Monday, November 21, 2016

Voce sabe outra lingua?

Why learn another language?
Carlos Fontana


To all readers, professionals in particular, being fluent in a second language is not only important; it is becoming essential and necessary to succeed in the interconnected world we live in today. There are many advantages of being able to communicate in other languages. While the advantages are many and the disadvantages are few, many people are still missing in acquiring this essential skill. There are many cultural, cognitive, communications, transactional, and relationship advantages of being multi-lingual. Which advantages do you feel you have by being fluent in a second, third or more languages? Here is a list (not all inclusive) of the main specific advantages:


1.      Better job opportunities
2.      Being more competent and get higher pay for work
3.      Performing more enjoyable work
4.      Being more connected and engaged in the world
5.      Increasing the ability of multi-tasking
6.      Better interactions and appreciation of other cultures
7.      Better self-expression and communicability
8.      Faster, bigger, deeper, and better quality of thinking
9.      Higher ability of linking ideas
10.  Higher levels of creativity
11.  Better problem solving skills
12.  Meeting new people and making new friendships
13.  Having more fun and easier traveling
14.  Expanding your personal and professional network
15.  Easier to learn a third, fourth, and so on language
16.  Increasing self-confidence
17.  Improving ability to communicate in first language
18.  Sharpening senses
19.  Increasing brain health
20.  Improving memory
21.  Sharpening the mind
22.  Delaying or stalling the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s
23.  Better education and self-discovery ability
24.  Better decision making ability
25.  Experiencing new cultures
26.  Increasing influence
27.  Higher achievement
28.  Higher personal and professional growth
29.  Expanding career options and choices
30.  Better quality of life


And the list could continue on and on … So why aren’t more people learning other languages? This shorter list sounds more like excuses than reasons.
1.      I can get by without it!
2.      I don’t have time!
3.      I am too old!
4.      I am not good with languages!
5.      It takes too much time, money, and effort!
We can make many excuses or we can have many reasons but we cannot make both and be successful; what is your choice?

Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets.          

Be blessed and be a blessing to others
Carlos Fontana
Author of the book Priceless, Co-author of the book Follow to Lead

"The future belongs to those who can see and pursue opportunities before they are obvious."

"Those that take swift action will always leave those that don't breathing the dust."

Monday, November 14, 2016

How do you define SUCCESS?

How do you define SUCCESS?

Success is different for each of us. FAILURE is the same, quitting due to the inability to reach our goals and dreams.

If you feel that life is hitting you hard, just keep on fighting. Success is going from failure to failure without losing your passions. You will find critics that will say no, God will whisper to you and say slow, so you must keep going because your destiny is saying GO! 

Be successful first, and then you can become significant.

Here is what success is to me. Define what success is to you.

1.     The freedom to be who I am.
2.     The freedom to serve others.
3.     The freedom to invest in myself.
4.     The freedom to love and be loved.
5.     The freedom to pursue my purpose.
6.     The freedom to pursue creative leisure.
7.     The freedom to be grateful and generous.
8.     The freedom to take a stand for my beliefs.
9.     The freedom to chase my goals and dreams.
10.  The freedom to learn something new every day.


Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets.          

Be blessed and be a blessing to others
Carlos Fontana
Author of the book Priceless, Co-author of the book Follow to Lead

"The future belongs to those who can see and pursue opportunities before they are obvious."

"Those that take swift action will always leave those that don't breathing the dust."

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Question Power

The Power of Self-Questioning


The questions we ask ourselves determine who we become. Never stop questioning. Better questions lead to better answers and better answers leads to a better life. Great questions lead to the truth and only the truth can set you free. Here are seven powerful questions I ask you so you can ask yourself. Suggest you take a pad of paper and 30 minutes of your time to think and write down your answers. This exercise will prove to be very valuable for you to be a better person and to live a better life.

1.     Does your work ethic meet your vision? Why?

2.     Does the size of your commitment meet the size of your dreams? Why?

3.     Is the value you bring to those you serve bigger than your rewards? Why?

          4.     Is the size of your questions bigger than the size of your answers? Why?

5.     Is the noise of the world stifling your creativity? Why?

6.     Does your current reality make you mad? Why?

7.     Are you investing more to feed your mind than your body? Why?

Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets.          

Be blessed and be a blessing to others
Carlos Fontana
Author of the book Priceless, Co-author of the book Follow to Lead

"The future belongs to those who can see and pursue opportunities before they are obvious."

"Those that take swift action will always leave those that don't breathing the dust."

Saturday, November 5, 2016

America is waking up

Why my vote is against Clinton?

