Most people know about General Electric (GE), the most admired company on the planet, and its charismatic chief executive, Jeffrey Immelt. But here's something you may not know. At the core of Immelt's leadership philosophy and of GE's innovation engine is a concept as simple as it is powerful. In today's rapidly and ever-changing global business environment, the basis for success is not how much you know, but rather how quickly you can learn. Call it leadership through learning.
Immelt himself had to learn the CEO ropes quickly. His first day as the ninth chairman and chief executive officer in GE's history was relatively calm. But on his second day, September 11, 2001, the world changed forever. It was into this tumultuous environment that Immelt's leadership mettle and ability to learn quickly were tested.
Learn quickly he did. In his nearly five years at the helm, Immelt has guided GE in reshaping its business portfolio, making landmark acquisitions in health care and entertainment, and reducing the company's dependence on financial services. He has also been a driving force in reforming executive compensation, including his own, to be more closely linked to company and stock performance. As a result, like his predecessors in the GE corner office, Immelt has proved to be a guiding light, offering management ideas and practices for other companies to follow.
More About Jeff Immelt
Immelt began his GE career in 1982. Over the 24 subsequent years, he has held global leadership roles in GE's plastics, appliance, and medical businesses. He became an officer of the company in 1989. Immelt graduated from Dartmouth College in 1978 with a degree in applied mathematics and earned his M.B.A. from Harvard University in 1982.
He recently joined me in a discussion about innovation and learning for "Leadership by Example". Here are excerpts from the conversation.
How did learning become a foundational philosophy for you?
From a very early age, my parents emphasized education. They believed that a good education was the great social equalizer, something that stays with you your whole life and that allows anyone to live their dreams. At GE, I have the chance to see real learning and continuous improvement in action around the company and at Crotonville [GE's renowned training center].
On a day-to-day basis, how do you learn?
I benefit from the chance to meet and talk with just about anyone in the world. One of the perks of my job is that anyone will have dinner with me -- at least once. All you have to do is be curious about important issues and forward enough to go and meet with world leaders, thought leaders, social leaders, and other CEOs. So I can be out there learning from these people all the time and gaining new experiences.
What's the link between learning and leadership?
Every time we sit down to assess our people on leadership and decide who we want to promote, we look carefully at their ability to learn quickly. We believe that this is a core aspect of success in today's environment. We see it as a constant theme of good leaders. Almost every great CEO whom I've met is focused on continual learning.
At a macro level, I think learning is going to bifurcate society. You're going to see people who want to keep learning, especially about scientific or technical things. They're going to be fine. But those who don't are going to be left behind. There's going to be a broad separation of opportunities between those who keep learning and those who don't.
In the U.S., the college system is excellent. But the secondary education system is where people get separated. At GE, the largest source of our charitable giving and volunteerism is secondary education in math and the sciences. We put our money where our mouth is vis-à-vis the importance of education, especially in math and the sciences.
How do you bring an outside perspective into the company?
One thing we've done with all of our employees as part of the Crotonville experience is to make them go out and benchmark hundreds of companies every year.
Who do you benchmark, and what are you measuring?
The three companies that we have benchmarked the most are Toyota (TM), Dell (DELL), and Procter & Gamble (PG), each for a particular reason. From Toyota and Dell, we're looking at and learning from their process excellence. From P&G, it's their marketing and commercial excellence. If you compile a list of all the companies that we've benchmarked and take the top three, these are the ones that we admire the most.
To get a lot out of benchmarking, you have to pick up not just new ideas, but the processes around the ideas that these companies have been able to put in place to make them work. Ultimately, that's what's going to be the kind of thing that changes a company like GE.
Who are some of the business, social, and other leaders who have really caught your attention?
I'd have to put Warren Buffett, Steve Ballmer, and Bill Gates on this list. I also get together as a member of a small group of CEOs around the New York City area. The others are Sam Palmisano [IBM], Ken Chenault [American Express], Steve Reinemund [PepsiCo] and Bill Weldon [Johnson & Johnson]. The five of us have gotten together once a quarter for the last five years to talk about important issues facing our companies and our jobs.
