Jonar Nader's Logictivity

I found this on the website www.logictivity.com or www.losefriends.com

I love his work... and would love your thoughts on his comments and
assertions... it'll probably take you about 10 minutes to go through
this thoroughly. If you're interested, I'll give you mine too ;)

JONAR'S MISSION

I am not on a mission to save the world. I am not on a mission to
achieve greatness. What I have realised as I have gained experience on
this beautiful planet is that I am supremely blessed and fortunate to
be alive and prosperous.

This has not always been the case. There was a time when I was not
alive, and there was a time when I was not prosperous. These days, I
do not measure my wealth in dollars. I am appalled at the number of
people who try so hard to make money. There are many ways to make
money. But what's the point? To me, my mission is to live. To marvel
at how my eyes work. To stare at a flower and go weak with admiration
at the incomprehensible miracles of life and death. To observe my body
as a blob of flesh and bones that operates non-stop on air, water, and
glorious food. How is it so? How does it work? Amazing indeed!

I speak like a person who appreciates life. And I must admit that I
might not have been so passionate if it were not for the fact that I
nearly lost my life several times. Yes, I am one of those people who
came so near death that I am delighted to wake up every morning. When
I go for walks with friends, I have to halt and watch the sunset. I
have to freeze and watch the bird take flight. Many people do not
understand what it means to be alive.

BUILDING CONFIDENCE

There was also a time when I had no confidence. I was teased at school
for everything I did and everything I did not do. I was harassed about
what I had, and what I could not afford. I was tormented for being who
I was, and bullied for not being what others wanted me to be. I was
ridiculed for my looks and my features that I could not change. It was
jolly hard to please anyone.

When I began to realise that material wealth was of no value, and when
I began to feel a sense of urgency for life, and when I understood how
fragile we humans are, I started to take great offence at anyone who
stole my life. People used to steal my life by stealing my time. They
had me running around trying to please the boss. I worked day and
night to reach goals, make targets, meet deadlines, and for what? I
did not mind it when it was fun, exciting, and purposeful. But when
the dirty politics of corporate life sapped my energy, I became
furious. I took my anger out on the idiots and bastards who were
time-thieves. Sometimes I took my anger out on my family and friends.

The thieves went about their business by trying to intimidate me. They
tried to keep me on the run. They lied and cheated, but they did not
know what they were doing. Their soul was empty and they were unkind.
Interestingly, they were the ones who got promoted, who destroyed
confidence, who stabbed people in the back, and who got the accolades.
This still happens. I can't believe it. I really can't believe what I
see going on around me.

For many years I fought with these people. I took on every battle. I
stood up to every bully. As a result, I was attacked and bruised.
Almost every single time, my colleagues could not see what the fuss
was about. Invariably, three years later, they would apologise when
they twigged to their naivety.

Eventually, I began to understand that by fighting the idiots, I was
wasting my limited energy. I was better off trying to spend my time
with those who could benefit from it. I started to invest my energy in
helping others to gain their independence.

ONE DAY AT A TIME

My mission in life is very simple. I am selfish about life. I have a
gift to enjoy this planet, and I want to make sure that every day is
fabulous. I do still fight battles, argue, and stress out, but every
day I am getting better at reducing the nonsense.

You see, there are people out there who set about increasing their
material wealth, and they succeed, but their burdens increase also. I
am setting out to reduce my burdens and increase my pleasure.

Part of that mix includes a sense of responsibility. I do my humble
little bit to contribute to this world. I cannot solve world hunger,
but I can help just a few people within my means. I can't clean up the
world, but I can pick up one piece of paper. I can't purify the
waterways, but I can refrain from adding to the pollution.

I am not superhuman by any means. I have my ups and down, and I have
my needs and desires. I have my weak moments, and my perplexing
thoughts. Gladly, I am growing stronger and surer of foot. I like
myself now, and this has taken years to achieve.

So, I love what I do and I am happy with what I have. I desire a few
things, but I don't feel that I lack anything. Indeed I am rich.

SHARING MY GIFTS

Part of my joyous spirit wants to share my excitement with others. I
do this in many ways. My books are all about exchanging knowledge. My
lectures are always urging others to strive for a better life.

I do not trade in shares on the stock market because I wholeheartedly
believe that trading in shares is unethical. It sounds funny to say
that. I know it sounds strange. However, I see the destruction and the
greed. Maybe one day I will elaborate on this subject.

I do not smoke. I have never smoked. I feel sorry for those who are
addicted. I feel sorry for those who feel that they have to start.
Furthermore, alcohol has never passed my lips. I am not virtuous. I
have my vices and my weaknesses also. I am not perfect. I am merely
able to control myself to the point where I can see that putting
alcohol and nicotine in my body is like putting sand in my new car's
engine. Who would polish their new car with stone? Yet our body is a
trillion times more complex than the best car in the world. Why abuse
it when it is so important to us?

