Thang Nguyen 555

How to handle up’s and down’s.

One respects the clean-as-a-whistle winner. The race involves rules of engagement, challenges (Boston heart-break-hill) and time limits. In short, measurement. One’s life (around 77 years) vs the machine (forever with full maintenance and upgrade).

Farmers and miners, machine and man. All strive to put food on the table, to stir the young away from costly curves, course-correcting and cheering on.

In short, human ethicus and human economicus both.

In Vietnamese “co Thuc moi vuc duoc Dao” (s/t to eat before sermon). Practical and realistic.

Mothers feeding children, mama bear waiting for baby bear (still finding footing at the bottom of snowy mountain).

First be human (include in the package, to be buried) then to be businessman. Companies used to last a while (Fortune 500). Now Fortune 50. Human longevity is more elastic, while their enterprises see their span shrink. Why?

Back during the 2008 financial crisis, we talked about ethics in Medical and Business school.

Now no one talks infrastructure, environment and ethics. Too long term given short life span.

In other words, grab it.

Now. Yesterday. The asymmetricity of elements: productivity cycle vs prosumer’s expectations (no wonder stores stock only high-margin, high-glucose items), stockholders demand vs market reality.

Those in the middle (portfolio managers, marketers and broadcasters) all fold. QVC in bankruptcy? Unheard of 40 years ago. GE? No longer there to “Bring good things to life”.

Made my point. Now it’s time to switch gear, slow down and pace myself as I see more hills in the horizon. Luckily, I have some scars to show, regrets to lament and tribulation to amend.

Those who cover up battle scars can relate to this. Those with “perfect” unscarred skin can go ahead with renewed outside, while inside perpetuating full-scale illusion. Just ask King Midas about illusion. He’ll tell you all about accomplishment he left behind best known as the Midas touch.

In the race, there is always time-limit. Or else, no one knows who is going to bring home that first prize. Never forget the day I did my Dad proud (first beer earned and drank in front of him). Back then, I knew the race, our race, continues in different forms, endless and party-pooping so as we finally learn and earn the ultimate tittle of being a full human.

First hu-man, then business-man. Do no evil. Bring good things to life. Transactional but also transformational via uphill and downhill curves. As long as we have the humility for course-correction, the confidence to see another day, enter another race and never ever give up.