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Study:  Personal Health Care Spending

New Study Sheds Light on Personal Health Care Spending Trends in the U.S.

The amount of dollars the Unites Spends on healthcare surpasses every other nation on the planet; all in all accounting for 17% of the economy in the U.S. Frank Magliochetti

People spend more for health care in the United States than in any other nation on earth and, according to results of a new study published in JAMA, they spend more on diabetes and ischemic heart disease than on any other health condition. Health care spending continues to rise in the U.S., now accounting for 17 percent of the nation’s economy. Despite this spending, there is very little information on how spending varies by condition, age and through time. Joseph L. Dieleman, PhD, from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington and a team of researchers hoped to estimate national spending on personal health care by various factors. U.S. Spending on Health Care Trends The researchers included 183 sources of data in the study. Data sources included insurance claims, government budgets, household surveys, facility surveys, and official U.S. records from 1996 to 2013. The scientists grouped ICD-9 codes to form 155 conditions, such as diabetes and ischemic heart disease, for consideration in the study. One of the more interesting findings of the study was that many of the top 20 conditions of health care spending were chronic conditions with a relatively high prevalence and health burden – many of them were also preventable. This group of conditions included diabetes, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cerebrovascular disease, all of which are attributable to modifiable risk factors. Total costs of care Americans spent $30.1 trillion on personal health care during the years included in the study. The researchers looked at how Americans spent that money, estimating the costs of treating 155 conditions. They found that, at an estimated $101 billion, Americans spent the most on treating diabetes. Spending for ischemic heart disease came in second at $88 billion; spending for low back and neck pain was a close third at $87 billion. Increases in costs of care Spending for personal health care increased for 143 of the conditions investigated over the course of the study. Spending on low back and neck pain increased $57 billion during those 18 years, and spending on diabetes increased $64 billion during that period. Of all the conditions included in the study, 57 percent of spending went towards the top 20 conditions. Spending on emergency care and retail pharmaceuticals rose the fastest, at 6.4 percent and 5.6 percent annual growth rate, respectively. When it came to spending on diabetes, 57.6 percent went to pharmaceuticals while 23.5 percent was for ambulatory care. The study was important in that it was the first to provide modeled estimates of U.S. personal health care spending. The results were revealing in that they showed that diabetes, ischemic heart disease, and low back and neck pain presented the highest costs to American consumers. The study was limited in that it used population-weighted data to represent total national spending, which excludes incarcerated persons and those receiving care from a Veterans Affairs (VA) facility. The University of Washington institutional review board reviewed and approved the project. The information presented in the study may be useful to health care policy makers and health care providers working towards making health care spending more cost effective for the conditions that most commonly affect people living in the United States. Source http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2594716

Frank Magliochetti is Managing Partner for Parcae Capital

North Andover, Massachusetts

This column of posts is directed at the Healthcare Industry.  Frank plans to release new sites dedicated to the industry. Frank currently assists companies who are building, restructuring, transforming and resurrecting there business’s. An example of his client base are, Xenetic Biosciences , IPC Medical Corp, Just Fellowship Corp, Environmental Services Inc., Parsons Post House LLC, ClickStream Corporation as well as having a business talk radio show; The Business Architect on the URBN network.

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Prenatal Fish Oil - Lowering Risk of Asthma in Children

Prenatal Fish Oil Supplementation May Lower Risk of Asthma in Children Taking fish oil supplements during pregnancy may lower the risk of asthma in children, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study shows that supplementation with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) during the third trimester can reduce the risk of asthma or persistent wheeze in the babies. LCPUFA supplementation also reduces the risk of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in the offspring. Asthma in Children is a Significant Problem Asthma is a common problem in children born in the United States. Approximately 7.4 percent of adults and 8.6 percent of children in the nation have asthma, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), and the number of children with the breathing disorder has been increasing since the 1980s. Hospitalization rates for asthma are historically higher in the Northeast. Massachusetts has the highest prevalence rate for asthma at 12 percent, according to statistics presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with several other northeastern states following with asthma prevalence rates topping 10 percent. Fish Oil-Derived LCPUFAs in Pregnancy and Asthma in Offspring Reduced intake of LCPUFAs may contribute to the increased incidence of wheezing and asthma in children. The researchers in the NEJM study hoped to evaluate the effects of maternal LCPUFA supplementation on offspring. The scientists enrolled 736 pregnant women at 24 weeks of gestation into the study then randomly assigned the subjects to control and test groups. Participants in the test group received 2.4 g of n−3 LCPUFA derived from fish oil each day, while those in the control group took a placebo containing olive oil daily. The participants’ offspring became the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC) cohort. The researchers followed this group of children for several years, with pediatricians collecting clinical data for visits at 1 week after birth, and then at 1, 3, 6 months and every 6 months until the children reached 36 months of age. The pediatricians then saw the children yearly until the participants were 5 years old. Neither the researchers nor the participants knew which group the children belonged to for the first three years of follow-up studies. During the next two years of follow-up studies, only the scientists were unaware of the group assignments. The researchers looked primarily for persistent wheezing and asthma, but included LRTIs, eczema, asthma exacerbations, and allergic sensitization as secondary endpoints. Ninety-five percent of the 695 children included in the COPSAC cohort completed the 3-year, double-blind follow-up portion of the study. The researchers found that the risk of asthma or persistent wheeze in the treatment group receiving LCPUFA was 16.9 percent, while the risk was 23.7 percent in the control group. This means consuming fish oil-derived LCPUFAs can lower the risk of persistent wheeze or asthma and LRTIs in offspring by nearly 7 percentage points, or one-third. Analysis of the secondary endpoints showed that supplementation reduces the risk of LRTIs, but there was no association between supplementation and asthma exacerbations, allergic sensitization, or eczema. These findings would be extremely helpful for expectant mothers hoping to reduce the risk of asthma and other breathing problems in their children. Source http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1503734 http://www.aafa.org/page/asthma-facts.aspx https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12214899 https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/most_recent_data_states.htm

Frank Magliochetti is Managing Partner for Parcae Capital

North Andover, Massachusetts

This column of posts is directed at the Healthcare Industry.  Frank plans to release new sites dedicated to the industry. Frank currently assists companies who are building, restructuring, transforming and resurrecting there business’s. An example of his client base are, Xenetic Biosciences , IPC Medical Corp, Just Fellowship Corp, Environmental Services Inc., Parsons Post House LLC, ClickStream Corporation as well as having a business talk radio show; The Business Architect on the URBN network.

