Things aren't always how they appear

Two of our sister companies participate in my employer's 401(k) program. Recently an employee from one of them has gotten divorced and is getting a rollover from her ex-husband's 401(k). She has been super secret and doesn't want anyone to how much it is (if you have access to the administrative site for the plan, which I don't, you'll be able to figure it out once the rollover is done.). We are pretty certain it must be a chunk, because otherwise why be so secretive? My team was discussing this one day. My (very status conscious) boss said they probably didn't have a lot of money since their cars were something like 6 and 10 years old, info I'm guessing he gleaned from the divorce decree we received as part of the rollover process. My coworker and I both immediately said no, that makes it all the more likely that it's a large sum of money. If you're familiar with the book "The Millionaire Next Door", you know that most people who've become wealthy over the course of their lives don't drive fancy cars, wear flashy designer clothes, or living in high end neighborhoods. They are the ones driving the 10 year old cars, shopping at normal people stores, and living in the same normal person house they bought 20 years ago.

My brother has noticed a similar concept at this job. He delivers parts to a variety of automotive shops. He said many of them don't look like much at all from the outside, but they are moving an incredible dollar value of parts.

We often judge things by how they appear. This could be because it's easy or it's the only information that we have available. We would do well to remember that things aren't always as they appear

Things aren't like they used to be

"For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open." Luke 8:17 (NIV)

"But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out." Number 32:23 (NIV)

The fact that what we do in our lives seldom remains secret is not a new thing as you can see from the above. I think what people fail to realize is how much the amount of time between when an act is committed to when it comes to light is so rapdily decreasing. You've no doubt heard stories about how "back in the day" politicians, celebrities, etc. were able to keep things from the public eye for years or even decades. The odds of that happening are today greatly reduced.

I think this is due to two main factors. First is technology. Most first worlders now have at their every day disposal the kind of technology spies only dreamed of having not too long ago. Many people have smart phones with video and audio recording capability. Do you ever think about the likelihood someone could be recording what you say to them? I've read that employment law lawyers are having more and more clients comes to them with footage as part of their cases. Good for the employees, bad for the employers. Note that while laws of recordings may vary by state, just because a recording isn't admissible to court doesn't mean that it isn't great leverage for the party who possesses it.

Perhaps even of greater influence is social media, specifically how poorly people manage what they post about themselves. If you didn't already know, nothing on the Internet is secret, and nothing posted every truly goes away. Divorce lawyers LOVE Facebook. It makes their jobs easier in many cases. I read that something like 50% of all divorces cases involve the use of Facebook. 

You should think long and hard about any information you make available about yourself online. The two cases below are illustrative as why.

Case #1
An employee was on workers comp and said he was in so much pain he couldn't get out of bed. He posted pictures on Facebook of him participating in a rodeo. Let's just say that didn't end well.

Case #2
This happened locally. A guy called in sick to work and went with his family to a local amusement park. Of course, he had to share pictures of his day on Facebook. Naturally, his employer found out, and he's now unemployed.

People are always watching what you do. If you do the right thing, no worries. If not, it probably won't take long for that to be discovered.

Chasing Away The Birds of Prey

Today I was reading my bible, and the following verse struck me:

^"Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away".
Genesis 15:11 (NIV)

You might be thinking, "where on earth is she going with this?" Stick around, and I'll explain.

First, some backstory. Abram had just come off some pretty big highs. He'd rescued his captive nephew Lot (14:16), been promised a son in his old age (15:4), and told that he would take possession of the land in which he was now living (15:7). Not too shabby. As a sign of confirmation, God commanded Abram to sacrifice some animals.

And then the birds of prey came. Now you'd think, hey, he's doing exactly what he was supposed to do. Why did he have to deal with the stupid birds? Well, I think this is a lesson to us all. When we determine to do the right thing, it doesn't mean the world magically turns into a land filled with rainbows and unicorns. In fact, things sometimes even get more difficult. Does that mean we are to give up? No. Like Abram, we must preserve and be strong in our determination. We must take the steps necessary to fulfill what we are to do. We must chase the birds of prey away.

It's WINTER

We are fast becoming a nation of wimps. Case in point: recently local schools had a two hour delay because it was cold. Not ice, not 3 feet of snow, there was neither of those in sight. Just cold. And not even record setting cold. It's embarrassing. As my coworker likes to say "It's WINTER". Cold is part of it. Learn to deal.

Are you listening to what you're saying?

Sometimes we'd all do well to sit back and listen to the words that come out of our mouths. This came to mind recently after hearing something my coworker Q said. I know she's been having some cash flow problems from other conversations we've had. She was recently talking about some overtime she'd worked, so I asked her if that meant she'd be getting the new tires for her car that she's been needing. She said she first had to get some work done on her teeth, a priority I understand. However, then she said "I'm thinking about getting a new car and giving my car to (her son). " Are you kidding me? You're having money problems now. Do you think a several hundred dollar a month car payment is going to improve that situation? She has a reliable, paid for car now. Crazy.

At the end of the conversation I told "Q, just get tires for your car." Whether she takes this advice remains to be seen.