I have been traveling to Las Vegas for the PPAI EXPO since 2003. I've seen Las Vegas grow like crazy through that time, building a new casino hotel every year; until 2010. Vegas was so exciting, so vibrant that it seemed to hum. You could see it on the confident faces of the residents and on the hopeful faces of those moving in to tap into the vibe. Well...
Las Vegas has gone from being a vibrant city with excited residents to what I see now; a depressed populace who seems to question their future here in the desert. From what the locals have told me, the casinos are losing money and the hotels are getting shabby. There is a feeling that Vegas is circling the drain.
Vegas is once again trying to re-invent itself, trying to make the transition from "What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas." to more like "Vegas is Open for Business". The hotels are trying to not only stay the gambling Mecca they are but some are trying to make room for more business conventions and corporate meetings. Hotels are adding meeting rooms and the venues are becoming more Broadway than Hollywood.
Las Vegas is seeking to re-invent itself once again. Can they make a transition from Sodom & Gomorrah to something more respectful? Nothing is free in Vegas but everything is available, sounds like the right combination to attract corporate money. With the amount of money at stake, I wouldn't bet against them.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Dreaming of Getting Things Done
"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan but also believe" - Anatole France
I am in the midst of a mess that stretches from the main floor to the basement. The time has come to move my home office back to our basement simply because I have run out of room on the main floor for all my promotional "stuff". Catalogs, samples, files - they all take up room and I can't stand being crowded into a confused mess. Something had to give.
I won't say that moving my office back to the basement is a great accomplishment, but it will mean quite a bit to me and my operation. My dream of having the room to turn around once again was acted upon and now I believe I will be living my dream of being organized once again shortly; funny how that works.
When I was a young man, I was very goal oriented. I would brainstorm to come up with worthy goals. I would write them down with action plans and measurement rubrics. I would faithfully track my progress, but ultimately this process was unsatisfactory for me. My goals always seemed to change on me. I would be one month into a quarterly plan and the goal posts would be moved, usually due to events out of my control. (Or, I lost interest) It all became very frustrating for me and I ended up not believing in the process.
About 20 years ago, instead of setting goals, I started dreaming. In the intervening years, I have found that instead of goal setting, if I visualize where I want to be in a month, a year, 5 years, etc. I am a happier person. I have also found that my life has become considerably more interesting. I have never had a real long attention span, so my visualizations allow me to pursue divergent short term goals while always keeping my long-term dreams intact.
The amazing thing for me is that I am remarkably closer to what I wanted to be when I was a young man than I ever thought I could be before I started dreaming... and believing.
I am in the midst of a mess that stretches from the main floor to the basement. The time has come to move my home office back to our basement simply because I have run out of room on the main floor for all my promotional "stuff". Catalogs, samples, files - they all take up room and I can't stand being crowded into a confused mess. Something had to give.
I won't say that moving my office back to the basement is a great accomplishment, but it will mean quite a bit to me and my operation. My dream of having the room to turn around once again was acted upon and now I believe I will be living my dream of being organized once again shortly; funny how that works.When I was a young man, I was very goal oriented. I would brainstorm to come up with worthy goals. I would write them down with action plans and measurement rubrics. I would faithfully track my progress, but ultimately this process was unsatisfactory for me. My goals always seemed to change on me. I would be one month into a quarterly plan and the goal posts would be moved, usually due to events out of my control. (Or, I lost interest) It all became very frustrating for me and I ended up not believing in the process.
About 20 years ago, instead of setting goals, I started dreaming. In the intervening years, I have found that instead of goal setting, if I visualize where I want to be in a month, a year, 5 years, etc. I am a happier person. I have also found that my life has become considerably more interesting. I have never had a real long attention span, so my visualizations allow me to pursue divergent short term goals while always keeping my long-term dreams intact.
The amazing thing for me is that I am remarkably closer to what I wanted to be when I was a young man than I ever thought I could be before I started dreaming... and believing.
Friday, January 1, 2016
New Year
Another year passes into history. The clock strikes Midnight and the
calendar changes the big number at the end. Is it a milestone or is it
just another day? Face it, tomorrow morning will come and you will
pretty much do the same thing you've done on other weekend mornings.
Unless one changes their thought process and their attitude, nothing
else will change in one's life. I believe that return to routine is
neither good nor bad; but it can be suffocating.
If one wants something in their life to change, the calendar is the last thing that should influence that change, One can change their attitude on any day of the week, even at any time during the day; all it takes is the sincere desire to change. However, the change of the calendar IS a good excuse to make some changes. The beginning of 2016 can be the first day of the rest of a NEW life, all you need to do is change your thought process a wee little bit everyday.
The most valuable lesson I learned by running 3 marathons in my life is that one can do anything they wish to do but only if they want it bad enough and show patience for the changes to occur. One does not go out and run 26.2 miles without building up to the event. When one increases the load a little every day or every week, when one makes small changes consistently but patiently, one can accomplish big things.
You have the power to make 2016 as happy as you choose. I hope you join me in choosing to make 2016 a great year!
If one wants something in their life to change, the calendar is the last thing that should influence that change, One can change their attitude on any day of the week, even at any time during the day; all it takes is the sincere desire to change. However, the change of the calendar IS a good excuse to make some changes. The beginning of 2016 can be the first day of the rest of a NEW life, all you need to do is change your thought process a wee little bit everyday.
The most valuable lesson I learned by running 3 marathons in my life is that one can do anything they wish to do but only if they want it bad enough and show patience for the changes to occur. One does not go out and run 26.2 miles without building up to the event. When one increases the load a little every day or every week, when one makes small changes consistently but patiently, one can accomplish big things.
You have the power to make 2016 as happy as you choose. I hope you join me in choosing to make 2016 a great year!
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