Outside the business world, there are quite a number of different individuals who I learn from, but one good example is economist and Columbia professor Jeffrey Sachs, author of "The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time". He has been a very important guy to learn from vis-à-vis social and environmental issues.
How do you think about growth and innovation for a company as large as GE? For any initiative to have an impact, the numbers have to be gigantic.
What we try to do is not run GE as one big company. Rather, we try to break it up into individual businesses and initiatives. And then we try to make size a source of growth, not an impediment to growth.
For example, five years ago, we were doing less than a billion dollars in China. Today we generate more than $5 billion in revenue there. In order to grow like that, we have to be able to leverage our size in a way a small company cannot.
It's hard for a company as large as GE to grow at, say, 40 percent a year, the way a $15 billion company might. But we're constantly looking for and finding ways to make size an advantage for us, not a disadvantage. Following this approach, I think we can consistently grow at a multiple of two- to three-times the rate of GDP.
In the history of innovation, it's generally understood that incumbents defend and protect, whereas new entrants attack and innovate. Do you agree with this premise?
I don't think it's necessarily true. What I would say is that if you're an incumbent, there's always a danger that you will protect what you have and become blind to new market factors. But the fact of the matter is that, when you know a marketplace the way we know health care, energy, consumer finance, and our other businesses, you can really dominate and innovate.
I tend to be a big fan of knowing a lot about markets and combining in-depth market and customer knowledge with a real predisposition for change. With that combination you can drive real innovation.
To that point, it's hard to find a company as enthusiastic as GE about destroying its own creations.
That's very true. I think its part of this company's DNA and something that Jack [Welch] helped create that endures today. But I also think that you have to combine this attitude with really in-depth market and customer knowledge to pick up on the trends and chase them down.
How valuable is sports as a laboratory for learning and leadership? You played football in college at Dartmouth. If you think back to your own development as a leader, what role did sports play for you?
I think it's huge. Sports combine a bunch of important things. It's about competitiveness; it's about teamwork; it's about knowing when to lead and when to follow; and it's about dealing with both success and failure.
I think competitive, collaborative activities, of which sports is a good example, all help shape very important skill sets for the business world. We look for people who have had teaming kind of events -- such as the military, sports, or theater -- activities that have forced people into group situations and made them learn how to collaborate and compete.
Three Leadership Lessons From GE's Jeff Immelt
Success in today's dynamic world is based less on how much you know than on how quickly you can learn.
Broaden your scope and experience by meeting and speaking with the smartest people you can outside your company.
Sports or other competitive collaborative activities are an exceptional way to develop leadership, teamwork, and the ability to deal with success and failure.
How do you bring an outside perspective into the company?
One thing we've done with all of our employees as part of the Crotonville experience is to make them go out and benchmark hundreds of companies every year.
Who do you benchmark, and what are you measuring?
The three companies that we have benchmarked the most are Toyota (TM), Dell (DELL), and Procter & Gamble (PG), each for a particular reason. From Toyota and Dell, we're looking at and learning from their process excellence. From P&G, it's their marketing and commercial excellence. If you compile a list of all the companies that we've benchmarked and take the top three, these are the ones that we admire the most.
To get a lot out of benchmarking, you have to pick up not just new ideas, but the processes around the ideas that these companies have been able to put in place to make them work. Ultimately, that's what's going to be the kind of thing that changes a company like GE.
Who are some of the business, social, and other leaders who have really caught your attention?
I'd have to put Warren Buffett, Steve Ballmer, and Bill Gates on this list. I also get together as a member of a small group of CEOs around the New York City area. The others are Sam Palmisano [IBM], Ken Chenault [American Express], Steve Reinemund [PepsiCo] and Bill Weldon [Johnson & Johnson]. The five of us have gotten together once a quarter for the last five years to talk about important issues facing our companies and our jobs.
