On 12/8/10 6:39 AM, “Ray Bard” wrote:

Roy

Your “commitment” is right on. In a related vein, I’ve been thinking about the relationship between “attitude” and “action”. I’ve done a 2×2 matrix (think water market format — ocean, well, etc). Many think attitude/feeling is the driving force — it seems to me action may be more important. If you start with a small step, then another, and another your attitude begins to change — and you feel better and have more energy to do even more. Action can come from commitment or will — and, if done for an specific activity done several times (think getting up early) it acquires the power of a habit.

Big is bad — whether company or government — typically, by the nature of its organization, it lacks passion, innovation, flexibility — all which lead to creation of jobs. Academy is one of the few that is the ally and enabler of small business and those that bring their passion to the game.

Another interesting recent musing is “delusion” — both it’s upside (otherwise we wouldn’t risk and work so hard against such unfavorable odds) — and its downside (the folly of chasing a dream that indeed may be impossible, hence, the high failure rate of small businesses). If you beat the odds you’re a genius; if you fail, you’re a fool. This is why “hope” is such a strong selling point. I’ve added one word to hope “credible” — “credible hope” (you often write of being credible in your advertising). If the hope you offer isn’t credible, people won’t act — won’t buy into the delusion

Do you think we could draw enough students to make a NonFiction class work? Would Mike be a good partner? How long has it been since he was on stage? It would be fun.

Best
Ray