Will You "Double Down" or "Double Up?"

Doubling down, by it’s nature, can be a stubborn and obstinate position to embrace. So, why do many adopt this offensive / defensive stance?

Discovery Questions:

Why does anyone adopt this position?

What does it really mean?

Is this a wise leadership strategy?

Is this position driven by a deeper fundamental agenda?

Is this a form of gambling?

Is a tattoo a symbolic form of this?

Some questions are answerable and definable…some are not. I believe that the last question is a clue. As an object lesson, a tattoo makes a statement, is permanent and basically irreversible. So if someone goes to that length, they are decisioning irreversibly…doubling down. 

Conversely, if your conclusion makes you uneasy to the point of second guessing, there is a good chance that the “doubling up” of more due diligence, discovery, research and/or data mining is yet to be completed.

Commitment Question:

If you adopted a double down decision, would you be willing to tattoo it on your body as a sign of unmovable commitment?

Solution Question:

If you realize that you are not as committed as necessary, will you be lead to more due diligence, discovery and research (positive) or remain simply stonewalled (negative) before you pick your tatt artist?

Action Question

Is your thorny position still flexible enough to change your mind, thoughts or decision after serious consideration or ligament argument?

There is a cost either way

Some knowledge based articles quote that “a  small tattoo, like a name, will cost between $300 and $400 per session, while something larger and more intricate can cost up to $1,000 per session," says notable Dr. Izikson. Multiply that by the number of sessions you’ll need and you could be spending $1,800 to $12,000 or more for removal. 

Oh yeah…It also hurts a lot…

“Inking out hurts way more than inking in.” 

“Of course, everyone’s pain tolerance is different, but “without lidocaine injections prior to treatment, laser treatments really hurt,” says Anne Chapas, a dermatologist and the medical director of  Union Square Laser Dermatology in New York City.

Yes we are getting personal here, but it’s important to stress the potential consequences of obstinate doubling down. Like tattoos, the decision of undoing hurts way more. The attached article goes further to estimate the Millions that would like to reverse their decision of immortalizing their tatt…

https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/ink-rethinked-91354175281.html

The objective in all of this is that we see constantly where politicians, industrial leaders, media moguls and others double down on issues and positions with little thought as to permanency, legacy or irreversibility, and with the doubling up side hardly ever considered.

Last question…just because someone takes the double down route, do we have to automatically adopt their position or should we challenge it (would a decisioning MODEL be helpful) ?

As always…you decide.

7-25-2014

SIRI: "What should I buy...who should I marry?"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence

"The central goals of Artificial Intelligence (AI) research include reasoning, knowledge, planning, learning, communication, perception and the ability to move and manipulate objects or people. General intelligence is still among the field's long term goals. Currently popular approaches include statistical methods, computational intelligence and traditional symbolic AI. There are an enormous number of tools used in AI, including versions of search and mathematical optimization, logic, methods based on probability and economics, and unlimited others."

Scary.

SIRI scary.

SIRI is a voice-activated app that works with the iPhone 4S and iOS 5+ to allow users to take action on their iPhone by voice commands, interactivity or simply speaking. SIRI can understand not just basic common speech. SIRI can both speak back to the user and take dictation, transcribe voice to text and more.

The ads claim, "SIRI lets you use your voice to send messages, schedule meetings, place phone calls, and more.

Just ask SIRI to do things just by talking the way you talk. SIRI understands what you say, knows what you mean, and even talks back. SIRI is so easy to use and does so much, you’ll keep finding more and more ways to use it."

"Talk to SIRI as you would to a person. Say something like "Tell my wife I’m running late" or "Remind me to call the vet." SIRI not only understands what you say, it’s smart enough to know what you mean. So when you ask "Any good burger joints around here?" SIRI will reply "I found a number of burger restaurants near you." Then you can say "Hmm. How about tacos?" SIRI remembers that you just asked about restaurants, so it will look for Mexican restaurants in the neighborhood. And SIRI is proactive, so it will question you until it finds what you’re searching.

http://www.apple.com/ios/siri/

Applying SIRI to the world of decisioning...

"SIRI, how much do I need...what kind...what product...what company?"

The real question is not the question...it is who is providing the answer. Instead of SIRI, it could be a similar AI voice (behind an entity) that leads us to their captive offerings...products and services.