MY CHILDHOOD

I would not wish my childhood on anyone. I still get goose bumps when
I think about the cruelty I have suffered. I feel very sorry for the
boy Jonar who was in so much pain for years. However, it was my
challenge, and half of my life is nearly over. I have paid my dues,
and now I want to live. When you begin to understand my life from my
perspective, you might forgive me for being so passionate about what I
do and say, and what I choose to tackle.

FIGHTING TO SURVIVE

Those who get in my way are usually those who know that if I win the
battle, they will lose their ugly power bases. You can imagine what
levels they would stoop to in order to keep their positions of power.
I do not mind anyone having power. It's just that I abhor unethical
selfish hypocrites whose miniscule brains get in the way of other
innocent beautiful souls who are trying to mind their own business.

If you want to see me in action, you should be around me when I see
people taking advantage of others. Many memories of my childhood play
out in my mind, as if in slow motion, with dramatic music. Alarm bells
start to ring, and I fly off the handle, hurling myself to quash the
insanity of people's cruelty. Whether in a shopping centre, a theatre,
a car park, at the office, around a boardroom table, at a restaurant,
or over the phone, I know no limits when inconsiderate arrogant
bastards press my hot buttons. Many a security camera has caught me in
the act. One day I might end up on one of those home video TV shows —
caught in the act of reaching over the counter at a hotel and making
my presence felt.

TAKE LIFE SERIOUSLY

I am a peaceful person, and a caring person. But people often mistake
me for being passive. Then wham, they are in for a surprise. Don't
cross nice people. Amongst them are the most dangerous.

I urge everyone to take life seriously. To fight when it is needed. To
stand up to bullies when they can. To push back the tide of cruelty at
every opportunity.

We can't take on every fight. We can't stand up to all the bullies.
Some bullies are stronger than us. But if we all did our little bit, I
am sure that the world will be a better place for the new generation.
Besides, angels rush from heaven to help those who are engaging in a
just fight. I have amassed strength and witnessed miracles that have
left me amazed. When angels come to your aide, there is nothing you
can't do. Just go with the flow.

I wish you copious amounts of bravery, and lashings of audacity.

Jonar Nader

-----
Daniel Smith

+61400527283
www.danielsmith.info

--
-----
Daniel Smith

+61400527283
www.danielsmith.info

Cashflow contest?

Singapore is an evermore amazing place - now they've run a Cashflow game with real prize money!!!

When I was involved with Golden Key, we held a Cashflow night which was very successful... it's the sort of skills that young people should be learning about, and gives a great context to educate and inspire people to strive for excellence while having a great time!

Time management and business

Time management

• Focus
  Be 100% in the moment in whatever you are doing. Be totally focused on your relationship, your work or your relaxation when you are doing it; less than total focus leads to dispersion of energy and lost effectiveness. There is no balance in nature - equilibrium is a delusion; reality is a steady state... we live through punctuated equilibriums... a series of fixations. Focus on those moments of total intensity.
• Prioritise
  Delete those activities that aren't leading you to access your highest talents and highest self. Stop doing them or get someone else to do them for you.
  

Business
Supply what is missing. Give people what they need. Ask them what they would want to make things better; envision how things could be made better for them. Expand your margin through efficiencies and expand your volume through value chain integration and complimentary sales, but most importantly, supply what is missing.

Kiyosaki's model for wealth

Many of us have come across concepts of financial intelligence, being financially 'free' and generally wanting to have more than we currently have. And while I wrote an article on going beyond financial freedom some time ago, I still have to hand it to old Bob: He's got some good stuff.

I met Robert Kiyosaki when he was in Brisbane a few years ago. He was charming, poised and a great speaker. To me, his content is not revolutionary... indeed, it is the sort of truth that is self-evident once you hear it. It is amazing how few people realise the truth contained.

His website has a few pages on his basic ideas, in which he explains the Rich Dad Poor Dad model... I think it's worth a quick look anyway.

Life Reengineering?

• If you can totally reengineer your world, what would it look like, what would it sound like and what would it feel like? What would you value? What would you invest your time and energy towards? What would you want to feel on a regular basis? What would you need to leave behind.
• If you want to live a life of love, when would you realise that all you nee to do is to eliminate all that is not love?
• Michaelangelo said that his task was to liberate from the statue from the rough hewn block of marble...
• To be the greatest you that has ever been, or will ever be... to demand more of yourself than anybody else could expect.
• To compare yourself against the best that you can be... no against anybody else - there will always be those who are better and those "worse" than you; they have their path to follow too.

Branded?

