theBlogOfAlright

"Entrepreneurs take calculated risks" is a phrase or quote I hear ever so often in sales, entrepreneurship, or business seminars... but the phrase always confused me. At first, I just took it for what it was worth, never really thinking too much about it. But after some pondering, I feel like this word of advice never really gave me any thing concrete to work off of. I mean, what are am I really supposed to get from it? Can any entrepreneurs even explain this to me? Are entrepreneurs out there calculating the risks on Excel Spreadsheets and Monte Carlo models or are they really just using their intuition? (which could be even better than the mathematical models). I feel like it's the latter... so why even use the phrase? First of all, it holds little meaning, and secondly it's confusing. i would say that a majority (now, I said majority , not all) of entrepreneurs out there aren't even doing any real mathematical simulations out there. Let me tell you why this ...

I've never been a gambler, I hate taking risks -- I'm pretty much what you call "risk-averse", and I especially hate taking risks where you know you're going to lose (i.e. betting at the Casino). But sports betting is another beast (kind of). Unlike the Casino where the odds are mostly stacked against you, think a 49% chance of winning as your best bet, Sports Betting is a place where you can place a bet where the chances of winning could be a whopping 99% (equivalent to decimal odds of 1.01). Of course, your payout (or return) for taking such a low risk would be minuscule. A bet of $100 at odds of 1.01 would yield you only $1.00 plus your initial $100 that you put in, for a total return of $101. And this is rightfully so, because the gambling houses would go broke if they paid you any more money for taking such a tiny risk. But here's the fun part, first of all, I'd be more than willing to take a bet with 99% chances of winning any day, given that I...

I would never label myself as a love expert or ever intend to be, but I am interested in the subject and the topic of what makes relationships really last. I've been in several relationships, on numerous dates, read many articles, and have talked to many people about the facets of their relationships and how they really make it work. One rule of thumb is that although opposites usually attract, both  partners need to have the same values. This could mean perspectives on kids, family, friends, other relationships, work, money, and ultimately how each partner sees their life playing out over time. If both partners are set on walking different paths, I think it becomes ever more difficult for each to see eye-to-eye when problems arise; and it's the part where both of you can fight to stick together when the proverbial sh*t hits the fan that will really keep you together. So with that said, below are 5+1 questions that I think you should ask yourself to hypothetically stress-tes...

Life is like 18 holes of golf. You walk through the fairway like you walk through life; enjoying the scenery while you go about carrying out the miserable duties set out. When you make par you congratulate yourself, and when you make eagle you congratulate yourself better. You go from hole to hole, fairway to fairway not necessarily understanding or knowing the grandiose of your actions or of purpose but you go about anyway since that's what ought to be done while on course. Certainly you can play the game they way you wish, as slowly or quickly as one should desire, but those that were before you and those that come after may frown upon the unconformity. Nevertheless, you know where you start and how it ends, how it's played and what's expected, but I suppose what really matters is how much really enjoyed your stay, for 18 holes.

Not often is one able to truly start over, to really sit and reflect on one's life and the future -- especially how one wants their life to play out. Some are absolutely lost when asked the question: what is it that you want? We may have become the culmination of ideologies and expectations of our past influencers: the media, our friends, family, idols, teachers, mentors -- the ones we care about the most. Our thoughts may not even be ours any more. We may have spent such a long time carrying out someone else's expectations of us, who we ought to be and what we should be doing , that we fail to seek our own wants and needs and carry them out for our self-actualization. We get lost in this flurry of expectations, and perhaps our self-imposed responsibility to others, and never get a chance or even have thought about asking what is it that I want for my life? what is it that  I  want for my future? How do I want my life to play out? Yet, the question is almost vital to find...