•30 Ways to be a Butt-Head Boss
30 Ways to be a Butt-Head Boss
by: Gene Simmons
1. Trust no one. Not your superiors and not your employees. Especially not your employees. They’re probably out to get you anyway.
2. Believe that all of your people are lazy, good-for-nothing slackers. Remind them of that frequently.
3. Get mad and shout a lot. This will reinforce to your “workers” that you mean business.
4. Never grant special favors. Having babies, being sick, taking time off to go to weddings, funerals or 50th...
•5 Ways to Lose Those Holiday Blues
5 Ways to Lose Those Holiday Blues
by: Gene Simmons
What a great time of year! It’s a time to be thankful for what we have and enjoy all the festivities that mark a renewal of our hope and faith in the “system” that will carry us toward a bright new year.
Right… So if this is such a wonderful season, how come so many of us wind up in Yucksville? It may have something to do with losing our rational map about the time we made the turn at the Grotto of the Great Pumpkin. Let’s see if...
•A Country Boy’s View on Fashion
A Country Boy’s View on Fashion
by: Gene Simmons
I still can’t understand it. After all these years, I can’t make a lick of sense out of what folks consider to be in or out of fashion – appropriate or inappropriate attire or appearance. What was “in” last year, might be “out” this year – or it might be in but you need to change what you wear with it. What was OK for spring and summer probably won’t work well for fall and winter - weather considerations aside. And what is in was likely...
•A Quick Checklist for Improving Your Life
A Quick Checklist for Improving Your Life
by: Gene Simmons
1. Learn About You
If you don’t know who you are and why you think and act the way you do, it’s gonna be really difficult to make any positive changes in your life. Take a look first at your parents and close family members. Think about how they look and how they deal with life. This is the basis for who you are today. You’ve been instilled with the tendency to think as they think and act as they act. It’s just the way it is....
•Are You Stuck? Consider Changing Your Focus!
Are You Stuck? Consider Changing Your Focus!
by: Gene Simmons
If you sometimes feel as though you’re caught in life’s quicksand, you have a lot of company. We work, we struggle, we try to do everything we possibly can to move on to a higher level of well-being but it seems like the harder we work, the more stuck we get. If you’re approaching a Category 5 frustration level, you might give this a try…
Switch your focus from that really nice – but frustrated – person in the mirror to one or...
•Busy, Busy, Busy...
Busy, Busy, Busy...
by: Gene Simmons
…busy, busy, busy, busy, busy…busy, busy, bus… OK, slap me with a wet diaper! Enough of that silliness. Most you know what I’m talking about though, right? That’s us! Busy. Doing what? Stuff. What kinds of stuff? All kinds of stuff. Like what? You name it. Give me an example. Can’t. Why not? Too busy…
OK – that’s it! Blow the danged whistle! We need a Time Out!
Holy Smokes, Folks! We’re going outta control. No, not all of us of course. But there are...
•Don’t Give Up!
Don’t Give Up!
by: Gene Simmons
Don’t let anyone kid you. The road to self improvement and personal growth is not a short, straight, well-marked, paved highway. Looking back on my journey, I see a road meandering over hills and through valleys, around sharp curves and over muddy trails, with occasional boulders blocking my way. I can remember taking detours that took me off the beaten path and on to cow paths that wandered seemingly forever through the puckerbrush. It’s been a long...
•Eureka! I’ve Found It!
Eureka! I’ve Found It!
by: Gene Simmons
OK, so it wasn’t quite that big of a deal. But I did find the “T” that mysteriously escaped from the word “not” in one of my articles a few months ago. Yep, I found it all right. Right at the end of what was intended to be the word “though”. Of course, that misplacement resulted in a stupid sentence completely void of logic – unless by chance you missed the “t” and read the sentence the way I intended instead of the way I wrote it.
So why am I...
•Gene’s Diet Plan
Gene’s Diet Plan
by: Gene Simmons
Hot dang! If a few hundred other folks can peddle a plan to help people lose weight, there’s no reason I can’t jump on the bandwagon too! So, here’s my plan. All you need to do is send me a certified check for $495.94 and I’ll let you in on my “Secrets to Successful Weight Control”. How’s that sound?
