Personal Health Care Reform

This blog post is inspired by an article in the Columbus Dispatch, Wed. 4/22/09 "health Plans Ailing.

Here is some healthfood for thought. The American employee has developed an unrealistic and unreasonable sense of entitlement over many years of excess and prosperity. When economic times were good businesses were spending exponentially for employee incentives like healthcare, bonuses, paid vacation days etc. Now in tougher times employers are trimming the fat and unfortunately employees are in a n uproar.

Because health insurance was so readily available to so many, health costs we able to rise disproportionately while those benefitting remained silent because the money isn’t coming out of their pocket. Those with coverage become dependent on “health care professionals” for what should have been personal responsibility and common sense making perceived need for “health care” higher.

The stats shared with the article represent America’s lack of reason and reasonable expectations. I.e. 52% believe preexisting health conditions shouldn’t stop people from buying insurance, that is an entirely IGNORANT argument. Obviously, a preexisting condition exposes a person to additional risk. Insurance is a business, and as such must reduce risks and increase profits. Insuring high risk clients isn't healthy risk tacking and should not happen. there is no argument in opposition to this position that is even remotely inteligent. Then 67% say responsibility of affordable health care should be shared among individuals, employers, insurers, government and health providers. Again our sense of entitlement shines through.

There was a day when people appreciated the fact that there were highly motivated and intelligent people out there that had the initiative to provide employment opportunities for others. Employment was an appreciated privilege not a perceived “right.” Now these high functioning members of society are not only responsible for providing us with jobs but should also negotiate for our heath care. Where are these unreasonable, entitled individuals with a hand out coming from. Well, I suggest we've created them.

My health care costs are a fraction of what most people “need.” I take responsibility for eating well, exercising safely and regularly. There are some diseases I will never be at risk for because I don’t expose myself to risk. I make educated choices and take responsibility. I should never be asked or expected to take responsibility for other’s irresponsibility employee or not. I work hard an pay taxes, I fight hard against poverty and hunger giving to others. I have no expectation that a government or anyone else will ever be responsible for caring for me.

Here are some novel facts:
My health care must first be my personal responsibility. (smoke, engage in dangerous behaviors YOU pay not tax payers)
I must accept responsibility for building a financial foundation that will support the health care I desire. (if I want to take risks that increase my health care needs I need to do the overtime to pay for the care)
I must take responsibility for negotiating, voting, and communicating what I want from those who affect my health care. (i.e. providers, insurers, politicians)

It is my hope that great communicators like you with access to an audience will find the courage to communicate sound arguments in the fight against ignorance and entitlement that serve as the demise for a civilizations.

OK, I'll stop for now. Thanks for listening but please share.

Understanding Web 2.0 and Making It Work For You

Web 2.0 as a whole would prove an overwhelming subject to master in a short time
or at all. With so many options your first step needs to be clarifying your intent. The
following questions are a good place to start:

• What product or service do you offer that is web compatible?
• How would you provide your product or service via the web?
• Could you provide service or product support via the web?
• Would your customers or end users appreciate sharing ideas or tips about your
product or service with one another?
• What kind of feedback from customers would help you with R&D?
• What kind of customer feedback would help increase future sales?
• What kind of customer feedback would help improve service?
• What other customer needs can you or partners meet?
• What are the common interests of your customers?

Identifying information you need, your customers need and information you have is
only the first step toward identifying what model of web 2.0 solution is best for your
combined needs. Once you understand needs and available information sources you
need to determine what sources to tap into and the best way to do that. The final step is
to determine what method of delivery is the best way to share information.

This is an excerpt from Web 2.0 for Newbies http://bit.ly/Bcj2d Please review it and give me feedback.

I keep hearing whining about “doing more with less,” and “unfair burden.”

What is "unfair burden?"

The biggest problem today's employer must overcome is our national bent toward entitlement. The reason great brands, and corporations are struggling today is that they have been doing too little with too much.

Less than 1/3 of MS Office users have ever had any training. Better than 90 percent of Office users only use 1/3 of it’s resources. Twenty percent or less of employees give 100 percent effort on the job. However, companies have continued to foot the bill because the profit margins were huge. Suddenly, organizations are being forced into a reality check.

We’re discovering that most employers have been overstaffed, over resourced and over paying for a long time.

That being said, “more with less” might be a PC way of saying, get off your lazy butt, annoying iPod, time wasting (non-work related) email, and get to work. Keep in mind, there was a time when: taking care of care of personal business on the clock, smoke breaks on the clock, socializing on the clock, were are considered stealing. Reality is, most workers could get far more done if they were: honest, hard working, fair, committed, trained and trustworthy. Those are facts.

Take Action on Your Ideas

CGBrummundI totally thought about doing this back in college at the U. Glad someone else with initiative had the same thought. http://is.gd/qxk5

This Twitterer got me thinking:

CG isn’t all that different than the rest of us. He had a great idea and didn’t take action on it. I have been guilty of the same. Of course it’s even worse when someone else ends up making a fortune on an idea you could have capitalized on.

There are a few reasons we fail to take action on a great idea. I’d like to explore three of them and offer some thoughts on doing more with what we have.

I think the first and most common reason for inaction is fear of failure. What if no one else is interested in my idea? What if I can’t______? What if I don’t______? There are a million reasons why a great idea may not work. And the reality is I might very well fail. But, you know what, who cares? So what if I fail. At least, I’ll have an experience from which I will have learned. If later, someone else succeeds, I’ll know I tried. My word of advice is: step out there and try some ridiculous things and see what happens; see what you can learn.

