Informed but not Overwhelmed

How can you stayed informed without being overwhelmed?

* Choose to acquire knowledge that supports or interests you, not what you simply happen to ingest, or think you have to ingest.

* Look for broad-based patterns and trends, as opposed to quickly disappearing fads and forgettable trivia.

* Learn to delegate some of your reading to your most junior staff. After only 15 minutes of instruction and armed with a list of key words, they will be able to rather easily identify articles of interest to you.

* Prune your files regularly and ruthlessly. Constantly throw out what does not support you.

Harness Social Complexity

Business Week: At 20 large U.S. banks, the cost of complying with U.S. laws and regulations grew 159 percent from 2001 to 2006, far faster than profit growth, an industry survey found. It costs the average big bank $83.5 million a year to keep up with Surbanes-Oxley, the Patriot Act, and other laws.

Given this reality, each of us needs to build greater "administration" time and effort into our plans. Society inherently grows more complex all the time. Our challenge is to harness that complexity and convert it to a competitive advantage.

Personal Success, Real Happiness

In his book, The Templeton Plan: 21 Steps to Personal Success and Real Happiness, author John Templeton offers some rare gems in a world awash with self-help information. For example, he suggests demonstrating:

* Truthfulness when a lie would be so much easier.
* Reliability when you could slack off.
* Faithfulness during moments of doubt.
* Perseverance when you think that you are too tired to go on.

* Energy while encountering roadblocks.
* Humility while others heap their praise on you.
* Altruism although you may sense an atmosphere of selfishness around you.
* Joy at the moment your prospects seem darkest.

So refreshing to have handy these short passages of sage advice.