What if Rampant Consumerism Isn't the Answer?

by Dean Zatkowsky

I happened to be visiting Yellowstone National Park on my 51^st birthday, and noticed that I was wearing the same black sweater I wore in Yosemite on my 18^th birthday.  Before the sweater was mine, it had been my brother-in-law's letterman sweater in the late 1960s.

When I reminded my sister that my favorite sweater for thirty-three years had been her husband's for who knows how long before I got it, she said, "They don't make sweaters like they used to."

Her son corrected her: "No, they don't make consumers like they used to."

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Categories: Economics | Ethics | Environment

2 comments - Posted by Dean Zatkowsky at 11:52 AM

GM's Big Dreams

The standout exhibit at the 1939 World's Fair belonged to none other than General Motors. Called Futurama, the display took visitors on a tour through an incredibly detailed - and mostly accurate - model of the continental United States as it would appear in the far-off future of 1960. Considering that the World's Fair took place after ten years of Depression and while Europe was descending into the madness of war, General Motors' imaginative optimism seems all the more impressive.

General Motors recognized the harsh facts in front of them, but nevertheless dreamed big dreams and worked to make them come true - they helped to create America's future. So what happened?

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Categories: Marketing | Creativity | Customer Service | Leadership | Competitive Advantage | Optimism

0 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 5:35 PM

Preparing for College

Congratulations to this year's high school graduates. Those of you preparing to enter college in the fall will be investing more money than ever before for your education, so here are some thoughts on getting your dollar's worth.

1. Small talk is a big deal. College is a great place to acquire friends and ideas, and small talk starts the process. You're about to be thrust into a new environment, and your willingness to chat shows that you are interested in life and people. Project a demeanor of openness and positivity; use your idle time in the dorms or hallways to start conversations and form friendships. Of all the skills you learn or refine in college, the art of conversation may be the most valuable throughout your life.

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Categories: Creativity | Education | Leadership | Optimism

1 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 9:28 AM

Interest Pays Dividends

Randall W. Jeffs of Progressive Capital Managers included this story in the May issue of his "Greed & Fear Monitor" newsletter:

"As little as five years ago, I thought that virtually all older people knew quite a bit about investing. But I was startled to learn that most I spoke with knew virtually nothing. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised. When at USC, I once had an ancient finance professor, who put a question on a test: Name Three Stocks on the New York Stock Exchange. Virtually the entire class went into a tizzy. They proclaimed that such hadn't been covered in class. The old guy half smiled and half chuckled. He said I don't know, I kinda thought that senior business students at USC should know the answer to that question without it being covered in class."

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Categories: Education | Finance | Economics | Investing

1 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 3:22 PM