An extraordinary lesson on language

12 steps of a phenomenal story

Chanced across this presentation whilst doing some story telling research. If you have the time to absorb it, it provides some great insights. For both sides of the fence.
(plus, great fun to read, as all preso's should be)

12 Essential Steps of a Phenomenal Story from Mauro D'Andrea

The Innocent Folly of Positive Thinking

The other night I chanced across a video on Youtube, featuring a very erudite and articulate scientist called Bruce Lipton. Normally one watches this type of content, get's mildly inspired but then quickly forgets the information as they click off down another digital rabbit hole.

But on this occasion, what - or perhaps how - Mr Lipton delivered his spiel, proved very enlightening. So much so that I thought it worth sharing the main points, with the intention of helping people 'get' a very important part of personal and professional self-development. 

The central theme of the good Dr's delivery was Positive Thinking. More specifically, how dangerous -  and a little tragic  - it is that so many people have been swept up by the great PT movement without knowing the full story. Canonised by The Secret and the central tenet to perhaps every form of personal development content, Positive Thinking seems to have defined a large part of the last decade. Yet for many people, myself included, when used as tool to intentionally create/manifest/acquire certain 'things' we want, PT often proves to be the proverbial chocolate fire guard. 

Before I break down Mr Lipton's explanation of this, let me affirm that I'm all for PT, and am in no way mocking it. It's actually common sense that one should spend his days thinking good, positive things. Especially when working towards a goal or intentional acquisition. But the disappointment and frustration arises when we use it in isolation, and expect the skies to rain money (cars, houses, careers etc..) on us. 

So, here's the rub on why positive thinking is not enough to create the things you want in life, and what we can do really make the changes we want 

// 2 minds are not equal to one //

When we're exercising PT, we're using our mind. Modern physics now proves that those thoughts create energy patterns that affect physics and biology: our inner and outer environment. In other words, it is now scientifically proven and accepted that the world inside and outside of us, at an energy level, moulds around the shape and texture of our thoughts and intentions. 

But there are two parts to the human mind. The conscious and the subconscious. And whilst many people consider these one and the same, the fact is they are two very different entities working on two very, very different levels. 

The conscious mind is what we use to think. Discern. Reason. Choose. Create. Analyse etc. It's what makes us Human. Individual. We are directly connected to it, and can control it at will. Some better than others.  Our subconscious mind however, is quite different. Although it belongs to us, we are only connected to it by association, and in fact it can be most accurately described as a tape player.  

// And this is where it gets very significant //

The subconscious essentially records experience, beliefs and patterns and plays them back, on loop, relentlessly. So we have a thinking mind, and a tape player mind, and the difference is very profound. Firstly, the subconscious is a million times more powerful at processing information than the conscious mind. Second, the subconscious is running our biology 95  - 99% of the time. So regardless of how actively we exercise our conscious mind, its the subconscious that's running the show, 95% of the time. And here's the thing; the subconscious is neither good nor bad. It runs on programs. And its these programs that are either good or bad. It's the programs that this machine is running on that are taking away, or indeed giving, us our behaviours, powers and abilities.

So what is the relevance of this to Positive Thinking?

Positive Thinking is a creative process that comes from the conscious mind . But whilst you're creating and visualising all these wonderful thoughts from the mini processor of the conscious mind, you're competing with the super computer and the programs of the subconscious mind. Which is a million times more powerful, and running the show 95 - 99% of the time!! So if your conscious thoughts and intentions are not supported by equivalent programs in the subconscious mind, which one do you think is going to win?

For example: if you want to have that perfect body and have created HD visualisations and powerful thoughts of you in possession of that body, but your subconscious is running on a program or belief system that doesn't support your ability to active that. It simply isn't going to work. You behaviour will quickly support that program and before you know it you're back where you started, staring down at the scales, laughing back at you.

Now here's the thing; to free up our conscious mind so that we are able to be the creative, pioneering race that we are, the subconscious has learned to run the show automatically. And if we aren't paying attention, which we very rarely are, we don't notice it when the subconscious mind is playing back negative, destructive and counter productive programs to what we are consciously trying to create! Ever met someone who behaves exactly like their parent, although vehemently denies it....there you have it.

