Proper investment service using time management and focus with Dan Pena
The prime focus of this newsletter is to offer a proper investment service using time management and focus are the main instruments. Addressing a few important issues this newsletter serves as a dossier for an investment service as Dan helps puts those hard-earned pennies in the right place. Dan also issues periodic statements where the opportunities in relation to QLA methodology exist with plans to initiate an investment fund, a hedge fund based on QLA precepts.
In this newsletter Dan proudly talks of the various cultures and religions he has worked along with because of his financial and marketing background that virtually covers the entire globe spanning across 5 decades.
There are many opportunities available and unless they are individually compared both objectively and subjectively there is a chance of easily missing the point – the basics in an investment service. This is because most often being myopic does not work in for an investment service.
With a few illustrations, Dan points out that opportunities are time sensitive and one can miss an opportunity completely. He talks of the main direction of the stock market, the price of commodities, including the price of oil and interest rates related to specific markets and stock picks in the market. Dan had forecasted in 1984 that the dollar and pound would see parity and by early 1985 and this has earned him respect in various financial markets in the investment service areas.
The cost of investing on this newsletter as an investment service is mentioned and Dan also clears the air around stating that his companies will not take positions in any of the public shares recommended by him but there is definitely various opportunities to invest in both public and private companies that follow QLA precepts and methodologies.
Dan have been reviewing a number of good opportunities where each deal has been different and very unique. He believes in an investment service offering a good deal with an outstanding management team rather than the inverse. Spruced up with examples of poor time management he has brought out a 7-point Do’s and Don’ts schedule which clears out the air about time management.
Dan talks of Michael Milken who was super successful at such a young age of 43 through proper investment service and the various principles that he had drawn for himself to be achieve success. Packed with a whole lot of valuable information, this newsletter deals with Time management as an art.
30th November 2004
From Dan Peña – Executive Coach and Mentor to the High Performer.
Dear High Performance Person and Visionary,
NEWS FLASH!
All video and audio QLA product now on DVD / CD.
New QLA Investment Newsletter
Time Management – Laser Beam Focus: 7 dos and don’ts
QLA Product – Holiday Sale
As part of my new regimen vis-à-vis further developing my coaching I will be writing more frequent newsletters and adding more types of letters. The subject of this letter will be time management and focus. Or more specifically laser beam focus or the lack there of. But before launching into the main area of focus (pun intended), let me address a few important new issues.
Investment Newsletter
As suggested by devotees of QLA I will launch a new letter Jan of next year concerning where to put your hard earned pennies! I have called the last 3 out of 4 major turns in the broad stock market (the recent trading ban I missed), recommended gold in the mid to high $200’s, suggested the USA would allow the dollar to weaken against other currencies amongst other things. It therefore has been suggested I put my investment thoughts in a more deliberate, yet succinct format. Starting in 2005, I will issue periodic statements on my view of the world and where the opportunities in relation to QLA methodology exist. I am also looking into starting an investment fund and a hedge fund based on QLA precepts next year.
Since I have lived abroad and travelled worldwide a long time my perspective about the world is much different than my American readers. It’s also much different than my British and European readers. I differentiate my Brit friends from the rest of Europe mainly because they do! In fact it’s very different than almost all of my readers worldwide. It’s different because, amongst other things, I have been fortunate in that I am well travelled and I have a financial and marketing background that virtually covers the entire globe! In addition, I have been in business and advised some of the world’s great individual and corporate icons including: several governments; the Vatican; Hindus; Jews; Christians; Muslims; Agnostics, Americans; South Americans; Canadians; the English; Scots; French; Germans; Aussies; Asians of all descriptions; South Africans; Mexicans; native Americans; Dutch; Italians; Scandinavians; Russians; Austrians; Middle Easterners; and Texans. I did this spanning 5 separate decades! I have left out other religions, races and places on the globe because they are too many to list. I mean no disrespect if your group wasn’t listed!
What helped solidify my thoughts was my recent trip from the UK to the USA and back eastward through the Middle East, India and Australia and back again to the UK. Needless to say Birmingham, Alabama is a far cry from New Deli, India. Whilst there are many opportunities in both areas and everywhere in between unless you take them individually and compare them both objectively and subjectively (with local ears on the ground) you can very easily miss the point. In fact unless you take a real focused (pardon the pun) hard look you probably miss the entire opportunity. So how does a person from Bama (as its called) know what’s going on in India? Well for starters – does he care? Most of us are only caught up (if that’s the proper phrase) with what we are confronted with on a daily basis. Therefore, we are all myopic to a certain extent. And as you know we are myopic about almost everything outside our comfort zone (cz). Fortunately QLA has devotees all over the world and I am now going to link their collective knowledge and expertise filtered by my vast experience.
