How Do You Learn?

Do you learn because you have to or because you’re curious to know what you don’t know?

We remember what we want to learn more than the things we have to learn. Once our mindset is set up straight (meaning that once we fully realize that we don’t know everything), what ever we set our minds to learn becomes easier. We no longer learn because we have to, we learn because we are genuinely curious to know.

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Revision Wednesday
Blog post edited/re-posted on December 24, 2014

Chris Brady Recommended Book List

Looking to work on your thinking in the new year? Start with the below books recommended by Chris Brady.

Attitude and Success

See You at the Top, Zig Zigglar
The Greatest Salesman in the World, Og Mandino
Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations On and Off the Court, John Wooden
The Psychology of Winning, Dennis Waitley
Life is Tremendous, Charlie "Tremendous" Jones

People Skills and Principles

How to Have Power and Confidence in Dealing With People, Les Giblin
How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie
Personality Plus, Florence Littauer
Bringing Out the Best in People, Alan Lloyd McGinnis
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey

Leadership

It's Your Ship, Captain D. Michael Abrashoff
The Cycle of Leadership, Noel Tichy
The World's Most Powerful Leadership Principle, James C. Hunter
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John C. Maxwell
Launching a Leadership Revolution, Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward (it's a summary of so much of our learning!)

Historical Leadership Illustrations

The Founding Fathers on Leadership, Don T. Phillips
Scuttle Your Ships Before Advancing, Richard Luecke
Churchill on Leadership, Steven Hayward
Character Counts, Os Guiness
The American Leadership Tradition, Marvin Olasky

The History of Liberty

The Future of Freedom, Fareed Zakaria
The 5000 Year Leap: The Miracle That Changed the World, W. Cleon Skousen
How the West was Lost, Alexander Boot
The Conservative Mind, Russell Kirk
The Passion of the Western Mind, Richard Tarnas

Economics

The Economy in Mind, Warren T. Brookes
Economics in One Lesson, Henry Hazlitt
The Making of Modern Economics, Mark Skousen
Human Action, Ludwig von Mises
Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand

Politics and Governance

Politics: Easy as P.I.E., Bob McEwen
The Revolt of the Masses, Jose Ortega y Gasset
The Road to Serfdom, F. A. Hayek
The Creature from Jekyll Island, G. Edward Griffin
Slouching Towards Gomorrah, Robert H. Bork

Source: http://chrisbrady.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/09/recommended-book-list.html

“Letting go” words from YODA

"Attachment leads to jealousy. Train yourself to let go of the things you're afraid to loose." -Yoda

Yoda may just be a fictional character but the things he says are often wise and well thought out. It’s true that if we don't let go of an ex (for example), a feeling of jealousy would arise when ever we hear of his/her whereabouts.

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Originally posted - November 2010

Hope is Wrong?

"Don’t get your hopes up, you might get hurt." Is that familiar to you as it is for me? A life without hope is a hopeless life.

Is the hurt after the hope so great that we shouldn't have hope in the first place?

Nothing great was ever achieve without hope. To hope is to have something to look forward to, it’s to risk being hurt but the risk is worth taking.

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Originally posted - November 2010

Trapped Elephant

Circus elephants are trained at a very young age to obey orders. Part of their training is to not try to break free of their chains. They do so by putting a metal pole, deep in the ground, with a chain on the elephant’s neck. The more the elephant pull, the more it chokes him.

After a while, they don’t have to put the metal pole too deep in the ground because the elephant stopped trying to break free. He convinced himself that it’s not possible.

In the event of a earthquake or a fire, or any other event that would scare the elephant, if the elephant is able to break free, he will never accept being in chain again.

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Originally posted - November 2010

[Update December 2, 2019]
To me, there are 2 points to this story:

• In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions.”
• We prefer freedom over imprisonment.

While most of us don't have physical chains to bind us down we do have mental ones that does just the same. Once we move past those fears they don't usually hold us down anymore. It's time to break free!

Regrets

20 years from now, you will regrets more the things you haven’t done than the things you did do. I don’t remember where I took that from, but I thought about it a lot lately.