You want a personalized plan? I can do that. You want charts and graphs? I can do that. You want weekly e-mail encouragement and special diet tips? I can do...
•How Stupid Can People Be?
How Stupid Can People Be?
by: Gene Simmons
“I can’t believe she did that!” “What the hell is he thinking?” “Any idiot would have better sense than that!” “Are they all taking dumb pills?” “What’s the matter with these people?” “Why am I working with a bunch of morons?” “He doesn’t have the sense God gave a goose!”
Do any of these phrases sound familiar? Of course they do. They’re words we hear – or even use – almost every day. At times it looks like the world is being overtaken by...
•How’s It Going?
How’s It Going?
by: Gene Simmons
Hmmm, there’s Bob. I haven’t seen him in a while so I think I’ll go over and talk with him for a minute. “Hey, Bob! How’s it goin’?”
“Well let me tell you Gene, things have never been so good for me. Last year I started my own business and within nine months had made over two hundred and fifty thousand dollars! Two hundred and fifty! Can you believe that? Well, since I was doing so good, I went out and bought a brand new house up in the new Elite...
•I Am…
I Am…
by: Gene Simmons
…you are, he is, she is, they are… But you knew that already, didn’t you? Or have you really stopped to think about it recently – or ever for that matter?
Huh?
I guess we need a little clarification on this. So…do this. Touch yourself. That’s right, go ahead and touch yourself.
So, what did you feel? Skin? Of course. Maybe some hair? OK. How about warmth? Sure, unless you’re standing naked in your back yard in Minnesota in the middle of January. (You...
•It’s Good to be Goofy
It’s Good to be Goofy
by: Gene Simmons
To paraphrase a saying my mother liked to use occasionally, “The whole world is goofy – except you and me. And sometimes I’m not too sure about you!”
Rest assured that no matter who we are or what we do, there is at least a handful of people somewhere in this world who are convinced that we’re not rowing with both oars in the water. If you’ve been following along with some of the other blogs, you know that this is absolutely normal. Since no two of...
•It’s My Blankey and I’m Keeping It!
It’s My Blankey and I’m Keeping It!
by: Gene Simmons
“Blankey” – as in Security Blankey. OK? All parents know what this is. Sometimes it’s an actual “blankey”, or it may be a pillow, a doll or some other favorite toy or scrap of material. It’s the “thing” that provides a measure of security to developing young minds in a sometimes scary new world. It’s the “thing” the little ones sleep with, eat with, and lug around until it becomes almost unrecognizable. God forbid that we should...
•I’m Gettin’ Really Torqued!
I’m Gettin’ Really Torqued!
by: Gene Simmons
For those of you who have been living in a cave for most of your lives, you can translate the “torqued” in the heading of this article to “mad” or “angry”. For today’s discussion of anger, let’s quantify the intensity of our focus with the words “downright, PO’d!” I think that’s quite clear. Let’s proceed.
The first question is “What makes you really angry (as in PO’d)?”
Inconsiderate, rude people? Bad drivers? Lousy service? Brainless bosses?...
•Just Let ‘Em Go!
Just Let ‘Em Go!
by: Gene Simmons
I remember when I was just a little guy probably about 4 or 5 years old, I was fascinated by snakes. Not any particular type of snake – just snakes in general. I remember being really curious about how they could move around so easily without any legs or feet. I remember liking the colors on the garter snakes that slithered through our Nebraska summer garden.
And – I remember one day picking up one of those fascinating garter snakes and holding it right in...
•Kill those Buggies!
Kill those Buggies!
by: Gene Simmons
Hack, hack, cough, gasp, wheeze, snort… where’s the tissue? Wheeze, snork, gasp…
I really hate to be the bearer of sad tidings however, guess what season is just around the corner? Correctamundo! ‘Tis almost that time of year to welcome our frequent visitors, Carol Cold and Freddy Flu. How special…
So after the initial sniffing and blowing, what’s the next thing we invariably do? Correct again! We reach for the nearest bottle of Handy Dandy Dry...
•Life Gets Teejus, Don’t It?
Life Gets Teejus, Don’t It?
by: Gene Simmons
Those five words are from a song that I remember hearing a long time ago. It may even be the song’s title. I dunno. For those of you who don’t speak casual English, the word “teejus” can be translated to “tedious”. Somehow it just doesn’t have the same impact though. I think I’ll just stick with teejus…
Life does have a tendency to get teejus, doesn’t it? Sometimes it’s our work, sometimes the family – or our… ahem… “friends” – or the bills – or...
