Labor Day

Tomorrow is Labor Day, a day of rest and spending time with family, at least for me. It’s a day to forget about work and get away from it for an extra day. That’s about it for me. Now, I’m not complaining about Labor Day but, seriously, what’s the point of this holiday, anyway?

It was inspired by a movement in the late 1800’s to have a day off from work. Apparently, nobody ever had a day off and the tired workers had to organize themselves in order to get a day off. Well, I have to tell you that there’s no shortage of time off these days. In fact, there’s more time off than time worked in some cases. The worst offenders are government employees. No surprise there. Does anyone really need or deserve 8 or 12 weeks of vacation a year? Give me a break.

Labor Day is also when Jerry’s kids are spotlighted, college football season kicks off, and we walk the Mackinaw Bridge here in Michigan. It’s also the end of summer and back to school time for the munchkins.

Labor Day is not so much about labor unions anymore, is it? When was the last time you heard of a company picnic on Labor Day? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of one. We want to get as far away from our co-workers on Labor Day as possible, don’t we. We’re not interested in making a statement or celebrating something significant. No way. We just want a 3-day weekend to party it up, don’t we. Let’s admit it.

Now I’m not saying that we should be celebrating organized labor. No way. I’m just saying that the need and purpose for Labor Day has passed. Although, I’m certainly not surprised that a governmental decision made in 1894 will not be revisited- ever. We’ll be celebrating Labor Day in the year 4218 when the 825 billion people on this planet will not even know what work is. I just hope that, in that day, my Spartan football has a winning season.

P

Segmenting the Market

Many organizations segment their markets as part of their marketing planning process. They look at the overall market and see that there are sub-markets that make up the larger market. For example, a contracting business will split customers into residential and commercial segments. Each of these segments may easily be subdivided further into smaller slices of the pie. Residential customers may be grouped by income, property value, or location. Commercial customers may be grouped by industry type, revenues, number of employees, or location. These are simplified examples of segmenting. Most of us are already do this (hopefully!).

Of course, the purpose of segmenting is to be able to make decisions about which segments to target with sales and marketing efforts. In this way, segmenting forces priorities to be made. In addition, segmenting allows the organization to create unique offerings and marketing messages for each segment, since they are made up of people with similar needs.

But what happens after the marketing plan is laminated and distributed? How does this focus on segments remain active? How do organizations track results for each segment? How are profits determined for each segment? After all, this is where the rubber meets the road!

I’ll offer some suggestions in my next blog post…

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Olympic Gold

With the close of another Summer Olympic games, I have a couple of questions. The “who cares” question is way too over-played so I won’t go there. My first question is this: When did the following backyard barbeque games become Olympic sports: trampoline, ping-pong, badminton, beach volleyball, jarts, 3-on-3 hoops, tag, and Bocci ball? Somebody please help me out here! Puh-leeze!

My second question is really what I want to discuss. We’re always amazed by the dedication and commitment that Olympic champions exhibit. But, why? Why do we sit on our couches munching on chips watching TV while others are intently focused on their dreams, grinding it out day after day. Don’t we have dreams? What makes our dreams any less valuable? Why don’t we amp-it-up and go after our dreams, just like the Olympians do? What are we waiting for? What is stopping us? This is my question. 

I don’t know about you but I’m “all-in” and am going for my dreams. Won’t you consider joining me?

Oh, and I’m also looking forward to the Winter Games with some real sports like ice hockey. You know, a sport that attracts paying spectators, not just family members and guys who like to watch sweaty girls jumping up and down in the sand.

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How do you define rich?

The recent interview of Obama and McCain by Rick Warren included an interesting question: how do you define rich? Warren began by asking Obama: “Define rich.” Obama’s answer was a lengthy discourse which basically said that if a person makes less than $150,000 per year they are either middle class or may be poor. They deserve a tax cut. He continued to explain that anyone who makes over $250,000 per year should pay more taxes.

Next up was John McCain. Same question: “Define rich.” McCain’s initial reaction was to say that the most wealthy people tend to be the most unhappy. He went on to say that the definition of ”rich” is not about money. Rather, it’s about family, work, education, and providing for our children. Furthermore, he stated that he didn’t believe in the redistribution of wealth. When pinned down by Warren to give him a number, he laughed and said ”$5,000,000″ and then predicted that his comment would be taken out of context.

Well, sure enough. The brilliant folks on public radio and the liberal media did just that immediately following the interview and in the days following. But that’s not the point of this article.

The real question is this: “How do YOU define rich?” Is it all about money? The person who has the most toys wins? Really? Aren’t there enough examples out there of the failed lives of wealthy people who are miserable? Can’t we see the affects of decades of wealth redistribution and how it actually promotes poverty and enslaves people?

If we open our eyes and change our perspective we see people all around us, in every level of social and economic status, who are rich. They’re rich because of the lives they choose to lead. They’re rich because of the family and friends that enrich thier lives. They’re rich because of their faith.

