FOOD, MOOD AND MONEY!

 

“FOOD, MOOD AND MONEY”

By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, April 21, 2026

“The amount of MONEY you make is determined by the Mood you are in which is determined by the FOOD you eat and, WHEN you eat it!”

Helmut Julinot 

Fortune befell me when I had the opportunity to meet Helmut Julinot who authored the book, Food Mood Money: How to use the amazing connections between Diet, Boldness, and Wealth. Julinot is from western Europe. Not only did he author the book, but he also spoke at a local business club meeting and his presentations were eye-opening! The premise of his book and presentations is amazingly simple. Your potential earning capability is determined by the mood you are in, and your mood is not only determined by WHAT you eat but at WHAT TIME of the day you eat what you eat. 

During his presentations, he compared the human body to that of a gasoline engine like the one you would find in cars. Gasoline engines require fuel (gas) to run. The human body also requires fuel (food) to operate properly. He would explain that in Western Europe, the largest meal of the day is breakfast, whereas in the West, such as the United States, the largest meal is typically the dinner or supper meal. He would then make the analogy of someone embarking on a long road trip in their car. Would they drive until they required more gasoline late in their trip or would they fill up the gas tank BEFORE they began their trip? The answer should be obvious; you would fill up first and then start your trip. The same principle, according to Julinot, applies to the human body. People should “tank up” before they start their day, give their body the protein that it requires to properly function and then top it off later in the day before they reach their ultimate destination.

In his words, “westerners,” that would be you and me, have it backwards. If we eat breakfast at all, it is usually something light and then we eat a large meal in the evening. The evening meal is usually full of carbohydrates. It does not take a rocket scientist to know that if you ate a large late meal, you are going to go to bed while your body is trying to digest what you recently had eaten. That is why so many people have digestion issues, heartburn, and other such irregularities at night. 

Without being a scientist, it is impossible for me to know if he is right or wrong, but he makes a great deal of sense, at least to me. Our bodies ARE like machines and like a machine, it DOES require fuel to operate. If you eat a light breakfast or do not eat breakfast at all, you are like a gasoline engine running on fumes. 

It gets worse the older you become; I know this because… I was frustrated when we ate out in the evening. Most restaurants serve HUGE portions of food. They serve an amount that no one should ever eat unless they know they are going to go without food for days on end. It is not unusual that at least one-third of each plate goes home in a box; it is simply not practicable to eat the portion of food that they routinely serve. 

Sizable portions, unto themselves, are not the issue. The issue is that as we grow older, most of us, certainly not you, tend to become less active and this is where our health issues are only beginning. Maintaining a person’s ideal weight is no secret. Unless you have some underlying medical condition that prevents you from losing weight, the formula is simple. Food contains calories. You exercise or just move about to burn off the intake of calories. If you stop moving with purpose, the weight begins to build around parts of your body, usually beginning in the gut area. This is especially the reality of growing old because as most people grow older, they become less active and the weight begins to add up and add on. 

If you want to lose weight you must eat not only less but eat smartly. By “smartly” I mean you eat more real food and less processed food. You watch the number of calories you take in and avoid foods with high calory counts. In addition to eating smart, you must move your body to burn off the calories you ingest. Maintaining your desired weight becomes a mathematical formula. If you take in one hundred calories, you want to burn off one hundred calories! Your weight remains constant. You take in one hundred calories, but you only burn off ten calories, the weight begins to build. You do the math! 

Julinot describes the process in detail in his book. If you not only eat healthy food AND you eat the food at the right times of the day, but you also become more satisfied than if you were to eat a large meal at lunch and then expect to be at your best when you return to work. Or you eat a large dinner and then shortly thereafter turn in for the night, and your digestive process tries to work properly while you are attempting to get a good night’s sleep. That scenario does not work all that well. Can you see the advantage of filling up your gas tank with good healthy food in the morning, and then working it off throughout the day? You follow that routine later in the day when you eat a light dinner and turn in for the night. 

If you grew up as I did, you would have grown up with a mother who would say, “clean your plate, there are starving children in China.”  Cleaning your plate may be “good manners” in some circles but cleaning your plate when your stomach is full, is not healthy. Your body knows when you have eaten enough food, listen to what it is telling you. When you overeat, you do not feel well. When you do not feel well, you do not perform at your best. If you do not perform at your best, you typically do not earn as much money as you could. Can you see what Julinot has been trying to tell us? It is all about FOOD, MOOD, AND MONEY! I feel the title could have been reversed, MONEY, MOOD, AND FOOD! Or in movie language, “follow the money!”  

