Big Mac Turns 40, But Is It Time To Say Goodbye?

From a marketing and money stand point no, from an everything else stand point absolutely yes! The Big Mac taste great. I remember when I was about 11 years old I bet my dad that I could eat four of them. I lost that bet but I had fun losing. This Big Boy Burger inspired sandwich has been around for 40 years and has served as the image of the American burger. But let's be honest, times have changed. We understand that the Big Mac has served McDonald's, well but with our health at stake it may be time for McDonald's to bye bye the Big Mac.

Our health
In August of 2007 The Trust for Americas Health reported that Americans are getting fatter and unhealthier. Mississippi broke 30 percent of adults being considered obese. That's fine for them but how does that effect us who aren't obese? If the trend in unhealthy eating continues then the cost for treating diseases related to obesity will rise. Diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure are already on the rise and if more people are being treated for these the effects of health care cost will trickle down to us. The Big Mac and other inexpensive fast foods enable those who are unhealthy to keep being unhealthy. The trend and demand for healthier food is rising so maybe McDonald's should have the Big Mac give up its crown before it is taken from it.

Our Future
Like I mentioned before we are unhealthy and getting unhealthier. Like I also mentioned the trend towards healthy eating is rising. The Department of Education has a list of banned foods for all public schools. Already as of 2008 all full-calorie soft drinks will not be allowed. We understand that we are headed in a bad direction if we do not stop killing ourselves. The cooperations will respond to what we want. If we want the unhealthiest burger on the planet, then they'll provide it regardless if it'll give us a heart attack while we're still eating it. Same is true if we want healthy food.

Chipolte
Yes McDonald's will lose some money if they dump the Big Mac but if you didn't know, Chipolte is owned by McDonald's. This highly popular Mexican food place has nothing but healthy food items including meats that are naturally raised. I don't even like burritos and I go there often. I think Mickey D's will make its money back if they continue to grow this venture. The future is bright for Chipolte and I think the light is dimming for 'ol Mac.

I'll miss the Big Mac if they ever decide to discontinue it but if I ever have a craving I can always go to Big Boy.

Look at the people around you

How often do you think about the people that are around you? Most people do not think about the others who are around them often enough. I went to a local meeting of entrepreneurs today and had a chance to meet some people who have or are hoping to build a better life by being their own boss. I went to see a friend of mine speak and I also thought it would be nice to socialize with new people. I've heard that networking meetings are a waste of time because it is usually made up of people who are trying to sell something to other people who are trying to sell them something. However, since I had nothing to sell there was no pressure to hand out as many business cards as I could. Instead I used the meeting to connect with as many people as I could.



The people around you usually determine how successful you will be. The more successful the people around you are the more successful you can expect to become. I get encouraged by hearing the success stories of others. Today I met many people who had their own dreams and goals and who had a desire to succeed. Who have you met today that encourages you to succeed and be better. You should have at least five people that you can be around or contact that will make you better by just being around them. If you don't, make your goal this week to meet at least one new person that can have that kind of effect on you. The advantages of having people like that around you are endless.

New Post Coming Soon

I'm really excited about the new post that I'm working on for my site. I was reading up on the different types of intelligences and it gave me an idea for the new section. I know what the human mind can do when it is put to the test and I've experienced it first hand. I even think that people can become smarter and more intelligent in 30 days. I'm gathering as much info as possible on this but the ideas and what I have to say from the knowledge that I've learned are unique because I have not found anybody who has clearly mapped out a way to become smarter.

People might think that the idea of being smarter in a month is a gimmick but if you've read anything that I've posted you'd know that gimmicks aren't my thing. Action and work is my thing. I'm not going to layout some simple steps that you can find anywhere. I'm going to delve deep into what it means to be smart and what it take to become smarter. I can't wait until it is finished and I should have it posted by Sept 1st.

Courage and Fear

One of the sections that I'm working on for my site is a section on courage and overcoming fear. I've been reading up on the subject lately and I've gotten some good information but I felt like I needed more. So today I attended a shyness and social anxiety group meeting. When I first saw that the group was meeting up, I RSVP so I could attend. Then it occurred to me that I don't have Social Anxiety Disorder. Actually I love conversing and meeting new people so if I attend there might be a problem. I decided to email the organizer of the group to let him know that I wanted to attend the meeting but I was not a shy person and didn't suffer from the disorder. He reluctantly agreed to allow me to sit in on the meeting as long as I didn't dominate the conversation and try to sell my book or something like that. No problem, I don't have a book to sell.

I expected to show up there and see a group of timid people who were too afraid to look me in the eye. But after sitting and talking to them I admired the way they dealt with there fear. They did not seem to be afraid of social situations at all. While I listened to some of there stories I realized that they all had come from different circumstances that caused them to be shy. They also had different ways of adapting to their condition which enabled them to function socially in the world. But I did learn that the template that they used to tackle their fear is similar to the template of tackling any fear, understand it, attack it, and conquer it. I'm excited about working on the section on courage and fear because I've learned and experienced something new that will add to my knowledge and hopefully help other people.
www.potential2success.com

Making Progress

One of the best feelings in the world is seeing progress for your hard work. An Alexa rating is the rating system that ranks sites by popularity. Well my site jumped 237,000 spots since last week! I've been doing so much work on it lately. Trying to create links to my site, posting on forums, and commenting on blogs. I'm glad to see that I'm making progress but I know that I'm not even close to where I want to be. My next step will be to try to add a new post to my website every week, and post on my blog four times a week. I will also like to write an article for some other success websites out there so that I can get some more exposure. In order for me to keep on going I need to see progress so this is an encouragement for me.