Outside the business world, there are quite a number of different individuals who I learn from, but one good example is economist and Columbia professor Jeffrey Sachs, author of "The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time". He has been a very important guy to learn from vis-à-vis social and environmental issues.
How do you think about growth and innovation for a company as large as GE? For any initiative to have an impact, the numbers have to be gigantic.
What we try to do is not run GE as one big company. Rather, we try to break it up into individual businesses and initiatives. And then we try to make size a source of growth, not an impediment to growth.
For example, five years ago, we were doing less than a billion dollars in China. Today we generate more than $5 billion in revenue there. In order to grow like that, we have to be able to leverage our size in a way a small company cannot.
It's hard for a company as large as GE to grow at, say, 40 percent a year, the way a $15 billion company might. But we're constantly looking for and finding ways to make size an advantage for us, not a disadvantage. Following this approach, I think we can consistently grow at a multiple of two- to three-times the rate of GDP.
In the history of innovation, it's generally understood that incumbents defend and protect, whereas new entrants attack and innovate. Do you agree with this premise?
I don't think it's necessarily true. What I would say is that if you're an incumbent, there's always a danger that you will protect what you have and become blind to new market factors. But the fact of the matter is that, when you know a marketplace the way we know health care, energy, consumer finance, and our other businesses, you can really dominate and innovate.
I tend to be a big fan of knowing a lot about markets and combining in-depth market and customer knowledge with a real predisposition for change. With that combination you can drive real innovation.
To that point, it's hard to find a company as enthusiastic as GE about destroying its own creations.
That's very true. I think its part of this company's DNA and something that Jack [Welch] helped create that endures today. But I also think that you have to combine this attitude with really in-depth market and customer knowledge to pick up on the trends and chase them down.
How valuable is sports as a laboratory for learning and leadership? You played football in college at Dartmouth. If you think back to your own development as a leader, what role did sports play for you?
I think it's huge. Sports combine a bunch of important things. It's about competitiveness; it's about teamwork; it's about knowing when to lead and when to follow; and it's about dealing with both success and failure.
I think competitive, collaborative activities, of which sports is a good example, all help shape very important skill sets for the business world. We look for people who have had teaming kind of events -- such as the military, sports, or theater -- activities that have forced people into group situations and made them learn how to collaborate and compete.
Three Leadership Lessons From GE's Jeff Immelt
1) Success in today's dynamic world is based less on how much you know than on how quickly you can learn.
2) Broaden your scope and experience by meeting and speaking with the smartest people you can outside your company.
3) Sports or other competitive collaborative activities are an exceptional way to develop leadership, teamwork, and the ability to deal with success and failure.
Friday, May 19, 2006
Teamwork, does that really matters?
Think career success is linked to popularity?
Think again.
To achieve greatness you have to make some people mad along the way.
A lot of my Stanford MBA students seem to want, above all, to be liked by their peers. They avoid arguing too vigorously with one another in class and tell me their goal is to build a network of supportive friends. They seem convinced that they'll have great careers if only they can develop reputations for getting along. In a class called "The Paths to Power," I try to disabuse them of that simplistic notion. And one way I do it is by introducing them to Keith Ferrazzi. Currently running his own consulting firm, Ferrazzi earned his MBA at Harvard in 1992 and quickly became a star at Deloitte Consulting. Starwood Hotels (Research) hired him as its chief marketing officer at age 32, reportedly making him the youngest CMO in the Fortune 500. In 2000 he became CEO of YaYa, a marketing and entertainment company, where he more than doubled revenue each year--even during the dotcom implosion. He sold the company to American Vantage in 2003.
Ferrazzi makes no attempt to hide his ambitions, and advises others to be equally forthright. When I invited him to speak to my class, he audaciously asked that I make his new book required reading. (He now denies doing this.) Then, in a talk sprinkled with expletives, he encouraged students to sort the people they knew into A, B, and C lists based on relevance to their career goals--and to spend more time with the A's.
