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“Take up the work that increases happiness and even if you have to suffer in doing it, steel your heart and persevere to the end” urges the Tirukkural, an ancient Hindu text penned by Tiru Valluvar. It dates back anywhere between 2 BC and 8 AD.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:17 AM | Comments (0)
In an interview with Time magazine (Feb 02 edition) Larry Page one of Google's creators gave an interesting insight into their creative process:
"Invariably we try ten things that dont quite work out in order to do one thing that is successful. And we learn alot in doing the ten things that didn't quite work," said Page.
Companies can learn alot from this "simple wisdom."
Creating a culture where failure is acknowledged and learned from, as opposed to being vilified, allows the organisation to tap into peoples innate creativity as fear is removed from the process. The challenge for the leader of tomorrow is to create a high trust culture where fear is eliminated.
A company or individual that learns from failure moves closer to achieving their goals.
Perseverance is also a core competency as one tries to build a business or indeed a new life.
Is it time to Google your organisation or life?
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:02 AM | Comments (2)
Some interesting findings from a study of 10,000 British people conducted by MSN Messenger:
The average person will make and lose three hundred and sixty three friends in a lifetime and end up with thirty three. Out of these thirty three, only six could be described as "best mate."
Sixty percent of the sample interviewed believed that friendships are more important than money, career and family.
No doubting the importance of true friendships.
Cicero described their value best:
“What sweetness is left in life if you take away friendships, it is like robbing the world of the sun.”
It is also important to note that the quality of our friendships and relationships continue to improve as we journey.
One other interesting finding from the survey was that seventy per cent of the sample regretted not staying in touch with some of their life long pals.
No regrets - pick up that phone today.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 10:21 AM | Comments (1)
Last week, I read with amusement that $2.7m is the magic number.
This is the money you need to achieve happiness according to a study conducted by Yahoo Personal Finance.
Regular visitors can guess my opinion on that!
A colleague and client of mine, Brendan, from one of Irelands biggest financial institutions summed up my opinion best when he commented -
"So what you are saying is one day is a long time in politics but a year is a short time in personal development."
Yes, and an injection of $2.7m wont reverse a negative orientation overnight.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:43 AM | Comments (0)
To free yourselves from patterns, habits, attitudes that are not serving you, I am a great advocate of the necessity to become the gatekeeper, the guardian to your mind.
Many people use the analogy that the mind is like a computer - thus Garbage in Garbage out. I totally agree.
Accepting this, it is imperative that we are careful about integrating advice from people who are not in a position to advise.
"If you wish to know the road up the mountain, you must ask the man who goes back and forth on it." Japanese Zenrin
Similarly and probably more importantly, do not allow allow yourself to be babysitted by the box in the corner.
A recent book by Dr Richard Restak - "The New Brain: How the Modern Age is Rewiring Your Mind" clearly illustrates the power of modern high definition television screens with surround sound etc.
"Our brains process filmed events as if they were actually happening to us. News footage can activate the same brain areas involved in the feeling and expressing of real-life emotions.....When it all becomes too much, our brains react by becoming desensitized, leaving us numb to the barrage of violence."
In his book, he goes on to note the more than 1,000 studies which support the conclusion "that when children watch violent media, they become more aggressive......We know that watching violence -- or even just imagining it -- reduces the functional activity of those parts of our brain that are normally enlisted to inhibit violent impulses."
He concludes that "From a practical point of view, it makes a lot of sense...to avoid vivid images of events that, according to what we're learning from new brain research, can lead to psychological harm."
The message is worth restating - become the guardian to your mind.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 10:47 AM | Comments (0)
There is no such thing as reality, only our own unique version of it.
Oftentimes we are in conflict because our worlds collide.
This thought came to mind this morning, as I read a short quote from a Palestinian lady from Gaza City, which I visited in 1998.
She compared executing a suicide bomb mission to being the bride at a wedding.
I believe that the more we work on ourself, the more we see reality as it truly is.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 02:50 PM | Comments (0)
"Man falls from the pursuit of the ideal of plain living and high thinking the moment he wants to multiply his daily wants. Mans happiness really lies in contentment."
Gandhi
"Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, be lifted from your and hurled into the sea and has no internal doubts, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him."
Mark 11:13
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
Lao Tzu
"If you reach for the moon and miss do not fret for you are amongst the stars."
W B Yeats
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:32 AM | Comments (1)
You want the goal consciously – you have enough reasons – you have taken some action – you have not ended up, as I promised in a place you believe is better than your starting point - so what is happening?
It is likely that your “enthusiasm and will to succeed” is being drowned out by that powerful inner voice which is saying “I am not good enough.”
So consciously you want; but subconsciously you don’t believe.
As I have said on many entries, we are inside out as opposed to outside in.
Thus in order to excel in life, we must have our inner programming positive to reap maximum reward in the outside world.