Failure over Fear

"I'd rather visit failure than live with fear."
-Ralph Jean-Paul

Waking up this morning I was thinking about the possibilities of my goals for the year being realized. A mental review of my resolutions have me satisfied with my progress but not content. I then began to wonder if the reason I have not accomplished my other goals was because I was holding back. Am I stopping myself from success because of a lack of focus or even worse, fear? I can not stand the feeling of fear. It has been a villain in my life and I refuse to let it win a battle.
I concluded that if I was holding back because I was preventing myself from failing, then I have a decision to make. Either I try and fail or I don't try and let fear win. Failure is an event, fear is a disease. I'd rather visit failure than live with fear.
potential2success.com

Toastmaster advantages

Whenever I tell people that I'm a speaker I usually get one of two reactions. One is a reaction of interest with a comment like "Oh really, what do you speak about?" The other reaction that I get is one of fear and the response I hear is "Ugh, speaking in front of people, I could never do that!" I always come back by telling them that anyone can be a good speaker with help from Toastmasters. Toastmasters International is a communication and leadership organization that is built around public speaking. The purpose is to teach better communication skills to those who want to improve. I joined Toastmasters about 2 years ago because I wanted to practice my speaking skills. Toastmaster International holds some speaking competitions every year that start at the club level and end at the World Championship of Speaking. I did very well in the speaking competitions that I entered and it was a great learning experience. I would say that there are 5 major advantages to becoming a Toastmaster regardless if you are a prolific speaker or if your heart rate quickens at just the thought of speaking in public.

1. ATMOSPHERE- Toastmaster International is about learning. The clubs provide an encouraging environment so that those who are not accustom to speaking can feel at ease. With portions of the meeting like table topics, the meetings are often fun and filled with excitement.

2. CONFIDENCE- Although the organization is built on improving presentation skills, confidence can be built by hosting a meeting, holding a position in a club district or division office, or just being around individuals who want to improve their communication skills and more importantly want you to improve your communication skills as well.

3. PACE- As a member you can choose from a variety of speaking manuals that you want to complete. The manuals have speaking projects in them that you complete at your own pace. I finished my first manual in 6 months but there are some who have been members for years and have not completed their fist manual yet. The good news is there is no time limit or pressure to complete a manual because the objective is to learn at your own pace.

4. MENTORS- If they choose, new members can have a mentor. The mentor is usually a seasoned Toastmaster who will help the newbie with their first projects and answer any questions the new member may have. I think this is a great piece to the Toastmaster experience. And as a mentor, there is nothing greater than seeing someone who was once afraid to speak, stand confidently in front of an audience.

5. LEADERSHIP- It is virtually impossible to become a Toastmaster and not become a better leader. When hosting a meeting you learn how to organize and control an event. As an officer you learn how to make decisions concerning your club or district. As an evaluator you learn how to critic others while encouraging them to be better.

There is so much more to Toastmaster International that in order to understand fully you'll have to attend a meeting. I've meet so many people and learn so much about myself that I think it would be a mistake for people miss out on such a valuable experience.

Visit my site at www.Potential2success.com

Take the Time

I usually use a part of my Sundays to reflect a little on my life. It is a ritual that I've been doing for about 5 years now. I just got back from a park near Downtown and I took the time to meditate and pray and really think about success and life. Now I feel rejuvenated.

Everything in our society these days is aimed at keeping you moving. Everything is promised to be faster, easier, and more convenient so that nothing stops you from moving. But have you ever wondered why you are moving to begin with? Because you have a Speedpass on the expressway and one of those credit cards that you don't have to swipe, you have an extra 45 seconds to spare right? Most likely you don't. What I'd like you to do this week is to set aside 60-90 mins. I suggest that it is out of the house and away from any distractions. Instead of thinking of what you have to do or what you want to get, I'd like you to think about what you already have and what you've already done. Then start thinking about what you want. Now I don't just mean a car, job, or house. You can start off with that if that is better for you but I'd like you to go deeper than that. Think about the kind of parent you want to be remembered as. Think about how you want others to perceive you. Let your mind wonder and journey to the place in your mind where who you are and who you want to be meet.

The most important part of this is to let go. Do not think about why you can't do something or any failures that you've experienced. Doubt, fear, regret,or anything like that cannot be present. Taking the time to refresh your mind is very beneficial. The more you practice it the more effective it will be. Clarity of your mind can be achieved in a world that tries to cloud your thoughts, but you just have to take the time.

You Are Capable

Now that school is over I've got a lot of time on my hands. I want to stay active so that my mind doesn't get lazy. I plan on writing more articles, going to networking meetings, and promoting potential2success.com. Your mind is a sophisticated machine. If you feed it and exercise it it grows. I learned that first hand this summer when I juggled so many things at one time. I think taking 6 classes, working, and building the website all at the same time was one of the best things I ever could have done for myself. The reason is that I forced my to exactly what it is capable of doing.

I mention before that I prepared myself for the semester by organizing my planner so that I would not forget a due date or something I had to do for the site. But for the entire Summer, I did not even look at the planner. Not one time! Our minds are capable of handling what we think it can't. Don't get me wrong, I like planners but I think they come in handy when you are trying to reach long term goals. When we rely on them to handle, store, and basically run our days for us, we are limiting the potential our minds have of doing all of that and more. So now I'm looking at everyday things in my life a little differently. Because the planner was a crutch that made me believe my mind wasn't strong enough to remember every homework, project, and paper due date. As well as the entire 5 Year Preformance Plan that I presented to my department. Along with all of the links I had to fix, advertising programs I had to register for, and writers I had to email.

That makes me wonder what else in my life is a crutch? How else am I limiting my ability? How are you limiting your ability? Is there something in your life that you think you can't do without but is actually limiting your potential? Try doing without caffeine for a while and find other ways to gain energy for your body. Try going without watching TV and find other ways to learn and stay entertained. What you will gain will be much more valuable than what you gave up.