The Forever Moment of NOW.
June 8, 2023
image: Oasis album cover, “Be Here Now”
We are always here. In this moment. Now. Each moment is the birth and death of a brief encounter of time. But perhaps it is time that is the myth?
Where ever we are, is actually a whenever we are. All we have is this moment, always. It’s always… RIGHT NOW.
This seems like an obvious statement, however, how often do we really enjoy the moment?
What do you do with Your Right Now’s?
It is an amazing thing to think that we are always in the forever moment of now. Unfortunately, many of us spend most of our time thinking about the past, or worrying about the future… instead of living the now. Being the Now. Right Here, Right Now.
What can we do in to ensure that the moment is spent in the best possible way. How can we maximize the moment?
Past is but a memory. It is the remembrance of moments in time. Nothing more. Only etheric synapses of the brain recalling remembered circumstances. There is nothing for us in yesterday.
“Yesterday’s got nothing for me.” - Axel Rose
I believe that is the first time that Gun’s and Rose’s have been quoted here on Cultivate Greatness. hah. But I feel compelled.
“Yesterdays” - GnR
Yesterday, there was so many things
I was never told
Now that I startin’ to learn
I feel I’m growin’ old’cause yesterday’s got nothin’ for me
Old pictures that I’ll always see
Time just fades the pages
In my book of memories
Prayers in my pocket
And no hand in destiny
I’ll keep on movin’ along
With no time to planr my feet’cause yesterday’s got nothing for me
Old pictures that I’ll always see
Some things could be better
If we’d all just let them beYesterday’s got nothin’ for me
Yesterday’s got nothin’ for me
Got nothin’ for meYesterday there were so many things
I was never shown
Suddenly this time I found
I’m on the streets and I’m all aloneYesterdays got nothin’ for me
Old pictures that I’ll always see
I ain’t got time to reminisce old noveltiesYesterday’s got nothin’ for me
Yesterday’s got nothin’ for me
Yesterday’s got nothin’ for me
Yesterday
And here as a bonus and to balance out the Guns and Roses reference… here is Noel Gallagher of Oasis playing with Coldplay. Singing “Live Forever”.
Now that you are finished reading this. Enjoy this moment… and leave a comment. 
And always remember this…
NOW is the Moment of Power
Successfully,
Travis Wright
You Have Seven Years to Learn Mandarin
June 5, 2023
So I am a former subscriber of Business 2.0, the best magazine EVAR!!1 However, the owners gave it an unceremonious end, and all subscribers got Fortune Magazine instead. Well, an article in the last issue sort of caught my attention. Since I have been learning Mandarin for the last few months, it seems that, perhaps, more people might look into it. Here is the article in its entirety. - Travis
By Geoff Colvin, senior editor at large
Back in 2001 when the International Olympic Committee chose Beijing as the site of this summer’s games, the event was meant to mark China’s debut as a player on the global economic stage. But a recent study by the economist Angus Maddison projects that China will become the world’s dominant economic superpower much sooner than expected - not in 2050, but in 2015.
While short-term investors are already cashing in on China’s growth by playing the global commodities boom, smart long-term thinkers are contemplating what happens when China matures from an exporter of cheap goods to a competitor in sectors where the U.S. is dominant - technology, brand building, finance. China has almost wiped U.S. makers of low-value items like toys and socks, but by 2015 it may threaten Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500), J.P. Morgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500), and Procter & Gamble (PG, Fortune 500). It will increasingly influence the S&P 500 and the mutual funds in our 401(k)s. So it’s worth looking at how that will happen, what it means, and what anyone can do in the seven years before the baton is passed.
Just using the exchange rate to convert China’s GDP into dollars isn’t helpful in comparing the two economies, because China controls its exchange rate; by that method, China’s economy might not pass America’s for decades. Exchange rates apply only to tradable products and services; they aren’t very useful in valuing nontradable goods in a country like China that is much poorer than the United States. So we need some way to compare the real value of China’s economic output with America’s, and economists have developed one. It is called purchasing power parity.
For example, Chinese construction workers earn a whole lot less than Americans do, yet they can still build top-quality buildings. If we used the exchange rate, the value of a new skyscraper in Shanghai would count much less toward China’s GDP than an identical building in Chicago would count toward America’s, which makes no sense. Purchasing power parity corrects the problem.
Will China take the crown?
Read more
Advice to Live By.
June 2, 2023
Everyone wishes they could go back in time knowing what they know now. Since that’s not possible, the next best thing is to listen to advice from those that already know. Here is some important advice and tips to live by. And of course, always wear sunscreen.