To pander to their innane and delusional obsession with illusions is at best making oneself subject to their values and at worst a contemptuous joke... playing with their petty minds.

What is beauty?

Form and function alignment + Resonance with innate patterns

Pattern resonance may take the form of universal patterns, societal patterns and personal preferences... perhaps also the communication of a message. This also takes into account facial proportion findings, hip:waist ratios in women (indicating fertility) and shoulder widths in men (indicating strength and vitality). Proportions and colour are all able to be taken into account.

What is beautiful? An aluminium roof? A Moleskine? A rose? A smile? Could you get reliable form/function measures, combine these with resonance measures and explain the variance in a factor analysis of subjective beauty? Measures are likely to be state dependent, perhaps due to state-dependency of patterns or the quality of form-function relationship identification.

What are we born with and what do we learn? That sports cars should be low and sleek comes from a knowledge of aerodynamics... to what extent does education expand or refine our appreciation of beauty? To what extent does it leave us analysing at the expense of appreciating?

Date with Destiny???

A dear friend is heading to Tony Robbins' Date with Destiny in less
than a fortnight... here are some of the thoughts that I offered her
recently:

I'm really looking forwards to seeing how much you get out of DwD. And
I really wonder just how open you can leave yourself to the lessons
that will be offered... it can be a frightening challenge, though one
that will reward you to the extent that you can tolerate the
excitement and adventure... the opportunity to totally reinvent
yourself, and align yourself as the beautiful loving person that I
know you really are.

I hope that you can take this in the wonderfully positive way that it
is intended: I'm excited at just how wrong the people who have
criticised you in the past will be shown to be when you have put down
the shit that has been holding you back!

The pursuit of happiness: Eudaimonia

For the ancient Greeks, Eudaimonia represented one of the highest
ideals. The term embodies a state of happiness, contentedness and
prosperousness combined... yet happiness remains an enigma for so many
of us. What is it? How can we experience it?

Kohlberg talked of stages of moral reasoning and suggested that we
pass through phases that he creatively called Preconventional,
Conventional and Postconventional. The Preconventional stage is that
of rules and punishment, that to behave according to norms established
by an authority figure is in one's best interests. The Conventional
stage expands this to include law, duty and respect for authority
through loyalties to family, friends and society. Postconventional
ethics is focused upon the genuine interest in the welfare of others,
initially by asking, "What makes a society function?", then
progressing to universal principles that take priority over the
formalised laws of society.

Yet there is little real ethical education. Having taken academic
courses in ethics within the fields of Psychology, Law and most
recently the University of Queensland's MBA, I have a deal of
experience that suggests that academics are either too confused or too
frightened to take a stand and develop men and women of character. It
is far easier to just say "work it out for yourself" and punishing
people when they err than to deliberately develop the sort of thinking
and acting that we want to see in our future leaders and graduates.

Developing ethics is not difficult, but it takes courage. It takes the
courage to make assertions that are not necessarily supportable by
validated double-blind studies. It takes the courage to assert the
principles that we hold to be true, and to defend them against a
mainstream society that often disagrees.

Here are some of my basic principles:
1. All people are equal. Education, experiences and personal power
contribute to the responsibility that you have to contribute something
worthwhile to the community, though as an individual we each have
equal value.
2. We should seek truth. More than merely recycling quotes, we should
seek a life that focuses upon genuine principles and reality, rather
than following delusions. If you believe in a God, follow that God; if
you do not, seek to understand yourself and the world, and act
accordingly. I do not know how to derive meaning or purpose without
some form of God.

Do your bit... inspire others to do theirs.

Designing your life: A letter to myself, my children and my friends...

My Dear Friend,

I wanted to put two ideas into this letter for you to consider at your
convenience. Please bear in mind that these are my unedited thoughts
and attitudes, and should be taken purely as opinions. Some of the
things that I say may annoy you, and you may disagree with my
opinions.

I may be wrong, and that's fine by me.

I will be as gentle and warm and loving as I can, and please remember
that everything that I say comes from a place of caring and love for
you... as someone that I care about very deeply, a beautiful
individual, whom I feel blessed to have come into contact with.

1. Your career options
You seem to be torn. On one side, you have the 'old you' that lived
through the opinions and attitudes of other people; the person who
advocated releasing barriers and being self-actualised. On the other
side, you have the 'new you' that wants to live your own life,
according to your own standards, your own rules and in pursuit of your
own happiness.

Standing up for what you believe in is very difficult at the best of
times, especially when so many of our role models and peers live in a
different world. While many of these people want to 'keep you' as part
of their 'group,' to live your own life, you have to decide what you
want to do for yourself. Living your own way - using degrees and
associations and networking and prestige as a vehicle rather than as a
purpose - is the path to happiness, and I think that you would
probably agree that it is the only 'authentic' life to live.