So what happens when we do the all the conscious work and PT, and don't get what we want? We blame the outside world. We look for reasons and things 'out there' as the cause, because we miss, or have not been paying attention enough to the fact that its the programs 'in here', being played back by the super computer of the subconscious mind that have been causing us to sabotage and keep us from what we want. 

So once we learn to recognise our self-limiting and self-sabotage programs in the subconscious, we can start to stop blaming 'out there' and start doing the work 'in here' to change those programs, and so start changing our lives.

But here comes the next problem...

Many, if not most of us bought the idea that we can talk to our subconscious mind. That like our conscious mind there is someone directly attached to it; able to listen and reason. Which is where, like PT, the limitations of self-affirmations come in. You can no more have a dialogue with your subconscious (using your conscious mind) than you can stand over a stereo and reason with it to stop playing. The more we try, and oh have I tried in the past, the more frustrated you become, the less confident you are, and the less you believe in your ability to change. And so the sabotage loops on, getting stronger with every fail.

The 'aha...'

There is only one way to manipulate the tape player, and purposely begin to realign your subconscious programming with your conscious PT. And that is, quite simply, to engage it in 'record' mode. 

Knowing how to press record is the absolute basic foundations of intentionally changing our lives. Once we've pressed record and started the reprogramming, PT, self-affirmations and all the other creative conscious manifestation tools we have access to start to work in turbo mode. And you will change your life.

So how do we press record? That's coming next. But if you can't wait and want some immediate help with unearthing your negative programmes, and begin the reprogramming process, we'd standing by to help. 

Click here and drop us a mail, and we'll be in touch to discuss how we can help.

For now. Be Well.

Turning down the daily stress dial (#8)

The Confluence Notes 1 - 8

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7 marketing sins (by Seth Goden)

Brutally insightful as always; on this occasion delivering wisdom that sits at confluence of how we fail and how we wish to succeed.

 Seven marketing sins

Impatient... great marketing takes time. Doing it wrong ten times costs much more and takes longer than doing it slowly, but right, over the same period of time.

Selfish... we have a choice, and if we sense that this is all about you, not us, our choice will be to go somewhere else.

Self-absorbed... you don't buy from you, others buy from you. They don't care about your business and your troubles nearly as much as you do.

Deceitful... see selfish, above. If you don't tell us the truth, it's probably because you're selfish. How urgent can your needs be that you would sacrifice your future to get something now?

Inconsistent... we're not paying that much attention, but when we do, it helps if you are similar to the voice we heard from last time.

Angry... at us? Why are you angry at us? It's not something we want to be part of, thanks.

Jealous... is someone doing better than you? Of course they are. There's always someone doing better than you. But if you let your jealousy change your products or your attitude or your story, we're going to leave.

Of course, they're not marketing sins, they're human failings.

Humility, empathy, generosity, patience and kindness, combined with the arrogance of the brilliant inventor, are a potent alternative.

5 tips for Merchants of W

So far, this year is being defined by an all too familiar request for the 'WOW' factor.  Be it on an exhibitions stand, mall activation, or an event of one kind or another.

Sound familiar?

Augmented Reality, Gesture Technology, Pixel Mapping, Aqua Scripts etc…once the domain of the surplus-budgeted-brave, WOW technology appears to be gasping its way up the agenda of almost every category of client.

But 'WOW' (W) - should not to be courted or treated lightly. If not offered the respect it deserves it can  - as we frequently have to endure - have the opposite effect to the one you, or your clients are seeking.

So whether you're a merchant of W, or someone desperately seeking W for an up and coming project, here's 5 tips to keep you on the right path:

1. Make sure it's relevant:  As human beings, one of our most primal instincts is to seek relevance. Between our inner and the outer world. As consumers - of brands and media - it's no different; made more potent in fact by the immediacy and democratic expediency of social, digital and new media technology. Good news for us as discerning curators, bad news for brands and wannabe purveyors of W, who now need to work much harder to matter. W for W sake is short term, shallow and easily forgettable at best; annoying, confusing and resented at worst. To connect, enthrall and enchant, make sure your W is a real, believable and relevant part of your brand or event story.

