"Those who apply themselves too closely to little things often become incapable of great things." Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Sunday, December 30, 2007

How To Get The Response You Want

How To Get The Response You Want
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes

Personality assessments are used today in almost all social settings. Whether it be used for employer screening, military recruitment, or any other interpersonal environment, personality assessments attempt to give a behavioral understanding of how we interact. Two popular assessments are DISC, developed in the early 1900's by a Harvard psychologist; and Myers-Briggs, developed by two females two help women during WWII who were entering the industrial workforce.

While these two systems have there uses and critics; there is another model that has been somewhat dusted under the rug. Timothy Leary, a Harvard educated psychologist who become an infamous promoter of psychedelic drugs; notably introduced a personality assessment based on interpersonal behaviors; i.e., how we react to others behaviors, and how they react to us.

According to Leary's work we respond involuntarily in a reflex like fashion to someone else's behavior. This reflex serves to enhance our ego's and to diminish anxiety. So it follows that a persons most favored behavioral pattern is set in accordance to which types of behaviors have produced the least amount of anxiety.

Leary categorizes the major behavioral patterns along sixteen personalities. Each personality provokes a certain response. For example the "docile-dependent" provokes advice/help. Whereas a "managerial-autocratic" type provokes obedience/respect. Further along Leary's grid we find that a confident/independent "narcissist" provokes inferiority; and a "cooperative-over-conventional" type provokes tenderness & love.

The just of the interpersonal matrix is that if you want a certain response, you can provoke it by adjusting your behavioral signals to provoke the appropriate response. This provides a wealth of information to all of us who wish to have a better understanding of our personal, business, and political relationships. Many of the popular assessments tell us "how we are", and where we fit in. The beauty of Leary's model, is that it tells us "how we can be" to create the relationship we seek to build or sabotage. By focusing on how we can behave to change conditions, Leary's Interpersonal model puts the power back in our hands and allows us to develop a more flexible approach to our social behavior. In my next blog I will give a more detailed example of how to use multiple behavioral patterns at certain points along an initial meeting with a person to maximize rapport...

Further reading: "Self-Determinations" by Timothy Leary; "Interpersonal Diagnosis of Personality" by Timothy Leary

Angel Armendariz

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Have You Seen The Gorilla?

"In a recent experiment conducted by professors from Harvard and the University of Illinois, people were asked to watch a video-tape of two three-person teams of students passing a basketball back and forth, and count how many times the ball was passed among the members of one team. On that tape, while the students are passing the ball, a person in a gorilla costume walks slowly among them, stops, turns to the camera, thumps his chest, and then walks on.
So busy were the subjects with counting passes that fewer than half of them even noticed the "gorilla" at all. When they were shown the same videotape again but without the instruction to count the passes, they all saw the gorilla-and most of them refused to believe it was the same tape they had just watched. When a professor repeated the same experiment , live, before a group of four hundred people, fewer than 10 percent even noticed a dark shape, let alone the gorilla."
Scientists call this phenomenon "inattentional blindness." You can be paying so much attention to one thing that you're blind to a whole lot of other things. That's one way in which your brain can misdirect you when it thinks it's doing things right."
- Get Out of Your Own Way, by Robert K. Cooper

This "inattentional blindness" is the effect of habituation and limited focus. When we focus on a certain thing or things we selectively choose those "things." This choosing cuts off other things. Choosing what to focus on is a powerful capacity that when left to our old habitual tendencies suffocate our ability to see new opportunities or novel forms.
We are many times self-delusional in a sense when we affirmatively believe that what we perceive is absolutely the only reality. We have to consciously realize that what we consider real is only our selective attention to a group of things. To combat our tendency to this "inattentional blindness" we can use several methods to jolt us into re-evaluating our environment for the best possible opportunities. Three ways to do this are:

* Ask different questions throughout your day; i.e., "How can I do this more
effectively?"
* Take different routes to and from your usual places of commute.
* Seek Novelty - consciously seek a new experience through meeting new people,
or reading/learning something new.

By exercising your perception in different ways you open the doors to becoming aware of new opportunities. It is only by seizing opportunities that we breathe life and excitement into our spirit.

Angel Armendariz

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

How To Be Compelling

So I was having a conversation with a friend, and we began talking about how to best engage someone in conversation. This is something of utmost importance to all of us. Whether we are looking to strike up a conversation with a member of the opposite sex; or we are in sales trying to capture clients.

One thing we agreed upon is that the person we choose to engage with has to be given the pedestal. That is, we have to be more interested in them, than in presenting ourselves. We each have a deep burning desire to be appreciated, to be interesting to others, and to be loved. Showing our complete attention & interest to someone gives them a high sense of well-being. This leads to associating those wonderful feelings to us.

Now, initially, the strategy that seems to hold the highest value is a question based one. That means asking with a sense of curiosity and interest. This can be as simple as asking "Where are you from?" During my heftier telemarketing days I had a knack for selling anything under the sun, because of this simple strategy. Questions work because firstly, we feel obligated to respond (cultural habits); secondly, we like to feel important.

Adding a bit of sincerity to the questions themselves also tilts results in your favor. Tonality is an even bigger factor in communicating than words themselves. As I have mentioned before communication is universal in function. That is to say that the effective way to communicate to others is usually a great strategy to use on yourself. Asking yourself specific questions in the right emotive tone can compel you to take action - as would be the case with the buyer you sell, or date you make.

Angel Armendariz

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Why Should You Engage in Deliberate Practice?

“The champions in any field are those who devote the most time to what performance experts call deliberate practice. Hard work is fine. But for it to be genuinely effective, the work needs to be directed. Deliberate practice is an activity designed to help you improve a specific skill or performance, to enable you to reach for goals just beyond your level of proficiency, to provide you feedback on results, and to build a program that allows for high levels of repetition.”
- James M. Citrin, The Dynamic Path

The artist in all of us; creates through the forward tension of our ideal existence and our current states. This unique tension creates desire, the fuel that compels development. Deliberate practice is no more than strategically and meticulously developing your capacities that will create that ideal existence.

Faith enters the picture of such creative intentions. One would not invest valuable time into deliberately developing, honing, and refining their abilities if they did not have a high level of faith or belief in the realization of their ideal. There is nothing worse than hard work without direction. Without direction and purposes existence is stifled, our will diminishes. Our will is strengthened with deliberate practice that overcomes resistance. The famous dictum of Nietzsche tells us this - Will To Power.

Power is only felt with the overcoming of resistance. Think of fitness for example. The athlete's "high" comes from the endorphins released upon exertion, i.e., the use of our will to overcome physical resistances. The feeling of our own power, is thus the feeling of pleasure. This is so for the obstacles we overcome in all aspects in life. The individual who has overcome more resistances is usually an individual with more power & confidence.

Contrary to cultural myth, great accomplishments are not attained by lucky, chosen, or gifted people. But, by those who have, like James Citrin says, habitually tended to deliberate practice. We like to believe that the lack of resistance, tension, and obstacles would produce pleasure of orgasmic proportions. Yet when analyzed from most all perspectives, from cellular growth, to intellectual accomplishment we see the divinity of challenges that feeds life into our spirits, and thus gives us a greater capacity of enjoyment and pleasure.

Angel Armendariz

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Constraints and Creativity

Constraints are a constant in life. Whether we speak of business, personal, spiritual, or social arenas. A constraint is basically a limiting factor. Game theory, is a theoretical form of imposing constraints in a setting with the desire to achieve a specific outcome. Every game we play has constraints (rules) we must abide by to remain within the context of the given system.

Generally speaking constraints impede our level of freedom in a sense. Most of us would not impose constraints on ourselves to limit our own sovereignty or autonomy. When we think of innovation we'd normally rather think big and broad. We imagine limitless possibilities when we brainstorm, and try to think "outside the box."

What if thinking outside the box is not the best strategy? What if making the box smaller is an even better strategy? A recent article in Strategy+Business struck a cord with this theme. The article was called "Innovation Sandbox." If you really think about it imposing more rules or constraints "forces" your mind to be more creative. It focuses your attention and funnels it into laser like accuracy. The big ideas, the big results, the epiphanies don't seem to come from the freedom, per se, of thought, but the constriction by constraints. When one is forced to create one will.

In a recent interview in the Wall Street Journal; Roger Ailes, CEO/Chairman of The Fox Television Stations Group, responded with a similar notion when asked about the grudge of having to build the new Fox Business channel. Roger says, "there are no options. The problem with most people who don't succeed is that they see options..."
In his own words Roger was acknowledging the value of having constraints (less options).

Anthony Robbins succinctly sums up this them of constraints as well, he says - "If you can't, you must; and if you must, you can." So we begin to see the value of imposing constraints on ourselves sometimes. By challenging our minds to find solutions within constraints we strengthen our creative capacity.

Another exercise to see the power of constraints is this:
In 10 seconds think of as many things as you can that are white.
Now take ten seconds and think of all the white items in your refrigerator.
Most people will count more white items in their fridge as compared with having to think of the whole universe. Simple but accurate representation of how constraints can serve you.

Angel Armendariz

Monday, October 22, 2007

Are You a Slave To Your Genes?

Are You a Slave To Your Genetics?

The BBC News wrote an interesting article entitled Diet Choices 'written in genes'. The article cited a recent study conducted by Kings College on the inheritance of eating habits via genes. The results suggested that 41-48% of a persons leaning towards one of the food groups was influenced by genetics.

What stuck out at me was the conviction of one of the researches in saying:

We have assumed that our upbringing and social environment determine what we like to eat. This has blown that theory out of the water.

