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"Every child is an artist; the only problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up."
Pablo Picasso
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 10:29 AM
"He who passes not his days in the realm of dreams is the slave of his days."
Kahlil Gibran
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 10:40 AM
-Think differently - successful entrepreneurs have that ability to look outside the nine dots, to solve problems creatively.
-Enjoy living outside your comfort zone. Pain is part of the journey and the catalyst for personal growth.
- Develop your sensory acuity, remember people are always telling you what you most need to know either verbally or non verbally.
-Engage the three levels of listening as described many times on this site.
-Know thyself as much as possible - the more you are able to highlight your limiting beliefs, the more you can choose differently in the future.
-Cultivate belief; you have more than sufficient resources to live a happy fulfilled life.
The last and most important step -TAKE ACTION!
Engage in life and watch your life become one of magic and adventure.
And finally a special good luck to the Entrepreneurs of tomorrow I met at the annual Venture Start programme on Wednesday and thanks to their creative program designers, John, Martin, Joan, Marian et all.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:05 AM
Researchers have compared the brain activity of eight long-time Buddhist monks and 10 healthy students in an edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
The average age of the students and monks was 21 and 49 respectively. The former had no prior experience in meditation except for one week of training before the start of the study. The monks on the other hand had each undergone mental training in meditation for 10,000 to 50,000 hours.
Both groups were asked to practice compassionate meditation, ie generate a feeling of love/compassion which does not require concentration on specific things.
Their brain activity was then measured before, during, and after meditation.
Significant differences were found between the two groups in a type of brain activity called gamma wave activity, which is involved in mental processes including attention, working memory, learning, and conscious perception.
The monks also had more activity in areas associated with positive emotions, such as happiness.
The Buddhist monks had a higher level of this sort of gamma wave activity before they began meditation, and this difference increased dramatically during meditation. Researchers say the fact that the monks had higher levels of this type of brain activity before meditation began suggests that long-term practice of Buddhist or other forms of meditation may alter the brain.
Although age differences may also account for some of the differences found by this study, researchers say that the hours of meditation practice, rather than age, significantly predicted gamma wave activity.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:08 AM
A U.S. polls taken in January 2003 found that 80 percent of the men and women said they knew they had soulmates - promising!
Unfortunately they also said they would not be able to identify their soulmate if that person was standing right in front of them - not so promising!
Unfortunately, it is my opinion that the old belief that "you will know him/her when you meet her" holds true.
To the degree that we clear out our negative conditioning is the degree to which we see the right choice with real clarity.
Indeed beyond analysis, beyond words the journey with your soulmate will begin.
Stop searching and start working on yourself.
Enjoy the trip.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:26 AM
What makes people successful according to Andrew Meikle, researcher of elite human performance
Potency of desire. They know what they want and have a deep desire to achieve it.
They also all have great determination and passion.
The ability to work well under pressure. High achievers tend to feel relatively stable in unstable situations.
Absolute focus.
Risk takers.
They have the courage - or naivety - to take on tasks beyond their skill set," Meikle says.
"They have a capacity to believe without proof," says Meikle. "Most of us need some evidence that something will work, high achievers just believe it will.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 10:25 AM
The Inspiration Ball in association with GALWAYnow Magazine, will be held in
the Radisson SAS hotel, Galway on Saturday April 30th 2005 and aims to raise
enough money to build a secondary school in the slums of Nairobi.
Organisers Eileen Bennett (Editor, GALWAYnow Magazine) and Kevin Kelly
(author and speaker) were touched by their contact with the children of
Gatoto primary school and their principal Betty Nyagoha.
In June of this year, Kevin spent ten days working with the teachers and
students of Gatoto Primary School in Mukuru Slums in Nairobi. The following
month, Eileen interviewed their inspirational Principal Betty. Both
experiences inspired Kevin and Eileen to commit to helping this worthy
cause.