My new letter will cover many areas and point out the opportunities as I see them – where I see them. Some opportunities will be time sensitive, but not so much that if you miss reading your emails you miss the opportunity. For example, the property (real estate) opportunities in Dubai are extraordinary at the moment. Exceptional returns are available for the quick and nimble. For those of you that remember the land boom that existed between Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas in the 80’s you will recall the returns that existed were out of this world. Of course as with the Tulip Bulb phase (1634 – 1637) in the Netherlands it came to a screeching halt after a few years of crazy results. (In case you didn’t know the first stock market or bourse was established in The Netherlands for trading in Tulip bulbs!) Returns in Dubai have risen to as much as 20 – 30 % per month, before flat (apartment) construction has even started. I am not suggesting any of you take on such an investment, but relating "what if a Birmingham, Alabama person had such an interest and also had such an appetite?" Perhaps this is a far fetched example for most of you, but I currently have devotees participating in this market. More normal emphasis will be the main direction of the stock market, the price of commodities, including the price of oil and interest rates. Specific markets (bourses) and stock picks will also be included where I find exceptional value vis-à-vis their QLA position in the market place. The first picks may include shares listed in the USA, London, Korea, Germany, Sweden or The Netherlands. All picks will be intermediate and long-term orientated. This will not be a trader’s guide, but more a disciplined and structured methodology looking for QLA opportunities.
Back in 1984 whilst in London being interviewed by one of the best financial papers, I forecasted the dollar and pound would see parity soon. My rationale was sound, but too long to explain here. As I recall it was early spring and the exchange rate was about $1.50 to £1. By early 1985 the exchange rate was about $1.10 to £1 and had dropped intra day to $1.05. Ever since that happened I have been asked what my thoughts about the economy and the various financial markets were. I am now going to give my opinions reference various markets in a regular format on a regular monthly basis, though special interim announcements will be made if and when appropriate.
This newsletter will have an investment cost of $119 per month to start. Three months in advance, by credit card. Current free newsletter recipients that sign up before 31st Dec 04 will have an initial and on going reduction of $20 per month or an initial investment of 3 x $99 = $297 – a savings of $60! The $20 a month saving will last as long as you subscribe. Subsequent to the initial 3 month subscription credit cards will be debited monthly $99 (£52). My initial investigation of high end quality focused research and QLA devotee suggestions have indicated a monthly investment cost between $197 and $995 per month would be the current expected range.
Neither I nor any of my companies will take positions in any of the public shares I might recommend. Investment newsletter subscribers will have various opportunities to invest in both public and private companies that follow QLA precepts and methodologies. For sign up information email Steven Daniels at steven@guthriecastle.com.
This new financial newsletter will not be regulated by any financial authority, including the FSA or the SEC! It is a newsletter not a fund!
TIME MANAGEMENT AND LASER BEAM FOCUS
In recent months I have had the privilege of reviewing a number of very good opportunities. Each deal has been different and very unique. Some of the deals have been good to great! The people have been great to outstanding. As you know I would rather have a good deal with an outstanding management team than the opposite. A few of the individuals have been truly gifted. And under normal circumstances (and nothing in my life is very normal) I would have picked all the deal/opportunities brought me by the gifted with even a good deal. In these circumstances my greatest challenge is dividing up my precious time. But that hasn’t been the case! You might ask why Dan? What could be your reasoning? Aren’t gifted people with great deals like hen’s teeth? Can’t you make changes to make it work?
Well my friends, devotees of QLA and everyone else that reads this newsletter – the answer is no! I can’t change personal habits very easily! By the time someone comes to me their beliefs systems are pretty final. Set in concrete! Not moveable! Comfortable!
Unless the individual really wants change no change is forth coming. In fact even if change is desired by the person, change is only possible if desired at the expense of almost anything else! There has to be a pay price to action! Remember people make real change due to inspiration or desperation! And most change comes from desperation. A gifted person has a higher chance of being inspired. But as smart as I am, I was desperate not inspired when I formulated QLA!
7 Dos and Don’ts
Here are some examples of what I mean by poor time management. And by definition showing a lack of laser beam focus! This list is not all encompassing, though it is very representative.
1) Time management is a difficult discipline to acquire. But let’s look at mere quantitative time itself. If you don’t work over the weekends you are losing about 104 days, not counting holidays per year. How does someone that works 104/365 (28%) less expect to compete with those that do? Even a gifted person struggles giving away such an advantage. If you even worked Saturdays and not Sundays look at the difference!
