I had my first kidney stone three years ago and since then it’s been a reoccurring problem. I can usually pass them naturally but sometimes the nice doctors prescribed some good painkillers for me to make the process less deadly.

Statistics say that about 10% in the United States will experience kidney stones. Each year more than a million people see their health care provide for kidney stones. What are these little bad boys? They are solid objects formed when minerals band together in the urine, passing them can be very painful and is often compared to childbirth.

Most stones can pass before they can any damage but larger ones usually require more aggressive treatments to break them apart or remove them surgically.

Marc Mitchell and David Wartinger went to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Walt Disney’s World’s Magic Kingdom together with an anatomically correct model of a kidney. The model of the kidney was complete with stones and the purpose was to systematically test wheater riding a roller coaster can dislodge a kidney stone.

The result varied dependeing on where the kidney “was sitting” on the roller coaster train. The researchers however realized that the key seems to lie in the random quick motion of a moderate-intensity roller coaster. Dislodging of a kidney stone is a mechanical process and a rattling around helps the stone to pass.

Since each person has uniquely shaped kidneys and the size and location of the stones vary there is not an ideal roller coaster for everyone to dislodge kidney stones. But if you have a kidney stone less than 4 mm in size then get in to your car and go to the local amusement park and ride some roller coasters. It doesn’t hurt to try.

In some of my more recent posts I have written about personal improvement and repairing mistakes from the past, and how to avoid repeating them in the future.

I am currently trying to fix some of the mishaps from my past. I still don’t know what the result will be, but it occupies my mind 24 hours a day and I am hoping for positive results. Below are some basic things I have realized the past weeks while dealing with this.

1. Acknowledge the mistake directly

Don’t make it worse by ignoring it and hope it will disappear, the longer you wait to acknowledge it the more of a jerk you will be. Personally, I realized I should have acknowledged my mistake quicker but still, better later than never. Be straightforward, direct and brief and honest when you acknowledge you messed up. Be clear what you did and how much you regret it.

2. Take responsibility

Don’t jump into self-defense mode. Don’t blame anyone else. Don’t point fingers or use circumstances to make an excuse. All good intentions in the world don’t change the fact that you made a mistake.

3. Apologize

There are two very useful words here; “I’m sorry’. These words need to be heard by the person who’s bearing the brunt of your mistake. When you say these words make sure you really back them up, they shouldn’t be an empty meaningless way of just getting out of a bad situation. If you take step 1 and 2 serious, then you will be a solid base for uttering the difficult words “I’m sorry” and truly mean it.

4. Give the other person time to respond

This one is tough when you really feel bad about the mishap and want to repair it quickly. But it is important! Make your direct acknowledgment, take responsibility, apologize and offer the next step for everybody to move on in a happy way. Then step back and wait for the other party to respond.

5. Listen and respond

Let the person bearing the brunt of your mistake to talk, listen and let them tell you how they feel. Venting isn’t fun to listen to but it is the only way to fix the mistake and move on.

6. Do what you promised

This one is difficult but very important. Make sure what you promised when you apologized is what you will actually do. Make sure you promise something you can deliver. It is easy to promise the world but it is more difficult to deliver it. Make sure you actually set up things in your life so that you for real can follow through with your promises.

It is easy to write down what to do,
it is more difficult to do it,
but I feel I am close to achieving it.

A question every business owner need to ask is; “what makes my product or service worth what I am asking my customers to pay?”

A company can compete on price or quality but it is difficult to compete on both factors. To win over the customers if you are the more expensive option in the market you need to offer a premium service or product that adds more value to your buyers than they ever could expect.

Is it worth it to your company and to your customers to offer something premium? There are some things need to consider when offering a premium solution to the market.

Remember why you are doing what you are doing. Don’t forget why you are doing the work. Like Starbucks, who sell a premium product in the coffee segment, the vision is not to sell billions of dollars worth of coffee. Their vision is “To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at the time.”

It is easy to feel scared in the face of competition and especially if newcomers enter the market at a lower price. It is very tempting to lower your price and try to keep up with the others, but don’t do it!