2. Give it life after the event: This is really just basic commercial common-sense. By investing a little more energy at the planning stage, you can transform your W idea into a longer term part of your brand strategy. From experience, good W accounts for between 15 -20% of a project budget. The larger the project the more that amount of CAPEX is going to sting. By ensuring that your solution can live on in a broader context after the event, you'll not only be making that investment work harder, you'll also have made sure your agency or planning team have ticked that 'relevant' box.

3. Make sure it solves a real problem: Ok, closely related to relevance, but this is more a way of thinking. If W is required, brief it as a necessary 'solution' rather than a wanton 'gesture.' Scale, complexity, language, distance etc…look for axiomatic ways in which the potential impact of your project is being constrained. You'll have a much more solid platform to start planning on (and yes…increase its relevance).

4. Involve people as much as possible: Yes we've all heard the cliche: "...involve them and they'll understand". But it's a cliche for a reason. Get your W into people hands. Surround them with it. Allow them to interact, shape it and share it. The effect on impact and recall will be quantum!

5. Idea first, technology second: Always plan Bottom-up. 'Always'.  Try not to be seduced into knee-jerk budget squandering by that amazing pixel mapping that's gone viral on Facebook. Or by the break through Augmented Reality application brand x has just released, that everyone's talking about. Or what about that new Gesture Based interactive window display in Shop Y? Surely that's reason to suck budget from online….(and breathe). Creating powerful, lasting and commercially sound W is no different to any other creative pursuit. And should be planned and built upon a strong, relevant and scalable idea, itself inspired by real commercial challenge or opportunity.

9 deadly start up sins...

9 Deadliest Startup Sins

1. Assuming you know what the customer wants

2. The “I know what features to build” flaw

3. Focusing on the launch date

4. Emphasizing execution instead of testing, learning, and iteration

5. Writing a business plan that doesn’t allow for trial and error

6. Confusing traditional job titles with a startup’s needs

7. Executing on a sales and marketing plan

8. Prematurely scaling your company based on a presumption of success

9. Management by crisis, which leads to a death spiral

 9 Deadliest Startup Sins, by Steve Blank

14 Lessons From Benjamin Franklin About Getting What You Want In Life

Benjamin Franklin was clearly a man who knew how to get things done.
 

Here are 14 action-inducing lessons from the BF:

 * Less Talk, More Action “Well done is better than well said.” 

Talk is cheap. Talking about a project won't get it completed. We all know people who constantly talk about the things they are going to do but rarely ever take that first step. Eventually people begin to question their credibility. Taking action and seeing the task through to completion is the only way to get the job done. 

* Don’t Procrastinate “Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.” 

With an impressive list of achievements to his credit, Benjamin Franklin was not a man hung up on procrastination. He was a man with clear measurable goals who worked hard to turn his vision into reality. What are you putting off till tomorrow that could make a difference in your life today?

* Be Prepared “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” 

You need a plan to accomplish your goals. Charging in without giving any thought to the end result and how to achieve it, is a sure way to fall flat on your face. Have a realistic plan of attack and a systematic approach for getting where you need to be.

* Don’t Fight Change “When you're finished changing, you're finished.”
 

Whilst many of us don’t like change, others thrive on it. Either way change is inevitable. The stronger we fight against it, the more time and energy it consumes. Give up the fight. Focus on proactively making positive changes, instead of having change merely thrust upon you. Wherever possible, try to view change as a positive instead of a negative.

* Get Moving “All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are movable, and those that move.”

There’s a reason we use the expression, movers and shakers. Movers are the ones who take action, the people who get things done, while the immovable are sitting around scratching their heads wondering how others could possibly be so successful. Which group do you want to belong to?

* Avoid Busywork “Never confuse motion with action.”
 

We are always running around doing things. We rush from one meeting or event to the next, sometimes without achieving a great deal. At the end of the day, how much of our busywork are we proud of? How much of that running around improves anyone’s life (including ours) for the better? Make your motion mean something.

* Give Yourself Permission to Make Mistakes “Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out.” 

If we fear making mistakes, we become scared to try new things. Fear leaves us nestled in our comfort zone. Staying in your comfort zone rarely leads to greatness. Taking risks and giving yourself permission to make mistakes, will ultimately lead you to whatever your version of success may be.

* Act Quickly on Opportunities “To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions.”

Opportunities are everywhere. The trick is being quick enough and smart enough to seize them when they arise. Instead of jumping to the conclusion that something won’t work or can’t be done, allow yourself the freedom to ask 'what if?'

