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We have all experienced it - in the middle of an "important " meeting and the dreaded mobile phone rings.
Even worse your conversation is somewhat "interrupted" by your colleagues ongoing review of whats happening on their little or large screen!
Poor rapport skills no doubt but apparently this compulsive text watching or extreme state of alertness required to sense the vibration signal has more damaging side effects.
Far from making workers more productive, the findings of a new scientific experiment reveal that those who constantly disrupt meetings and important tasks to read and respond to messages, significantly reduce their IQ.
In a series of tests carried out by Dr Glenn Wilson of Institute of Psychiatry, University of London, an average worker’s functioning IQ falls ten points when distracted by ringing telephones and incoming emails.
Of course the more significant loss is the feeling of the innocent victim that their input or business or whatever is irrelevant.
I will never forget sitting with a sales person who had just emphasised the importance of my business (always a bad sign when they put this thought in words - it is by your deeds I judge you) and his phone rang!
What happened next?
Yes, you guessed - he proceeded to engage in conversation with the other person for some time.
The customer is king?
The message is simple when you are with the customer, be with the customer.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 06:55 AM
Like over 60m people worldwide I thoroughly enjoy the works of Paolo Coelho particularly of course my first read The Alchemist.
As an author that has knocked on the doors of many publishers worldwide I was inspired by his own personal story as highlighted in last weeks Sunday Times.
"Yet he told me that when he was young his parents thought his dreams of becoming a writer so crazy that they had him committed to a mental hospital. Eventually he became a successful songwriter. An inspiration for aspiring novelists he was almost forty when he wrote his first book. His second The Alchemist, sold so few copies in the first year that his publishers returned the contract saying it would not sell."
The Alchemist has now recorded sales of over 30m worldwide.
Much can be learned from his story:
- Taking the road less travelled can be a lonely path - initially; but then you open yourself to a life of magic and adventure.
- Believe, engage and watch the map appear before your very eyes. Expect an eventful trip!
- Life is a journey of light and dark, both of which should be embraced.
- Though the major influencers in your life can advocate a certain position - you can still choose differently. Life after all is a journey of choice.
Enjoy his books today.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:30 AM
According to research on hamsters reported in the Journal of Psychoneuroendocrinology last December, just allowing hamsters to share a cage with a brother or a sister — rather than being isolated — cut by half the time it took for a wound to heal. The sharing hamsters also had lower levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.
Now consider the positive healing effect of visiting a friend, neighbour....
Remember "the journey" should bring us from dependence to independence to interdependence.
Enjoy the trip!
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 05:23 PM
In the US, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's media lab have invented a new alarm clock.
Simple procedure:Similar to most alarm clocks, you put it next to your bed, set the time to be woken and it goes off at the scheduled hour....but there is more!
"Clocky" has one other unique feature. Should you hit the snooze button to get those valuable extra minutes, "Clocky," which is equipped with a set of wheels, will then roll off the table to another part of the room and begin shrilling again. And again.
According to the lab's website, it has even been programmed to roll off to a different part of the room every day.
Of course, there is another option - do a job you love and you will jump out of bed when the bell toils in the morning, or for those who have learned to tap into the power of their mind, set your internal clock to wait up at the appointed hour and you will at the right time every time!
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 08:04 PM
I was very touched and somewhat uplifted by the outpouring of grief over the death of Pope John Paul II.
Travelling around the world in addition to reviewing the most up to date research on the topic has left me in no doubt that belief is the most powerful drug in the world.
Just last week more research has been released on the importance of holding religous beliefs.
A study of 68 Alzheimer's disease patients found that going to church and other religious activities slowed cognitive declines, Canadian researchers reported at a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.
University of Chicago researchers reported that African Americans who strongly believe in God were less likely to be depressed than nonbelievers.
Psychologist John Cacioppo said belief in God appears to help African Americans overcome the alienation they feel as a result of racial discrimination.
Among whites, who are less likely to suffer discrimination, belief in God did not decrease depression.
Religion helps provide a sense of hope, peace and well-being, which in turn can reduce health-damaging stress hormones, said Dr. Harold G. Koenig of Duke University's Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health.
"It's a very powerful coping behavior," he said.
