Happy New Year!

All my friends, friends of friends, family, more friends

and the rest of the World - best 2012!

Back to the Past

For those of you who read my blog, it is no news that my father was a diplomat. What this means is basically that every couple of years we moved - to another country.

From 1974 to 1978 it was the turn of Argentina, Buenos Aires to be more specific. As soon as we got there I was enrolled into the German school named by the great Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. At that time I had no idea, that the following years would be probably the most important years of my teenage life. But this is not what I want to talk about today.

I left Buenos Aires December 1978, a little after the Soccer World Cup that the Argentineans won. I left behind a bunch of people I call friends, a special friend I called girlfriend, my heart, took with me tons of wonderful memories and the certainty that I would be coming back to visit as often as I could.

Well, it took me 33 years to come back and I could only stay for a few hours, and that, is what I will tell you about now.

The past December 17th was a class reunion to celebrate 30 years of our graduation. It was not the first meeting ex-students organized, but definitely a very memorable one. So, no matter what, I had to be part of it.

The very same day my daughters were having their farewell party at school. Another event I couldn't miss. So I organized myself, made all the necessary arrangements, planed every detail:

09:00 h (Friday) take kids to school for final rehearsal

10:00 h beginning of event

12:00 h end

13:00 h back home for lunch

15:00 h take kids to a friends birthdays party and double check that the mother will pick  

            them up the next day (it was a sleepover)

15:30 h cab to bus station to take the shuttle bus to airport

17:30 h arrive at airport - check in

19:30 h in aircraft departing to Argentina

22:00 h arrive at Aeroparque Airport in Buenos Aires

22:30 h cab to hotel

23:00 h check in at hotel, shower, dinner, get some rest

10:00 h (Saturday) meeting with classmates at school - depart to destination "Party"

19:00 h back to airport - check in

21:30 h in plane back to Rio de Janeiro

01:50 h (Sunday) back home - day over

It would have been a great day, no stress, everything fine ... ... if it wasn't for Murphy!

Things started to get weird the moment I left my kids at their friend's home. Heaven's gates were opened and tons of water pored down on us. Traffic immediately stopped, as usual when it rains in Rio, and there was nowhere to go. If I had decided to swim to the airport, I believe that I would have made it a lot faster. Anyways, I arrived at the airport at exactly 19:00 h, worried that I might not make check in on time, but ... ... Murphy did his job here to. My flight was 2 h delayed.

So I went and had some chicken for dinner, sat in the lobby and watched a movie on my laptop until it was my time to board.

Flight was great, no details other than that we arrived the same 2 hours late in Buenos Aires. No big deal I thought and took a cab to my hotel - I had made my reservation 2 days earlier and so I was set. Stop right there! All set if it wasn't for ... yes, Murphy!

My hotel was actually no hotel at all, it was a pension and at 02 o'clock in the morning it was already locked and no one answered the door anymore. Sh....

Well I thought, on my way we passed a few other hotels in the same area so I decided simply to check into another place ... ... ... No vacancy! None ... at all!!!

It was already 03:00 h, me on the street, nowhere to go other than the school to meet my friends, but still plenty of time to get there. So I started walking.

I walked down Carranza to Av. Sta. Fe, turned left and walked, walked. Sta. Fe changed to Cabildo. When I arrived at Belgrano I got thirsty. So I stopped at some "cage" yes, actually a cage in which was a little shop and a person selling stuff. Sweets, beverages, and other things. I got a bottle of water and since I wasn't so sure I asked for directions to San Isidro. "Well," the lady said "you need to get the 628 bus and ...." - "Nono, I said, I am on food!" 

After she recovered from the shock she tried to explain that it was quite a walk, but I made her understand that I had plenty of time to get there. So, she told me just to keep walking. I'd get there. And so I did.

Nuñes, underneath Av. Gral Paz when Cabildo changed into Av. Maipu, and I kept walking. Passing a few Night Clubs, a lot of drunken people, a few more of them cages with people selling beverages, and so on.

