Daily Intent

Santa Barbara, CA
As the summer concludes, it is not uncommon to shift from weddings, celebration, play and fun, to work, focus, and academics.  It is time for slight adjustments.  You are called to reposition your energy going into the fall.

“Okay, (insert your name here), what are you suppose to be doing right now?…Let’s get back on track after the fun distractions of the summer months.”

You may even be in need of a “stay-cation”.  What’s a stay-cation?  A weekend at home where you have a chance to get caught up on tasks long over do, re-energize your health and find time for a couple hours down at the beach, watching some college/NFL football or a night at the movies.  

I recommend you take a stay-cation.  I recommend you take a night, day, weekend or even week focused on “you”.

In doing so, I want you to think about one thing.  I want you to use it as your foundation for all thoughts.

“A Rocking Chair”. 

Yes, a rocking chair.  The great chair that greeted us at birth when our mother was trying to calm us to sleep.  And the great, genius chair that awaits us as an elderly.

In thinking about the rocking chair, I want you to consider the future and what age you will be, what you will think about, what you sense, what you feel, what you will be most proud of, what you will be looking forward to, what you will want around you, what type of past do you want to look back on, what type of country you live in, and what type of community you’re involved in.

This thought experiment is meant to help direct your current actions.  If you find that the answers to these questions are centered around accomplishments, or family, or feelings, or just living out great days each and every day, then be sure to position yourself today and this coming Fall to ensure these experiences are played out.

Some of us, may want to deny the rocking chair all together.  Jumping up from the rocking chair and slamming the door behind us as we skip, our 85 year old bodies, down the driveway to pick up our great grandchildren.

However you see yourself at this age, it is important to look into the future and imagine your life, for it will often be the foundation for your decisions today, your accomplishments sought out, experiences, and friends.

Rock on!
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Catalyst - Meeting of the Minds - “Tapping global resources, locally”
Robert TenEyk, CEO of Ideocore Corporation. Branding focused.  September 10th. This Thursday. 12pm.  One seat is left.  Be one of the 8.
 Visit http://www.catalystsb.org/meetingoftheminds
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Buzzword: Foam the Runway
“A term indicating the last-minute infusion of cash into a company about to go bankrupt.  Airports foam runways prior to an imminent crash landing to help reduce friction and sparks.  Just as foaming the runway is a last stand against a horrible crash landing, a company obtaining a loan to stay in business is a last stand against going under.

‘Foam the runway’ is also a general statement in business, which refers to preparing for a potential disaster.

If a company is in trouble before having to obtain an infusion of cash, foaming the runway will usually just delay the inevitable.  Prudent investors should not assume that a cash infusion will save a company, and should carefully review all available information before making an investment decision.”  -Investopedia.com

  Six Points to Ponder:

   1. Markets Up. 9.7% Unemployment numbers couldn’t even hold back the strengthening markets - The Dow is trading up at 9497, S&P 500 at 1025 and the Nasdaq is up to 2037.  Oil is up on the weak dollar, $71/bbl.
   2. Obama Speaks to American Children.  Have a work ethic.  Work hard to succeed.  Stay in school.  Do your homework.  Make no excuses.
   3. September 11th.  September 15th.   In just a few days we’ll remember the day the world stood still as the towers came down.  In just a few days we’ll remember Lehman Brothers failing and the world markets falling to their knees.
   4. Americans Continue Deleveraging.  For the 6th straight month Americans lowered their debt loads.  In July, consumer credit dropped $21.6Bn.  In June it had dropped $15.5Bn. 
   5. Bankers Bonuses.  G-20 Leaders met last week.  One topic they discussed was bankers’ bonuses and banks’ capital requirements.
   6. College Football Upsets.  Only week one and we already had two upsets.  Oklahoma was taken down by BYU.  Oregon lost out to Boise State.  USC vs Ohio State is on the blocks for this weekend.  US Open.  Nadal and Federer are still in it, while Venus Williams and Sherapova were dominated in the early rounds.  There’s an opening for the younger talents on tour.   

Positives:

    * Markets are all positives going into and coming out of Labor Day weekend.  Despite September being an inherently poor month for trading as investors take their profits off the table, market levels are holding up nicely.  The stats to keep your eye on: Manufacturing, unemployment, consumer debt, inflation/deflation and corporate profits coming in low but better than projected.
    * Both sides of the argument believe in supporting growth and expansion, however how they get there is quite different.  The USA is in support of higher capital requirements while France and Germany are believing the bonuses are a bigger problem.  The bonuses, they believe, lead to higher, more unnecessary risks taken.  Americans disagree. Had the banks had higher capital requirements, conservative actions would have been taken without dictating an executives pay.
    * Whether one agrees with everything the president said to our future generations, I believe it to be commendable that he would take time to show he values our youth.  I don’t remember Reagan, Bush Sr, or Clinton addressing the children specifically.   Some call this brainwashing, I choose to look at it more as inspiring the kids to believe in themselves and their progress as individuals.

Negatives:

    * In the last 10 years, our nation has been through some testing times.  We must turn these negatives into positives.  We must learn from our country’s wrongdoings of the past and ensure optimal outcomes in the present and future.
    * Consumer credit tightening 6 months in a row hasn’t happened since 1991.  The recent data release doesn’t allow us the information to conclude whether this deleveraging is the result of banks tightening their standards even further or borrowers beginning to pay back their debts instead of spending.  In either case, we still have a big problem on our hands with regards to homeowners in trouble.  One in eight households, 13%, are in either foreclosure or arrears (behind on their payments).  In comparison, in the last 30yrs, there was no year that saw foreclosures higher than one in fifteen households, or roughly 6.5%.  Moreover, wealthy families have seen a 73 percent increase in Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings since last year.  US home prices are the largest factor for this reorganization of finances.
    * The fact that Obama had to speak to our youth: “Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn’t work?  You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem.  Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem?  There was no internet or message boards or FAQ’s.  We just figured it out.  Today’s kids are soft.”  -One of the greatest emails to date.

Local:

2nd Annual TNT Lawn Bowling Fundraiser!
Where: MacKenzie Park Lawn Bowls Club
When: Sunday, September 13th, 11am.
Cost: $25
Why:  Raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society while having fun in big hats and all white attire.
Contact: Marc Petersen - 805.698.8367

Live and Be Well,

Jeff Bochsler