You can’t regret something that will happen in the future nor something that’s happening in the present, only from things that happened in the past. So how do you know if you’re going to regret something or not?

I believe that moral compass as a lot to do with regrets. One with a aligned moral compass will have less regrets than someone with an unaligned moral compass.

A regret is something personal, it’s disappointment for something. There are 2 categories of regrets:

Psychological Regrets: Didn’t have the guts to do something because it appeared to be a bad idea at the time.

Conduct Regrets: Opposite of psychological regrets. It’s doing something that you shouldn’t have done but appeared like a good idea at the time.

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Originally posted - November 2010

Saying "sorry" too Often Deludes it

When you do something wrong, you should apologize but there is such a thing as apologizing too much.

When you apologize too much, you come across as someone who doesn't have any backbone. Don't apologize for "existing".

Take note of the times you've apologize and ask yourself if is was necessary to do so.

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Revision Wednesday
Blog post edited/re-posted on April 1, 2015.

Self Confidence

A lack of self confidence makes other people doubt in your abilities to accomplish anything even when you have years of experience on the subject.
Self confidence can make an expert look like a fool or a fool look like an expert.

What this means is that confidence in your abilities is more important than the abilities themselves.

Self confidence needs to be treated individually rather than be bound to what you do (or what you like). Doing otherwise will only create a temporary posture when your field of expertise is brought up but you will loose it as soon as the subject change.

Being comfortable with yourself will make you comfortable in any situation.

If you want more information, the below books (pictured above) are a good place to start:

• "Resolved - 13 Resolutions for LIFE" book by Orrin Woodward
• "How to have confidence and power in dealing with people" book by Les Giblin
• "Psycho Cybernetics" book by Maxwell Maltz

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Revision Wednesday
Blog post edited/re-posted on February 25, 2015

Great Leaders

"Great leaders have ambition beyond their own personal self-interest. They are not satisfied with personal success only, but focus almost entirely upon furthering the vision of the enterprise." -Jim Collins

Ray Kroc is the person who made Mcdonalds what it is today. Kroc discovered the Mcdonald brothers' restaurant in Southern California during the 50s.
The Mcdonald brothers were doing pretty good but did not see the potential they had their hands on. They had the fast food production and delivery down to a science but only Ray Kroc saw the true potential.

Ray Kroc is the person who came up with the idea of franchising the restaurant

Good is the enemy of great. The Mcdonald brothers were doing pretty good and, because of that, could not see the "great" in their system.

Dream - Struggle - Victory

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake up in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dream with open eyes to make them possible." -T.E. Lawrence

Dream - Struggle - Victory... I must of heard this a thousand time throughout my years of being associated with great men. I've come to realize that the struggle will come regardless if you have a dream or not. The difference is that the struggle won't be followed by a victory if there's no dream.

While a dream doesn't guarantee a victory: not having a dream guarantees no victory is possible. After all, how could someone win if the rules on how to keep score hasn't been defined?

Dreaming is the most important thing in life and it's also often over looked. "I don't need a dream" they say "I just go". To that I ask "but where are you going?"
Everyone has a dream but only a few actually works towards it. What is your dream?

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Revision Wednesday
Blog post edited/re-posted on March 4, 2015

Keep track of Progress

Keeping track of progress is important to those who want to achieve. Data doesn't lie and allows one to tweak their efforts as they go. A process some likes to call "PDCA" (Plan Do Check Adjust) or "PDSA" (Plan Do Study Act).

If your goal is to loose 10lbs in a Month but don't track your progress, how will you know if you're on track? The PDCA process can help you improve constantly on your journey to the goal (as shown in above diagram).
The next time you do want to loose 10lbs, you'll already have an effective plan (that worked for you before) to get there.

For more information check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDCA

*Diagram by Karn G. Bulsuk (http://www.bulsuk.com).

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Revision Wednesday
Blog post edited/re-posted on April 8, 2015

The 10000 hours

It as been said that it takes 10000 hours to master a skill. We only have a limited amount of 10000 hours. What are you using yours for?

Most people are spread out too thin or spend too much time entertaining themselves. They never master anything of value.

