Take This Survey: Self-Evaluation Is Necessary For Self-Growth and Social Evolution.

Blue Thing #1: TNNW Surveys, Analyses and Findings/ Market Research.

Why? Because people are absolutely obsessed with what other people are thinking.

Why? Because feedback helps us to refine our strategies and change our trajectories.

Why? Because The National Networker Companies want you and your business to know your client audience and to constantly monitor changes in their attitudes, buying habits and needs.

(cue drumroll.......)

Take TNNW SURVEY #6

(Polls open 3/9, and close on 4/15)

Click toTake Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/TNNWsurvey6  

TNNW Survey #6: Take Your Own Personal "Human Asset Value" Inventory.

You bring your automobile in for an inspection to determine if it needs repairs. You check your investment portfolio to see how well your assets are performing. You review your bank statement to be certain that you can cover your bills. You appraise your property. You prepare balance sheets for your businesses. Comment: It might be a good idea to take a Personal Asset Value Inventory -- a self-appraisal -- from time to time. Start today. Invest a bit of time in taking an honest look at yourself...strong points, weak points, all points. What you reveal to yourself in this exercise might help you to make some refinements, and to better plan for a happier, more fulfilling and prosperous future.

We have not assigned "weights" or "priorities" to any factors, and there is no grading. Once the results are in, we will conduct another survey to assign weights to the various factors, so that you will have a means of rating yourself in comparison to others. But for the moment, your answers to the survey will just provide you with some food for thought...and thinking is good exercise; the more you use your mind, the stronger it becomes.

You'll be glad that you made this self-investment. And we at THE NATIONAL NETWORKER COMPANIES thank you for your participation. Now let's get on with the collaborative process of helping each other to be more successful.

It is self-evaluation time. We must do this before we can evaluate others effectively.

Please be advised that the survey contains 45 questions...so be prepared to dedicate some time to thinking about each question, and answer honestly -- never try to fool yourself.

Relax, focus and enjoy the adventure of self-discovery.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle
THE NATIONAL NETWORKER COMPANIES
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Click toTake Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/TNNWsurvey6  

Note: This Survey #6 will be closing on April 15th at 12:00 am Eastern Time. out next week. After the Survey is closed and the results have been published, if you have some of your own additional self-assessment tools or criteria to share and you would like to include them in a follow-up to the Survey, please write to us at http://bit.ly/contactTNNW , being sure to include the words “Survey #6 Suggestion” in the subject line of your correspondence. If you would like, we will give you credit for your suggested question right in the Survey itself, and when the results are published – just let us know if you’d like to be listed as a Contributor in your letter to us.

If you’d like , join The National Networker Companies for free at http://bit.ly/JoinTNNW .

Click toTake Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/TNNWsurvey6  

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Self-Growth: The Reality.

Self-Growth: The Reality.

The Most Efficient Path to Self-Growth, by Douglas Castle, Vice-Chairman of The National Networker Companies.

*Commentary regarding a sales letter (not reproduced here) from David Riklan of SelfGrowth.com: "How 97.5 % of all Self Improvement Companies Grow their Businesses"

David Riklan publishes and produces the selfgrowth.com website and its ancillary businesses. He accepts articles written by many writers about various aspects of "self-growth." Some of these articles are very worthwhile reading, and an intelligent person can occasionally acquire a gold nugget of an idea by reading the material produced by his authors. His business grows itself by his authors' contributions of article content and fees. I admire his business model - it is a good one. But there are some serious negatives...

David Riklan is a pay-to-play proclaimer of "expert" status, and a purveyor of "experts" in the self-improvement field. He (through selfgrowth.com) hasn't achieved any great credibility (in my uniquely myopic and snobbish view) as yet and doesn't develop traction for his readers. He actually tried to get me to enlist (i.e. "pay") as an "expert," and eventually wanted to discuss my going to work for him. I declined, saying that I was intellectually incapable of holding my own in a room filled with so many other "experts." I humbly confessed that I, myself, needed a great deal of self-improvement before I could counsel others in all good conscience.

