Bankruptcy Chapter Eleven is a second chance…
At times as America’s Turnaround Man I feel more like a corrections officer. My day is spent talking with small business hooligans who’ve found their “own way” of doing things and then caught in a cash-flow crunch are forced into bankruptcy. The reorganization itself is designed to allow the owner/operator of the corrupted company to rehabilitate the company and HIMSELF. In my position, I never know if the guy wants to learn how to do things right or he just wants to get out of trouble. The road to rehabilitation pays long-term dividends for sure, but not everybody cares about that. I’ve had people that have been through four and five bankruptcies in the last few years. They want out of trouble so they can get back to their “games.” It’s no different than hardened criminals. They do their time, get out of jail and go right back to career lawbreaking until it catches up with them and then they repeat the cycle. It doesn’t seem like there’s anything anybody can say that will change their “great ideas.”
If you talk with one of these individuals there is always a good reason for hiding from the IRS or lying to EDD, perhaps screwing suppliers out of their money, evading insurance and workers’ comp payments. Oh yes, the song is always the same, I hear it throughout the echoes of courthouses where people are fined for their bad habits or go to jail. The song sounds like this; “Everybody does it, I’m just a little guy, the whole systems corrupt, I have no choice, I didn’t know, it’s not my fault, he did it, she did it, I’m a good guy, why is this happening to me and the beat goes on.” Bottom line? Having done this job for thirty years I’ve concluded that following the law is better than being a liar. There is no reason to break the rules and hide from the authorities. The United States of America is still the best country in the world for taxes and free will. Abusing the rules that keep us free is ridiculous, especially when the rules were created to keep us all free, fat and sassy. That doesn’t mean the country doesn’t have problems, but it’s not our responsibility to decide when we can break the law based on what “we think” our lawmakers are doing. IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE THE LAW, WE LIVE IN A DEMOCRACY AND YOU HAVE A VOICE. IF YOU WANT TO HIDE FROM THE LAW, YOU’RE ACTING AS A CRIMINAL, IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO TEACH YOUR CHILDREN? Well apparently for some folks, they’re okay with it. So what’s the flip side? Well, there’s good news.
Cash Flow Crunch?
Now, for those who follow the rules, little by little their lives improve as they learn how to stay in the box, keep egos in check and stop keeping up with some imaginary need to be important and “get” more, more, more. In the end, those people who grow according to their available cash flow live happily. Coming out of a reorganization we see families that are restructured as well as the business. Relationships that were dead are revived! Great things happen by simply following the rules, not just the ones that are convenient, but the ones that are inconvenient as well. You’ll notice that in this blog I seem to be talking to men. Yes, that’s true. The male ego is beyond insane. I know I am a man and the recipient of a billion years of male evolution that doesn’t appear to be that evolved.
Do I have a choice? Yes.
Do I want to be a man or a guy? I do have free will. So, let’s take a look. The difference between a man and guy is very cleverly hidden in the mind. A guy can lie when it’s appropriate or blame others for anything, even judge others harshly and bend historical evidence to fit whatever truth is necessary to look “above reproach,” or satisfy our selfish nature. On the other hand, a “man” takes responsibility for his life. He plays by the rules and when there’s a problem he goes about the business of finding correct solutions. A man does not rely on excuses and good reasons for doing things unlawful, rather just the opposite. A man prides himself on another day of good behavior and when a man fails he steps up to apologize and make things better. A man does not put his family in financial ruin having learned a better path. Sometimes a man realizes that he has committed acts that cause “unresolved conflict.” Things that are going to take a long time to work through. A good man is willing to pay that price. I know quite a few men who have chosen the correct path and quite a few guys who call themselves men and are lying to themselves. Between these two options, Man and Guy, I suggest you choose wisely. Now let’s move to the girls for a moment. What about women CEO’s? Well, they have their own demons to fight and we will discuss that another day. I can assure you however that nothing is as ridiculous as the male ego. As a man, may I say — “God, I’m trying to be a man, help me to be a little more than what I think is cool.” Amen.
Call me anytime night or day. I am here to guide you down the path to prosperity.
tel: 760-662-9668
Patrick
