Building Steam

Sometimes it is hard to put your finger on what gets you going. It’s like there is something just hovering outside your sight and just out of reach. Whatever it is, I can feel it coming.

I am in one of those places where ideas and plans are finally crossing paths. Where nebulous concepts become policy plans. How often have you come up with what seemed like a great idea, only to “lose” it?  I know I have suffered from that phenomenon more times than I can remember. Lately though, I have been able to have those moments, then retain them long enough to get them down on paper…. or into a handy word processor anyway.

I am sure that the fact that I am able to capture these thoughts is contributing to this build-up.  It is like each day is helping me build on the ideas I recorded the day before.

What it all seems to be adding up to is a vision of how things should be in real estate. Ok, so that is a very broad statement. To dial it down a bit further, it is a vision of how a single real estate brokerage firm can work to redefine how agents work together and in the process provide their clients with the absolute best in service and value for money possible. A whole lot of this gels with things I have said, half jokingly, in some of my previous podcasts. I am talking about a system that rewards participants in the process for achieving greatness in areas that actually mean something to the client, rather than to the agent. In essence, it is about making the clients best interests, our best interests – and making more money by doing so. The best part is that it lets me take some of the things that annoy me most about this business and turn them on their head within my own framework.

I get a little excited just talking about it. But I am not ready to let the cat out of the bag just yet. I have built a good starting point, but I have a long way to go. Like many things worth doing, it is not the easy path. It will take more work, and more “selling” of the concept than simply opening yet another brokerage firm would. In this case, it is not the potential clients that will need to be sold on this new model (It is built for them to love it), the real hard sell is going to be the world of real estate agents out there.

This is not a cutting edge concept. This is an OVER the bleeding edge concept. The kind of concept where you are putting into practice ideas that nobody else has ever tried – and having faith that when you take that step, you will be standing on solid ground.

IronMan

Every once in a while you come across a movie that does something to you. I think the first one I can recall just being dazzled by was ‘Indiana Jones Raiders Of The Lost Ark”. I was just a kid when I saw that one and I can still remember walking out of the theater with that tingly feeling. You know the one that gets all the hairs on your arm standing up?

Since then, very few have managed to get added to that list. I suspect some of that has to do with getting older and less easy to impress. Despite the years tho, IronMan has managed to bring back that feeling I’ve been missing for a very long time. Back when I was a kid, I would have just called it “Awesome Factor”. Today, we get a bit more specific by discussing things like editing, directing, writing, etc.

In the case of IronMan, the discussion about writing would have to start with the comic book of the same name. The good news is that if you have never picked up a comic book in your life, you are still likely to really enjoy this movie. If you have ever loved an action flick, your not going to be disappointed here.

I have not read the comic version myself, but if the writing in the movie is any indication, I just might have to make a point of reading up.

Your not going to find yourself looking at your watch either. The movie has been edited and shot so that the roller-coaster ride has just the right amount ups, downs and turns to keep you interested without leaving you time to wonder if you locked the doors to your car.

Next, let’s talk about Robert Downey Jr. Whether you are a fan of his previous work or not, let me suggest you take the time to check this performance out. After seeing it, you will be convinced that there is not another soul on the planet who could be Mr. Stark (IronMans alter identity) but Robert Downey, Jr. His transition from womanizing drunk to … well… a more aware womanizing drunk, is believable and leaves you wondering who came first, Stark or Downey.

Then there is the soundtrack. Normally, this kind of thing just sits there and serves as a backdrop to the movie – operating at an almost subconscious level. There is some of that here, but some of the standout music from folks like AC/DC add some very cool punctuation marks to already amazing movie.

I consider myself a pretty tough critic of movies. I am particularly annoyed by bad editing and timing. In my case, once the first scene in the HummVee had rolled by, I was captivated. The amazing thing is that I just saw this movie yesterday, and I will likely see it again today – something I have not done since high school…. that should tell you something!

Not Made In China: Mr. BAR-B-Q 18-Piece Stainless-Steel Tool Set

I have been looking far and wide for a new set of BBQ tools. I have dropped by some local places like Target, Walgreens, etc. None offered a product that was not made in China. Now I have tried Amazon before, but I find that where items are made is often a mystery. If that information is available at all, it is usually in the “Product Description” portion instead of having a field dedicated to that info (something I have asked Amazon to add).

Now the Mr. Bar-B-Q product is made in the United States and has just been ordered by yours truly. I am happy to make this product the very first entry in the “NOT Made In China” list of honor!

If you want to check this product out for yourself, you can find it here at Amazon.

NOT Made In China

I am not a fan of China. I have great admiration for the people of China, but frankly, their government is just pure evil.

Even if you put aside the fact that we are talking about a Communist government (reason enough for me to shun them), here is a country that reacts to just about any dissent with tanks, imprisonment and death. Despite this, we still see regular uprisings of the people to try and obtain a more democratic form of government. In a future post, I will get more down and dirty in enumerating all the atrocities committed by the Chinese government. What this post is focusing on is the great coup that has been perpetrated by China on the entire world. Unlike other communist governments, China has figured out a way to financially support the bankrupt policies of communism and oppression. They provide manufacturing services to the very companies of the world that would not even exist if their form of government existed where these companies do. So, our own companies are helping to subsidize a nation that is diametrically opposed to the very system that allows those companies to exist at all! They have figured out how to appeal to corporate greed in the form of cheap/slave labor.

So, I think we should applaud companies that make their products outside China. I am not going to suggest that these companies have made their manufacturing decisions based on some higher moral consideration. Frankly, I don’t care why they do not have their products made in China, only that they DON’T!

And furthermore, you should too!

So what should we be thinking when we start to care about where things we buy are made? Well, for me, I focus on trying to buy things that are made in countries that embrace a form of government where the peoples rights and freedoms are recognized. Some sort of democracy usually fits the bill. However, there are plenty of countries out there that are democracies in name only. Having said that, there is no question that given all the nations of the world, the absolute WORST country to support by buying items made there is China.

If you come across something that is NOT made in China, let me know about it so I can post it here.