Keep doing what you do passionately and be transparent abut your mission and include it in everything you do, both internally and externally. Invite your customers, and potential ones, to you and show them why your company together with them can make their situation better. Provide them with a nice service while doing it. It is not about splashing them with money and fancy dinners, it is more about showing that you and your business care about them. Your customers will notice and that’s why they will keep coming back to you.

Try to pinpoint your customer’s problem. Become a problem solver for your customer and you will become invaluable. When you talk to them be clear that you have identified their problem and how your business can be there and help them solve it. This communication can be done through email or SKYPE or regular phone call. If use e-mail make sure that you take your time to write your customer in a personal yet professional way showing them that you understand them and care about them as a customer. Make sure when they read your e-mail they get the feeling that you care and you are the one who they should hire.

Customer loyalty is more important than you think. Apple and Starbucks are two brands that can be described as warm and competent, both of them are famous for their great customer service and premium products. So even though both of them are more expensive options in their markets, they beat their competition by providing an exceptional experience for their customers.

No matter if you are selling a product or service there will always be competition. Stand strong with both feet on the ground and remember why you do what you do and focus on what you can offer and how. When you meet a competitor in your market, don’t chase after them, focus on your core business and service, offer something even better to the market and make the buyers understand that with your business, they get the most value for their money.

Starbucks and Apple, two companies who
offer premium products.

Narcissism has risen to a new level in today’s world where things like selfie sticks actually exist.

But what if I tell you that selfie sticks aren’t enough? Humans’ can become even more narcissistic thanks to the Lily camera, the selfie drone.

It is a quad-copter with a built-in 12-megapixel camera that also shoots 1080p HD video. The funny thing with this device is that it automatically follows a small tracking unit which can be slipped into your pocket or worn on your wrist. Then the Lily Camera will fly between 1.75m and 15m above the sensor and between 1.75 and 30 meters in front or behind. The settings can be customized in the accompanying app.

See I told you, you don’t need to settle with a selfie-stick. You can be even more high-tech and, more important, even more narcissistic.

I have never claimed and will never claim that I know everything that I honestly should know, but I am sure I will get on in life quite well anyway.

Like I written in previous posts I am lately quite interested in US politics and watch shows like ‘Morning Joe’ regularly on YouTube. The most recent craziness from the Trump White House is his comment regarding the American Civil War:

“I mean, had Andrew Jackson been a little later, you wouldn’t have had the Civil War. He was a very tough person, but he had a big heart. He was really angry that he saw what was happening with regard to the Civil War. He said, “There’s no reason for this.” People don’t realize, you know, the Civil War — if you think about it, why? People don’t ask that question, but why was there a Civil War? Why could that one not have been worked out?”

I am Swedish but even me know that the Civil War started 16 years after Andrew Jackson died. Andrew Jackson was born 1767 and died 1845. Pretty impressing that he still could say that there is “no reason for this”, referring to the war that started 16 years after his death.

And I feel it’s quite scary and disrespectful for a president to ask why the civil war couldn’t be worked out? The fact that about 750 000 people died during the four-year long bloodbath is sort of proof enough that it couldn’t have been worked out so easily. And last, the Civil War was about the south wanting to maintain the slavery and the nice financial benefits that came with it for them.

More about Jackson that Trump seems to have missed is the fact that Andrew Jackson was a slaveholder who stood on the wrong side of the fundamental moral issue of his times, and of the Civil War—human bondage.

The following text is from the website of the Hermitage, Jackson’s Tennessee home.

“In all reality, slavery was the source of Andrew Jackson’s wealth. (…) The Hermitage was a 1,000 acre, a self-sustaining plantation that relied completely on the labor of enslaved African American men, women, and children…. When Andrew Jackson bought The Hermitage in 1804, he owned nine enslaved African Americans. Just 25 years later that number had swelled to over 100 through purchase and reproduction. At the time of his death in 1845, Jackson owned approximately 150 people who lived and worked on the property.”

I personally don’t think that Trump is the only one lacking key knowledge about history but since he is the president of the USA his lack of knowledge has been revealed. But I think this is a common problem on all levels of society and in every country in the world, if we as people knew more about our past then we wouldn’t do the same mistakes over and over again. This is true both personally and for the human race as a whole.