Decisioning forward...Will we be individually responsible or will we acquiesce to emerging technology?

Will tomorrow's decisioning be according to SIRI or another friendly (AI) app/ghost/avatar/advisor?

Point is, very subtly, you may find yourself being influenced and guided by some form of artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic and data mining (among others).

This may sound like an imaginary conspiracy theory, but so did a personal computer only a few years ago.

We are daily on a path that will incorporate AI intrusion, interaction and interference. It will be vital that we have a decisioning plan or system that is proven, true and not artificial.

As always...you decide.

12-04-13

　

　

　

　

　

　

Live or Live?

Live or Live?

Which one is it?

Discovery

Live or die?

Live bait.

Live and let live.

Live another day.

How can we live this way?

Is this a live wire?

There are single words that have several meanings. It's one of those dichotomies that rings true in the English language.

What about in life?

Commitment

Isn't it amazing that many will commit to a direction or decision before they are certain which definition they are chasing (like the above). Ever happen to you? The true commitment here is one of due diligence. In other words, let's make sure we have the object clearly identified before we pull the trigger. It could save much time, frustration and money.

Solution

Enter a model...a track...a process. This step makes the complex simple. It takes the guessing away. It is the opportunity to correctly and objectively define the problem (or definition) and walk through the designed steps. And, if it's effective, it's repeatable to most any subject.

Action

Go search. Simple as that. You and I still have family, friends and associates who refuse to tap into a search engine when in doubt or need clarity. The reality is that, today, there is no excuse for not taking the fundamental step of due diligence and the true definition.

As always...you decide.

From Dufnering to Sethnering

From Dufnering to Sethnering

Discovery

As an Auburn grad, the visual of Dufnering [Jason Dufner, pro golfer] brings back images of a long frat night of partying and consequent complete melt down in the back halls (like a raw oyster laying on the half shell). Beauty.

On the other hand, Sethnering [Seth Godin, pro marketing expert] is the positive experience or sensation one could get from a serious and thoughtful mining of his marketing posts, articles and books. They are amazingly fresh...original...uniquely pertinent and inspiring in today's economy. I am taking poetic license here, but if you are a marketeer, the idea is to find someone who can champion your category.

Commitment

As crowded as the information universe is today, the challenge for the rest of us is to create a voice and message that is as instantly memorable as "Duferning" and yet as meaningful and enduring as "Setherning."

Goal: Take a definite direction.

Solution

The solution is to become inspired (emulating a Seth) or otherwise become exhausted (like the image of a tired out Dufanator). There will not be much success from exhaustion. So, the path ahead is really simple.

Action

Gentlemen start you search engines. Because of accessibility, it will be impossible not to find a mentor/model if you are serious about your search. As one who has attempted to post meaningful and timely posts over the last few years...I remain impressed with Mr. Godin for his unique ability and absolute consistency. I hope you find your own hero.

Note:

As the latest ads say: “We All Love the “Duff.” I am not referring to him negatively...It’s just that his off camera gotcha provided a fresh symbolism to what complete exhaustion looks like. Funny.

As always...you decide.

9-28-13

Until We Witness the Death of These Slogans...

August 2013

We are inundated with every conceivable message source at all times. The digital world of hardware and software is compounding on an exponential basis. So, one could logically assume that hack ads would be long gone over the airways.

Current TV Ad:

Car salesman shaking a fist full of cash laughing and yelling:

"A hundred dollars says we will beat your best deal...regardless!"

Assumption: As long as dealers and retailers are still buying these ads and selling this way, it must still be working. But this really says more about the buyer than the seller. It says to me that even with all the technology we control in the palm of our hand, we must still have a propensity to want to be insulted or sold or closed? Is this a comfort zone? How do these perpetrators still get away with this?

Commitment

Let's continually distinguish and separate the role of the buyer and the seller, and commit to elevate the relationship to parallel the technological advances we now control. All this should be driven by the fact that buying and selling is a function of decision making and that any transaction should be governed as such.

Solution

Adopt a system (a buyer/seller model) that becomes the filter when judging pseudo attempts like the above to try to sell us anything. At some point, when a critical mass is achieved of well armed and discriminating decision makers, these bogus attempts will disappear. Then we can get more in lock step with the advances that technology has brought us. And, maybe more serious and educated commerce will rule the day.