Almost every person with whom I come into contact (I usually wear gloves) is a "self-growth expert" or a "self-growth coach." I always ask myself (silently, of course, so as not to create a stir) several questions before I entertain engaging a coach or advisor:

1). Does he or she "walk the walk?" [is he or she the avatar of a self-improved creature?]

2). Would I want to emulate this person? Is her or she someone I admire?

3). Has he or she successfully coached others and generated appreciable results?

4). Can we work comfortably together?

5). Would he or she be audacious enough to refuse me as a client if I were perfectly willing to pay, but obviously demonstrated serious deficiences or limitations (in terms of ability or attitude)?

I have found that many people actually need more of a strategic path and plan than they do generic "self-improvement" tips. That is why I've chosen to be involved in strategic planning and organizational engineering instead of stand alone self-growth.

On the path to achieving a business or professional goal, an individual doubtless encounters numerous real-time, real-world difficulties which force him or her to make adaptations which are, by definition, "self-growth."

The best path to self-growth is through field testing and experience.

In brief (I frequently write while in my underwear), don't talk to me about camping --- take me on a rugged camping trip. Experience is the most potent teacher of all, and the multisensorial memories created through experience are much more readily memorable, accessible and credible than those learned in a casual or classroom environment.

We learn most effectively by observing, and then by doing. 

Faithfully,

DouglasCastle

p.s. Would you prefer the bodyguard who had read the book, or the one who had been a Navy SEAL or had worked for the Secret Service?  

About Douglas Castle 

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The National Networker Companies

Braintenance - Stay razor sharp.

The Internationalist Page - A world without barriers.

The Global Futurist - Revealing trends.

Taking Command! - Mastering your fate.

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MERELY AN OVERSIGHT

MERELY AN OVERSIGHT

 

 Dear Friends:

 

Years ago, people would reprimand each other for neglecting to look at, or to “factor into” their analyses or activities, certain things. We (the guilty culprits who had been careless) would say, “Sorry, sir. It must have been an oversight on my part. I’ll be more careful next time. I promise.”

 

Oversight was [etymologically speaking] a first cousin to the term “Overlook.”  I remember saying things like, “Damn. We must have overlooked something. It’s got to be somewhere. We’d better find it before your dad comes home.”

 

Under any circumstances, the terms oversight and overlook were generally used in the negative. Ironically, in government and big business, we find a proliferation of Oversight Committees. I think these committees, or subcommittees or other groups are actually intended to oversee matters – to watch over them diligently. But perhaps what they do is more overlooking than overseeing. The sad reality of this is that whether these oversight groups overlook or oversee, they generally take no corrective action.

 

These groups are merely public relations ploys to appease disgruntled citizens that something is “being done.” Oversight committees are generally impotent, compromised (conflicts of interest sometimes tempt people to simply let evil things go on – especially if they are paid well), confused (i.e., “This is a swell job. Thanks Mr. President. Umm…. Whatta we supposed to do again?”), experimenting with astral projection (where their physical bodies remain in their leather seats, but their minds are travelling to vast reaches of space) or making paper planes.  

 

I hope that you enjoy this biodegradable piece plucked from the recent annals of The New York Times.

 

Obama to Urge Oversight of Insurers' Rate Increases

Breaking News Alert
The New York Times
Sun, February 21, 2010 -- 9:13 PM ET
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Obama to Urge Oversight of Insurers' Rate Increases

President Obama will propose on Monday giving the federal
government new power to block excessive rate increases by
health insurance companies, as he rolls out comprehensive
legislation to revamp the nation's health care system, White House officials said.

Read More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/22/health/policy/22health.html?emc=na

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Now get New York Times breaking news alerts sent to your mobile phone.
Sign up by texting NEWSALERTS to 698698 (NYTNYT).
-----

 

My questions: What does “oversight” mean? What’s the point? Why have an attack dog without any teeth and a lame leg? Why spend money on an investment that is certain to lose?

