I was speaking recently in South Florida when I realized that maybe the very topic I was talking about was on greater proportions than just the audience I was speaking to. I was speaking about the idea of competition versus creativity. This topic is not new to me.  I covered it in my second book, The Alchemy of Wealth.

The whole idea of competition is that of comparison. Unfortunately, comparison doesn’t go far in solving problems or getting past upcoming challenges. We often utilize competition as a way for us to motivate individuals in an academic arena, athletics, and business. I think we inherently lose the ability to grow when we expect to provide results by competition.

Instead, I believe our world today, needs  a large dose of creativity instead of competition. Being creative instills in us a need for true strategic thought. Results by creativity are a great way for academics, athletics and business to invent new pathways in order to achieve goals. Competition only breeds comparison. Creativity sparks innovative ideas that aid in things like research, the winning of championships, and even producing a new world economy. In business, here are three ways that creativity will help you:

1. Creativity Re-Invents You. I can’t think of one individual who hasn’t been challenged by the downturn in the economy. I certainly have experienced my share of challenges and have had to be creative in my approach to things like debt, real estate, business development, sales, etc. Heather, my wife, and I have implemented a creative approach to those challenges and it has made a significant difference in handling challenges. Creativity can mean the difference between survival and thrival! Ask yourself, how could you get creative to propel yourself, or your business, past current challenges? If you don’t have that answer your mission is to find someone that does.

2. Creativity Provides More Energy to the Business Owner. Creativity is something that is unique in our universe. Although un-measured, I believe it actually creates energy, or better put, it actually gets new energy from reserves (since energy can be created or destroyed for all you science buffs). Competition is energy draining and something that most businesses see through increased expenses and reduced profits. There is no better example of creativity in business and how it benefits them financially than with companies like Google and Apple.

3. Creativity is fun. I struggled with this one somewhat. I have been competing all of my life and have had some really great moments. Through collegiate athletics, business, and life I have had some great times competing. However, it’s not until I truly think about the most fun and rewarding times in my life that I realize they happened through creating!  These include my children (no pun intended), writing books, starting businesses, and having the absolute best time of my life creating the relationship with my best friend and wife, Heather (I didn’t just do that for the brownie points:) )

The next time your stuck in business or do not know what to do to solve a problem, go into think tank mode. Create your way out, and into a new stage of prosperity. You might just find yourself among the great creators of our time.  Now that would be an accomplishment!

“Remember, wealth has nothing to do with money, success has everything to do with failure, and life is as simple as you want to make it!” – John Dessauer

I have wanted to write this particular blog for a while. I think that most entrepreneurs are interested in what things will make them successful. I have comprised my list of 3 tips for a Successful Business.

First, forget about being an expert. You need to understand that business is separate from the very thing you are an expert on. Business skills are critical to your success. Most people think that they will be a success if they just focus on what they are an expert on. Well, if that happens, typically any venture would be short lived.

Make good use of your team. While you’re at it, make sure your team is good. Set up an annual budget and stick to it. Stay out of debt as much as possible and know where your money is going and how it is coming in. Focus on your business, not what you’re an expert on (shoes, consulting, real estate, etc.).

Most of my mistakes that I have made in business, and there have been several, have been because of this principal. I did not, or the people that I had in place did not, focus on good business strategies. This is one item that I have changed in my business life, and it has made a huge difference.

Two, expect a level of difficulty that you’re not familiar with. Most people when starting a business do not expect the level of difficulty that usually comes. You must stay the course and continue to take action in working toward your goals. That is easier said than done.

When you are just starting out as an entrepreneur, you get hit with all kinds of challenges. Those challenges typically overflow into your personal life. To overcome this, you must be committed to staying the course, have balance through healthy stress relievers and stay positive through it all.

Try to eliminate all sorts of negativity in your life and you will notice that your challenges dissipate quicker. Your stay at the level of difficulty is up to you. Remember, what doesn’t kill you makes you and your business stronger!

Finally, Make what you do enjoying and fun.  If you don’t enjoy what you do QUIT NOW. Life is too short to not enjoy what your doing. Life is a gift, why destroy the opportunity to be happy by enslaving yourself to a routine that makes you miserable.

That last paragraph is something that stops most people from being happy. It’s not that you can’t be happy, it’s that you won’t be happy! And that my friends, is the scoop to success not only in business, but also in life!