Action

Start now. Don't know about you, but if I see another one of those antiquated and irritating car commercials, I may have to reduce my high tech, high def, multi function monitor into so much rubble.

Thought food:

I doubt the manufacturers ever thought that today's content would have ever had such a stalled gap between form and function. Maybe it will not take another million apps?

As always...You will decide.

8-15-13

　

　

　

　

　

A Barking Dog Sounds the Same in Any Language

Discovery

I was watching a golf tourney that was being played in Singapore China, and in the background, a dog was barking. Ironically, it sounded much like my neighbor's dog here at home.

The following week I was watching another tourney played in Melbourne Australia. Oddly another dog and another familiar sounding bark. It then dawned on me about the uniqueness of this commonality. A barking dog sounds the same in any country.

But, if we think about it, most animals have the same effect...a purr, a roar...a cry...most all animal sounds and gestures know no geo-boundaries.

Now, think on the likeness in these human traits:

Sneezing

Laughing

Snoring

Crying

Whistling

Scratching

Snapping

Winking

Hugging

Zillions of Others

Commitment

Most of these traits and expressions transcend geography, culture, nationality and ethnicity. Most are freely expressed and unregulated.

What about thinking and decisioning? This is the part where freedom and independence play the divisive roles.

Certain characteristics like habits, reactions and sounds can be
universal.

But, thinking and deciding is independent and unique.

None of us really think alike. Unlike the barking dog, thinking has a zillion influences and consequentially a vastly different product.

Q. Are we committed to our human distinction of thinking/deciding to the point of getting better and more conscious of our uniqueness…or not?

Solution

In this country, we take many of our human expressions and freedoms for granted. Maybe this is the time to create a checklist of our attempts of betterment and improvement. Nothing big…maybe a dozen points…something like: “I have adopted a model/system to help me make decisions.”

Maybe worth a revisit in forming your list:
http://zilliondollarthinking.com/discovery/how-to-feed-a-decision/

Action

Back to the barking dog. Next time you hear a bird, dog, cat or other animal sound, let that be the trigger to remember your list and any additions you can add.

Remember the focus here: To capture, improve and record our unique distinction. If not, maybe that‘s where “barking up the wrong tree“ came from?

As always…You decide.

Posted: ZDT 5-31-13

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

She May Not Be Who She Says

Discovery

"Absolutely Guaranteed for Life"

"Never Before...Never Again"

"Bigger...Brighter...Stronger"

"Always...Everyone...Anytime"

How many times have you fallen for an alluring and magnetic headline or statement that is too good to be believed? With smart gadgets constantly in your hand, how can you avoid it?

Today, she may look great...but without PhotoShop (another app)?

Commitment

The underlying issue is really one of deception from the sender and gullibility by the receiver. The commitment should be to yourself. It requires more commitment than ever to filter down to the truth and with whatever it takes to get there. This scrutiny includes headlines, brash statements, obvious lies, empty promises, deceptions in every form...in other words...the truth v. the lie...from anyone.

http://zilliondollarthinking.com/discovery/leadership-truth-or-lies-a-crisis-of-integrity/


There is no better objective in making a wise decision than one based on the facts and rooted in the truth.

Solution

The goal here is to become more aware and conscious, and to discern headlines, statements and promises through your own MODEL (it all comes back to a repeatable process).

The classic adage:

"If it walks and quacks like a duck" has never been more pertinent.

Point is, we are now living with the product of collective decisioning. How is that working out?

So, with words and statements that simply do not add up, our decision making future depends on our ability, commitment and discernment to be successful in this critical area of our life.

Action

Make a goal...take a vow...keep a promise...do something that creates a paradigm shift about effective decisioning. It is time we all become more pro-active in a consciousness that combats deceptions and lies no matter where they originate.

As always...you decide (maybe you need the book).

Completely Sure and Completely Wrong

Discovery

We all know them…family, friends, associates and countless others (maybe even me). Their mantra is often “I know what I’m doing so get out of my way.” In other words, they are totally sure and yet, provably wrong.

While it may seem gifted to be so clairvoyant, it begs the question of how/what/where does this attitude come from? Gut feelings, intuitions, astrological signs, or other subjective sources?

In many cases, their stance and resulting decisions are completely unfounded and yet determined. Scary.

