Kevin W. McCarthy

Is Money Mastering Your Life?

Cover of Material Girl

The chorus in Madonna's 1985 hit single Material Girl is:

Living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl 

If your worldview is that of a material world, then money is what makes the world go around.  But does money define purpose? 

How would you live your life differently if you had unimagined wealth?  In this On-Purpose Minute, let's explore the role money plays in mastering your life.

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On-Purpose Profile: Shakira Sings For Education

Shakira via last.fm

One's education and life trajectory are highly correlated.  For some reason, however, many segments of our US population (children and parents) view schooling as a prison sentence instead of an opportunity of a lifetime.

Let me assume you don't know of Shakira, a international pop sensation from Colombia, South America, not South Carolina.  This young woman's remarkable voice, talent, and moves (She Wolf song video) have catapulted her to the top of the song charts. 

Shakira, gets it, however, when it comes to education - she is pouring much of her earnings into education by founding a school in her hometown of Barranquilla.  The multiple Grammy winner has gifted $6 million through her foundation, Pies Descalzos, which means "barefoot" in Spanish, to create a school to help 150 kids get ahead in life.

And if you're tempted to think Shakira is simply an empty-headed, manufactured public relations image, let me encourage you to watch the short video (below) of a speech she gave in the United Kingdom at Oxford Union about the importance of education.

Shakira, you are an on-purpose person!  Thank you for converting your pop culture fortunes into dollars dedicated to improving the culture of your country.  Your legacy will live in the lives of those children and the generations to follow.

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There You Go Again, Congress!

My prediction is that the Health Care Reform Bill about to negotiated between the US House and Senate to put before President Obama will be to health care what the Community Reinvestment Act was to the housing and financial markets - a disaster filled with unintended consequences.  Rather than people losing their homes and facing financial ruin, this time it will be people's lives and health at stake.  The sub-prime crisis will pale in comparison.

The very engines of wealth creation and free enterprise are being eroded by these proposed policies.  The Community Reinvestment Act fiddled with market economics to qualify previously unqualified borrowers by providing a government backing.  The Health Care Reform Bill is yet another round of government policy rigging the health care system, playing politics and power rather than reforming.  Look no further than the massive fraud in the Medicare and Medicaid systems to see what we have coming our way.  Now multiply this by tens of millions of new people who think insurance is a blank check entitlement to cover their poor choices and unhealthy lifestyle.  

Insurance is a business concept based on actuarial science of share risks. Insurance is not health care.  The very concept of risk-reward and personal responsibility has been lost in the health care reform debate.  We've also lost sight of the important role of community hospitals for indigent care.  The Hippocratic Oath remains a prevailing approach to caring for our fellow humans.   Government mandates to universal coverage are yet another falling domino in the Great Society that would undermine greatness and society.  When government steps in as a "brother's keeper," then society steps back from helping. 

Please review the track record of greater government direct involvement in non-defense services.  The Declaration and US Constitution speak to the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness, not as the reason for government to be the public option.  Government is to regulate, not run industry.  The current trend is alarmingly off-purpose.

I welcome your opinions.

PS - I found this clip on YouTube about Health Care in the 1980 Presidential Debates with Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.  Reagan's comeback to Carter inspired the title of this posting.  Enjoy!

How Would You React?

My daughter, Anne, is a 16-year-old competitive soccer player.  She serves as a junior captain of her Trinity Prep high school soccer team as well as a player on the Football Club of America (Kumba Soccer) located here in Orlando.  Her Kumba team was having a car wash fund raiser in late September.  An accident occurred where one teammate's foot slipped off the brakes and the car pinned another teammate against a wall.  Bree McMahon's legs were crushed.  Anne was one of many who sprang into action.  She called 911 and provided a towel for Bree's head as she lay on the ground awaiting the arrival of paramedics. 

Initially, we anticipated broken legs and damage to Bree's knees.  The severity of the accident came to light a few hours later when Anne's text from the hospital said, "Bree's legs might have to be amputated because the blood vessels were crushed."  Judith and I immediately headed to the hospital to be and pray with the girls. 

Jenna Bush Hager (George and Laura Bush's daughter) of The Today Show did a feature on Bree.  The clip below tells the story.  You'll also get to see and hear a brief comment from Anne from behind Bree's hospital bed. 

Bree and Chelsea (the driver involved in the freak accident) are young Christian girls whose faith is serving them both well in terms of forgiveness given and received.  The character of both young ladies is remarkable.

If it were your legs crushed that day, how would you respond?  My hope would be that I would have grace and understanding like Bree.

What Anchors Your Health?

If you don't know your purpose for being then you are missing out on life... literally.  As you ponder your New Year's Resolutions consider not just what, but why for each of them.

