Take Big Risks for Big Rewards

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain

Some of you might be aware that I recently had a son. It changed my life (just like they say), and I really want to be with him. The problem has been that he lives with his mother 600 miles away.

I'm not a very impulsive person, so leaving my job and quitting my live-in caretaking position were not easy decisions for me to make. I have been told I am downright crazy, especially in these turbulent economic times. I have found neither a new job, nor a place to live in this new city, but the end of this month marks the end of my paychecks. It may be one of the largest leaps of faith I have ever taken.

But I believe that I am doing the right thing. I want to be with my boy. If all my trust in good luck is worth a damn, then this is the ultimate test. What lucky opportunity will come my way?

I'm excited and terrified, but I know that twenty years from now I would be more disappointed by not having made the trip. Wish me luck.

Brush Up on Your Chaos Theory

You may be familiar with the fatalistic ramblings of Jeff Goldblum's character, Ian Malcolm, in the 1993 film, Jurassic Park. Or perhaps you've pondered the cascading effects of small events as shown in films like The Butterfly Effect or Primer. In mathematics, chaos theory is as sexy as it gets.

As far as I can tell,* chaos theory describes complex, dynamic systems (like climates, populations, economies) which are "sensitively dependent" on initial conditions. Chaos implies that these systems are deterministic -- even predictable, but that their beginning circumstances must be known in infinite detail.

A common model is the Butterfly Effect, which "refers to the idea that a butterfly's wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado or delay, accelerate or even prevent the occurrence of a tornado in a certain location. The flapping wing represents a small change in the initial condition of the system, which causes a chain of events leading to large-scale alterations of events. Had the butterfly not flapped its wings, the trajectory of the system might have been vastly different. While the butterfly does not cause the tornado, the flap of its wings is an essential part of the initial conditions resulting in a tornado."

So what? What does chaos have to do with me? How does it impact my life and luck? Chaos implies the incredible significance of every moment. Tiny actions and conditions -- things as subtle as the flutter of tiny wings -- can have enormous consequences on the course of events in the future.

Consider the significance of the conditions of your birth. Were you born to a loving family? Were you born into wealth? Were you born in a free country? These simple facts of your life have already been determined, and they have already had countless effects on the way you have lived.

Is it possible that this very moment could hold the same gravity and importance for you? Could you make a choice this instant that would change the very course of your future?

*I fully confess the limited scope of my comprehension of advanced mathematical models. To learn more, see Wikipedia.

Annual Site Stats

One great thing about running an online company is the fantastic data-collection and reporting available to webmasters. Google Analytics lets me know exactly what you like most (and least!) Thanks for a great year. My most popular sites (by number of visits) were:

1. Luck-Struck
2. My Blog
3. Cash Dimensions
4. Cetaphobia
5. My Personal Site

You spent the most time at:

1. Vegan Gentleman
2. 30 Days for 30 Dollars
3. My Blog
4. My Brother's Site
5. How Lucky You Are

The 5 Keys to Sustained Health

Winter is almost over, and it's time to shake the snow from your branches and start thinking about how you will look (and feel) on the beach. Good health is the foundation of the rest of your life. All the luck, wealth, and fortune in the world will do nothing if you are dead. Good health can be easy and fun and sustainable. Here's how to do it.

1. Keep a Food Log: We naturally underestimate how much we eat. The only way to know how much you must exercise is to keep an honest record of your consumption. A great site that has a free food log (with thousands of foods already pre-scored) is Calorie Count. Use it. Love it. It's what I used to maintain healthy intake during my 30 Days for 30 Dollars experiment.
2. Keep an Activity Log: Just as we fib on our intake, we fudge on our exercise. Your Calorie Count account has an activity log with tons of activities, so you can log a 30-minute run (432 calories) or 30 minutes of sex (56 calories). I use the free training log at Runner's World, because it helps me keep track of safe mileage for my body -- and my shoes.
3. Start with a Short-Term Goal: Whether it's a DVD from an infomercial or (my current favorite) the Navy SEAL pre-BUDS workout, start with a program that has a 30- to 90-day goal. Moving from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one is mentally easier, if you promise yourself a change for a short period in the future. Even marathoners and Olympians don't try to train hard for the rest of their lives! Set an attainable goal. When you reach it, set another.
4. Quality First, then Quantity: You get out what you put in. If you continue to eat preservatives, colorings, transfats, refined sugars, and chemicals your fitness will quickly plateau. You have seen the food pyramid, now pay attention. Don't be afraid of carbs, just eat good ones. Fruits and veggies are key; and they're so low in calories, you can feast on them! You already know that I've chosen not to eat animal products for five important reasons. My health has never been better. Want to feel an even bigger boost? Drop those vices that you know in your heart are holding you back: drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and even your beloved caffeine.
5. Don't Tackle it All at Once: Take small steps. Replace an hour of TV with an hour outside. Replace one steak dinner with seared ahi and veggie stir fry. Promise yourself 30 days of sobriety. Convincing your lazy brain to change forever is next to impossible. But showing yourself that something is manageable for a short time can train you to realize it is sustainable.