The genetic predisposition card has been used many times, perhaps unwittingly, to show or accept limits. In the BBC article for example how could 41-48% influence be the "biggest" determining factor? What about the other 52-59%? The intention of the research itself is not questioned, but the portrayal of the information. When we try to find an absolute cause, or when we fictitiously put one cause against another, i.e., nature vs. nurture; we submit our intellect to an archaic logic that does not bode well with education.

A multiplicity of variables almost always is at work with any result or effect. Take your body structure for example, or your natural muscle tone. You naturally are born with a genetic "template", however, you also are born with a mind that can adapt itself. If I were to submit myself to the body I was born with, and everyone else did the same then health clubs would not exist. We already know that we are born with a physical inheritance. What's more important is the question "how can I change the things I want to improve of my genetic inheritance?"

Studies involving physical change of a person's body are numerous. Many of these other studies would seem to contradict the genetic bias. For example, studies have been done on individuals with Multiple Personality Disorder. In some of these cases a persons physical features would change in accordance to the personality being expressed at the time; things such as eye color, voice, even cases involving illnesses such as diabetes (producing insulin or not depending on personality). The "biggest" cause in these studies seem to fall on the subject's "belief". This also follows what is commonly referred to as the placebo affect.

From the history of high achievers the "biggest" factor contibuting to habits, decisions, results, and effects seems to come from beliefs. Tom Platz, a legendary bodybuilder and business man now, is a case in point. Tom's genetic inheritance included skinny legs, narrow shoulders, and low muscle tone. Tom went on to record the most massive muscular thighs in the history of bodybuilding; as well as winning many bodybuilding titles throughout his career. He attributes this success to his "will" his desire to become a great bodybuilder. He developed a belief in his ability to change his physique according to his ideal; he sought the necessary informational resources, and with guts and determination molded his ideal body.

Genetics is a great modern day scapegoat for almost everything. However, if we want something other than mediocrity we take it upon ourselves to find a way to create our results...not leave them to inheritance. I good book on how the mind effects genetics is presented by Dr. Ernest Rossi in The Psychobiology of Gene Expresssion.

Angel Armendariz

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Invisible Hands Mis-Guiding You

The Invisible Hands That Guide You
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes

"It seems likely that we often ride along on the energy of hidden social streams without even noticing their existence, while they influence the way we think, make us align ourselves with some ideas rather than others, or affect what we find fashionable and socially acceptable."

"Diamonds don't glitter because the atoms making them up glitter, but because of the way those atoms fall together into a special pattern."

" Its often not the parts but the pattern, that is most important, and so it is with people."
- Mark Buchanon "The Social Atom"

Patterns convery more meaning than meets the eye according to Mark Buchanon. Parts and their nuances have a lesser value in providing pertinent information about a system. The quote regarding the pattern of the diamonds atoms is very clever. Whether the part or the pattern is more important is not the question. The high level of meaning and information conveyed by patterns is the interesting thing.

A pattern can also be seen as a system. For example, a business usually works like a conveyor belt of sorts (a system)...it has a pattern to produce its commodity. Employees fit themselves into the role and nothing else. The system taken as a whole has a distinctive pattern, and analyzing an individual employee, or an individual department would give you erroneous information as to the working and function of the business model (pattern).

Patterns are endless. Generally speaking much of our Western education neglects the importance and power of being skilled at finding, using, and creating effective patterns for progress. We have for the most part accepted that everything outside the realm of our specialty is some anomoly that is beyond our comprehension.

In psychology "archetypes" can be seen as a pattern that helps us understand the human psyche and culture itlsef. What this means is that when we find patterns we can use them immediately as guides to "form" the "structure" or pattern we want. Following this insight, we can mimic the patterns of those individuals, businesses, groups, etc., that have formed compelling patterns.

Seeing patterns insinuates the ability to observe a system from a "big" perspective. In a way, it would mean to look at the forest not just the tree. In building a business it would mean to look at the production process not just the product. In self-development of any kind it would mean looking at the process and steps needed for the goal, not just the immediate result. When the pattern is found, its replication, is simply the mimicking of the same pattern.

Whether we like it our not we are following a pattern at the moment. By becoming aware of what we are forming, and what we wish to form we can restructure our habits and awareness to form the patterns we choose to create. One more quote from Buchanon's book..."Patterns reveal regularities that show how the seemingly complicated actually isn't so."

Angel Armendariz

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Persuasion & Influence

Persuasion & Influence
Category: Life

Persuasion, according to Wordnet (from Princeton University), means communication intended to induce belief or action. This very broad definition lends itself to general use in numerous contexts. For instance, getting your child to eat all of his/her vegetables would insinuate an act of persuasion by you. Asking someone out on a date would also constitute persuasion, since one individual is trying to induce an act of "going out" or "seeing each other." Furthermore, a sales team and marketing department can be said to base their jobs on persuasion. A sales team's intent is to induce action that would cause a potential client to buy. While the marketing team propagates material to induce belief in their particular service or product. From this small selection of examples we can begin see the extent on which persuasion is the lock & key to the portal of efficacy in our personal and professional lives.

Influence, according to the American Heritage Dictionary: A power affecting a person, thing, or course of events, especially one that operates without any direct or apparent effort. Influence also has to do with the power to sway, affect, move, or impel a certain condition. As I will use it throughout this work; I refer mostly to ones ability or power to affect. We are bound to influence by our very natures. From our deepest core, we wish to influence at first, our environment. As children we learn that we can influence our parents by several means to have our ways. As we mature we also become aware of the influence of others on our psyches, our actions, and our behaviors. Influence is a constant throughout our lives, from the influence of peers to the influence of ideologies and culture itself.

Persuasion and influence can be taken as a mutual force that feeds off of each other. Generally speaking influence has to do with the intention & power of a specific act or communication. While persuasion has to do with the process or system used as a strategy to follow through on the intended influence. They complement each other and synchronize to amplify each others force. As a natural and unalienable endowment these human attributes form a communication potential of immense proportions. The potential inherent in these functions of man are beyond the realm of comprehension. The only limit within these attributes is in our own abilities and capacities to develop and use them for life-affirming endeavors.

Our basic educational system teaches us very little about persuasion and influence. Unfortunately we are many times ignorant victims of these forces; yet, we have not a clue whence or where they came from. It is important to firstly realize that persuasion and influence are natural components of our social (and personal) lives. After all persuasion and influence also takes place within our own minds. We persuade and influence ourselves to act, behave, and be according to certain norms. Our own personal abilities to persuade and influence ourselves largely determines our level of self-esteem, self-confidence, and level of achievement in our lives. By allowing persuasion and influence to have life-affirming residence within our minds we can actively improve on these faculties to further benefit ourselves and others around us.

Friday, October 5, 2007

Happiness Rules - You're All Set

I Seek Happiness -

"I want Happiness..." the repetitive lyrics of a favorite song of mine. "Pursuit of Happyness" title of a recent favorite movie of mine. Happiness is sought by all. At an early age I figured out that happiness depended to a large degree on myself. Kind of like a game you play. In the game of happiness you choose the rules.

You choose "what" has to happen to be happy. Some of us make it to hard to win. Some of us require a so much to happen before we can feel happy, that we rarely feel it. I've seen some people have rules set up like this: to be happy this has to happen...

1)lots of money, 2)no problems, 3) no hard work, 4) perfect lover, 5)complaint coworkers, 6)everything goes according to plan....

No wonder some people are never happy. On the flip side here are some of my rules for happiness:

1)being alive, 2) awareness of infinite possibilities in the present, 3) self improvement, 4) deep breathing, 5)learning something new...

In my world happiness is easy...because I make it like that. Unfortunately many of us accept rules from friends, tv, movies, parents, etc., instead of choosing our own. Some of us have become experts at consciously diverting our attention from all the good and all the potential and finding or making up dramatically tragic sorrows.

The second thing I mentioned regarding possiblities of the present is probably the biggest deal for me. Something I adopted from Einstein. Its the awareness of expectation. Of embracing the unknown with optimism. Instead of repelling the unknown with pessimism. Its true that any little occurence in your life can transform everything instantly. Its been true for many individuals. Mark Cuban, said in an interview in Selling Power, that he would read everything he could get his hands on. To him he justified doing so because he realized that any minute distinction made in the knowledge he encountered could mean the difference between him "making it" or not. This is the type of expectation that enchants any ordinary moment with potential, expectation, or excitement.

Think about it. You can meet someone in 1hr. that completely changes your life. You can pick up a book right now that opens a new dimension of possibilities for you. You can listen to a song that inspires a dormant passion in your heart. Every moment erupts with potential to transform your life. If you think about it like that then how can anyone ever be bored? How can you be sad? Its almost impossible.

Happiness is not a quantity. Its not limited, or scarce. Its infinite and available to appease your whims at any moment. Enjoy your happiness...

Angel Armendariz

Thursday, October 4, 2007

GQ & Jordan's Insights

GQ Magazine
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes

"I never took a day off. If I took a day off, then Scottie was going to take a day off. And then Horace. The next thing you know the whole scope of what we're trying to do is being weakened. I never took a shortcut, and I never wanted anyone else to take a shortcut." - Michael Jordan, Interview GQ Mag., Oct. 07

Legendary icon in sports Michael Jordan was profiled among the 50 most stylish men of the past 50 years. Without a doubt a prominent figure in American culture; Michael rose to heights both on the court and off that redefined sports success.