When I got to La Lucila I started feeling my feet. I was wondering how far I got and how far I still had to go. I had no map and no idea where I was. I knew though, I had to go to San Isidro and from there I'd ask my way through. 

It began to clear. Wow I thought, sunrise in Buenos Aires, great! 

One thing I noticed different from a night in Rio de Janeiro. These kids here smoke a hell lot more than our kids in Brazil. And they cry definitely more to. I believe I saw at least half a dozen girls, pretty drunken girls, wining out loud sitting on the sidewalk and their drunken friends standing around bitching about some dude. Not all together but at least one per Night Club I passed. Strange folks here.

Martinez. Finally, I started to remember. I've been here before, I knew that. I stopped at a Fire Station and talked to a fireman standing in front. I asked him for directions and again, well, I explained that I already was walking for so long, I wouldn't matter to keep going for the rest. I am pretty sure that he was very tempted to lock me down and to call a shrink, but ... well. 

Street name changed back to Av. Sta Fe and I was told to walk to Marquez and than turn left and, yeah, take the bus ... but I walked. I walked Marquez to Monroe and than I sat down, the first time after I started my matinee walk, and had a cup of coffee. The worst coffee I ever had in my entire life. It was around 6 o'clock. 

So I walked Monroe to Sucre and than left into Blanco Encalada. Hey!!! Almost there. At a very bad signed intersection though I took the wrong turn. I stood at the wrong side of the highway, walked a few blocks until I finally found someone who pointed me back into the right direction. Soon I found Blanco Encalada again, this time on the right side and, yeah, only somewhat 20 blocks to go.

It was around 08:30 in the morning when I finally arrived. To the very surprise of the doorman, that couldn't actually believe that someone came so early to a meeting scheduled for 10 am. We became friends. Laughed a little over my story, talked about cars. I went to a little mall kind of thing on the other side of the road and had another coffee and a sandwich. 

10:30 the first, well, second one arrived and shortly after the rest of the gang. 

It was a great day. A wonderful reunion. A great feeling to see all these wonderful people again, after so many years. It was worth every single step I made and I’d do it anytime again.

I took my plane back to Brazil at scheduled time. Arrived home tired but very happy. And once again, I left back people I call friends, my heart and took with me tons of new impressions and memories.

By the way, I checked the map. I walked aproximately 21km that night. No wonder my feet hurt!

I Hope I didn't Miss Any - HoHoHo ... ... ...