As always, guys: Good Luck

Luck-Struck is Finally Here

Your patience has finally paid off, and this is one Friday the 13th on which you'll actually get lucky. My first book, Luck-Struck: How to Take Control & Create Your Own Luck, is available now on Lulu.com for the lucky price of $17.77. Over the next six to eight weeks, it will be distributed to other sellers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

I really hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I have learned so much, and I look forward to sharing it with you. I really think it can change your life and make you a luckier person. Enjoy.

Still wondering whether or not Luck-Struck is for you? Go to Luck-Struck.com now to learn more about how my method can make you luckier, happier, healthier, and wealthier!

Luck-Struck: How to Take Control & Create Your Own Luck
By Skyler Reep
ISBN: 978-0-615-26126-3
LCCN: 2009901431

Order Now for $17.77

Improve Your Financial Luck by Incorporating

One of the best things a person can do to get on the path toward financial independence and early retirement is to start a business. There is simply no limit to what you can do as an entrepreneur. Whether you are an inventor of a product or the creator of a service, entrepreneurship is one path to enormous wealth. One of the most important steps to take in the early phases of starting a business is to form your business entity.Don’t panic.This step is not as daunting as it sounds...
[This is an excerpt from a guest post I wrote for FIRE Finance, where you can read the rest of the article.]

Become a Luckier Entrepreneur Today

Even though I have been studying luck and fortune for quite a while now, I am still surprised by how many successful and famous people attribute at least part of their current position to luck. People like Jack Nicholson, Paul Newman, and even Bill Gates have been quoted citing the significance of luck in their lives. It takes a strong person to work hard for what he or she wants. It takes a stronger person to admit that it took more than hard work. If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you know you will have to work hard. You may not know that you will have to be lucky too...

[This is an excerpt from a guest post I wrote for YoungEntrepreneur.com, where you can read the rest of the article.]

Diet Experiment Too Dangerous

I will be returning to my normal posting schedule. The following is copied from my other blog:

I am halting the experiment, because I lost four more pounds in the last two days! I only lost one pound in the first week, but this new development takes me outside safe parameters.

Still, I consider the experiment a success. I gathered a lot of data, and I have a few conclusions:

1. $1.00 is not enough money to buy a nutritious daily volume of food for my body-type.
2. It could buy enough calories (in sugar) or enough vitamins and minerals (in a supplement), but not both.
3. My personal experience indicates that I can survive approximately one week on 1,046 daily calories without adverse health side-effects. It is unclear whether that threshold is physical, mental, or emotional.
4. In my opinion, the current domestic agricultural system is inadequate to ensure nutritious food to Americans in poverty.

I will continue to log my diet as I slowly return to a normal calorie-intake. My stomach does not feel well enough to eat full-sized meals immediately. I may try a similar version of this experiment again. Please make suggestions, but I think it would still be interesting to find out just how many dollars will deliver basic nutrition. I don't think it's safe to begin that experiment right away.

A New Challenge!

I'm taking on a new 30-day challenge beginning in January. Along the same lines as my previous post about simplifying consumption, beginning on the first day of the coming year, I will attempt to eat for 30 days for only 30 dollars. To learn more about why and how -- or to follow my progress -- please see my new blog all about the challenge: 30 Days for 30 Dollars. Wish me luck.

Simplify Your Consumption

Since the end of the 19th century and the distribution of the Sears, Roebuck, and Co. Catalog; Americans have been convinced that the purchase of products can make us happier and give us more free time. The illusion of comfort through consumption has only gotten worse with credit cards and the internet making it possible to buy ANYTHING your little heart desires, even if you cannot afford it!

