Someone once criticized Zig Ziglar by saying “Mr. Ziglar, the problem with all of this motivation that you provide people is that it doesn’t last.”

His response: “Well neither does bathing. That’s why I recommend it daily.”

Tax Inversion (Diverting Tax Dollars) - The Fault Lies With The U.S. Government, Not U.S. Companies.

Consequences from the inability of Congress to function come in many forms, and one of the most glaring emerged again with the $160 billion merger of two giant drug companies to avoid U.S. taxes this month.

The reverse merger of Pfizer, the maker of Viagra and Lipitor, and the significantly smaller Allergan, maker of Botox, so that Pfizer can relocate to Dublin and pay the lower corporate tax rate there is the latest and biggest example of what is called tax inversion — a legal tail wagging the dog trick that takes place mostly on paper.

It results in the U.S. losing billions of dollars in tax revenue each year – and U.S. shareholders taking a capital gains hit.

It also undermines the reputation of the U.S. as a place to do business and in the longer term will inevitably divert the relocated company's investment and job creation outside the U.S.

The Pfizer-Allergan deal is particularly provocative because it comes just days after the U.S. Treasury Department issued a second set of directives designed to block just this kind of inversion.

It seems likely, however, that this deal will slip under the wire of the various thresholds in ownership and revenue set by Treasury and evades these efforts to limit the benefits of this kind of relocation for tax purposes.

It shows once again the limits of what regulation can do to solve a fundamental problem that requires legislation.

As Treasury Secretary Jack Lew ruefully acknowledged in introducing the new rules last week, "There is only so much the Treasury Department can do to prevent these tax-avoidance transactions," he said in a statement. "Only legislation can decisively stop inversions."

In a conference call with reporters, Lew added hopefully that Treasury would continue to work with Congress "in a bipartisan manner to reform our broken business tax system and to eliminate inversions for good."

The reason companies like Pfizer take this drastic step is because U.S. corporate taxes are way too high, well out of line with the rates in other industrial countries. The top U.S. tax rate is 39%, for instance, while the tax in Ireland for most corporate income is 12.5%.

While all those famous loopholes that every politician promises to close reduce the effective tax rate in the U.S., it is still much higher than in other countries.

So the solution has been obvious for some time — reduce the U.S. corporate tax rate. The Obama administration proposed such a measure in 2012, but it got caught up in the partisan wrangling that has marked every such measure in recent years.

The timing of the Pfizer-Allergan deal seemed to show corporate America thumbing its nose at Treasury, and the fact that Allergan itself is now based in Dublin due to one of the original tax inversion deals only underscores the flagrant disregard for the government's efforts to rein in the tactic.

But these companies are only doing what companies do — maximizing profit by minimizing costs, including taxes.

They are essentially voting with their feet, to the detriment of U.S. business and employment.

But it is not their fault. The fault lies with lawmakers who fail to grasp the simplest facts of a global economy and get so involved in the political scrum that they lose sight of the goal.

Which is why President Obama missed the point in a weekly address last year when he accused these companies of being "unpatriotic."

Corporations may well be "people" in some senses of the word, but in a global economy they can hardly afford the luxury of being "patriotic."

Comparing them to individuals, as Obama did in his address, who should not be able to pick and choose what rules they follow, shows a failure to grasp some of the basic fundamentals of an open global economy.

And introducing a putative moral element into the mix only distracts from what really needs to be done – a legislative tax reform that enables U.S.-based companies to remain competitive internationally.

So while presidential hopefuls scrambled to condemn the new deal, they carefully avoided placing the blame where it belongs — on themselves, to the extent that they are or have been members of the U.S. Congress.

If politicians are serious about stopping this drain of economic resources, they would come together and finally get corporate tax reform done.

*Best article I've read on the subject: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/11/24/inversion-pfizer-allergan-taxes-merger-congress/76316110/

Our Greatest Happiness In This Life Will Come As We Follow God’s Commandments And Obey His Laws!

God’s commandments are not given to frustrate us or to become obstacles to our happiness. Just the opposite is true. He who created us and who loves us perfectly knows just how we need to live our lives in order to obtain the greatest happiness possible.

The commandments were God-given. Using our agency, we can set them aside. We cannot, however, change them, just as we cannot change the consequences which come from disobeying and breaking them.

May we realize that our greatest happiness in this life will come as we follow God’s commandments and obey His laws!

Failure Is A Good Teacher.

Our past failures were an extremely efficient way to learn. We should also learn from the failures of others.

To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing.

(This statement of anti-advice has been attributed to several different well known figures.)

We Can Choose To Be Grateful, No Matter What.

Being grateful in times of distress does not mean that we are pleased with our circumstances. It does mean that through the eyes of faith we look beyond our present-day challenges.

Being grateful in our circumstances is an act of faith in God. It requires that we trust God and hope for things we may not see but which are true. By being grateful, we follow the example of our beloved Savior, who said, “Not my will, but thine, be done.”

True gratitude is an expression of hope and testimony. It comes from acknowledging that we do not always understand the trials of life but trusting that one day we will.

Sometimes We Just Need To Put The Camera Away!

Instead of enjoying & thinking about the experiences they want to have, most people are thinking about the photos they want to post.

Reminds me of the old question: “Did you have fun on your vacation?" "I don’t know yet, I haven’t developed the film yet!”

Righteous Self-Control and Conduct.