Afrikaans	Gesëende Kersfees
Afrikander	Een Plesierige Kerfees
African/ Eritrean/ Tigrinja	Rehus-Beal-Ledeats
Albanian	Gezur Krislinjden
Arabic:	Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
Argentine:	Feliz Navidad
Armenian:	Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand
Azeri:	Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun
Bahasa Malaysia:	Selamat Hari Natal
Basque:	Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!
Bengali:	Shuvo Naba Barsha
Bohemian:	Vesele Vanoce
Brazilian:	Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo
Breton:	Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat
Bulgarian:	Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo
Catalan:	Bon Nadal i un Bon Any Nou!
Chile:	Feliz Navidad
Chinese: (Cantonese)	Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun
Chinese: (Mandarin)	Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan
Choctaw:	Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito
Columbia:	Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo
Cornish:	Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth
Corsian:	Pace e salute
Crazanian:	Rot Yikji Dol La Roo
Cree:	Mitho Makosi Kesikansi
Croatian:	Sretan Bozic
Czech:	Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok
Danish:	Glædelig Jul
Duri:	Christmas-e- Shoma Mobarak
Dutch:	Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! or Zalig Kerstfeast
English:	Merry Christmas
Eskimo: (inupik)	Jutdlime pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo!
Esperanto:	Gajan Kristnaskon
Estonian:	Ruumsaid juulup|hi
Faeroese:	Gledhilig jol og eydnurikt nyggjar!
Farsi:	Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad
Finnish:	Hyvaa joulua
Flemish:	Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar
French:	Joyeux Noel
Frisian:	Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier!
Galician:	Bo Nada
Gaelic:	Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ùr!
German:	Froehliche Weihnachten
Greek:	Kala Christouyenna!
Hausa:	Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!
Hawaiian:	Mele Kalikimaka
Hebrew:	Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova
Hindi:	Shub Naya Baras
Hausa:	Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!
Hawaian:	Mele Kalikimaka ame Hauoli Makahiki Hou!
Hungarian:	Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket
Icelandic:	Gledileg Jol
Indonesian:	Selamat Hari Natal
Iraqi:	Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
Irish:	Nollaig Shona Dhuit or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat
Iroquois:	Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut. Ojenyunyat osrasay.
Italian:	Buone Feste Natalizie
Japanese:	Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
Jiberish:	Mithag Crithagsigathmithags
Korean:	Sung Tan Chuk Ha
Latin:	Natale hilare et Annum Faustum!
Latvian:	Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu!
Lausitzian:	Wjesole hody a strowe nowe leto
Lettish:	Priecigus Ziemassvetkus
Lithuanian:	Linksmu Kaledu
Low Saxon:	Heughliche Winachten un 'n moi Nijaar
Macedonian:	Sreken Bozhik
Maltese:	IL-Milied It-tajjeb
Manx:	Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa
Maori:	Meri Kirihimete
Marathi:	Shub Naya Varsh
Navajo:	Merry Keshmish
Norwegian:	God Jul or Gledelig Jul
Occitan:	Pulit nadal e bona annado
Papiamento:	Bon Pasco
Papua New Guinea:	Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu
Pennsylvania German:	En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr!
Peru:	Feliz Navidad y un Venturoso Año Nuevo
Philipines:	Maligayan Pasko!
Polish:	Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie
Portuguese:	Feliz Natal
Pushto:	Christmas Aao Ne-way Kaal Mo Mobarak Sha
Rapa-Nui (Easter Island):	Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua
Rhetian:	Bellas festas da nadal e bun onn
Romanche (sursilvan dialect):	Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal e bien niev onn!
Rumanian:	Sarbatori vesele
Russian:	Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom
Sami:	Buorrit Juovllat
Samoan:	La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou
Sardinian:	Bonu nadale e prosperu annu nou
Serbian:	Hristos se rodi
Slovakian:	Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce
Sami:	Buorrit Juovllat
Samoan:	La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou
Scots Gaelic:	Nollaig chridheil huibh
Serb-Croatian:	Sretam Bozic. Vesela Nova Godina
Serbian:	Hristos se rodi.
Singhalese:	Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa
Slovak:	Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok
Slovene:	Vesele Bozicne. Screcno Novo Leto
Spanish:	Feliz Navidad
Swedish:	God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År
Tagalog:	Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon
Tami:	Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal
Trukeese:	(Micronesian) Neekiriisimas annim oo iyer seefe feyiyeech!
Thai:	Sawadee Pee Mai
Turkish:	Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Ukrainian:	Srozhdestvom Kristovym
Urdu:	Naya Saal Mubarak Ho
Vietnamese:	Chung Mung Giang Sinh
Welsh:	Nadolig Llawen
Yugoslavian:	Cestitamo Bozic
Yoruba:	E ku odun, e ku iye'dun!

Thoughts

December! Again. Christmas knocking at the door, people always in a hurry to get things done before the holydays ... holy  days ... Do you still remember what that means?

Since I am not here to criticize or condemn anyone, the only thing I'd like to do is to bring back to our consciousness what it means to actually be able to read this post.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep... you are richer than 75% of this world (7 billion by now).

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace... you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy.

If you woke up this morning with good health you are more fortunate than the million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle unfolding all around you, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation... you are ahead 500 million people in the world.

If you can attend a church meeting without fear of persecution, harassment, arrest, torture, or death... you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.

If your parents are still alive and still married...you are very rare.

If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

So, instead of wining over the psp you did not get, the vacation you have to postpone, or the new car that just won't come, thing about how fortunate you actually are and give thanks. Doesn't matter to whom, just be thankful. You might be surprised how this can make your life better.