What's funny is that we all know in our heads that we cannot buy happiness. We have demonstrated it to ourselves a thousand times with triumphant purchases that lead to nothing more than momentary enjoyment before we are overtaken by lusty visions of the next thing we "need." The last thing you need is more stuff. Stuff, like the Rabbit Corkscrew (pictured above and available here for $49.99).

The Rabbit is a clever device that makes short work of wine corks. It's bulbous silhouette practically screams, "I am the modern solution to an antique problem!"

I prefer the antique solution.

I love wine. I'll enjoy a fine, expensive cuvée as much as the next guy. But you wouldn't know it from my wine utensils. I don't own a decanter or wine glasses of different shapes and sizes. And I don't own a Rabbit. I use a simple "waiter's friend," and I don't even cut the foil before stabbing the screw through and yanking the cork out with the deft precision of an expensive machine.

Our economy is receding, and you will be under a lot of pressure to spend your money to artificially boost it back up. This holiday season take a look at your consumption patterns. Around every corner will be a sale, or an offer, or a special. I'm not recommending that you hide your money under your mattress. Buy what you need. Hell, buy what you want! But know the difference. Simplify your consumption to simplify your life.

How to Spin Straw into Gold

Rumpelstiltskin was a character in a German fairy tale who could spin straw into gold. His magical ability captures children's imaginations -- and adult's too. Do you wish you could ensure that you would always be able to make money, even in the worst of economic times? Wouldn't it be great to know that no matter what happens tomorrow, you could gather up some lemons and make an incredible batch of lemonade?

Anyone can work for money. Anyone can get a job and toil away for a paycheck. But wouldn't it be nice to know how to create money, even if there were no jobs available? Do you want to learn how to create value where none existed before? It's really not that hard. You only need two things to make money from nothing: creativity and scarcity. Everyone knows that creativity is an important ingredient to success, but some people do not realize that creativity is wasted without scarcity.

Creative people have been making money for ages. Artists, authors, architects, and composers have always created valuable goods and services right out of thin air. Imagine how good it must feel for a painter to sell a painting. Some artists I know are reluctant to accept money for their work, because it was so effortless for them. It can be hard to put a real financial value on streaks of paint on cloth.

But people have been doing it for the dawn of commerce: assigning "fair" values to goods and services created by other people. In cases of original artwork, the fair value is bolstered by the scarcity of the piece. If there is nothing else in the world like it, it can be very valuable.

In the information age, creativity is not the problem. Scarcity is. There are many creative people in the world. Many of them create great work. Because of the internet, their work is available to legions of customers. In this situation, the value of creativity has been deflated, because it is no longer scarce.

Let me illustrate, using the example of a book. At an earlier time in history, a writer could write a book on a subject and sell it to people interested in that subject. Imagine an expert on archery who decides to put all this knowledge to use and sell a book about archery. With the proper marketing and good reviews, the happy author could sell many, many books to all the people who are also interested in archery.

Now imagine the same author at work today. He has written a very good book about archery, and now he offers to sell it to people who would like to learn about archery. Unfortunately, no matter how good the book is, information about archery is hardly scarce. Prospective customers might find all they need to know for free on the internet. Google, Wikipedia, and countless other sites, blogs, and forums have devalued the author's book, because his content is not scarce. He will still be able to sell books to people who want to own a book about archery and to some people who just like to own books, but the majority of people with a cursory interest in archery will not care to commit to buying a whole book about it.

In the past, people bought books for one of two reasons:

1. The subject, genre, or story interested them or
2. They like the author.

Now, we can get free fiction and nonfiction on any subject in any genre. The market is flooded. How can a creative person continue creating value from nothing?

Luckily, the work of an individual author is finite and scarce. If the imaginary archery author can keep his wits about him, he may yet be able to profit from his knowledge of archery. There may be plenty of content about archery. Some of it might be cheap. Some of it might be free. But the author can still use creativity to create scarcity.

You can still sell your product, if your audience believes your version is special. People will always buy books by their favorite authors, even if other authors have similar books. People like to be loyal customers and raving fans. To spin straw into gold in the information age, you must not only deliver what your customer wants. You must convince your customer that you are better than the multitude of other options available.

Now an author must earn fans and customers not only by creating great content, but by being likable, earning trust, building community, delivering consistent and relevant content, staying timely, and other strategies. Creativity is not dead, but creative people will soon be unable to earn a living by the old model.