Among my own tribe, I concluded that there is little I can do to change a mind that is determined to make decisions without regard to any critical thinking, sound reasoning or provable evidence.

Commitment

Since it seems futile to try to convince an inconvincible subject, my commitment is to continue our Zillion Dollar Thinking site with that in mind. The hope is that some of the ideas and techniques, with a healthy dose of tangible logic and facts, may do more to persuade than mere words that float through the air of unwelcome conversation.

Solution
The most reliable solution to this dilemma, in the majority of cases, is to search and research. Maybe ten years ago, we had the excuse of fact finding being a time consuming and inconvenient job.

No more.

Within a few months, the iconic Dick Tracy watch should become a reality. That means anyone at anytime can search a topic as quick as they used to simply tell time. In other words, the real solution to consistently taking the wrong path could be right on our wrist.

Simple as that.

Action

We may all differ on this point, but the goal of this should lead to one of action and not complacency. As the product of this method of reasoning becomes more liable, the antidote should become more of a priority.

Point is, if you are determined to be wrong, at least be able to prove it.

Author's note:

Notice the four steps of the MODEL?

　

Should You Rethink the *MODEL?

At the core of the book Zillion Dollar Thinking, is the MODEL for making objective decisions. It was designed to be a simple, effective, memorable, repeatable and transferable concept. The research behind this formula repeatedly showed that most attempts to build a decisioning process were buried in confusing, complicated and lengthy forms.

The continuing question is…why adopt a process or system that has so many built-in negatives that it is unworkable and ineffective?

An age old maximum says “out of sight…out of mind.” There is no substitute for repetition. So, moving forward, and considering the above dilemma, we plan to package our blog entries around the four steps of the MODEL.

Since everything is going digital and traveling at thought speed, it is more important than ever to have a simple and repeatable process to manage and decide on this avalanche of information. Time to rethink the MODEL?

The four MODEL steps again:

One: Discovery

Two: Commitment

Three: Solution

Four: Action

Yes, the basic words can be substituted as long as the definitions stay in tack. The important point is that each step stays in the same order and no advancing of sequential steps until each one is complete.

Note again the emphasis on objectivity. Now may be a good time to repeat our meme:

“Thinking Through Life One Decision at the Time"

Stay tuned…

　

　

*MODEL
: Method Of Decisioning for Everything in Life

What do you make? Per: Seth

“Decisions.

You don't run a punch press or haul iron ore. Your job is to make decisions.

The thing is, the farmer who grows corn has no illusions about what his job is. He doesn't avoid planting corn or dissemble or procrastinate about harvesting corn. And he certainly doesn't try to get his neighbor to grow his corn for him.

Make more decisions. That's the only way to get better at it.”

Seth Godin: Credits
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2013/01/what-do-you-make.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fsethsmainblog+%28Seth%27s+Blog%29

Thanks Seth for your continued and exceptional insights. At Zillion Dollar Thinking, we have made decisioning our singular mission and goal. As rational individuals, decisioning is our differentiator.

Generally, when you look back, you can summarize your life based on the turning point decisions you made or did not make. How life defining is that?

So, to keep this a simple thought, please consider the product of your decisions as a New Year’s resolution that could well define all your future years.

As always…you decide.

　

　

　

　

Senior v Junior Decisioning

“Could brain changes make older people more prone to scams?”

“The findings appear to agree with what experts on scams and the elderly have long noticed, says Doug Shadel, Washington state director for AARP, a national grassroots organization that represents older Americans.

He said scam artists have admitted in interviews that their main ploy is to get their intended victim "under the ether," or in a heightened emotional state that puts them off kilter.

"They're bypassing that same part of the brain - the frontal cortex, the part that makes you doubt things - and bringing you to the present moment where you're going to make a rash decision," said Shadel.

"It's something that we in the practitioner world have suspected for years. But getting concrete science behind it is really important," added Shadel, a former fraud investigator.

In fact, the findings may help older people avoid such scams.

Taylor's own father was the retired school counselor who got scammed by the two young men, who were homeless and missing teeth. "He thought they were nice young men and he was making loans," Taylor said. And Taylor's aunt was the victim of telephone marketers who convinced her to purchase fake gems.

Given older people's weakness when it comes to judging whether a person is trustworthy, Taylor advises to reduce the temptation.

