Articles - Geoff Blades

What Rajs, Hedge Fund Scammers, And College Scammers All Need

That headline is my longest ever…

Coz that’s what I think Raj’s sentence should have been—longer.

The guy has the gall to come out of prison and still claim to be innocent in handing off insider secrets to the other Raj.

But that’s only the short of it.

The Long Is How Many Were Doing It

I don’t blame Raj and all the hedge fund scammers.

Like Lance Armstrong and the sport of cycling, to win a highly competitive game, you expect some to cheat.

Especially when the upside is so high, and the downside is so low.

Make billions of dollars with a tiny risk of getting caught and serving a short sentence?

Everyone on the inside knows this is how some of the biggest got big.

Maybe it wasn’t overtly “insider,” but their edge was non-public information.

College Scamming Is The Same

“Cheating” is a squishy definition.

Obviously you can donate a lot of money and get your kid into a school.

And of course there’s more than one organized racket out there.

Yet, where does the fine line of helping your kid do better in school end, and cheating begin?

Having a tutor is very reasonable, yet something poorer kids can’t afford. Nor a college admissions advisor.

Let alone the many who “brainstorm ideas” or “edit,” let alone straight up write your kid’s admission essays for them…

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This Goat Should Run In 2020

Combating Trump

I saw in Vermont they elected this goat, Lincoln, as Mayor.

Unclear by his name if he’s a Democrat but he certainly has a much better chance than most the 2020 candidates.

I enjoy a fun fight and I’m really looking forward to the Democratic primaries.

It’s going to be hilarious to watch them try to out-PC, out-left each other.

And, then, when they figure that’s a losing strategy…

Eat Each Other

They’ll start off all nice like their anti-bullying bullying, but soon the field will descend into attack politics.

Like Bernie and Hillary, they’re all playing nice until they’re not.

Recognizing they fail by playing Mr. / Mrs. / Non-binary Good Guys / Gals / Them they’ll start chewing away at each other.

I’m thinking at least we wouldn’t have to listen to the goat poorly attack his rivals.

The only thing it would eat is the stage and perhaps gnaw away at a pant-leg here and there.

And certainly Lincoln might also have a chance against Trump.

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A Warm Bath Of Limitless Thinking

Writing about negative thinking I needed to wash it off.

Negative programming abounds and you can’t ignore the elephant dung in the room…

But you also never want to get stuck in it.

As I talk about in the track below, like cleaning out a wound it’s necessary to clear out limited thinking, yet limitless thinking is better and better.

Driving Limitless Thinking

It’s bizarre that in our world positive thinking is a “thing.”

Why amazing thinking isn’t the default in our brains and world is beyond us, yet we can choose.

For some people it’s easy to choose amazing, but for many of us it can take training.

Yet, because the brain basically cycles the same thoughts every day…

Once you get it thinking more limitless, it keeps driving more this way.

The Greatest Discovery

“The greatest discovery of my generation,” William James, who died in 1910, said, “is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes.”

It’s a nice-sounding quote, but 100+ years later, how many of us are trained to actually live this way?

This is the greatest discovery of my life—

How you actually live it.

It’s not about knowing you can alter your attitude.

Or even choosing to do it…

Like getting in the best shape of your life at the gym, you want a training program to deeply condition yourself this way.

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Staying Sane In This Insane World

I no longer indulge it.

I don’t even know how to talk to people about it anymore.

Different shooting, all the same nonsense.

Another lunatic’s version of reality forced upon the rest of us.

Another media cycle, milking murder for the all the ratings it can get.

More politicians using it to push more of their agenda.

More Victims, More Blame

Who do we not blame?

Football fans hate on each other as much as Democrats and Republicans as much as this holy war that has raged for centuries.

One man killing a bunch of innocent people a microcosm of the game of hate our god-loving Churches and States—Islamic States, included—play on a grander scale.

Blame the gun laws. Blame mental health. Blame parenting. Any donkey we can pin it on.

Video games that taught him to shoot, and helped him direct his POV-style game. Social media that gives him what many teenage girls want, fame.

Our celebrities for acting out their nightly murder for entertainment.

A World Of Violence And Drama

The world is saner and safer than it has ever been.

Our lives are better than they’ve ever been.

But, we’re no happier. We feel no safer.

Decades ago kids were hiding under their desks from the threat of nuclear attack.

Today parents are afraid to let their kids walk to school.

We live in a world that perpetuates mayhem for reasons only those of us who investigate the truth of our society are unwilling to explain…

Don’t Bribe Admissions, Give Your Kids What They Deserve

A System for Winning.

