Tag: untagged

Quote of the Day: Lost in Thought


"The only reason some people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory."

                                                                                                            Paul Fix

Quote of the Week: Django on American Quirks


Django-Unchained-Poster-Jackson-630x1024"Calvin Candie:     Your boss looks a little green around the gills.

Django:                     He just ain't used to seein' a man ripped apart by dogs is all.

Calvin Candie:       But you are used to it?

Django:                      I'm just a little more used to Americans than he is."

 

                Written by Quentin Tarantino

                      

Communicate by the Numbers with CFOs


Check out my article in the January Communication Issue of Pragmatic Marketer.   It advises marketing professionals and product managers on ways of effective cooperation with financial functions inside their organizations:

  Communicate by the Numbers with CFOs 

You can also view the article on page 21 of the digital version of the magazine available for downloading below. 

 

Quotes of the Week: Talent and Dedication


Talent and Commitment"He who hesitates is lost"

English proverb, sometimes attributed to early 18th century poet and essayist Joseph Addison

 

" 'I can do it better than you.'

'Maybe, but unlikely.'

'Why?'

'Because a talent is first and foremost a yearning for work.  When was the last time you came to the easel?  You don't feel the need.' "  

                                                                                                  Victoria Tokareva

                                                                                            "Sentimental Journey"


Quote of the Week: Treasury Taken Out of Context


250px-The_worship_of_Mammon"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

               Sermon on the Mount

               Gospel of Matthew 6:21

The Frustrated CFO's Commentary:

I overheard someone recapping an episode of The Good Wife, in which  a lawyer in court used the reference to Matthew 6:21 with an implication that the monetary treatment (treasure) determines one's true position on a particular issue (heart).  For example, the federal government can drop hints here and there in favor of same-sex marriages, but unless social security survivor benefits will be granted to ALL spouses, not just heterosexuals, it's just an unsubstantiated liberal talk. 

I totally agree with the notion that governments and people must prove their views through actions and not just declamations.  Casual speeches make the orators feel better about themselves, but do little for the implementation of actual changes.  However, I am a stickler for accuracy and the gross misunderstanding of the quote irks me.

Whether you are a religious person or a hardcore atheist, you cannot deny that, at the very least, the Bible is an impressive anthology of collective wisdom.  That's why it's called the Book of Books.  I myself never studied the New Testament in detail, but Matthew 6:21 is a popular metaphor in financial literature.  So, I've looked into it.  What I learned was that, taken out of context, this statement was frequently misused and misinterpreted. 

It doesn't mean that the heart follows the money, or, that allocation of money indicates your heart's allegiance.  The true meaning of this quote lies in the nature of the treasure itself.  A person uses his free will to decide what his true treasure is, and it could be wealth, or popularity, or creative aspirations, or spiritual clarity, or a struggle to change the world.  But, how you define your treasure determines the location of your heart – bound to your purse, or drowned in vanity, or paralyzed by self-pity, or soaring toward unimaginable heights.