The 'tribe' is very persuasive. They criticise those who are
different, and strive to keep everybody within the safe confines of
the community. And those people do so for very good reasons, firstly
because they don't want you to be disappointed if you fail. But, more
than this, I believe that they don't want to be reminded that they too
have the capacity to do anything that they can imagine.

You can do anything. The issue, to be blunt and perhaps somewhat
provocative, is whether you want to live your own life, or to waste
your uniqueness.

Remember: The credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena...
not to those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

I am not always an ideal role model for this. My own fears can get in
the way of me achieving and contributing so much more than I arguably
could have... yet, while I postpone walking it, in a way I know the
path (or at least the direction) that I must follow.

It would be very easy for you to immerse yourself in learning stuff
for the next decade or two - and you would be exceptionally well
suited to such a life. Yet, would such a pursuit be any more
worthwhile than a life focused on money or power or anything else that
is so illusory?

In my opinion, we were not made to collect degrees. Just because I
have made that mistake doesn't justify you making the same mistake
too! What if you could learn from my mistakes? Studying is a useful
vehicle for personal growth in that it provides a context to think,
develop and refine oneself... but the content is far less important
than the context.

So we will want to surround ourselves with rationally inspired
thinkers and conscientious workers (according to Pythagoras)... to
learn and to grow and to explore.

If I were to give you something concrete to direct your attention, I
would suggest that you want to focus on better understanding yourself,
understanding the world and reflecting upon those activities and
directions in which you are better qualified than anyone in the world.
That is where you can make your greatest contribution... that is where
you can use your talents the best... that is where you can make a
fortune.

For example, I feel myself to be a born educator, mentor and coach,
who is focused upon developing mental skills that allow individuals to
better access their personal genius. These skills, to me, are
desperately needed by our students and our community: I know about
them, and I understand their value better than most of my
contemporaries... that is my value and my uniqueness.

Focus on those things that you need to learn. You need to learn
something of business... something of education... something of social
change. And many other things. Rather than immersing yourself in study
calculated to distract you from your Opus, study towards it. You will
need to think differently... from your parents, from many of your
peers and from the way that you thought previously... than you have
before, since the level of thinking that has got you to where you are
cannot get you to where you want to go.

I understand that you want certainty - that you crave certainty - and
that you want to be able to tell other people (and yourself!) what you
are going to do in the second half of this year, and beyond. The
public and private answers need not be the same...

My dear, you can do anything that you want to do. Since the question
that you are asking is "what should I do?" perhaps it is worth giving
yourself the freedom to ask that question rather than rushing through
to finding an answer.

"Flow" requires a person to live in the moment. Flow requires you to
focus upon the environment in which you find yourself in that instant
of time, and enjoy it for what it is... totally immersing yourself in
the precious present... Releasing the negativity and resentment, and
focusing upon gratitude and love. If I were to reflect back to what I
learned in reading Seat of the Soul, perhaps part of the reason that
you have embarked upon a challenging semester is to learn how to
experience gratitude and love in the face of great pressure, stress
and adversity.

You can change the world if you want to, though what is far more
important is that you enjoy your life. You can be great: Though it
were better that you were the greatest you that will ever live, than
to achieve all the accolades of the world. Anyone can make money or
win a Nobel prize or even be a Doctor or a Lawyer. But only you can go
beyond the crap that society has lumped upon you, and be you. Please
do not confuse my suggestions for pursuing greatness as meaning
external greatness; quite the contrary, the greatest life is the one
that is lived for its own sake, rather than for the sake of others...
In my briefest opinion, you should do what makes you happy.

And, if I may finish with one more quote:
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love, and be loved in return."

2. Creating a business
This is potentially immensely valuable, powerful and positively
aligned. Appropriated correctly, this could become an immensely
powerful vehicle for you to gain recognition, influence and affluence.
You are seeing many obstacles and problems: I am very happy to help
overcome them... that is what I do. There are indeed a number of
critical risks that need to be addressed.

For the moment, allow me to suggest something: Take notes of your
intuitions, thoughts and feelings about the program. The distribution
system needs to be developed... the content needs to be developed...
the marketing needs to be developed... the IP protection needs to be
developed. This is a very complex problem, though one filled with
simple and more sophisticated solutions. For the moment, note the
questions that arise - write them down - and allow your unconscious
mind to find answers without feeling pressured. All problems have a
solution, especially ones of business!

It now being very late, I shall now bid you good night... if you have
got this far, I trust that my rantings and opinions came across as
being from a place of love, affection and genuine caring for you. I do
believe in you, my dear, and believe that you have both the
opportunity and in a sense a duty to show the people around you what a
radiant example of humanity that you are... to remind them of what is
possible. Not necessarily as a 'big achiever person': but to simply be
the best you that you can be.