With regard to their future jobs, Ferrazzi advised them to focus on activities they do well and stop worrying about being so well-rounded. Although he had promised to stay for two classes, he left halfway through the second to have lunch with a client. My students are usually put off by Ferrazzi at first, but they eventually see how an overwhelming drive not to offend can hamper a career. Take what Ferrazzi did when he graduated from Harvard. With offers from both Deloitte and McKinsey, he accepted the Deloitte job on one condition: that he could dine with the firm's CEO, Pat Loconto, three times a year. Deloitte agreed, and Loconto became a valuable mentor. By the time he left for Starwood, Ferrazzi sat on Deloitte's executive committee and had been nominated for partner. When asked how he dared to make a request that might threaten peers and shock his future boss, Ferrazzi says, "It gave me visibility and a leg up on my competitors." With all the talk about teamwork so in vogue in business education, he reminds us that colleagues aren't always on our side.
Those early days in Ferrazzi's career--before he had the power that comes with fancy titles--illustrate the advantages of being willing to make waves. Though he joined Deloitte as an entry-level consultant, Ferrazzi behaved like a senior partner from the get-go. Rather than spending all his time on detailed analysis--the bane of most junior consultants--he drummed up new business.
He founded the Lincoln Award for Business Excellence (modeled on the Baldrige Award) in Illinois, making himself president and persuading top Chicago CEOs to serve as judges and board members. Few people can summon that kind of courage so early in their careers, but actions like those put Ferrazzi in a position to be appointed partner, even though, by his own admission, he was not the world's best nuts-and-bolts consultant.
Of course, some people might say that if you anger enough people on the way up, they'll eventually take you down. Maybe, but it's also true that people like to associate with winners. When Ferrazzi first joined Deloitte, he would make a big deal at cocktail parties about what he had done and what he wanted to do. Fellow new hires were put off, but most of them eventually came to like him--or at least to understand that it was in their best interests to be on his A-list.
Many of us achieve modest success by being a standout in, but remaining one of, the crowd. Going beyond that means dealing with the inevitable consequence that some people will dislike you. Perhaps Steve Spurrier, the former Florida football coach who compiled a 122-27-1 record and won a national championship, puts it best. "If people like you too much," he says, "it's probably because they're beating you."
Think again.
To achieve greatness you have to make some people mad along the way.
A lot of my Stanford MBA students seem to want, above all, to be liked by their peers. They avoid arguing too vigorously with one another in class and tell me their goal is to build a network of supportive friends. They seem convinced that they'll have great careers if only they can develop reputations for getting along. In a class called "The Paths to Power," I try to disabuse them of that simplistic notion. And one way I do it is by introducing them to Keith Ferrazzi. Currently running his own consulting firm, Ferrazzi earned his MBA at Harvard in 1992 and quickly became a star at Deloitte Consulting. Starwood Hotels (Research) hired him as its chief marketing officer at age 32, reportedly making him the youngest CMO in the Fortune 500. In 2000 he became CEO of YaYa, a marketing and entertainment company, where he more than doubled revenue each year--even during the dotcom implosion. He sold the company to American Vantage in 2003.
Ferrazzi makes no attempt to hide his ambitions, and advises others to be equally forthright. When I invited him to speak to my class, he audaciously asked that I make his new book required reading. (He now denies doing this.) Then, in a talk sprinkled with expletives, he encouraged students to sort the people they knew into A, B, and C lists based on relevance to their career goals--and to spend more time with the A's.
With regard to their future jobs, Ferrazzi advised them to focus on activities they do well and stop worrying about being so well-rounded. Although he had promised to stay for two classes, he left halfway through the second to have lunch with a client. My students are usually put off by Ferrazzi at first, but they eventually see how an overwhelming drive not to offend can hamper a career. Take what Ferrazzi did when he graduated from Harvard. With offers from both Deloitte and McKinsey, he accepted the Deloitte job on one condition: that he could dine with the firm's CEO, Pat Loconto, three times a year. Deloitte agreed, and Loconto became a valuable mentor. By the time he left for Starwood, Ferrazzi sat on Deloitte's executive committee and had been nominated for partner. When asked how he dared to make a request that might threaten peers and shock his future boss, Ferrazzi says, "It gave me visibility and a leg up on my competitors." With all the talk about teamwork so in vogue in business education, he reminds us that colleagues aren't always on our side.
