Peter Pays Paul

While watching television last night I came upon an interview with Ron Perelman on CNBC. Donny Deutsch was interviewing the CEO of MacAndrews & Forbes with the title “Blueprint to Billions” on the lower half of the screen and it caught my attention. “Ah, maybe I can glean some wisdom”, the eager student thought.

Perelman had two points that were salient. His first point was: Do not choose a career for the money, choose it because you love it. He said if you love what you do the money will follow.

This point is easily comprehensible, because passion will drive you to take initiative and motivate you to work hard.

His second point was the less obvious, but more poignant. He was talking about decisions and decision making. He said that in order to succeed a person must make decisions, because even though you may not have chosen, a decision is made. He continued to say that you might as well take part in the decision.

I may not have understood what he was saying if I had not read a book titled Manly Dominion. The book spoke about the passive tendency of many people, especially in men. The author argues that many men choose not to choose, and thus act passively towards life and life just “happens” to them.

The sad part of this is that life did not “happen” to them. The choices not made, shaped their life. They chose not to decide, and did not act to negate the forces at work in their life.

They chose to delay fixing the leak, and things were destroyed. They failed to submit their application to their dream job, and were not hired. They neglected to set aside time for their family and wonder why they spend their golden years alone. They couldn’t decide what to invest in, so they delayed investing.

What decisions are you delaying? What forces should you be combating that are acting against you? Is it your health? You do not stay healthy and strong by accident. Or is it your finances? Money does not magically appear in a savings or retirement account, it requires discipline and a budget. Are you taking care of your home? It will fall into disrepair if you leave it alone.

What are your goals and dreams? What steps are you taking to get you there?

How do you envision your retirement or future? What investment steps are necessary to have the future you imagine? What decisions did you make and actions did you take today that will shape the outcome?

Don’t allow your future to “happen” to you. Make choices, decide the course your life will take. Make a decision today that will help you achieve your future. Get a professional on your side that can assist you and direct your steps. Don’t not make decisions. Play an active role in your future.

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