 

My Observation: Oversight is not a substitute for constructive, decisive action. It is means of deferring or avoiding a commitment to responsibility.

 

Thank you all for letting me rant.

 

Faithfully,

 

Douglas Castle

 

  

Social Media: Self Promotion vs. Self Destruction

Social Media: Self Promotion vs. Self Destruction

Futurist, Internationalist and Author Douglas Castle Showcases Brenda Krueger Huffman as an invaluable informational resource.

Dear Friends:

Most of us utilize social media as a communication or news-gathering medium.

It is wonderful to have ideals. From our dreams, future reality is crafted. I am not opposed to dreaming. But I would advise that you carefully tread the line between dreams and a denial of reality as it exists in our World. I have been quoted as saying that "George Orwell was an optimist." I have also been quoted as saying that John, while writing the Book of Revelations during his inspiring but unsettling imprisonment, was  not so much a religious scribe as a student of Human Behavioral Psychology.

Before delving further into this discussion, realize the following facts, and think about their implications. While this may be unsettling news to many of us, that contingent of us which is considered to be paranoic will feel a bit vindicated. As my late father once said, "Being paranoid is not always crazy. Sometimes some people are really out to get you."

1. There is no such thing as "off the record." If someone hears (or overhears, or reads) your comments, they will invariably divulge what they know given a careless moment, coercion or compensation. As Delilah asked of her disillusioned shorn spouse, "How could you give me power and not expect me to use it?"

2. All telephone calls, computer keystrokes, emails, website surfing lists, faxes and other wire-transmitted, web-based or hard drive-stored information is accessible to numerous government agencies and private parties. All of it.

3. There is no longer any such thing as a privileged relationship between a congregant and his/her priest, lawyer or other person. All persons can be induced, by law, or by other means to testify.

4. When you fill out confidentiality forms at healthcare institutions and other sanctified places, the forms you sign are all subject to legal seizure, subpoena, or illegal inspection.

5. When you give any online (or other vendors), financial institutions, governmnet agencies your Social Security Number or other unnecessary personal identification information (which they claim is necessary, but can't explain why), odds are greater than 1 in 50 that you identity will be compromised through either direct abuse, or by sale to a third party who likes to buy things which you wouldn't ordinarily buy.

Having said this, remember that whatever you place on the internet, regardless of your privacy settings, can be accessed. if you put up pictures of yourself in compromising poses, or make some irresponsible statements, a prospective employer or partner can (and likely will find them) -- and thus your chances of getting hired will likely be greatly diminished.

If you use social media (and even texting) during business hours, it is likely that you are being monitored. The best way to contend with this lack of privacy is to be either A) silent; or B) honest but avoid incendiary, suggestive or insulting language (especially about your place of employment or about your incompetent, overbearing, flatulent and debaucherous boss); or C) use the social media to plant communications that you would want others to tap into which could serve your advantage...in the old days, when I rode a bike with training wheels, we called this "counter-espionage."

Brenda Krueger Huffman, a colleague and a Featured Columnist in The National Networker Newsletter writes her own blog, and I am a fan. I would suggest that you subscribe to Brenda's Blog (which is loaded with real-world, no-holds-barred insights) and to The National Networker Newsletter and its related GICBC at http://bit/ly/JoinTNNW .

The following content was excerpted from a recent issue of Brenda's Blog (http://brenda-huffman.blogspot.com/ ). I would suggest that you read it. On a regular basis.

Brenda's Blog

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Social Networking Can Get You Fired - Posted by Law & Social Networking Posted: 21 Feb 2010 03:00 AM PST I have written several articles regarding social networking and privacy with particular emphasis on how it relates to interviewing for a job in today's employment environment.  I've also written several articles regarding the importance of an online presence in competing well in today's business world.  A balance of the two is needed as well as just plain common sense! I am a member of the group Law & Social Networking.  I wanted to share this most important L&S blog post with you written by Shalanda Ballard titled "Social Networking Can Get You Fired".  Article Link

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Thank you, Brenda. And thank you for joining our GICBC at The National Networker Companies - your insights and information are an invaluable resource for all who are fortunate enough to tune in.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

About Douglas Castle 
Douglas Castle - LinkedIn Profile
The National Networker Companies
Braintenance - Stay razor sharp.
The Internationalist Page - A world without barriers.
The Global Futurist - Revealing trends.
Taking Command! - Mastering your fate.
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WALKING AWAY...

