As those of you who have been visiting my site will know, I have not been very good of late at posting. However, with a new year I have decided to bring my blog home to its own domain.
From now on I will be posting at: www.hartleyhub.com
Thanks so much for your support
Regards,
Jay
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Thursday, December 3, 2009
What is a great blog post?
There have been times when I have sat and wondered, "What makes a great blog post?" Does it have to be hilariously funny? Does it require many witty quotes? Does it need to be a certain length? I wasn't sure. In fact, I got to the point that I almost gave up my writing altogether- I thought, "No-one wants to read me, anyway!"
Then I realised something. I write because I love to write. There is no-one standing over me demanding I write a certain thing. I have no deadline. I am not constrained to write according to some other persons political slant. With no regard to who I must be for all those around me, when I write, I am the person who I wish to be within.
Will I ever be famous? I don't think so. Maybe one day, someone will quote an article of mine in a speech or a paper. Will I ever be rich? Probably not- though stranger things have happened. Will I ever dine with the political or business powers of the world? Highly unlikely, though, if we all adopted the attitude that "every man is my teacher," then maybe I could be called upon for a small nugget of truth that I have learned over my life.
Blogging is a release. A step away from the pressures of life to a little world of cybertronics, where words are used to provide an escape. Words that will provide a way of zoning out all other things- words and a keyboard. If you feel like your writing is a waste of time, think- does it do something for you? If so, don't ever give it up!
Then I realised something. I write because I love to write. There is no-one standing over me demanding I write a certain thing. I have no deadline. I am not constrained to write according to some other persons political slant. With no regard to who I must be for all those around me, when I write, I am the person who I wish to be within.
Will I ever be famous? I don't think so. Maybe one day, someone will quote an article of mine in a speech or a paper. Will I ever be rich? Probably not- though stranger things have happened. Will I ever dine with the political or business powers of the world? Highly unlikely, though, if we all adopted the attitude that "every man is my teacher," then maybe I could be called upon for a small nugget of truth that I have learned over my life.
Blogging is a release. A step away from the pressures of life to a little world of cybertronics, where words are used to provide an escape. Words that will provide a way of zoning out all other things- words and a keyboard. If you feel like your writing is a waste of time, think- does it do something for you? If so, don't ever give it up!
Financially Repeating
As I rode my bicycle to work the other morning at 3:00am, I could not help but notice that more and more businesses have begun advertising "wonderful," "unrepeatable," or "limited time only," deals that are "must have, can't live without," kind of things. Get in now, because there is only one left (on the shop floor- we won't worry about the ten sitting in the stock room). Easy qualifying hire purchase finance available.
That 50in flat screen t.v, the latest model Lexus, the very fine Moroccan Leather Lounge Suite that will go perfectly with your 1960's psychedelic wallpaper, all these must - have - now - things that yesterday we didn't even know about, but today we can't live without, are what shop owners are telling us gives our lives meaning.
Marketing campaigns have been designed to condition us into thinking that we must have all these new doo-dads (to quote one of my favorite authors, Robert Kiyosaki of Rich Dad, Poor Dad), or our life may be inferior to that of the "Jones" family next door.
All this pushing to make the next sale, enticing people who are already over-stretched financially to take on just one more "easy monthly payment." How many more of these can we take before the "camels back" is once again very much broken?
The world is still suffering grave financial repercussions from over-lending to under earning households. It is unfortunate, but I can see a repeat of the struggles we have recently been facing. When those on low incomes (or even those on high incomes who can't control their money) get financed to the eye-balls and begin to default on their loans, finance companies will begin collapsing, again. Investors will loose out, again. People will be going bankrupt en-mass, again. A vicious cycle of collapse and try to rebuild will be repeated- all because of greed, and our "need" of instant gratification.
Please, next time you are tempted to go out and get that new thing you feel you must have, think long and hard about how you will pay for it. Stay out of trouble financially, and many of life's other difficulties won't even eventuate- take it from someone who has his own black hole to dig himself out of- it just isn't worth it!
That 50in flat screen t.v, the latest model Lexus, the very fine Moroccan Leather Lounge Suite that will go perfectly with your 1960's psychedelic wallpaper, all these must - have - now - things that yesterday we didn't even know about, but today we can't live without, are what shop owners are telling us gives our lives meaning.
Marketing campaigns have been designed to condition us into thinking that we must have all these new doo-dads (to quote one of my favorite authors, Robert Kiyosaki of Rich Dad, Poor Dad), or our life may be inferior to that of the "Jones" family next door.
All this pushing to make the next sale, enticing people who are already over-stretched financially to take on just one more "easy monthly payment." How many more of these can we take before the "camels back" is once again very much broken?
The world is still suffering grave financial repercussions from over-lending to under earning households. It is unfortunate, but I can see a repeat of the struggles we have recently been facing. When those on low incomes (or even those on high incomes who can't control their money) get financed to the eye-balls and begin to default on their loans, finance companies will begin collapsing, again. Investors will loose out, again. People will be going bankrupt en-mass, again. A vicious cycle of collapse and try to rebuild will be repeated- all because of greed, and our "need" of instant gratification.
Please, next time you are tempted to go out and get that new thing you feel you must have, think long and hard about how you will pay for it. Stay out of trouble financially, and many of life's other difficulties won't even eventuate- take it from someone who has his own black hole to dig himself out of- it just isn't worth it!
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