The second contributor to in action may be uncertainty. I may delay or take no action at all if I feel I have little or know knowledge to start with. I may be plagued with questions like, how, who, why, what if, when and many more. Lack of information id the number one reason for all indecision. To over com the uncertainty you should start with the three following questions:
How knowledgeable am I on this topic?
How can I increase my knowledge?
Who do I know with knowledge on the topic?

The third reason for inaction is business. By that I mean being busy with other things, like a full time job for example. How do I find the time for one more thing. Again three questions may help you move beyond your sense of “busyness:”
How will I feel if I never act on this idea?
How passionate am I about this idea?
How can I adjust my schedule and make time for the idea?

In closing here are some final suggestions that may help you capitalize on your creative genius.

Make a plan to take some risks. Start by journaling your ideas. Just write them down and reflect on each for few days. I stated writing my books this way. I had aspired to publish my ideas for years with no action. Then I started writing every book idea down, my idea list evolved into a few outlines. I eventually started researching the publishing industry and finally found my books in print.

A good second step toward healthy risk taking is to commit to taking a calculated risk every month. Determine the amount of money you can budget, time you can spend a resources you can contribute to the idea. Then just do it.

Of course knowledge is the fuel for the action engine. You are far more likely to contribute the resources and time to the idea if you feel informed. Start by learning how to use web resources to research. Google is a powerful place to start. You can improve your Google search results with just a few tips. Watch the video 5 Google Tips at http://www.charlesspeaks.com/ by simply clicking the multimedia button on the right side of the page. Another powerful way to overcome the lack of information is to hire a coach who can help you get your ideas off the ground. You can purchase coaching solutions for as little as $90 at http://www.charlesspeaks.com/LifeCoach.htm and I will step you through the process of planning and first steps toward success. You are far more likely to succedd with support.

Finally, start journaling your ideas today. You can begin by simply starting a new Word document called “my great ideas.” Every day revisit ideas and ad new ideas, write, write, write. Commit to sharing at least one idea every week with someone who can be objective and provide you with feedback. I wonder how many notes lead to Mr. Ford’s assembly line, or Benjamin Franklin’s bifocals, or Thomas Alva Edison’s light bulb.

Follow Bill at www.twitter.com/billthebuilder

Qualities of People we Like

Qualities of people We Like

People we like are consistent. No one really likes the moody, temperamental, unpredictable, or plastic person. By plastic I mean mask wearing fake in public and another way in private or with close friends.

We like people with a pleasant face. When people make eye contact with us we perceive them as confident and comfortable. If they smile the comfort seems even deeper.

People who seem interested in us are just likeable. We get this sense of “you’re interested in me” when people remember our name, ask personable questions and remain interested when we talk about ourselves.

We like people who are confident and powerful. Even if we don’t agree we appreciate it when someone has the fortitude to express herself. It is easy to respect someone who does what they enjoy.

When networking be likable by practicing the following:

Make eye contact

Smile often

Remember names (ask: “How do you pronounce that?” “What does your name mean?” “Where does your name come from?” “How would I spell that?”)

Be consistent. Avoid wearing your emotions.

Ask open ended questions about others and their interests

Keep your posture confident

Express your opinions and get comfortable with being candidly honest

Charles (Bill) Carpenter "the Builder" is a nationally recognized speaker and author. He is a Project Management Professional, bahavioral expert, and respected authority in professional communication with more than 8 years experience in adult education at the University level. He is passionate about "building" people. You can learn more about him at www.charlesspeaks.com

You can follow him at www.twitter.com/billthebuilder

Feel free to twitter any part of this blog as long as you include this tiny url http://tinyurl.com/3extradays

Three Good Reasons to Twitter

Twitter is not for the birds. It is the most talked about web 2.0 resource of the year. Twitter’s momentum is still building and there is good reason. This resource isn’t just a great social network site where you can keep up with friends, contacts and family. There are at least three reasons you should be Twittering as a professional.

ONE:
Twitter is a great social networking tool that allows you to keep your face, literally in front of your customers and contacts. The more you are seen by them the more comfortable they become with you. On the internet visibility equals credibility. Everyone knows just how vast the web is, and if you come up at the top of search and research results you must be important. Twitter increases the frequency of your name appearance on the web by slashing you across hundreds or thousands of search engine crawled pages.

TWO:
More than ever people want relevant content and access to those who can quickly answer questions. I just had a conversation this morning with a woman frustrated by the unwanted content coming to her via those she followed. The good news is that if you follow someone who is cluttering your screen with unwanted information or “twitfomercials” you can stop following. If you as a professional provide valuable tips, shortcuts, inspiration or even Q&A support you will be followed. If you have provided a wealth of information your followers won’t mind and occasional twitfomercial.

THREE:
Twitter gives you the ability to seek out a much targeted niche group you would like to follow or have follow you. By narrowing your following you can build a solid list of contacts that you can market in little time and at no cost. Again the most important key to success on Twitter is relevance. You must be able to meet the needs of your followers and or be able to inspire your readers.

In closing let me suggest that everyone on Twitter is marketing something. I suggest this for all those who don’t appreciate or respect the professional use of this great web 2.0 resource. If you aren’t selling a product or service your are likely a desperate soul seeking friendship and affirmation in cyberspace because you don’t have a life.

Tuesday April 7th. 2009 I am offering a webinar, “Flying High with Twitter.” We will discuss important how tos and tools you can use to make serious use of Twitter. I will show you how to build a narrowly focused following. I will show you the most important law for building a following. I will show you how to reduce time managing Twitter. I will show you how to get results with twitter in no more than 10 minutes a day. And much more. Plus participants will receive over $100 in free tools and resources.
Learn more at www.charlesspeaks.com/Flyinghigh.mht