Lost Your Job? Attitude is Everything Now

What if you were laid off? What would you do if you were evicted? What if you lost your car? What would happen if your financial foundation crumbled?

Now that we are officially in recession (a fact that has been known unofficially for months), many of us have been analyzing our finances. Some people are kept up at night by money worries.

Some of us might wonder what would happen if it all disappeared. How would your life change if you were impoverished tomorrow?

About a billion people on the planet live in extreme poverty. In some parts of the world, poverty is a death sentence. In the United States -- the Land of Opportunity -- it takes a lot more than unemployment and homelessness to spell doom.

Your most valuable asset is not you house or your car or your bank account. Your largest asset is your ability to earn. Your skills and intelligence. With these things* you can grow a prosperous life from nothing.

Take, for instance, the story of Adam Shepard. As a test of the American Dream, Shepard set out for Charleston, South Carolina, with only $25 to see if he could build a life from the ground up. In looking for work, he vowed not to use any of his contacts or mention his bachelor's degree. In less than a year, Shepard went from living in a shelter and using food stamps to living in his own apartment with a pickup truck, and almost $5,000 in savings.

Some people suggest that experiments like this cannot replicate true poverty, because the mindset of the experimenter is different than a person facing true poverty. Perhaps Shepard's can-do attitude would be hard to muster in real life. I would argue that the will to survive would be a powerful motivator to shake the perception of work that was once "beneath you" and start earning.

Hopefully you won't lose your job or your home. If you do, stay realistic about the fact that you still have the power to earn. And get to work.

*Without these things, survival can be nearly impossible. That's what powers the $4.1 trillion/year insurance industry. If you can help it, never go a day in your life without insurance. At least insure yourself against major medical catastrophes and disability. If you have dependents, get life insurance as well. I know that the high cost of insurance is always making headlines, but major medical can be remarkably affordable. Please do yourself a favor and insure yourself against the possibility of complete poverty.

Why is the Number Seven So Lucky?

A question I am hearing a lot these days is why is the number seven so lucky?

Seven has been considered a "good" number by many cultures. We know that science and mathematics were considered magic in some early human cultures. Perhaps number tricks and mathematical anomalies like primes were especially mysterious.

Seven is often used in fiction, fable, religion, and mythology. The Bible uses the number extensively from God's rest on the 7th day and Joshua's seven laps around Jericho to the seven levels of Heaven and Hell and the seven seals of Revelation. There are seven Chakras, seven pillars of wisdom, seven days of the week, seven wonders of the world, seven dwarfs, seven deadly sins, and seven seas.

A dice-roll of seven can win a turn at the game of craps. Statistically speaking, seven is the most likely outcome of a roll of two dice. Six possible combinations add up to seven (1,6; 6,1; 2,5; 5,2; 3,4; and 4,3), which equates to odds of five-to-one. Compared to the odds of rolling a two or a 12 at 35-to-one.

Sevens turn up in other places in the casino. If a slot machine lands on three sevens; you are lucky, indeed. Incidentally, the definition of 777 as the perfect number may be the reason that 666 (the "imperfect" number) is thought to be the mark of the beast or the number of the devil.

It is worth noting that seven is not lucky to everyone. It is an unlucky number in Chinese numerology. For this reason, Boeing never sold many 777 airliners to Chinese carriers.

In short, seven is lucky because it is considered lucky. In many cultures, the number has long been associated with positive events or accomplishments. It became lucky as a self-reinforcing meme.

I'll leave you with a little riddle which dates back to Egyptian scribes over 3,000 years ago: "As I was going to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives. Every wife had seven sacks, every sack had seven cats, every cat had seven kits. Kits, cats, sacks, wives: how many were going to St. Ives?"

Luck? It's All Greek to Me

My book won't sell in Greece. That's because the title in Greek is "How it takes over the control and it creates your chance." Gibberish.

