Pew this stinks

According to the folks at Pew Research in 2009 less than half the folks surveyed felt there were strong or very strong conflicts between the poor and rich in our country. However, the most recent survey showed that opinion surged to two out of three. Now the number of people in the rich and poor categories has not changed that much in two years. What is changing is the perception of how we are doing in relation to how somebody else is doing. If we are not doing as well as we would like then it is the fault of the rich. If you are rich then you could have more of what you want if it were not for all those entitlement programs for the poor. It is nice not to have to take any personal responsibility for either your situation or your attitude about it. The difference between the rich and the poor is a problem that has been around for a couple of thousand years at least. The difference is the anger, envy, and jealousy being generated over a problem that has been and always will be a part of the human condition..
Never before in history has there been a society where you can have as much potential for success and upward mobility, than the one we live in RIGHT NOW. The real answer is not something we want to hear
It is delicious to obtain the heart’s desire…..but fools hate to give up evil doing. Proverbs
Desiring what another has is still just envy and gains you nothing under the Great BlueSky

Dr. Baker Fore
Author, Entrepreneur, Speaker

Adding by Subtracting

When thinking of gaining knowledge we think of adding to what we know. Actually it is usually the opposite. Very seldom do we come up with the right answer the first time. Mostly we subtract that which does not work. We first have to have the honesty to admit that something isn’t working and then the courage to eliminate it. By subtracting all the things that did not work Edison came up with the light bulb. Celebrating our subtractions is a way to be happy while we are seeking knowledge.
Knowledge is added by subtracting the things that don’t work under the great BlueSky.

Dr. Baker Fore
Author, Entrepreneur, Speaker

CHANGE

“When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing; when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors; when you see that men get rich more easily by graft than by work, and your laws no longer protect you against them, but protect them against you, you may know that your society is doomed.” Ayn Rand

I first read those words in 1964 I believe. I did not see how they would ever apply to me, yet oddly I had a feeling that they would. Sadly they do.

We have met the enemy and they are us. Only “us” can change our fate under the great BlueSky.

Dr. Baker Fore
Author, Entrepreneur, Speaker

Success

Probably the luckiest day in my life was the day I crashed an airplane. Lying in the hospital I set a new goal for my life. I decided to become a doctor and spend my life helping others the way I was helped by the doctors and nurses caring for me.
Once I set that goal I began to become a success. I have continuously moved toward fulfilling that goal. Success is the continuous progression toward a worthy goal. Success is not a noun it is a verb. You do not reach success, you become successful at moving toward your own goal.
Go be successful today under the great Blue sky. Dr. Baker Fore – Author, Entrepreneur, Speaker, Physician

Sitting on a Lake

We paddled out in the predawn light. It is amazing to hear the lake awaken. The last bull frog garrump was followed by the birds on shore announcing their presence. The honking of the geese was a warning they were passing by so low I could almost reach them with my paddle. The wind blew like a breath in my ear and barely made the water lap against my kayak. I sat with my feet in the water and watched the sun rise on my 65^th birthday.

In my case not only a blessing but literally a miracle I am still alive. From the time I was 21 until her passing I always sent my Mother a dozen roses on my Birthday. I still thank her and God for the blessings of life and the health that allowed me to paddle over three miles on a hot windy day. I also thank the orthopedic surgeons who have performed over a dozen major procedures and the company that made the various steel and titanium parts I wear permanently.

 Knowing I have more behind me than I do ahead of me I plan to enjoy every day as the Present it truly is.

An attitude of gratitude is the best present you can give yourself under the great BlueSky. Dr. Baker Fore – Author, Entrepreneur, Speaker

Looking for?

What is seldom found where it is most needed and seldom needed where it is found?

 Before you read any further, please take a minute to answer that question for yourself. This is one question no one else can answer for you.

It probably changes as we go through life. It is a question I ask myself every now and then. What pops into my head usually depends on where I am in my life. This morning the answer was Water. We are in a drought and as a rancher that has been on my mind. At times I have answered Love.

In a deeper sense I think Love is always an answer. As I get older the answer most frequently is Knowledge. During these economic times I guess it is for many either Money or Oil.

How you answer that question will tell you a lot about what is important in your life. There is no wrong answer, just where you are, now. What answer popped into your head when you first read the question?

 Questions help us find answers under the great BlueSky. Dr. Baker Fore – Author, Entrepreneur, Speaker

Revelations

I watched the talking heads spewing gloom and doom. The last straw was a bimbo second guessing a jury verdict in a trial she did not even watch and saying the victim was cheated out of the justice she was entitled to. She said we are all victims of a lousy court system. I can’t control what is on TV but I can turn it off. I did. Because one thing I learned in physics is you cannot solve a problem with the same energy that created it. We are not entitled to decent TV, we create what we watch. The minute we think we are entitled to something we make ourselves the victim.  We have to replace this popular attitude of entitlement and victimization with one of determinism.

I think is time for a revelation in this country. We have had revolutions but they are too destructive so let’s start a revelation. It is not about what we are entitled to receive but what we are determined to create.  Find something you want to do and become determined to do it. Spread the seeds of determinism and we can become determined to take back our country.

I am determined to make a difference under the great BlueSky.

Dr. Baker Fore – Author, Entrepreneur, Speaker

Changing Bad Habits

Why do you not stop a “bad” habit? Because what you are doing has some value or reward for you. Behavior is repeated only because at some level it works. If that behavior has value it can only be eliminated by finding something of equal value to replace it.

Habits are not stopped, they are replaced. You have to find another way to get the same reward or one of equal value. What does the habit do for you? You may genuinely want to stop a behavior on one level of your brain but you still cling to it because it meets a need. Find that need and replace that reward or one of equal value and your behavior will change.

I get asked, “Why can I not stop smoking?” and “Why can I not stop overeating?” every week. The answer to both questions is, “What does it do for you?” Until you answer that you cannot replace the cigarettes or food. When you do you can find a substitution that works.

Habits are short cuts to rewards under the great BlueSky.

Dr. Baker Fore
Author, Entrepreneur, Speaker

Litmus Test

We used to say something had to pass a litmus test. When litmus paper is dipped into a liquid it is shows whether the substance is acid or base. It cannot be both. I watched a politician in the current administration answer whether he would vote for an economic proposal regarding how we do business in this country. In a capitalistic economy business either makes money or it does not. It is defined by profit or loss. His answer, “If it is economically sensible, socially equitable, culturally acceptable, and politically feasible I will vote for it.” This is no longer a Democrat or Republican thing. We have shifted from denying our communist leanings to you know communism is an acceptable ideology in many parts of the world. Why do we think what got us here will no longer work?

 Let my yes be yes and my no be no under the great BlueSky.

Dr. Baker Fore

Where to look

Hanging backwards by a rope off a fifty foot cliff is scary. After looking over my shoulder at the rocks fifty feet straight down, I turned and looked at the face of my rappelling instructor smiling at me. He said, “Doc, don’t look where you don’t want to go. When you jump, look at where you are going to land.”
So I jumped straight back and looked at where I wanted my feet to land and they did.
Worrying is looking at where you don’t want to go. Break the worry habit. See things as you would have them be – not what you do not want. Visualize your goals and use your imagination to turn your dreams into reality.
The more experienced you get at seeing in your mind where you are going, the sooner you will get there. See what you have to do each and every step, then head in that direction one step at a time.
Where you look is where you will find yourself under the great BlueSky.
Dr. Baker Fore
Author, Entrepreneur, Speaker