“Wealth has nothing to do with money, success has everything to do with failure, and life is as simple as you make it”! – John Dessauer

They were brought up in a country very different than mine. But was it really that different? As I shared with them the idea of tornado drills we had as a kid, they shared with me the idea of the preparations they had with regard to nuclear bombing.

I explained the idea of fallout shelters and the hope that if the Russians had bombed us, we could somehow survive underground until it was safe to go out. The Russian government had propagated that we were “evil” because of capitalism.  I explained that there was a fear that because the Russians were “evil” we would be wiped out by them. We had one caveat however. We could launch just enough bombs to annihilate them. As we were discussing this absurd idea, Oksana was making a chicken dinner.

When you are eating chicken, it is most efficient to eat it with your hands. It was there as we were all eating with our hands and doing the almost barbaric things that you do when you eat chicken (the techniques and noises that you create as you are getting all of the meat off the bone) with your hands, I realized an important thing. We are the same.

How could that be? Here in America we were given information that our ideals as a country and a people were so different. Over two decades after the cold war officially ended, people still carry some curiosity of Russia regarding their people, governments, and beliefs. Well, one of the shocks for most people after meeting Russians or anyone else for that matter is that we are more alike than we are different. That realization comes with tolerance and perspective.

Tolerance and perspective as we grow older seem to be traits that we lack in two things: government and everyday people. Tolerance is the art of accepting people for who and what they are. Understanding our differences is the art of applying diversity that we all possess as humans, in order to solve the worlds problems. Perspective is looking through the eyes of that diversity and understanding that those differences usually highlight our similarities. We do not do that enough.

I hope that as we continue to make strides in business, healthcare and world hunger we not only identify our differences, but our similarities. As we discover news ways to treat some of our most troubling diseases, such as Cancer, we know that we are treating human kind and not just one particular group of people.
In addition, we need to keep these ideas in mind when we are considering race, National origin, religion, and/or sexual orientation, among others. I see us continuing to not use tolerance and perspective when considering groups of people.

Remember that as you are creating your new plans for business or your career. It probably goes against the grain of what many people think about to use tolerance and perspective, however, it may be the best tool you can you to create a business that thrives. A path less traveled that will bring you different results!

As dinner was ending, I had mentioned to Gary (Igor), Oksana’s husband, that I had a birthday coming up. He mentioned he did to. We found out that we were born on the same day and the same year. The only difference: Gary in Russia and me in the United States. I knew I had to write this blog.

Remember, “wealth has nothing to do with money, success has everything to with failure and life is as simple as you make it!” – John Dessauer

“Remember, wealth has nothing to do with money, success has everything to do with failure and life is as simple as you want to make it.” – John Dessauer

A few weeks ago John and I had the pleasure of traveling to Phoenix, Arizona for work.  While we were only there for about 5 days, upon my return home I realized that it had become Fall.  The leaves had not only changed, but had also started to fall off of their branches.  The smell of Barbeques and sun tan lotion was now replaced by that “Fall” smell (everyone in the Midwest, or East knows what I’m referring to.  If you haven’t ever smelled “Fall”, it should be bottled and sold!).  Now it’s very possible that this change had been happening for weeks before I left, but sometimes when we remove ourselves from a situation, everything becomes more evident!

I was born and raised in NW Indiana, and although in my early 20’s I saw that as a curse, I now understand the blessing of growing up here.  The ability to enjoy the four seasons is a real pleasure.  When I was younger it meant being able to swim in a pool or lake, and a few weeks later to be jumping into piles of leaves.  It wasn’t a few weeks difference that we (my brother and I) were sledding down hills and having snowball fights (mostly my dear brother throwing snow in my face!).   When I was young, the season change meant I better find a new way to keep myself amused!  As I have gotten older, it means so much more.

I lost my Father on November 8, 2004.  I was 24 years old.  For about two months my life came to a screeching halt.  When you lose someone that is such an integral part of your life, nothing is ever the same.  This was the first year that I didn’t enjoy Fall.  I didn’t enjoy the leaves changing colors.  I couldn’t see the beauty in the first snowfall.  It was, by far, the worst couple of months of my life.  Although by the age of 24 most people feel that you should “have it together”, I did not.  Losing my Dad made me realize that I better get it together, and start getting some things done!  One of the lessons I learned very quickly was how valuable life is and how fast it can be taken away from you.   Floating along taking things for granted and waiting for things to happen was no longer going to be acceptable.   It was from then on that the seasons took on a different meaning for me, and so did life.

