Don't Give Up What You Want Most, For What You Want Now
Time Management Hacks, Italian Politics, Disney inflation, Gretzky
Today is Robert Barlow (from the Leaders Asset) Interview Series on Time Management. Robert has gathered 14 leaders and asked them for their best tips on what time management strategies pay the best dividends. There are some giants being interviewed: Ken Van Liew, Robert Nickell, Byron Morrison, and even little old me.
It’s free and well worth the time! Check it out here.
“Ability will never catch up with the demand for it.”
— Confucious
Americans are famous for not following politics in other countries. With more than enough shenanigans in our own country, perhaps that can be excused. But that isn’t to say that we aren’t missing the show in other places.
In Italy, the Prime Minister, Mario Draghi resigned last week … except he didn’t. The President of Italy has the right to accept or deny the resignation and he denied it. And the rest of the political class is publishing appeal after appeal to ask Draghi to stay on. Yesterday, a petition signed by almost every mayor in the country, and 10k+ citizens begging Draghi to rescind his resignation was published.
In a nutshell (pun intended), one of the members of the governing coalitions that all modern parliamentary systems require to govern, boycotted a vote on a massive aid package for middle income households. Tax credits, subsidies, buy downs and deferments were all included in the 26B euro proposal and one of the minority parties attempted to scuttle the vote because the City of Rome wanted to build a garbage incinerator.
Draghi, who used to be the head of Europe’s version of the Federal Reserve, the ECB, declared he wouldn’t govern in a way where party politics prevented economic reform and assistance resigned. Doing so caused such an uproar that the minority party will probably be booted from the coalition and the PM will consolidate power and influence sufficient to reform the Italian economy.
“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.”
— William Butler Yeats
On opening day in 1955, a ticket to Disneyland was $1 per adult, and $.50 per child. A single day ticket today costs $104. Modeling nominal inflation rates into the mix, the rate of Disney ticket inflation is 200% higher than that. Children’s tickets have increased more than adult tickets. Altogether, a trip to disney has increased 1000% since opening day.
“The fool is always getting ready to live.”
— Seneca
Wayne Gretzky has been called “the Great One.” As a kid growing up in the South where hockey is simply not a thing, even I knew who he was, how good he was, and the intelligence he brought to the game. Gretzky has recently published a book, 99: Stories of the Game in which he gives a first person analysis of the 1980 Miracle on Ice when the American Olympic team defeated the dominant Soviet team. As a player on the team, he has some insights that I haven’t seen shared elsewhere. Farnam Street has a great summary here. It’s definitely worth the read.