Thank you. You have taught me how to love in a way that I never
thought I could learn. Part of me is scared that you might reject me;
yet that part is steadily withering away. In its place, I feel myself
filling with a sense of giving love (to you and to those around me)...
because that is what I am supposed to be doing. I'm not always in that
'place', yet I know it - I have experienced it - and I am spending
more and more time there. Perhaps it sounds bizaare, even masochistic,
but I am more grateful than you could ever imagine for this insight.

When you have stuff inside that isn't pure love, the best thing that
can happen is to let it go. And when you are only love, no matter what
happens, only love can come out.

Free market capitalism thoughts?

I came across the following anonymous comment, and it made me think...

Free market capitalism is the most powerful tool for creating wealth in the world today. By focusing our energies on the most valuable use of our time, the most valuable use of existing resources and rewarding those who find ways to turn lead into gold, we create a system that rewards generative development of our society.

Capitalism is powerful. Sadly, power corrupts through giving those with it the delusion of creating unsustainable value for themselves at the expense of others. And it makes them drive big enough cars and live in big enough houses to perpetuate the illusion that such things are actually of any importance. The dot.com era was a great example of this delusion, as is the current focus on residential real estate in Brisbane, as was the oft-cited Tulip bubble in Holland so long ago. The creation of perceived demand without the presence of a commensurate underlying demand leads to market fluctuations and inefficiencies.

Yet, none of this excuses the actions of those who have violated basic principles in the pursuit of their objectives. Let us put aside for a moment that America has been well known to support (at times) brutal dictators and regimes perpetrating human rights abuses: it is economically, that America maintains tariffs and subsidies is the most blatent example of hypocracy that I recall - and in doing so, they ensure their eventual destruction and loss of power. America is weak: Militarily, they retain their might, though emotionally the nation seems to have lost much of its spirit. No longer does America stand behind the ideals that it purports to advocate. The 300 million people of America are no match for the billion in India or the other billion in China. The contemptable offences that have been committed will be paid for in full...

The value, to me, is not in criticism of America. The value is in recognising what is admirable and seeking to make it our own, and recognising what is flawed and seeking to amend it within ourselves. The same hypocracy that is undermining global capitalism is the hypocracy that we possess within ourselves - that it is okay to have a messy backyard as long as the public park (and our neighbour's front yard) are clean.

Australia lacks the inertia that will, from where I sit, condemn America to a steady decline over the next 50 years. Yet, it lacks the passion, energy and integrity that ensures China, India, Malaysia, Singapore and the like's dominance in the coming years.

The only way to create sustainable value is through contributing more than you take. The only way to maintain such an attitude of service is to have a sense of compassion and love for our fellow creatures, and to look to make their life better while finding ways to serve our own interests... in aligning our interests with those of the people around us.

Music and movies accelerate our growth as a civilisation?

As I was listening to Jewel's "Adrian," it occurred to me how much our songs and movies allow us to have accelerated vicarious experiences. Adrian allows somebody to experience caring for a person on life support... while her Painters gives us an insight into a life partnership of the highest order... and countless other songs and stories become more than just entertainment: They become part of our shared experience.

My first real girlfriend, Danielle, and I used to laugh at how we got along so well because we had watched the same cartoons. Those cartoons gaves us a sense of shared outlook on the world. Similarly, songs and movies (and even cartoons of today) give us a shared language and outlook on the world.

I wonder whether part of our growth as a civilisation has been due to the positive impact of these stories and experiences. Not just to allow us to relate better to each other, but to allow us to learn more and faster from each other - and from people that we have never met. Perhaps, taking this one step further, the increased speed of transfer of this information possible through recorded music and movies allows our modern society to learn and grow even faster than previous generations due to the decreased richness of the experience of reading books.

Or maybe we're just lazier.

Bumper sticker: "Earth can no longer afford the rich."

Robin Craig sometimes sends me thoughts or "Brain-Starters" as a prompter for me to reflect upon my ideas. Here is his latest, and below it my response as I sent it to him... what do you think?

> Brain-Starter:
> ------------------
> A bumper sticker reported on a web site says "Earth can no
> longer afford the rich." What philosophy underlies that claim?
> What would happen if the rich disappeared?

Scarcity (that there's not enough to go around) and Entitlement (that we have a birthright to resources) underlie the claim. Earth cannot afford to not have the rich. Ideas do and always have created the value upon which our civilisation is based. Today is the richest time in humanity's history, largely because we have embraced the pursuit of personal objectives with a minimum of restrictions, leading to a more pure market structure for labor, goods and resources, and the consequential creation of additional goods and resources through innovation and ingenuity.