* Continue to Grow “Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.”

We all have vices of some description. The key is to keep them under control or preferably eradicate them entirely. Be kind to those around you, whether they are neighbors, family, co-workers or friends. Never accept that you have finished growing as a person.

* Keep Going “Diligence is the mother of good luck.”
 

Have you ever looked at a successful entrepreneur or business person and thought how lucky they are? Most of the time, luck has nothing to do with it. Hard work and sacrifice on the other hand have everything to do with it. Successful people deal with failure. They tackle their demons head on. They pick themselves up and keep going.

* Know Yourself  “There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one's self.”
 

Understanding ourselves is not easy. Sometimes we just don’t want to see ourselves for who we really are. It’s much easier to hold onto a romanticized version of ourselves or to simply view ourselves through other people’s eyes. Start by being brutally honest with yourself. Follow through with understanding, compassion and acceptance.

* Don’t Self-Sabotage “Who had deceived thee so often as thyself?”
 

We spend so much time worrying about other people hurting us, yet fail to comprehend the damage we inflict on ourselves. If you are using negative self-talk, lying to yourself or indulging in addictive behavior you are self-sabotaging. Life can dish up enough challenges without us adding to the mix. Be kind to yourself. Treat yourself like you would a best friend.

* Don’t Give Up “Energy and persistence conquer all things.”
 

Achieving our goals can be exhausting. There will be days when you want to give up. There will be times when your energy levels flatline and you wonder why you bother getting out of bed. Yet you push forward, day after day because you believe in yourself and you have the determination and strength to back up that belief.

* Wise Up “Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.”
 

Who hasn’t had the thought - I wish I could know then, what I know now? Unfortunately there is no time machine; there is no going back. The key is to wise up as early as you can to start forging a life of purpose, achievement and happiness.

New Business Venture? Ask the BIG 3!

 (Useful read. Great for Clarity. Thanks INC.)

Before you waste your time with a business case, sales pitch, or SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats), put yourself in your customers' shoes. Then, answer these three simple questions:

  1. Why do I need a product or service like this?
  2. Why do I need yours?
  3. Why do I need it now?

Seems simple?  Try it.  Not so easy, right?  

The first question, "Why do I need a product or service like this?" will help you clearly define your value proposition.  If you don't have a good answer to this question, stop now, and come up with a different idea.

The second, "Why do I need yours?" will force you to define your differentiators.  Why is your product or service better than others out there?  Why should the customer pick you over a competitive or do-it-yourself solution?  Answer these questions in bullet points, not paragraphs.  Your answers need to be simple and clearly compelling.
 

The last question is always the toughest, "Why do I need it now?"  To me, this is the most important one.  What is the compelling reason, event, pain, or opportunity that is going to make someone make the choice to use your product or service right now?  Not six months from now, not six months ago, but right now.  This question inspires thinking about what the urgency is to get that deal closed now.  People are busy and have a lot of priorities and decisions to make.  Is the 'pain point' that you're solving top of mind for your customer or user?  If not, a tool or method to resolve that pain won't be either.  If you don't have a clear answer, you may be too early for a market or possibly too late.  You may have long acquisition cycles or a long and expensive market education path ahead of you.
Let's put it into practice.  Here's a hypothetical scenario:

Product/Service: ABC Mobile Phone Carrier (topical)

Why do I need a product or service like this?

Business: I can be more productive on the road.
Personal: My family will be safe if we get a flat tire.

Why do I need yours?

Best network coverage as measured by XYZ Measurements, Inc.

Largest selection of business mobile devices.

Only network with a family plan.
 

Why do I need it now? 

Every day that you don't have one you're...

...losing out on potential revenue
...wasting valuable time in airports and cars
...taking a risk that your family may not be safe if stranded on a road

Every time you put together a business plan, vet a new product idea, or evaluate a sales presentation, always start with these three questions.  Always challenge your team with these questions, too. They force them to a deeper level of thinking and generally result in a better offering.  We've been using these three simple questions for over ten years religiously and they have never failed us.  

Try it, give yourself and your team this truth test. I promise you it's worth the exercise.