John and I have the pleasure to travel all over the world and meet all sorts of incredible people.  I absolutely love to meet new people, and talk to them about what they enjoy.  I am often saddened to hear about what makes my new acquaintances happy.  I hear a lot about material purchases, or new business ventures.  I don’t hear nearly enough about how they have found “success” in having a happy family, or a providing a loving home.  So many people are so consumed with keeping up with their neighbors, or just surviving, that they don’t take the time to sit back and realize everything that is important is already right in front of them.  I do understand that everyone finds pleasure different ways, but in my opinion there is nothing more important than family and love .

So from 24 on, my life changed.  Now, I love deeper, appreciate more, and work harder.  I realize that any day could be my last.  I work harder for what I want, and don’t take for granted what I have.  I forgive more, and forget less.  I love my family so intensely that I truly don’t know how I could breathe without them.  I never go to bed mad.  I never, ever, ever say the word hate (my Dad raised us that it was far too intense of a word to use for anything, saying “hate” in my house was as good as cussing).  I am thankful for every person that is in my life.  I donate to every animal shelter I can.  I’m always willing to help someone, no matter what that entails.  I embrace the simple pleasures of life.

So as the season changes again, I want you to look at this as a new beginning, both personally and professionally.  Let this be a new start for you to spend more time with your kids, or proceed with your new business venture.  This can be a time for you to “start fresh”.   Take a different road, or even a different turn.  Forgive yourself for mistakes made, and find solutions instead of problems going forward.  Appreciate all that you have, and understand how valuable it all is.  What are you thankful for?

My answer? They need to fail. I have become a master at failing. As a society, we put so much pressure on becoming successful, most people think it is born out of the seeds of small victories. It’s not. It’s born out of devastating life events that bring you to the brink of total collapse.

Pushing the human body and mind to the outer limits of experience creates strength. Think about that statement. Are you operating within an environment in which you are playing it safe? Have you ever said; failure is not an option? If so, you may want to re-evaluate.

People have achieved more after failure and devastation than most people that have never had major life challenges. The strength that develops after devastation are the ingredients for success. Take these stats for instance:

1.    More Millionaires were created out of the strife of The Great Depression. (Are you  pumped up about the current economic woes or complaining about them?)

2.    Lance Armstrong went on to win 7 Tour De France’s after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, including testicular and brain cancer. He simply willed himself to be a Champion after devastation. I have a feeling it changed his Health, once his mindset changed. (My second book, The Alchemy of Wealth talks about changing the Mind to change your physical world.)

3.    It is estimated that Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times in creating the light bulb, before he became successful.

My point is I want you to accept failure as fuel. That’s right, I said fuel. Most people think of failure as the end of the road. I want you to look at failure as a chance to get off the road, and create your own path. It’s the part of life that keeps us energized. Not knowing exactly what your plan is makes for a life of adventure.

Are you ready for an adventure or do you like the status quo? If you like the status quo, you will probably be afraid to fail. I have failed so many times in my life. That’s actually why you should listen to me(read middle of page). I have succeeded in failure and I have been blessed with a truly wonderful life.

Success is a measurable item. It’s not measured by the amount of material goods that we have, but rather the everyday feelings that we experience, both good and bad. Our society would rather have you be judged by what you wear, or drive, or live in, to measure success. It also rejects the benefits of failure. I say you reject what society has put together for you and you create your own destiny (or someone else will). For you to be successful you have to embrace the failures and re-define your journey and how it’s measured. When that’s your path, you’re already successful. Congratulations you loser!

“Remember, wealth has nothing to do with money, success has everything to do with failure, and life is as simple as you want to make it!” – John Dessauer

I’m not saying that no one has ever made money on single-family house investing as a strategy. I’m saying historically, that is not what the single-family house was created for. It was created for families to live in, not to invest in. But that mentality has changed recently.

Over the last 20 years, the single family home has become the most popular investment of choice. This applies to people living in the house, and people that may never live in the house and just use it for an investment vehicle. This caused an overabundance of demand for the product. Demand is one of two major ingredients for any boom market. The other major ingredient was supply.