Without the rich, the world collapses. Human beings need hierarchy: Without hierarchy, discipline and focus, we tend to pursue laziness rather than achievement leading to the breakdown of the very value that such a bumper sticker would purport to advocate.

But I imagine that you already knew all that :)

Preventing legal risks becoming legal problems...

Just in case I hadn't raved about Joseph Kafrouni, he's outdone himself again. Amid building a top quality commercial law practice, Joe has brought to Australia the concept of Preventative Law through the National Centre for Preventative Law.

One day, all law will be focused behind prevention, rather than litigation... but until then, have a look at what these guys are doing and promoting. In brief, they're based on the following premises:

There is a better way to practice law.

There is a better way to help people with their legal affairs.

There is a better way to teach our future lawyers.

This better way is “preventively”.

I love his work, and hope that you do too...

NLP introductory weekend

I met with Chris Howard for the first time last year. He started learning NLP after I did, though has positioned himself as a trainer already... he's a great example of what is possible when you decide that you will make it possible.

And the content is great too!

Cameron Johnson: 19-year-old entrepreneur

Just when you thought that you were doing okay, along comes a kid who resets the standards! While he's no billionaire yet, this nineteen-year-old has grabbed the profile of someone who's really going somewhere.

Makes you wonder what really is possible...

Awesome concept, awesome idea!

Kevin Tsai - entrepreneur - linked me into his LinkedIn network today... and what an awesome concept it is! This is a system whereby you can track your personal network of business (or personal I suppose) contacts, so that you can get things done even more elegantly and effectively.

One of the coolest things on the site was the profile of Kelly Perdew. He was the winner of The Apprentice 2 - the West Point graduate with an MBA, a JD and half a dozen startups to his name! What I really loved about this was that it gave me a chance to remember what sorts of things are really possible when you set your mind to it... when you look at people like Kelly, you might just reconnect with that fountain of possibility that lies within us all.

What should you study???

Many people who know me realise that I have spent a lot of time at University. I've picked up four degrees across three disciplines along the way, though in many ways it's a pretty inefficient way to learn what I really want to learn.

While doing what I've done has prepared me well for what I do and what I want to pursue in the future, I've certainly taken the scenic route!

Today, while reading my gmail, I came across a site that critiques various study options that are open to people: http://www.college-smart.com/

For me, I never really thought much about what I was going to study - I chose what I chose more because it would look good in the newspaper than because I actually was interested in the topic! And even today, as I stare down the prospect of more exams and more assignments, I struggle to justify to myself why I should bother. As a wise person reminded me just this evening over a beautiful cafe latte - thanks to Carlo at La Dolce - sometimes it is time for preparation, but right now it is time for work.

Thoughts on relationships in response to The Seat of the Soul

• As we strive to grow, learn and expand as people, relationships can allow us to accelerate our journey. Commitment teaches us to care for another person more than yourself... teaches us to release our wants of personality. Indeed, without commitment, you cannot see others as your soul sees them: "as beautiful and powerful spirits of Light."
• "Marriage" evolved to support physical survival. In our pursuit of spiritual growth, we can conceive of a spiritual partnership, relationships between equals for the purpose of spiritual growth. This is manifested between individuals and between communities - spiritual partnerships beyond oneself... ultimately, each soul becomes responsible for the whole world.
• Spiritual partnerships require you to grow by setting aside the needs of your personality to accommodate your partner's spiritual growth: You serve yourself by serving them and thereby align your growth with your partner's.
• Relationships involve Love, Commitment and Trust. Commitment must be translated into a satisfactorily secure form for both partners. Paradoxically, you will put your partnership most at risk by avoiding that which you are most afraid will destroy it... to express what is inside you, especially that which makes you feel vulnerable, painful, angry or upset... allows you to heal.
• Concern leads to closeness, appreciation and mutual regard.
• We must strive to see each other as spiritual playmates.
• Souls that choose the lesson of responsibility incarnate in positions of greater potential impact upon the world.

Economics of Innovation and Entrepreneurship notes

Korea and Australia have similar GDPs, though very different economies. We can view these differences as being structured as "Meso" units, which consist of a "Rule" and its manifestations. Initially, these rules will create a single manifestation, though over time the rule spreads in application, and the impact of the rule increases.

Under this framework, there are rules and there are operations. This is sometimes referred to as a bimodal system (mode one = Rule, mode 2 = Operation).

Rules change over time, though carriers do not. Well actually, carriers (commonly people) do change, though the rate and scale of change is not so relevant since we compare 'adoption' to 'learning', the former being much faster... the rate of change of carriers is less relevant to this analysis than the rate of change of rules. Adopting new rules does not change the carrier - it just changes the way things look. That said, different carriers can adopt rules differently, and differences in rules impact upon adoption patterns.