Those early days in Ferrazzi's career--before he had the power that comes with fancy titles--illustrate the advantages of being willing to make waves. Though he joined Deloitte as an entry-level consultant, Ferrazzi behaved like a senior partner from the get-go. Rather than spending all his time on detailed analysis--the bane of most junior consultants--he drummed up new business.
He founded the Lincoln Award for Business Excellence (modeled on the Baldrige Award) in Illinois, making himself president and persuading top Chicago CEOs to serve as judges and board members. Few people can summon that kind of courage so early in their careers, but actions like those put Ferrazzi in a position to be appointed partner, even though, by his own admission, he was not the world's best nuts-and-bolts consultant.
Of course, some people might say that if you anger enough people on the way up, they'll eventually take you down. Maybe, but it's also true that people like to associate with winners. When Ferrazzi first joined Deloitte, he would make a big deal at cocktail parties about what he had done and what he wanted to do. Fellow new hires were put off, but most of them eventually came to like him--or at least to understand that it was in their best interests to be on his A-list.
Many of us achieve modest success by being a standout in, but remaining one of, the crowd. Going beyond that means dealing with the inevitable consequence that some people will dislike you. Perhaps Steve Spurrier, the former Florida football coach who compiled a 122-27-1 record and won a national championship, puts it best. "If people like you too much," he says, "it's probably because they're beating you."
Thursday, May 11, 2006
On a movie bling
Yes....lately I am going on a movie bling with my honey, having fun and just holding hands. A movie is incomplete without having the na-chas, hotdog or pop corn set during the screening.
I am very passionate when it comes to watching movies...esp the sentimental ones or the funny korean movies. They are quite fun to watch.....damn serious acting.
Am looking forward to seeing "LIE WITH ME" ....next tuesday together with my honey.
I am very passionate when it comes to watching movies...esp the sentimental ones or the funny korean movies. They are quite fun to watch.....damn serious acting.
Am looking forward to seeing "LIE WITH ME" ....next tuesday together with my honey.
Monday, May 08, 2006
You are my sunshine
Well...the movie does reminds me of my situation not long ago and about myself and my attitude towards LOVE.
A simple....straight forward story about a man's love. Most time...men are simple creatures who love SEX, food, wine and music. Give them that and you control their well-being.
But for me...I find out that I don't fall in love easily or that love even exist hahaha.....then against all odds, I am a victim of it. It is both hell and heaven at the same time....so it depends on the moment of time. LOVE passionately and suffered the "HELL"...then you will appreciate the sweetness of simple moment of being "together" even doing nothing. Just like in the movie...the guy ordered coffee so that the girl can rest...and that he can see her rest and her smile. He is out of the world. Me...too, even just holding your hand or give your hand a massage, makes me "happy"...stupid me hahaha.
True Love....is a very deep feeling, there is no need for sex to get the high of it but of course if there is sex....then it will be even more meaningful.
I have my share of partners after you....younger, prettier but none can really replace you in my heart. One way to see if a guy truly love you....is to see how he will go out of his way to please always, not just one time but always....and he does acts "funny or even stupid" at times. I know becoz I do that and I can't help myself about it. I look "cool" when I am indifferent to the girl, meaning I don't really care what happen to the friendship or relationship...just maybe sex which I feel I can get it from lots of places...no issue at all in singapore if you know where to get from.
A simple....straight forward story about a man's love. Most time...men are simple creatures who love SEX, food, wine and music. Give them that and you control their well-being.
But for me...I find out that I don't fall in love easily or that love even exist hahaha.....then against all odds, I am a victim of it. It is both hell and heaven at the same time....so it depends on the moment of time. LOVE passionately and suffered the "HELL"...then you will appreciate the sweetness of simple moment of being "together" even doing nothing. Just like in the movie...the guy ordered coffee so that the girl can rest...and that he can see her rest and her smile. He is out of the world. Me...too, even just holding your hand or give your hand a massage, makes me "happy"...stupid me hahaha.
