Emilio’s humor and energy, if you’re around him long enough, is contagious.

About six months ago as I was pulling up to our house, I saw huge piles of cement powder, boards and tools scattered about Emilio’s front yard. I went over to see what he was up to. Emilio had decided to build his own cement patio. “Incredible”, I thought. I asked him if he was going to do it himself and he said, “Yeah, why?” When I returned to Puerto Rico a month or so later he had finished the patio which extended wonderfully off a small dip in the valley giving him an even more spectacular view of the rainforest.

The next time I went to the island, I remember while sitting on my porch enjoying a cup of coffee and the view of the valley, I heard someone yelling my name, “Victor, Victor”. When I came done the road by Emilio’s house I saw him sitting on the roof of his house with his feet dangling over the edge and laughing. Apparently, while repairing some shingles on his roof, the wind came by and blew the ladder away and he had no way of getting down. After a few moments of laughter, on my part, I put the ladder back in place so Emilio could get down.

Last week we went up to the house in Puerto Rico again to find Emilio finishing up the installation of a hot water heater powered by a couple of solar panels he had installed. Apparently technology didn’t scare this old guy either.

That night we sat down and chatted while sipping on a few cold ones. Emilio’s story of how he was raised and the adversities he’s had to overcome made him even more amazing. One of the most recent challenges was the loss of his wife to cancer 10 years ago after 42 years of marriage. She died before their dream house there in Puerto Rico was finished. Emilio can’t go for more than 10 minutes in a conversation without bringing up her name. To hear him speak of his wife, you think she’s in the next room. A beautiful black and white photo of their wedding sits alone atop a desk and is the first thing you notice when you step inside his home.

Emilio still takes care of his house and continues to improve on it. I suspect that in his mind he’s not building it alone. No. Whatever new task Emilio takes on, his wife is right there beside him in spirit. His vision for their dream house continues to motivate him on to the next project.

Unlike Emilio, many of us have lost our motivation. We’ve lost that drive to bring about the life we once thought of having. We’ve surrendered it to the past and have become apathetic in reclaiming it. Our will to pursue our passion, our dream, our vision has atrophied.

Many of us complain that it’s too late to start a career or learn a new skill. We think we’re too old to learn anything new. Think of Emilio. He learned how to build the patio as he went…at 78!

Many of us stop dreaming because of some tragedy or misfortunate event. Think of Emilio. He taught me to work through the pain, push on and give your life new purpose, new meaning.

And, many of us are afraid to fail or look stupid in the process of building our dream. Failure scares us. Think of Emilio sitting on the roof when the ladder was blown out from under him. I didn’t find him on the roof depressed or belittling himself. Instead I found a big kid laughing at himself and the situation. From Emilio I learned that fallen ladders (i.e., things don’t go the way we planned them) don’t matter and it’s OK to ask (or in Emilio’s case yell) for help.

Emilio shows no sign of letting up. He’s a human Energizer bunny still going strong, still building on his dream, still holding steady to a shared vision.

Are you still holding steady to your vision of happiness?!

Are you still building?!

Remember to laugh when the winds of misfortune blows your ladder out from under you. And, don’t be afraid to ask (or yell) for help. You may be surprised at who shows up to help support your vision.

Please forward this article; share it with a friend who may need words of inspiration to pursue their dream.

All of us procrastinate on occasion. For some people, it’s a chronic problem; for others, it’s only a problem in certain life areas. Procrastination is always frustrating because it results in wasted time, lost opportunities, disappointing work performance, and generally feeling bad about yourself.

When you procrastinate, you allow less important tasks to take up the time and space that should be devoted to more important things. You do things like hanging out with friends when you know that an important work project is due soon, or going shopping instead of doing your homework. It can also be evident in behavior such as talking about trivial things with your partner to avoid discussing important issues in your relationship.

Most people don’t have a problem finding time for things they want to do. But once they see a task as too difficult, painful, boring, or overwhelming, the procrastination behaviors begin. You are not alone if you have ever made any of the following excuses to yourself:

1. It’s too cold to exercise outside today. I’ll wait until tomorrow when it’s warmer.
2. I’ve got too many other things to do first.
3. I’ll do a better job when I can concentrate on this project.
4. I still have lots of time to get this done.
5. They don’t pay me enough to do a more complete job. This is good enough.
6. This problem is too hard to talk about. I wouldn’t know where to start.
7. I work better under pressure.
8. It’s too noisy to work while my teenager is at home.
9. I should get the shopping down now because the stores will be more crowded later.
10. I can eat this pie tonight, because I’m starting my diet tomorrow.
11. My tooth doesn’t really hurt that much. The pain will probably go away tomorrow.

Most of the time, these excuses seem fairly innocuous. However, they’re not as innocent as they seem, because they cause us to postpone important duties and projects. Ultimately, these excuses can keep us from accomplishing important goals and make us feel bad about ourselves.

Why People Procrastinate

If you were hoping for a simple answer to this puzzle, you will be disappointed to learn that there are many reasons why people put things off. Here are a few of the most common (check those that apply to you):

Avoiding discomfort. Wanting to avoid pain makes lots of people shift into procrastination mode. However, the longer we delay, the worse the uncomfortable problem usually becomes. The rash gets bigger, the tooth hurts more, or the brakes squeak even more loudly.

Perfectionism. Those who believe they must produce the perfect report may obsess about uncovering every last information source and then write draft after draft. Their search for the perfect product takes up so much time that they miss their deadline.

Laziness. Sometimes people delay tasks that involve fairly slight inconvenience or minor discomfort.

Thinking you’re not good enough. Some people are certain that they are incompetent. They think that they will fail, and procrastinate to avoid ever putting their skills to the test.

Self-doubt. If you second-guess yourself, you probably suffer from procrastination. You may avoid new challenges and opportunities unless you are certain that you will succeed. Perhaps you make feeble attempts to begin a project, and you tell yourself that you could do a better job if you put in more effort.

Workaholism. At the other end of the spectrum, many people who work excessively also fall into this category. They drive themselves ruthlessly, fearing that if they stop working, they will not be able to start again. Most self-doubters are driven by the belief that they must meet strict standards in order to see themselves as successful.

Physics Review

Remember the concept of inertia: a mass at rest tends to stay at rest.

For some reason, it is more difficult for most humans to start change than to keep it going.

Why Don’t We Just Say No?

Since procrastination produces mostly negative outcomes, why don’t we just change our behavior and eliminate these undesirable consequences? The reason for this is that procrastination reinforces itself. For some reason, it is more difficult for most humans to start change than to keep it going. We avoid getting started by cleverly diverting our attention from the things we really should be doing. We do something else instead or make up a story about how we will accomplish the task in the future-when we are inspired, or when we have completed a preliminary step, or some other trick.

Although recognizing how these diversions work won’t automatically cure your procrastination, being aware of it is a good place to start working on the problem. Once you are aware of the ways that you procrastinate, you can start to change your behavior.