I’ve got two teenagers, ages 13 and 16. They have a pretty nice life.
Sometimes they express, uh, a sense of entitlement.
Can you say the following aloud, in a whiny, petulent voice?
“My latte’s too foamy!”
Ah, yes. I think you get my drift.
I have devised a solution to this. It’s called:
Calcutta, India.
That’s right, Drama Queen and Number One Son and I are heading to one of the world’s most dysfunctional cities at the end of this month. Gonna visit a lady named Smriti who runs a recovery program for ex-prostitutes, then pay a visit to Mother Theresa’s pad.
Gonna get a big dose of reality, see how the other half lives. That’s how I solve our “My latte’s too foamy” problem.
One the way to Calcutta, we stop in London. 4-Man Intensive covers our voyage.
Trips like this don’t happen every day. Or even every year. So if you wanna join me in London to spruce up your business, I’ve got the fastest 48 hour biz makeover on the planet. June 26-27:
http://www.perrymarshall.com/london/
As for your own kids, I can’t take ’em to Calcutta. But no reason why you can’t. If your kids have the “My Latte’s Too Foamy” syndrome too, you might consider touring lower-class neighborhoods in any of the following destinations:
-Sao Paulo
-Mexico City
-Johannesburg
-Nairobi
-Gary Indiana
Make sure you get yourself a tour guide who knows the ‘hood.
Peace.
Perry Marshall
Share This Post
About the Author
Perry Marshall has launched two revolutions in sales and marketing. In Pay-Per-Click advertising, he pioneered best practices and wrote the world's best selling book on Google advertising. And he's driven the 80/20 Principle deeper than any other author, creating a new movement in business.
He is referenced across the Internet and by Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, INC and Forbes Magazine.
4 Comments on “"My Latte's too Foamy"”
If you lattes are coming out too foamy, you are stretching your milk too far.
Good luck on your pilgrimage to find the perfect latte! I’m sure you will gain the knowledge and experience required to make the perfect latte in due time.
There are third world problems and there are first world problems. Too foamy latte sounds like a first world problem. When you get back let us know if the lattes were any better in Calcutta.
Hey Perry,
Great post. This is that one of a kind Planet Perry perspective we all love.
Julie and I have certainly found that the only enduring combatant of ingratitude is service. I heard this quote from Dieter Uchtdorf in a recent Church Conference:
“Humility isn’t thinking less of yourself. It’s thinking less ABOUT yourself.”
I’ve used that in my efforts to teach them what Humility is and that it does not comes at the expense of confidence or living your dreams.
For any parents out there looking for some help in this area – “The Entitlement Trap” by Linda & Richard Eyre is fantastic: http://www.amazon.com/The-Entitlement-Trap-Choosing-Ownership/dp/1583334157
And if they don’t want to have to get a passport they can check out Camden, NJ or Detroit