This particular quote caught my attention. Talk about demanding. I see the similarity in this quote to legendary basketball coach Bobby Knights statement, "Everyone has the will to win, thats easy....but few have the will to prepare to win." Sports offer interesting insights into excellence. Especially results based excellence. Most of us in one way or another are engaged in a vocation that requires results....constantly. True, not all of us want to be the best at everything...maybe not even anything; however, for those of us who wish and strive to excel, Michael's words resonate through us.

When we look at the history of any extravagant and beautiful achievement we see the truth. The not so glamorous side of "preparation." This includes Jordan's marathon no days off practices. All the way to Mark Cuban's late night software manual reading. We can even go as far as to throw in Michelangelo. He once said that if people were able to see the long tedious hours spent messing up and honing this artistic skills the Sistine Chapel would not appear so amazing.

Its been said that when preparation meets opportunity it creates the offspring called luck. This seems to be so for many of the high achievers past and present. The formula follows: Goal= Preparation + Seizing opportunities...
So ask yourself this if you have goals..."Am I preparing myself to seize opportunities?"...

Angel Armendariz

Monday, October 1, 2007

How To Do It All

How To Do It All
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes

How did you? What do you do to...? Have you ever wondered how certain people get the things they do? I think we all have and we all do to a certain degree. For instance I am interested in knowing how to become more fit. Seeing someone who has the result I want beckons me to inquire as to how they did it. It's important to be able to ask yourself as well as others how they produce a certain result. That way you can "cheat" and create the desired result faster - not have to "re-invent" the wheel.

More importantly though I've realized that people could ask an even better question. Most of the things we're interested in having require work. Secondly, they require consistency. What's difficult for most is not "what" must be done. What's difficult is finding an effective strategy to get themselves to be consistent in a fast and effective manner. For instance, I was recently asked about how I rapidly leaned out. That's a good question, however, a better question would have been, "What do you do mentally to be able to be absolutely consistent....or how were you able to change your eating and working out habits in one day and maintain consistency for three months?"

You see most of us "know" what must be done. But few of us have effective strategies to get ourselves to change instantly, and/or be consistent in these beneficial changes. By being honest with yourself you can begin a rapid change. If you have a negative emotion its probably because you lack control over something. This is good because its an opportunity to grow and transcend this limited emotive behavior. Emotions are keys to areas were we lack growth, and thus strong emotions can lead us to self transcendence.

Carl Jung, understood that emotions unlocked dormant potentials of the unconscious. He saw the value of emotions in the reconciliation between our waking awareness and unconscious potentials. Many times we assume that our emotions are locked and are absolutes. Not true. Every aspect of ourselves can be refined, cultivated, and shaped to our liking.

To have effective mental strategies to get us were we want to go is vital. Otherwise we will be random junkies of whatever minute forces repels or attracts us...and be no better than a low rung animal. Change happens as fast as we want it within ourselves. Time is an easy scapegoat. We already have effective strategies...just become aware of them and use them for the "important" aspects of your life. For example, think of something that you were incredibly excited and motivated to do. Analyze exactly what went through your mind...what you saw, heard, felt, etc....copy the steps exactly, and use those steps in making yourself motivated to do the things you know you should do. Practice it, and refine it.

Angel Armendariz

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Unified By a Threat

Unified By Threats?
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes

JFK's vision of putting a man on the moon unified a nation towards a goal. Unification can be created through a vision or a threat. Remember the 9/11 bombings of the Twin Towers? What happened immediately after? All of a sudden everyone was nice to each other in America, everybody was patriotic; flags soared throughout our nation. Why? Because, a threat was encountered.

This interesting facet of human behavior works every time in most any situation. Take yourself for example. Have you ever felt lost? Or felt fragmented? Or unmotivated? Probably because there was no vision beyond your current state, or no impending threat. If we can find ways to create compelling visions, or artificial threats we can unify ourselves, and act as a whole towards an objective. Ken Wilber, American Philosopher, said that we seek "self realization, through self-transcendence;" in a way this exactly what we're talking about here.

Competition in essence in its basic form uses this model. Especially team sports where you're working towards a goal beyond yourself. In team sports you not only have a compelling vision to win, but you also have a powerful threat - the opposing team.

How about sales? In a sales you can establish immediate rapport by finding a common vision or threat with your client. Some sales forces already do something similar. For example, some finance companies will have the sales agent play the role of "being on your side" against the corporate presidents that will either deny or approve you. The sales agent becomes a team with you against the threat of the fickle executives.

The ultimate utopian vision of world peace and harmony would easily occur spontaneously upon the threat from outside our planet. If we were suddenly under attack by aliens....wallah!...the world would unify and differences, inadequacies, beliefs, history, and everything else would vanish and we would come together.

Angel Armendariz

Monday, September 24, 2007

Iran President - Sales Opportunity Missed?

Iran President - Sales Opportunity Missed?
Category: News and Politics

Big hoopla over the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his speech at Columbia University. He seems a little different. He doubts some happenings such as the holocaust, and the validity of Al Queda's role in 911. So why is he over here speaking at an Ivy League University?

Well, he has a lot to say apparently. Many people protested his arrival and scheduled speech, siting many valid reasons. My take is this....what is our objective? If our objective is to win something then let him speak. If we want to win understanding of our perspective let him speak. If we want to win a war...let him speak. If we want to win an ally let him speak.

If on the other hand we don't want to win anything then don't let him speak. Hard as it may be to set beliefs and emotions aside, to win anything a person or a country must listen, and subordinate resistant emotions and beliefs. A simple strategy we should've learned in grade school most educated adults still struggle with. If "we" are right or "true" then no matter who speaks or what they speak about it will not eliminate the "truth." So we defend something that cannot be destroyed?

Often, we see the same debacle occurring in most of our interactions. In a relationship we want to be understood; we want to feel important and listened to. So in a relationship instead of using a strategy to win and get what we want, we instead use a horrible strategy, and worse keep repeating it with no thought about changing what we're doing. Usually it will consist of not communicating with your partner...and sometimes using mind reading as a tactic. If I want to be listened to then I must listen. If I want to be understood, I must first seek to understand. By giving what I want; I will get all that I want.

In sales the same theme plays out. The incompetent sales person "sells" without first understanding or listening to the buyer. If I want the buyer to listen and to buy; then I must listen first. We all want to win; we all want to be understood and listened to. So lets use a strategy that works. Listen first...understand first...next time you meet someone that you want to see your view...understand theirs first...listen attentively and with curiosity.

We spend billions on war strategies and fancy CRM sales gizmo's and we can easily save money and win by being patient and using effective diplomatic, sales, negotiative, and persuasive strategies. Keep the end in mind...focus not on mood or emotion, but strategy to manifest the desired outcome.

Angel Armendariz

Saturday, September 22, 2007

The Strategy of Abandonment

"The one thing which we seek with insatiable desire is to forget ourselves, to be surprised out of our propriety, to lose our sempiternal memory and to do something without knowing how or why; in short to draw a new circle. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm . The way of life is wonderful; it is by abandonment."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Abandonment, as Emerson suggests, is a way of life. Abandonment means that one surrenders. Surrendering the continual struggle of liking and disliking, of inhibitions, or inadequacies, and assuming a position of freedom. It refers to being beyond oneself. So often we identify only with our physical body, and unconsciously take that as the sum of our existence.

A natural longing for surrender germinates within our most profound depths. We seek that which allows us to go beyond ourselves. Unfortunately many times non-life affirming vices give us that abandonment we seek. Creation, from sexual ecstasy, to intellectual epiphanies dwells in the circle of abandonment. By letting go of our own rigidity and being liberated novel forms intelligence arises.

The default being that we are is bliss. Eastern literature explicates this realization through the many wise sages throughout time. The difficulty in modern times is translating the essence of being into meaningful day to day postmodernity. Succinctly we experience ecstasy by the mere fact of existing. We don't experience our fundamental ecstasy because we are to busy running around chasing artificial forms of it; and worse distracting and preventing ourselves from experiencing this ultimate pleasure through the never-ending noise in our lives.

To forsake our existence is the greatest betrayal. By saying to yourself the mere words surrender, abandonment, freedom, or liberation it can allow us to breathe naturally. This gives us life, happiness, the basic ability to enjoy anything to the highest degree. To indulge in ecstasies through the continual openness of ourselves; to propel ourselves into any challenge, any environment and be greater than we have ever been - this is life, this beckons the angels and celestial beings forward to our cause; through courageous action we become faith, and abandon to union beyond ourselves.

Angel Armendariz

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

What Kind of Question Is That

Questions are brutally powerful. So powerful in fact that they are the very source of science itself. The very fact that you're able to read this from where you are right now is due to questions. I wonder how many people have actually studied the history of questions and the impact certain questions have had. In your own life questions guide focus, they guide decisions, feelings, moods, emotions, and concepts.

What would happen if you consciously chose which questions you asked yourself throughout the day? For example, during lunch time instead of the trite & overused "What's for lunch?" we asked "What can I eat right now to build a beautiful physique and enhance my energy level?" Do you see the power here?

The small distinctions questions can make in your life can be a gigantic lever of power. Here are some more questions, instead of "How could he...or...why would she?" we could use "How can I....or...what would it take to...?" The key difference here is the first form of question makes us focus on the problem and the power of it. The second set forces you to focus on the desired outcome. Amazing how simple, yet how effective.

Another trick to making question work for you is to refer the question back to you. This gives you honest responsibility, and thus the power to change things in your hands. For example, "why didn't he buy from me?" would be changed to "what could I do to make the sale?" Even better, in regards to a sale, is flat out asking "what would it take for you to buy?" at the point of sales, instead of second guessing and wasting time after the fact.

