Welcome.

You will find my "COMMENTS AND OBSERVATIONS OF INTEREST: ARTICLE BRIEFS & THOUGHTS OF THE DAY" by scrolling a bit further down on this page. I post these items as frequently as they occur to me.

Information about my professional background and services follows the "COMMENTS" Section, but will require that you scroll much further down. Have faith -- your patience will be rewarded.

Thank you for visiting.

Comments And Observations Of Interest: Article Briefs & Thoughts Of The Day...

-- "Daily Bursts of Brilliance."

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Take This Survey: Self-Evaluation

Blue Thing #1: TNNW Surveys, Analyses and Findings/ Market Research.

Why? Because people are absolutely obsessed with what other people are thinking.

Why? Because feedback helps us to refine our strategies and change our trajectories.

Why? Because The National Networker Companies want you and your business to know your client audience and to constantly monitor changes in their attitudes, buying habits and needs.

(cue drumroll.......)

Take TNNW SURVEY #6
(Polls open 3/9, and close on 4/15)

Click toTake Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/TNNWsurvey6  





TNNW Survey #6: Take Your Own Personal "Human Asset Value" Inventory.



You bring your automobile in for an inspection to determine if it needs repairs. You check your investment portfolio to see how well your assets are performing. You review your bank statement to be certain that you can cover your bills. You appraise your property. You prepare balance sheets for your businesses. Comment: It might be a good idea to take a Personal Asset Value Inventory -- a self-appraisal -- from time to time. Start today. Invest a bit of time in taking an honest look at yourself...strong points, weak points, all points. What you reveal to yourself in this exercise might help you to make some refinements, and to better plan for a happier, more fulfilling and prosperous future.

We have not assigned "weights" or "priorities" to any factors, and there is no grading. Once the results are in, we will conduct another survey to assign weights to the various factors, so that you will have a means of rating yourself in comparison to others. But for the moment, your answers to the survey will just provide you with some food for thought...and thinking is good exercise; the more you use your mind, the stronger it becomes.

You'll be glad that you made this self-investment. And we at THE NATIONAL NETWORKER COMPANIES thank you for your participation. Now let's get on with the collaborative process of helping each other to be more successful.

It is self-evaluation time. We must do this before we can evaluate others effectively.

Please be advised that the survey contains 45 questions...so be prepared to dedicate some time to thinking about each question, and answer honestly -- never try to fool yourself.

Relax, focus and enjoy the adventure of self-discovery.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle
THE NATIONAL NETWORKER COMPANIES
####





Note: This Survey #6 will be closing on April 15th at 12:00 am Eastern Time. out next week. After the Survey is closed and the results have been published, if you have some of your own additional self-assessment tools or criteria to share and you would like to include them in a follow-up to the Survey, please write to us at http://bit.ly/contactTNNW , being sure to include the words “Survey #6 Suggestion” in the subject line of your correspondence. If you would like, we will give you credit for your suggested question right in the Survey itself, and when the results are published – just let us know if you’d like to be listed as a Contributor in your letter to us.

If you’d like , join The National Networker Companies for free at http://bit.ly/JoinTNNW .







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Douglas Castle - LinkedIn Profile
The National Networker Companies
Braintenance - Stay razor sharp.
The Internationalist Page - A world without barriers.
The Global Futurist - Revealing trends.
Taking Command! - Mastering your fate.
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"Gratitude, when Reciprocated, Reverberates and Increases in Amplitude" - Douglas Castle

Dear Friends:

My friend and client Bonnie Ross-Parker (http://www.thejoyofconnecting.com/) telepathically transmitted, or at very least inspired the message which follows:


"Gratitude, when Reciprocated, Reverberates and Increases in Amplitude" - Douglas Castle


You'll be hearing a great deal about Bonnie and JOC (The Joy of Connecting). In the interim, and in the interest of being prepared, I would strongly advise that you look up "Bonnie Ross-Parker" on Google.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle


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Comments to Douglas Castle
About Douglas Castle 
Douglas Castle - LinkedIn Profile
The National Networker Companies
Braintenance - Stay razor sharp.
The Internationalist Page - A world without barriers.
The Global Futurist - Revealing trends.
Taking Command! - Mastering your fate.
Follow Castle on Twitter 
Follow TNNW on Twitter
Follow Braintenance on Twitter
*Subscribe (free!) for The National Networker Newsletter and the BLUE TUESDAY REPORT, and join The TNNWC GICBC at Join Us!