In November, Florida Hospital launched a campaign called Healthy 100.  Their web site headline says,"Have you ever thought that you could live to be 100 years old? How about being 100 years old and still doing the things you love? It may sound unbelievable, but at Florida Hospital, we are on a mission to help you do just that. Through support and education, we want to help you kick-start your journey to living a healthier, happier life."

Imagine living to be a healthy 100 year old!

Cover via Amazon

At the launch event (I attended), Dan Buettner, the author of The Blue Zones, engaged us with his case studies and keys to vitality and longevity which are: Right Outlook, Move Naturally, Eat Wisely, Right Tribe.  Afterward, I spoke with Dan about my work with purpose which falls into the Right Outlook category.  He said to me, "Purpose is the anchor to health, yet it remains the most under celebrated aspect.  Research shows that having a purpose in life adds six to seven years of longevity."

In an article Dan wrote in 2008 for AARP, Dan provides this source, “People who feel their life is part of a larger plan and are guided by their spiritual values have stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure, a lower risk of heart attack and cancer, and heal faster and live longer,” says Harold G. Koenig, M.D., professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University Medical Center, who has studied the phenomenon broadly.

EXTRA: Watch Dan Buettner's interview with Martha Stewart in the first link.

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How Authentic Is Your Personal Brand?

The integration of your personal brand and personal identity will both improve your life and your work life.  Learn how to anchor your personal brand in the bedrock of your being.

In light of the sad revelations about Tiger Woods, perhaps this video was prophetic in terms of the dangers and costs involved in not having this full integration. 

This video is a contribution I make to a monthly leadership journal called The New Face of Leadership Magazine that is published by my colleague and friend Dr. Stephanie Parson.

Is It Fair To Profit Off Of A Sick Person?

My jaw dropped in stunned amazement as I heard Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz make the following statement on the November 22, ABC News broadcast of This Week With George Stephanopoulos. The following quotation from Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz's comments can be found in context at this link in the show transcript.

"I hope we can all agree that we have to get rid of the profit-driven, insurance company-driven health insurance system that we have, where it's insurance company bureaucrats, Senator Coburn, that are getting in between patients and their doctors.

"To suggest that this (health care reform) bill will put government in between patients and their doctors is really disingenuous..."

The reason her comments are important is that they reflect what I consider to be the crux of so much of the debate in the US over health care reform, different points of view, and the failure to address core strategies in policy.  This is a classic case of arguing sentiment over underlying values and structure.  Read between the lines of what she is saying here about free enterprise, economics, and so forth.  Ask yourself if this represents health care reform or a reflection of an underlying philosophy.  

Please offer your comments.

Be On-Purpose!

Kevin

Which Team Experience Would Best Serve Your Business and Life?

Today's On-Purpose Business Minute invites your wisdom in the comment section. Help me help my daughter Anne and lots of other high school athletes making decisions about college sports programs.

Learn more about the UNC Women's Soccer Program by watching the video trailer to Winning Isn't Everything.  This is a great example of an On-Purpose Team!

Syfy: Why?

The SCI FI Channel has changed its branding.  Check it out with this link.

At On-Purpose Business Advisors we inevitably end up in branding because of our core work on business design and strategy.   Branding is one of the first external expressions and places to create alignment with customers.  

I had to laugh when I saw the new name.   SCI FI says it all.  Syfy - what does that say?  There are some names you just don't need to change.  That said, a logo update would certainly be in order, but to change the name at this point to Syfy is just plain stupid.   Perhaps they have some magic hidden up their sleeve with this new name.  I sense someone got paid a great deal of money to develop a new look and name.  Unfortunately, the emperor's new clothes made it through tight-lipped committee after committee for approval.

The new logo makes me think this is a Styrofoam cup business, a paper company, or a pharmaceutical conglomerate with some made up name due to some chemical compounding.  Certainly not an edgy science fiction television channel.  

The good news is the execution on the web site is stunningly well done in terms of navigation, look, graphics, etc.  They've kept the traditional purple (outer space?) for highlights.  There is a lot there and they manage it nicely.  So kudos to the team that took what was probably given to them and took it boldly where few have gone before.

For now, all I can do is sigh, fyi. 

Be On-Purpose!

Kevin

See Kevin's Interview on The Good Life

Watch The Good Life with Ken Mikesell and Barbara Beck. 

Kevin's interview airs on March 2nd & March 5th at 7:30AM, 12:00PM, 3:00PM, & 8:00PM on station WTGL.

The Good Life is on channel 45 in the Central Florida area.  For Brighthouse customers, tune in to channel 19.

For those not in Central Florida, you can see the interview on WTGL's web site after the episode airs.