So what type of Debt do you plan to be in?

So you may be in Debt... a lot, so how does that make you feel? Now really... who are you kidding? Well don't let the media get you down... even though you believe they have the potential to make you happy, she or he can be a manipulative little fiend. However, that is only if you choose to let it. In todays technology we have sustainable remote control televisions to disable the messages that are likely to harm us. In the earlier part of our technological revolutions, people resorted to Bricks and other heavy objects to show their displeasure for the content that appeared on TV. Many early owners hurled 1-2 pound objects at their televisions, in order to permanently disable them. Some may think that is not a sustainable practice, however if you look at the upside by not having a television, there are possibilities. Others actually choose to get of their couches and turn the appropriate dial to the "off" position. From time to time the TV Mind readers would catch us and say... don't touch that dial!

Well the point is... the medium may unintentionally influence the message. However content is King, but it is always good to know what type of Queen... that King has to please. Its good to be aware, lets say you may now have the opportunity for knowledge.

So back to the question, what type of debt are you in and what was really your intention. Forget what the banks and lenders think for a moment. We need a holistic approach to this Debt thing. Have we decided what type of debt we are in. Well Financial seems like it is the most fashionable and easiest for the moment, we get the bills all the time. But what about other forms of debt do you plan to get into, just like financial debt, all the other forms can be healthy and dangerous to your health.

According to the book "How to Get Into Debt" which is part of the Self Hurt Series

There are many forms of debt, Moral, Interpersonal, Intellectual and Even Oxygen. Its just a matter of living within your means. The question is what value do you put on the assets acquired through the various debt instruments. And what was your true intention in the first place, because regardless of what your intention is, your true legacy will be defined by what others perceive, once your gone you no longer have any control over that.

How do you seek the TRUTH?

For those of you who have children, interact with them and are inspired how they seek the truth, you may understand the below. For those that don't, I would be interested in your response and what your perspective is after reading this?

I have come to accept that I have a mind of about a 11 or 12 year old. Why would I say that, one would think. We'll at least at that age I am smarter than a fifth grader... I would hope:)

My thinking is at that age I was at a crossroads, most have likely have just finished elementary school and are questioning what is next. Upon reflection, I did not feel at that age I was prepared for the next step, it did not damage me, but likely did hold me back. I now have different observations. How some of my classmates dealt with this issue is different. Some were equipped to take this on and they had a quiet confidence, some shut down, some were totally oblivious, you can see in retrospect their ignorance was bliss, how did they turn out?

I know who they are, its unfortunate not all of them made it.

What is consistent is the question? What am I doing to SEEK the TRUTH? Do I Seek the truth before it DESTROYS me FIRST?

The GOOD NEWS is that you have full control of how you seek it!

A BILLION Dollar Golf Course?

Donald Trump has plans to build a BILLION Dollar Golf Resort? And naturally anything associated with Donald Trump will have some controversy, everyone who has an established perspective will naturally have to respond in their best interests... WIIFM

Basically is comes down to, what is the return on the Billion Dollar hard cash investment, combined with any sacrifies the most affected stakeholders receive in return. That is for each to decide, as it is a combination of economic return and the present value of all attainable pleasure one can derive from their own sacrifice and psychological investment. Each stakeholder is different and if they are all maximizers, then it is up to the UNIVERSE to decide where it will go, if you believe in the law of attraction? Now the trick is; who has the ear of the UNIVERSE?

Make your own assessment, based on fact, where ever you are, the Universe is likely listening.

What is the value you put on pleasure?

David Suzuki recently posed the question; How much is a tomato worth?. The excercize was a comparison between purchasing a tomato and growing one yourself. The premise is that most people do not attribute a value to things that they desire, nor the impact on the environment or the community for that matter.

A domain that is of particular relevance is Volunteering. As an entrepreneur with a niche in the Charity fund raising realm, i am given the opportunity to volunteer my time or donate product to various causes on countless occasions. I feel that I am genuine and giving, however with 5,000 charities in Vancouver alone, it can be quite overwhelming and at times downright insulting what they offer in exchange. Aww c'mon its for Charity.. what's wrong with you, I have been told. I don't really want to disappoint and by not saying no in the past it has come to bite me in the ass on more than one occasion. You likely know the routine, over committed and under deliver, sorry more than once bitten... and I'm not shy... its worse. So the question comes down to how do you say no... politely? As an entrepreneur, you know that you juggle two perspectives, your personal and your business. From a business perspective there are other stakeholders and interests to balance, which can be a delicate subject. From a personal perspective, only you know what you really want, how that translates into where you put your love can be complex, but doesn't have to be.

so, It comes down to what your passions are, what motivates you, how are you defined? A company also has its destiny and stakeholders. By being more self aware will help give you the freedom to focus first on what is important, prioritize what you can realistically do and what associations you align with. Some people have been known to take different approaches, committing to one charity for a number of years and go very deep, or distribute evenly amongst a number throughout the year.

