Winter in New England seems to go on and on and on and on. If its not 10 degrees then its snowing like hell or both. The plow guys will be driving Ferraris in the Spring.  My ongoing comment has been “if you don’t like the winter weather why are you living in New England?”

I’m having lunch in a local coffee shop. Its 15 degrees & there’s snow all over the place.  In walks a young lady wearing flip flops—no shoes, no boots, no socks—just flip flops. I started talking to her and commented on her footwear—or lack thereof. She responded that she had just had a pedicure and wasn’t going to mess up the polish because of “a little weather”. I though about it later & realized everyone has a different perspective.

That theory holds true in business as well. Folks who work harder than you are overachievers and those don’t work as hard are underachievers or just lazy. Its all a matter of whose eyes you are looking through. Sometimes it’s a matter of being at the right place at the right time. The financial pages currently are reporting on the eight figure salaries the leaders of some of our large financial service companies are getting. Think 10 million and more. Think JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs & others.

These bastions of commerce and the companies they represent were all major players in the financial meltdown that gripped the country. The deception, misinformation and outright lying caused millions to lose their savings, their homes, their dream of retirement & everything they had worked for their entire lives.

The executives got multi-million dollar salaries, rising stock prices for their supporters, the life styles of the rich and famous & are treated like celebrities. No fines, penalties, firings, loss of income or prison time for them. Those who supported these guys treated them like heros. Its always about the money—and what your perspective is.