Tuesday, October 28, 2014

REstoring Life to the Classrooms of America

I stumbled across an interesting read last week...
"Third World America" by Ariana Huffington...

Normally, I'm not enthused when I read a socialist-bent rant on capitalism, but there are a few gems in this book that make it worth the read.....and hopefully you'll still believe in free enterprise when you're done readin' it..

Permit me to quote:

pg 121 2nd paragraph
"But if we are to survive---and avoid turning into Third World America----it's essential that we make it easier for creativity and fresh thinking to flourish in our classrooms, We need to start looking at things in bold and different ways."

Now isn't that portion something we can all agree on? Right and Left? Capitalists, Socialists, Independents and everything in between and beyond?

Jus' thinking aloud here....
When push comes to shove we are all going to wind up living with the countries that we create today. We will watch our descendants either thrive and prosper in what we create, or struggle and suffer for our stodgy old fashioned ways.

One of my pet peeves which I have yet to reconcile in my brain is that I get so upset whenever I see how new thinkers are viewed and rejected particularly in Christian church circles, I am horribly disappointed. I hear sermons on how to "not rebel" which these young thinkers interpret as a stern admonition to  "stick with the status quo, or you might just upset someone".

I believe that if good changes are going to come to our educational systems we must EMPOWER radical thinkers. We MUST empower those rebels who dare to color outside of the lines...for they look at life in new and fresh ways. We can not stick to what is comfortable and traditional if we are going to pioneer new breakthroughs for America.

You see, other countries don't have this hang up. They welcome unusual unique thinkers and they sponsor inventors to go beyond what has always been done.

We can not be afraid of change. CHANGE is our very best friend.
With the information age, being able to ADAPT to change is a crucial skill that not only
sports figures must possess to excel in their chosen sport. We ALL must learn how to bob and weave and
change how we think about what is possible for life in our towns, cities, countries and globally.

The world is indeed our marketplace, our school yard, our library, our fellowship hall, and our church.
Our friends and cohorts should not just be found in our own backyards. WE must be able to fellowship with
radical thinkers around the globe for the purposes of free enterprise, scientific breakthroughs and educational partnerships.

If most of the large cap businesses are, of necessity, globally competitive....we must educate our children also emotionally and socially to be able to socialize with people from other countries with other cultures, foods, and language. We must pass on an ability to participate on this global stage.

If we hesitate and run backwards with our tail between our legs, our countries will simply NOT be able to compete on the world stage. Our North American society will not be the envy of the world any more, and even our own citizens will flee to other countries where change and invention are welcomed and encouraged.

If our churches figure out how to love inventors and scientists and free thinkers, we will be harboring the best up and coming leaders of the next generation. But if we make them feel unwelcome for thinking in new ways, we will have kicked creativity out of the church.

Christendom, used to be the Mother of higher education. We still have a chance to reclaim that opportunity to incubate great thinkers and inventors,creative artists, educators and business people. We must learn to not be easily offended and offer our listening ears and welcoming homes to all, especially those who show an ability to pioneer something that is new and untried.

Churches can be the leaders in times of change, or they can become the unwilling mule that stubbornly refuses to go where it needs to. Love the new, test the new and escort the new into your churches, so that these precious entrepreneurs and creative folks will stay and flourish INSIDE the safety of the fold instead of outside of it.

Friday, October 24, 2014

How Badly Do You Want That?

I was perusing Tim Ferriss's blog again today. It's not for the faint of heart.
It brought to my mind that nagging question:
How Badly Do I Want what I Want?

Maybe you've started something new lately....started a new work out, or are thinking about applying
for some new college course. Perhaps it's something much more urgent and intense that involves uprooting yourself to a new city or a new job.

Well, let's chat a bit. How badly do you want what you have set your sights on?
How badly do you want this new job? Are you willing to move to a new town? A new province, another country? Your first response is usually the most accurate. Don't over-think it....just jot down your answers on a clean sheet of paper or on a your notepad on your phone.

Fill in the blanks:  .I want __________ so badly that I am willing to change my ___________
in order to achieve or get ______________. But I am  not willing to give up _________ to achieve or get __________.

This simple self assessment tool will help you see what might be holding you back. Maybe your desire for that new job is not yet strong enough to warrant uprooting yourself or your family. Maybe there are other conflicting priorities that are more important at this specific point in time.