You would see all kinds of construction from single-family homes to condominium projects during the boom. That continued to fester into condo conversion products to my own creation of a Divide and Conquer concept, where you take a commercial property and turn it into a residential product by re-surveying the property.

Whenever we experience a boom and then a bust in any market, it’s like a hangover the morning after a party. You end up saying, “Why did I do that”? It’s the same thing with the real estate bust. We had a great party, things got out of hand, and now we must heal our aching head and get back to some type of normalcy.

There are a lot of American’s that feel like they are still at the party. Not realizing that the party has come and gone. The clean-up time is here and nobody wants to clean up. American’s feel like we should bring more beer to the party or start up the music again.

The problem is, there is no more beer and no more music. Our inventory outpaces our demand. To straighten out the housing problem in America I think we need to do several things, including:

1)The government must let the process work its way through the system. The definition of capitalism in a free-market system is that which works without government intervention. The sooner this happens, the sooner the market heals itself.

2) American’s must realize that single-family houses are historically not good investments. Single-family houses up to a four-unit building are not geared as an investment; they are geared to live in. The comparative sales approach proves that these assets are based on current market sales, rather than financial performance of capitalizing the income stream, as in commercial assets.

3) Stop adding to the supply.  Buy existing inventory. You cannot build a house today for what you can buy an existing one for. In many markets, the cost to re-construct a house is more than what you can buy an existing home.

4) American’s must change the idea of their home being an ATM machine.
We have a chronic debt problem in this country. The problem encompasses the Federal Government, personal and consumer debt. We have to move away from this idea. To do this, I believe, we need a major culture change. This would include how we view things like instant gratification and what we consider valuable.

5) Individually, we must make things happen for ourselves. The excerpt    below is from an interview the Billionaire Sam Zell did with Forbes Magazine. I thought it was appropriate. (In Sam Zell’s words)

“I’ll tell you a story that I think is probably the most significant advice that I give young entrepreneurs. It’s the story about a Jewish man who lived in New York who started an appliance store in Brooklyn. [He was] very successful, very observant. He went to the synagogue every week, and life went on.

One day he went to the synagogue, and after he finished his regular praying, he reached out to God and said, ‘God, I’ve never asked you for anything, I’ve always been traditional, I’ve always been observant, but I’ve really got a problem. And the problem is that the neighborhood is changing, the business is tanking, and God, I need to win the lottery.’

The next morning he gets up, checks the newspaper and he didn’t win. So the following Saturday he gets up, goes to the synagogue again and now business is worse. He’s really getting worried again. He finishes regular prayers, reaches out to God again and says the whole bit: ‘Business is worse, the creditors are calling every hour instead of once a week … I need to win the lottery, please. I’ve never asked you for anything.’

The next morning he gets up, looks at the newspaper… he didn’t win. So now it’s the third Saturday and now as he finishes his regular prayers he’s on his knees and he’s crying and [his business is] entering Chapter 11 proceedings. And he says ‘God, I’ve got to win the lottery.’ And at that point, from up high, comes a voice — and it’s the voice of God — and He says ‘Moishe, you’ve got to buy a ticket!’

I literally had a young entrepreneur in here ten days ago and I told him this story. And I said: ‘You’ve got to find a direction, you’ve got to find where you can excel. [...] What’s your skill set, how do you react to things, and how do you identify an opinion, a view?’

So I told him this story and he sent me a thank you note and stapled to that thank you note was a lottery ticket. We checked, but I didn’t win.” – Sam Zell

“Remember, wealth has nothing to do with money, success has everything to do with failure, and life is as simple as you want to make it!” – John Dessauer

Please try this exercise. Take three things in three different categories, for instance:

1. Three people you like to hang out with. (Excluding family)

2. Three things you really enjoy. (Excluding family, computer, etc.)

3. Three places you love to be.

This exercise is tougher than you think. Sometimes getting a list simplified of things that you really enjoy becomes muted by the popularity of technology. Cell phones, email, texting, etc., makes life a little bit less defined then before. We lose something in translation as to the purity of enjoyment, with technology today. Here is my list of three:

People  (you want to have conversation with)

Ray Shovlain (College Basketball Coach/Business Professor) – Ray was my college basketball coach. He is still coaching at the University. He is also a Professor in the Business Department. Ray not only excels as a coach on the floor, but also as a Professor in the classroom.  Ray is a conversationalist; you can sit for hours with him and talk about college athletics, politics, life, among many other things!