Spend some time thinking about what you want to be really good at and start investing time in that skill. Find a mentor and track your progress along with how much time you've spent learning the new skill. Will it take you 10000 hours?

Quit trying to keep up with the Jones's...

"Quit trying to keep up with the Jones's because the Jones's are broke." -Orrin Woodward

Some people put reputation above all else and they believe that if they don't have the latest gadget-it will hinder their social standing.

"We buy things we don't need with money we don't have to impress people we don't like." -Dave Ramsey

There's a difference between looking successful and being successful and that's not determined by how good a car looks.

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Revision Wednesday
Blog post edited/re-posted on January 15, 2015

There Are No Limits

We set our own limitations in life. Whether we say we can't or we can, both statement are true because we make it so.

"Don't tell me the sky is the limit when there are footsteps on the moon." -Lana Hamilton

We will never do more than we think we can. To do more, we have to become more. We have to read on a daily basis to expand our thinking. The book of the Month, Resolved by Orrin Woodward, is a good place to start.

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Revision Wednesday
Blog post edited/re-posted on March 4, 2015

Multitasking doesn't Work

We don't multitask well. There's a reason why it's illegal to text and drive. We can't focus on 2 things at once.

Multitasking is like having 1L of water to divide into many glasses. We pour a little here, a little there and next thing we know we're out of water and none of the glasses are full.

"Be present wherever you are. Multitasking is a thief, robbing us of joy and stealing our ability to focus and create clear memories. If you're with your kids, be with your kids. If you're at work, be at work. Stop splitting yourself into little worthless pieces." -Chris Brady

Multitasking creates stress when trying to accomplish too many things at once.
To remedy this, make a list of what needs to get done and prioritize it. Don't start the next task until the first one is done. Focus only on the present task.

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Revision Wednesday
Blog post edited/re-posted on April 15, 2015

Commit or don't Commit at all

"A marriage based on the premise "Well, let's give this a shot, and if we 'grow apart,' we can always get divorced," is doomed before the vows are complete." -Lou Holtz

There's no grey area in life. You either do it or you don't. Maybe means you're not doing it.

If you say you're going to do something but don't plan on backing it up with work-don't say you're going to do it. It is better to have someone know you're not going to do it than to have them expect it and you not delivering on your promise.

The Comfort Zone

The comfort zone is the area of comfort we set out for ourselves in which we are comfortable in. Chris Brady likes to call it the "familiar zone" because there's really nothing comfortable about it.

How can we call it comfort when there's debt? Or when we're not chasing our dreams and settling for lesser ones... It truly is more accurate to call it a familiar zone.

"Only through pushing past a person's comfort zone will a person improve his level of skills." -Orrin Woodward

It is important to expand that zone on a daily basis so we become comfortable in every situation life throws at us.

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Revision Wednesday
Blog post edited/re-posted on April 29, 2015

ModestNeeds.org - small change. a world of difference.

It's a hard world out there and sometime all we need to make it to another month is a few extra bucks to help pay the bills.

Modestneeds.org was launched in 2002 by Keith Taylor and is designed to help people by giving them a little push financially.

You can either donate money to Modestneeds.org, and they will give it to who ever, or you can decide who to give it to using the website. You can also register yourself and ask for money if need be.

Check it out here:
https://www.modestneeds.org

Promise of the Sick

When we're sick, we tend to make ourselves promises like "When I get better, I'll exercise and eat right" but when we actually do get better, we're back to our old habits.

One day, we won't have a second chance. If we make such promises to ourselves, we should follow through on them.

Men's Health Training guide 2014 is out

I'm a sucker for Men's Health magazine/books (pictured) that comes out every now and then. I find myself on the lookout for it every time I do my grocery shopping.

This edition follows the same format as its predecessors; giving great advice about food, fitness, supplements etc...

It's a must own for those looking for information on healthy living.

500 Post!

Today marks my 500 blog post anniversary! A big Thank you to LIFE cds, books and association for providing me with inspiration throughout the years and to my readers who happen to stop by every now and then to read something.