It is all about setting proper and realistic goals. What will your life look like when it is finished? Have you ever thought about your life in those terms? If you lived a long and healthy life, surely you must have a mental picture of what you will be doing, where you will be living, what kind of home you will have, etc. What will your life look like when your life is finished? Begin with the end in mind. If you have a mental picture of your life 40, 50, or 70 years from now, what does it look like? If you know what you want, you can reverse engineer that ideal life until you reach who and where you are TODAY! If you do, you can determine exactly what your next step (goal) should be that if done, will lead you to the life you envisioned for yourself and your family. You must have a vision and then identify the steppingstones (goals) that you MUST take one at a time, to reach your destination. 

“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.”  

Lewis Caroll. 

As Julinot points out, setting goals is a particularly promising idea but creating healthy eating habits would be crucial to achieving what you want to achieve, your life’s goals! The moment your health begins to fail, the more difficult it becomes to burn off the intake of the calories. More weight means more serious health issues and the worse you will begin to “feel.” That means you earn less money because you can no longer perform at the prominent level you have become accustomed to. Who knew your eventual success or failure was all connected to not only WHAT you eat but also WHEN you eat it? Who knew your success was connected to food whatsoever?

 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT FOR SURE!

 

You Want A Career in Sales

 

SO, YOU WANT A CAREER IN SALES
By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, April 19, 2026

WHERE’RE YA GOING? 

High in the Sierra Mountains lives an old man
Who, from their hermitage, looks down in pity
Upon other people of higher mental aspiration.
One day he rescued a little group of Swiss mountaineers
Lost deep in the mountains’ fastnesses.
When told where they were, they exclaimed in disbelief,
“But how did we get here?”
To which the old hermit replied,
“If that question ain’t got no answer attached to it,
I ain’t got none that fits.
If you is goin’ anywhere in particular
Up here, yu’d better figger fust how to get thar.
Cuz by jest goin’ afore ya know where yere agoin’
Ya can get to a powerful lotta places ya might not wanta be.”

-Author unknown 

For the record, I retired after a thirty-three-year real estate career in 2012. I was licensed as a Salesman in 1980 and a Broker in 1982. I provide this to give the reader the confidence that what I write about, I have personally experienced. Salesman, Manager, Broker, “Broke(r) Owner” and a sales course writer and trainer. 

“Success Leaves Clues!”
Anthony Robbins 

“Lead with revenues, not with expenses!”
Gary Keller 

You are either learning based or you are ignorant based, choose wisely!”
Gary Keller 

“People will do business with people they know, like and trust!”
Jeffrey Gitomer 

“People don’t like to be sold, but they love to buy!”
Jeffrey Gitomer 

“You become what you think about most!”
Earle Nightengale

 

Why would I begin this Nugget with the above quotes? I am glad you asked. The quotes contain the wisdom needed to be a success at anything you do – ANYTHING!

 There is no doubt that a great deal has changed since I first became a licensed REALTOR® in 1980. 

“The more things change, the more they remain the same!”
Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr 

Success DOES leave clues! Someone, someplace, has already done what you want to do. It does not matter the career decision you make; chances are good that you will NOT be the first one to attempt doing it. It would be safe to assume that since you are reading this, you have made the decision to build a career in sales/business. There is no doubt that a career in sales will provide for a tremendous number of opportunities to personally grow, chances to become highly successful in both the number of sales that you close and the amount of money you could earn. For me, the MOST important aspect of real estate sales provided me with a career that was always changing. I was able to meet new people, develop relationships both with customers and with other real estate agents. Every day there were new challenges, new opportunities to show off my ability to sell real estate, to market homes and commercial buildings, to find solutions for my customers, to build my brand and my real estate business. If I kept doing the things that I KNEW would work to create business, my days would remain active and alive and they were never boring! 

Assuming you want to be successful in sales or business, the biggest secret is to find out WHO has already done what you want, then learn from those people that have done it! Where do you find such people? Physically, they are all around you. Befriend successful people in your area and develop relationships where you can exchange ideas, discover what is working and what is not working or the why behind each situation. Attend conferences and seminars on all things relating to sales and business. 

I set a personal goal of reading three books a month and did it every month of my thirty plus years in the real estate business. I read non-fiction books on sales, on developing personal relationships, on real estate contract law, on negotiation techniques, you name a subject and I am confident that I have read a book on the subject. In this regard, Gary Keller was right when he encouraged people to become knowledge base. Unfortunately, it has been my experience that a great many real estate agents complete the basic training required to become licensed and then take only the courses required by a state real estate commission to keep the license active. Such courses are great and cover specific information usually surrounding the real estate laws of the state in which you are licensed. Such courses rarely cover contract negotiations, relationship building, building a successful team, tax advantages specifically designed for independent contractors, the list is endless. Gary Keller was right about another critical aspect of building a successful business and that is AVOID GOING INTO DEBT! Lead with revenues, not with expenses. Charge ONLY those items that you must charge and if you do charge an item, make every effort to pay off the amount at the end of each month. 