Now that Luck-Struck: How to Take Control and Create Your Own Luck is finished, I'm starting to think about having it translated and distributed internationally. I'm decent in Spanish, so I thought I might be able to cut translation costs by doing it myself. I also looked into some online translation services, but concepts don't translate as simply as the words we use to describe them. Here are some other favorites:

Spanish: How to take control and to create its own luck
Chinese: How to take over control and create your lucks
Dutch: How at to take control and your own luck create
French: How to take the order and to create your own chance
German: As one control takes and your own luck caused
Italian: Like taking control and generating yours own fortune
Japanese: Control is taken and the method your yourself luck being drawn up
Korean: Seizes and the method which creates the fortune of your oneself
Portuguese: As to take the control and to create its proper luck
Russian: As to accept control and to create your own luck
Spanish: How to take control and to create its own luck

This little exercise reminds me of that basic philosophical experiment that has puzzled most of us since an early age: Do you see the same colors I do? Sure, we both call it "black," but what if your black is my green? It's a metaphor to larger philosophical questions regarding the worldviews of others and whether we can ever truly be understood by someone else. Questions for another day.

What is Good Luck?

Since I have begun my research on the topic of luck, a lot of you have been asking how I define luck? The word, luck, is generally used* to describe a force that brings either good fortune or adversity or the events or circumstances that operate for or against an individual. People wonder if I've become convinced that luck is some mystical or magical force that manipulates our futures. Many others are bothered by the idea of luck, because it implies a lack of control or a lack of responsibility. I think luck is so much less threatening than all that -- and so much more wonderful!

So what is good luck to me?

It all boils down to the famous and oft-repeated words of Lucius Annaeus Seneca, the 1st Century Roman philosopher: "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

For me, good luck is the perfect blend of good preparation and good opportunity -- with a dash of good timing. The great thing about defining good luck in this way is that it places the responsibility for your own luck squarely on your shoulders. You are responsible for your own preparation as far as education, motivation, and determination. You are also responsible for your own opportunities, and I can guarantee they won't come knocking on your door as you waste the afternoon watching television.

Looking at luck in this way has been a great relief for me. Luck went from a slippery and ambiguous idea to a solid concept and goal. I work hard every day to improve my luck, and it pays off for me all the time. I keep a log of all the lucky things that happen to me. My luck has greatly improved, now that I understand how to influence it with what I call the Luck-Struck Method. Hopefully, it will bring you good luck too!

*"luck." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2008. Merriam-Webster Online. 7 November 2008

Take Control of Your Continuing Education

LinkedIn is a social network with a more professional atmosphere than FaceBook and the others. A while back, I posed a question to my LinkedIn friends in which I asked:

Will self-paced continuing education take the place of accredited degree programs? Will the unquantifiable knowledge gleaned from something like the PMBA ever measure up to the immeasurable results of formal postgraduate work? What if some study indicated that more information can be gained through self-directed study than through enrollment in graduate school? What do employers value: knowledge and expertise or transcripts and a suffix?

I received a thoughtful response today from Sharon Baldi of Lockheed Martin:

"You raise an interesting question that I've often thought about because I've taken many courses online and in the classroom and can see the advantages and disadvantages to both. I have to assume that someday all education could or would be done online especially considering video conferencing technology. Most of the meetings I attend these days are video conferences with people from around the world. It's already the norm. With all the alumni out there however, who want their children to have the same college experience they had, this will probably take a few generations."

Her response shines light on the true controversy in self-directed education. That is, even if the quality of online learning were superior to traditional programs at brick-and-mortar universities, "graduates" of self-directed programs would have to overcome stereotypes and longstanding snobbery to compete professionally with graduates of traditional programs.

Granted, distance learning has grown up a lot in the past few decades. Some of the most prestigious campuses on the planet now offer some or all of their programs over the internet. Some courses are even available for free -- challenging the notion of continuing education as a luxury of the monied.

But students in non-traditional programs should be aware that their self-determination and savvy may not impress the HR directors and hiring managers in many of today's highest paying corporations. To traditional employees looking to improve their outlook for promotion, I would say caveat emptor regarding self-paced continuing education. In much of the business world today, the only real degree is a traditional degree via traditional means.

To the entrepreneur or the self-motivated knowledge-seeker, however, I say go for it! If education is more to you than a means to an end, then there is no better way to learn for the sake of learning. A self-directed educational program may not impress your boss or your friends, but it can certainly make you smarter and equip you to do your job better.

There are many programs available, and Google will easily point you in the direction of several options right up your alley. If you think you might be interested in beginning your own Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program, I can think of no better place to start than Josh Kaufman's Personal MBA. The PMBA is set up as a recommended reading list* with supplemental materials and a community for discussion. It has also been around for a few years and each new "graduate" adds clout to its reputation.

