Like me, you may have first seen Farrah Gray being interviewed on the television show 20/20 last week. He is an ambitious, determined, and successful young businessman (he’s just 21 years old!) I found his story and personality inspiring, and within minutes of the broadcast I had logged onto Amazon.com and ordered his book “Reallionaire.”

My mother drew a distinction between achievement and success. She said that ‘achievement is the knowledge that you have studied and worked hard and done the best that is in you. Success is being praised by others, and that’s nice, too, but not as important or satisfying. Always aim for achievement and forget about success.’

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Success is a process of planting, tending and growing. It can be discouraging to plug away at tasks that do not show any immediate results. But, if you are patient and continue to cultivate the seeds you plant, they can produce some amazing fruits.

This topic comes up because I have a great example that just happened today which illustrates the point. I want to share it with you.

It’s not hard to imagine one’s life experiences flowing like a stream. People you meet, conversations you have, flashes of insight, emotions - these things and more wash steadily past. The essence of one’s life is dispersed in this river.

You cannot hold onto a river. Grasp at it and you get nothing more than an empty wet hand that will dry soon enough. But, no matter how clear the water appears, it carries with it artifacts of where it has been. Don’t believe me? Put a rock in the stream and wait.

“Everywhere is not like here and everyone is not like these people. Whether that brings comfort or distress depends on where you are and who you are with.”

That thought occurred to me today and I liked the way it sounds, so I thought I would share it.

I’m not sure if it is original. I may have read it somewhere before. It has a lot of the same appeal as the blessing/curse, “May you live in interesting times.”

Personal  development guru, Steve Pavlina, has posted a really nice overview of the negotiating process on his software games website, www.Dexterity.com.

If you find yourself in the position of negotiating for a new job, raise, publishing contract, or anything else that is negotiable (and everything is negotiable), read this great article. Put yourself in the right frame of mind to get a fair deal!

The Go-To Guy

Imagine if there was an enormous engine that, when running, created opportunities for you. Mysteriously, you would find yourself meeting people who could help you acheive your goals. Resources would appear out of nowhere - money, supplies, office space, publicity. All the while, in the background, your engine would be chugging away making new opportunities - your Synchronicity Engine!

I’ve known for a long time now that I was different than most people. As a kid, I read the encylopedia for fun. I studied about everything, sports, science, mechanics, art, and later computers. I’ve learned to create web pages, market products, produce films and videos, remodel homes, build theater sets, write, hold efficient corporate meetings, play guitar, animate, and record and edit sound. I know why the sky is blue, how the doppler effect works, why hand addressed junkmail is more likely to be opened, why overcast days look so dull, and the most effective way to evict a tenant or fire an employee. I could go on, but I’m sure you get my point - I have a wide range of interests and knowledge.

Recently I took a car trip from New York City (my home) to Michigan (my birthplace.) For those who’ve never made the trip, it takes 10 hours if you don’t hit traffic or stop too much - and I was travelling by myself. I use to pack books-on-tape and plenty of CDs to fill the time. Last year I got a Palm Tungsten T5 that can play back MP3s in addition to all the regular PDA functions. The trick now is to pick a good selection of stuff to listen to and load it onto the T5.