Novel forms of psychology stem from these lines of questions. The old school Freudian camp were the proverbial "why" junkies. This psychoanalysis was great at wasting time and making a persons problems overwhelming. Forms of psychology that started asking the "how's" and the "what's" questions actually produced radically fast results. Gestalt, Cognitive-psych, and NLP, were the primordial forms of these evolved, results/goal-oriented based psychology therapies.

To change anything immediately change the question. You'll have the honor of joining a group including Einstein, Newton, Galileo, Socrates, and Leonardo Da Vinci.

Angel Armendariz

Monday, September 17, 2007

Tom Brady and Your Harvest

Tom Brady and Your Harvest...
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes

Tom Brady's Patriots crushed the San Diego Chargers last night. John Madden, who was announcing the game referred to Brady as "making it look so easy." He does make it look easy. Brady has a confidence that seems to be above any challenge. What's interesting is that when they interviewed Randy Moss, he mentioned that he always sees Brady sweating, and he seems to work harder than anyone else. The corollary there is amazing. Similar observation have been made of Steve Nash - 2 time MVP of the NBA.

During a conversation I had earlier today, I was speaking to a close friend about cultivating excellence. I mentioned Brady, for the reason that he was drafted in the 6th round, and now has several NFL championships.

Cultivation is the essence of any highly effective skill. Cultivation means preparation, practice, and nurturing of the fundamental principles that produce the desired result. This consistency is seen in high performers. J. Paul Getty (richest man in the world early 1900's) once said:

"The individual who wants to reach the top in business must appreciate the might and force of habit. he must be quick to break those habits that can break him - and hasten to adopt those practices that will become the habits that help him achieve the success he desires."

The "natural" or the "gifted" individual is made...anything can be cultivated...the human potential is unlimited. Those who seek to see limits will find them and be enslaved by them. Wayne Dyer said it best, "Nobody knows enough to be a pessimist."

Cultivate something worth reaping...this requires patience...delay of the end result...this also requires faith, that is, faith in knowing that you will reap that which you sow. Many times we want the reap with out the sow, lol. The good thing is that we can fall in love with both the reap and the sow...who says that we can only enjoy the end? Enjoy the journey, the rest stops, the side roads, and the multiple destinations...

Angel Armendariz

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Competent or Constricted?

"When people get very good at doing things a certain way, they become surprisingly inept at learning new skills when changing conditions demand it. Numerous studies have demonstrated that novices have an easier time mastering new tasks than experts." - David H. Freedman, "The Cost of Competence" INC Mag., Sept. 07

Here we go with change again. It seems to be true when we do something well or "think" we do something well we start to treasure that methodology as if it were a material priceless possession. When we think we do something well most of us aren't very open to listening to new information regarding that topic. As such we become consciously ignorant and slowly become indoctrinated has beens.

Truly effective individuals maintain an infant like curiousity, especially in that which they consider themselves most skilled; for the value of any small distinction in our areas of expertise are incredibly valuable. Having a curious mindstate opens up our awareness to the plethora of information available to become more effective.

Remember that a closed system quickly sinks into an inert energyless impotent ash. Because our manners of speaking frequently consist of affirming things as absolute. We should focus on speaking in terms of what "seems" to be, or what is known of at the current moment. Speaking in a form that acknowledges continual change, and missing information allows us to be conscious of further advancement to be sought.

General Semantics, as founded by Alfred Korzybski, sought to bring to awareness the dangers of our habitual speech patterns. In a nutshell he indicated that our words are intricately connected with us at the most intimate cellular level. Thus speaking in terms of absolutes, especially absolute limits, constricts the growth development of our physiological organism.

Because changing conditions are inevitable; I figure that maintaining an active mental flexibility, and not being so attached to methods or doctrines; will increase our enjoyment of every turn in the road. This will naturally increase the probabilities of outcomes in our favor.

Angel Armendariz

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Ignore Words and Strategy...& Win?

Ignore Words and Strategy - and Win
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers

In 2005, in experiments conducted jointly w/ Jared Curhan of MIT Sloan School of Management, researchers from the human Dynamic Group asked MBA students to take part in simulated face-to-face negotiations. One student played a middle manager taking a job in a new division, & the other the V.P. of that division. They were asked to negotiate the manager's salary package, with real monetary rewards at stake for the participants. The negotiations often lasted an hour or more. Yet in just five minutes, an electronic sensor could predict w/ 87% accuracy, which person would come out on top, merely by cuing in to bodily movements and manner of speech, ignoring words and strategy.

As the sensor data revealed, successful middle managers tended to be strong on "mirroring" behavior - unconscious mimicking of the gestures and movements of their conversational partners. This demonstrated empathy and understanding. In contrast the most successful vice presidents tended to talk more and control the pace of the conversation, a social behavior that the researchers referred to as "engagement." For both participants, a consistent emphatic tone, conveying confidence, was also critical.

- from "Strategy + Business Magazine" - September 07

Interesting experiment. Amazing that in just 5 minutes 87% accuracy could be reached as to who would come out on top. I've written about "mirroring" before on my blogs and in my book. The non-verbal factors of influence are amazingly powerful. Body language, tonality, and patterns have more power in general than actual content of what is being said. How often is one exposed to such teaching? I have yet to read a sales book that emphasizes non-verbal communication. Or psychology, communication, or speech book for that matter.

The closest literature approaching accurate training on using body language, tonality, etc. for influence would have to be NLP works by Bandler and Grinder. Although, acting books contain a wealth of information on these powerful forms of communication as well. A sales person might be better of taking acting lessons, than formal sales training.

Angel Armendariz

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

How is Dormant Potential Awakened

How is Dormant Potential Awakened?
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes

Arthur Koestler in his Ghost in the Machine surveys what he calls the "draw-back-to-leap" pattern or undoing and re-doing. It involves the pattern seen in evolutionary studies when organisms reach a "block" in specialization and continued evolution. This "block" is referred to as specialization in evolutionary biology, and it basically refers to an organism that is one dimensional; can only function and survive effectively in a limited environment and being able to adapt only to its natural environment because of limited function.

The human equivalent would be the rigid person who only knows one way of being, and doing...knows how to do only one job, can only relate to one personality type, one-way of communication. As far as survival value, whether we're talking about sports, school, or work, or life in general; being flexible, multi-dimensional, and having the ability to adjust to your environment lends itself to more alternatives, and puts you in a better position to succeed. Now this "draw-back-to-leap" pattern that Koestler suggests, is inherent in the evolutionary structure. Koestler explains:

"The essence of the process which I have described is an evolutionary retreat from specialized adult forms of bodily structure and behaviour, to an earlier or more primitive stage- followed by a sudden advance in a new direction. It is as if the stream of life had momentarily reversed its course, flowing uphill for a while, then opened up a new stream-bed. I shall try to show that this reculer pour mieux sauter-of drawing back to leap, of undoing and re-doing - is a favourite gambit in the grand strategy of the evolutionary process; and that it also plays an important part in the progress of science and art."

The essential point gathered by the preceding information is that progress - mental or otherwise is not linear. Periods of elaboration followed by consolidation, acceleration followed by adaptation, breaking down to be build back up, and in Koestler's assertions draw back to leap - exemplify the many forms of explanation given to this natural template's form of function. The ac/ad template seeks to command power and effectiveness - it functions to create a more adaptable, and complex holon.

It awakens dormant processes mentally, physically, and even spiritually (ever hear of "dark night of the soul" - relate this to Koestler's draw back to leap principle), that would otherwise remain dormant in a persons habitual mode of being. The inactive person not only forsakes their dormant abilities, but atrophies current abilities by not conditioning these faculties to any form of use or exercise. The essential variable to putting into use the ac/ad template is a challenge, a change, obstacle, or goal. Using these variables we activate the ac/ad template.
Koestler suggests the following:

" The alternative possibility of reacting to a critical challenge is regenerative in a broad sense; it involves major reorganizations of structure and behaviour, which result in biological or mental progress. I shall try to show that both are based on the same draw back to leap pattern, activating creative potentials which are dormant or inhibited in the normal routines of existence."

Angel Armendariz

Friday, September 7, 2007

Your Brain Might Be Falling Apart

According to Neurologists there are three main factors that contribute to neuroplasticity. This is the ability of the brain to reorganize itself, adapt, and grow. Neurogenesis (a form of neuroplasticity), explains Ernest Rossi is activated through novelty, environmental enrichment, and physical exercise. In his landmark book The Psychobiology of Gene Expression, Dr. Rossi attributes this adaptability to the action of genetic mechanisms, termed activity-dependent gene expression. Thus by taking in a hefty dose of these three brain growth elixirs we become more mentally capable, more healthy, and in a more harmonious state.


Novelty involves new information, or learning. New information is the very substance of all growth and development. Whether we're talking about innovation in business, governmental reform, or personal development; new information yields growth, learning, and possibilities. The deluge of information disposable to the average person on earth today in general is astounding. Never before has information been so disposable. Information is the most valuable commodity in existence; its return on investment is staggering. And rightly so; not only do we use information to grow and to gain knowledge consciously, but all organic life is dependent on information for existence. What is the opposite of information increase?

Entropy...remember that from biology class, it has to do with the breakdown, decay, of systems; the weary second law of thermodynamics that dooms all matter to death by loss of information and energy. Eminent biophysicist Werner Lowenstein, in his work The Touchstone of Life, poignantly explains how to battle the malaise of time's arrow, "There is only one way to keep a system from sinking to equilibrium: to infuse new information...Thus, to maintain its high order, an organism must continuously pump in information."