"The biggest challenge we face now is what do our beautiful children do
when they leave primary school? "says Betty Nyagoha. "It is our dream to
build a secondary school to give these children back their future"
Kevin and Eileen agree. "Providing children with a good education helps to
raise their standards and encourages them to stretch for their full
potential. This causes a positive knock-on effect for their families and the
wider community and that is why we are committed to building a secondary
school for the children of Gatoto."
The Inspiration Ball on April 30th promises to be a night to remember with
fantastic raffle prizes and a mega-auction as well as wonderful food and top
class musical entertainment. Already the list of prizes and auction items is
impressive ranging from sports memorabilia (like signed soccer jerseys),
original paintings, holidays, Spa Membership and much, much more.
Tickets for this Black Tie event are E125 each or E1,000 for a table of 10
and are available from kevin@kevinkellyunlimited.com or galwaynow@iol.ie -
Tel 091 777077.
Early booking is strongly advised as tickets are selling fast!
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:17 AM
Knowing when to leave is probably one of the greatest skills a sales person can possess. So, what is the right time to leave the building?
Very simply, when the other person’s physiology has told you so.
It doesn’t matter whether you are two minutes into your presentation or twenty – if a person appears distracted or disinterested, offer to leave:
“John, I see you have other things on your mind at the moment, maybe we should leave it at that for today.”
Two possible outcomes: They agree and you leave graciously leaving the door open to future contact or they apologise and listen into what you are saying.
Remember if the customer isn’t listening, you aren’t moving any closer to striking up a long term business relationship with them.
Also if they apologise and ask you to continue, you are moving closer to the sale.
All in all your "invitation to exit" has delivered a true assessment on where you are visavis the sale.
When you leave it is important to review the interaction. Ask yourself why was it that the customer was totally disinterested?
-Did your presentation focus in on what is important and different about your product?
Remember, people are overwhelmed with the amount of stimuli/ messages hitting them on a daily basis – ten years ago it was claimed that the average person is hit with three thousand marketing messages a day;what must it be now? Consequently our presentations must be concise and different to really hold people’s attention.
-Did you present the product using all the different mediums ie visual, auditory and kinesthethic?
Some people would prefer looking and considering a brochure as opposed to listening.
-Did you focus your attention on the client – were they the major act in this drama?
Remember people love and crave for attention, if you come in all guns blazing and talk non stop for x minutes, the spotlight is on you, not the person you are trying to persuade.
-Do you need to develop your listening skills?
Becoming the silent witness in some sales situation may be the key to getting the contract.
-Were you excited about your product?
Probably the most important thing to consider. Your presense sells.
Congruence sells.
All in all a thorough review will hopefully stop you from repeating patterns that have failed in the past.
Enjoy the challenge!
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:53 AM
Stumbled on this beautiful poem while researching my new book:
They who are near me do not know that you are nearer to me than they are,
Those who speak to me do not know that my heart is full of unspoken words,
Those who crowd in my path do not know that I am walking alone with you,
They who love me do not know that their love brings you to my heart.
Rabindranath Tagore
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:45 AM
Congruence is key!
If you are going to become an authority on goals/ motivation you need to have set lofty goals, to have taken risks in the past.
Walk the path, then talk about the path!
Sophisticated audiences evaluate your performance honouring Hindu Wisdom:
"To know the meaning of words, first know the speaker."
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 10:30 AM
"Only that day dawns to which we are awake."
Henry David Thoreau
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 10:36 AM
Regular visitors to this site will know that the manuscript for my third book is currently being developed.
Many, many people ask me how do I approach writing a book - here are some insights into what has been described as a unique approach.
Step 1 - Commit to the process. One month ago I was asked whether or not I intended focusing on book three - my reply "no chance!"
One week later while sitting at my breakfast table, I begin to believe that the time was right to kickstart the new book campaign. With a fair deal of excitment, I sat down and worked on the very critical book flow.
Be open to contradicting yourself!
Step 2 - As mentioned,write out on a blank page your proposed book flow - whats in - whats not.
Step 3 - When you believe you have got this right, I strongly recommend bouncing your concept off a focus group of friends/ associates "in the know."