John Childers (Professional Speaker/Mentor) – When I first got involved in real estate investing and professional speaking, I was introduced to this man. He is a great guy.  When you speak with him, you get lost in his creativeness. Primarily we talk about the speaking industry and creative real estate deals.

Todd Ritsema (Childhood Friend) – I have known this person for probably 39 years. We recently attended our 25^th high school reunion. It is very cool to connect with people that have been a part of your past for so long. We usually discuss everything from our youth, to cigars and life.

Things (that you could live without, but wouldn’t want to)

Cigars – I have been smoking cigars for the better part of 20 years. I have narrowed my smoke down to one particular brand. The CAO Brazilla Amazon. Its not so much the type of smoke, but the camaraderie and peaceful time it produces. Whether enjoying a smoke with friends, or enjoying the tranquility that it produces alone, I couldn’t imagine my world without them.

Jazz – My love for jazz has grown since I graduated from college.   I have some favorites that have made a distinct impact on my love for the music. First, Miles Davis. His album, Kind of Blue, has defined me as a lover of Jazz Music. I also love John Coltrain. I can’t think of any other musician that inspires emotion like Mr. Coltrain does with his saxophone. Finally, I would have to say Rosemary Clooney. This classic voice and “old school” style always makes me want to listen longer.

Books – I love to read. Today, my library is condensed down to my iPad. My most recent stint of books has been about pirates. Reading a book is like watching a movie in your mind. Of course, no library would be complete without Real Estate H2O and The Alchemy of Wealth. J

Places (three days or a lifetime)

Chicago, Illinois – Call me bias by growing up there, but in all my travels, I have yet to find a city that compares to its cleanliness, diversity, and excitement. Three other things I love about Chicago are its architecture, museums, and sports scene.

Key West, Florida – This is really my second home. One of the things I like best about Key West is the food scene. Some of my favorite places are:  Blue Heaven, Louie’s Backyard, and the gas station at White and United for a late night snack of Dion’s Fried ChickenJ.

Anywhere – This may seem a little “cheesy”. But I could be anywhere as long as I am with my wife, Heather. We always seem to have a great time wherever we are. We will be traveling quite a bit shortly and have been looking at it as “a great adventure”.  I can’t wait! I believe you should make everywhere an interesting place.  With her I can spend three days or a lifetime, anywhere…

If you find yourself, down, or in poor spirits, get back to the things you enjoy. It will immediately submerse you in the familiar, the comfortable and the calm. Use it as a re-charging of the batteries. You never know, you might find that enjoyment is really not that far away in life.

“Remember, wealth has nothing to do with money, success has everything to do with failure, and life is as simple as you want to make it!” – John Dessauer

There are several things interesting about that activity. First, you get to see how people would actually use the money. Second, you actually use an exercise that I practice called “borrowed experience” which I will discuss further.

I have always been fascinated about how people spend their money. I have certainly spent money in good ways and bad ways. People often spend money in ways that will gain them pleasure or avoid pain.

They may buy a new car. But the reason that they buy the car isn’t so much that they need the car, it has more to do with the way the car makes them feel, or how they think people will perceive them inside the car. I have been a victim of both of those things, unfortunately. A car really is just an item to get you from point A to point B. I have learned the lesson that “things don’t make you feel better, people and experiences do.“

I have a friend that at the age of 25 won the Powerball lottery. He won 36 million dollars and in two years he blew through the whole thing! What a two years it must have been! I wonder what he spent the money on to gain pleasure or avoid pain?

Anyway, as I thought about what I would spend the money on I tried to keep my thoughts on people and experiences rather than material items. I realized that the money not only goes a lot further, but it is quality well spent. I have a saying that I use a lot, “tourists come home with trinkets and t-shirts, and adventurers come home with friends and stories!”

The second thing that I thought about when we were discussing our possible lottery winning was an exercise that I use called “borrowed experience”. Borrowed experience is when you put your mind in the actual experience of what you want, without actually having it.

