Archive for Robert Ringer

On Thinking Before Acting
by Robert Ringer (06/24/2009)

What a tragedy that Farrah Fawcett not only is suffering from terminal cancer, but that her 24-year-old son, Redmond O’Neal, was arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle drugs into a jail to give to a friend. (How comforting it must be to know that your son has buddies in the slammer.)

The Impossible Dream
by Robert Ringer (06/12/2009)

Word From the Top
by Robert Ringer (05/27/2009)

Here’s an excerpt from a book I’m reading that you should pay close attention to:

Leading a Low-Stress Life by Living Right
by Robert Ringer (05/12/2009)

The foundation for handling sadness and misfortune, and thus for leading a low-stress life, is what I like to refer to as “living right.” What I mean by that is consistently being conscious of, and vigilant about, trying to make good choices.

Fact and Fiction Online
by Robert Ringer (05/08/2009)

As you can see from the examples above - all of them posted on various websites - although the Internet has become the most popular source of information these days, it’s full of wrong information. Sometimes it’s an innocent retelling of myth. In other cases, the people behind it are out to spread malicious lies to further their agendas.

The Human Machine
by Robert Ringer (04/15/2009)

For the great thinkers of the world whose job it is to make sense out of life - from Plato to Will Durant… from Epictetus to the Dalai Lama… from Montaigne to Eric Hoffer - the foundational rules never change. The universal principles of human nature are constants. And in a world of chaos and madness, that’s nice to know.

Valkyrie, Socrates, and You
by Robert Ringer (04/01/2009)

If you haven’t yet seen Valkyrie, the Tom Cruise film about the best-known of the 15 or so plots to kill Adolf Hitler, I highly recommend that you purchase or rent the DVD.

You Are Not a Loser!
by Robert Ringer (03/19/2009)

I recently let my guard down and let my wife talk me into making one of my rare visits to a nearby shopping mall - one of my least favorite places. The place was mobbed, as though people were determined to have one last go at the good life, perhaps sensing that shopping malls might soon be turned into homeless shelters. I watched with great interest as people stood in long lines to pay for the on-sale merchandise they clutched tightly in their arms.

When Desires Collide With Reality
by Robert Ringer (03/04/2009)

We witness misery every day on our television screens - but when John Travolta’s son died this past January, it affected me in a special way. I connected to that great photograph of the two of them, nose to nose. You could see how much he loved the boy.

The High-Speed, Low-Cost Catalyst
by Robert Ringer (02/17/2009)

Time is your ally when you take action. But time is a two-sided coin. If you hesitate or procrastinate, time becomes your worst enemy. As a general rule, I assume that if I take action perceived problems will tend to disappear - and that the more I hesitate, the more time I give new obstacles to come on the scene.

Unanswered Questions
by Robert Ringer (02/07/2009)

Some time ago, I received an e-mail from one of my readers, John P., about a close call he had while driving when he was 17 years old. Here’s part of what he had to say:

Choice or Illusion?
by Robert Ringer (01/21/2009)

While it seems like a simple enough proposition, the fact is that choice can be a very complicated subject. I think most people believe “You are a victim of your own choices.” They have shared story after story about how they made bad choices that led to their downfall, as well as good choices that led to great success - often in the face of enormous obstacles.

The Karma Question
by Robert Ringer (01/08/2009)

Since his sentencing in December, I’ve thought long and hard before chiming in on the latest O.J. saga. Given that everyone is now pretty much in agreement on the character of this psychopathic primate, I’m not interested in getting in a few “me too” jabs.

The Plain Truth
by Robert Ringer (12/29/2008)

Have you ever asked yourself what it is that gives someone power over you? The truth be known, it’s a matter of perception - both the other person’s and yours. By this I mean that most power is abstract, and therefore impossible to quantify.

Robert Ringer and The Great Bailout Stall
by Robert Ringer (12/12/2008)

Robert Ringer addressed the recent rush of government bailouts in his article “The Great Bailout Stall.” His disparagement of the bailouts - and his own practical solution for America’s financial ills - got quite a response from ETR readers. Here are a few of their comments:

The Circle of Life
by Robert Ringer (12/10/2008)

Throughout much of my life, I paid little attention to the miracles that surrounded me. I was too busy thinking about business and money… too busy being annoyed by annoying people. I had no time to think about the real world - the world that matters. Nature and I were perfect strangers.