Someone asked me if I’m laughing at the miserable Chamath the Destroyer how do I feel about parents bribing their kids into school.

Well, of course I find it just as funny, and unsurprising.

Rich and famous people can buy near anything in our world, and anyone who thinks the school system is above bribery hasn’t noticed what “gifting” a building will do…

And I can understand where they’re coming from.

Everyone Wants Their Kids To Win

One of the hardest things for parents is feeling helpless they can’t do more for their kids.

How do you help your kids win in this rapidly changing modern world?

School has become more competitive than the Olympics so it’s not surprising parents would follow the example of Tonya Harding and bust a rule or two.

Of course we know helping your kids achieve something they fail to earn doesn’t help them in the long-run, but it heavily reduces the burden of actually being a parent…

And what more can you do?

Um, Teach Them To Win

Nobody teaches us to win in life.

Even in school which has a very obvious method for winning—a process for studying—and even more obvious winning skills—e.g. focus, speed reading, memory techniques—nobody teaches us how to win.

Instead we’re taught that life is a battlefield on which brute force wins—put your head down, work hard, sacrifice, give it all you’ve got…

Ugh, near everyone on this planet loses that way.

I Laugh At Chamath The Destroyer Deeply Unhappy

A buddy forwarded me a link to this podcast with redeemed social-destroyer Chamath Palihapitiya.

Inside apparently he shares his deep wisdom on how people in Silicon Valley are deeply unhappy.

He suggested I listen.

I laughed. I never waste time on podcasts, and I only find it funny hearing more privileged folks are deeply unhappy.

Of course they are.

People Are Deeply Unhappy Everywhere…

There’s so few humans on the planet who don’t feel some sense of lack.

Many of us can pretend otherwise…

We can post a fake-smiling picture on Fakebook and claim it ain’t so, but it’s written all over our lives.

We gulp down our coffee just to get started. Kids and adults alike pop their pills to make it through the day. Booze and more drugs to take the edge off at night.

Uppers. Downers. Social. Porn. News. Online. Food. TV. Gaming.

Our lives are a menagerie of addiction and distraction.

Insecurity. Worry. Anxiety. Fear. Crap thinking. Constant one-upping.

This “normal” many of us define as “happy.”

I Did

Even after a decade of searching for what I wanted in thousands of self-help books I would have told you I was happy.

Confused about life. Frustrated with my job.

Filling my head with news, fearful of where the world was headed. Worry. Insecurity. Constant thinking.

It wasn’t until this mission busted my mind and I truly, for the first time, felt deeply unhappy, I saw the light.

Looking up from the ocean floor I could see my old definition of “happy” was the waterline, but there is so much further we can soar.

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Do You Know What You Want?

Growing up we’re told we can do what we want…

Well, how many of us are doing what we want?

How many of us have the careers we want?

The business we want?

Are living the lives we truly want?

How many of us even have a grand vision for our life we’re every day advancing?

Not many. Not enough.

How many of us can even answer the most “obvious” question…

What Do You Want?

In my experience few of us even know what we want.

I’m not just talking about young people, but many later in life are still waiting to figure out what they want when they grow up.

I’m not just talking about the big questions either; the small stuff is hard enough too.

Do you stay in your job or retire? Keep working for the man or start something of your own? Get married or have a harem 🙂

No matter the question, it’s the “Structure of Choice” that keeps many of us stuck.

Question That Started This For Me

I know this all too well for it was the question that started all this for me.

For about 10 years I asked this question.

Reading thousands of books only seemed to make the question more complicated.

Goals. We know we should have them, but with crappy goal-setting advice it’s hard to even get pointed in the right direction.

Over a decade of doing this work for myself I not only answered my question but built a system for all of us to answer.

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How Can Dems Combat Trump?

Combating Trump

Since they failed to beat Trump in the election, the Dems have put in all the stops.

With a name like Democrats one might presume they believe in democracy, but all they’ve done is resist the president the country elected.

I’m not saying he’s irresistible…

There’s plenty about him that’s resist-worthy.

All I’m saying is…

If they could win an election…

Maybe if they listen to my Masterclass on Combating Trump…

We Wouldn’t Be Risking Civil War

We wouldn’t be experiencing the grotesque political games that threaten the democracy.

Maybe Mueller’s deep probe will reveal something that every Cold War movie implied but even Cohen denied…

Quick, hide from your Facebook, the Russians are coming. 🙂

Maybe dragging Trump’s lawyer in front of Congress and airing his dirties will achieve their goal of bringing him down.