Love you all! :)

How you share is more Important than what you know

"when facts become so widely available and instantly accessible, each one [person] is less valuable. What begins to matter more is the ability to place these facts in context and to deliver them with emotional impact."
-P. 103 of "A Whole new Mind" book by Daniel H. Pink

Everybody knows everything. The only thing that's different is how it's shared with other people.
Make it interesting and you're further ahead than most.

Handling Situations

Handle every situation, that are about others, the same way you would like them to be handled if it was about you.

Example: You arrive at your apartment and find your neighbor's car has the lights on. If the situation was revered and your car lights were on, would you like your neighbor to tell you about it? If the answer is yes then go knock at his door to let him know about it.

Growing up Requires Effort

"We're changing everyday but growth is optional." -Tim Marks

When I was younger, I saw adults like a big thing that I could never achieved but I, eventually, got there. However, while I did aged physically ... not much had changed mentally. what I used to see as "another universe" was actually just older bodies.
I realized that efforts, along with time, is required to grow up mentally.

"Getting older doesn't necessarily mean growing up." -Unknown

Part of growing up is taking responsibility and many are still kids in that regard. Trying, instead, to give blame or find excuses for their shortcomings.

"How to win friends and influence people" - Quiz

Answer these questions with the help of "How to win friends and influence people" book by Dale Carnegie (Available here).

1. Name the criminals who did not see themselves as criminals...
2. Why is it a bad thing to criticize other people?
3. What are the fundamental techniques for handling people?
4. What are the six ways to make people like you?
5. Why can't you win an argument?
6. What are the 12 principles to win people to your way of thinking?
7. Why is it important to let another person save face?
8. How do you help someone in a certain area?
9. What are the 9 principles to be a leader?
10. What did you learn from this book?

"How to have Confidence and Power in dealing with people" - Quiz

Answer these questions with the help of "How to have Confidence and Power in dealing with people" book by Les Giblin (Available here).

1. What is the most impressive way ever discovered for impressing other people?
2. How can you have other people enthusiastic over your ideas?
3. What are the 3 big secrets for attracting people?
4. How can you make the other fellow feel friendly instantly?
5. True or False. Our actions determines our feelings just as much as our feelings determine our actions.
6. According to Harry Simmons, what does success depend on?
7. What is a deadly sin in human relations?
8. Is to kid, tease or be sarcastic bad in a conversation? Explain your answer.
9. What are the 6 tested rules for winning arguments?
10. How can you get the other fellow to go all out on your ideas?

Going through tough times? Write yourself a letter!

"Telling someone how much you suffered won't make you a hero. It will only make you a bore." -Les Giblin

We only have a few friends that we can tell our suffering to without being judged. What do you do when those people are busy and you need the emotional release? Write yourself a letter and destroy it!

Use the letter to explain exactly why you're hurt. Get everything out and destroy the letter.
The letter will provide you with emotional release and you'll be able to go on with your day. :)

Personalities and Astrology

My sister started reading and believing in Astrology. She said she could determine someone's Astrological sign based on their personalities (which is pretty impressive).

I'm not a connaisseur of Astrology but I know it's not something I would use to study personalities. We all have a personality and to associate it with astrological sign, or the position of planets, sounds more complicated than it should be.

Some people have done a great job at identifying personalities and they did not use the stars to do so. The below books are worth reading if you have an interest in learning about personalities.

"Positive Personality Profiles" by Robert A. Rohm Ph.D
"Personality PLUS" by Florence Littauer

Hope it helps!

The Real cost of Cheap

"It is unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money-that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot- it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better."
-John Ruskin, English critic, essayist, & reformer (1819 - 1900)

"There is scarcely anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse, and sell a little more cheaply. The person who buys on price alone is this man's lawful prey."
-John Ruskin, English critic, essayist, & reformer (1819 - 1900)

In most cases, investing more for quality product is better than buying cheap.
Buying cheap products isn't as comfortable, doesn't last as long and doesn't look as good. It's a lot to sacrifices just to save a dollar.

How to change the World - A Monk's Wise Words

"When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world. I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn't change the nation. I began to focus on my town. I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family. Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had change myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could have indeed have changed the world."

