Questions to Invest, Prosper, Achieve, or Succeed

 

“It is not about what you lose when it is over. Far more, it is about what you gain during the journey!”

-- Cass van Krah

Why does Apollo Global Management, Inc. (APO) have a PE under 7 despite a 30% growth over the past 5 years and a 25% growth estimate for the next 5 years?

Where were they putting their growth? They just became profitable this year, so what about the last four? Their debt is not being well covered and they’ve been underperforming markets. Their long-term price volatility is high and they are way overpriced, $58 compared to a fair value of $14. I pulled all this from one site I used to do my own due diligence. Personally, with what I read, I wouldn’t touch it. But, this is just me.  What do I know?

Author comment: I have. I found and decided not to trust your cited source.

My reply: It is one of many. I never use just one. But, when it comes to my money, I never forget that it is my money, and I would rather lose it myself than put it in the hands of some brokerage firm. Trust yourself.

I want to be disciplined and talented but I can’t catch up to all the more talented people I see online and I feel I’m missing out or I’ll lose myself if I can’t succeed ASAP.

Stop comparing yourself to others. Each to their own abilities. Learn well at your own pace. If you work hard on your discipline, you will be more apt to judge well your talent. But, it is always good to remember to be humble. Those that can, do. Those that can’t, teach. God bless the teachers! We would be nothing without them.

How hard should an influencer work as hard to look pretty?

If she is a great influence, how she looks will, even subconsciously, influence others to consider how they might look. Why would you want to be an influence looking like a slob?

I have always dressed for the occasion, business, or pleasure. Out on the town for a “live performance” required a suit. It didn’t matter that others weren’t, it did matter that I was. At intermission, another well-dressed gentleman and I stepped outside for a cigar and tumbler of scotch. The men in shorts and jeans paid us no mind, but the ladies that had dress better than the husbands, well, the guys would get an earful at home.

My point is, it matters. Even for a glance, it can have an influence.

“We never know which lives we influence, or when, or why.”

-- Stephen King

As a student, do you consider the study of ethics important? Why or why not?

As a student, you should learn it. As a human, you should embrace a sense of good moral ethics as the foundation for who you will be for the rest of your existence. You will find this easier to do if you’ve learned about it early on.

Why do I feel like everything I achieve is merely luck?

If it is, and only you can answer this, the real question you should be asking is, “When will my luck run out?”

Have you faced difficulties with decision-making in the past and how did you solve this problem?

There is an old adage that states, “Your first thought is usually the best.” I have found this to be mostly true when it comes to the concept of “fight or flight.” But, when faced with more important decisions, another adage comes to mind, "Your first thought is what society has conditioned you to think, the second thought defines who you are."

My early decision-making difficulties were cropping up in the third and fourth thoughts. I was a victim of multiple choices with no thought to the ultimate consequences. The “right” choice might be disastrous.

So, I combined the first two thoughts into, “Your first thought is usually the best, but due diligence will pay off in the end.” You have to consider the consequences of your choices. If your second thought “defines who you are” then let that thought be to consider the consequences of the first thought. As a matter of fact, let that thought consider the consequences of every thought, and you will probably find your choices will almost always be righteous.

“If you obsess over whether you are making the right decision, you are basically assuming that the universe will reward you for one thing and punish you for another.

The universe has no fixed agenda. Once you make any decision, it works around that decision. There is no right or wrong, only a series of possibilities that shift with each thought, feeling, and action that you experience.

If this sounds too mystical, refer again to the body. Every significant vital sign- body temperature, heart rate, oxygen consumption, hormone level, brain activity, and so on- alters the moment you decide to do anything… decisions are signals telling your body, mind, and environment to move in a certain direction.”

-- Deepak Chopra

Why can bad be good?

If someone truly enjoys being treated badly, a “submissive” for instance, then, for them, it is good.

Would you tell me every unpopular opinion that you have?

Oh, no. I never invite the League of the Perpetually Offended to hammer me. Nope. Not gonna do it.  I try not to intentionally step in shit.  I do it enough by accident.

What would be the main cause of the lack of material prosperity in the lives of most people in the world?

A lack of the wealth necessary to surround yourself with “material prosperity,” or an understanding that “material prosperity” isn’t all that. It doesn’t bring true happiness, so what’s the point? Keep up with the Jones’s? I don’t think so. Ask yourself, why does a Christian pastor need 5 private jets? Hmmm… Greed? Nice trait for a “pastor.”

“Never surrender your hopes and dreams to the fateful limitations others have placed on their own lives. The vision of your true destiny does not reside within the blinkered outlook of the naysayers and the doom prophets. Judge not by their words, but accept advice based on the evidence of actual results. Do not be surprised should you find a complete absence of anything mystical or miraculous in the manifested reality of those who are so eager to advise you. Friends and family who suffer the lack of abundance, joy, love, fulfillment, and prosperity in their own lives really have no business imposing their self-limiting beliefs on your reality experience.”

-- Anthon St. Maarten

What is your own philosophy of the self by incorporating your goals, desires, and interests?

My goals, desires, and interests are who I am, along with my spirituality, my sense of ethics, and what I experience, what I do, smell, taste, hear, and touch, what I say, and how I act. These, and more, contribute to my philosophy of self.

Is someone who does something good by definition a good person?

By definition, a good person is someone who is good to other people. Are they a “good person” all the time? That remains to be seen.

How is the way of connection among the past, the present, and the future?

The past is what we learn from to make good choices in the present so we don’t repeat mistakes of the past. The future is what we hope for with the good choices we make. The present is this moment and the choice we make. Pray, we make a good one.

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.”

-- Bill Keane

And... The short answers:

 

Why is working with your hands so satisfying?

Hands, as a whole, were made for work, the digits for other things.

What is human thinking in your opinion?

Less than optimal.

Which is best to say before giving someone advice, 'look' or 'listen'?

“Would you like some advice?” Neither of these is good. 

What is the psychology behind the desire to purchase a simple non-descript, cotton t-shirt for 60 bucks versus buying an identical-looking shirt for $4.99?

More money than good cents?

What makes sense to you that doesn't to others?

The concept of time.

How would you differentiate between plans and goals?

A plan is what you make to attain your goal.

Obviously, where does anyone really never want to go?

My ex-wife’s house. Just saying.

How can you avoid overestimating your own intelligence?

Hard to overestimate my humility. 

Why do some people believe "If I can do it, it must not be that difficult"?

They have little confidence  in their abilities. 

What makes scientists and smart people not believe in God?

Faith.

“Sometimes beautiful things come into our lives out of nowhere. We can't always understand them, but we have to trust in them. I know you want to question everything, but sometimes it pays to just have a little faith.”

-- Lauren Kate

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with the United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world-renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as a chaplain at the regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony:  tolerantpastor@gmail.com