Every person you meet “could” become a source of business for you; EVERYONE! Most people eventually have a need for an expert, and you want YOUR NAME to be the FIRST name that people think of when that situation arises. Think about your own personal life. If you are like most people, you know the name of a primary care physician, a dentist, a plumber or electrician or a lawncare service. By contrast, people do not usually have a relationship with a real estate agent, a family attorney, a family accountant, etc. unless you have trained them to have one! Your job, should you decide to begin it, is to train the maximum number of people as possible so that when “they think (insert your business), they think (enter your name)!”  That simple message will take more than one exposure. You must repeat the message until it becomes a memory in the minds of people and subject to instant recall so that when they think of your type of business, they automatically think of you! 

Jeffrey Gitomer has authored books on sales, and I have read them all! Gitomer is spot on target when he writes that people do NOT like to be sold, but they love to buy. Does that apply to you? If it does, why is it so difficult for businesspeople to understand that the more you try to SELL, the fewer sales you are likely to make. The more you develop relationships with probable buyers and sellers, the more they will buy and sell using your services. More importantly, assuming you were not a jerk during this period of relationship development AND you concluded a successful sale with the customer, THEY WILL REFER THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO YOU! They become your personal “wealth builder” therefore, treat them accordingly! Based on what Gitomer has said, people may buy or sell real estate using you as their real estate agent but if you did not take the time to build a relationship with the customer so that they know you, like you and most importantly TRUST YOU, it is doubtful that they will EVER refer their friends and family to you for future business.  

As stated above, I have written and taught courses on every subject someone in sales would ever want or have a need to know. I could, therefore, go on. Suffice it to say, the material I have learned, I learned by making sales or by reading; mostly reading. The following is a list of what I would consider MUST-READ books that anyone in business can learn from. Set aside at least three hours per week to read. DO NOT JUST SIT AND READ. If you own the book, read it with a highlighter and markup the book to make it easier to find important reference material. The books are NOT in any order, except for the first two, which I consider essential if your goal is to become successful in the field of sales. Do not let the title, The Millionaire Real Estate Agent deter you if you are not in real estate sales. The book is about building a business, not selling real estate. 

Keep in mind that if you do not know WHERE you are going or WHERE you want to go, or HOW you are going to get where you want to go, you could end up in a lot of places you would rather not be! Discover what other successful people do, do what they do PLUS a little bit more and above all else, READ! You can read for a CHANGE; or you can READ for a change! Think about that for a second! Set a goal to read for one hour OR MORE PER DAY. That is SEVEN hours per week. THAT IS 364 HOURS PER YEAR! What can you learn to do if you read for 364 a year? You would become an expert and more successful than you ever thought possible! 

The Millionaire Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller
Endless Referrals by Bob Burg
The Sales Bible by Jeffrey Gitomer
The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude by Jeffrey Gitomer
The Little Teal Book of Trust by Jeffrey Gitomer
The Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer
The Little Black Book of Connections by Jeffrey Gitomer
Where Are You Going? By Lou Vickery AND Jim Brown (me) 

You WILL become what you think about most. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy. As an example, golfers often say to themselves “do not hit the ball into the water” when it would be in their best interest to say, “hit the ball onto the green!”  Golfers should focus on the “green” not the “water!”  When you focus on what you want or where you want to go, the universe works overtime to make it happen. Therefore, Earle Nightengale is right, “You become what you think about most.”  Assuming that is true, why would you not think about what you want in life as aided by what you READ?

Hacked! Who Me?

 

HACKED! WHO ME? 
LESSONS LEARNED!
A WORD TO THE WISE!

By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, April 16, 2026 

This Nugget should be a warning to everyone as to how easy it is to become a victim of a hacker and what happened because of it. As a form of a disclaimer, let it be known that I am not a novice when it comes to computers. I have repaired and replaced the inner workings of a CPU base unit on computers. 

I use an AVG, a computer program for decades, it is a free “antivirus program that is “trusted by experts” or so it says on its website. I have never had any issues with it until April 2026. Let me draw you a picture. 

I am working on my desktop computer as usual, when a pop-up window appears and it is from AVG which is NOT unusual. This window informs me that there is a new extension to the program available that would protect you from outside sources being able to hack into your computer or words to that effect. It sounded good, something that could protect you, and the price was reasonable. Since I trusted AVG for decades, I figured why not. That was my first mistake. See my notes at the end as to what I should have done. 

