Līve Ambitions

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to Everyone!  May all your Wishes come true for the new year.

A moment of silence and prayer for Brittany Murphy.  My condolences go out to her family and friends.

Patrick Swayze was a talented actor.  He was someone I grew up watching, much like Michael Jackson.  Patrick Swayze is one of those rare celebrities who never forgot who they were and where they came from.  He stayed humble despite his success and fame.  He stayed a dedicated family man despite so many temptations.  Rest in Peace, Patrick Swayze.

Lately, there’s been more celebrity deaths than usual.  Although its sad when anyone passes away, I was shocked when I heard about the deaths of Michael Jackson and Billy Mays - mainly because they were still fairly young and I assumed they didn’t have any health issues.

R.I.P Michael Jackson.  I was affected by this one the most because I grew up listening to Michael Jackson.  He was truly a unique artist, with an unmatched talent.  He was such a huge superstar that he almost seemed immortal – like he wasn’t human.  I feel so bad that he had to face so many hardships during his last years.  He gave so much to the world, and the world gave him nothing but drama.

R.I.P Farrah Fawcet.  To be honest, I wasn’t too familiar with Farrah Fawcet until I heard of her death.  I saw snippets of news regarding her battle with cancer and I knew she was a Charlie’s Angel, but I never watched that show before.  You could say her popularity was before my time.  Regardless, may her soul rest in peace.

R.I.P Billy Mays.  I had to do a double-take when I first saw the article on Yahoo, saying that Billy Mays was dead.  I wrote a post not too long ago regarding his new show on the Discovery channel called Pitchmen.  From what I saw, he looked like a good family man with a passion for what he did.

R.I.P Ed McMahon.  I guess this news wasn’t as shocking to many because he was 86 years when he passed.  In my opinion, if you can make it to age 86, then you’ve lived a long fulfilling life.  Still, I do remember watching him on the Johnny Carson show when I was a kid.

God Bless to all that passed, and may he console the families and friends of those who passed.

Yesterday, I watched my 1st episode of Pitchmen on Discovery.  After watching the show, I began to wonder whether an average joe like me could come up with a new invention that could possibly end up on the shelves of Walmart one day.  I’ve never took inventions too seriously, but the show yesterday inspired me.  There was a story of a man (friend of Billy Mays) who was crippled in a plane crash, but later invented the Awesome Auger.

In our free land of capitalism, the possibilities are endless.  The hard part is actually taking an idea and bringing it to life.  I’m not saying that anyone can become a successful inventor, but if someone has the “right” idea and actually puts work into it, I think it’s a very possible scenario.

When you think about all the crazy ideas that turned into successful inventions, it’s pretty mind-boggling.  For instance, the paperclip and paper-weight.  I know competition is much stiffer now than it was back in history, but even in today’s market, there is still room for new inventions.  In fact, it doesn’t even have to be a new invention – it could simply be an improved version of an existing product.  Though we have the disadvantage of greater competition, we have the advantage of a bigger audience.

I had 2 ideas in my head yesterday – both of which I found out already have patents.  The 1st idea was for an airplane parachute.  This idea came to me because I’m terrified of flying and there’s been more reported cases of plane crashes lately.  The 2nd idea was for a toe/finger nail clipping collector case.  This idea came to me because I had many situations where I didn’t want to clip my nails in public, or times when I would clip my nails indoors and the clippings would fly all over the place.

I’ve never seen or even heard of these products before.  Maybe I’ve been living in a cave.  Anyways…back to the drawing board. 

Is it just me or have you also noticed a big increase in poor customer service (in the U.S.)?   It almost seems as if our society and culture is accepting this kind of behavior.  Here are some situations that I come across quite too often:

• Cashiers or order-takers that have personal conversations on the phone or with co-workers while they have waiting customers.
• Sales people who are rude and talk-back to customers.
• Workers that don’t take their jobs seriously – which results in half-ass work.

I think there are some obvious reasons for this negative trend:

• As our economy declines, companies are paying less to its employees.  And with lower wages, workers don’t take their jobs as seriously.
• Our society/culture accepts this type of behavior.  Remember the days when we used to have respect for our elders and strangers.  Well, not anymore.  Now, our kids grow up with the mentality that it’s not cool to be nice to people.  Customer service is more deeply rooted than simple personal attitude – it goes as far as childhood up-bringing.
• Poor management leads to poor employees.  Why would workers give a rat’s ass about the company if the owner or managers don’t either?
• Lack of discipline.  Some people don’t know how to separate work from personal issues.  When your problems from home start affecting your work performance, then something needs to be done.

So…how does this affect the businesses providing the poor customer service?

• Loss of customers.
• Bad reputation.
• Negative workplace morale.
• Eventually, a failed business.

Businesses need to keep in mind that customers are the life-blood of their business.  Without customers, there is no money.  Without money, there is no business.

I’ve tried selling stuff on both sites, but from my experience, I’ve had better results with eBay.  Here are the reasons why I think eBay is better for selling:

• Both sites get a huge amount of traffic, but eBay seems to attract the more serious buyers.
• Buyers tend to be more confident with eBay because they provide some protection for buyers.
• You would think that for local pickup items that Craigslist would easily win over eBay.  This is not the case.  eBay has massive coverage, so location is usually not an issue when finding local buyers. 
• Craigslist buyers are cheaper than eBay buyers.  I know the whole point of shopping at these sites is to save money, but come on now!

I like both sites, and use them regularly but eBay is simply more effective for selling stuff.  For everything else, I use Craigslist.  In fact, I found my current job using Craigslist.

Congratulations to Barack Obama on becoming our 44th President!  It was truly a historic moment and a breath of fresh air to see someone new at the helm.  I really hope he follows through with his promises because our country is in shambles right now.

I received an email today which made me think a bit about life.  Here it is:

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the ‘Peanuts’ comic strip. You don’t have to actually answer the questions. Just read the e-mail straight through, and you’ll get the point.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners .

Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with .

Easier?
The lesson:
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care .

Pass this on to those people who have made a difference in your life.
‘Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today.
It’s already tomorrow in Australia’ (Charles Schultz)

Aren’t Friends and Family Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I think the message is pretty clear.  Don’t let fame or fortune change who you are because, in the end, only your true friends and family will be there for you.  Not only that, they’re the only ones who will remember you for who you really were.