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Five Trends in the New Medical Economy

5 Trends in the New Medical Economy-

Frank Magliochetti Report

Five key trends will shape the new medical economy, according to a November 2016 briefing report by the cloud-based healthcare IT solutions provider CareCloud. The medical economy is shifting away from fee-for-service and towards value-based care. The industry faces a host of new economic realities as various forces shape the business of medicine. Five trends in particular will influence the new medical economy.

Five Trends Shaping the Business of Medicine

1. Patients as payers Patients will continue to seize control over their own healthcare costs as a response to skyrocketing out-of-pocket expenses and deductibles. Insurance deductibles have increased by 255 percent since 2006, according to a survey by InstaMed, and the average health insurance premium for family coverage has gone up by 83 percent since 2005. Because they pay out of their own pockets, consumers want the best treatment bang for their buck, including information about services, options, and treatment costs. Patients are also becoming increasingly proactive in managing their own healthcare by gathering information on diagnosis, billing and treatments digitally. Nearly two out of three consumers participating in the InstaMed survey expressed interest in using Apple Pay or other mobile payment systems for healthcare bills. More than three out of four consumers prefer to pay their household bills through online payment channels. The internet will continue to be a rich source of information, health apps, data, and medical devices for patients. CareCloud predicts a surge in retail urgent care clinics and concierge practices that cater to consumer-minded patients. 2. Doctors as digital innovators An increasing number of healthcare providers are adopting EHR systems, and are shifting from server-based systems toward cloud technology to take advantage of improved usability, faster upgrade cycles and more innovation. Providers will likely use more specialized technologies across multiple EHR platforms. Application programming interfaces (APIs) will help medical groups enhance services without having to replace entire base systems. 3. Fiscal stewardship Hospitals and health systems will try to reduce costs as they shift towards value-based care and away from fee-for-service care. Financial stewardship promotes health in the general population by increasing overall access to care. 4. Entrepreneurs in medicine Exciting opportunities are ahead for “doctorpreneurs” and other medical professionals who either build new medical groups or acquire existing ones. Medical entrepreneurship offers the twin benefits of earning profits and social good. While private equity investors traditionally invest in medical groups promising high reimbursement potential, such as dermatology and pain management, today’s medical entrepreneurs are looking at primary care groups. 5. Information retains its crown as king The push to digitize medical records coupled with the rapid shift to value-based care has created a mountain of information. The information benefits population health management by making healthcare proactive rather than reactive, identifying at-risk patients and promoting early intervention. The plethora of data and new technologies now allows each patient to create a custom care plan tailored to their medical history. The development of intelligent apps that leverage data and analytics tools will help manage and disseminate this information. Changing regulations, patient engagements and new economic realities are driving healthcare towards a value-based, consumer-centric model. Healthcare technology will evolve to focus more on adaptability and innovation. Source http://on.carecloud.com/thenewmedicaleconomy.html http://www.instamed.com/blog/trends-impacting-the-healthcare-payments-mar

Frank Magliochetti is Managing Partner for Parcae Capital.

North Andover, Massachusetts

This column of posts is directed at the Healthcare Industry.  Frank plans to release new sites dedicated to the industry  - .  He currently assists companies who are building, restructuring, transforming and resurrecting there business’s. An example of his client base are, Xenetic Biosciences , IPC Medical Corp, Just Fellowship Corp, Environmental Services Inc., Parsons Post House LLC, ClickStream Corporation as well as having a business talk radio show; The Business Architect on the URBN network.

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Teens E-Cig Usage on the Rise

Teen Use of E-Cigarettes on the Rise - Good or Bad News?

Teen use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) has more than tripled since 2011, according to a recent report by the U.S. Surgeon General, with 40 percent of high school students saying they had used the product at least once in their lives. In that report, 16 percent of students say they had used these products within the past 30 days.  E-cigarettes are a type of electronic nicotine delivery system that heats liquid containing nicotine, flavoring, and other ingredients into an aerosol. In a process known as “vaping,” users inhale the aerosol. Regulation of Electronic Cigarettes In 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finalized their rule regulating all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. The FDA prohibits the sale of electronic cigarettes and other tobacco products to individuals under the age of 18 years. Some individual states also impose additional regulations on tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, specifying who can smoke e-cigarettes and where the products may be used. California requires those purchasing e-cigarettes to be 21 years or over, for example, and it does not allow consumers to use electronic cigarettes in cars with minors present. The 2016 FDA rule included other provisions to reduce access to e-cigarettes by teens by prohibiting the distribution of free samples and the use of vending machines, but the new regulations allowed flavored electronic cigarettes to remain on the market. Some anti-smoking groups were disappointed in this lack of regulation, in that flavors like gummy bear and bubble gum may entice younger people to start smoking tobacco. A study published in a December 2016 issue of Pediatrics supports this concern, finding that the use of flavored e-cigarettes among youth increases their risk of smoking tobacco. Proponents of electronic cigarettes can argue that tobacco smoking has actually declined among youth in the U.S., although there is not clear indication that e-cigarettes are responsible for the drop in teen smoking.

Dangers of Cigarettes, Electronic or Otherwise

Health officials are particularly worried about the use of electronics cigarettes and traditional tobacco products because of the negative effects nicotine has on the developing brain. Research shows that electronic cigarettes deliver only modest concentrations of nicotine to the inexperienced user but consumers can increase nicotine concentrations to levels similar to traditional tobacco cigarettes. E-cigarettes also contain substances not found in tobacco products, such as heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, and ultrafine particles that consumers could inhale into their lungs. Some e-cigarette flavorings contain diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease. Still, the dangers from using electronic cigarettes may not be as lethal as the deadly effects of tobacco smoke, making e-cigarettes the safer choice for teenagers who insist on the habit. “Kids are a kind of 'third rail' issue,” said Amy Fairchild, PhD, MPH, the associate dean of academic affairs at the Texas A&M School of Public Health in a press release. “On the one hand, they require extra protections. On the other, though, we also have to place their risks of harm into perspective. The consequences of combustible tobacco use are well known and serious, while e-cigarettes – while not risk free – represent a far lesser harm.” Source: https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/default.htm https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/05/10/2016-10685/deeming-tobacco-products-to-be-subject-to-the-federal-food-drug-and-cosmetic-act-as-amended-by-the http://publichealthlawcenter.org/sites/default/files/E-Cigarette-Legal-Landscape-50-State-Review-November-2016.pdf https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/early/2016/11/03/peds.2016-2513.full.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/youth_data/tobacco_use/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3543069/ http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/23/suppl_2/ii30.full https://vitalrecord.tamhsc.edu/teens-e-cigarettes/

Frank Magliochetti is Managing Partner for Parcae Capital.