I purchased the add-on program and followed the online screen instructions to install it and activate it. Nothing I tried would work. The program would not load and activate. There was a telephone number for technical support included on the instruction page on the screen. I called the number and “thought” I was talking to a Tech Rep for AVG, my second mistake, I “assumed” I was taking to a Tech Rep. 

We talked and he was walking me through the set up but the program simply would not work. He asked me to hold on while he conferred with his “team.”  When he returned, he asked if I would authorize him to access my computer remotely. This was not the first time that a real Tech Rep has requested this, and, in the past, it has never been an issue. I did not question his request and gave him access. It took time but he said he found the issue that was preventing the program from loading, I had paid for the program TWICE and he had to remove one of the charges and refund the amount. The amount he refunded was $50.00 and he said the amount refunded was $5000.00 and that I needed to return the $5000.00 immediately. I was gullible and followed his instructions, my third mistake. The lesson I learned was that as soon as anyone starts talking about money, RED FLAGS should immediately go up! In this case, I did not recognize what was happening. 

You do not need to know all the garbage that happened, suffice it to say, it was all designed to build trust in what he was doing. What he was really doing was attempting to access my bank account. I eventually realized that (1) I was NOT talking to a Tech Rep from AVG. (2) he was attempting to access my bank account. (3) because he had access to my computer, he “may” have accessed my bank account and based on what he had said, he had. 

I told him that I had enough and was going to hang up. He said that he would lock me out of my computer because I owed him money for the program that he said I was charged TWICE already for. I IMMEDIATELY hung up and called my bank within minutes, and the bank froze my account. 

He did what he said he would do; he locked me out of my desktop computer. I tried at least five times and could not open the computer – period! I immediately went to my bank and spoke with a representative at the bank and explained my problem. 

As for the locked computer, I eventually used the startup to RESET the computer, and it worked and I was able to access the computer data. THE PROBLEM: This too was time-consuming because after a reset, you must reload programs, passwords, and browser icons, all time consuming. 

The bank said that no one had accessed my account yet and agreed that the hacker mostly likely had access to my banking information. The ONLY IMMEDIATE remedy was to close out my account and open a new account, same routing number but different numbers for my checking and savings accounts which I did. That is when the real nightmare began. Let me explain. 

Like most people, I engage in “automatic” banking, meaning that I set up accounts such as utility and phone services paid directly by the bank to the vendor. It works great with little work on my part to maintain. I now had different numbers from the numbers that my accepted vendors had. I had to go into each account either online or verbally by phone to update the account numbers. This was time-consuming but not a huge issue. 

Even though I updated the vendors, for whatever reason, several bills WERE NOT PAID automatically as they had been for months if not years before. I had to go back to the drawing board and make sure everyone had the correct information. PROBLEM. I set the accounts up as I needed to do so at the time. I failed to keep a list of EVERY account for which I had set up automatic bill paying. That created a problem because if you do not remember everyone, one or more will slip through the crack and you will fail to properly notify them of the change in account information. That is what happened. SOLUTION: Always maintain a list of accounts that you will need to notify whenever your banking information changes! It is much easier to work from a list than from your memory, I know this because…  This also occurs whenever you lose a credit or debit card. Vendor accounts need changing and working from a list instead of your memory is priceless! 

PROBLEM: I made purchases and paid bills other than automatic payment type actions. Four transactions fell between the date that I initiated that purchase/payment and the date the hacker hacked into my computer which was the same date that I changed my bank accounts. These purchases/payments were in limbo, and the bank declined them and rightfully so. It took separate actions to rectify the payments. As for the purchases, I had to re-purchase the items, but I first had to be sure they did not ship them. I have one purchase expected this week. My bank had declined it. As such, I had to wait to see if it would arrive. It did not and I repurchased the same items for a second time. 

The first “should have done!”  Instead of clicking on the popup window, I “should have” gone to the source, the AVG homepage to verify that the popup window was from them. Why did I not do this? Because I trusted the AVG brand and frankly, no warning sign was set off in my head that would have required such a step. Lesson learned! In the computer world, just because the right logo appears, does not necessarily mean it is from the source you believe it to be from which was in this case, AVG. 

For the record, I have spent HOURS fixing the problems the Hacker had created. The ONLY good news is that he gained nothing from his actions. To everyone that has read this far, I pray that you take this warning seriously and be forever on your guard when you are working on your computer. TRUST BUT VERIFY!