2) When I first came to the UK very few in business gave you their home number. And few took calls after normal work hours and work hours varied from 6 – 8 hours a day. Like Wall Street the financial people worked longer hours over weekends, etc, as they do now. The UK worked longer hours than most Europeans as they do now. But I am shocked to tell you there are Neanderthals (or should I call them balanced) that still confine their business to 40 hours or less per week and yet cry and complain about not having enough of the good life.
3) Now most professionals put their cell #’s on their business cards. But surprisingly many still don’t give their home #’s. And many still turn their cell phones off in the evenings and over weekends and never turn them on whilst on holidays.
4) People rarely want to work over "special days" and that means something different to all. For yet another surgery on my body I picked my last birthday. It was available and I didn’t want a down day!
5) When I travel on long hauls I rarely go direct, which would be infinitely easier on my body if I did. I usually have stops and, or layovers at different airports for meetings. When I go to the West Coast of the USA from the UK I normally have 2/3 stops. I do try and link all my USA trips to see my children who all live near L.A.
6) I normally try to travel over long holiday weekends, or even holidays if I can find people that will meet. (I have travelled on all the holidays.) This is often a first meeting "dufus test" for the individual I want to meet. I will describe an ultimate "dufus test" that Michael Milken used later.
7) Many who read this newsletter haven’t made their Quantum Leap. Yet I find many of you taking extended vacations and holidays spending valuable time and money you need elsewhere to make your dream come to fruition! Why? Are your goals and desires real? You argue you and or your family need a break, etc. Virtually all high performance people I know spend only part of the time their families take for various holidays. It’s not the money you spend. QLA shows you how to do it with OPM. But what will you say when your major earning years are behind you? And by earning years, I mean the most productive years of your QLA life? Not everyone can keep working in to their late 60s as Berni Schindler does! He’s a very special case and he is due to attend the special 7 day QLA Seminar in April.
As I have written time is money. Your most valuable commodity is your time – ergo the management of your time is money. As the above 7 points show (and I could have listed many more) we are all engaged in stuff that doesn’t bring us closer to our goals and dreams. In fact if you follow any of the above we are at direct cross purposes to what we are trying to achieve. It goes without saying if your job is also your passion the above list is much easier to live with! It also goes without saying if you are breaking any of these seven your chances are dramatically less to achieve your goals / dreams.
MICHAEL MILKEN TIME MANAGEMENT DUFUS STORY
Many years ago I heard this story about Mr Milken: He was being interviewed by a journalist shortly after he was paid about $500,000,000 for a years work, around 1987. For those of you that don’t know he was the father of junk bonds and arguably saved many of corporate America (world) when debt money wasn’t available for growth.
He was asked why he was so smart or why he had been so super successful at such a young age, 43. He said he wasn’t so smart, but he merely worked longer and perhaps harder than his contemporaries. He said he works about 20 hours day, needing only a few hours sleep, and worked 364 days a year taking only the most holy Jewish holiday off. He said if you take roughly 20 years that he had been out of school x 364 days a year x 20 hours you get 20 x 364 x 20 = 145,600 hours divided by an 8 hour work day = 18,200 days divided by 364 days less weekends 104 days and 10 days regular holidays or 250 days = 72.8 normal work years. Therefore instead of being 43 with only 20 years experience, he was 23 plus 72.8 years experience or over 95. Needless to say I have a similar chronology, but I require more sleep!
Another interesting story is Mr. Milken scheduled his first business meeting with an individual at either 12 am or 4 am. This "dufus test" eliminated most of the weak or lacking in focus and determination! How many of you would have made a first appointment with the king of junk bonds?
Most people on this globe don’t even have the chronological years they have as experience because of their personal work habits, or lack there of! This is especially true of the younger generation. Perhaps you can better appreciate when you meet someone in a business situation that appears to be in his mid thirties and has acumen of a kid! He is probably a 9 – 5 person that takes a lot of holidays and considers himself to have a balanced life.
If today was a test – did you pass? To change results you must change behaviour!
Success requires sacrifice! And the more success the more sacrifice!
To Your Quantum Leap,
Daniel S Peña Sr.
P.S. Life is only difficult for those that pick and chose! Dali Lama. And speaking of choosing – all QLA video and audio products are now available on DVD and CDs. In the spirit of the holidays all free newsletter subscribers can have 1/3rd (33%) off all individual QLA product purchased by Dec 18th, 2004. Order through: p.morris@guthriecastle.com
P.P.S. The new April 7 day QLA Seminar is filling up with some interesting people. Some of the best people to come through in recent years have signed up.
P.P.P.S. Another Focus Time Management Experience! List every call, email and meeting you have Sunday – Saturday. Now list all your personal, financial and other goals. Go down the list of weekly contacts and see how many correspond with one of your goals. If you fall below 50%, as most do – you now know why your goals have eluded you and also know what to address to achieve better results.