North Andover, Massachusetts

This column of posts is directed at the Healthcare Industry.  Frank plans to release new sites dedicated to the industry  – .  He currently assists companies who are building, restructuring, transforming and resurrecting there business’s. An example of his client base are, Xenetic Biosciences , IPC Medical Corp, Just Fellowship Corp, Environmental Services Inc., Parsons Post House LLC, ClickStream Corporation as well as having a business talk radio show; The Business Architect on the URBN network.

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Top Drug Trends 2016

Top Prescription Drugs Purchases and Trends of 2016

Nearly half of all Americans take at least one prescription drug each day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the cost of many of the most popular and most important medications is rising. The Price for Prescription Drugs is Rising Each of the past three years have seen double-digit price increases, including average rises of 12.6 percent in 2014 and over 10 percent in 2015. The average price for prescription drugs has increased an average of 10 percent in the past year. Despite pushback from insurers, scrutiny from lawmakers and outcry from consumers, many pharmaceutical companies plan to increase the price of prescription drugs. Prescription drug spending in the United States totaled about $457 billion in 2015, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), accounting for 16.7 percent of all U.S. health care spending. In the 1990s, only about 7 percent of health care spending went towards prescription drugs. A Wall Street Journal analysis found that prices for 30 prescription drugs increased at eight times the rate of inflation, with an average price hike of 76 percent from 2010 to 2014. Retail prices for some commonly used prescription drugs increased faster than general inflation each year from 2006 to 2013, according to AARP, which translates into an annual cost of therapy of more than $11,000 for a consumer who takes a prescription medication regularly. The total was nearly three-quarters of the average Social Security retirement benefit of $15,526, almost half the median income of a person on Medicare, and nearly one-fifth of the median U.S. household income. Most Common Prescriptions and Average Cost by State SearchRx compiled a list of the average costs of prescription drugs by state. At an average price of $12.82 per prescription, Mississippi tops the list as the US state with the lowest average per prescription cost. Arkansas was also low at $12.93, followed by Virginia at $13.90 and Louisiana at $13.10. Hawaii was the most expensive state to fill a prescription, at an average of $19.47, followed by North Dakota at $19.07, Alaska at $18.96 per prescription, and Delaware at $18.51. The website also lists the most commonly prescribed medications last year: 1. Atorvastatin Calcium (generic for Lipitor) – lowers cholesterol and reduces risk of heart attack, stroke, and other complications in patients with type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, or other risk factors 2. Levothyroxine (generic for Synthroid) – primary use is for the treatment of hypothyroidism but it is also used to treat or prevent goiter 3. Lisinopril (generic for Prinivil) – for hypertension or congestive heart failure 4. Omeprazole (generic for Prilosec) – treats symptoms of GERD 5. Metformin (generic for Glucophage) – improves blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes 6. Amlodipine (generic for Norvasc) – for hypertension or angina 7. Simvastatin (generic for Zocor) – lowers cholesterol and triglycerides 8. Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen (generic for Lortab) – relieves moderate to moderately severe pain 9. Metoprolol ER (generic for Toprol XL) – treats angina and hypertension 10. Losartan (generic for Cozaar) – treats hypertension and reduces the risk of stroke in those with heart disease SearchRx also ranked pharmacy chains in order of least expensive to most expensive. Walmart was the least expensive, followed by Target, “other,” Rite Aid, and CVS. Walgreens was the most expensive on the list. If current trends continue, 2017 will see higher prescription prices, increased health premiums, and continued increases in the number of Americans who take prescription drugs every day. Source http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/drug-use-therapeutic.htm https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/01/11/prescription-drug-prices-jumped-more-than-10-percent-in-2015/ http://time.com/money/4406167/prescription-drug-prices-increase-why/ https://aspe.hhs.gov/pdf-report/observations-trends-prescription-drug-spending http://www.wsj.com/articles/for-prescription-drug-makers-price-increases-drive-revenue-1444096750 http://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/ppi/2016-02/RX-Price-Watch-Trends-in-Retail-Prices-Prescription-Drugs-Widely-Used-by-Older-Americans.pdf https://www.searchrx.com/blog/2016-prescription-prices-and-purchase-trends/

Frank Magliochetti is Managing Partner for Parcae Capital.

North Andover, Massachusetts

This column of posts is directed at the Healthcare Industry.  Frank plans to release a new site dedicated to the industry.  He currently assists companies who are building, restructuring, transforming and resurrecting there business’s. An example of his client base are, Xenetic Biosciences , IPC Medical Corp, Just Fellowship Corp, Environmental Services Inc., Parsons Post House LLC, ClickStream Corporation as well as having a business talk radio show; The Business Architect on the URBN network.

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CDC Warns Against Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine!

CDC Recommends Not Using Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine for 2016/2017 Season

Frank Magliochetti Report

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued its 2016-2017 influenza vaccination recommendations, which includes the use of inactivated influenza vaccine (IIV) and the recombinant influenza vaccine (RIV). One of the most notable changes to the yearly recommendations is that the CDC is not recommending the use of nasal spray flu vaccinations using live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) during 2016-2017, as studies show it is not effective against preventing the flu. The studies show LAIV had no protective benefit from children ages 2 to 17. In contrast, children who received an injection were 63 percent less likely to catch influenza than are those who received no vaccination at all. While researchers have not yet determined the underlying cause of the loss of efficacy, but it could be due to changes in the dominant viral strains circulating in the nation during flu season. LAIV worked just as well as the shot at protecting children from H3N3 and the influenza B strain in recent flu seasons, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics, but youngsters who received LAIV were three times more likely to suffer infection with H1N1 than were children who got the shot. H1N1 has been the dominant strain for the past few years, according to a February 2016 CDC report, which means LAIVs can leave patients unprotected from the strains most likely to cause illness this flu season.

About Vaccinations, LAIVs, and Flu Season

Influenza vaccinations protect millions of people in the United States from developing influenza each year. Flu shots also reduce severity of influenza symptoms when it does develop, and prevents hospitalizations relating to the flu. CDC recommends yearly flu shots for everyone 6 months and older. Antibodies typically take about two weeks to develop. Many patients, and parents of pediatric patients, prefer LAIVs because of the perceived pain or trauma of an injection. LAIVs have been under development in the United States since the 1960s, according to the CDC, and the intranasal, trivalent, cold-adapted, live, LAIV received approval in 2003 as an option for among health patients aged 5 to 49 years. Because the nasal spray contains live, weakened influenza viruses, LAIV theoretically stimulates a stronger immune response than the shots, which contain killed viruses. Influenza activity often begins to increase in October and peak sometime in late winter or early spring. The peak week of flu activity for the 2015-2016 season occurred on the last week of March 2016, according to the CDC, which was one of the later season peaks on record. The CDC’s adjusted overall vaccine effectiveness (VE) against influenza A and B viruses for all ages was 47 percent, while the overall VE against A(H1N1)pdm09 was 41 percent and the overall VE against influenza B was 55 percent. Vaccine manufacturers will provide an estimated 157 to 168 million doses of injectable influenza vaccine for the U.S. market. This is on par with last year’s vaccine distribution. Source https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/65/rr/rr6505a1.htm?s_cid=rr6505a1_w http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2016/01/04/peds.2015-3279?sso=1&sso_redirect_count=1&nfstatus=401&nftoken=00000000-0000-0000-0000000000000000&nfstatusdescription=ERROR%3a+No+local+token https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/han00387.asp https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5213a1.htm http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/flu-season-2015-2016.htm https://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/vaccination/vaccinesupply.htm

Frank Magliochetti is Managing Partner for Parcae Capital.