How about you? How do you define rich? Interesting quesion, isn’t it?

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More tips. Save fuel. It’s all good.

21. Turn off the A/C when not on the highway. Roll down the windows. Enjoy the fresh air. If you’ve been working outside you’re already hot and stinky anyway.

22. Stick with stock wheels. Sure there are some nice wheels out there that may attract women (in your mind), but the excess width adds traction. Go the gym instead.

23. Downsize your ride. The gas hog was cool back in the day. Today, not so much.

24. Stay home. Do you really need to do what your about to do? Sometimes you really don’t. Stay at the office and do something productive without burning gas.

25. Avoid long warm up periods. The engine is ready to go after a minute or so. There’s no reason to warm up the bus for 20 minutes every morning.

26. Have a “yard cop” if you manage a fleet to ensure that company policies are being followed.

27. Don’t “rev” the engine. This was cool when you were 16. It’s not cool anymore and it won’t help with the ladies.

28. If buying gas from a station, buy it during the coolest time of day when the gas is most dense. Gas is sold by volume.

29. Avoid over-filling the tank, which leads to fuel sloshing out and onto the ground. The first “click” of the nozzle means that the tank is full.

30. Close the windows on the highway. Air drag will slow you down. If you’re mechanic has disabled you’re A/C (see tip #21), I’m very sorry. 

Fuel Savings Tips Part 2

As promised, here’s another batch of great ideas for saving fuel:

11. Check your tire pressure. Under inflated tires slow you down and wear out more quickly.

12. Use engine oil recommended by the manufacturer. There’s a reason why they chose the right oil. Use it.

13. Use engine oil that has the words “Energy Conserving” on the API symbol. This oil contains friction-reducing additives.

14.  Have a plan. Think ahead before you head out onto the road. Amazing things will happen.

15. Call ahead. How many times have you driven to a place and had to turn around and come home because of a misunderstanding? Exactly.

16. Combine several stops into one trip. This takes advantage of a warm engine.

17. Be aware of road construction and closings. It’s all on the web. Check it out.

18. Listen to traffic reports. Learn about the latest crash and two mile back-up before you’re stuck in it.

19. Carpool. Does every single person on the planet really need their own vehicle?

20. Replace older vehicles. They suck the gas and they’re ugly. Get ‘em off the road!

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Proverbs 1:8-9

Thoughts on Proverbs:

8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction
       and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

 9 They will be a garland to grace your head
       and a chain to adorn your neck.

As I read these two verses, I can’t help but think of other sayings, such as “mother knows best” and things like that. The reality is that our parents generally have our best interests at heart. Likewise, we try to coach our children about how to make good choices. Parents are a great source of information and council. However, it is also a reality that kids don’t always listen to their parents.

These verses also make me think about the different things that people wear around their necks. Baseball players were those blue magnetic bands. Rappers and punks were all sorts of obnoxious “bling.” And, of course, there are all sorts of necklaces and pendants that are worn. But how many of these things have great meaning and purpose? How many are simply fashion statements?

I hate wearing anything around my neck. It drives me crazy. So I’m glad that this verse is not a directive to wear a necklace. It’s more of a concept to understand; that our parent’s advice is worth listening to and if we actually did listen to it we’d be better off. Pretty simple concept. Hard to live by.

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Proverbs 1:1-7

The biblical book of Proverbs is an amazing book. Beginning with this post, I’ll be commenting on portions of the book. Some posts will discuss multiple verses while others will only focus on a single verse. I hope that you will not only enjoy these posts but be inspired by them.

Proverbs 1:1-7

1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

 2 for attaining wisdom and discipline;
       for understanding words of insight;

 3 for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life,
       doing what is right and just and fair;

 4 for giving prudence to the simple,
       knowledge and discretion to the young-

 5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,
       and let the discerning get guidance-

 6 for understanding proverbs and parables,
       the sayings and riddles of the wise.

 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
       but fools ^[a] despise wisdom and discipline.

These 7 verses are the beginning of the book. They explain the purpose of the book- for wisdom, discipline, understanding, insight, prudence, righteousness, justice, fairness, knowledge, discretion, and for understanding the sayings of the wise. Who doesn’t want a life full of these qualities?

Verse 5 implies that even the wise should (shut up and) listen to acquire more wisdom. I love that concept. We never stop learning. The world of academia calls this lifelong learning or continuous education. I fully support these efforts.

Verse 7 says it all. Only a fool doesn’t want to be wise or live a disciplined life. We see people making unwise choices all the time, including ourselves at times. We also see lives that our undisciplined- maybe even our own at times. But when we have an understanding of who God is (heathly “fear”) we will stop acting like fools and get our act together.

Do you want to be wise and have all of those other qualities described above. I know that I do. Reading and seeking to understand the Proverbs of the Bible is a great place to start.

P