Have a great holy season, love to you all

Robert F. Ziehe

Resistance

Due to my - again - long absent here, I will provide you today with what I believe, being a great piece of literature. In a very easy and light way the author teaches us a valuable lesson for life. When I first read it I immediately fell in love with these words.

Well, read for yourselves!

"No person, ideal or institution becomes great until Great Resistance has been encountered. Greatness cannot be achieved until this concept is understood.

Unfortunately, the average person is ignorant of this rule to achievement. Mr. and Miss Average, in their ignorance, are fearful and reluctant to encounter even slight resistance. They don't want to make waves or be criticized and they incorrectly feel that criticism will hold them back and prevent their happiness from being realized. In truth, the opposite is the case.

Take note: when we begin to change our jobs, we are first given resistance by our loved ones, for they fear change because change means facing the unknown! When we begin to make rapid achievement or commitment to rapid progress, we have road blocks thrown up by our friends and relations. They begin to resist by negative comments and actions which are devices to cause you to maintain the 'status quo'.

Now, if you are to achieve great progress, you must prevail against those closest to you; this is difficult and requires courage because you desire to please and not hurt those you love. The truth is that great harm befalls your loved ones when you fail to be yourself and do your thing. This is so, because you lose your enthusiasm for life, your growth process stops and your self-esteem diminishes.

Those negatives are revered when you stand your ground; and when you have prevailed, your loved ones gain a new and higher respect for you. History records countless events which prove the point. For an example, the greatest of all men overcame the most severe form of resistance and in so doing gave birth to Christianity. Had Jesus Christ run from His opposition, we would not know His name today, nor would we have available for our use those great and wonderful truths He brought forth for us so that humanity could find their individual greatness.

Furthermore, Christianity met "its" greatest resistance in Rome. Thousands of Christians were crucified in Rome. This resistance was met and in so doing, gave life to the force of Christianity, and Rome became the center of all Christianity - now, and for the past 1700 years, Rome has remained the very center of the Christian world.

Let these great lessons of the past stay in our mind as a beacon in our personal and corporate future. Let us understand and be grateful that our ideas have proven worthy of tremendous resistance. Today, all over the world, great forces have risen to resist our growth. These forces fear us for what we represent and they are attempting to destroy us and our dreams. Our understanding of this phenomenon and our strength of character and our commitment to our way of life is prevailing over these forces which have risen up. We are fortunate to have such great resistance. This resistance is evidence of our greatness and it provides us with the energy to prevail, to conquer and to dominate. These next few short years will record a brilliant history and establish a permanent place for our way of life - which is Freedom to be and to work out our dreams for a great world, for ourselves, for children and all humankind.

Understand our battle and be glorified that you are a part of the making of history. The work you do today in the defense of our way will provide new freedom and hope for millions yet to come. Stand tall in the face of our enemy...your resolution and commitment will seize his heart with fear and he will fade into oblivion.

AND THAT IS THE LAW OF LIFE."

It was written by the late William Penn Patrick in approximately 1970

New Site

I was bored so I surfed a little and found one of these free site makers.
I desided to try it out.

This is the result:

http://www.wix.com/robertziehe/robert-f-ziehe#!

Now, if you are bored go check it out!


It was fun making it ....

                                Bye!

Paradox of Giving

I recently returned from presenting a workshop, and when I pulled up to the parking attendant's booth at the airport, I handed him my ticket and he flashed me a huge grin and said, "Hello! That'll be $30.50."

"$30.50?" I echoed, incredulous. "I was only here for 24 hours. I just want to pay for parking-I don't want to buy the place!"

He laughed and said, "Yep, it's $30.50 for 24 hours' parking. So how was your trip? Did you have a good time?"

I was still in a bit of shock at the price, but he was being so friendly that any temptation I had to become frustrated started to fade away. I chatted with him a little about my trip, asked him about his day, and paid my bill, feeling a lot better than I probably would have if he hadn't been so nice.