North Andover, Massachusetts

This column of posts is directed at the Healthcare Industry.  Frank plans to release a new site dedicated to the industry.  He currently assists companies who are building, restructuring, transforming and resurrecting there business’s. An example of his client base are, Xenetic Biosciences , IPC Medical Corp, Just Fellowship Corp, Environmental Services Inc., Parsons Post House LLC, ClickStream Corporation as well as having a business talk radio show; The Business Architect on the URBN network.

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Top Prescription Drug Trends

Top Prescription Drugs Purchases and Trends of 2016

Nearly half of all Americans take at least one prescription drug each day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the cost of many of the most popular and most important medications is rising. The Price for Prescription Drugs is Rising Each of the past three years have seen double-digit price increases, including average rises of 12.6 percent in 2014 and over 10 percent in 2015. The average price for prescription drugs has increased an average of 10 percent in the past year. Despite pushback from insurers, scrutiny from lawmakers and outcry from consumers, many pharmaceutical companies plan to increase the price of prescription drugs. Prescription drug spending in the United States totaled about $457 billion in 2015, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), accounting for 16.7 percent of all U.S. health care spending. In the 1990s, only about 7 percent of health care spending went towards prescription drugs. A Wall Street Journal analysis found that prices for 30 prescription drugs increased at eight times the rate of inflation, with an average price hike of 76 percent from 2010 to 2014. Retail prices for some commonly used prescription drugs increased faster than general inflation each year from 2006 to 2013, according to AARP, which translates into an annual cost of therapy of more than $11,000 for a consumer who takes a prescription medication regularly. The total was nearly three-quarters of the average Social Security retirement benefit of $15,526, almost half the median income of a person on Medicare, and nearly one-fifth of the median U.S. household income. Most Common Prescriptions and Average Cost by State SearchRx compiled a list of the average costs of prescription drugs by state. At an average price of $12.82 per prescription, Mississippi tops the list as the US state with the lowest average per prescription cost. Arkansas was also low at $12.93, followed by Virginia at $13.90 and Louisiana at $13.10. Hawaii was the most expensive state to fill a prescription, at an average of $19.47, followed by North Dakota at $19.07, Alaska at $18.96 per prescription, and Delaware at $18.51. The website also lists the most commonly prescribed medications last year: 1. Atorvastatin Calcium (generic for Lipitor) – lowers cholesterol and reduces risk of heart attack, stroke, and other complications in patients with type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, or other risk factors 2. Levothyroxine (generic for Synthroid) – primary use is for the treatment of hypothyroidism but it is also used to treat or prevent goiter 3. Lisinopril (generic for Prinivil) – for hypertension or congestive heart failure 4. Omeprazole (generic for Prilosec) – treats symptoms of GERD 5. Metformin (generic for Glucophage) – improves blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes 6. Amlodipine (generic for Norvasc) – for hypertension or angina 7. Simvastatin (generic for Zocor) – lowers cholesterol and triglycerides 8. Hydrocodone/Acetaminophen (generic for Lortab) – relieves moderate to moderately severe pain 9. Metoprolol ER (generic for Toprol XL) – treats angina and hypertension 10. Losartan (generic for Cozaar) – treats hypertension and reduces the risk of stroke in those with heart disease SearchRx also ranked pharmacy chains in order of least expensive to most expensive. Walmart was the least expensive, followed by Target, “other,” Rite Aid, and CVS. Walgreens was the most expensive on the list. If current trends continue, 2017 will see higher prescription prices, increased health premiums, and continued increases in the number of Americans who take prescription drugs every day.

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Re-posting my first blog post from FrankMagliochetti.wordpress.com

Let’s talk about what will lead the country into a recovery. As most of you know, housing has led most all recoveries in the past. Not this time. This recovery will not be led by big business, exports, and it will not be led by another failed attempt at a stimulus by our Government or more monetary easing. This recovery will be led by small business. It will led by our country’s entrepreneurial class.

It will take place one job at a time by individuals taking risk with their own capital, whether human or cash. No difference in the form, sweat equity is what this country was built on. It is true; our small businesses use our countries infrastructure to conduct there day to day operations. However, maybe we should consider moving these government services into the private sector for better efficiency. An example of course is our postal service.

How can our government help this important segment grow as it leads the recovery? How about for every penny an entrepreneur raises in capital our government matches it. How about for every dollar put into a classified small business the investor gets a tax benefit. How about no payroll taxes for a period of time to allow cash to remain in the company for growth.

The point is, rates are at a record low. However, no one is releasing this money to the segment which can most affect the recovery, small business. Our government leaders should facilitate the loosening of funds to small business by considering offering a government backed guarantee for a period of time.

Bottom line, let’s not demonize small business and entrepreneurs, let’s recognize they are the answer to this recovery and support them through governmental initiatives.

This is from my blog, you can read the full entry here.

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Yet another picture from my photoshoot that is promo for my ebook.

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You can view a better quality version on my flickr

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Big Data Analytics

This was taken from my blog, which you can read the post entry here.

I am sure by now most of you have heard about Big Data and the advent of a host of newly formed companies who provide services relating to analyzing Big Data. They refer to this new “Industry” as Big Data Analytics. There are now companies claiming they can predict just about anything after analyzing all items in the enormous universe of data which is held deep in the internet. This explosion is witnessed in every major paper, including NY Times, WS Journal, and Financial Times where a day doesn’t go by where a prognosticator or CEO doesn’t pontificate the merits of predicting outcomes based on these analytic tools exposing predictable outcomes living in Big Data.