So we thus have a clearer understanding of the need and tremendous benefits of novelty through information. We also tend to see more insights and knowledge from fields such as physics and biology. Which give us incredible models of efficacy. We tend to see a pattern though, or a lag time between the time we discover an insightful method in the working of nature and the universe, and the time we see the same pattern arise while studying ourselves, our business, economy, and other sociological systems.

It might make more sense to study the ways nature has developed schemes to deal with progressive existence, as opposed to studying the subject within itself; and closely mimic, or devise models that cultivate the insights gathered by such inspection. In a recent interview with the Harvard Business Review, economist and business consultant Paul Ormerod compares business strategy with evolution, he says, " Companies should embrace the inherent randomness that drives success and failure...The companies that are most able to explore and innovate - something akin to random mutation - and then rapidly and flexibly adapt when an innovation succeeds or fails, will do best."(italics added).

To "explore" and "innovate" is precisely what novelty is about. So by directly participating in neurogenesis by learning, creativity, or gathering new information you are putting yourself in a better position to succeed in business, and life overall.

excerpt, Untitled, by
Angel Armendariz

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Using Your Zoom Function For Success

How Do You Use The Zoom Function?
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes

The theme of seeing both the part and the whole runs the gamut of this manifesto. Holons as discussed previously, again referring to a thing being both a whole and a part allow efficient analysis of processes that are important to us. A second point in the thought process of efficacy is what can be referred to as zooming in and zooming out.

Zoom out to see the big picture, the forest, the future, or the goals; and zoom in to see the pieces, the steps, the details, the rectangles, to master the manifestations of your hearts content. To cultivate the ability to zoom in and out of scenes in your life is a basic necessity to establish proportion in your life and assimilate circumstances in the grandeur scope of things.

Many times we fail to include information in a particular circumstance in our lives because we fail to zoom out and see the big picture. We are at times so stuck on seemingly endless details that we take those for the whole of our lives and of our mock reality. I'm reminded of a Persian saying that goes " I cried because I had no shoes...until I saw somebody that had no feet." I've seen people with minor problems, especially financially, focus intently on those results, make a morbid picture, slump their postures, make their breathing shallow, and imagine these results producing even greater turmoil.

What do you think this does to your ability to act effectively? What kind of messages is your nervous system receiving? This creation of an imagined hell is manifested immediately, and you feel the effects throughout your body sometimes to cause your own pathologies; this additionally coagulates any mental abilities. Under such imagined danger you body instinctively shuts down cognitive operation, and you by this means create your own sabotage. This amazing display of what your mind is capable when you focus on something is an example of the degree of power disposable to you to effect yourself and circumstances...although this is clearly a negative use of such power.

In a scenario that produces an undesired outcome leaders have acquired the ability to use the zoom out function in some form and overcome obstacles. If you focus on a small piece, and have no awareness of any remedy or alternative, you've achieved learned helplessness. When an individual isn't able to "see" a positive alternative it creates an incredibly powerful effect of dissonance. Because of the fact that problems are incredibly beneficial to us, as you will see in the chapter on Artificial Problems, it becomes essential to be able to use the zooming out ability to grasp a more empowering reality. This can lead us to seize opportunities and use problems to our advantage.

One way of applying the zoom out function is to see your life in a timeline fashion...see the many obstacles you've overcome...see what valuable lessons you learned that you would have otherwise failed to acknowledge had it not been for a particular tragedy. The timeline or capitulation method allows you to see, feel, and hear how time flows...you're able to witness, at a very personal level the ebb and flow of life, the cyclic format of existence, the seasons of your ascension in life; and put things in "perspective" this exercise will free a lot of dissonant energy....you re-experince the reality that change is inevitable, and thank god it is that way. This is one form of zooming out of your current situation and seeing a larger perspective.

The goal of the visual zoom out function is two fold. To put yourself in a more resourceful state of mind, and secondly to have a visual display of pertinent information to allow you to see more empowering alternatives. In The Power of Impossible Thinking, by Yoram (Jerry) Wind, Colin Crook, and Robert Gunther, the authors, allude to zooming in and zooming out as a creative function that is used in progressive organizations to enhance their mental models. An example of this in business is related by the authors; a simultaneous method of zooming in and out is used in what is called "Extreme Programming" or (XP) and is used by such companies as Ford Motor Company, Daimler Chrysler, and UBS...

"The key is the definition of tasks for each programmer. One person, the "driver," is zoomed in on the details of the development of the code, while the other, the "navigator," is zoomed out, looking at the big picture as the programming is moving forward. This helps avoid the problems of well-written code that misses the bigger picture or becomes detached from user needs."

This is an example of using this ability to create more empowering alternatives...in the (XP) case more empowering software through enhanced code, using the simultaneous zoom in, zoom out with a partner.

" There is a law in psychology that if you form a picture in your mind of what you would like to be, and you keep and hold that picture there long enough, you will soon become exactly as you have been thinking." - William James

- Excerpt, Untitled, by Angel Armendariz

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Gratification from Performance

Gratification from Performance
Category: Goals, Plans, Hopes

"Precisely under conditions of reduction of tensions and gratifications of biological needs, novel forms of mental disorder appeared as existential neurosis, malignant boredom, and retirement neurosis, i.e., forms of mental dysfunction originating, not from repressed drives, from unfulfilled needs, or from stress, but from the meaninglessness of life." - Ludwig von Bertalanffy (General Systems Theory pioneer)

The quote above caught my attention the other day. The reason being is that I have frequently ran across people who have a mild case of what Ludwig is talking about. Especially "malignant boredom," and the meaninglessness of life.

Boredom can be, I believe, a symptom of life having a lack of meaning for someone. Additionally it can be a lack of self-esteem. Let me explain. When life has a meaning, or grandeur purposes beyond the current state; then a person's actions are usually in sync with what those grandeur purposes are. If there is no grandeur purpose; then there is no motivation to act towards something, hence boredom results.

Self-Esteem, creeps its head into the boredom picture when there is a lack of it. A lack of value for oneself, self-esteem, means that a person feels and sees themselves as unworthy of a more fruitful existence or future. Thus, if one feels unworthy, one will not have a belief in a grandeur picture; and if there is no belief there will be no action to grow and move towards a meaningful state of being.

Tensions in life are beneficial. For example, fitness is based on "tearing down" the body so as to allow the body to compensate and build itself stronger. Thus, no "tearing down" = no growth or fitness. To paraphrase Nietzsche - the feeling of power is what is felt when one overcomes some resistance. In a sense the function, action, or performance itself "is" the pleasure we seek as we grow.

Angel Armendariz

Friday, August 31, 2007

Confident?...or Bluff?...How to Decipher

Most everyone likes to be confident. Confidence is how effective a person feels within a specific area or situation. Confidence is refreshing, it aids in your performance; its a liberating sense of potential. How can you decipher someone with real confidence from someone who's putting a front?

David J. Lieberman, Ph.D., explains several interesting ways of finding out someone's confidence level. He uses examples of athletes, performers, and speakers; that when performing go beyond themselves, or forget themselves. Someone with confidence isn't thinking about themselves, or is not self-conscious.
Lieberman says, " A nervous person has an ego consuming his thoughts because of fear, worry, and anxiety...and he can't help but focus on himself."

Several giveaway's to lack of confidence are:
-swallowing
-shaking
-high pitch voice
-blinking

The natural stages of development for a person in any arena follow this pattern:
-unconscious incompetence - unaware of incorrect performance
-conscious incompetence - aware of lack of ability/skills
-conscious competence - knows what to do/person needs awareness to be effective.
-unconscious competence - performs correctly without attention/awareness.

From these stages you can see that a high level of confidence would be in the unconscious competence arena. Think about driving for instance. If you can remember the stages you went through in learning to drive; you can clearly see how the 4 stages played out for you...leading up to current level of unconscious competence.

Whether you have the level of confidence you wish to have or don't is irrevelant. The thing is to realize that you will go through all stages to realize ultimate confidence. Its natural to do so; and it is worth going through the first 3 stages in order to get to the 4th.

Angel Armendariz

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Can I Subordinate My Moods to My Commitments?

A friend of mine recently told me he wanted to start reading more. He always says he hates to read. I told him about the fact that I used to hate reading too. To me reading was a chore; or like force feeding bad vegetables because its good for me. I find it common among many people I meet or know; the agony at the mere thought of reading.

It seems to me that part of the reason has to do with an outdated and inefficient educational system. In school most all situations are presented in the "just do it, for your own good." We are in part forced to accept this quasi-explanation, and usually give in because of lack of sufficient power to revolt.

No useful or effective communication comes from the "just do it" camp. Ineffective communication leads to distrust and doubt in the validity of the exercise. It's commonplace to see people, who after being brought up in an environment that limited openness and used the doctrine of "just do it" or " just because," rebel; at least temporarily enough to explore the yearnings of curiousity and novelty.

Start where the audience is - should be the strategy of effective and sound guidance or communication. If my intent is to build trust and understanding with a group of people my best bet is to go to them. What I mean by that is learn about their situation, their way of seeing things, etc. If I start there and explore our similarities I build a bound and the channel to effective communication.

Furthermore, if my intent is to show them the benefits of anything in particular (say for instance reading) then I would find out what's important to them and why. From there I can show them specifically 'what's in it for them' how they will benefit now in their momentary wants, and how it will also bring them closer with their future goals.