Duke University has undertaken many interesting studies eg
*Among elderly adults who were followed for six years, those who attended religious services at least once a week were less likely to die than those who attended infrequently or not at all. "This effect on survival was equivalent to that of not smoking cigarettes vs. smoking," the researchers reported.
*Engaging in most religious activities was linked to having lower blood pressure. There were two exceptions: People who watched or listened to religious TV and radio programs tended to have higher blood pressure.
*Among elderly patients, those who attended church at least once a week spent less time in the hospital and had healthier immune systems.
*Among adults of all ages, people who prayed or studied the Bible at least several times a week were less likely than others to suffer alcoholism.
There is a growing awareness in the medical profession of the role spirituality plays in health. For example, two-thirds of the nation's 125 medical schools now include courses on spirituality and faith, up from just three schools in 1992.
Some medical students are learning how to take patients' spiritual histories" along with their medical histories, according to the John Templeton Foundation, which funds research on spirituality and health.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:06 AM
I had the honour of addressing Meetings Professional International delegates at their European Conference in Monaco this week.
Before the speech, while preparing the room and notes, I got this rather "insecure" feeling as I walked around.
The sole of my shoe had detached itself almost fully!
I had purchased the shoes a mere forty eight hours earlier.
At the start of the session I requested that everyone took off their shoes to mirror my situation - no joy.
For the next two hours, I completed my first "shoeless" seminar!
Very amusing!
While there I heard the following inspirational anecdote: One day a poor Scottish farmer upon hearing cries of help coming from the bog, ran to give a helping hand. He arrived just in time to rescue a young boy. As a token of his appreciation, the young boy's father offered to educate the poor man's son. In time his son graduated from college, and became the famous discoverer of penicillin - Sir Alexander Fleming.
Some time later, the generous donor's son was struck with pneumonia and would have died only for the availability of penicillin. The son's name - Sir Winston Churchill.
I too believe that the more you give out, the more you get back - most certainly what goes around comes around.
Give unconditionally this weekend.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 08:25 AM
"But if there be truth in me, it should explode. I cannot reject it; I would be rejecting myself."
Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope in 1961
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 08:45 PM
I will never forget it - twenty five feet up in the air walking the tightrope with what seemed like only a small rope to save me from the ultimate fall!
Sweat was streaming down my face as I challenged myself to overcome my long held fear of heights. On the fourth and last part of the ropes challenge, a very quick adjustment was required as I almost fell off the ladder bridge.
Moments later, I reached my destination.
I had truly felt and experienced the fear and did it anyway.
The sense of elation was unparalleled.
I had conquered my fear in that moment knowing that in the future fear will raise its head again but I am even more resourced to face, feel and floor it.
Take this trip today.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 08:18 PM
"The unexamined life is not worth considering."
Socrates
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 10:44 AM
Research worldwide reveals that professional productivity improves among those who nap after lunch, Catalan official, La Vanguardia notes.
Studies confirm what any office worker knows, that between 2pm and 4pm lethargy sets in. At this time people are expending most of their energy digesting their food. A quick scan around a training room at that time proves the point - audiences worldwide need to be re-energised.
Accordingly, one of Spain's most successful companies, the Catalan-based MRW courier service, has installed reclining chairs in its offices, both in Barcelona and Madrid, into which employees may slump, with the additional offer of a soothing massage.
Francisco Loscos, professor at Barcelona's Esade business school, said: "Companies want their people to be as motivated as possible; so, many invest in everything to promote the happiness and relaxation of their workers, and that includes the siesta."
Cutting-edge Catalonia has rehabilitated an ancient practice for the hi-tech age. It was an entrepreneurial Catalan who, some years back, founded a nationwide string of shops where you can walk in and "buy" a 30-minute siesta and massage.
"We noticed that many people came in after lunch for a massage, but they really wanted a siesta. They just drifted off," said Marina Egea, manager of a Barcelona branch of "Masajes a 1,000" - named in pre-euro days when a massage cost 1,000 pesetas, or about £4. Today, €4 buys you a half-hour siesta.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 08:54 AM
"The ocean disentangles the netted mind."
Anonymous
Last week, I took some time out in the magical surroundings of Leenane, located on the West coast of Ireland - after a few days the colours were brighter, my sleep patterns had improved, energy levels enhanced, - again I was left in no doubt that there is only one way to disentangle the mind - the natural solution.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 08:55 AM