Self-control is like a muscle: the more you use it, the stronger it gets. Avoiding something tempting once will help you develop the ability to resist other temptations in the future.

A principle of eternal progression is that exercising self-control and living righteously strengthen our ability to resist temptation. This is true both in the spiritual realm and in temporal matters.

Do You Have A Monthly Residual Income of $5,000 to $20,000? If Not, Here's One Way Many People Do.

$5,000 a month in residual income is equivalent to $1,000,000 in the bank at 6% interest, or $2,000,000 in the bank at 3%. (Good luck finding 6% or greater interest or return these days.)

Want to earn $10,000 or $20,000 per month? Double the above figures accordingly.

Many network marketers expect to earn these types of monthly incomes or much more in exchange for as little work as possible. Let’s get real people! Those who begin with the mindset of seeing how much they can earn for the least amount of time, effort, skill sets and investment, rarely succeed in our business.

Network Marketing is not a get-rich-quick scheme, although it can be get-rich. Money schemes have been around long before network marketing. Financial success in network marketing with a residual income can take years to develop and varies from person to person based on skill levels and much more.

There is a lot to learn and for most people it won’t be easy. There is a lot of frustration and disappointment. Success will require resiliency and persistence. But if your goal is to build a revenue generating asset (business) valued at 1 to 2 million dollars – it’s worth it!

You don’t get paid by the hour, you get paid by the results. Results come from consistent and enthusiastic activities.

Network marketing is not an investment vehicle, it is a business… your business. And it is worth investing in. There will be travel and training opportunities, tools and educational programs that will reward you with confidence and success if you are willing to invest in yourself. If this seems realistic and worth it to you, then network marketing just might be what you've been waiting for all these years!

What One Practice...

What one practice, if followed consistently and with discipline, would help you have better health, energy, and inspiration?

Go to bed early and get up early.

If you do, your body and mind will become rested and then in the quiet of those early morning hours, you will receive more flashes of inspiration and insight than at any other time of the day.

Additional blessings are pledged to those who follow the Lord’s counsel on sleep. Consider these incredible promises: “Cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated” (D&C 88:124; emphasis added). Invigorate means “to fill with life and energy.”

The ancient philosopher Aristotle suggested other benefits to those who keep an early schedule: “It is well to be up before day-break, for such a habit contributes to health, wealth and wisdom.” Early U.S. statesman Benjamin Franklin later put that thought into his well-known maxim: “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” Most people put health, wealth, and wisdom toward the top of things most desired in life.

It is amazing how much more I get accomplished in a day when I retire early and arise early. The benefits of this self-discipline far exceed the effort required. When we win the first battle of the day against the mattress, we are far more likely to win more battles during the day. We are also more likely to be filled with life and energy.

When Faced With Hard Questions, Only One Ultimately Matters.

The questions life sends our way are not always easy to answer. Some of the personal challenges we have—a child’s death, for example, the betrayal of a friend, or an unfortunate financial reversal—are often not easy to reconcile, and we need the compassionate support of those around us. Sometimes the most difficult struggle in these situations is to recognize that our Heavenly Father loves us and is not punishing us, though the reason for the trial, if there even is a reason, escapes us for now.

Some of the hardest questions come when what we believe is challenged by changing cultural fashions or by new information, sometimes misinformation, that critics confront us with. At such times, it may seem that our doctrinal or historical foundations are not as solid as we thought. We may be tempted to question the truths we’ve taken for granted and the spiritual experiences that have formed our faith.

What do we do when doubt seeps into our hearts? Are there really answers to those hard questions?

Yes, there are. In fact, all the answers—all the right answers—depend on the answer to just one question: Do I trust God above everyone else?

It is impossible to stand upright when one plants his roots in the shifting sands of popular opinion and approval. … We will all face fear, experience ridicule, and meet opposition. Let us all have the courage to defy the consensus and the courage to stand for principle.

Four "Why" Questions To Ponder.

1. Why?

Why should you try? Why get up that early? Why work that hard? Why read that many books? Why get up that early? Why make that many friends? Why earn that much? Why give that much away? Why put yourself through all those disciplines?

2. Why Not?

The best answer to the first question “Why?” is the second question to ponder, “Why Not?” What else are you going to do with your life? Why not see how far you can go, how much you can read or earn or share. Why not see what you much you can become, or how far you can go? Why not?

3. Why Not You?

The third question goes a bit further – Why Not You? Some people have done incredible things with a limited start – why not you? Some people do so well, they get to see it all – why not you?

4. Why Not Now?

The last question is the key to action - Why Not Now? Why postpone your better future any longer? Get at it today. Get some new books, make a new plan, set a new goal, ask some new questions, make a new effort and do it now.

LISTEN TO JIM ROHN HERE

(From one of my mentors - JimRohn.com)

Social Media Dopamine. "Use With Caution!"

Social Media is addictive.

Researches have discovered that social media causes the human brain to secrete dopamine, which is the "feel-good hormone". And this is one reason why people become addicted to social media.

To learn more about dopamine being secreted when a person engages in social media, do a search on: "social media dopamine"

The Internet -- while being an effective communication tool -- is also a huge distraction as people get addicted to social media, gaming, etc. 

Researchers have proven that a major factor causing the addiction is the brain's secretion of dopamine when engaged in those activities.

As the saying goes, "Use with caution!"