Innovation | Time to walk the walk #read

These days, every established company is at risk of having its industry--and its own business--disrupted by a start-up. Cognizant of this, companies devote a lot of time to talking about how important it is to innovate. But here’s the truth: most companies can’t innovate because everyone is paid to maintain the status quo.

This is the single biggest reason companies fail to do anything new or exciting. You and everyone else are maxed out making sure your company is doing what it’s supposed to do; innovation is what the weekends are for.

Despite the real risk involved, this actually makes sense. Companies are set up to do one thing very well. That’s the business they’re in. All of the roles in the company are defined and structured to create the best environment for doing that one thing as efficiently as possible. The number of people employed by the company fluctuates with the workload. More work, more people. Too many people and too little work means layoffs or mismanagement. Success is doing the same thing you’ve always done, just a little bit better, achieving just a few more sales or shaving a hair off of costs. Change is discouraged by time constraints and the stifling number of approvals needed. Failure is punishable by pink slip. Every day is the same.

Yet, today, your entire industry can change in the space of a headline. If your business can’t innovate, it won’t survive when the start-up in the garage across town that doesn’t have to answer to your shareholders does all the things legal has been telling you that you can’t do, all the things that you don’t have time for.

It’s never been more urgent to stop talking about innovation and actually start doing things differently. And, with digital, the opportunities have never been greater. Instead of innovating on your weekends, overcome the structural impediments and time constraints to real change by approaching innovation from two directions: outside-in and inside-out.

“Outside-in,” when not based on acquisition, often comes in the form of a 'skunkworks project'. It’s colloquially defined as a start-up funded by the parent company, but kept separate from the dysfunction and sluggishness of the whole, in order to incubate great technological advancements.

Here’s the recipe:

1. Set the right goals. A skunkworks project should be tasked with developing a new, specific tech product or service.
 

2. Give the team freedom to create. Bureaucracy, office politics, and the aforementioned requirement to keep the ship sailing straight ahead all slow down and inhibit big advancements. To succeed, the skunkworks team must be kept free from these deterrents.

3. Appoint separate senior management. Management by committee is not an option. The quickest route to failure is slow decision making. The skunkworks team should report directly to a senior-level executive who is authorized to green-light initiatives that are separate from the company’s main purpose and to implement these new solutions.

4. Choose a separate location. The team should not be housed in the corporate headquarters. Ideally, it should live nearby, but in some cases, it needs to be in a completely different location to be able to access the right talent. When Johnson & Johnson decided to build a unit oriented to design, creativity, and technology, the division planted a flag in an old industrial building in a trendy neighborhood in New York. Its corporate headquarters are in suburban New Jersey.

5. Mix up the staff. The staff should be a healthy hybrid of high-performing internal employees and newbies, so that some participants are familiar with the company’s core business while others have an open mind and fresh ideas.

6. Give it time. Really well-developed products often take a year from the time people start working on them until launch. You can get things done in six to nine months, but it’s unusual, especially if the team refines it with iterative improvements.

7. Bring it back into the fold. Once the project is complete, skunkworks team members should move back in with the parent company. They either become a distinct department or are dispersed throughout the company, in order to effectively run and manage the particular product.

On the other hand, “inside-out” innovation is all about incentivizing existing staff members to be revolutionary within their own jobs. The most important ingredients are largely cultural:
 

1. Freedom to fail. Traditionally, companies are averse to risk, so if you fail at something, it hurts your career. But to innovate, you need to be able to try new things without risking your livelihood. As Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed. I've just found ten thousand ways that won't work.”
 

2. Free time. Performance evaluations for managers should include assessment of the volume and quality of new ideas they brought to the table. If the company’s priority is solely productivity, no one will have time to think about creating something new, let alone bring it to life.
 

3. Training. An office that encourages and facilitates education openly admits there’s room to grow and inspires people take that leap. The risk involved in these changes is less than the risk of not making them. Innovation is outside the comfort zones of most businesses.

(The contents of this post are largely borrowed. But I can't find the original source so apologies for not referencing. C73)

Your 'life' is perfect. But this might help with the journey.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” Aristotle

If you could just pick one or two (or seven) habits to create in the next few months — habits that will have the most impact on your life — what would they be?

We often get asked this question, because people are overwhelmed when it comes to starting positive life changes.

They ask us: what one or two habits should they start with?

It’s not an easy question. 