So what is this all about? Is this just hocus pocus? Is it just another internet based fad? My belief based on my diligence is it’s very real and will be the next big “Thing”. Fundamentally, here is how it works, a very sophisticated real time search engine (think Google on Steroids) goes out into the internet including the most obscure places in the deep recesses, not just the easy to find place (including twitter, facebook, etc) and within seconds pulls all the data on a particular subject. Let’s say a Company like Apple, all this Data is then cataloged into a separate database. This database is filtered through various algorithms, the most sophisticated of which will tag each word with a numerical value from one to ten. These values are to denote the importance of this word in predicting an outcome. Some of the greatest Linguistic minds in the world have studied the importance of what words people use to determine how people feel. Finally, these words which are weighted with a numerical value are put through a mathematical based algorithm which will predict an outcome based on SENTIMENT. This all takes place within milliseconds. Yes, milliseconds. What you get at the end is the computer can tell you if Apple will go up or down in the next minute, five minutes or whatever period of time you chose. Of course, the closer the timeframe, the better the correlation. Think about what this would mean for portfolio management! Let’s say the Gap try’s out a new advertising campaign and wants to know how its customers or potential customers or anybody thinks about this new ad in real time  not two weeks after gallop or some other dinosaur takes a poll. How about this coming election and the effect of messaging from the parties, what is working or resonating and what is falling flat, in real time!

You get the picture, Big Data Analytics is for real and will impact your life in ways you  can’t understand today. I recently talked to a Company here in Mass, Relevant Data Corp (relevantdata.com). This Company is creating products for day traders, fantasy sports and consulting services. It is an amazing Company; it is one of the few company’s in this space who has a patent on its real time search engine. Take a look at their advisory board. You should check it out.

Bottom line is with analytic tools like this the information coming our way will be micro tailored to our predictable inclinations. Like it or not it is here.

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Here's a video of me giving promotion to my new ebook - Reconstructing You. You can view my videos on my Youtube Channel.

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Thinking of changing up my avatar picture to this, you can view better quality on my Flickr.

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Something a little different - from FrankMagliochetti.wordpress.com

Today I am not going to get on my soap box about the economy and how it has been mismanaged by this administration and in fact other administrations as well; however, this community organizer is at the pinnacle of fiduciary maleficence with our tax dollars.

To the point for today;  Communication.  Specifically, communication with our off spring. Yes those little gremlins who have now grown to be walking, thinking, rationalizing, and somewhat productive young adults. I have learned a valuable lesson recently as it relates to communicating with my off spring.

They actually see, hear, observe, remember, and hold in judgment (sometimes) all of our actions. It may amaze you but they can remember things from there basinet.  Oh yes, they can.  They accurately remember the time I went to a sporting event and left them with a sitter when they were months old! So can you imagine the stuff they remember when they were teens.

On a serious note, I have learned they can be scarred or let’s say effected emotionally from listening, observing, and remembering (as they see it) and most importantly come to judgment when witnessing arguments and or disagreements amongst their parents.  It’s important to sit and chat with your children about things that they witness first hand.  This will help them put into perspective what they witness and it allows you to create reality rather than letting them come to their own misguided conclusions.

Active listening is one item you are never taught as they hand you your bundle of joy in the hospital. This skill set is essential if you want to have a relationship with your child. Look it up, learn it and use it. Your young adult needs to feel you are engaged even if it’s for just that five minute conversation. LISTEN actively; it will reward you time and time again.

Let’s be clear, parenting is tough stuff in of itself, put on top of that someone who wants to be their kid’s best friend and whose idea of discipline is an ice cream Sunday after you scolded them for doing something that society says is wrong. Like using your credit card number to get a tattoo or taking a trip to the Bahamas with a friend.  If you are the weakest link in the family disciplinary chain for 26 years how do you all of sudden become the iron fist overnight.  COMMUNICATION.

It’s never too late to be the parent you were meant to be, you just need to understand the rules of open, honest, trusting dialogue between you and your gremlins.

This is from my blog, you can read the full entry here

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Another video shot of me at my video shoot for the promotion of my ebook - Reconstructing you - by me, Frank Maglicohetti. You can view the video of me, here.

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A screenshot from my promo video shoot. You can find the full video here

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Reconstructing You - by Frank Magliochetti

Here is the text from the book. If you want to read it visit my Slideshare, Issuu, or Scribd page.

Frank Magliochetti: Reconstructing You — Document Transcript

1. A GUIDE TO RECONSTRUCTING YOU YOU’RE NEXT CAREER IN 7 DAYS -Frank P. Magliochetti-Remaking Yourself and Competing in the New EconomyIt is true the “New Economy” has changed most everything for all of us.Whether you are 20 something or 70 something; as it relates to your cur-rent job, future job, job prospects, retirement and how you prepare for thefuture, it has been turned up side down. The process of finding a job inyour chosen field use to be predictable. You would scan newspapers, coldcall human resources, network and call recruiters. Things changed a bitwhen the internet blossomed, the shift went from paper to the paperlessinternet. A further shift took place with the advent of social networks/media, the ability to network exponentially changed everything over-night. You are able to reach millions of people by just a key stroke. Youcan stick a video of yourself and your accolades on the internet for all tosee you in your glory.

2. Never before has the ability to get you noticed and in front of millionsas it is today. So what went wrong? Why aren’t you employed? Why haveyou been unemployed for longer than you have ever in your life? Theeconomy stupid!Unemployment has reached record levels amongst the entire employmentspectrum. Newly minted graduates to 50 something’s are pounding theircomputers in frustration. Recently I viewed a news documentary on thestate of unemployment in this country. I watched a senior middle man-ager who had been displaced for 18 months earlier from the company hehad worked for 19 years delivering pizza for Domino’s. When asked whatbrought him to this, he stated two things, Necessity and Dignity. His fam-ily was running out of money, he had no job prospects and he couldn’tspend another day at home facing his family. The guilt was eating himalive!This book is not an end all guide, it is meant to ignite your inner voiceto say to you I have the courage within me to remake myself in today’seconomic world by applying 10 key principles starting today. By takingthe time to go through each of these principles, you will come to a pointwhere you have discovered the next chapter in your life. This guide isnot filled with personal anecdotes, or stories of people achieving success.It’s NOT a feel good guide. You do not have the time to read about otherpeople’s success. It is a journey you must take to get to the other side ofthe nightmare of being unemployed or in my mind, you will see it is ablessing in disguise. I am not going to give you Vince Lombardi speeches,or Tony Robbins breaking board messages. Both of these have their placejust not in my guide. If you want to truly remake yourself for the neweconomy and find a job, career, placement, etcetera, whatever you wantto call going to work and getting paid for it and being happy doing it youMUST go to work today on yourself and follow this guide to becomingthe new you in this new economy.In preparing to begin please have a notebook, pencil, calculator, computerwith internet access and a full length mirror. Once you have these itemsand you are in a quiet place with your mind prepared to work openly andhonestly you are set to begin. Enjoy the journey of rediscovering who youare and what you are meant to do right now in your life.