However at the end of the day it is about legacy. What drives people to build their legacy is complex, it can be what is relevant to them today or something they didn't have in the past or a defining moment in their life. A good test is to think of yourself at your own funeral, how would you want to be remembered? Base your assessment in the present tense, meaning what has defined you today. What things would you like to change, how can you help people based on the life experiences you have had up until this point? When determining the Charity you want to support, set objectives for your commitment, they should be; SMART, Simple, Measureable, Realistic and Time Specific. Most importantly place a value on your time, similar to an opportunity cost, think of your next best alternative, by being honest with yourself. Place a premium on your time not spend with family and friends, ensure that the Charity you are working with knows what you can offer, in terms of skills, ideas, connections and contacts. They should be matching something to your skill, otherwise you have allowed them to devalue your time. Even the perception of a menial task may be of value to a busy executive that want a release from the complex business world. Sometimes even the completion of a basic task is healing in itself.

In the end, like golf, commit to the shot and execute but most importantly, have fun, its a part of the game of life, which is something we should value every day. Because you never really know when the game ends.

G

If I had a Million Dollars...

QUESTION #1 What would you do?







QUESTION # 2 How do YOU plan to make a MILLION Dollars?

We would like to know!

Sea to Sky Golf Company launches Social Responsibility Initiative
"Sea to Sky MILLION Dollar Golf Drive to support Charities, Non-Profits and Social Ventures for 2007/2008"

VANCOUVER BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA. – The Sea to Sky Golf Company is proud to announce an initiative aimed at raising ONE MILLION incremental dollars for community groups. Coined the “Sea to Sky MILLION Dollar Golf Drive”, this campaign focuses our core ability to assist groups in exceeding fundraising objectives.

Americans are loony over Loonies?

Utility workers in a pair of Quebec-Vermont border towns have asked to be paid in Canadian dollars instead of American dollars, thanks to the soaring value of the loonie.

The neighbouring towns of Stanstead, Que., and Derby Line, Vt., share water and sewage systems which are run by a team of 15 American and Canadian employees who had been paid in U.S. dollars because they were worth more.

more here from cbc

Charles Barkley Swing Mystery

Conspiracy theory has been a fad lately and to not miss out on this opportunity, we have decided to investigate our own. For a number of years Charles Barkley has been crowned the unofficial titleholder of the worst swing in golf. However questions must be asked? If there is a conspiracy theory here, what are the motivations and who are the unsuspecting victims in this regard.

My Theory is this:

Since Charles' retirement from basketball, he has not been able to fund his insatiable appetite for golf. In an attempt to feed this addiction and knowing full well of the limited pension he receives from the game of basketball, he needed another strategy. By creating a violent hitch in his swing he preyed on the unsuspecting heart strings of Golf professionals throughout the heart land of America, in order to get free lessons and driving range tokens. His network of friends and celebrities also invited him unknowingly in an act of sympathy to charity Fundraiser Tournaments throughout America.

But does he really have a bad swing? If you refer to the string of videos and pay particular attention to the NBA prank video. He seems to have a fluid Tiger-like stroke! You view, you decide... I only pose the questions?

Below is a sample.




THE REST OF THE EVIDENCE IS HERE

Is there an ROI for CSR?

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the buzzword these days it seems. Al Gore wins an Oscar and now recently a nobel prize, there is still uncertainty in the middle east, we have North Korea, Burma etc... In Vancouver, in particular we also have the visible effects of global warming affecting our glaciers and weather systems. There is lots to fear, and it seems in times of crisis we cling to home, similar to a small child hanging on to Mom's leg when a stranger is at the door. It is now mainstream thinking to have a social responsibility angle to your enterprise, customers are demanding it, its fashionable. In Vancouver, there are almost 5,000 charities all holding functions and events to sustain their initiatives. It is a battle for sponsorship dollars, as well as for people's disposable income and leisure time. As a Charity what are you doing to differentiate yourselves from all the other social causes available? In addition, if you are a corporate donator, what value are you getting from your charitable relationship and how do you turn away such deserving charities.

