A BRIEF DEPARTURE: The "One Percent" Rule

The 1% Rule
Note: This brief article was originally published in the author's own blog at DOUGLAS CASTLE, http://aboutdouglascastle.blogspot.com on 25 June 2009.

Dear Friends:

People (most of them self-professed pundits) are always citing the anecdotal wisdom of the "80 -20 Rule," which refers to the typical business situation where a mere 20% of your customers provide you with 80% of your business volume. It follows that a prudent business person should allocate 80% of his or her time on that critical 20%. Walking ahead just one more step, it would seem to me that it might truly be clever to focus more effort on segregating the 20% from the 80%, downsizing (I apologize for the dismal term) the 80% and building the 20% -- the ultimate result, if Murphy's Law and the Heisenberg Principle do not tamper with us too much, would be that the 20% would become our new 100%. Operating at optimal efficiency (which requires dispensing with the unfruitful investment of time in the 80%), we would then spend 100% of our time on the 100% of our customers who truly matter.

The inference in the 80-20 Rule is that the minority produces the majority of our wealth, and that they are of greater significance to us.

There is also a "Two Percent Rule," which refers to the belief that approximately 2% of the world's population (a very small, very powerful group, apparently) controls 98% of its wealth. The implications are obvious...as are the results.

Without making any value judgment, and just making an observation, I believe that both of the above rules are basically sound, albeit somewhat imprecise statistically.

But those rules are not the drivers in the limo of my current life: No, I would have to say that the Rule that affects me the most is the "1% Rule" [which will be referred to as "THE ONE PERCENT RULE" by both my detractors and by my twelfth-grade Creative Writing Teacher immediately after the release of this article].

My friend and business partner, Adam J. Kovitz, and I were discussing many wonderful upgrades to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER, and my role in mapping out and orchestrating many of these substantial changes. Adam's compliment to me was that I was a "One Percenter." He had used this expression on numerous occasions. I now understand it well enough to give it a definition. Following is the Rule, which I attribute jointly to Adam and myself...

THE ONE PERCENT RULE: Approximately One Percent of all Human Beings create and construct, while the remaining Ninety Nine Percent criticize and destroy. In sum, it is so much easier to be a critic and a complainer than it is to be a problem-solver, that most among us are virtually programmed (by our propensity toward inertia and indolence) to be critics and complainers, while only a few among us defy our baser instincts and actually create, build and problem-solve. To make matters worse, the special 1% is generally acknowledged and praised posthumously, i.e., following a crucifixion, burning at the stake, suicide, and the like. To be a One Percenter may be a thankless job, but it is necessary to every step that Humankind advances. This tenacious 1% fights against Humankind's collective drive toward either stagnation or self-annihilation. And we spend so much of our time and resources trying to discourage or eliminate this pivotal component.

Are you a One Percenter? Take the matter up with your own conscience. The sooner, the better. Time is fleeting.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

*Follow DOUGLAS CASTLE on TWITTER - http://twitter.com/douglascastle
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QUICK SURVEY - LEADERSHIP

What are the critical responsibilities of a True Leader? Be Heard! Quick survey http://twitlik.com/Leadership88 #TNNW #douglascastle Sphere: Related Content

FEARLESSNESS + AMBITION + LEARNED SKILLS = POWER

Dear Friends:

My question to my colleagues is a simple one: Are you motivated more by FEAR, or by the OPPORTUNITY FOR GAIN? Be fully honest. Christine West's Seminar: http://ping.fm/SH3ov . My personal commentary follows.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle


PREAMBLE SPECIFICALLY FOR INTERNAL ENERGY PLUS

In our study of INTERNAL ENERGY PLUS , we have come to understand that our deeply-rooted subconscious feelings, which tend to be childish, defensive and negative, constrain us from reaching out and growing to the extend that we would like. We sometimes rationalize this by labeling it "caution," "humility," or, ironically, "maturity!" Through the course of life, this program and its rationalization are both reinforced by the people around us, who are similarly constrained. We find that many of our friends are only too happy to offer us comfort when we fail, but they become resentful and distant when we begin to succeed. This is a passive-aggressive reaction to feelings of envy -- oftimes others feel somehow lessened by our achievements; especially when we surpass them in accomplishments that are deemed socially significant.