It’s certainly bringing the country down, but will unlikely even stain Trump.

And, even if they did, how do they expect the half of the country that doesn’t buy the New York Times respond?

You know, the ones with all the guns…

Almost certainly Trump will go on, and then, in 2020, the Dems will get their chance to…

Lose Again

We’ve heard lots of excuses for why Hillary lost, but the only factual one is that she was beat by a better combatant.

Not being political, just factual.

Her one-eyed fans don’t want to see it.

Point out the obvious that she ran a mediocre campaign—Awful slogans. Weak messaging. Zero skills of influence—and the anti-bullying bullies bully in force.

Anyone with one eye can see Hillary could and should have won.

But like the 16 Republicans Trump thrashed, what did she learn from losing to Barack?

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Actual Solutions For More Winning

I stopped writing articles because I know we need more.

I don’t do this because I enjoy ranting about doing what you want but because it’s my mission to share the solutions I wish someone had handed me.

And over time I came to see that writing about complex topics was of little value to you and me.

We both deserve more 🙂

Actual Solutions

In the last few months I stepped back and asked how I can deliver to you the types of solutions I needed and build for my clients.

Not Articles. Doing this work for myself I never read one blog post nor newsletter, and I and still don’t…

Not podcasts. Podcasts are divertissement, some masquerading as learning. I never burn time on them, and saw even less value creating them.

I wanted to create for you actual solutions.

Which led me to the idea of real deep learning in the format of audio Masterclasses.

You’ll see three on this page—Combating Trump, What Do I Want?—and the one I’m writing about here….

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Welcome to Hell. Enjoy!

Love this from retired SEAL, Goggins.

Whatever you are going through, use it to get stronger.

In fact, seek out shit that forces you to get stronger.

Steel is forged, hardened, by heat and being beaten against an anvil.

To become your greatest get yourself an anvil…

Word of The Day: Mettlesome

I’m no longer making time to write here, but I did make time to post this word of the day.

Whatever you want.

Whatever you are doing.

Bring more mettlesome.

You’ve got this!

It’s The Most Important Skill. Sharing Again

If you’d asked me 10 years ago I wouldn’t have said this…

But, over the years it’s become obvious that the most important skill in all business is…

Selling.

If you doubt it, try running a company without any revenues.

Employees. Rainmakers. Business Builders.

All of us all the time are being sold and selling.

To win as an employee, at the least you must be good at selling yourself inside your firm.

In most jobs, it’s the most important thing to driving your business too.

If you’re a business builder, your job is selling employees, customers, vendors, everyone…

Yet, because many of us think we already know what selling is, few people train.

e.g. What leads someone to buy? Smart-sounding ideas is the norm, but none of us buy logic. Need a new iPhone already?

e.g. How specifically do you clear an objection? Mitigating factors and counter-arguments are the tried and true approach for amateurs but pros play differently.

This 65 page research report on capital raising is selling in a specific context, but the method fits all contexts.

We were told some of you had trouble downloading the report, so we put it here where you can access it directly.

I Find It Kindof Funny… I Find It Hard To Take

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow

Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy birthday, happy birthday
Made to feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what’s my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me

Capital Raise Like a Pro

There are a handful of things that even many highly successful people are fearful about and amateur at doing.

Public speaking is often talked about, but one that haunts us daily is our fear of selling.

All day every day we’re “selling” ourselves and our ideas, but even many who sell for a living lack the skills they need to do it well, let alone confidently.

Fearful being “salesy.” Fearful asking for the order. Fearful hearing no. Fearful being rejected. Fearful facing objections…

Ignorance Ain’t Bliss

Perhaps in some contexts ignorance makes your life better but not when it comes to the most important skills of success.

Competence equals confidence, and at selling, many of us lack both.

Even many who have selling on their business card haven’t developed the skills they need to do it confidently, let alone excellently.

Then there are people like many investment bankers who live in denial that their job is selling, so few ever learn the skills they need to succeed. (hence, nearly all fail to become rainmakers, wondering why)

Capital raisers have the same problem, where all day every day investment managers run around meeting potential investors “trying” to sell them on their fund.

They’re smart people. Highly successful. Professionals at investing.

But few approach capital raising the same way.

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“Where Are You From Zero To Hells Yeah?”

I asked my friend.

“About a 6.”

We agreed to do some work.

Every minute we can choose whether we settle for something less or bring the…

Hells Yeah

He is a happy enthusiastic fellow building a great business.

He wakes up energized, gets focused on great stuff, powers through his day.

He loves what he does, but it’s far from easy.

Back to back days.