This time my vote is against and not for a candidate. Therefore, I have to vote for Trump or I am voting for Clinton. Any vote other than for Trump is a vote for Clinton. A vote for the same failed policies. My spine is a lot stiffer this time than the previous election. For evil to prevail all we have to do is nothing, sit on the sideline as spectators, and watch as the once great nation crumbles down into mediocrity. One of the great skills of Donald Trump is to pick the right team of people to get the job done. I am voting more for the team that Trump will pick than for Trump himself. He has already proven this skill by his choice of Vice-President, Mike Pence, an experienced, honest and decent family man.

Here is why I am voting against Clinton:
1.    I am against abortion.
I am for life and not for death of the unborn.

2.    I am against a borderless world.
I am for the sovereignty of the United States of America.

3.    I am against one world government.
I am for decentralization.
There is already too much power and corruption in our central government.

4.    I am against something for nothing.
I am for working for something.
I am for distinction and recognition for producing the right results.


5.    I am against corruption.
I am for truth, honesty, and decency.
I am for a new and strong leadership team in our government.

6.    I am against a weak America.
I am for a strong, better America.
I am for peace through strength.

7.    I am against evil.
I am for good.
I am for fighting against our enemies instead of appeasing to them.

Trump has an ego bigger than our nation. Why not let his ego work to produce great results for us and for our nation? American is waking up. This election is going to make history, let it be a good one!

Vote and vote wisely on November 8, 2016!

Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets.          

Be blessed and be a blessing to others
Carlos Fontana
Author of the book Priceless, Co-author of the book Follow to Lead

"The future belongs to those who can see and pursue opportunities before they are obvious."
"Those that take swift action will always leave those that don't breathing the dust."


Tuesday, October 25, 2016

What happened to the truth?

What happened to the truth?
The danger of relativism and plain deception
 


If you control the language you control their thinking and their culture. Give them little doses of deception and they will be cooked like the frog in a kettle, a little at time. A society is doomed when it can no longer deal with reality because the people are living in a state of illusion.

Political correctness is deceiving our society to the point of people being numb to the truth. Political correctness is elusive, misleading, and plain stupid. Sounds like a Trump word. No wonder the establishment and the media hates Trump while the people are going by the 10s of thousands to his public meetings. Could he be speaking the truth in a language that people can understand? Progressive populists and relativists are destroying the fabric of our nation. Political correctness has created a massive and aggressive mediocrity in America.



Why not use plain, direct, and descriptive language so people can understand. When the truth makes us mad perhaps it is time to do something about it. Vote them out! How about calling things for what they are? Here are 7 misleading terms with their corresponding translations:

1.      Post-traumatic stress disorder. Translation - shell shock, a term used to describe the impact of horrors on the soldiers coming out of World War I. How did we get there? By going from shell shock to battle fatigue to operational exhaustion to post-traumatic stress disorder. The new four word description lessens the blow, doesn’t it?

2.      Vertically deployed antipersonnel devices. Translation – bombs. You figure this one out! Hint! It explodes and kills.

3.      Employee alignment. Translation – firing. How did we get there? By going from firing to re-engineering to down-sizing to right-sizing to employee alignment. I am sure there are many other fancy terms used to denote firing.

4.      Federal Reserve Bank. Translation – private without any reserves. Go to the Fed site at your own risk! There you may find this very clear language. Reverse Repos - In 2013, the Fed began to issue reverse repos to banks. The Fed "borrows" money from banks overnight. It pays them interest for this "loan." It uses its holdings of U.S. Treasuries as collateral. Like all repurchase agreements, banks don't record it as a loan. The interest it pays will support the Fed funds rate as the Fed gradually raises it. I am so glad you understood!

5.      Fractional Reserve Banking. Translation – fake money loaning. Banks are allowed to loan out 10 times the money they have in reserves. The banks loan fake money to you and me and we are required to pay back in real money; you know that portion of your paycheck.  Imagine if depositors all go to their banks at the same time and demand their money!

6.      Quantitative Easing. Translation – fake currency printing. When the federal government needs money the Fed issues fake currency out of thin air, sends it to the banks and charges interest for doing it. That is why it is called Fiat money. There is no back up for it whatsoever. Imagine you going to your basement and turn on your money printing machine and take the money to the bank to pay off your mortgage. Advice. Don’t do it! You will be charged with fraud, be arrested, and go to jail.

7.      Just and sustainable economy. Translation – socialism. It is not just and not sustainable; we all ought to know that! Socialism comes disguised in so many terms and all of the descriptions on the surface sound right and just.

And the list can go on and on. Here is a little more jargon for you: Affordable Housing Disposition Program, Liquidation Grade Federal Employee, Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduit, and Expanded Counterparties for Reverse Repos.



Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets.          

Be blessed and be a blessing to others
Carlos Fontana
Author of the book Priceless, Co-author of the book Follow to Lead

"The future belongs to those who can see and pursue opportunities before they are obvious."
"Those that take swift action will always leave those that don't breathing the dust."