Andrew Jackson, 1767-1845.
The 7th President of the United States,
March 4, 1829 – March 4, 1837.

Lately, I have written several posts about trying to improve your personality and your life. I am trying to apologize and repair some mistakes from the past. And to avoid making mistakes like those again I am now shaping my life according to what I WANT and not what anybody else tells me it should be like.

One thing I recently learned is how important it is to have sort of a fixed schedule for every day. Maybe it sounds boring and a bit nerdy, but try it! You will be surprised how good it will make you feel.

This is a short run-down of my daily routine, since I am the father of two children there obviously are some sidetracks from this schedule but this is the base for my daily routine.

I get up at 4:30 AM and right away start my habit-stacking routine which includes the following.

• Make the bed
• Run on the treadmill for 45 minutes
• Drink a glass of water
• Shower
• Review my goals
• Note what are the two most important tasks for the day

After this, I usually try to incorporate a new part of my life, a declutter habit. I clean my desk and make it ready for work tonight.

At 6:30AM I go outside and walk to Starbucks. On the way there I am listening to podcasts, usually Gary Vaynerchuk’s, on my Blackberry Priv using the Spotify app.

Around 7:00AM I arrive in Starbucks and buy a venti cappuccino and a skinny blueberry muffin. I sit down in Starbucks and while eating my breakfast I go through the emails and reply to the ones that doesn’t require much time. The more time-consuming ones I leave as unread for later. This morning e-mail routine is just to get away the majority of the easy tasks generated by the new e-mails, and one key effect of doing this early is you reply before the recipient is in their office. They will most likely not reply to you until lunch time at least, which means most likely you don’t need to care about their e-mail until the next day.

Here in Shanghai most people arrive in their offices around 9:00AM. From 8:30AM to 1:00PM I usually go around the city with metro and taxi to various meetings and do various tasks outside like sending packages, documents and stuff like that.

1:00PM to aproximately 2:00PM I have lunch. Shanghai is such a international city so here you can find basically any type of food. I usually eat some simple Chinese food but atleast one time every week I try to get some typical western food in restaurants like Wagas or Blue Frog. If I eat lunch in a typical Chinese restaurant then I am usually finished in just 20 minutes, then after lunch I usually go to Starbucks or Costa Coffee and sit down for a while and watch some news on YouTube and/or read some newspapers online. If I have lunch in Wagas or Blue Frog then obviously I just stay there and do my catching up on the news, as those restaurants are usually a quiet paradise compared to their Chinese counterparts.

After lunch it is time to deal with those more time consuming e-mails I skipped in the morning as well as any other type of work that needs to be done on the computer. Usually I do this work in Starbucks or some other coffee shop and finish around 6:00PM, then I take the metro and go back home..

When I come back home around 7:00PM I try to squeeze in another 30 minutes running on the treadmill to wind-down after a long day outside..

After various family related tasks I ones again sit down at the desk around 10:30PM and finish off the work day, confirming that I have finished the two most important tasks I identified in the morning as well checking what other things I have finished during the day.

Then around 11:30PM its time to sleep and a couple of hours later at 4:30AM get going again.

As some of you know I have lately been very focused on self-improvement and trying to take care of mistakes from the past to build a nicer and brighter future. Thanks to the magic of cookies on the computer I saw this quote just now while browsing some work related websites.

“Holding on to anger is like drinking poison, and expecting the other person to die.”
– Buddha

I doubt that the attribution to Buddha is correct but no matter what I like the quote and wanted to share it with you all in this short post.

I had been looking forward to watching the movie ‘The Founder’ for a long time but now after I have just finished it I am wondering what I was so excited about?

The movie is about Ray Kroc, the man who made McDonald’s global. The title is a bit confusing since Kroc is not actually the founder but describes his approach to success; if you want it, go out and take it – even if it belongs to someone else.