From a corporate perspective, identifying your corporate values, your mission and the causes important to your clients and stakeholders should define the type of charity you should align with. There may not be a perfect fit so selecting a few worthy causes may be an option to you. Like a business partnership, does the charity have strong leadership, have they proven success or endured challenges? Does the charity have a vision and if so how would your company align to that? Where is the social cause in the evolution of their operation, are they start-up, do they have a large and mature donor base. What can your company do to leverage the charitable strengths for mutual benefit.

As a Charity what are you doing to understand your key supporters concerns. Is there business value in your assets? Can you provide more than a good story, can you truly help your client. The competition is fierce for charitable giving, in Vancouver with the Olympics on the horizon the battle for people's time will be the rise. Access to quality resources and volunteers is on everyone's mind, corporate and charitable. The economic reality driven by perception of the cost of living is also putting some added pressure on disposable income.

The other dynamic that the Olympics is bringing is corporate level ROI measurement systems. Olympic level sponsors pay a lot of money for sponsorship and they want to ensure that they get their return on investment. Professional Corporate Hospitality Companies such as SportsMark help Olympic Sponsors find the return based on a structured system. Their system is scalable and is raising the standards for Event Sponsorship and Management.

From a golf perspective the Golf Tournament Association of America is creating a link between the industry, charity and the community. As a golf event planner it is in our self interest, of course to be aware of the outside forces and provide an avenue for all the stakeholders in the process to be educated about how to create the greatest return for corporate dollars.

So what to do? Evaluate your projects with corporate metric systems? How many dollars raised per golfer, per sponsor, per committee member. In your planning process, set specific objectives of what you want to achieve, set milestones that lead into that and track if you are heading in that direction. If you don't feel it is, then don't be afraid to pull the plug, your stakeholders will thank you for not entering into a battle where the victory is not clear, it will only hurt you in the long run. The good news is you have control, how you engage this is up to you and the resources available to you, sometimes there are DIAMONDS in the ROUGH.

gg

So why do I want to golf with a Dog?

I say why not? Mark Twain was once quoted... "Golf is a good walk spoiled". Now I thought if he had his or a Dog with him, would he have been quoted differently. I don't know if he is a Dog lover or not, in any event it got me thinking.

So what is so strange about golfing with your Dog I thought to myself. I like walking, I like Golf and I like my Dog, so why can't I combine all three... its a multi-tasking thing.

The concept was created about a year ago, I called a lot of Golf Courses within Vancouver, most were respectful... it spawned some interesting responses

"You want to do what?"
"Uhhh no not a chance?"
"What if Dogs poo?"
"I like Cats"
"How do you Golf with a Dog?"

In any event last July 19th we held the first Dog Leg Golf event, at Eaglequest Coquitlam. The week prior it was 90 Degrees, and then on the golf day it was a downpour. However the skies cleared and a small but enthusiastic group of golfers and volunteers headed out for the inaugural event. It was surreal, I thought... "Do they (the course) really know I have my Dog out here?" The Dogs finally got into the routine, thanks to the Canine Caddies, courtesy of the great volunteers at the Pacific Assistance Dogs Society, our benefactor partner (http://www.pads.ca/), we got a great round of nine holes of golf in... it was almost too short. It was spectacular, it felt great, and the Dogs loved it. If you love golf and love your Dog, come join us.

Here are more pictures from the July 19th event.

For info on future events check the website dogleggolftour.com

Welcome to the Sea to Sky Golf Blog

So what will be on this blog anyways... Contrary to what some people may think, Golf is more than for only the 'Thurtson Howell III's" of the world and the elite...it is more valuable to society to be for only the rich. My perspective is that the game is available to the RICH in spirit and a dynamic game that is a metaphor for some spectacular things in life.

My goal is to highlight some of the great things that are happening around the game, the stories of dispair, sorrow, perserverence, triumph, comic relief and celebration. Not to avoid all the horrible things in this world but, to give a different, independent and unique perspective of the game and the stuff around it. I am a lover of the earth and may be calling out some of the things I see, I will suggest a solution, because I want to provide the opportunity to do better, we need to be positive and make change where it is practical. We all have the freedom to choose.

This may not be for everyone, but if it prompts you to think about things, be inspired, laugh, cry, get pissed off and act then it will be of purpose. Whats in it for me; is that there is value to what I put out there. If you choose to engage, I thank you and will respond if I am able. I am not perfect and am always open to another perspective, my intentions are rooted in trying to do the right thing.

I hope you enjoy it, either way I'll keep typing.

gg