Lots of responsibility. An organization to manage. Business to build.

He’s constantly stretching. It takes a toll.

Most days he feels good. Some days he feels great. Every day we want him to feel more hells yeah.

“Positive Thinking” Is A Low Bar

This fancy chart I marked up captures where I’m coming from.

The thermometer on the left is “normal” human thinking,

As I write about often, it’s not our fault, our brains and world are built with a negativity bias, so it’s easy to get stuck here.

Think positive can be an atlas-worthy goal but that’s not all we aspire to, is it?

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Really, How Do You Actually Develop Yourself?

If you’re serious about developing yourself you already know the hardest part.

You’ve gotten clear on what ways you want to transform.

You know exactly how you’re doing it.

But, damn, it can be hard to get yourself to do it, right?

How Do You Actually Do It?

A client is focused on being an “Enhanced” version of himself.

Akin to the movie Limitless, he has two ways of being.

“Regular” he walks, talks, thinks, be’s a certain way.

Regular is good, in fact, regular is very good because he’s already spent years developing himself he’s very much the man he wants to be.

But Enhanced is a level beyond.

Here he’s unstoppable. Nothing phases him. Worries him. He’s never short on confidence or belief or the will to keep creating his dream life.

Over years he’s modeled the “Enhanced Character.”

He knows exactly how he wants to be but as we discussed last night, he’s still not good enough at being it.

It’s All Good

I told him.

What he’s doing is positively herculean.

Few people ever change.

You meet them 10 years later and they are more or less the same person, walking, talking, being the same way.

Our brains are set up for consistency.

They revert back to our Regular / habituated / conditioned thoughts and behaviors, which changing can take a massive amount of personal power.

Power Isn’t Enough

Grrrrrrrr I heard the guy at the gym screaming as he was putting up a big weight.

It’s not enough. Power can only take you so far.

So too can motivation. It might get you to want to change, but really, truly making transformational change takes a lot more than desire.

Or will.

Like developing a business, it takes a disciplined approach that you put to work every day, possibly for years, decades, a lifetime.

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Serving Veterans

Grandad hunted Nazis for a living.

Hitler didn’t give him a chance to do what he wanted.

He dropped behind enemy lines to save us from a monster.

We can never repay our debts to the greatest generations, but we can do more for veterans today.

Veterans Have Lives Ahead

When I was a kid veterans were the tough old war dogs who could still make it to the annual parade.

War felt like pageantry.

I never knew Grandad, or anyone in the military. It felt like looking back to a brutal world left behind.

Today I see veterans all around, many a generation younger than me, with young families and lives ahead.

At best war leaves scars, and many veterans struggle to get their lives back on track.

Some have troubled minds. Others need guidance in getting a job, building a business, or otherwise righting the ship.

I used to want to help.

Veterans Don’t Want “Help”

No veteran I’ve met wants help.

They are strong women, and men’s men.

Warriors.

Who put their life on the line for the rest of us.

The last thing they want is “help,” but they often appreciate support in helping themselves.

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The Greatest Hidden Secret of The Mind

“Have you read Think and Grow Rich?” he asked.

“That’s a reason I’m still pissed at my parents and teachers,” he said.

Laughing out loud I asked what he meant.

When I discovered that book,” he told me “it changed my life so much that I was frustrated nobody had told me to read it sooner.”

“It’s not their fault,” I responded to this fellow I had met at a book signing, “the keys to unlocking our minds are hidden from most of us.”

No-One “Needs” Personal Development

But we all should want it.

I didn’t “need” to read Think and Grow Rich, any self-help books, any blog, or listen to any so-called experts to elevate my life from working in factories to Goldman Sachs.

“Success” was easy for me, merely a matter of working 80+ hour workweeks in high school and university.

I’m blessed with a good memory for ROTE learning and the will to work 7 days a week forever, but that’s hardly a worthy secret of success.

Sure, this approach got me to Goldman Sachs, but only a few years later asking myself “What am I doing with my life?” I wanted far better answers.

The paradigms for success that our society promotes—e.g. hard work, sacrifice—are down-right painful and mostly miserable, when anyone who explores development quickly finds better ways.

The Hidden Power Of The Mind

“Indeed thoughts are things,” is how Napoleon Hill opens his book.

The best-selling self-help book in history with over 100 million copies sold is cited, quoted, and ripped off by many so-called experts.

Although it’s implied in the title, the book isn’t about making money, but about creating a rich life through unlocking the power of your mind.

This hidden power of the mind might be the greatest secret of this game of life, and those of us who are “pro gamers” spend our lives hunting the keys.

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