If you do this for yourself, you can see how to leverage positive behavior and use them to manifest your most pressing desires and goals. There is no life-affirming desire or goal that is out of reach of principles. Principles, that you can apply at this moment to get what you want. Reading, isn't a chore...it's arming your battallion for battle...whatever that battle may be.

-Angel Armendariz

Monday, August 27, 2007

Paradoxical Progress & Failing Forward

All individual desires, goals, and dreams use the currency of problems. Problems are the answer, in a paradoxical kind of way. The entrepreneur will usually find an unmet need, and provide the service or product. The unmet need is a problem, and by assimilating this problem into the mind and using creativity you produce a result or answer. In this instance a person (entrepreneur) actively seeks problems (unmet needs) and the result of fixing this problem is a new business, service, or profitable idea.

Once a problem is experienced, the usual subconscious response is fear, worry, or doubt. The reason we experience this emotion is because we don't have the adequate information, knowledge, or experience, to confidently solve the problem. If you've ever been in sales think about the first time you had the responsibility of closing a deal. You probably were nervous, fearful, or doubted your abilities. How you handled this experience, whether you succeeded initially or not, either sparked growth and development opportunities; or caused you to quit and dislike selling.

But, what the problem does is bring you face-to-face with your limit, the edge of your personal ability. If you solve the problem you grow beyond your past limits, if you don't solve it you get information to better deal with the issue next time. The key to open your potential resides in you. You can embrace problems as calls to action and grow rapidly, or better yet the self-motivated individual artificially creates problems. The artificial problem is nothing other than the distance between your current limits and/or abilities, and your wants/desires.

When you, for example, have the desire to become a millionaire; that creates an artificial problem. If the desire is intense enough you will do practically anything to achieve it. This intensity to overcome the artificial problem to arrive at you goal is motivation, and by acquiring loads of information via books, seminars, experience, etc., you grow your current limit to bridge the gap between your current state towards the goal you have in mind. The speed at which you will reach this new personal pinnacle is directly proportional to the amount of experience, information, and knowledge you are able to assimilate.

So to speed up the results you would voraciously seek an abundance of information/experience per unit of time. If one salesman makes 100 phone calls to prospective clients daily; and another salesman makes 300 phone calls to prospective clients and reads one sales book a week, who do you think has a better chance of succeeding faster. Obviously innate abilities have an effect, but so what...everyone can improve anything.

If I have a raspy unruly voice, I can educate myself on how to change it, or hire a professional to help me (again a problem creates an opportunity). If I'm lazy I can learn how to motivate myself. If I'm fat, I can learn how to be lean. If I'm not articulate I can learn to be so...and on...and on. Everyone, including yourself, has reached his/her current level of development by choice.

As if by nature's thrust problems arise at times unexpectedly, this implores you to summon your faculties to find a solution, and if one isn't immediately available it forces you to adopt novelty and gather information to devise strategy and remedy the problem. Thus, our creator's way of gently kicking our behind to keep us growing and to manifest the glory of treasures that are within.


The key is to establish enough references to see, feel, hear, and realize that we can re-interpret or as some psychologists would say re-frame, these seemingly painful experiences, and associate pleasure to them. To associate pleasure to problems that present themselves, and pro-actively create artificial problems (goals), that will induce a willful evolutionary process and empower us. I'm not saying to be masochistic, just simply learn to establish detachment and interpret them in a manner where you can zoom out and "see," and experience the possibilities and hidden treasures that problems present.

Angel Armendariz

Sunday, August 26, 2007

4th Grade Art Class - Business Lessons

I remember a creative art exercise my fourth grade art teacher showed my class. It was nothing less than magic when I was exposed to this technique. I was always into creating great works of art...at least compared with my classmates...so I wanted to learn how to become even better. It was a simple exercise that allowed any average artist become an excellent sketcher.

Usually if you see a picture or an image and you want to replicate it, without being able to trace it, a less endowed artist would probably produce a horrendous rip-off. Now the process was simple, first choose a picture you want to replicate, secondly draw a rectangle around the image, third divide the rectangle into a grid of smaller rectangles. Then you would create the exact same dimension grid on your paper; if the image was divided into 20 small rectangles then your sheet of paper would have 20 small rectangles.

The next step introduced the real magic. To create an exceptionally wonderful copy of the original image all you had to do was focus on each little rectangle, and just focus on each shape and line in that little square. Every so often you would glance at the whole image just to see the progress towards the finished product.

But, gradually all you had to do was zoom in on each individual square, not thinking to much about, or worrying about the finished product...you realized that if you just focused on the small shapes and lines of each block you would eventually have an immaculate finished product, that if you followed the basic formula you would reach the desired outcome. Obviously every student, even the non artistic, was creating wonderful sketches of pictures and images. This was all well and good back then in elementary school, but what does this have to do with anything...its cool to copy a picture in art class, but who cares. Well many years later I realized what wonderful analogy this art method really provoked.

Goals, dreams, visions, and the future in general can be equated to the whole image as used in the art exercise just mentioned. After all, these are images, pictures; just the same as in the creative picture replication exercise. The mind's capacity to visualize is an unbelievable resource; i would suggest that it is largely misused, underdeveloped in most of us. Even in individuals with a high level of visual awareness still a largely unexplored arena.

From the realm of engineering it is common knowledge that a visual transmission conveys 1000 times more information than an audio transmission (video has a higher carrier frequency).

So keep this cool little art exercise in mind and use it as an analogy for your compelling future. Break up the picture into pieces, don't worry about the whole thing; just work on the little pieces focus on what you can influence. You'll eventually have your masterpiece complete.

Angel Armendariz

Thursday, August 23, 2007

93% of What You Say; You Don't...

Those of you who have read my e-book "How To Become a Sales God" know that I emphasize a lot of nonverbal communication strategies. A lot of this information comes from several sources. First, Richard Bandler, and John Grinder; the creators of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). Other resources are Daniel Goleman, from Harvard (emotional/social intelligence) and Alfred Korzybski(General Semantics). The unifying thread among these individuals is their analysis of non-verbal communication. It turns out MIT re-discovered what's been discovered.

Research has pointed out that roughly 7% of what you say is transmitted to another via the content (actual words). That leaves about 93% in limbo. It turns out that the 93% comes from body movements, facial expressions, eye movements, tone of voice, pitch, and pace. The founders of NLP provided the most comprehensive outline of how what we think is expressed by our non-verbal "cues." They did so by meticulously observing 3 of the most powerful therapists of the 20th century, Virginia Satir, Fritz Perls, & Milton Erickson (Gregory Bateson, also provided context for NLP).

The popularization of NLP also had an ambassador in Anthony Robbins. Robbins through his books & training became a powerful leader in the Human Potential Movement.

What's most interesting about this is the fact that much of this research is ignored. However, some institutions, such as the U.S. Military, have used the expertise of NLP trainers to enhance soldier performance.

I was reading a executive level business magazine yesterday, and found myself learning about the re-discovery of the power of non-verbal communication. Forty years after Bandler & Grinder innovated NLP, MIT, Human Dynamics Group, found evidence, analyzing customer service reps; that successful reps talk little & listen much; and logic, context, words mean little, what matters is pitch and tone. Wow, MIT on the cutting edge. Why, do we extend our learning curves so much?

Just in case you didn't believe me about the power of non-verbal communication...now I can reference MIT, lol; at least that adds more credibility.

-Angel Armendariz

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

The Visionary Returns

I was asked by a reader to elaborate on the Vision theme. Let me start by referring to the value of a vision. According to Jack Welch, legendary GE CEO, in his words, when asked what he most looks for when promoting someone, "You clearly want someone who can articulate a vision. They have to have enormous energy and the incredible ability to energize others."

To articulate a powerful vision start with yourself. In a sense you have to play with your mind until you see what clicks. I referred in my previous blog post to coming up with emotional "why's" that would give you a vision. Maybe I should give you some of my "why's." One of my why's is that I desire to help people realize the divinity, value, and uniqueness they harbor. Another of my why's is that I would love to help kids realize their potential, and improve educational systems to nurture a more powerful mind & body.

I have many why's, however, from these 2 why's you start to see how I create my vision. A vision as to what I must do. A vision as to what I must become. A vision as to what I must improve on personally; including abilities, capacities, and so on. The vision created allows me to create scenario's that I wish to become reality, say 5-10 years from now.

I then give the vision life by animating it with the actions I'll be taking, the people I will be around, and the service I'll be providing. This is incredibly compelling to me, because it is fused with my personal why's.

Now the thing is that my "why's" probably mean nothing to you...at least maybe not at an emotional level. Everyone has sufficient why's in their lives, that give them the resource to galvanize the internal fire of passion.

For example, Suze Orman, the financial lady on T.V. is an incredibly passionate person. This isn't merely a good acting job though; she is truly passionate about helping people w/ their finances. She relates a story from her childhood in an interview from Carmine Gallo's book, 10 Simple Secrets of The World's Greatest Communicators, of having the stigma and scars of growing up poor and watching her father fail at business.

In one particular incident her father ran into a burning building to retrieve a cash register w/ less than $100; he almost lost his life.
These emotional why's gave Suzy a vision of what she had to do...the emotion that feels when she tries to help people avoid the pain she went through as a child.

So the emotional why's can be from your life's experinces or simply a compelling imagined future that makes your heart race, and makes you feel limitless and passionate. It begins with learning more about yourself. Instead of simply following the old trodden paths for the sake of following something.