True Love....is a very deep feeling, there is no need for sex to get the high of it but of course if there is sex....then it will be even more meaningful.
I have my share of partners after you....younger, prettier but none can really replace you in my heart. One way to see if a guy truly love you....is to see how he will go out of his way to please always, not just one time but always....and he does acts "funny or even stupid" at times. I know becoz I do that and I can't help myself about it. I look "cool" when I am indifferent to the girl, meaning I don't really care what happen to the friendship or relationship...just maybe sex which I feel I can get it from lots of places...no issue at all in singapore if you know where to get from.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Your wish list or it is just wishful thinking?
What's on your Wish List? It seems to be a growing phenomenon all over the Web.
People are making up lists of their wants and desires (at least in terms of material goods)
and posting them on the Web for all the world to see.
I suppose that's one way of getting what you want.
But that really relies on a friend or family member seeing your list and perhaps buying an item for your birthday, anniversary, or holiday present.
It's literally a form of "wishful thinking."
Now, there's nothing wrong with thinking of those things we'd like.
It's only when your thinking stops there and goes no further that it becomes a kind of useless exercise.
The Broadway star Mary Martin had some choice words to say about that:
"Stop the habit of wishful thinking and start the habit of thoughtful wishes."
So, why not try a simple exercise?
Make your own Wish List of your goals or how you'd like to improve your life.
Include as many items as you like. Now, don't stop there. Opposite each item,
list something you can do to start to make that "wish" come true.
Make it a practical, doable step.
And get in the habit of repeating that step, week after week.
After repeating an action often enough, it becomes a habit, and you'll be on the way to making your own wishes come true.
After all, as Eleanor Roosevelt has said, "It takes as much energy to wish as to plan."
You may not have a fairy godmother to grant you three wishes, but you have something better.
You have yourself.
People are making up lists of their wants and desires (at least in terms of material goods)
and posting them on the Web for all the world to see.
I suppose that's one way of getting what you want.
But that really relies on a friend or family member seeing your list and perhaps buying an item for your birthday, anniversary, or holiday present.
It's literally a form of "wishful thinking."
Now, there's nothing wrong with thinking of those things we'd like.
It's only when your thinking stops there and goes no further that it becomes a kind of useless exercise.
The Broadway star Mary Martin had some choice words to say about that:
"Stop the habit of wishful thinking and start the habit of thoughtful wishes."
So, why not try a simple exercise?
Make your own Wish List of your goals or how you'd like to improve your life.
Include as many items as you like. Now, don't stop there. Opposite each item,
list something you can do to start to make that "wish" come true.
Make it a practical, doable step.
And get in the habit of repeating that step, week after week.
After repeating an action often enough, it becomes a habit, and you'll be on the way to making your own wishes come true.
After all, as Eleanor Roosevelt has said, "It takes as much energy to wish as to plan."
You may not have a fairy godmother to grant you three wishes, but you have something better.
You have yourself.
Might as well love yourself first....right?
Did you ever stop to think about how special you are?
As Gautama Buddha has said, "You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection."
Now, loving yourself doesn't mean being selfish or conceited. Self-love means recognizing your uniqueness. You are able to see your good points and not continually focus on what you see as "faults." You're more open to change any negatives into positives, because you don't "blame" yourself or feel unworthy. It means you can see your own potential clearly. And after all, you can't give and receive love from others if you don't love yourself. When you can love and accept yourself as you are, nothing can stop you from achieving whatever you desire.
Comedienne Lucille Ball knew this very well. She said, "Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world."
To help you get the hang of this idea, here's a little exercise to practice with. Don't worry if you feel a little funny or self-conscious at first. That's only natural. All you need is a mirror. Look directly into your eyes and say the following:
"I love and approve of myself just as I am."