Sunday, October 23, 2016

7 Reasons to Vote for Hillary

America is already great!
The 7 reasons to vote Democratic in this presidential election


Don’t you just love these Hillary Clinton’s quotes?
"God bless the America we are trying to create."
"We are going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good."
 “Don’t let anybody tell you that it’s corporations and businesses that create jobs.”
"Who is going to find out? These women are trash. Nobody’s going to believe them."
"I'm not going to have some reporters pawing through our papers. We are the president."
"I believe that the rights of women and girls is the unfinished business of the 21st century."
"The American people are tired of liars and people who pretend to be something they're not."
"I have to confess that it's crossed my mind that you could not be a Republican and a Christian."
"No. We just can't trust the American people to make those types of choices ... Government has to make those choices for people."
"We came out of the White House not only dead-broke, but in debt. We had no money when we got there and we struggled to piece together the resources for mortgages, for houses, for Chelsea's education. It was not easy."
"I have to admit that a good deal of what my husband and I have learned (about Islam) has come from my daughter. (As) some of you who are our friends know, she took a course last year in Islamic history."  (My daughter!  Wonder who the father is?)


Want more of the same? Here the 7 reasons people are voting for the democratic candidate in this election:

1.      Increase national debt and unfunded obligations. What is lovely about being a democratic government politician is the appetite for spending.  We love to spend someone else’s money. We are the best at it. All government spending is third party spending (we spend someone else’s money for someone else) but we really care about getting the best value for your buck. Our current national debt is sustainable. As a percent of GDP, it is even lower than what it was right after World War II. Our economic system is so great that the rest of the world is copying us. If we take the government economy, cut out 8 zeros, it becomes your economy, the economy of one American. Imagine you make $30,000 per year, spend $40,000 per year (easy to make ends meet, just borrow $10,000), have a short term liability of $200,000, and a long term liability of $1,500,000. That is not so bad. It just means that anyone born today will be forever broke. Besides, ff things get really bad we just go to the Federal Reserve Bank. The folks at the Fed are pure geniuses; they create money out of thin air.  Being deep in debt is a great thing. It all means the financial institutions have enormous trust in us. Our economic system is working so well that our citizens are starting to follow our brilliant model. Governments can solve any economic problem, as they have been doing for thousands of years. How? It is brilliantly done by fractional reserve banking and quantitative easing. These are just two of the many simple methods that work because they are simple and everyone understands them. Since global economies are growing so rapidly, future generations will easily pay any debt we leave for them.


2.      Increase taxation. Two of the many ways for government use to keep helping the masses is to increase our debt and taxation on the rich. Tax those that produce and give to those that do not have the ability to produce. It is so simple! Many problems will be resolved since the businesses that oppose the democratic thinking will be leaving the nation. Our nation is the greatest and will always be the greatest. Don’t know why the republicans are so worried about the future.

3.      Decrease production and productivity. Why work if there is plenty to share with everyone? Businesses are bad for our nation, unless they are owned by democrats (those are great businesses because they work very close with our government and don’t desire to make a profit). Educating our workers is not a good thing as they may start thinking for themselves and may end up revolting against us. We must become a more peaceful nation.

4.      Decrease national security and safety. Let’s all live in a single governed world with open borders. We have so many friends around the world. They all love America. Pay for play with foreign governments is a wonderful way to make new friends and collect donations. There are so many wealthy nations in this world. Illegals turn out to be very productive citizens. We must continue to be a compassionate nation and welcome anyone in. This is the best way to increase our standard of living and improve our culture. Diversity is really marvelous especially if it comes from the Middle East.

5.      Increase regulations. The more regulations the better it is.  We must place a burden on all businesses to prevent them from becoming too powerful. Besides business is the main cause of problems in our nation.  In a true global market we all help each other so there is no need for this complicated and stressful competitiveness. We must regulate the profit of businesses so we can take in more of their money and share with those that don’t have any.

6.      Increase centralization. We have done so well with education and healthcare. Now the time has come to move on to all others areas where government is not involved yet. It is dangerous to let local governments and communities govern themselves and their future, they just don’t know how. Reliance on government is wonderful since working together we can solve local all problems in the nation. Local communities are not unique and they have the same problems and capabilities so a central government is the most effective way to run a nation.

7.      Don’t fix the unbroken political system. People love us as it is demonstrated by their love and confidence in our government. People are tired of this government by the people and for the people. It is way too difficult to make it run smoothly. The current system is very effective since the lobbyists are helping the government to create laws and regulations reducing the number of federal employees needed to run the nation. The current careers in government are very attractive to employees as evidenced by the many bright minds all lined up and hungry to serve in government.


Can you understand now why anyone in their bright mind would not vote for me?

Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets.          

Be blessed and be a blessing to others
Carlos Fontana
Author of the book Priceless, Co-author of the book Follow to Lead

"The future belongs to those who can see and pursue opportunities before they are obvious."
"Those that take swift action will always leave those that don't breathing the dust."