COMPETITIVE EDGE STARTS EARLY

Working on your competitive edge isn’t always pretty.

At some point you plateau, and it’s usually earlier than you thought you’d top-out.

That’s when when this advice shows up: “If you’re not cheating you’re not trying.”

It starts making sense after a string of failures?

While I don’t condone cheating here or anyplace else, following the rules of a particular competition right to the edge usually wins.

Which is why people hire tax specialists, but we’re not taking about that.

“You don’t pay taxes.”

“Because I’m smaut.”

When wealthy people say they don’t pay taxes, what do they really mean?

Does it mean they plow their profits back into the company and community as such a high rate that write-offs balance their books?

Or is it more about tax shelters and deferments, greed and a competitive edge?

Let’s leave that to the oligarchs in the audience. Here on boomerpdx we have different priorities like:

Competitive Edge For Rich Guy Role Model

Who would you rather be:

A rich man with a Supreme Court justice in his pocket, his plane, his boat, his estate.

Or,

A rich man who divorces his wife to pose on his $500 million dollar boat with his new babe-wife.

Who would you rather be:

A rich man who lives in Nebraska and loves it?

Or,

A rich man in Seattle worried about finding his name on a flight log of shame?

My feelings about rich guys is they should be sharp enough to stay out of the public scrutiny.

Go count your money, pal.

Around here we have a rich man who fights incorporation into the city where he does business.

It’s always seemed like an antisocial stance, but still good business.

If his campus was part of the city that has grown around it what would change?

The place is huge and employs scads of people who live in the local community.

Would the roads be better? City planning improved? Would schools be improved to accommodate more kids in smaller classes?

What is public knowledge for those who read and vote, our guy was a contributor in the last governor’s race.

The good news is that Phil Knight and Nike still do good in the community.

If you’ve got a few billion dollars, giving back is the right choice.

2

My recent attempt at generational wealth started at the local Bottle Drop.

After going out to find a small part of a bigger project, a plug piece for my front yard fountain, the clerk found it and seemed in shock when she said, “I think you ought to buy a lottery ticket after I found this. It could be your lucky day.”

So, following the advice of my consultant at Hughs Water Gardens I took money out of my Bottle Drop account and bought forty dollars of tickets for Powerball and MegaMillions.

That way I could surprise my wife with an extra $100 million in the bank.

Or, I’m a gambling addict hiding expenses?

I waited until the next day for each lottery so we could check numbers together.

No winners on my lucky day, but it still had a buzz of possibilities right up until the end.

But if I had won? Taxes, investments, donations.

A Personal Competitive Edge

Every kid who wrestled in high school, whether gym class or on the team, does the same thing.

We size people up in two ways: I could take them down, or they could kick my ass.

Most of us think we can take anyone down because we’ve seen enough ass-kicker-looking guys get pinned.

As high school wrestlers we have a competitive edge of experience. We’ve gotten lucky and won matches in the last seconds, got lucky with a throw.

My style was foot-sweeps and drag-trips in freestyle and arm throws in greco, along with the always popular Head and Arm.

To help out, I wrestled the edge of the mat so I could jump out of bounds if I screwed up, which wasn’t so popular.

But it’s been useful since.

2

I sized a guy up while he punched a woman at a bus stop and decided I could take him.

But first I gave fair warning and yelled at him to stop.

He didn’t stop.

I leaned closer and yelled louder.

The guy cocked his arm to punch and turned to me instead of the girl.

Mission accomplished?

I took it right between the eyes which sounds like a cliche but it’s true because he broke my glasses along with my nose.

Since then I’ve been more aware of 5’2″ guys willing to brawl.

My new plan in case I need to leap into a similar fray? No warning.

Size the situation up, foot sweep the guy to the ground to give the other person a chance to get away.

That’s it.

Create opportunities and avoid the woman turning on you when you get their abuser arrested.

Stay safe out there.