-Unknown Monk, A. D. 1100

I was originally looking for this poem for my recent How to change the World post but didn't find it in time. It's a good stand alone post anyway :)

Questions we should be asking about Work

"1. Can someone overseas do it cheaper?
2. Can a computer do it faster?
3. Is what I'm offering in demand in an age of abundance?"
-P.51 of "A Whole new Mind" book by Daniel H. Pink

Those overseas are becoming more and more qualified to do the type of IT work we're doing. The change might not happen tomorrow but we can't deny the fact that it's going to happen.

Daniel H. Pink went on to explain that the information age is about to give its place to the Conceptual Age.

What this means is that we'll come up with the ideas that will be worked on overseas. Ideas for a website, for example, could be thought out here and sent to India for development.

Developing the creative side of the brain as never been more important. Lets sharpen our mind now to prepare for the future.

Character is Integrity in Action

Chris Brady is a good story teller and one of his stories was about the difference between integrity and character. He said something like this:

"I want you to go back in time to your school years. You walk to school and you see a girl being bullied. Integrity is doing the right thing of not joining in on the bullying. Character is integrity in action which mean you not only not join in the bullying; you also attempt to stop it."

In other words, character is integrity in action. Now go out there and fix what's wrong with this world!

How to change the World

"If you wanna make the world a better place/Take a look at yourself and then make a change." -Michael Jackson

When most people say they want to change the world, they usually turn to their neighbour and tell them what to do.

We can’t change the world by telling others what they should do. Benjamin Franklin famously said “A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still”.

We have to become the change that we want to see. We have to lead the change and become the example for others to follow.

Time Wasters

"... You would be very upset if someone gained access to your bank account and stole all your money. Most people, though, don't blink an eye when all sorts of culprits sneak into their lives and steal their time."
-Quote from "The Ten Natural Laws" book by Hyrum Smith

My art teacher friend said that the biggest obstacle his students had to overcome in order to become great artists are the time wasters.
When we want to get better at something we have to remove distractions such as facebook, games, TV, Cellphones or any other "Beeping Devices" that might make us loose our concentration.

The only way we can go from good to great in anything is by giving all of our attention to it.

Remembrance Day

November 11 1918 marks the end of the first World War (WW1)and was specifically dedicated by King George V the following year as a day of remembrance for members of the armed forces who were killed during the War.

The Remembrance Poppy has been used since 1920 to remember those we lost in battle. The choice was inspired by the World War I poem "In Flanders Fields". These poppies bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders, their brilliant red colour makes appropriate symbol for the blood spilled in the war.

Thank you for your sacrifices.

The Black, Grey and White of Relationships

Black is who you are. Grey is the middle ground and white is who your partner is.

The grey area is the path we step on when we loose sense of who we are. We go towards the opposing color when our partner is having doubts about the relationship. Grey is the change (or lost in posture) in an attempt to win back our partner.

Our partner felt in love with black, not grey. If we loose the sense of who we are by going into grey, it will push our partner away.
What we need to do is figure out how to be black again. Figure out who we are and stay true to ourselves and pray for the best.

Would you be good in a position of Power?

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." -Abraham Lincoln

Those who aren't blind to the errors in their ways would make greater leaders than those who are fooling themselves into thinking they're perfect.

In order to lead people anywhere, a leader must first know where he's going. The path of the leader becomes clearer the more he reads and meditate.

When the leader learns about the mistakes that someone else made, he can learn from it and apply what he learned in his life.

There will always be a Bully

Bullying isn't going away. It's everywhere in our schools and in the world.

There are bosses who will boss you around, creditors that will knock at your door or layers that will send you letters...
There are business bullying other business with better products, Countries that bully other Countries and big planets that bullies small comets.

"It is only he who has learned to like himself who can be generous and friendly with other persons." -Les Giblin

I want to draw but I don't know what to draw...

If, like me, you have a goal to get better drawing skills, you'll need to practice on a regular basis but what do you do when inspiration is lacking?

I created a little game for when I don't have inspiration, or don't know what to draw, using a dictionary. See the rules below:

-Open the dictionary at a random page
-Draw something related to the first word you see on the page in 1 minute or less
-Repeat as desired

Do this until you feel either ready to start real work or until you want to do something else. Remember that it doesn't have to be pretty, it's just to get the wheels turning and get your training in.