Michael Keaton stars as Ray Kroc, a salesman of multispindle milkshake mixers out of the trunk of his car. After visiting almost each drive-in burger joint in the US Kroc had developed an eye for the business and instantly appreciated the efficiency he saw at the McDonald’s hamburger bar in San Bernadino, California. The owners and founders of the McDonald’s hamburger bar, Dick and Mac McDonald devised a cleverly speedy system for delivering burgers from grill to customer in a rapid way never seen before.

To make a long story short. Kroc didn’t come up with the burger system but he has a talent for branding and realizes that ‘McDonald’s’ is the perfect American brand. He recognizes that the sturdy name offers a sense of small town comfort and a long with the golden arches designed by Dick McDoanld as an architectural beacon of family gathering and food, the church of fast food was born.

It’s a fascinating movie about a fascinating enterprise but sometimes a bit of a sleeping pill. However, it is a good story about a man, Ray Kroc, who isn’t the most talented one but have the spirit to step on anyone to get ahead.

It resembles the world of today. Too often nice people (here the McDonald’s brothers) get stepped on by others.

Screenshot from the movie

A few days ago I found a post about crock pot recipes on morningchores.com. Take a look at the post and get some ideas on how you can avoid hitting the drive-thru too often. I am not very interested in cooking but I am interested in finding ways to make the daily chores like cooking more efficient.

A question every business owner need to ask is; “what makes my product or service worth what I am asking my customers to pay?”

A company can compete on price or quality but it is difficult to compete on both factors. To win over the customers if you are the more expensive option in the market you need to offer a premium service or product that adds more value to your buyers than they ever could expect.

Is it worth it to your company and to your customers to offer something premium? There are some things need to consider when offering a premium solution to the market.

Remember why you are doing what you are doing. Don’t forget why you are doing the work. Like Starbucks, who sell a premium product in the coffee segment, the vision is not to sell billions of dollars worth of coffee. Their vision is “To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at the time.”

It is easy to feel scared in the face of competition and especially if newcomers enter the market at a lower price. It is very tempting to lower your price and try to keep up with the others, but don’t do it!

Keep doing what you do passionately and be transparent abut your mission and include it in everything you do, both internally and externally. Invite your customers, and potential ones, to you and show them why your company together with them can make their situation better. Provide them with a nice service while doing it. It is not about splashing them with money and fancy dinners, it is more about showing that you and your business care about them. Your customers will notice and that’s why they will keep coming back to you.

Try to pinpoint your customer’s problem. Become a problem solver for your customer and you will become invaluable. When you talk to them be clear that you have identified their problem and how your business can be there and help them solve it. This communication can be done through email or SKYPE or regular phone call. If use e-mail make sure that you take your time to write your customer in a personal yet professional way showing them that you understand them and care about them as a customer. Make sure when they read your e-mail they get the feeling that you care and you are the one who they should hire.

Customer loyalty is more important than you think. Apple and Starbucks are two brands that can be described as warm and competent, both of them are famous for their great customer service and premium products. So even though both of them are more expensive options in their markets, they beat their competition by providing an exceptional experience for their customers.

No matter if you are selling a product or service there will always be competition. Stand strong with both feet on the ground and remember why you do what you do and focus on what you can offer and how. When you meet a competitor in your market, don’t chase after them, focus on your core business and service, offer something even better to the market and make the buyers understand that with your business, they get the most value for their money.

Starbucks and Apple, two companies who
offer premium products.

I had my first kidney stone three years ago and since then it’s been a reoccurring problem. I can usually pass them naturally but sometimes the nice doctors prescribed some good painkillers for me to make the process less deadly. Statistics say that about 10% in the United States will experience kidney stones. Each year …

The post A better way to pass kidney stones appeared first on PerOla Hammar.com.

Last year I had the opportunity to finally visit the US. It was a customer of mine here in Shanghai who invited me. Even though I had to pay by myself she was an excellent tour guide showing me everything from hockey in San Jose to Balboa Park in San Diego. We even stopped in …

The post Part 1: My trip to California, from San Diego to San Jose appeared first on PerOla Hammar.com.

Still day 2, but now arrived in San Jose We landed in San Jose two hours behind schedule but still happy and excited to be in a new city. We walked through the airport and I ogled all the souvenir shops wanting to buy a San Jose sharks jersey and a California coffee mug but …

The post Part 2: My trip to California, from San Jose to San Diego appeared first on PerOla Hammar.com.

