Humor 8/7/00: Ellison' Speech & 7 Steps

Hi everyone,

I finally watched "Chicken Run" this weekend. It was fairly
entertaining. A few friends told me about a good movie rental, "Spanish
Prisoner". I have never heard of it before yesterday. But, feel free
to watch it and let me know what you think.

Thanks to all of you who checked out Leisure Planner and registered. I
waited to send you this email so that we would have a bit more of the
arts and community functionality up. In the future, when you create
your art leisure profile, we will proactively recommend art exhibits in
your metropolitan area that you may enjoy. Also, the same thing goes
for community events, especially if they are geared towards a minority
group or religious group. Our website is: www.leisureplanner.com.

Some of you sent me your answers to last week's question, where you
would want to inherit a vacation home. The typical answers were: Bali,
Maui and the Cayman Islands. However, I think John Welch's answer was
the most original:

"This one is easy: San Francisco. Then I would spend the other 11 months
traveling.
Was that cheating? ;-)"

This week's thought provoking question is: "If you could keep only one
home appliance, which would you keep?"

This week's humor was forwarded by Tina Sze (unlike Carly Fiorina's
speech to MIT, the speech by Ellison to Yale is NOT real. It is a
satire written by Andrew Marlatt. It's really funny!), followed by an
inspirational piece forwarded by Marilyn Li (it sounds like something
from Stephen Covey).

Enjoy!

-Josh.
_________________________________________

Ellison to Grads: Diplomas are for Losers

By Treat Warland

New Haven, CT - In one of the more controversial commencement addresses
in memory, Oracle CEO and college dropout Larry Ellison told Yale's
Class of 2000 they were "losers" whose hard-won diplomas would never
propel them into the ranks of the super rich.

The evangelical Ellison, noting that college dropouts Bill Gates, Paul
Allen, and Michael Dell were, like himself, on Forbes' recent top 10
list of billionaires, urged freshmen and sophomores at the ceremony to
"drop out and start up," and added that the undereducated Yale security
guards who ushered him off stage probably had a better shot at
uber-wealth than graduating seniors.

What follows is a transcript of the speech delivered by Ellison at the
Yale University last month:

"Graduates of Yale University, I apologize if you have endured this type
of prologue before, but I want you to do something for me. Please, take
a good look around you. Look at the classmate on your left. Look at the
classmate on your right. Now, consider this: five years from now, 10
years from now, even thirty years from now, odds are the person on your
left is going to be a loser. The person on your right, meanwhile, will
also be a loser. And you, in the middle? What can you expect? Loser.
Loserhood. Loser Cum Laude.

"In fact, as I look out before me today, I don't see a thousand hopes
for a bright tomorrow. I don't see a thousand future leaders in a
thousand industries. I see a thousand losers.

"You're upset. That's understandable. After all, how can I, Lawrence
'Larry' Ellison, college dropout, have the audacity to spout such heresy
to the graduating class of one of the nation's most prestigious
institutions? I'll tell you why. Because I, Lawrence "Larry" Ellison,
second richest man on the planet, am a college dropout, and you are not.

"Because Bill Gates, richest man on the planet -- for now, anyway -- is
a college dropout, and you are not.

"Because Paul Allen, the third richest man on the planet, dropped out of
college, and you did not.

"And for good measure, because Michael Dell, No. 9 on the list and
moving up fast, is a college dropout, and you, yet again, are not.

"Hmm... you're very upset. That's understandable. So let me stroke your
egos for a moment by pointing out, quite sincerely, that your diplomas
were not attained in vain. Most of you, I imagine, have spent four to
five years here, and in many ways what you've learned and endured will
serve you well in the years ahead.
You've established good work habits. You've established a network of
people that will help you down the road. And you've established what
will be lifelong relationships with the word 'therapy.' All that of is
good. For in truth, you will need that network. You will need those
strong work habits. You will need that therapy.

"You will need them because you didn't drop out, and so you will never
be among the richest people in the world. Oh sure, you may, perhaps,
work your way up to No. 10 or No. 11, like Steve Ballmer. But then, I
don't have to tell you who he really works for, do I? And for the
record, he dropped out of grad school. Bit of a late bloomer.

"Finally, I realize that many of you, and hopefully by now most of you,
are wondering, 'Is there anything I can do? Is there any hope for me at
all?' Actually, no. It's too late. You've absorbed too much, think you
know too much. You're not 19 anymore. You have a built-in cap, and I'm
not referring to the mortar boards on your heads.

"Hmm... you're really very upset. That's understandable. So perhaps this
would be a good time to bring up the silver lining. Not for you, Class
of '00. You are a write-off, so I'll let you slink off to your pathetic
$200,000-a-year jobs, where your checks will be signed by former
classmates who dropped out two years
ago.

"Instead, I want to give hope to any underclassmen here today. I say to
you, and I can't stress this enough: leave. Pack your things and your
ideas and don't come back. Drop out. Start up.

"For I can tell you that a cap and gown will keep you down just as
surely as these security guards dragging me off this stage are keeping
me dow..."
__________________________________________

THE SEVEN STEPS

There is a little recipe that I use in my life that I have found to be
helpful over and over again. I call it "The Seven Steps." I use it as a
blueprint for each new endeavor or project I am about to embark on. I
have also found it useful in my personal life. I hope you can find it
beneficial too.

1. FORGIVE YOURSELF.
Many of our pasts are filled with bad choices and mistakes. We're not
perfect, and we have to admit to ourselves "That's okay". If you've hurt
somebody, by all means, say you're sorry. The important point here is to
accept the mistake, correct it if possible, forgive yourself, and move
on.

2. CLEAR THE DECKS.
There are always reasons why things go wrong. It's necessary that we
realize sometimes we do things and surround ourselves with negativity.
It can come in the form of a bad habit, or bad relationships, but one
thing is clear, if the level of negativity is not decreased it becomes
very hard to continue a forward progression.

3. CHART A COURSE.
Ask yourself, "What is it I want to do?" "Where do I see my life
heading?" It's very difficult to sail a ship without charts. You never
know where you may end up..... perhaps in a port where you don't belong.

4. LINK THE DAYS.
Don't look at your plan as a huge mountain to climb all at once. See the
days as links in a chain, that when strung together become bold and
strong.

5. POSITIVE INPUT.
I cannot express enough how important it is to surround yourself with
positive influences. They are the fuel for your dreams. Create a little
library of books you can constantly go to for reinforcement. Have a
chat with a supportive friend...it can work wonders.

6. WORK HARD.
Nothing truly good comes easy. Anybody who tells you it does....beware.
Working hard on your goals gives you a tremendous sense of
accomplishment, once they are realized. To move down a road, you need
"drive". Not too fast, or not too slow. I'm a big believer in "cruise
control."

7. CELEBRATE EACH STEP.
Each milestone on your journey, have a celebration....you have earned
it. It's okay to pat yourself on the back. Every celebration on the
ladder of success builds momentum, and you'll discover there is a lot to
be said for momentum. It creates a wave to push you further forward.

These are my points of reference I try to follow in my life. Even when
we fail, it's so important to keep trying. The effort justifies our
reasons for being.

Take the time to love.