3. 1. Rediscovering YouI want you to go now to a full length mirror (clothing optional) and stareat yourself from your feet to the top of your head. There is no time limit,just stare. Let your mind wander without any compass, just stare and letyour thoughts flow in and out of your consciousness. After a while focuson your face, look deeply into your eyes still allowing your thoughts towander. Notice all the little intricacies of your face. Take note of the lines,freckles, scares, the proportions of your ears, nose, eyes, chin, and cheeks.Now begin to focus your thoughts on important moments of your past,starting as early as you can remember. As you look into your own eyes seethose moments as if they were happening today. Whatever created whoyou are now see them happening in your own eyes as you stare into themirror. Ponder those moments. How did you feel when these events werehappening? After you have exhausted this exercise get a pen and a padof paper. I want you to write down the moments you recounted as youlooked into your eyes moments earlier. This could be emotional. Guesswhat? It should be! Once you have written them all down, go back andput them in distinct categories. An example of categories could be timesspent with Mom or Dad, sporting events, success’s, failures, family vaca-tions, getting a new pet or bike, you get the idea. While doing this if othermoments pop into your mind include them in your list. Once completedtake the time to ponder this list. Think about why you chose this momentto remember, what feelings does it bring about, how does it relate to theother moments you remembered while staring in the mirror? Do notbe judgmental just let your feelings happen. Inevitably most people willremember moments focused in six general areas; family, friends, failure,success’s, elation and despair.Get up and go to the mirror again, look deeply into your eyes viewingyour inner soul, enjoy the moment with yourself and rejoice in the lifethat is distinctly yours. Take special note on how your mind will wanderthen fix on a moment in your life, good, bad or indifferent log what youare feeling in your memory and go back later and think about why youfeel that way about that remembrance. Let your guard down, as they say,let it all happen, just be a bystander. You will be surprised at what thingsyour mind brings forward. This is all about you and who you were andwho you are now. It is your life you’re bringing forth, it is powerful stuff.You may be overcome by emotion, let it happen. Try to remember it all ajot it down when you feel you are finished.Now sit quietly and allow yourself time to process the results of theexercise you just went through. If you allowed yourself to be open to theexercise and put forth concerted effort to get the most out of it you should

4. be sitting their tired, drained and contemplative. You just explored thehighlights of your life as you remembered them, from your point of view,with your biases you have rediscovered YOU. Now with this informationlet’s move to CREATING the NEXT YOU so you can construct a newchapter in your life your journey.2. Your Future: The Mind: Friend or FoePonder for a moment the idea the Future is made up, it’s all make believe.The future is what you decide it to be in your mind. You can decide itwill be difficult, filled with fear, jubilation, success, suffering, love, peace,harmony you get the point. So if it is all made up anyway and you aretaking the time to think about the future and what it holds why not makeup the most exciting, the best possible, most successful , in fact, make upthe very best future possible for yourself!! It’s your mind, it’s your time, it’syour future. Take a moment now and write on a piece of paper the aspectsof the best future you want for yourself. Start with tomorrow and chartyour future for the next 6 months, 1 year, 5 years and 10 years. Pick anddevelop your own personal destination. You are your very own Captain,you set the course, and you prepare what’s needed to take the journey. It’syour very own make believe future. Right? Yes it is! Have the courage todream and act upon your dreams.It is well documented, what you put in your mind as truth (belief) willbecome fact. In theory you become what you think. Why not think high?I am sure you have been acquainted with individuals who remind youof Eor, poor me, the sky is falling, I should have, if I could have, if I onlythought of, and on and on it goes. Now think about the people you havemeet who are dreamers, who act on their dreams and do not allow nega-tive thoughts to creep into their self-established plan or future. Thinkabout the words that emanate from their mouth. It’s more about why notthen it’s impossible. I am sure you have read books that speak to posi-tive versus negative thoughts. What I am suggesting is quite different; Iwant you to establish in your mind your future. Not just a broad picture,a detailed description of how you see the smallest details of your future.Write it down and read it daily. Believe in it as if it were going to hap-pen and ACT on it as if it were happening. Reinforce you belief in yourplanned future by leaving notes in places you see every day. Your mindwill catalog all these items of reinforcement and begin to create the futureyou have imagined. I want for you your best future, start today, grab yourpen and start creating.

5. 3. What’s in your Personal SafeWhen is the last time you have taken an inventory of the skill sets youhave acquired over your life time? The skills you have unconsciouslyaccumulated and haven’t taken notice could be as a group quite valuabletoday. We tend to lose sight of what we learn on a daily basis. We get putinto situations which cause us to adapt and learn. I don’t necessarily meanjust the skills we have obtained in our work life. I am intending you getto know and understand all of the skills you have learned in and outsideof work. It could be you were part of a capital campaign for your houseof worship or you helped your grade school child set up a school bank toteach the children about money and commerce, it could be your roll as abig brother to an inner city teen ager. Consider all of your activities as youbegin to take inventory of your skills. Begin to think about this before youput pen to paper. As you go about today keep the idea of a skill set inven-tory in the front of your thoughts throughout the day. At the end of todayas you are winding down take some quiet time and begin to list your skillsand where you learned them and how you use them now if at all. Onceyou feel you have compiled a thorough list begin to group the skills incategories which are similar. An example of this could be activities suchas, big brother, social worker, car pool driver, etc. Therefore a skill set cat-egory could be; good listening skills. Another example could be; CollegeClass President, baseball captain, capital campaign manager, hence a skillcategory could be leadership or organizer. The point here is to list whatyou have done inside and outside of your work life and pull out the skillsyou have accumulated and to group them in categories. The result will bea half dozen or so categories depicting what is in your personal safe.Now comes the fun part, I want you to order the categories 1 to howmany categories you have, giving the number one to the category youenjoy most doing and then number two and so forth until you are fin-ished numbering the categories. As you look at the top 3 categories youwill most likely see congruence in the skills underlying the categories. It’simportant to recognize as you take your step in this new economy youposition yourself in the area you most enjoy. This exercise has preciselyidentified for you the skills you have and the skills you most enjoy utiliz-ing on a daily basis. Later you will learn how to carve a place out foryourself doing what you enjoy and what you are terrific at.4. List it and they will ComeYou have spent an entire life making lists, Right? Let me suggest to youthe list I am going to have you create could prove to be your most impor-tant one to date. Fold a piece of paper in half vertically. On the left hand