Now, some people might say that this gentleman had a right to be unhappy and cranky, after all, his job probably isn't always very pleasant. He has to deal with grouchy people who resent paying $30.50 for 24 hours' parking, he has to work in a closed space without much opportunity to move around or get visual stimulation, and he probably doesn't make all that much money. Yet this fellow was giving value unconditionally, without an obvious or immediate payback for doing so.

What he understood, which I try to help others understand, is that the more value you offer unconditionally, the more abundance you'll enjoy. Giving with strings attached creates feelings of fear (What if I don't get a return on what I give?) and lack (I don't have enough to justify giving to others without a clear benefit to me). Giving unconditionally creates feelings of abundance.

People who feel wealthy and blessed and who bring value to their jobs regardless of their pay let the Universe know that they're ready to receive even more wealth. They may get a raise or an unexpected windfall, or they could attract the attention of someone who wants to hire them for a better job. As I drove away from that parking garage, I thought about how much value and enthusiasm that gentleman brings to his work if he is able to deal with grumpy customers all day long and by early evening still have joy to share with others. I thought, I would like to hire that fellow! I wouldn't be at all surprised if he gets a promotion, a raise, or a more lucrative position somewhere, and I imagine that he leads a rich and abundant life outside of his job.

When you give value unconditionally, you'll receive it in return-and the more you give, the more value and abundance you'll receive. People, who offer the minimal amount at their job, always rushing out the door at exactly 5 p.m. and never showing any initiative, are missing the opportunity to create abundance or value and reap the benefits.

There are many ways to offer value. My husband, son, and I live next to a golf course. At the end of the week, Michel will gather up all of the balls in our yard, put them in egg cartons, and sell them to golfers at a fraction of the cost of new ones. When he approaches a potential customer, he'll give them a free ball. Whether or not they decide to buy a dozen from him, this ball is theirs to keep. The golfers feel positive about him and are more inspired to buy a box from him, if not today, then sometime in the future.

You can offer value through creative ideas, suggestions for how to make your company work more efficiently, enthusiasm that inspires others, hard work, diligence and attention to detail, and going the extra mile in a crisis.

If you're thinking of finding different work, or you've been
considering making a change for a long time but feel paralyzed and unsure of what to do next, start by creating positive feelings so that you can access your passion and creativity. You'll get clarity about what you want to do next and avoid making the kind of mistakes we commit when we operate from negative feelings such as fear and lack. You won't jump from one unrewarding job to the next; instead, you'll find new, better opportunities opening up for you in response to the feelings of abundance, enthusiasm, and worthiness you've created. You'll recognize your beneficial purpose, value it, and attract more resources and wealth by giving unconditionally, letting your abundance flow into the Universe, and opening yourself to receive.

Love and Loss or From 386 to Freedom

I never met him. Until a few years ago didn't even care that much about him and what he did. I never had been a real computer fan in my life, mainly because I believe that computers are made to assist us, to make life easier and as most of us, at least the ones in my age, probably our first computer has been a Commodore or IBM 386 - basically a typewriter with a screen and since than, an entire series of PC's and their upgrade’s. And they haven’t been a total ease as I expected them to be.

With every PC came a new version of a well known operating system, tons of useless programs that rarely worked properly, thick manuals that you had to read to be able to operate it and best of all - hundred’s of new viruses. This, long before Internet. Every time you stuck one of them floppy disks in you PC, you needed to pray not to get infected. And as long as I recall it, there has never, ever been a proper vaccine to assure your machine's health.

And than, and for no particular reason and full of doubts I bought my first Mac.

My life has never been the same since. Literally. All my life changed. I spent fewer hours in front of the computer because everything became so easy. I rarely get stressed working because I never again worried about viruses, programs that won’t work, system upgrades, you name it.

Yeah, right, I know! Mac is no perfect - but who is? What I know, it was the best acquisition I made in my life. It does everything I need, the way I need it and never, ever gave me a headache... this I cannot say about the other ones I had before.

And than, I found the man and the mind behind all this, and I became his fan.

