The Art of Tolerance

What is tolerance? 

We've heard a lot about it in the news lately. Especially after the patriarch of the Robertson clan expressed his religious belief.

It appears to me that tolerance is the weapon of  the extreme left minority  to force their beliefs and practices on others, the majority. That is not tolerance. That is intolerance.

Tolerance means I accept your beliefs and practices. However, I do not have to practice or take part in them.

According to the Webster's College Dictionary, tolerance is a fair and permissive attitude toward those whose race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own.

That raises the question, what is fair?

 

Is it 'fair' to force your opinion or view on others? I do not think so.

Is it 'fair' to force others to change their beliefs because it offends you? I do not think so.

Is it 'fair' to force a third party to inflict hurt to the person or person's you disagree with? Definitely not!

When you force another to change their beliefs, religious or otherwise, directly or indirectly, you yourself are not being tolerant, you are being coercive.  

Coercive means using force or threats to make someone do something you want. Something that is different than the beliefs about the person you want to change. That is precisely what is being done here by GLADD. As a matter of fact, that is accurately what the left is doing and their tool is called "political correctness." They are coercing someone to change their godly views because they do not like them by forcing financial pain on them. By demanding A & E to take action against Phil Robertson because of his devout views, something A & E has known for years ... Phil's deep religious belief, they are being coercive. Shame on them!

As for the rest of us, how should we be handling this event? For me, I will support the Robertson's for standing tall on their religious beliefs. It is not important if I hold these beliefs myself or not. They have a right to them and to express them. I respect them for that.

I do condemn those who coerce those to change because they do not like their beliefs, religious or otherwise. That is wrong, and it is shameful, if not just plain disgusting.

A man who walks in his beliefs, stands tall on them. Men who have no beliefs, cover their footsteps with lies and deceit.

I'm tired of the intolerance of those who wish to change the majority of us because they don't like the term 'Christian' or otherwise. If you expect me to show tolerance to you and your beliefs, I expect you to show tolerance to mine.

Working Harder, Earning Less?

Are you working harder for less money?

A common complaint from many contractors is being forced to drop their margins in order to get work from owners who suffer with the low bid mentality. 

The result in for the contractor is working harder but being personally grossly underpaid for their efforts and risk.

This raises the valid question; is being the low bidder worth it?

In my forty years as a contractor, one thing, I did learn is this. The only way to be successful as the low bidder is to have complete control and understanding of your financials. And here lies the problem for many owners of small construction businesses.

Too many contractors either judge their financial progress by their checkbook balances, or by their gut feeling. Both  methods are the formula for a perfect storm.

As a business coach for contractors, I find in my contractors coaching, many small contractors (those doing under $10 million or more), are operating with bad numbers, poor pricing models and insufficient markup.

I also find in the contractors coaching process that they fail to understand what selling their value really means, and the hidden gold mine of targeting their best type of customers.

Without these two, elements understood perfectly. Marketing and selling suffer dramatically. Costs rise, and profits decline.

The good news is this.

All the above syndromes can be rectified with coaching and guidance. I've worked with some positive contractors who are willing to take the time and put forth the effort to gain control over their businesses, and increase their worth.

In the meantime, if you're  working harder, and earning less, maybe it is time you consider getting help and discovering how you can take control over your business. Why? Because no one needs to work for nothing, especially when you own the business!