Congratulations on taking the first steps toward a better educated future!

*The PMBA is a constantly evolving curriculum, and Kaufman often adds new material to the list.

Who Reads Skyler Reep's Blog?

We just passed 1,500 pageviews, so I thought I'd let you know who's been reading. About 1/8th of you live in Jackson, so you're probably just placating a friend. To all of my readers, though, thanks for your continued support. As always, you can make suggestions for future articles. I read and respond to all comments. Thanks again.

Ace Your Next Job Interview

Would you like to have the upper hand in your next job interview? Who wouldn't? You should be seeking every advantage available to you, and there are many job search resources out there. We have already discussed Getting a J-O-B and writing a résumé that won't get thrown away. When combined with my article on how to Dress Like You Mean It, you're almost ready for your interview.

But the best application materials in the world cannot help you land a job if you stammer through your strengths and weaknesses during your interview.

That's why I am publishing the questions I ask all job applicants and the answers I am looking for! There's more to your job interview than meets the eye. Remember that I originally wrote this list for an interviewer, but an interviewee can learn a lot from sitting in the opposite chair for a moment. Enjoy.

Q: Tell me about yourself.
A: Let the applicant do the talking. When it seems like a good time to ask a clarifying question, let him/her talk some more. Nervousness should be expected, but listen for cues of disorganization, deception, and insecurity. Take note of specific qualifications and of indications of practice and preparation for the interview.

Q: Why will/did you leave your current/last job?
A: Does the applicant insult his/her previous managers? Is s/he focused only on “more money?” By “needing something new,” is s/he indicating unreliable or restless characteristics?

Q: What are your strengths?
A: Ideally, a prepared candidate will have two to four clear strengths – each with a supporting anecdote from a previous position. Though scripted answers may seem insincere, they also indicate preparation, drive, and a serious attitude. The best candidates can tell the truth in a concise, organized way.

Q: What are your weaknesses?
A: Every prepared candidate should know this question is coming. How they have prepared for it will separate the men from the boys. Do not believe answers like, “I work too hard,” “I’m a perfectionist,” or “I don’t have any weaknesses.” A smart candidate will honestly describe two to three weaknesses along with the ways in which s/he compensates for them.

Q: What adjectives would your friends use to describe you?
A: Consider immediate disqualifications for answers like “devious,” “drunk,” or “vengeful.” This question will teach you two things: 1. Does the applicant know his/her parts-of-speech? 2. Did the applicant pay attention to the ad? As a smart interviewer, you should know what types of adjectives were used in the job dvertisement. A smart applicant will have paid attention to the same details, and s/he will have prepared to describe him/herself in this way.

Q: What do you know about this company?
A: Even the best of applicants may forget to do the appropriate research. Educated answers to this question indicate an excellent level of professionalism. If s/he took the time to read our brochure, surf our site, or ask around; s/he is serious about the position and the company.

Q: What past accomplishments gave you satisfaction?
A: Organization and planning should yield two to three short stories from past experience. Listen for what turns the applicant on: was s/he proud of his/her work? Driven by the success of the company? Or is s/he motivated only by promotions and bonuses?

Q: What drives you to work hard?
A: Listen for contradiction with the indirect answers already given for the question above. Ignore these cues at your peril. We want people who can derive satisfaction from achievement – not just reward. Take careful note of the answers to these questions, as they will guide you in motivating this person, if you decide to hire him/her.

Q: Would you rather work alone or as part of a team?
A: A smart applicant will be careful with this question. Everyone has a preference, and neither one is right or wrong. Almost every position needs elements of teamwork and of individual initiative. Look for a candidate who honestly describes a preference for one but promises to improve at the other.

Q: Why do you want this job?
A: Listen for a clear understanding of the position and a clear understanding of how his/her personality and experience has prepared him/her for the position. Be fair about how little the applicant may know about the position. This is an appropriate time for even the best of applicants to say, “I don’t know quite enough about the position to answer that fully. Can you help me understand it better?”

Q: How do you handle pressure and stress?
A: By paying attention to nonverbal cues, you have probably already answered this question. Interviews can be very stressful, and cool-headedness now may be a good indication of a calm and collected applicant. Even the finest of applicants may be sweating or stammering just a bit. Good answers to this question include exercise or reading. Bad ones include fifths of Jägermeister or the torture of animals.