Life Lessons Worth Learning

 

LIFE LESSONS WORTH LEARNING
By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, April 14, 2026

A word of explanation.  I wrote the following as I normally would. It was written to my grandson who was graduating from college; a graduation that circumstances kept from attending – my loss! The lessons do not apply to just college graduates; they would apply to anyone in any situation.  After I wrote what I thought was important, I requested ChatGPT to convert what I had written into a text style that FogHorn Leghorn might have written or have said. It gives the reader the image of an old rooster (me) passing on his well—gained knowledge to anyone in the barnyard that would listen. That is what I wanted to achieve. and I think ChatGPG and Foghorn did it. I hope you enjoy reading this Nugget and take away the lessons I hope it provides.

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I say, I say, lemme tell ya somethin’, BUD—there’s been a question rattlin’ around this ol’ noggin of mine for decades now, and I mean DECADES! Especially these last twenty years or so, it’s pecked at me like a woodpecker on a tin roof. If I had the chance—now listen here—if an 80-year-old Gymbeaux could sit down jaw-to-jaw with a 20-year-old Jim, what ONE MESSAGE, I say ONE MESSAGE, would I pass along that’d actually stick? You didn’t ask me, BUD—but if you had, well sir, here it comes loud and clear!

Back in the mid-1990s—yes sir, back when folks still read newspapers instead of peckin’ at phones—I came across a couple of studies that said fewer than 5%—I say FIVE PERCENT—of professionals ever read a single book about their own line of work. Now son, I was knee-deep in trainin’ real estate agents back then, and I’m here to tell ya, that 5% sounded downright generous! Most of ’em wouldn’t read a sales book if it came with a free steak dinner. Sales, relationships, motivation, contracts—might as well have been written in hieroglyphics to ’em.

Now picture this, BUD—imagine your heart doctor, scalpel in hand, about to tinker with your ticker… and he ain’t cracked open a book on surgery since he got his diploma. I say, that ain’t just bad—that’s “write your will” bad!

Now ol’ Gary Keller—sharp fella, co-founder of Keller Williams Realty—used to say, “You’re either knowledge-based or ignorant-based… choose wisely!” And I say, BUD, that man was right on the money!

So here’s the deal: if you wanna be a success—anywhere, anyhow—you best get yourself in the habit of readin’ NON-FICTION about your craft. I set myself a goal—three books a month, every month—and I stuck to it for decades. Don’t you tell me you ain’t got time, BUD! You got time—you just ain’t managing it right!

Now here comes the second nugget—lean in close, son—MAKE YOURSELF IRREPLACEABLE! I say, IRREPLACEABLE! You do that, and you’ll never be lookin’ for a job a day in your life. Your boss’ll look at you and say, “That boy’s worth more than two men and a pickup truck!” and they’ll bend over backward to keep you happy. And if you’re workin’ for yourself? Why BUD, you’ll soar higher than a hawk in a tailwind!

And another thing—bein’ satisfied? That’s a dangerous place, I say DANGEROUS! Stay curious! Stay adventurous! Get out there and see the world—even if it’s just a walk through a national park. There’s more out there than your front porch, son!

Now if I’d had the chance to tell my younger self all this, I would’ve laid it out just like I’m layin’ it out for you. Take it for what it’s worth—but I say it’s worth more than a stack of fancy diplomas! Most of what really matters—you learned before first grade. That’s right—your mama and daddy, they were your first and best teachers. Truth, right and wrong, good and evil—that’s the foundation, BUD!

So congratulations on your graduation, BUD! I tip my hat to ya! I hope one day this sticks in that brainpan of yours and you pass it down to your kids and grandkids. And if you’re wonderin’ where I’ve said all this before—well sir, it’s all tucked inside that book I co-wrote with Lou Vickery—Where Are You Going?

Now go on out there and make somethin’ of yourself, BUD—I’ll be watchin’!

Make Your Bed!

 

MAKE YOUR BED!

By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, April 4, 2026

 “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed!”

Admiral William H. McRaven, U. N. Navy 

Admiral McRaven gave the commencement speech to the University of Texas graduating class in 2014, over ten years ago. His classic message is just as valuable in 2026 as it was in 2014; even more so. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBAqF00gBGk It is ONLY SIX MINUTES LONG!
 
Have YOU noticed or is it mathematically even possible for ME to be the ONLY one that has noticed? If you need a mental picture, you need to only take out a chair and sit in my front yard for fifteen minutes to an hour, it would be impossible NOT to see. I live on the corner of a 3-way stop. It is an intersection on a street with no commercial properties, only homes. It is a residential neighborhood. Visibility at the stop signs are NOT restricted by bushes or overhanging branches, they stand tall, extremely easy to see, and are exceedingly difficult to miss.
 