Never feel like it's a crime to change your mind about a goal that you have set for yourself. I am merely encouraging you to "KNOW WHAT YOU WANT" before you put the wheels into motion making a huge change in your life. The sacrifice you are going to make must be WORTH it! The end result must be worth the phase of upheaval.

I am not one of those people who encourage "change" just for the sake of "change". There MUST be rhyme and reason to making a drastic life change. Some folks are just hyper and they enjoy making any kind of change just because they can't sit still. Don't be one of those people.

Measure your goals, and pick the ones that really fuel your passion . Let the rest flutter to the ground in the sea of forgetfulness. Your close friends and family will appreciate your "levelheadedness" because you have proverbially "looked" before "leaping".

Peace and productivity.


Thursday, October 23, 2014

Your First Try Isn't Going to Be Your Best Work

There's just some folks whom God has given a special insight into humans.....what makes us tick and precisely what it takes that brings some of us that upper cut of accomplishment.

The legendary human I am referring to is Seth Godin. His books are so rich with profound meaning I find that i need to take it in in small doses or I will just implode with insight.

One of the great insights that Seth Godin has gleaned from his own journey to "success" is the essential need to continue to believe in your work even when it sucks. It's when you know the quality of your work is really bad, that it is most tempting to give up. But it is right at that moment that we are also most teachable.
When we have the sense to realize that our work, our product, our service or our art is of poor quality, is the time that we begin our search for what will make it great.......really great.

Some artists go on painting naively for decades and never really admit that their work stinks.
Now, wait a minute, I'm not being cruel. I'm just saying that recognizing poor quality is an urgently important part of eventually producing something of incredible quality. Do you want folks to ooh and ahhh over something you have made? Be willing to accept your own criticisms and then DON"T quit.

Just keep going, and yes, power through that season of "yikes ...what was I thinking" to where you are able to make a change. Being willing to make a change because of something that you have noticed is 100 times better than being forced out of the game because of something someone else has noticed. Criticism is best self-served.

Do you agree? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Peace.




Sunday, October 5, 2014

What I Appreciate About Timothy Ferriss

today I'm just gonna write a short blurb about the famed author and lifestyle "hacker" named
Timothy Ferriss. If his name doesn't ring a bell, you may recognize his work more so by his book entitled
"The Four Hour Work Week".

I suppose there are just some things that I can really relate to when it comes to appreciating Timothy's
attitude towards life. First of all, he really wants to live life on his own terms. He's not afraid to be labeled eccentric or unusual, as he is probably proud of those kind of labels. If being labeled unusual or eccentric is the price I have to pay for creating my own best life, then I will happily pay it")

I recently watched an episode of Morgan Spurlock's show "A Day in the Life of Tim Ferriss"
here's the link on Vimeo
http://vimeo.com/47614661

The episode showed just what the title entails, just precisely what Tim does in a typical day. It isn't that I'm spell bound by watching other people's lives, it's more that I am always on the lookout for people that I can relate to.
So, in my own wonderfully quirky way, I saw a few more similarities.

Tim has an incredibly short attention span, and has figured out his own self labelled "OCD" by making sure his projects generally don't last for more than 3 months. He simply gets bored out of his mind if his projects last longer than this. Therefore his consulting gigs are a perfect match, because he likes to work in short and intense bursts of energy, rather than long arduous hauls.  He also demonstrated how he sets himself up to write on this blogs and websites, with a movie running on his laptop on mute, music playing in his ears via earphones and him typing away on his sites. When I found myself reading two or three books or magazines at the same time, I realized that I might also have this propensity, to have to have a lot of things going at the same time in order to prevent boredom and still remain in control and stay productive.

Tim also has a unique interest in managing his own health.....just like me. He recently signed up with a private blood testing company that is doing an in depth analysis of Tim's blood in order to diagnose any areas for potential concern, so that Tim can start now to make the lifestyle or dietary changes now before any diseases develop. I too, aim to be ahead of the game in prevention of disease and illness by tweaking how I live and by what I eat/drink.

Thirdly I just appreciate the "bootstrappiness" of Tim Ferriss. He actually used that beautiful word "bootstrapping" in the video. He just isn't afraid to work hard and make changes on his own terms. He's not looking for everyone's approval. He is looking for his own approval by creating a lifestyle that satisfies his own priorities and prescription for a great life. I think that's just simply raw courageous genius.

Have you read any of his books? Looking forward to reading your thoughts in the comment section below.
Peace and wellness.

Check out Tim's website: http://fourhourworkweek.com