Lawrence Fine

A productive computer hacker will change the way software or hardware is used to make them more productive.

For example, they might alter the way a program runs it’s reports too allow them to get the report they actually need.

Why don’t more people become hackers outside of technology? Instead of doing things the way they always have, why not hack the process to become more effective?

Look for ways to hack a process when possible. It might annoy some people but others will appreciate the effort and efficiencies

Have a great day!

Lawrence

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Think about what you would want in order to live a better life.

For example, there are a couple of applications which, if they were available, I feel would improve my efficiencies and allow me to live a better life.

Those things should be on my to do list.

I have a general idea of the design for my ideal house.

This could be added to my to do list.

There are a few trips I would really like to take.

These trips should be added to my to do list.

Come up with your ideal to do list and then compare it to your real to do list. Most like it makes your real list seem pretty easy. Why not create your ideal to do list and start to do somethings to really make your life better?

Have a great day!

Lawrence

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I was playing table tennis (ping pong) with a friend recently and he was telling me about the lessons he was taking from a local pro. We were joking about the fact that the more lessons he takes the worse he gets.

The reason he seems to get worse the more he plays is he is thinking too much. The more he is taught the more things go through his mind while playing and it really does make him worse.

Does this mean he should stop taking lessons? Of course not. Long term these lessons will make him better but he has to practice enough so that he does these things naturally and without extra thought.

How many things in your life would you do better with just a little bit of practice? While there’s a belief it takes 10,000 hours to master something, there are many things in life where we could be much better with just a little bit of practice.

Practice makes permanent but with just a little practice, we can be better at many things

Just something to think about.

Have a great day!

Lawrence

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Shouldn’t everyone be able to see the positives?

No matter how bad things might seem the possibility always exist that things could be worse.

It’s a yucky, rainy day. Things could be worse, there could be a tornado.

Your boss yells at you. Things could be worse, you have a job.

Your sick. Things could be worse, you are alive!

Outside of the person on death row or the person on their death bed, things can always be worse. Look for the positive and you might be surprised to see what else you see

Have a great day!

Lawrence

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You have a great idea.

You have the ability to implement

You know there is a market.

You have access to the market.

It’s something you are passionate about.

Everything seems great until, after a lot of research, you find someone is doing something very similar.

Do you stop and think “man, that could have been great” or do you think “it’s a big market and it took me a long time to find the competitor so it might still be worth pursuing”.

As big as Coca Cola is as a company, there is plenty of room for Pepsi and many others. As big as McDonalds is, there is plenty of room for Wendy’s and many others.

There certainly are issues to consider including, patents, copyrights, etc but just because you aren’t first to market doesn’t mean you can’t be best in the market.

Just something to think about.

Have a great day!

Lawrence

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Many people look at a journey and see all of the obstacles.

How much easier would it be to overcome obstacles if we focus on the rewards instead of the challenges?

If you are trying to climb a mountain, start by thinking of how great the view might be from the top. This will make it easier to figure out how to overcome the obstacles as you go.

Think of the destination as the reward. Constantly remind yourself of the potential reward as a motivator to help you along the way.

It’s a small thing but helps a great deal

Have a great day!

Lawrence

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When people consider taking on partners it frequently comes down to percentages. Unfortunately many think the option comes down to “do I want 100% or have an equal partner and have 50%?” Smart people realize that 50% of something significant can be a lot more than 100% of something small.

There is yet another way to think of this. If you take on partners you can trust and rely upon and only do the things you do best, you can take on more and more projects because the areas many of us spend too much time on are the things we know the least about. If we can partner with people who know more than us in our weaknesses, we can do the things we do know best and usually can work much faster which allows us to take on more projects, more partners and more opportunities.

So, rather than think of 100% of something vs 50% of something that could potentially be bigger, think about 50% (or whatever percentage it works out to) in multiple projects in which you do what you do best and let others do what they do best. Instead of 100% of something or 50% of something potentially bigger, why not go for 4 projects of 50% and now you potentially have diversified, increased the possibilities of success and get to concentrate on what you do best.

Just something to think about.

Have a great day!

Lawrence

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Most people know that the adage “if you build it they will come” doesn’t apply to the real world. The reality is, if people don’t know about it and want to come, you can build the best thing in the world and no one will care.

Think in terms of building a great infrastructure. With a great infrastructure, you can adapt your approach to suit peoples needs and wants.

I remember seeing a documentary on Las Vegas construction. It showed that they built some of the casino’s with the exterior walls being the only weight bearing walls in the building so that they could adapt the interior later on.

With software development, you can frequently use some core modules (open source or not) as your infrastructure and then modify as needed.

A strong infrastructure can be made “pretty” very easily. A poor infrastructure made to look “pretty” is still just a poor infrastructure.

Have a great day!

Lawrence

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There is a book available on Amazon called End Malaria. Here is the book description from Amazon

“End Malaria is more than a book, it’s a great cause.

At least $20 from each copy sold by us goes directly to Malaria No More to send a mosquito net to a family in need and to support life-saving work in the fight against malaria. Malaria No More, an international advocacy organization, is on a mission to end malaria related deaths by 2015.

In addition to saving lives, buying this book means you can enjoy essays by 62 of American’s favorite business authors, including Tom Peters, Nicholas Carr, Pam Slim, and Sir Ken Robinson. Organized into three main sections—Focus, Courage, Resilience—and eight subsections—Tap Your Strengths, Create Freedom, Love & Be Kind, Disrupt Normal, Take Small Steps, Embrace Systems, Get Physical, Collaborate—all essays in End Malaria share a desire to inspire readers to look within themselves for solutions to their everyday dilemmas and for motivation to realize their desires.

Editor Michael Bungay Stanier envisioned End Malaria as a book that would marry the best writers of the business world to a deserving cause. Michael assembled and edited this collection with a goal to leverage that breadth of expertise these writers represent for an issue of global importance.

At its core, End Malaria is about doing great work including the hard work to save lives. All of the writers in this collection and all of the partners involved have waived fees in order to raise the maximum amount of money.”

People buy books all the time. I can’t think of a better one to buy than this one

You can buy it at http://www.amazon.com/End-Malaria-Michael-Bungay-Stanier/dp/1936719282/

I have no connection to this other than having bought a copy

Have a great day!

Lawrence

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Democrat
Republican
Liberal
Entrepreneur
Conservative

What exactly is gained by labeling people? Are all “conservatives” the same? Do all “republicans” think alike? Do “entrepreneurs” all think alike?

While some people might think it’s advantageous to label someone so others can understand what that person might be like, since no two people are the same, aren’t we just generalizing in a way that does more harm than good?

I’m sure there are labels some might place on me but since I consider myself a unique individual (as is everyone else) in some ways the labels might be accurate but in others they are just as misleading as anything else.

Rather than look at someone based on their label, why not get to know them and see what the individual is really like?

Just something to think about.

Have a great day!

Lawrence

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