These differential adoption patterns and characteristics of carriers create growth and development through allowing carriers to see different ways of operating and using the rules.

New rules start in the head, and embed themselves in the environment - like a manual gearbox embedding itself as an automatic gearbox. Things become invisible.

A carrier can be an actualisation of multiple rules.

"Meso" is the central abstraction of evolutionary economics. Systems of meso form the order of the macro system... Deep structure: How the rules fit together vs Surface structure: How meso populations of rules fit together. You can do deep structure on whatever scale you like - in each case, the relationship between the rules changes the system. A surface analysis more looks at differential growth rates in a system (eg the amount of cable that had been laid in a telecommunication system - for example, Australia has a surface structure issue in the mining industry in that we do not have enough mining engineers even through the network is great).

What is NLP???

After some pretty heated discussions about NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), I have below summarised some of the most important concepts that are linked to NLP.

To me, NLP is an attitude and a methodology that grew into a movement. Attempts to put boundaries on NLP run into difficulties of conflicting interpretation, as the term means different things to different people. NLP attracts some people who regard the methods and philosophies as being able to help align them with excellence, and facilitate them living a richer and more rewarding life. For other people, NLP is a therapeutic system. For still others, NLP is a method of separating naive people from their money.

NLP is not theoretical by nature, though theories have arisen over time. Academic psychology has found little in support of "NLP." However, my searches of PsychLit and PsychInfo in addition to looking through unpublished theses from Australia's largest research-based psychology department, suggest that most of these studies have been aimed to discredit rather than to enlighten. Academic psychologists can find it easy to discredit by strawcasing a field that is more interested in finding things that work than it is to proving them academically.

Rather than focusing upon the limitations of an area of information or study, one interested in expanding one's mind would be better served with focus on what they can gain, rather than defensively criticise that which they do not understand.

Maslow's Self-Actualisation

Self actualisation is an old concept that many psychologists now don't seem to bother with. Yet, it is a notion that 'works' for those of us looking to move from an 'adequate' life to an extraordinary one. Here are some thoughts...

Dr. Abraham Maslow coined the term “Self-Actualization” as the pinnacle in the hierarchy of human needs. Dr. Maslow summed up the concept as:
"A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be at peace with himself. What a man can be, he must be. This is the need we may call self-actualization ... It refers to man's desire for fulfillment, namely to the tendency for him to become actually in what he is potentially: to become everything that one is capable of becoming ..."

As potential models of a self-actualized person, Dr. Maslow identified the following historical figures: Abraham Lincoln (in his last years), Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Albert Einstein, Aldous Huxley, William James, Spinoza, Goethe, Pablo Casals, Pierre Renoir, Robert Browning, Walt Whitman, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jan Addams, Albert Schweitzer, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Joseph Haydn among others.
(It is interesting to note that several of these "models" were also identified by Dr. R. M. Bucke, in his book: "Cosmic Consciousness," as individuals that exhibited the behavior of people who had experienced cosmic consciousness.)