As a boy, I remember hearing several things, both said by seemingly well-intentioned parents to children who were being obstreperous or "uppity," both of which terms are used all too frequently by adults who have accepted defeat as destiny:

1. "You mind your place, son."

2. "Don't get your hopes up."

3. "Get real!"

4. "Folks like us never get into places like that. You have to really be somebody to be be accepted there."

5. And, of course, my favorite: "Just who do you think you are, anyway?"

Picture in your mind what it would be like to be so supremely confident that you were able to try anything without even thinking of the possibility of failure, or of humiliation. Imagine feeling expectant of victory. Imagine feeling entitled to wealth, abundance, success and unconstrained happiness. Imagine hearing only encouraging voices, urging you forward, telling you that you were born for glory...born to do great things.

Applying the Law Of Attraction, just think of the type of life that you would have. Think of the heady, godlike power. Going further, imagine that these feelings were bred into you, generation after winning generation...


ORDER OUT OF CHAOS - A SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND BEHAVIORAL COMMENTARY

Throughout the United States and the rest of the world that surrounds us (I sound a bit paranoic, don't I?), people are frightened. The economy is in a contractionary state; many formidable and once-credible "bedrock" institutions have failed amid allegations of major misjudgments and corruption -- and the distinctions between the public and private sectors are becoming increasingly unclear. People tend to be frightened by rapid change and general uncertainty.

Panic makes for some terrible decisionmaking, while maintaining a calm and analytic state of mind while those about us are in a state of irrationality can reveal some contrarian investment bargains. While fear has locked many investors and businesses into a paralytic holding pattern, a distinct minority, virtually a special social class, is quietly buying up controlling stakes and future monopolistic positions in a variety of industries, companies and commodities. This minority, for the most part, is comprised of very wealthy, privileged families...families who have prospered through generation after generation, almost regardless of the political or economic environment. We will refer to them (for the purposes or simplicity) as dynastic families. Their blueblooded names are familiar to many of the rest of us, and they have held tremendous power for quite some time -- centuries, in fact.

I am betting that amongst the pedestrian, "common" population, fear is a far superior motivating force than the promise of an opportunity for gain. I believe that we travel long, circuitous routes in order to avoid confrontation, pain and loss, while we seldom leave the living room couch for an opportunity, which might require effort on our part. Inertia, indolence and a lack of ambition combine to work against the potential efficacy of positive reinforcement, while fear actually creates a physiological reaction (i.e., the secretion of adrenalin, cortisol, etcetera) which actually produces the means for rapid movement in a "fight or flight" response.

The endorphin "rush" produced by the mind's complex neurochemical apparatus is, in contrast, usually much slower to gain a foothold and much weaker in terms of its sway over our responses to the environment and circumstances. It is interesting to note that fear is regarded by many as a visceral reflex, while ambition, and the excitement that accompanies it, is seen to be more of a cerebral, learned action.

Is it possible that the actual physiology of the members of these dynastic families has changed, through some sort of evolutionary genetic mechanism, over the generations? Is it possible that the progenitors who spawned these imperial families started out with an anomalous physiological/ psychological makeup which permitted them to seize ever-increasing stakes of wealth and power while others panicked and fled? Is there a "contrarian gene" that makes these people different, or is it a function of a learned response which is handed down from each generation to its successor?

These few have triumphed through virtually every tragic chapter in the course of Humanity's erratic, ungainly evolution. I am fascinated by the fact that such a small group of persons can continually control the bulk of the world's resources.

These dynastic families all have one thing in common -- they are not motivated by fear.

