The traffic in Joburg gets worse every year. In one sense its a very positive sign because there is a lot more money floating around although much of it is in the form of credit. Anyway I first learned about parking karma from David DeAngelo in one of many programs on dating and success in life. And more recently one of the teachers from The Secret also mentioned it. So I started incorporating it into my daily thoughts. Until today I could never tell if it was working or not. However, today I went to Southgate mall to deposit a cheque, and practically the entire parking lot was full.

So I drove around some of the cars turning away from the entrance. And as I looked around I remembered that I sent out the message to the Universe to open a parking for me close to the entrance. So instead of looking for a parking spot further away I just turned and drove towards the entrance. Two cars pulled out and the parking lot were almost immediately filled. A few seconds later another opened and this one was mine.

So if you want to start exploring how visualisation really works this is one simple experiment you can start doing today. Steve Pavlina has convinced me that we do in fact life in a subjective universe where our consciousness when seen as a interconnected whole allows us to manifest thoughts into our reality.

Popularity: 19% [?]

ISBN 0471743674
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
2^nd edition, 2005.

Warren Buffet is the greatest investor alive today. His track record speaks for itself and this book goes some small way towards explaining the inner workings of this investment genius. A few years ago I passed on buying Buffettology because I thought I wasn’t ready for it and now found this book from my best friend Vergal Walton (checkout his new Jack Higgins website coming soon here).

The Warren Buffet Way is the most readable book I’ve come across on investment so far. The essence of this book is summarised in the various chapters of the book. The stories of the companies that Buffet invests in from the earliest days to the most recent are all entertaining and extremely insightful. One of the core underlying principles is to take the long term view of with investments. And when buying shares to think of it as buying a business and behaving in a way that the owner would behave. The Dot com crash was almost a directly result of short term opportunistic investments. And the whole investment philosophy of Buffet rests on theories expounded more than 50 years ago by Benjamin Graham and David Dodd in Security Analysis as well as The Intelligent Investor also by Graham.

Historically Buffet bought sizeable interests in publicly traded companies from the Coca-Cola company to the Gillette company. And more recently he has moved into purchasing privately held companies outright. As he says he is willing to own these businesses forever. That is an exceptional attitude in investment. Hagestrom described Buffet as the focussed investor. Rather investing large sums of money in a smaller number of companies.

The Focus Investor’s Golden Rules:

1. Concentrate your investment in outstanding companies run by strong management
2. Limit yourself to the number of companies you can truly understand. Ten to twenty is good, more than twenty is asking for trouble.
3. Pick the very best of your good companies, and put the bulk of your investment there.
4. Think long-term: five to ten years, minimum.
5. Volatility happens. Carry on.

You may also be interested in reading the archives of the annual letters from Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. to the shareholders here.

If you live in South Africa purchase The Warren Buffett way from Kalahari.net

Popularity: 28% [?]

On Tuesday evening I won the Best Preprepared Speech (2nd time) for my C&L 5 Body Language speech at my Toastmasters club. This was weird because I chose to speak about the basics of body language and the objective of the speech was to demonstrate body language.

Some of the basics that I covered were:

1. When you arrive at a new venue pause when you enter the room. Allow people to notice you. This is an extremely powerful statement especially in a bar or nightclub. You must pause for several seconds about 10 to really allow the room to become aware of you. When you do this you will experience society pressure in your subconscious. Ignore that breath and walk through the centre of the room. Whether you realise this or not you have just demonstrated using only body language to be a very confident man. Much more confident than most guys in bars and clubs. Most of the women will have noticed and be more open to speaking to you later on when you approach them. Some may even come up to you after you have positioned yourself somewhere visible.

2. When you are walking always push your shoulders back. So whenever you are out always remember to do this. You will automatically push your chest out. And this reminds me of that feeling of a gorilla clobbering it’s chest. It’s really something that gives you the best possible posture for walking and standing up. Your back will be straight and this is also healthy for your spine.

3. When you are sitting down try to take up as much space as possible. For women it’s acceptable to cross their legs but for men it’s not recommended. So when you are in a public place…say at a fancy lounge, chances are they will have sofa’s. Sit down in the middle of the sofa stretch out your arms over the back and spread your legs like you own the place. This sends a very loud and clear message of your alpha male status.