Hope it helps!

Women are NOT attracted to "Bad Boys"

Women are not attracted to "Bad Boys". Who could actually be attracted to someone who steal candies from kids or spit on a old person's face?

"Nice guys do not finish last. Last place is for the cowards and those too full of fear to take action." -Robert Kiyosaki

Women are attracted to someone who's confident and a man who does bad things is often mistaken as being a confident man.

A Simple way for better Memory

Want to have better memory? Get out of your routine by simply using your opposite hand to brush your teeth, eat, etc...

Doing something out of the ordinary creates new pathways in the brain which can help with memory.
Since the left hand is connected to the right hemisphere of the brain (and vice versa), simply changing hands for your daily activities will force the brain to create new pathways on the opposite side of the brain.

Get some new habits in!

When does an age begin or end?

Agricultural age gave its place to the industrial age that then gave its place to the information age.

What marks the beginning and the end of an age?
To answer that question, lets ask ourselves what ended the industrial age? The industrial age ended when countries from over seas became industrialize.
After a few years of having those countries competing with us, we lost ground since they were able to produce quality products at a fraction of the price. In short, to be competitive, we had to find new ways to stay ahead hence the information age was born!

Now that we're knee deep in the information age, over sea countries are also in which means that the same thing will happen again.

So what marks the beginning and the end of a new age?
The beginning and end of an age is determined by the over sea countries. When they catch up to us... it's time to jump to a new age.

Let's prepare for the conceptual age!

How to make friends

If you're looking to make more friends, look for an activity that you enjoy doing. Since friendship usually spurs when doing something you commonly enjoy, the activity may help to connect with someone else.

Start going to those piano lessons you've been putting off or start attending that martial art class again.

"How to Win friends and Influence people" book by Dale Carnegie is also a good place to start.

This blog goes well with my other blog entitled "Loneliness". Check it out here

The future of IT is Overseas

The IT salary in Canada/US is anywhere from $30 000 and up and in India, it's around $20 000 and that's a lot in India which means that it also encourages more people to choose that field.

It doesn't make any financial sense for a company to hire someone that charges twice as much for the same work than someone else can do.

"According to Forrester Research, "at least 3.3 million white collar jobs and $136 billion in wages will shift from the U.S. to low-cost countries like India, China, and Russia" by 2015. [...] Much of the anxiety over this issue outstrips the reality. We are not all going to lose our jobs tomorrow. Outsourcing is over hyped in the short term. But it's under hyped in the long term"
-Page 39 of "A Whole New Mind" book by Daniel H. Pink

The biggest complains currently when working with someone overseas is either the language barrier or the hours but both are slowly getting fixed by both parties working together to resolve it.

Changes are going to happen... prepare for it!

For more blogs on Technology, visit the Geekarium

Think before you aim not after

"I have always encouraged these closest to me to give me advice on the front end. In other words, an opinion before a decision has potential value. An opinion after the decision has been made is worthless." -John C. Maxwell

"Do your worrying before you place your bet, not after the wheel starts turning." -Maxwell Maltz

*Image created and owned by © Nevit Dilmen

Confidence Boost when we Create

When we create something, we are proving to ourselves that we can do something which also boost our confidence in the process.

Obviously, if we're not good at it, not much will come out in terms of confidence. I only started to feel more confident when I saw that I was getting better.

Create to boost your confidence!

I love my Bic

I write a lot on my spare time and I've used many different pens. So far the "Big" brand stands out as being the best.

I am aware that some people pay 100$ + for a good pen but why not use a Bic? They always work, feel great and you can get them for a couple of bucks.

Bic is the pen I use.

Hand Written Letters

There was a time when I would feel excited when receiving an email. Back then, it was new and fun.

Now I feel like emails (or social media) are the cheap ways to keep in contact with people. We're often drowned in them which makes a hand written mail really stand out above the rest.

Taking the time to write things down on paper is the way to go if you want someone to remember you. A hand written letter feels more personal than a digital one. I still have the letters that was sent to me in my youth.

When is the last time you've wrote, or received, a hand written letter?