On April 3, 2026, over the course of less than TEN MINUTES, I observed TWO cars traveling at a speed faster than the 25-mph limit for the area. They COMPLETELY IGNORED the stop signs; they did not even attempt to slow down. Was it intentional? It had to be! Then, as we traveled one block to the next intersection, we STOPPED at a 4-way stop. The road in both directions was clear except for one young man on a bicycle that was approaching the same 4-way stop. I started to enter the intersection when I realized that the bicycle was on an E-Bike (electric bicycle) and he was traveling at least 30 mph. It became obvious that he had no intention of stopping. As he blew through the stop sign, I honked my horn and he was unfazed; did not even look up. Approximately one-half mile further down the road, we approached a railroad crossing and on the other side there was a traffic light. We were in the left-hand turn lane, and a car came over the railroad tracks without even slowing down but it did stop at the red light. By law, it was permissible to “turn right on red” and when I looked over, the driver was on her cell phone which is illegal in the State of Louisiana.
 
What is the point of writing about the Admiral’s commencement speech and FOUR different people on our local roadways totally ignoring the traffic laws of 2026? I am so glad you asked. At some point in the lives of these four people, they were taught or they observed people ignoring laws and/or authority figures. It is impossible NOT to have seen the protesters all over America physically and verbally abusing law enforcement officers. I am the parent of four children and as a parent, I could not help but ask, “what parent would teach their children to ignore laws and persons of authority or through their own actions and/or words set the example for their children that such behavior is permissible?” Would YOU teach YOUR children to ignore a stop sign? Would you teach them to drive while on their cell phones? Would you teach them to throw trash out of their car windows? The list of infractions is endless. Laws are not suggestions! They were written to achieve a purpose. The obvious purpose is the safety of the individual and all the individuals they may come upon, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN!
 
I conducted a very unscientific survey of the 3-way stop on the corner where we live. Over the course of ONLY ONE HOUR, I counted the cars that approached the signs from three different directions. If a driver slowed down and appeared to have recognized the stop sign but did NOT come to a complete stop, I credited those drives as having stopped. Even given that leeway, 40% of the drivers transiting our 3-way stop intersection DID NOT STOP, DID NOT SLOW DOWN AND TOTALLY IGNORED THE SIGNS!
 
Then came the kick in the gut when I learned that in the State of California, it was discovered that there had been an ongoing massive fraud scheme involving HOSPICE organizations. The fraud was estimated to be 1.5 BILLION DOLLARS! STOP! LET THAT SINK IN! Now do as I did. I asked ChatGPT how much the annual operating budget for the State of Louisiana was. ChatGPT informed me that it was 38 MILLION DOLLARS! STOP! LET THAT SINK IN! There is MORE fraud in just ONE organization in just ONE State than it costs the entire State of Louisiana to function for one year!
 
If YOU want to connect the dots, it all starts with the simple task of making your bed, EVERY MORNING! There have been mornings when I think that since no one is going to see my bed, why not just leave it as is? Then either my wife or I make the bed EVERY DAY! No one likes rules but rules are what makes our country function. Can you imagine the chaos if people, on their own volition, decided to drive on the LEFT side of the road instead of the RIGHT? It is bad enough that we have experienced people behind the wheel of a car that have been impaired by alcohol, drugs, cell phones, small children in the car acting up, or simply not paying attention. Except for a mechanical failure or a sudden medical emergency, most accidents on the roads are avoidable if only people paid close attention to what they were doing (driving) and obeying the laws.
 
Where do people learn that it is permissible to break the law or ignore authority? Where? It starts in the home when they are born and before they begin their formal school education. As they begin school, they are taught mostly by their peers. As I grew up in the 1950s, the peer pressure put forth by others to entice me to smoke cigarettes was at times unbearable. You did not want to appear to be on the outside looking in. Thankfully, I never picked up the habit of smoking. The same applies to the use of illegal drugs, underage drinking, sex, you name it. Peer pressure can be the best and the worst training in anyone’s life. That is why the following is so critical to understand:
 

“You become what you do. How and what you become depends on environmental influence, so you become who you hang around. Raise the standard your peers must meet, and you’ll raise your expectations of yourself. If your environment is not making you better, change it!’

 

Mark Twight

 
There is a famous quotation by C. L. Lewis that should be everyone’s guide stone! Some people refer to a guide stone as their life’s compass pointing them in the “right direction!” 
 

“Integrity, is doing the right thing, especially when no one is watching!”

 

C. L. Lewis

 
As Admiral McRaven suggests, if you begin by simply making your bed (doing the right thing), it sets the standard for everything you do. You made your bed even though no one was watching. You stopped at the stop sign, even though no one was watching, or so you thought! You use your cell phone while driving even though no one is watching or so you thought!
 