It's a great way to both start and end your day.
John Lennon put it in a nutshell, in his whimsical way: "You're just left with yourself all the time, whatever you do anyway. You've got to get down to your own god in your own temple. It's all down to you, mate."
So....don't be afraid to LOVE yourself first, then you will then be able to give and receive LOVE from others.
As Gautama Buddha has said, "You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection."
Now, loving yourself doesn't mean being selfish or conceited. Self-love means recognizing your uniqueness. You are able to see your good points and not continually focus on what you see as "faults." You're more open to change any negatives into positives, because you don't "blame" yourself or feel unworthy. It means you can see your own potential clearly. And after all, you can't give and receive love from others if you don't love yourself. When you can love and accept yourself as you are, nothing can stop you from achieving whatever you desire.
Comedienne Lucille Ball knew this very well. She said, "Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world."
To help you get the hang of this idea, here's a little exercise to practice with. Don't worry if you feel a little funny or self-conscious at first. That's only natural. All you need is a mirror. Look directly into your eyes and say the following:
"I love and approve of myself just as I am."
It's a great way to both start and end your day.
John Lennon put it in a nutshell, in his whimsical way: "You're just left with yourself all the time, whatever you do anyway. You've got to get down to your own god in your own temple. It's all down to you, mate."
So....don't be afraid to LOVE yourself first, then you will then be able to give and receive LOVE from others.
Friday, March 24, 2006
Seven-year itch?
Have you heard of the seven-year itch?
Used to describe a husband's or wife's urge to stray from his or her mate after seven years of marriage, this expression appears to have been invented by American playwright George Axelrod in his play 'The Seven Year Itch' (1952) and further popularized by the film version starring Marilyn Monroe (1955).
Some say that Axelrod overheard a reference to the seven-year itch in regards to a skin irritation. The term had its origins with a microbe commonly called scabies. Scabies produces an itching skin irritation that before modern drugs, lasted, on average, seven years.
Scabies aside, do you believe in the seven-year itch? Have you had the experience where a relationship that lasted seven years suddenly went kaput?
I do believe that we can all become complacent in a relationship, but I don't think the seven-year itch is a given. If you strive every day to give your relationship all you've got, and, if, on a regular basis, you make sure to break out of your routines and try something new, you can avoid the seven-year itch like the plague.
Now my ( 2 cents worth ) view on this.....
Hello to whoever taken the time to stop by and read my contribution to the world of Love...
Well, let's just imagine we had no internet, no websites that deal with matchmaking, and no browsing to allow for temptation outside of a relationship that you already had established and is living and loving to the fullest...Trust me...
"There Would Be No Such Thing As A 7-Years Itch..let alone 7-Days Itch!!.... However, since this world has gone high tech...everyone in it seems to be higher than themselves when finding love or even deciding it's good to be in love.
Now remember there was a time when you would not even consider an emotional attachment unless you got to know an individual you met on spiritual level first...( today's generation has lost that gift and not only that but they choose the first in line to be the One....then when the next One who comes along as the Next ).
In todays' world...we have all the means to see the "package deal first" or even the "mindset" in this form we call the internet...(please be aware that every time you meet someone online in writing...you meet their mind first..before all else - still remember how I met my honey )
How sad can that be to lust first before knowing why you want to lust at all...I personally thought it was about mind, personality and humor before allowing my senses to take over and then desire. Now it's about how you look, what you do, how active are you behind the scenes, and even how much do you have..before one can even consider you of desire. What you possess seems to make that difference of desire...again I say how "sad" is that...!! Or how long your cock...as size play a huge part for a woman's heart.
VERY SAD IN MY VALUE SYSTEM..OF UPBRINGING... As we all know...our ancestors who went on before us...surely are flipping over in their graves wondering...oh my lord...did I teach them that way on the subject of love...?? So yes...in this day and time...The 7-yrs itch should be expected when two people copulate or even relate from the standpoint of how do you fair in possessions...whether it be physical or material.
