I just don't get it -why would a rich man kill himself. I come from Nigeria - a country which is no stranger to corruption, fraud and scandals. Back home, we live in a very materialistic world - where the have's are readily distinguishable from the have nots.
People make and loose fortunes everyday - under unfortunate circumstances. We are a proud people, so when a person's fortunes take a turn for the worse, it's often deeply embarrassing for that person's entire family. However - the prospect of suicide rarely crosses our minds.
I recently read about the rising number of Suicides - apparently due to the ongoing financial crisis. An out-of-work money manager in California loses a fortune and wipes out his family in a murder-suicide. A 90-year-old Ohio widow shoots herself in the chest as authorities arrive to evict her from the modest house she called home for 38 years. In Massachusetts, a housewife who had hidden her family's mounting financial crisis from her husband sends a note to the mortgage company warning: "By the time you foreclose on my house, I'll be dead."
It's one thing for someone who loses a home, a job or perhaps one's life savings - I'm an optimistic person, so I can't understand why anyone would commit Suicide. I'm even more befuddled by the suicide deaths of a Adolf Merckle and Rene-Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet.
It would seem that both men were still wealthy - even though their assets were diminished in part by Mr. Madoff and by the ongoing financial crisis.
Perhaps I'm an internal optimist - I can't explain why anyone would commit suicide - let alone someone with hundreds of millions in the bank.
We need to strive to lead Purpose driven lives - and a life of purpose should never be about amassing material wealth. Our source of being shouldn't revolve around what we own or even our personal/professional accomplishments.
Not saying that's the case for any of these folks - I do know that if your life has true purpose, the concept of suicide should never cross your mind
Jan 4, 2009
Tough Love For Microsoft?
Recently - Danny Sullivan wrote this piece, on Microsoft's Search Engine. It's a lengthy write up, but definitely worth a read. I've attended a number of events at which Danny has spoken, including the Webmaster Series which he referenced in this article.
Having spent the last 4 years covering the Global Search Industry, I have a lot of respect for Danny's opinion. Much of what he's written is spot on.
I do have one slight disagreement though.
Danny "Word-of-mouth is far more powerful, in my opinion. Google was built on it. It was a great product that took off like wildfire on the web. Distribution deals certainly helped Google, but I don’t buy into them alone being what “made” Google. It was far from the only search engine to cut distribution deals. For one example, Excite gained important distribution via Netscape, but that didn’t save the company in the long-term."
Word-of-mouth was great for Google, however - by far the greatest catalyst for the companies success, was it's revolutionary monetization platform which enabled it to sign distribution deals with AOL, CNN & several of the most popular general interest portals of the day.
It's worth noting that Google "Stole" many of those distribution deals from Overture - which was the pre-eminent Search Player at the time.
Having spent the last 4 years covering the Global Search Industry, I have a lot of respect for Danny's opinion. Much of what he's written is spot on.
I do have one slight disagreement though.
Danny "Word-of-mouth is far more powerful, in my opinion. Google was built on it. It was a great product that took off like wildfire on the web. Distribution deals certainly helped Google, but I don’t buy into them alone being what “made” Google. It was far from the only search engine to cut distribution deals. For one example, Excite gained important distribution via Netscape, but that didn’t save the company in the long-term."
Word-of-mouth was great for Google, however - by far the greatest catalyst for the companies success, was it's revolutionary monetization platform which enabled it to sign distribution deals with AOL, CNN & several of the most popular general interest portals of the day.
It's worth noting that Google "Stole" many of those distribution deals from Overture - which was the pre-eminent Search Player at the time.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Hi all, I apologize for the radio silence over the past few months. I had to take some time off from writing - primarily because of my commitments at work & the holiday season. I'm also planning the launch of a new online initiative which will revolve around my passion for Leadership Development.
The month of January tends to be one of great optimism, chuck full of new year resolutions, and millions of people signing up for gym club memberships. This morning, I heard that all new year resolutions are broken or forgotten by valentine's day. Hopefully that won't be the case, this year.
I believe '09 is a year of restoration - I've labelled it, the year of the "Big Push". (More on that later). Over the next few months - the World Changer's Journal will feature bi-weekly write-ups on a variety of core topics - including Web Analytics, Professional Development & Leadership Strategies.
Happy New Year.......
The month of January tends to be one of great optimism, chuck full of new year resolutions, and millions of people signing up for gym club memberships. This morning, I heard that all new year resolutions are broken or forgotten by valentine's day. Hopefully that won't be the case, this year.
I believe '09 is a year of restoration - I've labelled it, the year of the "Big Push". (More on that later). Over the next few months - the World Changer's Journal will feature bi-weekly write-ups on a variety of core topics - including Web Analytics, Professional Development & Leadership Strategies.
Happy New Year.......
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