6. side I want you to list everyone and I mean everyone you have come intocontact with since as long back as you remember. When I say everyone Imean Joe the butcher at your local grocer, your banker, your college his-tory professor, head hunters, friends, friends of friends, people you haveworked with and worked for, I hope you understand at this point, this is acomprehensive list! On the right side of the paper list how you know thisperson and how they are connected to you. Now begin researching eachperson. Go to the internet and get updated on what they are doing today,yesterday, there affiliations, and there network (LinkedIn). An examplecould be you have on your list Dan Spankle, your college chemistryteacher. You google Professor Dan and find out he is still at UCLA andsee a picture of him shaking hands with a CEO of a prominent BiotechCompany. This CEO has just selected Professor Dan to his company’sadvisory board. Make a note of this under Professor Dan. This may comein handy later when we discuss how you take the big step in remakingyourself in this new economy. This project will amass for you a compre-hensive universe of your personal network. You will discover amazingthings amongst this group of people. You will be surprised and shockedat what people you have come in contact with are doing now, what theywere involved in and who they have in their network. This exercise willbring out many feelings as you go through it. Resist making any judg-ments of those you are researching or making comparisons between youand them. This is not meant to make you feel good or bad it is solely a re-search project which I promise will prove to be one of the important toolsin your tool chest as you build yourself for the New Economy. You mayhave started to do something like this already before reading my guide.You now are saying, hey wait a minute, you want me to go back as far asI can remember and list everyone who I remember and then do a cur-rent day research project on each of them! This will take forever!! I don’thave the time, I need to jump start my life, my career, my bank account!!Just like the movie, Field of Dreams, everyone looked at Kevin Costnerscharacter like he was CRAZY. I need you to look crazy for a bit. Please dothis project and they will also come.5. PUT YOUR HANDS UP NOW!!When you read this what came to mind? I give up? I surrender? FaithfulGratitude? A call to Prayer? Expression of Joy? A friend of mine, BearsKaufman from the Option Institute rescued me from my own mindsself-destruction wrote about this topic of “one action-many interpreta-tions”. He states, “Why does this matter? Because our interpretations, ourfirst responses internally, tell us much about ourselves, our beliefs and our

7. general attitude toward our lives. Hands Up! Excited? Terrified? Imag-ine a universe so benevolent it gives each of us challenges we can handle(even if we deny those challenges or our own capabilities). Imagine theuniverse is so abundant that it only gives us what appear to be “easy” giftsbut (even if we deny those challenges or our own capabilities). Imaginea universe so benevolent it gives each of us challenges we can handle(even if we deny those challenges or our own capabilities). Imagine theuniverse is so abundant that it not only gives us what appear to be “easy”gifts but, additionally, ones which encourage us to grow. Challenges.Gifts. Difficulties. Troubles. Blessings. Loss. We get to call it! And howwe call it becomes our experience of life. What about thinking of some-thing you always called difficult and putting it into the blessing category?How about moving one or two of those troubles into the gift category?Am I serious? You bet! It’s one step at a time, one transfer at a time...andthen you start to pave a path in a new direction...for errified? Imagine auniverse so benevolent it gives each of us challenges we can handle (evenif we deny those challenges or our own capabilities). Imagine the universeis so abundant that it not only gives us what appear to be “easy” gifts but,additionally, ones which encourage us to grow. Challenges. Gifts. Dif-ficulties. Troubles. Blessings. Loss. We get to call it! And how we call itbecomes our experience of life. What about thinking of something youalways called difficult and putting it into the blessing category? Howabout moving one or two of those troubles into the gift category? Am Iserious? You bet! It’s one step at a time, one transfer at a time...and thenyou start to pave a path in a new direction...for a new life.”errified? Imag-ine a universe so benevolent it gives each of us challenges we can handle(even if we deny those challenges or our own capabilities). Imagine theuniverse is so abundant that it not only gives us what appear to be “easy”gifts but, additionally, ones which encourage us to grow. Challenges. Gifts.Difficulties. Troubles. Blessings. Loss. We get to call it! And how we call itbecomes our experience of life. What about thinking of something you al-ways called difficult and putting it into the blessing category? How aboutmoving one or two of those troubles into the gift category? Am I serious?You bet! It’s one step at a time, one transfer at a time...and then you startto pave a path in a new direction...for a new life.”, additionally, ones thatgives us encouragement to grow. Challenges. Gifts. Troubles. Difficul-ties. Blessings. We get to call it! How we call it becomes our experience oflife. What about thinking of what you called difficulty and put it into thecategory of Blessing. How about moving one or two of those troubles andputting them into the gift category. Am I serious? You bet! It’s one stepat a time, it’s one transfer at a time. You start to pave a new path in a new

8. direction….for a new life”Bears hit on a very important aspect of your journey. How do you viewyour life’s experience? What category do you put items into? Fear? Confu-sion? Disappointment? Anxiety? Blessing? Gift? WOW?In order for you to embrace all aspects of your plan for you, you mustsee the world or better, create the world in your mind which is built onconfidence, fearlessness, joy, and happiness. You must see yesterday, todayand tomorrow as a gift and a blessing. This is not always easy, however,it is simple to do and you can do it in a moment. You have to be the onewho sees the world through a lens of opportunity and forgiveness versus aworld filled with destructive distractions and resentments.Bottom Line: The path you have decided to journey down can be filledwith delight, enlightenment, new adventures, self-discovery or frankly, ahuge waste of time.Everyone has a bird sitting on each of their shoulders, one who wants foryou greatness, he sees in you all of the goodness, creativeness, determina-tion, passion, wonder, forgiveness, etcetera and on the other shoulder sitsthe bird who whispers ugliness, self-doubt, resentment, fear, insecurities,the why not’s versus the whys. You know these two birds don’t you. Hereis what I want you to do tonight before you go to bed. I want you, in yourimagination; fill two tiny containers of water and put one on each shoul-der. Before placing the water on the shoulder where the self-doubting birdstands put a teaspoon of lemon flavored arsenic in it. Yes tonight whenyou go to bed you will KILL forever that nasty little bird who has beenlimiting every part of your life. When you awake you will have only onebird sitting happily on your shoulder encouraging you to live your BESTLIFE.Every once in a while you will be visited by a relative of that ugly bird thatyou killed. When this happens you will now be acutely aware of his pres-ence. Once you are aware he has arrived just simply whisper to him I havesome nice lemon water for you!! Please don’t be self limiting in a limitlesslife.6. LOOKING FOR A JOB? CLOSE THE GUIDE! I’MFINISHED WITH YOU.Alright, so you’re still reading, great! It’s time to speak about PASSION.What is passion anyhow? Passion is the ability to function with extremeemotion. When you are passionate you always have your destination insight and you are not distracted by obstacles. Because you love what youare pursuing, things like rejection and setbacks will not hinder you inyour pursuit.