WALKING AWAY...

Dear Friends:

I have said it before: "Stop watering a dead tree."

Sometimes a limb is so badly infected that it cannot be repaired...it must be amputated. Sometimes something is so tragically broken that it no amount of effort, love or money can fix it...it must be scrapped and replaced.

When you cannot work within a system, sometimes you must work outside of the system --i.e., working on it instead of in it. And when you cannot win playing by somebody else's rules, sometimes you must make your own.

It takes time, but some special people arrive at a point in their comprehension of the way things are where they fully understand that the game is rigged, and that no matter what they do, they are slated to lose. It hurts to have been hustled or conned, but it downright kills you when you know that you are being hustled and that you are powerless to walk away. It erodes your self-esteem. It can embitter you.

When a socio-economic system is so inherently corrupt that it is cancerous, you can no longer work within its confines to reform it. You must pack your bags and leave, or perhaps, if you've the requisite courage (and artillery), you can get everyone else to clear out and play in somebody else's yard.

I frequently speak of the need for new beginnings, for fresh thoughts, for a clean slate. I frequently speak of the need to get people's attention - to shake them out of their hypnotic torpor. I frequently speak of collaboration and cooperation instead of confrontation and partisanship.

In my socio-economic model of the Global Interworked Cooperative Business Community as a new form of entity, I  do not see the need for stealing from others to enrich myself. I believe that if we work together, the inherent synergy produced will allow both of us to win, and to share in the prosperity. It saddens me to think that so many people have become brainwashed into believing that there are only winners and losers, and that winners can only become winners by stealing from the losers, leaving them to starve. We live in a time when people define morality to suit convenience.

I have come to understand how riots are incited and revolutions are born; how some people walk away from the trappings of "civilization" and disappear to live "off the grid."

I find it incredibly frightening, yet somehow encouraging, when a career politician walks away from the game because he becomes disgusted with its lies, rationalizations, destructiveness...its inertia and its hopelessness.

I salute US Senator Evan Bayh today for his taking decisive action instead of resorting to empty rhetoric. [cue drumroll]. He decided to say "no more."

Read this, brought to you by the Yahoo! News Blog:

Disillusioned Bayh advocates electoral “shock” to broken system

Tue Feb 16, 7:35 pm ET

In an interview on MSNBC this morning, newly retiring Sen. Evan Bayh declared the American political system "dysfunctional," riddled with "brain-dead partisanship" and permanent campaigning. Flatly denying any possibility that he'd seek the presidency or any other higher office, Bayh argued that the American people needed to deliver a "shock" to Congress by voting incumbents out en masse and replacing them with people interested in reforming the process and governing for the good of the people, rather than deep-pocketed special-interest groups.

Bayh's announcement stunned the American political world, as up until just last week he looked to be well on his way to an easy reelection for a third term in the Senate, and his senior staff was aggressively pursuing that goal.

But Bayh had apparently become increasingly frustrated in the Senate. In this morning's interview he noted that just two weeks ago, Republicans who had co-sponsored a bill with him to rein in the deficit turned around and voted against it for purely political reasons. He also stated repeatedly that members of his own party should be more willing to settle for a compromise rather than holding out for perfection.

"Sometimes half a loaf is better than none," Bayh insisted.
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Bayh has taken a necessary first step -- acknowledging that something is just plain wrong, and walking away from it. But who will take the second step -- finding a better way for all of us? That remains to be seen... Pointing out a problem is helpful, but solving problems is what growth and progress are ultimately all about.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

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