This is why I say that a failed New Year's Resolution is usually the greatest catalyst for an upsurge in interest in personal development.
If you set some time aside weekly this year to work on yourself, I promise you that next year's resolutions will appear a lot less challenging.
The more you work on yourself, the more you see the world as it truly is – full of infinite possibilities.
Indeed the more you see yourself as you are – born potential.
William Blake described it best:
"If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is-infinite."
So the message is clear and final – work on yourself for 2004.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 08:38 AM | Comments (3)
If you really want to achieve your goals in 2004, but are still lacking that extra bit of motivation to get you going – complete the following simple exercise.
Record your goal at the top of two different piece of paper.
On the first page, describe how your life will be in one year or five years time if you continue to persist with a situation or habit that isnt serving you.
Detail all aspects of your life – your relationships at home and in work, your sense of self esteem etc.
Now, think about what you have written down. Fast forward one year - feel what it will be like.
Is this what you want?
Now on the other piece of paper, write down what will happen in all aspects of your life if you change this habit or situation.
Again detail the benefits that will accrue with a change in strategy.
And again think about this – feel it.
Do you feel more motivated to achieve your dream by this exercise?
As people are invariably motivated to move away from pain or towards pleasure, if you really want to achieve your dream, some sense of excitement should be shooting through your veins.
If not, check out our next entry on Monday to find out why.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:56 AM | Comments (0)
Day seven – one week after committing dreams and aspirations to paper – has anyone out there thrown in the towel yet?
It is more than possible that this is the case; the question is – why?
Before answering this, and giving you some tools that will help you re-ignite your motivation levels, another question – do you know what you really want?
What we want of course is to be happy; this is a universally embraced ideal.
For some happiness at a "cost."
We want a new car or a new house or more holidays, not for their own sake, but to deliver positive feelings.
Yes we want these things to make us happier.
Embracing this fact would make life much much easier as there are many less stressful ways to achieving happiness than attempting to stockpile things!
So why would one throw in the towel at this early stage?
1. Had you enough reasons to achieve your goals in the first place.
Go back now and under each of your goals write down why you want to achieve same.
The more reasons , the more motivated.
2. Are your goals reflecting what is important in your life? ie, your values. Obviously if something is valuable to you, you are more likely to be motivated to achieve same.
3. Did you break down the goal into various actions – more importantly did you take the first step in the context of its achievement. Taking the first step is the quantum critical leap. Things begin to look differently for the goal seeker when they make this leap. Suddenly achieving the bigger picture appears to become a more possible option.
4. Did you imprint the goal in your mind. When I set the goal of a writing a best selling book, I put up signs around my workspace at eye level that read “I am a best selling author.” Remember we are inside out rather outside in people!
5. Has your focus been on the goal or the obstacles? Whatever you focus on - grows!
6. Did you commit to a time in which you would achieve your goals. Very important, otherwise you are always going to be a gonna doer!
One thing I promise that action both precedes excellence and creates magic. No matter what goal you choose, I guarantee, that though you may not achieve your exact goal, you will end up in a place that you recognise as better than your origional starting place. Yes in a happier place.
So the message is clear - Go for it.
In tomorrow’s entry we will continue to work on your moitivation levels.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 10:33 AM | Comments (1)
Happy New Year!
On December 27th 2003 I went on my first skiing trip abroad – the goal to achieve some level of competency in the sport. Emotionally, I was both excited, and a little fearful. As I had a fear of heights, I knew that achieving the goal was going to be difficult.
And so it turned out to be!
Day one – with the best will in the world, I couldn’t walk up any type of incline with my new footwear. Advice from an onlooking ski instructor saved the day.
That afternoon, another crisis loomed – when our teacher instructed us to go right, I went left, taking out over 20 ski poles in the process. When “go to your left” was the instruction, I went right, falling to the ground before making contact with five innocent onlookers.
Day two followed a similar pattern - comedy not competency, was the order of the day.
I decided that I needed to change attack, remembering that if you keep doing what you are doing, you keep getting what you have got.
The ski instructor had given me the strategies; now it was time to go away and use them.
Within a few hours of changing strategy, I started to get it and the accompanying buzz!
By the end of the week, I was skiing at a level I didn’t believe was imaginable after day one and two.
So what are the elements required for achieving and enjoying goals:
Vision – Determination – flexibility – humility (“Before becoming brilliant, you must look stupid to the crowd.” I Ching) – Celebration.
The message - feel the fear and do it anyway as Susan Jeffers remarks.
This week, I will share with you strategies that will allow you to set winning goals.
A quick hello and thank you to my fellow ski school members – Nigel, Falina, Nigel, Sarah, Anne, John, Emma, Poppy and my wife Deirdre – all of the above achieved a higher level of competency without much effort.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 03:52 PM | Comments (0)