"You want to get people to shut it off before they ever have the conversation: to hang up without talking, to throw the mail solicitation away, to not go to the free lunch seminar," she said.

AARP recommends that people never decide to buy something while listening to a sales pitch or reading a mail solicitation.

"Always give yourself at least 24 hours so that you have time to engage your rational mind," Shadel said.”
Read the full article and credits here:
 http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/12/03/brain-changes-may-make-older-people-more-prone-to-scams/
　

Enter…Zillion Dollar Thinking:

 

The key question to this dilemma is “what will you use to help you make an informed decision over that 24 hour period?”

As with many sales techniques and attempts, sales approaches often rely on emotions and various degrees of pressure…often neglecting the fundamental requirements of due diligence and suitability.

Point is, when your intuitive facilities begin to wane, you may well need rely more on an objective model of decision making.

In our book (Zillion Dollar Thinking which I heavily recommend that you own in this emerging environment), the simple framework has four progressive steps.
 
Step One:Discovery and Identification of the Problem
 Step Two:Your Commitment and Their Commitment
 Step Three:The Best Solution for the Identified Problem
 Step Four:The Actions needed to complete the Decision

Simple, objective, tangible, repeatable, demonstrating, understandable…applies to little or big decisions…you get the picture.

To summarize, if for any reason your emotional and intuitive instincts are not as sharp or reliable as before, please consider a model (as above). If not this one, there will be a zillion others from a web search.

Going forward, there is really no substitute for objectivity.
As always…you decide.
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

　

　

　

　

Tags that Decide

If you will be exercising your voting right in the very near future, here are a few due diligence tags worth considering before you cast your decision:

   “The Latest Polls Say…”

How many times a day do we see this headline? How many times is there full disclosure that describes the details of how a poll was structured and framed? One site that you can use as a benchmark:

“20 Questions A Journalist Should Ask About Poll Results”

 

http://zilliondollarthinking.com/discovery/the-latest-polls-say/

　Truth or Lies? A Crisis of Integrity.

Overt or subtle, it’s all the same. A lie is a lie, and the truth is the truth (absolute opposites). It is a white hot issue, especially in the current climate of corporations, politics, world order and the influence on our individual freedoms. Who can or will you trust? It is a vital decision.
 
http://zilliondollarthinking.com/discovery/leadership-truth-or-lies-a-crisis-of-integrity/

　Which is the Higher Decision?

Beliefs are deeply held truths about life. Beliefs are one’s thoughts about some aspect of life, the way it is or the way it should be. Think of beliefs as long term perspectives about life…about all of life and not just one’s own life.

Regardless of where you come down on either position, notice that one decision is active while the other is passive. One requires discovery and the other is simply rejection with or without due diligence.

Decisions and fundamental beliefs are closely linked. They also are predictive of future decisions. Your pattern as a believer or a disbeliever should be easy to track over a relatively short time. This is certainly not scientific or certifiable, but food for your decisioning thought.
 
http://zilliondollarthinking.com/discovery/which-is-the-higher-decision/

　Are You Paying Your Dues?

Considering this bit of Wordsmithing, the key point is that due diligence is the first and most principal obligation to satisfy when making most any decision of substance.

Here’s the question: Before you make any important move, purchase or decision, can there be too much due diligence?

As an example…consider that you are about to buy a business (a typical small business in U.S.). What would be the minimum steps that you would impose on the acceptance or rejection of the deal? Try these for starters:

http://zilliondollarthinking.com/discovery/are-you-paying-your-dues/

　Will You Decide on Herd Mentality?

With less than a week, we will have a ( 2010) National election. Here’s today’s headline:

“This weeks unemployment has dropped from 450,000 to 434,000

 

…and that’s the good news."

And, of course this has come on the heels of several weeks (in succession) of similar such good news. Overall, this is a dismal picture that we are supposed to embrace as progress [herd mentality] because it was not as bad as expected. But, this could be any news that is fed to us by some media chain that has its own particular reporting agenda.

http://zilliondollarthinking.com/discovery/will-you-decide-on-herd-mentality/

These are just a sampling of several posts that you can use as due diligence in your decisioning and before casting your vote. The common denominator in each of these is that this is serious business. Unfortunately for some, not even worth the effort. Conversely, the opposite camp considers this as a vital election. Hopefully, these nuggets will be of help.

As always…you will decide.