I am equally fascinated by my almost dull, ho-hum, all-too-calm expectation, in my dual roles as a Strategic Planner and a Futurist, that these dynastic families will become even wealthier and more powerful as a result of the severe economic recession that has befallen us; and that they will emerge, as they always have, with an even greater percentage of the world's wealth when the current crisis has ended. The irony is that these families always benefit by their uncanny ability to maintain their cool in the midst of the confusion -- to make order (and money) out of chaos. This observation has made conspiracy theorists out of many of us. We are indeed, by and large, a fearful group of primitives running from the lightning, while these others are out flying their kites.
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Which Motivates You?

My question to my colleagues is a simple one: Are you motivated more by FEAR, or by the OPPORTUNITY FOR GAIN? Be fully honest. Christine West's Seminar: http://htxt.it/V58D.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle Sphere: Related Content

PLS --> --> Dear Fri

PLS --> --> Dear Friends: If you do not already have a free Twitter account, you can get one at http://twitter.com. Twitter affords you a unique opportunity to refine your brevity skills -- you have exactly 140 characters within which to express your thoughts. Every character counts! To follow us on INTERNAL ENERGY PLUS, log into your Twitter account and head for http://htxt.it/MIy9 To follow us on THE NATIONAL NETWORKER, log into your Twitter account (what's that? you're already logged in? Great!) and head for http://htxt.it/5vac I'll look forward to our Tweeting each other (with wespect). See you there. Faithfully, Douglas Castle (http://htxt.it/6dHO THE NATIONAL NETWORKER- We Are Networking BRAINTENANCE - Stay Razor Sharp INTERNAL ENERGY PLUS - Human Potential THE INTERNATIONALIST PAGE THE GLOBAL FUTURIST Sphere: Related Content

THE MORE YOU GIVE... - Re-post

This article was taken from TAKING COMMAND! at http://takingcommand.blogspot.com/

Dear Friends:

We were taught, as children, that you have to give to others in order to receive from them. It seemed to follow that "the more that you give, the more that you will get." Pundits, success coaches and pop psychologists still cite the mantra that "you will acquire great wealth by helping others, and by fulfilling their needs."

I hesitate to point out to them such contrarian examples as Jesus Christ, Mother Theresa, and other great givers. Perhaps my mistake is in the timing of cause and effect -- perhaps I could be more comfortable with this generosity mantra if someone were to say to me instead that, "the more that you give in this life, the more you will receive (karmically, or through some other hermetic mechanism) in the next life." Of course, I would need certain guarantees regarding the hereafter in order to fully buy in.

The truth, at least during this life: The more you give, the more people will take. The more you give, the more people will demand. The more you give, the more people will feel that they are entitled to from you. The more you give, the less valuable will be the perception of your contribution, which will be taken for granted after a time. The more you give, the more depleted you will be. And if you continue to give beyond your means, or without adequate reward, the more embittered and impoverished you will become.

A solution: Give just enough to demonstrate good faith and competence. Thereafter, request reasonable compensation in exchange for what you provide. Conduct yourself on the assumption that Human Nature is such that you will not be paid, compensated or truly appreciated unless you demand of the recipients the respect that compensation affords. Uncompensated work tends to go unvalued, and speaks of either too much idle time or low self-esteem, neither of which makes you look particularly good. You can only afford to give to charity if your basic needs are met. Further, you cannot be a great philanthropist unless you are rich.

If you wish to be charitable and philanthropic, focus on getting adequately compensated firstly, and not secondly. Always be clear on the cause and effect. This is not an endorsement of selfishness or excessive greed -- this is merely a statement of priorities.

If you are a good-natured and talented or skilled soul, you will find your greatest challenge to be in creating and maintaining boundaries to enforce this directive. Taking Command is sometimes painful, but the rewards are great.

As a financial planning consultant once said to me..."Douglas, I can get all the clients I want if I don't charge fees." Thirty years later, I say, belatedly, "Amen!"

Don't sell yourself short. Ever.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

p.s. Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/douglascastle, and at http://twitter.com/TNNW_BUZZWORKS . You can join Twitter (it's free) by going to http://twitter.com and opening an account.

Tags: selfishness, greed, philanthropy, sacrifice, drawing boundaries, self-esteem, giving, receiving, compensation, respect, blogs by Douglas Castle, generosity, The National Networker (TNNW), Internal Energy Plus, Taking Command!