Characteristics of Self Actualizing People

• Realistic
  Realistically oriented, a Self-Actualizing (SA) person has a more efficient perception
  of reality, and has comfortable relations with it. This is extended to all areas of life.
  A Self-Actualizing person is unthreatened and unfrightened by the unknown. He
  has a superior ability to reason, to see the truth, and is logical and efficient.
• Self Acceptance
  Accepts himself, others and the natural world the way they are. Sees human nature
  as is, has a lack of crippling guilt or shame, enjoys himself without regret or
  apology, and has no unnecessary inhibitions.
• Spontaneity, Simplicity, Naturalness
  Spontaneous in his inner life. Thoughts and impulses are unhampered by
  convention. His ethics are autonomous, and Self-actualizing individuals are
  motivated to continual growth.
• Focus of Problem Centering
  A Self-actualizing person focuses on problems and people outside of himself.
  He has a mission in life requiring much energy, as it is his sole reason for
  existence. He is serene, characterized by a lack of worry, and is devoted to duty.
• Detachment: The Need for Privacy
  The Self-actualized person can be alone and not be lonely, is unflappable, and
  retains dignity amid confusion and personal misfortunes, all the while
  remaining objective. He is a self starter, is responsible for himself, and owns
  his behavior.
• Autonomy: Independent of Culture and Environment
  The SA person has a fresh rather than stereotyped appreciation of people and
  the basic good in life. Moment to moment living for him is thrilling, trans-
  cending, and spiritual as he lives the present moment to the fullest.
• Peak experiences
  "Feelings of limitless horizons opening up to the vision, the feeling of being
  simultaneously more powerful and also more helpless than one ever was before,
  the feeling of ecstasy and wonder and awe, the loss of placement in time and
  space with, finally, the conviction that something extremely important and val-
  uable had happened, so that the subject was to some extent transformed and
  strengthened even in his daily life by such experiences." Abraham Maslow
• Interpersonal relations
  Identification, sympathy, affection for mankind, kinship with the good, bad,
  and ugly are all traits of the SA person. Truth is clear to him as he can see
  things others cannot. He has profound, intimate relationships with few and is
  capable of greater love than others consider possible as he shares his bene-
  volence, affection, and friendliness with everyone.
• Democratic values and attitudes
  The SA person is able to learn from anyone, is humble and friendly with anyone
  regardless of class, education, political belief, race or color.
• Discrimination: means and ends, Good and Evil
  The SA does not confuse between means and ends and does no wrong. He enjoys
  the here and now, getting to goal--not just the result. He makes the most tedious
  task an enjoyable game and has his own inner moral standards (appearing
  amoral to others).
• Philosophical, unhostile sense of humor
  Jokes to the SA person are teaching metaphors, intrinsic to the situation and
  are spontaneous. He can laugh at himself, but he never makes jokes that hurt
  others.
• Creativity
  The SA person enjoys an inborn uniqueness that carries over into everything
  he does, is original, inventive, uninhibited, and he sees the real and true more
  easily.
• Resistance to enculturation: Transcendence of any particular culture
  SA people have an inner detachment from culture. Although folkways may be
  observed, SA people are not controlled by them. Working for long term culture
  improvement, indignation with injustice, inner autonomy, outer acceptance, and
  the ability to transcend the environment rather than just cope are intrinsic to
  SA people.
• Imperfections
  SA people are painfully aware of their own imperfections and joyfully aware of
  their own growth process. They are impatient with themselves when stuck and
  feel real life pain as a result.
• Values
  The SA person is realistically human due to a philosophical acceptance of self,
  human nature, social life, physical reality, and nature.
• Resolution of dichotomies
  Polar opposites merge into a third, higher phenomenon as though the two have
  united; therefore, opposite forces are no longer felt as conflict. To the SA
  person work becomes play and desires are in excellent accord with reason.
  The SA person retains his childlike qualities yet is very wise.

What do you think?

How do you think that you rate?

Positive psychology: the scientific pursuit of optimal human functioning

Has scientific psychology finally caught up?

When I was studying psychology, I ran into what I felt to be a brick wall. It was a brick wall of people at the largest research-based University in the country focusing upon things that weren't important - at least weren't important to me.

I am interested in psychology because I want to study what makes people outstanding - what makes people great. I've been fascinated by the difference between the good and the great and the freaks who change the world since I first heard about it - thanks to reading the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People in 1994 - and had hoped that psychology would give me an insight into the field.

Apparently, now they are... http://www.apa.org/apags/profdev/pospsyc.html

And it's about time!!!
(Thanks, Margot)

Emailing post

One of the cool things about this system is that I can post an entry
via email from wherever I happen to be at the time... makes things
much more interesting.

Time management ideas: Roles and Outcomes

Identify your roles
Break down your life into a handful (5-7) categories that you need to continually work on, and identify short term and long term goals. Each week, ensure that you identify some outcome that you desire for each area to keep you in balance; of course, these should be aligned with your larger scale objectives and tasks.

Focus on outcomes
Break your outcomes down into tasks, and chunk your tasks into outcomes. Focus on achieving a small number (<7/week, <7/day) at any time. Focus allows you the power to achieve more targeted outcomes.

Nutrition

For me, I know that when I'm feeling healthiest and most vital is when I am eating vegetarian. Then, I find meat really difficult to eat.

Today, for example, my dinner consisted of two slices of toast and a large plate filled with pumpkin, a zucchini, two roma tomatos, half an avocado... with basil and parsley and balsamic vinegar and some eggplant based pasta sauce. I was going to have it with pasta (even heated the water!), but realised it would probably be even better just on its own, so didn't put the pasta in the pot! Healthy snacks - like pumpkin with pasta sauce... hommus with carrot sticks... juice... that's what I need to take the time to make myself.

At this point, for me, I find it difficult to seek out red meat, I've probably been a little more irrationally one-eyed than I should have been.

Now I feel that there probably is some purpose and value to taking some meat (and perhaps even red meat) on occasions.

As Jack told me ~1998, bone density is proportional to demand - if you don't use it (through load bearing exercise), you'll lose it. Osteoperosis is caused by people watching television rather than them not drinking enough milk.

I would like to work towards choosing non-dairy alternatives... perhaps focusing back on chocolate (including italian hot chocolate at La Dolce) and away from milk.

Beyond that, eating more fruits and vegetables is my top priority... just getting greater volume of servings! I can even handle meat a few times each week if I'm getting enough fruit and vegetables.