If you read my second book, The Alchemy of Wealth, you know that I talk a lot about this technique.  It is the science of the intellectual and physical connection that we know very little about. It is really the notion behind some other great books in history such as Wallace Wattles, The Science of Getting Rich (1910) and Earl Nightingale’s, The Strangest Secret! (1957)

For instance, if you want a certain type of car, but it is out of your price range you could use borrowed experience. Instead of actually buying the car, you test drive the car or better yet, rent the car for a couple of days. Whatever you were looking to get out of the car, which in this case, would probably be pleasure, gets fulfilled.

You can use the same thing with the lottery. Actually most people do it already. When lotteries get to a massive level, like this week’s Powerball, people use borrowed experience and may not even know it. As the drawing for the lottery becomes closer, people often put themselves in the mindful positioning of already winning the lottery.

People, in their minds are already spending the money. They are already seeing themselves with the possessions the lottery winnings would provide. Again, I would recommend people and experiences, over material things. This visualization or borrowed experience practice is invaluable in business and in life. Visualization is used in meditation, athletics, strategic thinking, and many other areas.

So the next time people ask you what you have been up to, let them know that you won the lottery! It will be a great conversation, but you may have to buy them dinner! Good luck!

“Remember, wealth has nothing to do with money, success has everything to do with failure and life is as simple as you want to make it!” – Johnny D.

When John acknowledged my passion for writing, and asked if I would like to do a guest blog, I jumped at the chance.  I have always thought that this was such an amazing platform to share thoughts.  Most importantly, if you know John, you know that he doesn’t share the spotlight often, so I couldn’t pass it up!

As I have progressed in years (or aged as some of you would like to call it) there has always been one constant in my life.  CHANGE.  I didn’t put much thought into it when I was younger.  My grades changed, the weather changed, my playmates changed, seasons changed.  I always just went with the flow.  I adapted to whatever was different, made the best of it, and moved on.  It seemed so natural then, that I never put any thought into how much things changed, or how I handled it so seamlessly.

I suppose this all changed as I got older, and life became more difficult (or as I made life more difficult).  Change to me, began to mean problem.  Just the thought another adaptation made my head spin.  My palms would sweat, my heart would race, I immediately began to think of the “what ifs” and always set myself up for the worst.  Well I think you know what happens when you set yourself up for the worst…the worst happens!  After about 7 years of this torture, I grabbed life by the “you know where” and made a decision.  I decided that I was going to make every change in my life positive!  No matter how drastic, dramatic or life changing it was.

The best changes are the ones that you make consciously.  When you do this, you gain control of your life!  If you have read John’s previous blog (and my favorite) titled “33” you learned about our conscious decision to simplify, both personally and professionally.  Anytime you can change for the better it is positive for your health.  The most recent, and best, change that I made was to become a vegetarian.  This began from a set of personal challenges that John and I chose to do (read about it here).  It just so happened that I felt better, healthier, and had more energy, so I stuck with it!  John on the other hand, has found out just how deep his affection is for meat products, so he continues to be a carnivore.

This lesson about change in your life applies the same for business.  In a very short period of two years, John and I have experienced more change (in our business life) than I could write about.  We’ve put weeks of thought and planning into a new idea, only to have it fall apart.  We’ve started new ventures, only to have them not work out.  We’ve made plans for our future, only to have to alter them completely.  We’ve never looked at these changes as failure, instead; we find the positive and move on.  You see, the only one in control of your life is YOU!   It’s up to YOU to make the appropriate changes in your life to create happiness.  It is how YOU overcome obstacles that will define your life. Don’t become a victim of your circumstances and the changes around you!  Change your circumstance, so that you may be in control!

The best thing to do when you are going through a hard period of change is to concentrate on the constant!  Instead of dwelling on the challenges, the obstacles, the hardships, focus your energy on your “rocks” (family, friends, health).  I always refocus my energy on my amazing husband, and my incredible family and friends.   My favorite two sayings are, “it could always be worse” and “it is what it its”.  Are these incredibly annoying to hear when you are suffering through a life changing experience? Yes!  Are the both true?  Heck yes!  Although it’s natural to want to throw yourself a little pity party now and then, just remember it is always a party of one, which surely isn’t going to be much fun!

Remember that everything really does happen for a reason.  Learn to adapt.  Learn to appreciate what you have.  Learn to make the best out of any situation.  Learn to make changes happen, not be changed by circumstance.  I will close my blog with a quote from the smartest man I know. “Remember, wealth has nothing to do with money, success has everything to do with failure, and life is as simple as you want to make it.” – John Dessauer