The ones of you who follow me on Facebook or Instagram know that I am a Starbucks fan. My breakfast habit the past two years is a venti cappuccino and a skinny blueberry muffin. Today however I went to FamilyMart and bought my breakfast, for just 41 RMB I got a large cappuccino, blackberry yogurt, …

The post Breakfast from Family Mart appeared first on PerOla Hammar.com.

A few days ago I was in a seemingly small traffic accident here in Shanghai. In previous posts I have written about the craziness of driving a scooter in this city, the fact that you as a driver really have to be awake and prepared for anything to happen, literally anything. I am grateful that this time I was not on the scooter but instead in the back of a car.

The car I was sitting in was driving a long peacefully when suddenly we were overtaken by a taxi. The back of the taxi touched the front of our car as the taxi was moving back into the lane. The taxi spun around and crashed into an iron cast fence. We ended up stopping abruptly against a big tree in the middle of the road after first crashing into the 30 cm high concrete base of the median strip.

I was sitting in the back with the seat belt on but still three days after the accident I can feel in my back, neck and head that something is not right. The impact on the body is much bigger than one can imagine.

I have been to the hospital and did a wide range of examinations and know that there are some damage to the vertebrae of the back and neck. I got some anti-inflammation tablets as well as some strong painkillers. Now it is a waiting game, 3-6 months and hopefully the pain will be gone.

The post A small traffic accident in Shanghai and the pain after. appeared first on PerOla Hammar.com.

Having some difficulties sleeping after the car accident a few days ago I decided to get out early and go to Starbucks on Biyun road.

This is by far the nicest Starbucks in Shanghai. I am honestly impressed by Starbucks that they are able to keep the style and taste so similiar all over the world, even in China! I suppose the level of the Starbucks branches in China will improve even more now after Starbucks bought them back from the local representative.

Anyway, this Starbucks has high standards and is nice to visit during the week days as it is not so croweded then. Early Saturday and Sunday is also quite OK. The view from this coffee shop is quite unique to be in a big city like Shanghai, green playing fields and no tall buildings nearby.

Today I bought my classic breakfast, venti cappucino and blueberry muffin. A few minutes after I bought my breakfast I got an email from Starbucks saying “Congratulations, you have reached gold level”.

More about the perks of being on gold level in my next post.

The post Breakfast in Starbucks appeared first on PerOla Hammar.com.

The Trump administration has featured some colorful characters, none as colorful as the former White House communication director Anthony Scaramucci.

People have a lot of opinions about colorful people like Anthony Scaramucci. My feelings about him as a public person is that obviously his language in that phone call with Ryan Lizza is not suitable for anyone, public or private person. But one thing Scaramucci have that most politicians and public people are missing is passion, when he speak you can, between the foul language, hear that he is in it 100% and is doing his job wholehearted.

Scaramucci’s second interview after getting dissmissed from the White House was with Stephen Colbert on the Late Show.

Perfect timing after President Trump’s not so successful response following the violence in Charlottesville, Virgina.

Colbert’s first question: Nazis, good or bad?

Scaramucci’s reply: Super bad.

Colbert followed up this question wondering how the president could fail so hard with his response on the Charlottesville events when it is such an obvious thing to condemn “the people who were there to start violence.”

Scaramucci quoted the words he used on “This Week” telling that the president should be way harsher and should have condemned white supremacis, and the Neo-Nazis.

Colbert asked if the president ordered his spine on Amazon Prime since it took him two days to stand up against the violence.

Scaramucci then admitted the president was late with his statement but added that the President is a “compassionate person”. This led to boos from the audience.

Scaramucci came prepared for the interview and it was both informative and entertaining as Colbert and him continued discussing his short stay in the White House.

The post Anthony Scaramucci on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert appeared first on PerOla Hammar.com.

Today I read a chronicle in the Swedish newspaper SVD with the title “I am so tired of the naive Swedes”.