If you are so willing to break even the most seemingly insignificant of laws and rules, at what point do you stop obeying the rest of the laws? When does not making your bed and/or disrespecting your parents and teachers become embezzling the government for billions of dollars.
 

RESPECT in America is circling the drain, and no one is watching, 

or SO YOU THOUGHT!

SCREEN TIME!

 

SCREEN TIME!
By Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, February 8, 2026 

You must have seen the various segments on television news regarding how “screen time” adversely affects a child’s development. The reports are endless. For the record, I asked ChatGPT about the subject of screen time and this is what it provided as an answer:

1. Brain Development & Cognitive Effects

Accelerated but inefficient brain maturation: New longitudinal research suggests that extremely high screen exposure before age 2 is linked with altered brain networks, faster but less efficient development of visual and control systems, slower later decision-making, and higher anxiety by adolescence.

Academic achievement impacts: A study of young children found that greater early screen time was associated with lower scores on later academic achievement tests.

Early cognitive and social learning displacement: Excessive screen use often displaces active play, face-to-face interaction, and reading — key experiences for language, executive function, and social cognition (supported by multiple developmental studies).

2. Mental Health & Emotional Well-Being

Anxiety, depression, and behavior problems: Large recent research finds children with 4 hours of daily screen use were significantly more likely to have anxiety, depression, conduct problems, and signs of ADHD, with reduced physical activity and poor sleep explaining these links.

Socioemotional difficulties and vicious cycles: Psychological studies show that children with higher screen engagement are more likely to develop emotional and social problems — which can further increase screen use in a feedback loop.

Aggression, anxiety, low self-esteem: International data link heavier screen use to increased aggression, anxiety, and low self-esteem in children and teens.

3. Sleep & Physical Health

Sleep disruption: Excessive screen time correlates with later bedtimes, shorter sleep duration, and reduced sleep quality — partly due to light exposure and overstimulation before bed.

Future heart and metabolic risks: Kids and teens with high screen exposure who get less sleep show early signs of higher heart and metabolic risk (e.g., blood pressure, cholesterol, body fat measures) in follow-up studies.

Lower physical activity: Higher screen time is strongly associated with more sedentary behavior and less exercise — which itself contributes to health risks.

4. Behavioral & Social Skills

Reduced social engagement: Excessive use can replace in-person interaction, which is foundational for social skills, empathy, and emotional regulation in early childhood.

Screen design factors: Research on digital media highlights that engagement-maximizing app designs (ads, autoplay, notifications) can make it harder for kids to self-regulate and disengage.

5. Age-Specific Notes — Early Childhood

Early exposure matters most: Studies increasingly show that screen use under age 2 — particularly unsupervised passive viewing — is more strongly associated with negative developmental outcomes, compared with older children.

Language & executive function concerns: Data from preschool-aged children indicate screen time may is linked to less robust executive functioning and social regulation skills.

6. What Experts Say Now

Rather than just setting arbitrary time limits, pediatric and developmental specialists now emphasize:

Quality and context matter

• Content type (educational vs passive),
• Active engagement with caregivers,
• and balanced lifestyle factors (play, sleep, physical activity) are crucial mediators.

Screen time alone is not the whole story.

Organizations like UNICEF note that screen time itself is not always directly harmful, but risks increase with harmful content, online abuse, sleep disruption, and displacement of play/interaction — and that protecting kids requires broader strategies than time caps alone.

_______________________________________________________

SUCH REPORTS ON TELEVISION HAVE ALWAYS BEEN DIRECTED AT “THE CHILDREN!”   The reports have completely ignored the problem also exists with ADULTS!

This morning, my wife and I went out for a Sunday Breakfast. It was impossible NOT to notice a family of three sitting at the table immediately adjacent to our table. Two adults who were in their late twenties or early thirties and a small daughter who was three to four years old (hard to tell).

The male at the table came into the restaurant on his cell phone and was on his phone the entire time we are waiting for our breakfast, ate our breakfast, and eventually left and he was still on his phone. He was not talking on his phone, he was either scrolling, checking messages or sending messages. At one point, I noticed that the little girl tried to get his attention to no avail. She got up from the table, walked around the table, and punched him in his arm. He did not even look up from his phone! EVER!

Then at another table sat six adults. The man at the end of the table went way beyond using his cell phone, he pulled out a tablet and began working/playing on the table while everyone enjoyed their breakfast. Across from these folks sat a group of three more elderly adults. The man at the table was on his phone and of course he had to show everyone else at the table whatever it was that he was looking at or playing with. Then as we were ready to leave the restaurant, he received a call. Even worse, he took the call while sitting at the table in a full restaurant. Then like most people, certainly not you, he talked on the phone but not in normal voice, people do not talk on their cell phones in a normal voice. They are ALL talking to the guy who made cell phones famous when he said, “can you hear me now?” as if everyone was hard of hearing.