Lastly Tracey Cox is her many books on body language states the most common mistake people make in dating situations is trying to read the other person’s body language. You should instead focus on the body language signals you are sending. This is the one thing you have completely control over. So don’t forget this fundamental lesson. Focus on your own body language and your non-verbal communication will increase in impact.

Research has shown that 60% of communication is non-verbal. Another 33% is voice tone. And only seven percent, that’s 7% is the actual words we speak. And when you realise how superior women are to ready body language. As a guy this is a crucial area for all men to improve.

Popularity: 41% [?]

This morning I did my regular KayaFM interview with Pat Cash and Ed Jordan. The question for me as resident dating expert was why do women keep falling for bad boys. Before I even consider the answer to that it’s important to define what a bad boy is…

David DeAngelo, author of Double Your Dating, described the “Bad Boy” as a dominant lover. And more specifically a man who’s dangerous and thrilling to be around. And of course we know that bad boys can be dangerous. They tend to be heavy drinkers or driving a motorbike or sometimes both. In Hollywood the most famous bad boys include actors like Jack Nicholson, Mickey Rourke and the now deceased Marlon Brando, who must have been the ultimate bad boy in his early days. And when you consider a relationship like Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston, who now finally divorced, you see how blind women can because of the emotional high they derive from being involved with a bad boy.

In the book Bad Boys by Carole Lieberman you can find out much more details about why women like bad boys. My own stance is that we are all addicted to our emotions. And a nice guy does not stir any emotions in women. So therefore the excitement and the unpredictability of being around a bad boy is the ultimate emotional rush.

On a side note checkout the Google Answers Q&A on Reformed Hollywood Actors.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Stranger Than Fiction starring Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman and Queen Latifah.

This is story of ordinary man who becomes involved in an extraordinary tale. Will Ferrell in a dramatic turn, plays Harold Crick, an IRS Agent who lives a monotonous and mundane life. But one day starts hearing the voice of a women with an British accent narrating his life. He really wakes up to the reality of the situation when the narrator says that he will die. After seeking some help from a psychologist and eventually a literature professor, Jules Hilbert, played by the ever brilliant Dustin Hoffman, he begins to explore a life he only dreamed of living. And as with all the best stories there is a love story at the epicentre of this tale.

Maggie Gyllenhaal plays the contemptuous and rowdy Ana Pascal, a direct opposite of Harold Crick. She tempts him, teases him and confronts him. They begin a love affair that drives Harold’s life into new territory. Because he actually begins to care about his life. He enjoys is now because he is living his dreams. And he is having an adventure.

Some of the best moments in this film is when Professor Hilbert instructs him to determine certain outcomes. Like whether he is in a comedy or a tragedy. And also whether he is in control of the plot or the writer/narrator. And while he spends the whole day in his house, not even going to the bathroom or answering the phone, the dreaded answer is revealed. A crane smashes through his living room as the complex is about to be demolished. The conclusion - it turns out the writer is in control and Harold has to accept his destiny.

There is moments of madness, moments of laughter, and moments of angst coupled with beautiful cinematography in this film. And it reminded me so much of Truman Show with Jim Carrey.

Anyway this is a film that stretches the imagination just a little bit. You may discover you are in fact the writer of your own destiny. So like Harold Crick take action. Don’t wait until it’s to late. After all you are going to live the rest of your life in the future.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Who is Mr Deity? Your friendly neighborhood omnipotent, omnipresent God or as Dr John Demartini says, Grand Organised Designer. This hilarious send-up was created by Brian Keith Dalton.

This is one of those shows popping up on Youtube along with the likes of Chad Vader, that has the potential for mainstream success. In fact Brian’s goal is to turn this into a weekly sitcom and is currently negotiating with some tv networks. I really find it amazing how much wit and intelligence these 5 minute webisodes contain. Without explaining more about Mr Deity I include a clip of the very first one to get you started…

Popularity: 18% [?]

Computer experts use the acronym GIGO- garbage in, garbage out-to illustrate the fact that the computer can process only the information it is given. The same is true with your mind. If you feed it healthful, nourishing “food,” it will grow strong and agile, but if you restrict it to a regular diet of mental “junk food,” your mind will become unhealthy, negative, and unproductive. It will return to you what you put into it. Feed your mind a balanced, nourishing diet. Study information from a variety of fields to help you keep up with the latest trends. You may find that the best ideas for your business come from a totally unrelated area.If you like this you may enjoy subscribing to the Napoleon Hill Thought of the Day here.

Popularity: 13% [?]