Santa Barbara, CA
Have you ever traveled abroad and craved McDonald’s? A Big Mac or couple cheeseburgers? American cheese on a basic hamburger patty sandwiched between a sugary, smashed bun. And the fries? Crispy, warm, salty sticks of deliciousness.
Maybe you weren’t entirely hungry, or possibly you’re a vegetarian. Your craving will undoubtedly be directed toward their soft-serve, plain vanilla ice cream.
The charming hilarity of this craving is you rarely, if ever, eat McDonald’s in the states.
Psychologically there are many possibilities for why you decide to enter and order. You might be seeking refuge from local, hard to stomach food. Perhaps travel brings out the child in you, and you ate McDonald’s for special occasions growing up. Or conceivably, you love McDonald’s, would eat McDonald’s every day, but society plays on your conscience. You choose not to eat McDonald’s in the states because you choose not to look like one that makes unhealthy choices. Then again, you could be one to just appreciate the feeling of habitually eating healthy food, and a physical vacation allows you to take a vacation from disciplined eating.
Santa Barbara, CA
If you are a regular reader of the Market Street Report, you may have picked up on my intense enjoyment in finding opportunity when others are seeing doors, walls, fortresses and everything negative. Moreover, you may have picked up on my desire for Americans to rid themselves of entitlement, enrich our lives in knowledge, and sharpen our financial astuteness.
This week’s focus on innovation and opportunity centers in on gift cards: a world that we have all come to love and hate.
As a gifter, there is no easier way to ensure the recipient gets what they want. There are only two decisions to make — location and price. Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware? $50 or $100?
As a recipient, grandma’s taste of what sweater you’ll be wearing over the next four frigid months of winter might be just slightly different than your fashionable taste. The gift card has been a way of solving such generation gaps.
Santa Barbara, CA
Are you an optimist?
In my travels I have found Americans, most in particular, the West Coast Americans to be the most optimistic species on the planet. As a culture, we believe anything is possible. We believe life should be easy and enjoyable. We believe American politics can be run by a perfect leader that is charismatic, intelligent, ethical and a bit omniscient. And rightfully so.
We are amidst the entrepreneurial capital of the globe in the Silicon Valley where 70 percent of all venture capital money is directed in the United States. We are home to Microsoft and Amazon, Apple and Google, Boeing and Intel, and the forever optimists in Hollywood. Our movies end consistently happy, positive, or at least with an inspiring lesson.
Santa Barbara, CA
Week 2 of your November Resolution.
The second week is when your body begins to feel the true soreness and exhaustion from the first week of energized and inspired workouts. Waking up early isn’t quite as easy. One “snooze” is needed. Last week you forgot about all the barriers to getting back in shape. This week a subtle awareness of challenge begins to creep in. A couple more holiday parties / events are in the fold. Your workout buddy may have even bailed this morning. This is all normal.
So what are your options? Get rest and workout tomorrow? Workout today, but not as hard? Or workout as planned, according to your drawn up schedule that was written with truth and purpose?
Santa Barbara, CA
It’s cold. It’s wet. It’s dark. I’m tired. I’m sore. I’m not feeling well.
It’s November. Gone are the days of consistent community activities to get you out off your front step and out into the streets, out along the water: running, jumping, lifting, pulling, kicking, swinging, diving, lunging, twisting, and spinning. Gone are the many triathlons, half marathons, and marathons. Until next spring.
Fewer motivators. More festivities because of the holidays. It is difficult. It takes more planning and creativity. It may require even a gym membership.
However, we all know deep down in our muscles, it is the right thing to do for overall mental and physical health, in the short-run and the long-run. We all know that we are more productive at work because of increased heart rate activities. We all know how great the endorphin high feels after breaking through the first 10 minutes of a workout.
Santa Barbara, CA
“It’s an all-in wager on the economic future of the United States…I love those bets.”
Warren Buffett, this week after solidifying Berkshire Hathaway’s largest deal ever.
Warren Buffett’s company went all-in on Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. Burlington Northern is a giant railroad company. They transport foreign and domestic products – from televisions to refrigerators to clothing to even cars – from the West Coast (Los Angeles and Long Beach) to the major cities in the Midwest. Asia supplies most of the goods. And Buffett believes our economy, once it begins humming along, will invigorate large profits for this company.
Buffett’s philosophy has always been to invest in what you know. He knows railroads. He has ownership in a couple other major railroads.
Secondly, he is forever an optimist about the American economy. We can get ourselves into trouble, march forward creating bubbles and inequalities, but, at the end of the day, there is no better country in which to invest. He’s giddy about the opportunity.
Santa Barbara, CA
I had this poem shared with me a couple months ago. I find it applicable to business and life. I hope you enjoy it.
the lesson of the moth – By Don Marquis, in “archy and mehitabel,” 1927
“i was talking to a moth
the other evening
he was trying to break into
an electric light bulb
and fry himself on the wires
why do you fellows
pull this stunt i asked him
because it is the conventional
thing for moths or why
if that had been an uncovered
candle instead of an electric
light bulb you would
now be a small unsightly cinder
have you no sense
Santa Barbara, CA
This past week for me could have been themed “Economic Challenges Amplified”. I had a heart-to-heart with a business associate that has seen income drop by over 50% this year. Another associate lost their job. And a couple others were on the brink of losing their homes.
All were, as one would expect, emotional. There was a sense of frustration, helplessness, sadness, failure, and lost sense of purpose.
This may not be you, but consider a few less dramatic scenarios that surely left you with similar emotions.
Have you ever typed a 10 page paper and had your computer crash? How about an email to your boss that was long thought out and perfectly composed, then the network goes down? Had your house robbed? A personal painting that was ripped or tainted? Irretrievable.
Santa Barbara, CA
It has been a while since I have commented on the housing market in full. I leave the statistics out because readership expands across many different markets, however there is one overriding consistency that is worth touching upon.
What is peculiar about the current real estate market is that we are neither in a buyer’s market or a seller’s market, rather a “banks’ market”. I don’t mention this to scare you. Like the other two market descriptors, “buyer’s” and “seller’s” , it is meant to prepare you and manage your focus when attempting to buy or sell.
For example, if you know it is a “buyer’s market”, you can anticipate an environment where supply is high, offers are low, and the buyer is calling the shots. Whereas, in a “seller’s market” you can expect prices moving upward, low inventories, multiple offer situations, and the seller having the leverage.
Santa Barbara, CA
“You got to fight boredom.”
Peyton Manning in an interview Sunday night said this was one of the most important bits of advice he received. It has worked out. He has found ways to stay focused. After 12 years in the NFL, he has surpassed, in wins, the greatest Colt quarterback of all time, Johnny Unitas.
This comment brought me back to a moment with my dad when I was 12 years old. He was driving me home after one of my baseball games, which always led to sports analysis. What stood out this time over others was his comment on boredom. “You see Jeff most people find baseball boring. From the surface, it is a slow paced game with often very little scoring. But those that know the game, those that love the game, understand the intricacies of what could happen with each pitch. They dive deep into the details. This is when baseball becomes really fun.”