These were not the only people in the restaurant who were on their phone. A quick glance around the restaurant revealed that at least fifty percent of patrons were on their cell phones. What could be so important that they could not take thirty minutes out of their day to sit in a restaurant with friends and/or family and NOT be distracted by their pocket moron creators?

This is not an isolated case. As we were attempting to leave the parking area, there was a man waiting outside to be called inside when a vacant table was available and he too was on his cell phone and he stood directly behind my car.  We got into our car; I started the engine and he did not try to move out of our way; he was standing in the middle of a parking lot on his phone. I began to back up, stopped, started again and then he finally got out of the way.

Keep in mind, this all happened on one Sunday morning over the course of just one hour!

Truly little disturbs me more than seeing the driver of an erratically driven car driving while speaking or playing with their cell phones. Do your own quick study. The next time you notice someone driving erratically or driving slower than most traffic on an interstate highway, take a quick look and the odds are in your favor if you bet that the driver is on a cell phone!

Most people, certainly not you, by their own nature are just stupid when they are not paying full attention to what they are doing! Do your own quick analysis and start paying attention to the stupid things you see people doing and then observe if they are on their cell phones or not. As a perfect example, a lady who was pushing a shopping cart in a Sam's Club ran her cart up against my ankles almost knocking me down in the process. When I looked around to see what just happened, the only thing she could muster was “Oh, I’m sorry!”  I could not help but wonder how often she must utter those words given how stupid she behaved on this day in her life?

Before you buy into the various study results that demonstrate the mental restrictions that appear in our children are because of excessive screen time, you might want to do a study of your own to see how often you spend on YOUR cell phone or tablet. More importantly, take note of the stupid things you find yourself doing while you ARE on your cell phone! That ought to be a word to the wise assuming you are a wise person.

We humans have lived on this planet for thousands of years WITHOUT cell phones. We could all do better if we set aside the right time and place to use them now. Otherwise, when archaeologists dig up our bones hundreds of years from now, they will all wonder how so many of us have exceptionally large thumbs with no explanation of how that could have happened and when it could have become the norm.

THINK TWICE BEFORE USING YOUR CELL PHONE IN PUBLIC SPACES AND/OR WHILE YOU ARE DRIVING YOUR CAR!

Reframing Your Brain, Book Review

 

REFRAMING YOUR BRAIN
A book written by Scott Adams
A book review by Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, February 4, 2026

I have read hundreds of books over the past eight decades. There are books that would be in the top five out of all the books read. Reframing Your Brain has easily reached the top 2 or 3 books that I have ever read! 

What makes this book so special for me? I began reading it late one evening and before I completed the first couple of pages, I had to stop, even BEFORE I got to Chapter 1. I have a very annoying at times, medical device I must wear. After a time, it began to adversely affect my attitude because I was looking at it as a HUGE inconvenience and annoyance. Then I read just the forward to Adam’s book, I stopped, I not only used one of his recommended “reframes,” but I also took it a step further. I took out a magic marker, and I marked the medical device with the letters MYLSD, I added the surgeon’s name below that with a big Smiley Face below that. What does MYLSD mean? My Lifesaving Device. It immediately changed the way I not only thought about the device, but also the magic marker graphics on the device would remind me of the importance of the device. It WAS my Lifesaving Device! I wrote to the surgeon and explained what had happened. He was very appreciative and said he would advise his patients accordingly. 

This book is a true GEM! I cannot think of anyone who would read it and NOT have their life changed in a way just by changing the way they think about different issues in their lives. I only wish it were possible to have been able to read it decades ago. It would have resolved many of life problems that we all face daily.

I believe that Reframing Your Brain would be a priceless asset to the younger generation and go a long way to help ensure their future success in life. Adams has authored this book in a format where Adams explains how and why people think and do things that may be counter to what they really want. He then describes how we, certainly not you, Usually Frame a thought. Then he provides a noticeably short and simple REFRAME of that same thought that, if used, should redirect you to better outcomes! The book is GEM! PERIOD! 

Who should read this book? EVERYONE could benefit from the contents of this book, but especially teenagers and people in their twenties! It will help them navigate through life’s obstacles.

Would I read it again? Probably not because as I read the book, I copied all the USUAL FRAMES and REFRAMES into a Word Document; I would re-read that document. It speaks volumes!

Would I give it as a gift? ABSOLUTELY and probably will.