-Angel Armendariz

Monday, August 20, 2007

Vision - The Secret Formula - For Sales/Communication

John Chamber, CEO Cisco Systems, is a renowned tech leader. He's been described as a "visionary," and his keynote speeches are annotated epics of mass hysteria. Alright I'm exaggerating a little, however, Mr. Chamber's is commonly described with adjectives such as "electrifying" and "passionate." I saw a video of him posted online, from Sept. 2006. I definitely saw a charismatic leader with a clear vision.

Vision is, according to many wise individuals, the power behind passion and results. Arnold Schwarzenneger said, "If you show people what's coming and how to get there, it changes everything." Vision is also what Arnold used to propel him to bodybuilding glory; he used to visualize becoming Mr. Universe as early as age 15, and by age 20 realized his vision become manifest.

I think we can start to see a clear pattern here. But wait...vision can't be everything...sure it sounds inspiring, but so what? Well, let me give you another good example. USAA is a privately held insurance company w/ its main headquarters in San Antonio, TX. They are ranked #1 or close to #1 in almost every meaningful business category; from customer service, to employee turnover.

Having worked their many years back, I got some insight into this highly acclaimed organization. USAA is, pardon the word, "cult-like," in the sense that it galvanizes and makes people feel as though they are part of a larger whole. The first 2 weeks of a new-hires orientation are spent in "corporate culture." They drill into the minds of every employee a vision that is so powerful, that their turnover ration is ridiculously low. They are a perfect example of what a properly used vision belief can do.

The science behind success is not to be forgotten; i.e., product development, self-discipline, etc. Vision, however, being somewhat intangible should be the underlying foundation of everything that intends on achieving great heights. A compelling vision is formed by having numerous "why's." This means having emotional ties to the vision...all the reasons why it has to be such and such way. Leverage the power of vision in your own self for your goals, leverage it to inspire the groups you belong to, and use it to lead organizational change if you're a leader.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Countrywide's Chairman & Cutting Your Losses.

I was chatting with a friend of mine earlier about business. We were having a laugh over the fact that most people will listen, or agree with whomever seems most confident about what they say. It's very interesting that we do this. The real question is why?

I guess it might be the fact that we want to be sure about things...like investments, decisions, whether something is cool or not, etc. And, because we really don't like to research to much, or spend time looking for valid information through the endless virtual heaps of knowledge. So instead we listen to the most confident voice around, whether that be a friend, boss, media, or whatever.

Which brings up something else. Cutting your losses. Cutting your losses, means pulling out of or quitting something that once brought you benefit, but no longer is doing so. For example, today it was reported (cnnmoney.com) that Angelo Mozillo, chairman of Countrywide Financial (largest mortgage company in U.S.) sold off over half of his stock the company he owns. He cut his losses. Cashed in on the value of his stock...it had lost over 50% over the past year.

Cutting losses isn't just something in the financial sector. Here's a more common example most of us can relate to. Relationships. Most of us have been, or know of couples that stay together long after all the pleasure or benefit has ended. Why? When do you know when to cut your losses(stop the bleeding,so to speak)? I think few can respond matter-of-factly.

The problem begins when we start using hope as a strategy...instead of information, intelligence, and strategy. My suggestion would be to start thinking about cutting your losses and abandoning the current route as soon as hope is becoming more and more the primary tool for your decision making. This requires uber-descipline, a high self value, and a willingness to move forward and begin designing the new patterns of your life...financially or socially....

-Angel Armendariz

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Handling Rejection - Who Care's?

Have you ever seen an ugly guy with a really attractive girl? Or vise versa? How about an average person with average intelligence who is really successful? Happens quite frequently right? Why is that? Is it luck? Divine intervention? One thing I would certainly bet on as being a characteristic in these kinds of people is the ability to be de-sensitized or un-fazed by rejection.

In my new ebook I talk a lot about how to develop beliefs that empower you, and eliminate the ones that anchor and hold you back. The biggest reason I insist on developing self chosen empowering beliefs is because, that is how you will be able to handle the rejection that is part of the growth & development process. At an early stage in my life i developed the belief that every "No" brought me closer to a "Yes."

A common scene in most all business environments involves a new sales rep. A brand new hire pounding away at the phone after his happy little 3-day training. The new hire is excited about all the commission to be made, all the things they'll be able to buy, and all the promises made by the company. Fast forward a month later and 1000 "No's" later and you'll see a less enthusiastic and more doubtful employee.

What changed? The new-hire had not consciously developed deep belief in their ability and product. When this doesn't happen then the mind has no choice but to accept the events that happen in my life (the results) as the ultimate judgment as to his/her ability or capacity. Obviously after getting all that rejection all the evidence points to incompetence and failure.

This scenario serves as an important example as to why beliefs are so important to actively choose & nurture. Also, it shows the need to be able to handle rejection. A good friend and extremely successful colleague of mine Yauvan Kumar, handles objection by mentally thinking "who cares?" Basically saying it doesn't matter, or pay no mind to it. Something that simple keeps him supremely confident and able to pick up the phone and call a client with absolute confidence in who he as and what he does.

Another little mantra is the SWSWSW. This stands for "some will, some won't, so what?" Again, simple yet brilliant. Some people do this unconsciously, they're oblivious to feeling less competent when slapped in the face with a no. This type of thinking is what keeps average or ugly guys courting the pretty ladies. Or the semi-educated person persisting to get his way in the face of rejection and endless "no's."

It's been said over and over; perseverance is worth more than talent. However, bring both to the table and your odds of winning multiply dramatically. Next time you get a no, or are thinking that you'll get a no; just say "who cares?"

- Angel Armendariz

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

7 Answers To a Highly Effective Question

"What is the one activity that you know if you did superbly well and consistently would have significant positive results in your personal, professional, or work life?"

7 Common Answers:
- Improving communication with people
- Better preparation
- Better planning and organizing
- Taking better care of self
- Seizing new opportunities
- Personal development
- Empowerment

That is a question Stephen R. Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People asks at his seminars. What a powerful question. The usual responses are fascinating; how many of you would answer in a similar manner?

If you think about the most valuable resource you can have; it would almost certainly be "improved communication with people" (sales ability). Want improved relationships? How about more friends? I know, we all want more money. Some parents might want a resource to help with their kids. There are also some of us who are depressed. Some of us lack motivation. A group of us just doesn't believe in ourselves....Do any of these sound like you?

If so, then you must agree that improved communication would be the one ability you would like to do superbly well and consistently, to have a significant positive impact in your life. With all the power promised by communication...you would think that we would all be flocking to resources via books, training, coaching, etc.
Do you?

It amazes me that with all the value in communication we are so atrophied in that arena. A colleague of mine once commented, "Angel serenades his clients over the phone with his voice..." I took this as a complement, however; I couldn't say the same thing for him. Truth be told, I have worked on my voice...and I still do. If how well I live my life has to do with how I communicate with people then I'll definitely work the probabilities in my favor and work on all channels of communication consistently.

Now here's something few people ever think about. You communicate with yourself all day long. You talk to yourself, you convince yourself, you insult, provoke, congratulate, sell,... You are both the buyer and the seller. You try to sell yourself on working out, or the new diet, or taking care of important things. How good are you at selling yourself? Unfortunately, I've met few individuals who are aware, much less competent, at being able to make themselves do the things that they "know" they should do. Why is that? Again, because we have not consistently worked on our communication and selling skills. We don't know how to sell ourselves on anything...thus we are sold anything being peddled in our environment.
As you can see...I'm passionate about communication and its effect on every aspect of our lives.

-Angel Armendariz

Monday, August 13, 2007

A Stroke of Altruism 2.0

Boston Globe columnist, and Author, Penelope Trunk posted a great blog yesterday on her Brazen Careerist Blog site(see sidebar). It had to do with altruism (giving) and its role in modern education

Penelope sites several sources that acknowledge the value of altruism. Giving rise to the question. What role should altruism play in modern education; education 2.0? From her blog; the most obvious value for an altruistic person is that they experience a more pleasurable life. I concur with the argument.

The biggest obstacle I see for people in embracing this, is letting go of the scarcity belief, and allowing themselves multiple streams of happiness. As always, we get tripped up by the either/or and scarcity themes that run rampant among our casual thoughts. For those hedonists...think of it like this...by giving someone pleasure - your pleasure increases; and the likely-hood of pleasure coming back again from the person you gave to!


This is my comment on her post:

"Education 2.0…nice headline. Altruism is definitely something that engenders happiness all around. There really is no objection to this. Nietzsche and Any Rand might have slight objections; of course they valued Self-Development and power more than moral altruism.

In the case of education it would truly work wonders for our society. From my experience, altruism is rare in its most authentic form. I was lucky enough to be brought up with a high value on altruism.

The truth of it is that when you help or make someone experience any level of pleasure, then you immediately feel a greater pleasure within. That is, if you allow yourself to. Many of my fellow classmates in school, and coworkers in several jobs viewed giving as pleasure-less. It’s as if they knew no other way of experiencing pleasure or happiness other than money or getting something for themselves.

We can honestly experience the whole palate of happiness through different channels of experience. The more we embrace an eclectic approach to our growth and happiness the more it can be shared with everyone else. Education 2.0 would thrive with touch of altruism."

p.s. Altruism is a powerful tool to use in communication. Sales, Marketing, and Business can thrive under the guise of altruism.

- Angel Armendariz

Friday, August 10, 2007

The Puppets - Who's Pulling The Strings

Analogies help us better understand things. I recently started thinking about puppets. The string puppets that dance around when you move the strings with your hand. I remember playing with those puppets when I was a young lad...good kid. The puppet now serves as a good icon for our lives.