Forget about the Spiritual, the Mental, the Emotional aspects of relating...we are living in a world that has allowed us to think higher than the technology we utilize to meet and to befriend potential mates...."does it not seem that way"
I Say.."GOD BLESS ALL...WHO HAVE MET IN THE MIND-SELF FIRST...BEFORE MEETING THE PHYSICAL-SELF" BECAUSE LET ME TELL YOU WHEN THE EMOTIONAL-SELF KICKS IN AFTER THOSE FIRST TWO MEETINGS...LIFE WILL BE BLISS ALWAYS UNTIL YOUR ANGELS DECIDE IT'S TIME FOR YOUR GRADUATION TO THE OTHERSIDE....this is the rare ones.
Thank you for letting me share my so-called spiritual insights with you.
Used to describe a husband's or wife's urge to stray from his or her mate after seven years of marriage, this expression appears to have been invented by American playwright George Axelrod in his play 'The Seven Year Itch' (1952) and further popularized by the film version starring Marilyn Monroe (1955).
Some say that Axelrod overheard a reference to the seven-year itch in regards to a skin irritation. The term had its origins with a microbe commonly called scabies. Scabies produces an itching skin irritation that before modern drugs, lasted, on average, seven years.
Scabies aside, do you believe in the seven-year itch? Have you had the experience where a relationship that lasted seven years suddenly went kaput?
I do believe that we can all become complacent in a relationship, but I don't think the seven-year itch is a given. If you strive every day to give your relationship all you've got, and, if, on a regular basis, you make sure to break out of your routines and try something new, you can avoid the seven-year itch like the plague.
Now my ( 2 cents worth ) view on this.....
Hello to whoever taken the time to stop by and read my contribution to the world of Love...
Well, let's just imagine we had no internet, no websites that deal with matchmaking, and no browsing to allow for temptation outside of a relationship that you already had established and is living and loving to the fullest...Trust me...
"There Would Be No Such Thing As A 7-Years Itch..let alone 7-Days Itch!!.... However, since this world has gone high tech...everyone in it seems to be higher than themselves when finding love or even deciding it's good to be in love.
Now remember there was a time when you would not even consider an emotional attachment unless you got to know an individual you met on spiritual level first...( today's generation has lost that gift and not only that but they choose the first in line to be the One....then when the next One who comes along as the Next ).
In todays' world...we have all the means to see the "package deal first" or even the "mindset" in this form we call the internet...(please be aware that every time you meet someone online in writing...you meet their mind first..before all else - still remember how I met my honey )
How sad can that be to lust first before knowing why you want to lust at all...I personally thought it was about mind, personality and humor before allowing my senses to take over and then desire. Now it's about how you look, what you do, how active are you behind the scenes, and even how much do you have..before one can even consider you of desire. What you possess seems to make that difference of desire...again I say how "sad" is that...!! Or how long your cock...as size play a huge part for a woman's heart.
VERY SAD IN MY VALUE SYSTEM..OF UPBRINGING... As we all know...our ancestors who went on before us...surely are flipping over in their graves wondering...oh my lord...did I teach them that way on the subject of love...?? So yes...in this day and time...The 7-yrs itch should be expected when two people copulate or even relate from the standpoint of how do you fair in possessions...whether it be physical or material.
Forget about the Spiritual, the Mental, the Emotional aspects of relating...we are living in a world that has allowed us to think higher than the technology we utilize to meet and to befriend potential mates...."does it not seem that way"
I Say.."GOD BLESS ALL...WHO HAVE MET IN THE MIND-SELF FIRST...BEFORE MEETING THE PHYSICAL-SELF" BECAUSE LET ME TELL YOU WHEN THE EMOTIONAL-SELF KICKS IN AFTER THOSE FIRST TWO MEETINGS...LIFE WILL BE BLISS ALWAYS UNTIL YOUR ANGELS DECIDE IT'S TIME FOR YOUR GRADUATION TO THE OTHERSIDE....this is the rare ones.
Thank you for letting me share my so-called spiritual insights with you.
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