Q: Where do you see yourself in five years? Fifteen?
A: The applicant doesn’t have to lie about wanting nothing more than to be in a menial hourly position with your company for the rest of his/her life. Hopefully, though, you will hear some honest career goals – perhaps even in line with the industry.

Q: (When applicable…) why did you choose your college major?
A: Is the applicant actually interested in the industry, or is this temporary filler to get paid? Let him/her talk about his/her passions and interests, but hopefully they will be remotely related to the position.

Acknowledge Luck, Like Paul Newman

As a bit of a Rennaisance Man, myself, I admire the late Paul Newman's list of occupations. Actor in classics like 1967's "Cool Hand Luke," director, philanthopist, and entrepreneur; his résumé was truly impressive.

His $220+ million in charitable donations throughout his lifetime was truly remarkable. It comes as surprise to some that Newman was a believer in luck.

His Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for seriously ill children was a passion he described as a way "to acknowledge Luck: the chance of it, the benevolence of it in my life, and the brutality of it in the lives of others; made especially savage for children because they may not be allowed the good fortune of a lifetime to correct it" (I Will Sing Life, 1992).

A lot of people -- especially financially successful ones -- don't like to acknowlege the influence of luck in their lives. To some, crediting luck is like discrediting their own diligence and determination. Newman recognized that hard work could only get him so far. The rest was good luck.

I urge you to humbly recognize the importance of good fortune. Luck has more power over your future than you may like to think. Take this quiz to find out how lucky you are. When you are ready to embrace luck and improve your fortune, check out my new book, Luck-Struck.

Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008)

Manage Criticism

I received some of my first real hate mail the other day, and it got me thinking about the nature of criticism.

For the rest of your life, people will be offering their opinions of you. You will receive criticism on your actions, your words, your choices, your looks... Life is full of opportunities to gather subjective data on every aspect of your life. Unfortunately, a lot of this criticism will arrive uninvited.

If you have survived public school, this comes as no surprise to you. Surviving the cruel honesty and hormones of today's adolescence is a lesson in filtering critical noise that some of us will never forget.

William Shakespeare's Anthony said in Julius Caesar that "The evil men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones." Since the dawn of communication, itself; civilization has been rife with gossip, criticism, and other meanness.

Who knows all the reasons for the constant flow of criticism? Jealousy and other base emotions are often to blame. Knowing that most of the negativity you will encounter comes from motives other than truth, it would be nice to follow Mary Schmich's advice* and "Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how."

There is always a place for gracefully accepting constructive criticism and improving oneself, but pay attention the the motives of the critic. Some people would rather break you down than build you up. Learn to recognize the difference, and you will be happier for it.

*Baz Luhrmann's successful 1999 music single, Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen), sampled the 1997 Chicago Tribune column by Mary Schmich, entitled Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young. Schmich described it as a commencement address she would give if she were ever asked to give one.

Survive a Moose Attack

Last night, I decided to take a short stroll around the lake behind my house. It was twilight, and I wasn't really paying much attention to the scenery. In fact, I was talking to my mother on my cell phone.

I suddenly heard a rustling to my right, and I realized that I was not six feet away from a yearling moose. It was munching willows; but when it saw me, it stopped and made a pawing motion with its hooves. I figured my best course was to continue along the path, as I did not want to pass by the moose again.

As I continued walking, the young moose flattened its ears, lowered its head, and stepped onto the path. It followed me slowly. Still on the phone, I told my mom I was being followed by a moose! She couldn't believe it. It quickened its pace and was closing the gap between us.

Then I froze.

Standing in the path straight ahead of me was the yearling's 800-pound mother. I was surrounded. The mother straight ahead, the yearling behind, dense willows to my right, and the lake to my left! Stories and videos of moose attacks filled my head, and I told my mom I thought I was about to be attacked.

I was about to take my chances in the lake, when the youngster took a bite off a willow to his right. During this brief distraction, I tried to slink back the way I had come. Just as I passed mere feet behind the yearling, it spun and ran toward me. The mother charged after. I remember saying, "I think I'm going to run. I'm running!" into the phone.

I have been in car wrecks and other scenarios in which I thought I might not live, but never had I experienced the weird daydreams and adrenaline dump of complete expectation of death. Time slowed, and I was euphoric and I sprinted through the gravel. I realized no one would find my body until morning.