I want to thank Steve Jobs for dreaming and believing, for loving and for all that he has done for me, though I know that he didn't do anything specifically for "me" but for people like me and that is more than enough. I want to thank him for making my life easier, for giving me more time, for me, my family and friends, for making one part of my work as pleasurable as the others and giving me back the fun I have doing it. I want to thank you for making a difference.

And I'd like to close today by citing one of his many memorable speeches, one that made me admire him even more. Steve Jobs gave this at Stanford University on June 12, 2005.

Love and Loss

 
 

I was lucky. I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation - the Macintosh - a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started?

 

Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me - I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT.

I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple.It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers.

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking.
Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

Steve Jobs
1955-2011  

How to Become The Next Millionaire

Regardless of where you go in the world, money is the basic universal measurement for being "rich", or becoming a millionaire. And it seems like everyone wants to be a millionaire these days. So why not give it a try?

I went trough almost everything written, related to becoming rich, I could find in the net and discovered, that basically all say the same. Obviously there are only a few ways to become rich, all well known but not regularly practiced by most of us and therefore only few actually become millionaires.

Here is a fine resume on the basic techniques for us to follow so that we all become the next to top the most rich of lists of funny magazines.

Please let me know if you do follow these steps and when you get your first million together.

Steps – The Do’s

1.  

Open a savings account! Having a savings account is one of the many ways where you can set your money up to work for you. Your initial deposit of money grows whether or not you make additional deposits by interest. Learn the different types of accounts, including accounts like IRAs.

2.  

Buy stocks! If you are gung-ho for individual stocks, you should buy stocks of the companies whose products and services you use or purchase. One of the best ways to invest in individual stocks, is through an investment club; you may want to consider forming one with your friends.

3.  

Buy mutual funds. Mutual funds are really an investment of other investments. When you own a mutual fund, you actually own the securities (stocks, bonds, cash) within the mutual. With mutual funds, you are pooling your money with other investors and diversifying your investment.

4.  

Audition for game shows. Game shows earn their money by the audience, not the contestants.

5.  

Find a "system" that has been proven to make people become millionaires. The top five producers of millionaires today are: technology - internet marketing, direct marketing, home-based business, product distribution, and investments (stocks, bonds, real estate investment / development). Usually, the most stable and reliable forms of income would be from internet marketing, technology, and real estate, with internet marketing, and home based businesses requiring the least money to set up. Investments like real estate and stocks are usually quite risky and time consuming.

6.  

Find a mentor who has walked the walk and seek advice. Surround yourself with already-made millionaires. They can be found in several places, there's even a private online club where you can have a millionaire mentor personally show you how to make money in many areas online.

7.  

Win who wants to be a Millionaire. If you don't know the answer to the question, just guess you have a 25% chance of getting it right, if you do know the answer, then say it.

8.  

Have Fun. When you become wealthy doing something you love, your life will be much better than if you were to do something you hate or don't care about. Make a smart decision.

Tips – The Don’t Do’s

• Don't use a credit card much, all of the excessive spending will come back to haunt you, and you may end up in debt. Try getting a debit card for daily purchases, they're a lot easier to deal with. Use your credit card only for emergencies, and to establish your good credit.
• Try not to take any big loans, because that's "big" money that you'll just have to pay back, and you could end up in debt for that also.
• Control your expenses. You get rich on the difference between that and what you make
• Make it a game. Looking for opportunities to make money is supposed to be fun. Never sweat it.
• Read. The more you know the more you will perceive to be possible, the more you can make.
• Make it about something else than money. It has to be fun. Fair enough you are doing it to become financially well off but few wealthy get off on that alone.
• Make friends with people who share the same goals and values. It will reduce your downtime, and give you pleasure when you are down.
• Make friends with people who are different than you. They can be the greatest source of inspiration and guidance if you are open to their different perspective.
• Help others. Learn to be a caring individual that makes the world better for people around yourself. It will lead to more positivity coming your way. Also, donating to charities can come back to you in the form of tax deductions.
• Plan. Define what you want, Act on it, and Evaluate often to see how you are going.
• It is OK to be cheap, but never be cheap on things that give you value.
• Never invest more than you are willing to lose. This is particularly important when you start. The older and more experienced you get the less risk you are likely to take, or the better you are capable of taking it.
• Think a lot on why you want to become rich, what exactly you want to buy, what lifestyle you want. Make it specific, and date your time for having it and why it matters to you.
• Money represents value. You might come to the understanding that you make money on giving something that other value more than what they pay. You spend the money to get something that is more valuable.
• If possible, make the maximum out your retirement fund provided either by your government or your work. Then proceed to put as much money in to an account like a Roth IRA.
• Whoever said money can't buy happiness has never driven a sports car!
• Money can never buy true happiness. Do not lose your friends and family over making money.