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Whom We Serve.

Dear Friends:

We often live in denial of it, or we cringe at the cold implication that accompanies the acceptance of it, but ultimately, we choose the masters whom we serve.

While there may be circumstances beyond our control that intercede in our lives, that pull us in conflicting directions and force us to make painful choices, we ultimately decide. Each of us has an inescapable culpability in what we term "our fate."

We are responsible -- whether we say "I was only following my orders," or, "I'm just doing this for the time being, because I need the money," we have chosen. Whether actively or passively, we are always making choices.

In sum, although we cannot control every factor that impacts us, we can absolutely control how we respond. The harsh reality that we are always in control of the final decision in any situation is difficult to accept -- it is very intimidating. But upon further reflection, it can be extremely empowering. Your free will cannot be stolen from you. Nor can you escape the responsibility that comes with having to exercise it.

Choose well.

Faithfully,

Douglas Castle












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Comments to Douglas Castle
About Douglas Castle 
Douglas Castle - LinkedIn Profile
The National Networker Companies
Braintenance - Stay razor sharp.
The Internationalist Page - A world without barriers.
The Global Futurist - Revealing trends.
Taking Command! - Mastering your fate.
Follow Castle on Twitter 
Follow TNNW on Twitter
Follow Braintenance on Twitter
*Subscribe (free!) for The National Networker Newsletter and the BLUE TUESDAY REPORT, and join The TNNWC GICBC at Join Us!

Announcement: Global Edge Technologies Group LLC



Update: Global Edge Technologies Group LLC
 
Please pardon us while our website at http://www.GetGlobalEdge.com is undergoing an upgrade. This process should be completed in May, 2010, and the result should be spectacular.
 
In the meantime, please access our official company blog at: http://GlobalEdgeTechnologies.blogspot.com.
 
Legal Notice: Unfortunately, due to an unresolved contractual dispute with Lightshop Design, the Malaysian manufacturer of the Speedlight Pro Kit line of products, Global Edge Technologies Group LLC will no longer distribute, support or promote any of that company’s products.
 
Should you wish to purchase any Speedlight Pro Kit products, go directly to: http://www.SpeedlightProKitUSA.com.
 
We look forward to having you come back again soon.
Douglas Castle, Managing Director
GLOBAL EDGE TECHNOLOGIES GROUP LLC
1.888.317.6498 

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Self-Growth: The Reality.

Self-Growth: The Reality.

The Most Efficient Path to Self-Growth, by Douglas Castle, Vice-Chairman of The National Networker Companies.

*Commentary regarding a sales letter (not reproduced here) from David Riklan of SelfGrowth.com: "How 97.5 % of all Self Improvement Companies Grow their Businesses"

David Riklan publishes and produces the selfgrowth.com website and its ancillary businesses. He accepts articles written by many writers about various aspects of "self-growth." Some of these articles are very worthwhile reading, and an intelligent person can occasionally acquire a gold nugget of an idea by reading the material produced by his authors. His business grows itself by his authors' contributions of article content and fees. I admire his business model - it is a good one. But there are some serious negatives...

David Riklan is a pay-to-play proclaimer of "expert" status, and a purveyor of "experts" in the self-improvement field. He (through selfgrowth.com) hasn't achieved any great credibility (in my uniquely myopic and snobbish view) as yet and doesn't develop traction for his readers. He actually tried to get me to enlist (i.e. "pay") as an "expert," and eventually wanted to discuss my going to work for him. I declined, saying that I was intellectually incapable of holding my own in a room filled with so many other "experts." I humbly confessed that I, myself, needed a great deal of self-improvement before I could counsel others in all good conscience.

