Dan J. Harkey

Master Educator | Business & Finance Consultant | Mentor

Personal Growth & Development

Dan’s personal and professional growth guide can be a powerful tool for success. Dan's many articles cover success practices, such as goal setting and time management, sales approaches like relationship building and negotiation, time allocation, and reinventing yourself.

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Ayn Rand vs. Adam Smith: A Philosophical Comparison of Self-Interest

Ayn Rand’s many books are a preferred go-to for accumulating knowledge of self-interest, self-sufficiency, and one’s contribution to society. Her view is that by prioritizing self-interest, humanity as a whole will be better served. Adam Smith referred to this concept as the invisible hand.

The History of Self-Sufficiency and Individual Accountability

In America, we seem to have lost the supreme values of self-sufficiency and individual accountability, replacing them with collectivism and entitlement, where no one is held accountable. Our society has become a free-for-all frenzy without consideration of the long-term effects.

The Disintegration of Societal Foundations: A Critical Examination

The Power of Benchmarking as a Necessary Component Of Success

Benchmarking every task and project is not just a routine, but a crucial practice for continuous improvement. It helps in identifying opportunities for efficiency and informs data-driven decisions. This process provides an objective, reality-based view of performance, allowing you and your team to move past assumptions and guesswork.

Benchmark Each Task to Maximize Results in Terms of Time and Effort.

In the context of evaluating various jobs, benchmarking is a crucial process that allows you to compare the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and compensation of specific jobs against a standard or reference point. This reference point often plays similar roles in other organizations or industry norms. By doing so, you can ensure that your job roles are competitive, fair, and aligned with industry standards, which is essential for attracting and retaining top talent.

The History of Social Engineering

The U.S. government is deeply intertwined with broader global trends in governance, psychology, and public relations. The term “social engineering” may conjure images of manipulation or control. Still, its application in the U.S. has a rich history, ranging from public health campaigns to education and economic policy. It’s similar to obedience training.

The 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified on December 15, 1791, is part of the Bill of Rights.

The 10th Amendment is necessary because it clearly separates the powers and authorities of the Federal and State Governments.

Temperance: The Virtue of Self-Control

Temperance is one of the classical cardinal virtues, often defined as moderation in action, thought, or feeling. It involves: Self-restraint, balance, and discipline.

A Chorus of Personal Liberty

People experiencing poverty and the middle class beat their drums, A chorus rising—“This freedom is all that comes.”

The Poor and the Middle Class Beat their Drums—

A chorus of voices crying, “We are as free as we’ll ever be.”

“Tip of the Iceberg”: Overview, Origin, and Usage

A popular idiom, "Tip of the iceberg," refers to the portion of something immediately apparent, which obscures the deeper complexity (i.e., the underwater portion of the iceberg) of the subject being discussed.

Our Dilemma in Life and Learning about Those Who Lie: From Coercion or Conviction?

It’s a widespread and distressing trend: in some cases, up to 90% of college students feel they must provide false feedback to their professors. This is not just to avoid being labeled as adverse to the ideological leaning and indoctrination of their professors, but to protect their academic future.

When He Came Out of the Closet, his beliefs constituted a Radical ideological transformation of America, His Goose Was Cooked.

“Goose is cooked” is a fun idiom that originated from a 15th-century story about a man, Jan Hus, a Czech priest, who was burned at the stake for heresy. It means that someone has strayed and found serious trouble in the land of hopelessness. In the Land of ordinary citizens, he stood out as a reactionary with a radical departure from all prevailing cultural norms.

His Son Is A Bump on a Log: He Referred His Son For Employment. What a Mistake for Unsuspecting Employers.

My friend asked me to hire his unmotivated and uncaring son as a personal favor to him. The son's attitude is a product of family upbringing and today's public education establishment that promotes entitlement and collectivism, rather than individual accountability and self-sufficiency. I declined.

When people asked me for advice on achieving success, I was more than willing to offer it. Here is my advice.

Unsolicited advice to others is a waste of resources, which irritates those who didn’t ask for it. But when people ask for your advice, be charitable.

We like to Spend A lot Of Family Time Just Horsing Around.

We spend our time engaging in meaningless activities, mischief, and a lack of seriousness.

As the Public Discovered That The Response to COVID-19 was a Fraud, and wearing the Mask Was A Political Statement, Gaslighting was the Government’s, Large Corporations’, and Big Pharma’s Answer to Avoiding Responsibility

Gaslighting is “psychological manipulation,” causing the public to question their reality about the effectiveness of the phony vaccine. They relied on “phony, illusory science” because most of the testing was on mice, not human beings. The reality was that the phony vaccine was a gene-modifying mRNA substance.

Wimpy, Buy Now, Pay Later! A Lesson in Government Spending

Like Wimpy, who practices getting things today and deferring payment until later, the government subscribes to the same principle.

Honey, We Both Have Professional Level Jobs and Earn About the Same

When we return home, the lion's share of household chores falls on my shoulders, while you're comfortably seated on the couch.

How To Reinvent Ourselves, Part II

When Failures Are Within Our Control