The author write that after spending the summer in Sweden she learned about the new focus in Sweden on membership groups. Everywhere she got the question if she is a member or not. From the candy store to the book store, everybody has a membership to offer.

To become a member you usually have to give the store your e-mail address and your social security number. This is the scary part in Sweden, how often you need to provide your so personal and private social security number.

The author of the chronicle is reluctant to give her number as she has experience regarding how similar information is handled in other countries. Most other countries handle such information with more care and usually does not require the person to provide it for such a simple thing as getting 20% discount on a book.

This is where the Swedes are naive. If you tell someone you don’t feel comfortable about providing your social security number they usually will reply something like; “So strange, for me it is no big deal to do it since I have nothing to hide.”

It is not about having something to hide, it is about having the right to keep certain things private. Imagine having a government who is not so interested in the personal integrity. Or just imagine a similiar crisis to the one that actually occured at The Swedish Transport Administration where lots of personal information was handled incorrectly.

As someone who has had his social security number stolen and misused by others I am very reluctant to give out my information, not because I have something to hide but more because I know what hell will break lose if something as important as your social security number gets in the hands of bad people.

My next post on this topic will be about China, what happens when you use WeChat or AliPay to pay for stuff?

The post An interesting chronicle appeared first on PerOla Hammar.com.

I never heard “Stressed Out” by Twenty One Pilots before today when I first discovered the song thanks to Puddles Pity Party.

You don’t need a long time listening to the lyrics of the song to understand the universal emotions conveyed by it. The song compares the carefree childhood with the stressful adulthood.

Dreaming as a child of travelling to outer space are compared to adult worries about appearance and the need to make money.

We used to play pretend, give each other different names
We would build a rocket ship and then we’d fly it far away
Used to dream of outer space but now they’re laughing at our face
Saying, “Wake up, you need to make money.”

The points are emphasized by the singalong chorus, “Wish we could turn back time to the good old days / When our momma sang us to sleep but now we’re stressed out.”

The music is sort of spooky and while listening to it while interpreting the song most adults will recognize the feelings the lyrics tell.

I personally prefer Puddle’s version of the song, below are links to both versions:

Twenty One Pilots’ original version and Puddle’s version.

The post Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots appeared first on PerOla Hammar.com.

A blog is absolutely indispensable for most business owners: it will help you draw unprecedented traffic, establish yourself as an expert and as a trusted friend to your customers, allow you to create more value, gain more customers, gain and share testimonials, and earn more money.

Having a blog allows you to have ongoing conversations with customers, where any other customers and prospects can personally witness how you deal with concerns, answer questions, and provide value.

You can also create polls and surveys to quantify your effectiveness and get real-time feedback on what your customers like and want to see improved. This type of interaction also tends to create a sense of community amongst users, and community translates into loyalty, and loyalty means increased sales.

A blog gives you more transparency, honesty, and accountability, and your customers will respond to that. It also happens to be one of the best ways to drive up your ranking in Search Engine Optimization, which means increased traffic to your site.

In short, a blog for a small business owner means more traffic, more customers, more feedback from the market, increased value to customers, and ultimately more revenues.

“These are all good things,” I can hear you say, “but I’m not a good writer!”
This is one of the best parts of the whole deal: you don’t even need to be a great writer to have a world-class blog and draw tons of traffic! Let me write your blog for you professionally.

This is an excellent service for small business owners who want to leverage a blog, but simply don’t have time to give it justice. Simply fill out this short form describing what you would like to write about, I will ghostwrite it for a nominal fee, and you get all the credit and benefits!

“What if I’m not a business owner,” you say. “Why should I have a blog?
Even if you don’t have a business, with a blog you can stay connected with family and friends, publish your passions and values to the world, network, create community, educate, share, create, discuss, and most of all, have tons of fun!

Best of all, with blog templates, your blog can also be a fully functional website, complete with a product store, static pages, forms, pictures, links, and more!

Most importantly, however, you should know that maintaining a blog can actually be an excellent business for you, as many professional bloggers literally generate $4,000 per month or more from their blog alone. Who knows, this might end up being a full-time job that you love and that makes you an excellent living!

Isn’t it time for you to start your blog?

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