Almost every person with whom I come into contact (I usually wear gloves) is a "self-growth expert" or a "self-growth coach." I always ask myself (silently, of course, so as not to create a stir) several questions before I entertain engaging a coach or advisor:

1). Does he or she "walk the walk?" [is he or she the avatar of a self-improved creature?]
2). Would I want to emulate this person? Is her or she someone I admire?
3). Has he or she successfully coached others and generated appreciable results?
4). Can we work comfortably together?
5). Would he or she be audacious enough to refuse me as a client if I were perfectly willing to pay, but obviously demonstrated serious deficiences or limitations (in terms of ability or attitude)?

I have found that many people actually need more of a strategic path and plan than they do generic "self-improvement" tips. That is why I've chosen to be involved in strategic planning and organizational engineering instead of stand alone self-growth.

On the path to achieving a business or professional goal, an individual doubtless encounters numerous real-time, real-world difficulties which force him or her to make adaptations which are, by definition, "self-growth."

The best path to self-growth is through field testing and experience.

In brief (I frequently write while in my underwear), don't talk to me about camping --- take me on a rugged camping trip. Experience is the most potent teacher of all, and the multisensorial memories created through experience are much more readily memorable, accessible and credible than those learned in a casual or classroom environment.

We learn most effectively by observing, and then by doing

Faithfully,

DouglasCastle

p.s. Would you prefer the bodyguard who had read the book, or the one who had been a Navy SEAL or had worked for the Secret Service?  
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Douglas Castle: Professional Background, Affiliations and Service Offerings.

Douglas Castle - Professional Background

About Douglas Castle
Education: MBA, Public Accountancy, Hofstra University, 1979; BA, Economics, Stony Brook University, 1976 (Omicron Delta Epsilon).
Principal Occupation: Consultancies and directorships in corporate development, strategic planning (For-Profit and Humanitarian), policymaking, project management, media and public relations, image-building and branding, international commerce and finance.
Current Affiliations: THE CASTLE CONSULTANCY (Director), THE NATIONAL NETWORKER COMPANIES (Vice-Chairman, Director), GLOBAL EDGE TECHNOLOGIES GROUP LLC (Managing Director), the Founder and Manager of
LINKS 4 LIFE (a public services site) and others. He is the creator of the Global Interworked Cooperative Business Community (GICBC) concept, a Co-Founder of Buzzworks. and an author on a wide variety of topics.
Interests: Behavioral psychology, artificial intelligence (AI), the development and utilization of communications modalities, Lingovations, Complexity Theory, Human Exponentiality and Societal Evolution, theoretical physics, anti-aging and longevity, physical fitness and music. 
Memberships: Linked In, other groups in the fields of Internationalism, Futurism, Collaboration and the Human Potential.
Past Engagements: Associate Professor at Hofstra University School Of Business, corporate positions in banking, technology, commodities, financial analysis and industrial intelligence.
Other Background: Board Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, 2002; Practitioner, NLP, Internal Energy Plus, brainwave entrainment, subliminal suggestion, other self-growth modalities; Sensei, Chowa-Ryu Ju Jitsu (New York Martial Arts Hombu); Soke-Dai, Chowa-Ryu Kempo Jutsu; Kt.M., O.S.J. The author may be contacted at
douglas.castle@yahoo.com or by telephone @ 888.317.6498 (Extension 3) regarding consultations, speaking engagements or interviews.

Mr. Castle's professional blog, Douglas Castle, can be found at http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com, and his Linked In Profile can be found at http://www/LinkedIn.com/in/douglascastle.
Some sites and media with which Mr. Castle is affiliated include those listed below:

The National Networker Companies - Networking is only the beginning...
Braintenance - Stay razor sharp.
The Internationalist Page - A world without barriers.
The Global Futurist - Revealing trends.
Taking Command! - Mastering your fate.
LINKS 4 LIFE - Help in any emergency.
Grab the National Newspicker Page Gadget - All the news, trends and intel you need...in 20 minutes per day.

 

View Douglas Castle's profile on LinkedIn Douglas Castle