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"We never stop inventing. We keep making little changes, and by the time people notice, it looks like a quantum leap."
James Dyson, inventor of the Dyson Dual Cyclone Vacuum Cleaner
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 12:37 PM
It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living
I want to know what you ache for and
If you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.
It doesn’t interest me how old you are
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon
I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow.
If you have been opened by life’s betrayal,
or have you become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.
I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own….
without moving to hide it
or fade it or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
If you can dance with wildness
and let the ectasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us to
be careful, be realsitic
to remember the limitations of being human.
It does’nt interest me if the story you are telling me is true
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself
If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty
even where it is not pretty
everyday
and if you can source your own life
from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and stand on the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon “yes”.
It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live or how much money you make
I want to know if you can get up
after the night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.
It doesn’t interest me who you know or
how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the centre
of the fire with me and not shrink back.
it doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you
have studied I want to know what sustains you
from the inside
and when all else falls away
I want to know if you can be
alone with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep
in the empty moments……….
Oriah Mountain Dreamer
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 02:45 PM
Forget being clever - whether you are in business or looking for a job, make sure you know the answers to the dumb questions if you wish to prosper!
Time and time again interviewees fail to answer the following “Dumb questions” –
Tell me about yourself? (Tell me why you are suitable for the job?)
Why do you want the job?
In business, management consultant Peter Drucker famous questions “What business are you in” and “who are your customers” were also the source of much discomfort for many leaders.
It does appear that a future still exists for dumb questions!
In brainstorming sessions, oftentimes it is the addition of a wacky idea that opens up the minds of the participants which leads to the next great idea.
In rapport , asking dumb questions is an art in itself. Napoloen a past master at the art was famous for entering meetings clueless, posing many dumb questions and leaving with the collective wisdom of the group.
On many occasions those who pose the dumb question are looked down upon by “the more informed” The later feels less threatened by their presence and are thus easier to persuade by the dummies!
So the message is clear tame the ego – play dumb today!
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 10:01 AM
Just came across Sir Clive Woodward's twelve leadership lessons recently published in The Sunday Times - interesting reading:
Good leadership is transferable across disciplines - as is good sales people.
Passion is all. No manager will succeed without it.
Enjoyment is a business term.
Only hire those who pass the "24 hour plane journey" test.
Achieve success through setbacks and build on success.
Remove all "energy sappers."
Establish "teamship" rules at the outset.
Make use of the creativity of everyone in the organisation.
For a fresh view, go outside your industry.
Never follow tradition for its own sake.
Dont neglect any detail. It could make all the difference.
Understand your team but dont get too close.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 10:16 AM
Twelve months ago, I was inspired by the children and staff of Gatoto Primary School so much so that I committed to solving their next big funding challenge - the creation of a secondary school which would allow these very special children an opportunity to further their education.
As of today, I am glad to announce that over €80k has been raised for this special project.
Furthermore we are hoping to have very significant progress in the context of kickstarting this project in the next few weeks.
A major heartfelt thank you to all the people who have or indeed continue to give money towards this cause.
You are giving these children back their future.
Thanks again.
If you want to learn more, visit http://www.gatoto.org
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 11:47 AM
Researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, recruited
45 pairs of friends, shut them in a room decorated like a cheap hotel —
scientifically known as a metabolic chamber — played them comedy clips on a TV screen and measured how many calories they burned when they laughed.
"They burned 20 percent more calories when laughing, compared to not laughing," said the lead researcher, Maciej Buchowski, director of bionutrition.
"Then we calculated what would happen if somebody laughed for 10 or 15 minutes a day and we found that it was up to 50 calories, depending on your body size and the intensity of the laughter."
That means that if you laugh for 10-15 minutes a day, you'd burn enough calories to lose two kilograms (4.4 pounds) in a year, Buchowski said.
Ok so you may not end up at your target weight but you will be a lot happier!
BTW last week I got my first chance to try out my skills on a bouncing castle "assualt course" -great craic ....try it out!
Another recent study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine showed that laughing causes physical effects in the blood vessels similar to the effects of exercise.
Researchers had 20 healthy volunteers watch a 15-minute clip from the 1996 comedy movie "King Pin" then, 48 hours later, view a clip from the 1998 war movie "Saving Private Ryan." After each movie was shown, researchers used ultrasound to measure physical changes in blood vessels.
On average, blood flow increased 22 percent after the comedy clip, and decreased 35 percent after the war film.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:13 AM
What have the following got in common?
Drink, drugs and mobile phones
All highly addictive!
Yes even mobile phones - Only three of about 220 students managed to complete the assignment in Rutgers University in New Jersey when challenged by their lecturer to turn off their phone for three days.
To Sergio Chaparro, now an assistant professor at Simmons College in Boston, the experiment confirmed what he strongly suspected was a widespread psychological dependence on cell phones.
"I think it's critical that people realize their level of dependency, and possibly do something about it," he said.
A Korean study found recently that nearly a third of high school students showed signs of addiction, including paranoia, when they were without their phones, and two-thirds were "constantly worried" that they would miss a text message when their phones were off.
In Britain, researchers concluded that people are so intimately connected with their cell phones that they see them as "an essential item, an extension of self."
Do you check your phone for texts while speaking to others?
Do you leave your phone on during important meetings?
Do you suffer anxiety when your mobile goes awol?
Are you finding that your interpersonal skills are disimproving as your texting skills are improving?
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 10:17 AM
In Pay Without Performance: The Unfulfilled Promise of Executive Compensation, US law professors Lucian Bebchuk and Jesse Fried point out that in the US between 1991 and 2003 the average large-company CEO's total remuneration increased from 140 times the pay of an average worker to 500 times average pay.
In Australia between 1992 and 2002 CEO remuneration increased from about 22 times average weekly earnings to 74 times average earnings
Mind boggling statistics - what do you think?
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 08:45 AM
Some time back, I had a very, very vivid dream.
While walking along the pavement, I was shot in the stomach by a complete stranger. Registering my last few breaths, I thanked God for a great life.
When I awoke, I remembered the dream and thought that even though death wouldn't be my choice at this stage of life, if it did visit my door, I could indeed be thankful for a life less limiting.
What would your reaction be?
Are you truly living life now?
Are you living your passion?
Are you waiting for the rainy day?
Here today, gone today, live life now - NO REGRETS!
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:40 AM
Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man.
Rabindranath Tagore
The man who cannot wonder is but a pair of spectacles behind which there are no eyes.
Thomas Carlyle
Good actions are the invisible hinges on the doors of heaven.
Victor Hugo
He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.
George Herbert
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 04:22 PM
Research conducted by University of Michigan last year found that the most satisfied workers were those who felt they had a positive impact on others.
I believe that we can expand that research out and claim that the happiest people are those whose lives are focused on contribution/ giving back to their community.
To students around the world by embracing giving as a strategy,you will be propelled to a life of magic and adventure.
To business people and potential entrepreneurs, focus on truly making a difference in your customers lives.
Develop friendships, not customer relationships.
Remember customers leave, friends dont. Continue to think outside the box on how you can give real value to your friends. For example when was the last time you secured business for them?
Give more .... give unconditionally (very challenging) ...and see what happens.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:49 AM