Pleasure And Pain

So, I listened to a Tony Robins youtube video. It was called, “Pleasure And Pain.” Those are the two driving forces in life, he said.

Most of us don’t do things to avoid pain. We say, “If I do that it might produce pain.” We need to reverse that. We need to think the opposite. We need to ask, “What will be the pain if I DON’T do it?

Below I am going to write down 4 actions I need to do but keep putting off. Write down something that will cause pain when you do it, and write down the pleasure you get from not doing it.; write down the opposite, write what will happen if you don’t change.

Pain is a greater motivator than pleasure. Food gives you pleasure. But, focus on the pain you will get by eating the chocolate. Focus on the pleasure you will get by not eating that chocolate. Then behavior changes.

IF you want to change your behavior, you must change your mental focus. You must focus on how not doing something is going to be more painful than doing it. Link not taking action as more painful than just doing it.

Use pain and pleasure rather than letting pain and pleasure use you. That’s the secret to success. You do that and you are in control of your life. If you don’t do it your life controls you. So you need to make that change

Write down 4 actions that you need to do that you’ve been putting off. I’m only putting 3 here. I do have a 4th, but I don’t want to share it. Here goes.

I want to quit drinking for 2 months. 

• The pain I associate that kept me from quitting in the past is the urge to drink 
• The pleasure from not following through is the joy of good buzz; it’s relaxation
• If I don’t change I lack energy the next day; I lack the motivation to diet

I want to lose weight. More specifically, I want to lose 50 pounds.

• The pain I associate that kept me from quitting in the past is hunger
• The pleasure from not following through is the joy of eating good food
• If I don’t change I feel fat and lazy; I feel like a slug

I want to work out every day.

• The pain I associate that kept me from sticking with it in the past is taking time
• The pleasure from not following through is more time relaxing
• If I don't’ change I feel like a slug and lack energy

I'm giving myself a start date. It's September 7. I know it's Friday. I will explain why I'm starting on a Friday in a later post. But, I'm just writing this here in case anyone is interested in doing this with me. 

Donald Trump: The Statistics

Here are the Trump statistics. In four years we'll analyze than to determine how good he did as the 45th President of the United States.

• December 2016: Since Trump was elected, consumer confidence jumped to 113.7, it's the highest level since 2001. This is a signal of how confident consumers are that Trump will fix the economy. 
• December 2016: The Dow, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq have all risen around 4% to 5% since the election. This has aptly been termed the Trump bump. The rally in U.S. shares continued as investors see Trump’s economic policies— tax reform, regulatory reform, and stimulus spending—as particularly good for business. This prompted Trump to tweet on December 27: "The world was gloomy before I won - there was no hope. Now the market is up nearly 10% and Christmas spending is over a trillion dollars!"
• March 9, 2017.  Illegal border crossings decline 40% in Trumps first month in office. This is what happens when you actually enforce the laws already on the books. 
• March 10, 2017: 152,528,000: Record Number of Employed in February; Participation Rate Rises
• March 10, 2017: Amazing: US Debt Decreased by More Than $60 Billion Since Trump Inauguration
• January 7, 2018: The black unemployment rate is under 7% for the first time ever. Tracking began in 1972, so it's the lowest black unemployment rate in recorded history. And it was not even mentioned by the media. This is a huge accomplishment in less than a year for Donald Trump, and not one mention of it in the media. 
• January 10, 2018: As of today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500, and Nasdaq have had 75 record closes since Trump was elected. 
• January 11, 2018: Voters perception of the economy at a record high. The Quinnipiac University poll showed 66% said the economy was excellent. This was the highest percentage since the poll began in 2001. 
• January 11, 2018: Illegal immigration hits 45-year low under Trump.
• January 18, 2018, Jobless claims lowest since 1973
• January 18, 2018, Unemployment is 4.2%, lowest since 2001. It's poised to go even lower
• January 19, 2018: Stock market 31% gain during Trump -- best since FDR; value grows by $6.9 trillion
• June 3, 2018: Unemployment reaches 18 year low of 3.8%. Statistically, this is considered full employment. 4% is usually considered full employment. When you get that low, that 4% is considered to be the number of people who choose not to work. Or, this is is the percentage of people no one wants to hire. So, basically, we have full employment. 
• June 3, 2018: The U.S. added 223,000 jobs in may. This is despite the prediction being 188,000 jobs for may. 
• June 3, 2018: Manufacturers added 
• In May, 6,000 new mining jobs, 18,000 new manufacturing jobs, 31,000 new retail jobs, and 25,000 new construction jobs. As a bonus, there are 24,000 fewer government jobs. 
• June 3, 2018:  Black unemployment has hit another record low. It’s at 5.9%. This is awesome! It's the first time ever black unemployment is under 6%. 
• The unemployment rate for men over 16 is 3.9%. It’s 3.6% for women. (All of this good economic news comes after Obama said our best days are behind us. 
• Unlike the jobs added under the Obama economy, a vast majority of the jobs added in the last year and a half (as of June 2018) are full-time jobs.
• Wages are also going up. 
• Korean War is over. The leaders of North and South Korea shake hands.
• June 20, 2018: Social Security Disability Benefit applications plunge as economy strengthens. This is a startling reversal of a decades old trend that threatened the solvency of the program. The decline is so significant that experts re figured their estimates on how long the program will remain solvent. They say it should now last until 2032. Two years ago it was estimated to run out of funds by 2023.
• 95% of manufacturers bullish on future -- record optimism
• Record 155,576,000 Employed in June; 10th Record for Trump
• August 31, 2018: Jobless claims lowest since 1969
• August 31, 2018: Oil exports booming
• August 31, 2018: 83% of executives say business better; 76% say they see more growth ahead. 
• Unemployment Lowest Since 1969

The funny thing is I started writing this on Trump's first day on March 10, 2017. Even back then I knew the economy was going to improve. I knew if capitalism were tried what would happen. 

Myth: Trump Setting U.S. Up For Trade War

Democrats, the media, and liberals around the world. They keep talking about how Trump is going to incite a trade war if he continues to raise tariffs. But, it's hard for Trump to start a trade war when it started over 30 years ago.

So, Trump raises the steel tariff to 30%. Democrats see this as the beginning and the end. They are afraid other countries will get upset and raise tariffs for outgoing products.

But, this is said without looking at our history. You name your country. That country has a 30% tariff to our steel going into their country. We have only a 2.5% tariff on imported steel. That 2.5% is usually not paid.

So, who benefits from this set-up. It's certainly not the U.S. So, Trump raising the tariff to 30% is only playing a game. It's making it so there is an equal tariff both ways. It gives U.S. steelmakers an equal opportunity to sell steel abroad.

Plus, what can it hurt? If those other country's don't want high tariffs, they can easily call Trump. They can make a deal. That deal can call for a reduction of tariffs on both sides. Perhaps steel tariffs can be reduced to 10% both ways. That would be fair.

So, this idea that Trump is setting the U.S. up for a trade war is poppycock. It has been going on for a long time.