•Life’s an Illusion…
Life’s an Illusion…
by: Gene Simmons
I’ll get right to the point. Life is not necessarily what we think it is. And no, I’m not going to extrapolate this to the extreme to try to convince you that we really exist on some obscure planet in a distant spiral galaxy and that all of this we’re experiencing as “Life” is only a dream. Of course, it is kind of cool to think that we could waking up any time now, wandering out to the kptfrun to put on the cuggy and then stepping out on the prafo to...
•Look for the Positives
Look for the Positives
by: Gene Simmons
Our lives are overflowing with negative information from the newspapers, magazines, television and radio. Nations are at war, thousands are dying of starvation and hundreds are killed by natural disasters. There is no avoiding or ignoring the facts. We even receive negativity from our own families and friends every single day.
How we deal with this information is up to us. One, we can absorb it all and allow it to negatively dominate our thoughts,...
•Mirrors
Mirrors
by: Gene Simmons
Mirrors, mirrors all around
Why don’t I hear the joyful sound
Of myself clapping as I stroll by?
Is it you or is it I?
Aarghhh! My sincere apologies to the real poets of the world! The things I do to amuse myself…
Mirrors lie. All those pieces of glass with the reflective coating on the back – lie. You know they do. They never, never give us a true picture of ourselves. First of all of course, everything we see in them is backwards. We don’t see “us”. We see...
•Our Life – Our Choice…
Our Life – Our Choice…
by: Gene Simmons
OK, maybe that’s a bit of an overgeneralization but it applies most of the time. Basically, what I am saying is that we are what we are because that’s what we’ve decided to be. We live where we live, do what we do and think what we think because that’s we’ve decided to do. Yes, I understand that there are some illnesses and other stuff that happens that tends to force us into a particular mode of operation. But by the same token, how we function...
•Positive Affirmations
Positive Affirmations
by: Gene Simmons
Never used ‘em. Not likely to start now.
OK, so I just lied a little bit. (Is that anything like being a little bit pregnant?) I really didn’t mean to. (Hmmm, that comment could be applicable to the pregnant thing too but actually I was referring to my lying.)
I guess the one positive affirmation that I commonly use is not so much a phrase that I repeat or think about periodically throughout the day – it’s more like an answer to a question. The...
•Really Scary Stuff…
Really Scary Stuff…
by: Gene Simmons
With the probable exception of some basic instincts – or motivation toward self-preservation – we’ve just flat learned to be afraid of about all the rest of the stuff we’re afraid of. I know, the word “about” is a cop-out but I’m using it because I’m not really sure where this next mega-fear comes from. Maybe it’s an instinct thing, too. I dunno…
The one fear that trips most of us up is – the FEAR of the UNKNOWN!! It has provided the foundation...
•Reduce The Stress!
Reduce The Stress!
by: Gene Simmons
First, let’s make a distinction between pressure and stress. We all have sources of pressure in our lives - sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. These pressures have a multitude of sources such as family, job, lack of job, finances, health or lack of time.
Stress is our internal, personal response or reaction to these pressures. Stress is how well we handle - or don’t handle pressures. Too much self-imposed stress can affect us mentally, emotionally...
•Scary Stuff
Scary Stuff
by: Gene Simmons
Life can be downright scary - sometimes more than others. Probably all of us are wandering through life afraid of something – maybe a situation, an event or other people. Because we’re individuals with differing backgrounds and experiences, our fears vary from person to person. Some people have no problem parachuting from an airplane while others of us think that’s a really dumb idea and our insides get all stirred up even thinking about it. Some of us...
•Setting Goals – Things to Think About
Setting Goals – Things to Think About
by: Gene Simmons
We hear a lot about the steps we should take to achieve our goals, however unless we take the first steps to realistically consider who and what we are right now – our capabilities and interests – and think logically about what we’d like to accomplish, our chances of achieving our “goal” are slim to none. Here are a few things to think about when you’re trying to decide what you’d like to do.