Learn a new language using Google translate

Google translate is a great way to learn a new language. The service made its way to mobile devices and is now compatible with mics.

You can either write down what you want or simply talk to the device (it does a pretty good job at figuring out what you're saying) and it will translate it to the language of your choice.

All translations are both written and in audio format which gives a pretty good idea of how a word is supposed to sound in a given language.

Try it out here: http://translate.google.com/

The Quiet Room

"It is impossible to experience, or feel either fear, anger, or anxiety, while completely relaxed, quiet and composed. Retiring into your "quiet room" thus becomes an ideal clearance mechanism for emotions and moods. Old emotions evaporate and disappear."

-P.198 of "Psycho Cybernetics" book by Maxwell Maltz

The quiet room is a mental state that a successful leader needs in order to make decisions primarily based on logic rather than feelings of the moment.
The leader's posture becomes greater in the process.

Have you found your quiet room?

What people remember of you

It is said that people will duplicate 100% of what you do wrong and 50% of what you do right. From what I’ve noticed, they not only will duplicate 100% of what you do wrong, they will also remember what you did wrong longer than what you did right.

Have you ever had someone come to you and say “You didn’t do this right” and in your head you’re like “It’s true that I did it wrong this time but I did do it right for the pass 2 weeks and I saw you do it wrong as well.”

Strong minded people are hard on themselves and easy on others. Weak minded people are hard on others and easy on themselves.

The easiest way to deal with a situation like that is to agree with the other person. Defending your position will only create an argument.

It’s human nature to notice the wrong in the world and in the people instead of noticing the right. You will hear more about the artist who had an affair than the comedian who’s been in a happy marriage for 20 years.

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Originally posted - November 2010

Keep Moving Forward

Rocky Balboa said “it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward.”

What does “Getting hit” means? Anything that hurts. Every time you get it, you have a choice whether to let it affect you for years to come or put it in the back and moving forward. The faster you’ll be able to put it behind you, the faster you’ll be ready for the next one.

Each time you get hit, it’s a lesson that you have to learn. If you hold on it, you won’t be able to learn the next lessons.

It’s like trying hitting a boxer who’s already knock-out, at that stage, he can’t dodge, avoid, or fight back.

You don’t decide what happens to you, but you have the choice on the approach to take.

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Originally posted - November 2010

We're Stupid

I find fascinating the fact that some people walk the earth thinking that they know everything.
That thought is the very opposite of success. The second you think you know everything, you no longer are moving forward. If you’re not moving forward, you’re either idle or going backward.

Success is moving forward in the right direction. Knowing that you don’t know everything will help looking for the information that will define what’s the right direction.

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Originally posted - November 2010

Success Thinking more important than knowledge

Being smart in school doesn’t guarantee success. How you think is more important than what you know.

Changing your thinking to think like a winner is harder to do than having more knowledge.

The thinking needs to be right in order to apply knowledge in the most effective way. The first step, for anyone who wants to be successful, is not learning more about the subject, it’s to think success.

Success thinking, like anything else, can be learned through books and association. It will require some change of habits.

Success thinking is knowing you don’t know everything and actively looking to find out what it is.

If you think that you know everything, and you don’t like the result you’re having, stop listening to yourself. How you think got you the result you have today. If you want different result, you need to do something different. Start by changing how you think.

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Originally posted - November 2010

Attitude make it so

“You can’t expect to win until you know why you’re loosing.” - Tim Marks

“The attitude you have when you loose will determine how long it will take before you win.” -Unknown

There is such a thing as a sore winner. A sore winner is someone who brags about his achievement. He won but his attitude will make him loose respect of his peers. What good is winning if you make everyone else hate you more every time you do?

The attitude of a looser will determine how long it will take for him to win.

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Originally posted - November 2010

The Cycle of Life

When I was younger, I knew everything and ended up making a lot of mistakes because of it.

Older friends of mine would look at me and smile. They didn't dare attempt to teach me anything because "he who knows everything can't be thought."

Now that I'm a bit older, and see a little bit more clearly the error in my ways, I can do little else than smile at the younger generation of geniuses.

Today I understand what my old friends were smiling about... I wonder what else they're smiling at me about?