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Two Articles About You

Dear Readers and Friends:

There are two brief articles which I believe that you will find of considerable interest.

When I first wrote them, I thought that I was self-indulgently journaling about my personal biases and proclivities, and about my battle to better myself. I was only partly correct.

They are about you, too. I know that you will find something in each of them which resonates within you. As a writer (or, at very least, as a person who writes), one of my objectives is to touch souls, to draw forth feelings from deep within the darkest corridors of my small but very important audience. My influence upon others is my immortality. Writing is my means of connection and my communion.

Whatever you learn from reading and acting upon what I've written is my offering of myself to you. What you should know in any case is that as Human Beings, we are all participants in the struggle for survival and betterment...the challenge of focused evolution through self-discipline.

As Humans, we are all born with a two major challenges -- the first is our limited time here, and the second is the burdensome responsibility of deciding how best to use that limited time. We are, each and every one of us, terminal cases. The trick is what to do with whatever uncertain time we have left.

PROCRASTINERTIA at http://twitlik.com/994 and FREE VS PRICELESS at http://twitlik.com/995 .

Faithfully, and with Great Respect,

Douglas Castle Sphere: Related Content

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Douglas Castle Apologizes for Loitering and Littering.

Douglas Castle Apologizes for Loitering and Littering.

Dear Friends:

As a man born with an irresistible propensity for apologies (I have actually apologized to neighbors about the weather), I had to take this moment to apologize to all of my readers. Please read on.

I spend a great deal of time railing and carrying on about being heard and being noticed in this noise-filled, e-media world. It is nothing short of magic to hear, and to be heard amidst the constant full-sensorial assault on the senses imposed upon on us in a promotion-obsessed high-technology society. It seems, too much of the time, that everyone is promoting and no one is producing...that everyone is selling, even if no one is buying. Ironically, if you truly want to purchase something, it's almost unimaginally difficult to get service -- "All of our representatives are currently assisting other callers..."

Two days ago, I tried to contact a domain registration service by telephone. I called the number for "Immediate Customer Assistance." The first time I phoned, I held for 15 minutes. The second time, 20 minutes. The third time, I started yelling into the telephone (at no one) after hearing a musical tape loop of Dave Brubeck's immortal "Take Five," which was, until very recently, one of my favorite songs. While I waited on the telephone, I went through in excess of one hundred emails which had accumulated in my computer inbox in the space of two hours.

Approximately one in every ten messages was spam. Ironically, in going through my spam filter's collected entries, I have generally found that approximately one in every twenty five spam messages is a miscategorized legitimate email. My computer can no longer effectively differentiate between them - the machine is as overworked and confused as I am (Note: I plan to publish the results of my study in the International Journal Of Useless, Unsponsored Research, August Edition. Adam J. Kovitz, of THE NATIONAL NETWORKER refused to finance this endeavor when I offered him a right of first refusal, citing it as "crap," or some variant thereof). Anyway:

Several days ago I started featuring several different newsfeeds on a number of the blogs which I administer, co-author or write. While International News is very important, the feeds have been posting to these blogs many times each day. Enough is enough. To make matters worse, the hyperlinks to the top news stories are not live [by the way, if you want to bring any of the links on these posts to life so that you can read the entire story, all you need to do is paste them into your browser].

I have been quite a hypocrite...filling my readers' blogs, widgets, RSS feeds and email with this avalanche of sobering and saddening news, instead of heartfelt, informative and stimulating content. I have been loitering and littering, and I am deeply sorry.

Starting tomorrow (because nobody ever starts today, whenever today may be - we Humans are prone to procrastination and indecision, which I should probably write about if and when I can get around to making up my mind about it), I will decrease the frequency of these feeds to once daily for each. The feeds in question are from Associated Press (AP), The Financial Times (FT) and Digg.

Please stay with me. I will make it up to you.

I am deeply in debt to those people who read what I write, and I will not abuse the privilege and honor of your interest and loyalty.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle

*Follow DOUGLAS CASTLE on TWITTER - http://twitter.com/douglascastle

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