1. Your goals need to be your goals...
•Shhhhh…
Shhhhh…
by: Gene Simmons
Like enough of the noise awready! Geesh, people…
No, I’m not talking about the sometimes nearly overwhelming noise pollution that goes hand in hand with living in a big city. Traffic sounds, horns, sirens, airplanes, construction noises. I’m not even referring to the eardrum-shattering volume of the concert and bar bands – or the door-vibrating music coming from our kid’s rooms. Not even the irritating boom bass enlarging the size of the cracks on the car’s...
•So What is Success Anyway?
So What is Success Anyway?
by: Gene Simmons
Well I’ll tell you what it’s not. Even thought many of us like to periodically visit our own personal Fantasyland complete with its mansions, servants, fancy cars and trips to exotic places (check under the heading of “What I Would Do if I Won the Lottery”) most of us over the age of twelve with any experience under our belts are realistic enough to recognize our Fantasyland for what it is. A fun place to visit but one sorely lacking in personal...
•So Why Are “They” Really Here?
So Why Are “They” Really Here?
by: Gene Simmons
It does make you wonder sometimes, doesn’t it? You know the folks I’m talking about. The ones who seem to be wandering around in the middle of a fog bank. The ones without a clue apparently, as to what life is all about. We see their stories on the evening news, we hear about them from our friends or co-workers, we may even know some of them.
These are the “unfortunates”. The ones who are living in near-miserable to really crappy conditions –...
•Stinky Animals
Stinky Animals
by: Gene Simmons
Oops, I meant to title this “Animal Instincts”. Oh, well – maybe that was one of those Freudian slip-ups. I dunno…
We all are animals, right? Mammals? Sure we are. We all have fur, a self-regulating body temperature – and our females have mammary glands (that’s boobs for those of you who don’t normally think in more precise anatomical terms). Besides, if we aren’t plants – with a few exceptions that I’m sure are coming to mind out there – then we gotta...
•The “G” Word…
The “G” Word…
by: Gene Simmons
OK – so there are lots of “G” words, however for today we’ll focus on one particular word that has created (I would have used the word “wreaked”, but I personally think it’s a silly word that always seems to have an umbilical connection to the word “havoc”) a bunch of havoc and confusion in our lives – and has been responsible for severely damping our ability to really enjoy life. The word?
GUILT!
Here’s Gene’s definition…Guilt: Our personal ability to feel...
•This Just Ain’t Good!
This Just Ain’t Good!
by: Gene Simmons
“Nope, this just ain’t good!” How many times in our lives have we had those or similar words bouncing around inside our skulls? Yeah, I’ve lost count, too!
There are usually only a few reasons these annoying words show up. Occasionally, it’ll be when we just run smack-dab into an “Oh Sh--! situation. You know what I mean. Accidents, diseases and a whole bunch of other stuff that seem to have popped up out of nowhere and suddenly we find ourselves...
•Trust the “System” – It Works!
Trust the “System” – It Works!
by: Gene Simmons
The “System” – the overall structure and organization of this great creation that we’re a part of… including our ability to personally interact with (and benefit from) the spiritual aspects of this creation (universal consciousness, God, whatever you’d like to call it).
Here’s the story behind our recent move.
It all started with a single comment as we merged onto the 101 and pointed the van westward from Phoenix toward a short vacation in...
•What Once Was - Ain’t No More
What Once Was - Ain’t No More
by: Gene Simmons
Rather than beat around the bush and try to lead into this in a semi-logical manner, I’ll get right to the point. The past is gone – vanished, disappeared in a cloud of dust and a hearty “Hi, Ho Silver!” It is history, not real, mental vapor, and gone, gone, gone!
“Yabutt…”
“Yabutt” nothing. The past is gone! OK, I do understand that a bunch of stuff has happened before now to influence what “now” is. And sometimes it’s good to take a...
•Where You Can Find Sympathy
Where You Can Find Sympathy
by: Gene Simmons
Ask any of my kids and they’ll tell you immediately that you’ll find it in the dictionary between “sh—“ and “syphilis”. Wasn’t that absolutely cruel and unkind of me to instill in them a nearly total distain for the concept of “sympathy”? With so many individuals in the world suffering in so many ways, how could I possibly be so heartless? I am without a doubt, an uncaring, evil SOB!
Well, maybe not. Here are a couple of things to think...
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