And then they were gone. I slowed and turned to see that they had returned to their willows. After a little research, I have learned that moose attacks are sheerly territorial and can usually be avoided by leaving the area

I guess I was lucky again.

Vote on Data, Not Tradition

I hope all of you are planning to vote this November. Even if you have decided on your candidate, I hope you will take the time to think about why and how you made your choice.

Election season will probably get sillier as we go along. The best we can do is try to ignore the politics and rhetoric and make our choices based upon cool thinking. I don't agree with the bipartisan system. I am in favor of people voting for the candidate that matches your own opinions as precisely as possible. Glassbooth uses an interactive quiz to help you make an unemotional choice for what is best for you. Try it. It's easy and free and very educational. Here's how:

1. Go to http://glassbooth.org
2. Add points to the issues you find most important. (This step helps the computer decide on which issues to ask the most questions. Remember, this section is not asking your opinion on each issue yet. It is just measuring whether you think it is significant.)
3. Answer the questions on the next page. (Here you will choose whether you agree or disagree with about 20 statements. There will be more questions about the issues you chose in the previous step.)
4. See how you compare. Your top three presidential choices will be listed along with your similarity score.
5. Learn more about how you compare to each candidate. Click on the candidate's name, then click on the "Find Out Why" links. You will be able to see the quotes, votes, and writings of each candidate as it pertains to each issue.

Bonus: You now know more than all of your friends about the important issues and each candidate's stance. Take the quiz again and change your issue ratings or other answers to learn more about other issues.

Have Integrity (Even at 2:00 a.m.)

I was awakened at about 1:30 this morning by the now-familiar sound of a mouse caught in my humane live trap. Only a few nights before, I had set out the trap for the first time. He was captured almost immediately and released into the wild.

He was back in the trap 24 hours later. This time, he was released across a small stream about a quarter mile of a mile away. (A dollop of nail polish on his tail identified him as the same mouse.)

The next night, he was captured again and released again about a mile away. That was three nights ago.

It took that long for the mouse to find his way back this time, when he awakened me at 1:30 a.m. I was dog-tired and grumpy. I dropped him in the bathtub, where he cowered --shivering and sweating -- as I decided his fate.

I haven't killed anything larger than a mosquito since becoming a vegetarian more than a year ago. Obviously, my attempts at compassion with this invader had been met only with a frustrating continuation to the problem. I realized that this mouse had already received more chances than most people would have given him.

But I made a promise to myself a long time ago, and I can't break those promises. Even at two in the morning. Even if other people do it all the time.

I pulled on some jeans, scooped the mouse into a basket and got in my car. I drove fifteen miles to the border of a national park -- throwing in some extra zig-zags, in case this clever creature was counting my turns. I released him into the tall grass with a handful of apple-cinnamon granola.

The point of my story is not to convince you to believe what I believe or do what I do. I just hope that you can build a moral code you can live with -- even at 2:00 a.m. We all want others to think we are good people, but it is the decisions we make when no one is watching by which we can truly measure ourselves. Hypocrisy is a deadly poison that will catch up to you in the end. (See: Eliot Spitzer, Rush Limbaugh, Ted Haggard, etc.)

Even though I was up late, I slept well last night.

Stay Focused

There will come a time when even your most important goals will seem far away. When climbing the steepest part of a mountain, the peak is hidden behind the horizon. It is a shame that perspective can be so easily lost when you are almost finished with a large task.

...I am still alive and working furiously on my book, Luck-Struck. I set a personal deadline that I knew would challenge me. I want to be finished in September. I know it is possible, but I must remain focused and determined. Wish me "luck!"

Are You a Psychopath? Or Just Machiavellian?

After reading Dr. Robert Hercz's Psychopaths Among Us, I became really intrigued by the idea that socialized psychopaths seem to float to the top in corporations and in government. We're not talking about Patrick Bateman-like psychos. Psychopathy does not make you a killer, but it generally indicates one who perceives reality clearly except for his or her own social or moral obligations and seeks instant gratification.

Sound like anyone you know? I wondered if any of us are psychopathic. Narcissistic? Machiavellian?

The traits of these "disorders" can probably be beneficial to ambitious people, if controlled by a modicum of socialization.

Take the quiz:
Am I a Machiavellian?
Am I a Narcissist?
Am I a Psychopath?

See also: Some Apparent Advantages to Subclinical Psychopathy, The Journal of Social Psychology, 1982.