 Warnings – The Wake Up’s

• Unless you are the wealthiest person in the world, there will always be someone with more money than you; there will always be someone with less money than you.
• Be prepared to make choices that are different than most people around you.
• Keep riches and wealth in perspective i.e. don't kill the goose that lays the golden egg. In other words, avoid neglecting the source of the wealth e.g. decent health.
• Money doesn't always buy happiness (but it can take care of almost everything else).
• Never steal money. So don't get any ideas about robbing the bank.
• Do not brag about how much money you have. Thieves will be more likely to target you.
• Outside of saving your money, there is no guarantee that you will make money through stocks. You should be wary of anyone who tells you otherwise.
• The internet is full of scams. Do not invest any money in them unless you know they are legit.
• Have a clear conscience, and make sure you as well don't lose all the other important things in life like relationships and social interactions. Money has no worth without these.

Wisdom Tooth

A rather stupid name for something that is supposed to be ripped out of your mouth as soon as it shows up. Who was the bright engineer anyways that put it in there in the first place? God, while making Adam he was having a bad moment and thought "take this so that I have something to laugh about when it hits you!" - or maybe evolution ... The extraterrestrials that breaded us in vitro saying "I won't make you as perfect and intelligent as I am, want to see how you handle this by yourself!"

I don't know. What I know is that mine lasted forever but even me couldn't escape from destiny. I had to ripp it!

For some reason God, evolution, the Martians, whoever, thought it would be very funny to make my teeth special. So, when everyone else has a tooth with one root for example, this same tooth in my mouth has two. And when everyone else pulls one, he is done with it in a few minutes, but I ...

So my turn came and I went to the dentist. As usual he was all funny and happy and joking around and we all were very relaxed. He took an x-ray of the chosen one, just to make sure everything was fine. "Peace of cake!" was his comment, "We'll have you out in a blink!"

"The same procedure as last year Miss Jane?"

"The same procedure than every year James!" 

(Dinner for One - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1v4BYV-YvA - a must see)

Shot, no pain, tools ready, lets go! Pull, push, pull, push, pull, push ... getting loose ...

pull, push, pull ... 5 min. ... pull, push, ... 10 min. ... changing tools ... leaver, push, ... pull, sweat, ... 20 min. ..., no more jokes (I wonder why?!?!?!) ... tooth is loose, it is coming ...

pull, push ... 10 more minutes, pull, CRACK! "Shit!" went my dentist ... he managed to brake the tooth in half ... "Great!" I thought ...

"Just in case I will give you another shot, OK!?" 

He’s is asking me? Just in case of what? "Gnhmmm hmm" was all I could say with all them "toys" in my mouth ...

 It took another 25 minutes until the last peace of root was extracted and my dentist came up with this glorious comment: "Finally, I was about to give up, my arms are hurting like hell!" 

"What! Your arms hurt! You want to give up! Would you like to change place with me you $#@ˆ**#@**!!!!!!!" I thought, my mouth still full of stuff, ... but I thought it very loud cause I truly believe he heard me!

This was the last time I saw this particular dentist. Yesterday I had a similar procedure to do with my new dentist. After 20 min. everything was done, no troubles, no pain, 4 stitches and next week I'll be back to continue treatment.

One thing I still don't get. Why do they call it the "Wisdom Tooth"?