(As an aside, it is important to emphasise that you will think you have it right on many occassions throughout the process!)
This can be a very difficult stage - expect your new creation to go through some very uncompassionate analysis. As tough as it may be, it gives you an insight into potential readers minds and you end up with ideas that will enhance your concept.
Painful but well worth the effort.
Step 4 - Back to the drawing board integrating your new ideas and directions.
Step 5 - What happens when the ideas dry up? This is the reason I penned this entry today.
Yesterday I experienced a block? The challenge was how was I to handle the start of the book?
My solution is always to hit to magical, mystical Silver Strand, a beautiful beach on the West Coast of Ireland. Sitting watching and listening to the sound of the waves, new ideas popped into my mind like magic.
Learn how to relax, to go below thought to truly connect with your creative flair.
Problem solved and the creative flow continues.
Already my book has changed working title on three/ four occassions:
Financial Fulfilment
Money- Myths and Magic
Money and Miracles - Seven steps to a lifetime of abundance
CLEANSE - How to be and feel rich
Which do you prefer?
The book focuses on a new understanding on the relationship between money and happiness in addition to providing a detailed map on how to life a life of provision and abundance.
Any ideas kevin@kevinkellyunlimited.com
Any world wide publisher - same address!
Enjoy!
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:04 AM
“Winter blues” – also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) – affects an estimated 30% of the population.
Scientists claim that a reduction in daylight hours can have a biological effect which leads to depression, lethargy, reduced sociability and a craving for comfort food.
Consultant psychiatrist Dr David Wheatley has created a system to allow a person work out their susceptibility to SAD.
The winter blues formula is X = a x ((24-b) x (c+d+e) + f x (g+h+i)).
X is a susceptibility rating with a score from zero to 828.
The letter “a” relates to “inherent vulnerability”. If there is no history of depression in your family, “a” has a value of one. If there is a history of depression in yourself or your family, give it a score of two. If both yourself and your family have a history of depression, give it a three value.
“b” is approximately the number of hours of winter daylight where you live (minimum six hours).
“c” is the psychological effect of leaving home or the office each day in the dark. Score zero if you leave home and return each day in daylight, two if you either leave the house or return home from work in the dark, and four if you both leave the house and return home in darkness.
“d” is a rating of work conditions in terms of light contact, from one to four.
“e” is a similar rating of light exposure at home, again on a scale of one to four.
“f” measures your general stress levels, on a scale from one to five.
“g” relates to sociability. Rate your level of daily social contact on a scale of zero to four.
“h” is a rating, from one to four, of how often you exercise.
“i” measures the quality of your diet on a scale of zero for a “very healthy, balanced diet” to four for a “very unhealthy diet with lots of stodgy processed food”.
An X score of zero to 100 means you are very unlikely to suffer from SAD. Between 100 and 300 you may suffer mild to moderate symptoms. Scores from 300 to 600 indicate that you are at risk of symptoms severe enough to affect your quality of life, while a rating of 600 to 800 denotes a “very high risk” of SAD requiring medical help.
Interesting peice of work - I believe our focus must me on the variable factors in this equation - diet, stress levels, exposure to natural light etc.
What can you do today to reduce your risk?
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:13 AM
Interesting research from the Small Firms Association in Ireland conducted last year highlighted that out of the 126,000 or 9% of the private sector workforce that changed jobs, approximately 90,000 left for reasons other than money.
An astonishing twenty five percent cited lack of recognition for their contribution as the reason they left the job.
On recent entries we highlighted two key assumptions about human behaviour:
1. People crave for and love attention.
2. People want to be appreciated.
Why is it so difficult for people to show appreciation towards others?
Some say they just don’t have the time – at a very basic but effective level, have we not enough time to say to our employees in a congruent fashion, thank you for a job well done? I think so.
But oftentimes thank you is a challenge – old programming like “If I praise them too much, they may want more money!” or “I was never praised in my endeavours” take centre stage. When you look at the figure as presented by the SFA, it is critical we put our old ineffective programming aside and choose differently.
Start today with “thank you.”
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:39 AM