9. What is it that you’re passionate about? Anyone can find a job eventuallyand get paid for it. Mostly, when you have a job you talk about it as work.I have to go to work today, tomorrow, tonight, this weekend. Damn, Ihave work tomorrow. I have to leave soon I have work waiting for me.Work is synonymous with labor. Ouch, just saying it seems to hurt! Isn’tit time to do what you love to do every day? I love it when people say Inever had a job to go to everyday. I am doing what I love to do. I hateleaving to go home I love what I’m doing. What is it you love to do? Whatis it that you’re passionate about?Let’s find out. Go to a group of friends, family members and others whoyou consider close to you. Now ask them, when you are with me what arethe things we do that bring a smile to my face, that gets me excited, thatbring overt joy to my face? The people around you will let you know forsure.Now take this input and ask yourself the question you asked them. Iden-tify areas of congruency in what they said and what you feel. You mayknow right off the bat. No need to ask anyone. You may say “I alwayswanted to make the greatest pies ever.” You love to bake, you love creat-ing, you love making people indulge in delicious pleasures and most ofall, you are passionate about baking pies. Then why wouldn’t you spendthe rest of your life doing what you are passionate about. If you have notkilled that bird on your shoulder yet, then now is the time to KILL him!!So you are looking at your circumstances and saying, forget it I need a jobnow! I have bills and kids to feed. Now is not the time to chase my pas-sion. STOP! Go back and read section 2 again now.7. Magic! Gratitude and Giving ThanksThere is an amazing book recently written by Rhonda Byrne titled; TheMagic. Do not wait, go buy it today and start reading it today. It is anamazing 28 day journey of giving thanks and blessings for what we havereceived and what we plan on receiving. The bottom line: as the GoodBook states: Ask with an open and clean heart and thy shall receive theBlessings one desires from the Lord.8. PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHERYou are now ready to put the last 7 days of work to use in establishingyour new role in the world of making money. You have looked deep into

10. the recesses of your heart and mind where you have not traveled in quitesome time. You have discovered and rediscovered things about yourselfin which you forgot and learned for the very first time. You have identi-fied how your very own mind will attack your own motivation; how it willsabotage you from progressing and will put a big yield sign up to preventyou from chasing your dreams. You have discovered how to identify anddeal with this self-destructive behavior when it raises its ugly head. Youtook a whole day identifying what skills you possess, what productivetraits you have amassed over your lifetime, behaviors in which you enjoydoing and which bring you happiness, you have made lists of everyoneyou can remember who has touched your life and have researched wherethey are now and what they are doing now, you have decided to create theworld in your mind which is built on confidence, fearlessness, joy, andhappiness, remember we spent a full day deciding what is it that you’repassionate about. IMPORTANT: Anyone can find a job eventually andget paid for it. Mostly, when you have a job you talk about it as work. Ihave to go to work today, tomorrow, tonight, this weekend. Damn, I havework tomorrow. I have to leave soon I have work waiting for me. Workis synonymous with labor. Ouch, just saying it seems to hurt! Isn’t it timeto do what you love to do every day? I love it when people say I neverhad a job to go to everyday. I am doing what I love to do. I hate leaving togo home I love what I’m doing. What is it you love to do? What is it thatyou’re passionate about? Just two days ago you spend considerable timeon this subject. You queried friends, co-workers, family and others onwhat they noticed that emblazoned passion with you. If you do not knownow why you were put on this earth and how you were supposed to spendthe majority of your waking hours doing then re do day 6!!Ok, you made it through the 7 day personal journey and you discoveredwhat you will be happy and productive doing for the rest of your career.So how do you take the first step? Always the toughest is the first step,however, recall your physics class in high school, it’s much easier to keepan object in motion than to start an object in motion. So get started! Goto the list of everyone you have researched in your personal data base andisolate the ones who are directly involved in or with the area you want topursue. Contact them directly, get a meeting with them and explain thejourney you just went through and how you ended up at the meeting withthem.Have the courage to ASK THEM FOR HELP. By human nature, peoplewant to help others. Take advantage of others peoples human instinctto help. Be very clear, state, I need your help in getting an assignment indoing what I love to do and this is how you can help me. Stay focused and

11. confident. If you read the book The Magic, you know this will work outfor you and it will happen the way you want it to. You will see once youhave taken the first step and begin having meetings the law of inertia willtake hold. Meetings will lead to further meetings, introductions will takeplace and then more meetings will take place. IMPORTANT: Be preparedfor each meeting! What does this mean? Always know what your objec-tive is for each meeting you attend and it is well defined. Make sure theperson or people in which your meeting with understand before handyour objective and always and I mean always close for the business. Whatdo I mean? I mean ask for what you want! I want an internship at an ad-vertising agency that your friend owns please call him for me and ask himto take my call, I want a loan to open up a pastry shop and your brother isa loan officer at CitiBank can you please call him and make an introduc-tion, I want to teach a lecture at your Alma Mater in which you are a largebenefactor, please call Dr. Smith the head of the English department andarrange a call between her and I, I want your help in calling your friendwho manages company xyz and ask him to meet with me to discuss op-portunities in his Human Resource department.This activity requires you to step out of your comfort zone and takecharge of your life, of your actions, and what does this mean? Risk! Forsome it’s an ugly scary word. Remember the two kinds of birds that eachwill sit on your shoulder? Always keep that special lemon water handy forthe times they start chirping in your ear negativity. Risk is your friend,embrace it, understand it, prepare for it and then attack it with energy,confidence, perseverance, and a well thought out plan of action to suc-ceed.Go back to Day 1. Bring an understanding to your mind that You haverediscovered and certainly discovered how wonderful, how imaginative,how resourceful, how successful you have been up to this point and youhave learned from all of the opportunities you had which didn’t turn outas you expected. You have meticulously reviewed and canvased your life,your heart, your soul and mind up to this point and have without anydoubt have a better understanding of who you are today than you haveever had in any time before today.You have put the work in over the last 7 days to come to this very pointwhere you know what you want, you are prepared to go get it, I want younow to ask for it on a piece of paper (write down exactly what you want,I want to have my own Inn on Ogunquit Beach, Maine) and tape it to the

12. mirror you look into every morning when you wake up. Every morningthis is a reminder of what you want for yourself.You have all the tools now to develop your plan to achieve what you wantfor your career in this current and future socio-economic environment.It is now up to you to take the first step in your total pursuit of happiness.Use this guide as needed and revisit it on the occasion you find yourselfstuck or slowing down. Above all, never lose sight of your final destina-tion!