Think of yourself as a puppet. You are both the puppet and the master of the puppet - the string puller. Your mind can be thought of as the master (string puller), and your body actions & movement as the dance of the puppet. In theory our minds guide our actions and behaviors in the ways we choose. Thus, you dance to your own beat - you pull your own strings. The problem arises when we choose not to be the puppet master. When instead of pulling our own strings we delegate the string pulling to others; or worse inanimate things.

A common puppet set goes like this: a person delegates one string to the economy, the other string to the news, the other string to the day of the week, the other string to a significant other. Alas, no more responsibility, now in this example we are no longer our own masters...we have given away all our powers to act and be as we choose.

Now, we are pulled every which way by the new appointed puppet master. We become clowns...a spectacle...a side-show dancing dramatically to the ambiguous movements of these inanimate string pullers. Ultimately, however, we can choose to wake up and take back our strings, and assume control of our puppets. When this happens you have control, you take responsibility, you dance as you choose. The only actions and behaviors are based on your own string pulling, not somebody else's.

In this way it would not be uncommon for someone to choose to be blissful, energetic, passionate, competent, loving, excited, and optimistic....because all these states of being are as easy simply making a choice...even in the face of spectacles, crises, panics, or what have you.

Angel Armendariz
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Thursday, August 9, 2007

Wall Street Market Chaos and What That Means to Home Owners

Wall Street Market Chaos and What That Means to Home Owners

The end of the housing boom has given way to the long predicted housing bust.
The Wall Street spectacle is playing right before our eyes through television and all major media outlets. We're hearing things about the credit crises in the secondary market sectors, which also effects most other U.S. industries.

The Wall Street Journal reported today that Paul Kasriel of Northern Trust stated,
"Housing's going to stay in a recession and it's starting to spread to other parts of the economy, especially the consumer sector."

How does this effect consumers across the U.S.? More urgently, how can we minimize the effects of the housing crises?

The answer seems to be to provide information and resources to help homeowners understand what is going on and what they can do.
The information seems to be ambiguously scattered, and difficult to come by. Green Castle Group LLC, a consulting & Sales Training agency in San Antonio, TX;
has recently released a free guide for Homeowners. The guide is provided as a service to the community in hopes of alleviating the pressure felt by homeowners
during these uncertain times.

The two owners of Green Castle Group LLC, Angel and Eric Armendariz worked in the mortgage industry in Boston, MA; before moving to San Antonio to start-up a Consulting agency to improve sales performance for Corporations and Organizations.

The e-book is a resource for all homeowners, that includes,
pertinent information for protecting homeowners in this critical time of need. The e-book is available free of charge at their website http://greencastlegroup.com/.

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Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Rigid or Flexible Capitalist -What the Coming Economic Downturn Requires of You

"Markets crashing, Armageddon, it's never been this bad!" These are some of the resounding headlines around Newswires. When Gabriel's trumpet is the sound of the Wall Street bell...who do we call on for help? My choice is our good ol' American pal Ralph Waldo Emerson. I can here the sarcastic "oh boy" already...but hold on a second; let me explain. You see there are a couple of things that we can take from our long deceased friend.

First thing is Self-Reliance(self sufficient/effective). Now, of course we are a vastly interconnected society, and economic downturns can effect us in several ways. However, I chant the principle of Self-Reliance because this is what gives us the ability individually to become more capable. Evolutionary Theory has taught us that the more adaptable the organism, the better it will survive any changes. The more specialized (one-dimensional) an organism is the more vulnerable it becomes. Thus, any change to its environment can potentially cause its annihilation.

I use this as an analogy for our own selves. The more we can embrace Self-Reliance, the more we increase our adaptability. Take for instance the Wall Street Banker that specializes in Mortgage Backed Securities. That is a pretty specific specialty - the equivalent to a turtle in the animal kingdom. The equivalence I refer to is the fact that both the turtle and the banker can only function in a very limited sphere/environment. If that environment becomes threatened, than their existence becomes compromised.

Now, lets take another example. A professional Sales Person. A highly skilled sales person can work selling everything from fruit baskets - to selling the masses in voting for him/her as the next president. Sure, I'm extending the utility of a sales person, however, selling a fruit basket effectively requires one to adapt to your clients. To sell a nation on your competence as a politician requires adaptability to opinions, polls, and peoples concerns. The equivalent to a virus or bacteria in the biological world - not in the bad sense; in the sense of adaptability. So Emerson's long forgotten Self-Reliance essay would be a good wake me up for the common capitalist. Take a lesson from nature and be the tree that bends with the hurricane and remains standing. Not the rigid oak that cracks and breaks.

- Angel Armendariz
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Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Communication Universe - Are there Absolute Laws?

"Desire is possibility seeking expression, or function seeking performance."
- Wallace D. Wattles

In quantum physics scientists are in a race to find the "absolute" laws of existence. The presupposition is that "absolute" laws actually exist. We generally assume that there have to be absolute laws or ultimate truth. But, why do we think that? Maybe its a desire for a sense of certainty of some permanence to our lives. Nonetheless

I now ask the same question of Communication. In the broad category of Communication lets include all interpersonal forms of communication. Sales, marketing, casual persuasion, pick up strategies, essays, and public speaking. Would we be able to assume that these communication modes abide by "absolute" or "universal" laws? We would of course use something more fundamental to communication to describe this underlying template we suspect. Principles, are generally the equivalent to the quantum physicists "absolute" laws.

Acting is Sales?

Lets look at some principles. We'll first venture into Acting. Acting is all about communication...
James R. Alburger, acting and voice-over coach, gives this as the recipe for Selling the audience:

-Interrupt
-Engage
-educate
-offer

James, gives his students those for "principles" for capturing listeners attention. Hmmm...If i didn't know any better I'd say that those principles look eerily familiar to a sales pitch process. Or even a marketing pitch. Lets look at a famous sales pitch process. This is Neil Rackhams's Spin Selling formula:

-Situation
-Problem
-Implications
-Needs-Payoff

Courtship Ritual

Interesting...Could this apply online? Maria Veloso, a web copyrighting master, says yes. In Mitch Meyerson's book, Success Secrets of The Online Marketing Superstars, Maria Veloso describes a sales script meticulously made to move in the same linear format as the two examples above. She obviously gets the fact that the process is not about a "quickie"...she describes it quite intimately however, courtship like -"Seducing your Web visitor is like a dance, wherein you lead and they follow. You make a move, they respond accordingly, you take another step and they follow your lead in a seamless relay that ultimately leads to the sale." How's that for using the courtship analogy...

-Angel Armendariz

Monday, August 6, 2007

What Advice Would Einstein Give Bear Stearns?

In study and increasing intelligence the acceleration/adaptation template is somewhat famous, in regards to the beneficiaries of using this powerful force. Henri Poincare, famous mathematician and scientist; used the ac/ad template to erupt his creativity, producing some of the most important scientific works of his time. Einstein used to say that after wrestling with a difficult problem through arduous study and research; the aha moments would come during the casual bouts of everyday things. He once inquired to a friend from Princeton asking,"Why is it that I get my best ideas in the morning while shaving? The answer of course falls into the natural working of the creative mechanism; that works in the ac/ad format. Its almost an iconic symbol of sorts...the image of the scientist laboring arduously to solve a problem...researching, testing, questioning, etc.(acceleration). Followed by bouts of rest, sleep, recreation, etc.(adaptation)....leading to the solution, epiphany, or realization of the missing piece of the puzzle.
Economic cycles of the ac/ad kind are commonplace. The systems in place to regulate or deregulate businesses across the U.S. work with the intent of the common good. The Federal reserve board for example establishes key interest rate payouts as well as governmental watch over economic stability to ensure the "growth" (acceleration) of the U.S. economy and at times "deceleration" (adaptation) to maintain a state of productivity. Keenly aware of the dangers of rapid growth, government adjusts economic inputs to ensure a cyclic stability. Unabashed growth leads to dire consequences as is the current case in the housing market, with over appreciated property values across the majority of U.S. metropolitan areas. Ignited by profit insatiability, and lack of understanding of the underlying templates at work; investors over exploit market niche's and start to fantasize of a never ending parade of exponential growth and lead themselves to their own graves and taking with them other interconnected markets. Case in point, Bear Stearns, New Century, American Home, and many more yet to come. Its an interesting blind spot in most individuals as well as businesses and groups; that when "good" times are prevalent, such as the case with exponential growth we start to believe that we have somehow fooled the laws of existence. Continuous growth is definitely possible, and happens all the time; however, this occurs when the understanding of cycles and the ac/ad template is headed. Speculators and traders in numerous markets profit enormously on a continual basis, no matter what the market condition, because they are aware of "bull" markets (ac) and "bear" markets (ad), and adjust their bets accordingly.

"The monetary history of the last four hundred years has been replete with financial crises. The pattern (template) was that investor optimism increased as economies expanded, the rate of growth of credit increased and economic growth accelerated..." Manias, Panics, and Crashes, by Charles P. Kindleberger and Robert Aliber.

A classic example of a business suicide by neglect of the ac/ad template is Enron. The thirst for continual profit, that was unsustainable through their methods; caused fictitious selling up the value of Enron stock that really had limited value...metaphorically speaking they were "overtraining"...way beyond overtraining and eventually they dug their own grave, and down with them came billions of dollars in investor funds.

- Angel Armendariz, excerpt - Untitled

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"We are all in Sales. Period." - Tom Peters