Learning From Real Heroes
by Robert Ringer (11/26/2008)

Americans love to throw around the term “hero.” But what is a hero? We tend not only to ascribe the word to illiterate athletes, but to people who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, as well.

The Writer Is Always at Fault
by Robert Ringer (11/11/2008)

Even if you’re not a professional writer, you should follow this rule when writing letters, e-mails, advertisements, agreements, or just about anything else. Unfortunately, the modern-day overuse of e-mail has made people even worse writers than they used to be - and most people have always been pretty bad writers to begin with.

Changing Perceptions
by Robert Ringer (11/01/2008)

Perception is a topic that has always fascinated me. When a person is revered, the reverence quickly disappears if something happens that changes the public’s perception of that individual. If, for example, the person on the receiving end of the adulation is exposed as a fraud or falls into disgrace, admiration soon turns to contempt.

The Great Bailout Stall
by Robert Ringer (10/15/2008)

Now that the Demopublicans and their media friends have, through the magic of doublespeak, transformed the massive and fraudulent bailout bill into a heroic “economic rescue plan,” most Americans can refocus their couch-potato efforts back on reality TV shows, football, and electronic gadgets. After all, the problem has been resolved, right?

Unspeakable Actions, Unspeakable Consequences
by Robert Ringer (10/01/2008)

The media had a field day stripping John Edwards of his “two-Americas” robe, but I’d rather focus on the Greek tragedy Edwards now finds himself starring in. There are a number of insights we can derive from it… especially when we examine the plight of Edwards’s wife, Elizabeth.

Throwaway People
by Robert Ringer (09/17/2008)

A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I had an appointment in Arlington, VA. As we were walking toward our destination, we noticed a thin, elderly lady standing near the street corner. She was exceptionally well groomed, and dressed in a colorful, neatly pressed outfit...

The Melody of Life
by Robert Ringer (09/04/2008)

Amidst all the insanity and meaningless chatter that overwhelms us each day, every so often we get a break - and get hooked into nature’s Sanity Support System. We have little control over when the blessed intervention will take place, how often it will occur, or what its components may be.

Shame on Wal-Mart?
by Robert Ringer (08/20/2008)

Forget that Wal-Mart employs 1.3 million people in the U.S. alone. Forget that it saves consumers billions of dollars each year on retail purchases. Forget that its employees, on average, earn about double the minimum wage. The word from some disgruntled employees is that Wal-Mart doesn’t treat its employees "fairly" - whatever that’s supposed to mean.

One From the Heart
by Robert Ringer (08/06/2008)

What follows is the major portion of Jay's poignant e-mail, which so touched me that I wanted to share it with you...

After Energy Independence, Then What?
by Robert Ringer (07/23/2008)

I believe one of the biggest reasons for this success is that the people on the leading edge of civilization seem to be unfazed by all the nonsensical stuff.

Tim Russert Knew What Really Mattered
by Robert Ringer (07/09/2008)

It's hard to believe that Tim Russert has been dead nearly a month. I try to learn from everyone, and the main thing I learned from Russert is that you can have strong opinions, yet be respectful in your discussions with those of opposing views.

When Not to Save Money
by Robert Ringer (06/26/2008)

Early in my career, I began to reassess some of the ways in which I was saving on expenses. I came to realize that in order to make intelligent decisions when it comes to saving money, time and stress should always be factored into the equation.

The Curse of the Lottery
by Robert Ringer (06/11/2008)

The story 20/20 did on Jack Whittaker, winner of $315 million in the Powerball multi-state lottery in 2002, was heavy, to say the least. (Since he opted to take a one-time payout, Whittaker actually received "only" a little over $113 million after taxes.) His is yet another in a long line of tales about people who suddenly find themselves immensely wealthy - and subsequently miserable.

A Tale of Two Winners
by Robert Ringer (05/29/2008)

"Leo" had a good strategy for handling big paydays. Throughout his career, whenever he received a big chunk of income, the first thing he did was carve out an amount sufficient to cover the income taxes he would have to pay on it and put the money in a special bank account.
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