Clarification for Commenter
Per Reader -
"Chuck. Happy New Year. Wanted to thank you and your clients for improving our property value along the Upper Delaware River. We didn't have to lift a finger since since 2001 you chose the Upper Delaware River valley for your portfolio of houses and your customers followed. Natural beauty with no fracking go hand in hand. Many thanks Chuck. on Hudson Renovation"
The silly thing about this comment is it assumes that because I disagree with all the propaganda, ends justify the means, outright truth distortion of the anti-domestic gas leaders and crowd, that I somehow want an local unregulated, gas drilling free for all.
That's the type of tactic these folks have been using since 2008 to bolster their 'domestic energy means the end of the world' hysteria and if you disagree with us, you are immoral and greedy.
To think that local town boards consisting of mostly retirees and high school grads do not have the tools to intelligently weigh in on an international energy issue - energy, by the way, that we all are using with abandon - is not a revolutionary position to take, regardless if it goes against the knee-jerk crowd-pleasing grain.
I use energy. I don't see why the environmental degradation and other good and bad impacts should be hidden away from view. And actually, if they weren't hidden away from view, maybe conservation, instead of hypocrisy would be seen more often.
Someone should commission a study to quantify the new amount of residential solar or geo-thermal being used in NY since the local gas drilling scares started in 2008. My guess, no measurable jump in orders for these clean energy sources, which is really my point - saying no to energy, but using it like you always did, is just sort of - I don't know - selfish.
Anyways, there aint no gas drilling happening around here, so all the hoopla at this point is money raising scare tactics, which is the way it's been for years.
Although Highland (the town I live in) just got sued by a large land owner, though I think that's more about principle than actually drilling for gas.
What Drives Success?
Good New York Times article about what drives successful people.
It breaks it down to 3 traits -
- feeling of superiority
- insecurity
- Impulse control
It's an interesting article I agree with, though I always called 'insecurity' 'fear', like fear was driving me onward - fear of failure, fear of starting over, fear of humiliation, fear of losing. I've said many times on this blog that after each house I've sold I get the feeling that this could be the last one - I'm over that now, but it was a belated 'overness' and by the time I was over it I had literally sold 50 homes, meaning it was probably less fear and more insecurity. Of all the 3 traits, I think insecurity/fear is what inspires the energy to scale the wall of business starting more than the others.
Impulse control is a bit more complicated. I think many good entrepreneurs actually lack impulse control in many aspects but I guess in the most important moments - that being the moment to strike, to spend, to retreat, to run, to save, to attack - those impulses need to be managed and patient.
Feeling of superiority - well, yes, I guess I go in for that, though mostly it's just a feeling of confidence in your gut, instinct and ability to persevere. And of all traits, this one benefits and grows from each task accomplished, so it's the one that can most easily grow subtly out of control and lead to a lack of both insecurity and impulse control, leading to a person who's losing the traits that drove the success in first place. You see that a lot in 2nd try tech startups, where the entrepreneur who succeeded just doesn't the drive anymore that enabled the first venture to thrive.
It's hard to want to repeat the scratching and clawing that enabled the first venture to survive and perhaps thrive. In fact, it's something most folks would like to avoid repeating.
Cottage 45 Sold
In Barryville lives a new Cottage on a bunch of acres.
It's one of our favorite designs.
With a very fine floor plan.
That is changed and evolved each time we build it.
Rough hewn treads, hand-milled.
Money shot.
Money shot deux above.
Cast iron radiator.
Back door mudroom area.
5 panel door, painted white wainscotting, subway tile.
To the bedrooms....
Set 'em Up. Knock 'em down.
Wednesday Morning in Pictures
It's a simple fact - nice light makes nice pictures. And at 6 degrees, a hard crisp snow on the ground and a only a few clouds to filter the mid-morning sunlight, I had good light.
Some horse and mini-me horse over by Jason and Jaime's Awesome Barn 9.
Barn 9, in Olivebridge.
Big Time National Coverage House in Rhinebeck.
Mini Barn in Barryville exterior.
Big interior for little house.
Cottage 45, glorious in the slanted morning light. (not how all the roofs are completely covered in snow - that's cause the spray foam insulation is allowing zero heat to escape, saving our clients thousands of dollars a year.)