But here's how to Develop the Habits

• Do a 30-day challenge, focusing on just ONE habit.
• Write it out on paper, along with your motivations, obstacles, and strategies for overcoming them.
• Commit fully, in a public way.
• Log your progress.
• Remain publicly accountable — report on your progress each day.
• Have support for when you falter — either in real life or online.
• Reward every little success.
• If you fail, figure out what went wrong, plan for it, and try again.

Here's the Seven Little Habits That Can Change Your Life

OK, so now you know how to form a habit — and remember, only do them one at a time — but you want to know the seven little habits. Here they are, in my order of preference (but yours may be different):

1. Develop positive thinking. Its first because its keystone habit. Positive thinking by itself won’t lead to success, but it certainly goes a long way to motivate you to do the other things required.

Focus on this habit first, and you’ll have a much easier time with any of the others. Start by becoming more aware of your negative self-talk — do a little tally sheet throughout the day, marking a tally each time you notice a negative thought. Soon you’ll recognize them, and you can squash them.

Read more:

• Top Motivation Hack: Positive Thinking
• Can You Spot These 10 Thinking Sins

2. Exercise.  How exactly is it life changing? Well:

• It makes you feel better about yourself, and more confident. That leads to better success with other positive changes.
• It reinforces the positive thinking habit — you need to think positive in order to sustain exercise.
• It relieves stress and gives you time to think — this leads to better mental well-being in your life overall.
• It helps with creativity. Don’t ask me to prove it, except to say that my best ideas and brainstorming sessions come from when I exercise.

Here’s how:

• 4 Simple Steps to Start the Exercise Habit
• How to Make Exercise a Daily Habit
• 7 Ways to Build the Exercise Habit

3. Single-tasking. The opposite of multi-tasking. Why is it life-changing? A couple powerful reasons:

• You’ll be more effective with your tasks and get more done. It’s hard to achieve important things if you’re constantly switching tasks and distracted by other “urgent” things.
• You’ll be less stressed overall and (in my experience) happier throughout your day.

Read more:

• How Not To Multi-task: Work Simpler and Saner
• Now Do This and the Single-tasking Philosophy
• The Magical Power of Focus

4. Focus on one goal. Just as focusing on one task at a time is more effective, and focusing on one habit at a time is more effect, so is focusing on one goal at a time. While it might seem very difficult, focusing on one goal at a time is the most powerful way of achieving your goals. When you try to take on many goals at once, you’re spreading thin your focus and energy — the two critical components for achieving a goal.

What if you have 5 goals you want to achieve? Pick one to focus on first. Break it into a mini-goal you can accomplish this month, if it’s a longer-term goal. Pick an action you can do today. Keep doing this until the goal is accomplished — do an action every day, finish the mini-goal, pick the next mini-goal to work on. Then, when your One Goal is completed, focus on the next goal.

Some goals are ongoing ones — like blogging every day, or exercising every day. In those cases, turn them into habits — focus exclusively on turning the goal into a habit, until the habit is ingrained. Then focus on the next goal.

Read more:

• A Simple Guide to Setting and Achieving Your Life Goals

5. Eliminate the non-essential. First, identify the essential — the things in your life that are most important to you, that you love the most. Then eliminate everything else. This simplifies things and leaves you with the space to focus on the essential. This process works with anything — with your life in general, with work projects and tasks, with emails and other communication.

This will change your life because it will help you to simplify, to focus on what’s important, and to build the life you want.

Read more:

• Eliminate All But the Absolute Essential Tasks
• Haiku Productivity: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential

6. Kindness. Yes, kindness is a habit. And it can be cultivated. Focus on it every day for a month and you’ll see profound changes in your life. You’ll feel better about yourself as a person. You’ll see people react to you differently and treat you better, over the long run. It’s karma.

How do you develop the kindness habit? First, make it a goal to do something kind for someone each day. At the beginning of the day, figure out what that kind act will be and then do it during the day. Second, each time you interact with someone, try to be kind, be friendly, be compassionate. Third, try to go beyond small kindnesses to larger acts of compassion, volunteering to help those in need and taking the initiative to relieve suffering.

Read more:

• 18 Practical Tips for Living the Golden Rule
• Faith in Humanity: How to Bring People Closer, and Restore Kindness
• A Guide to Cultivating Compassion in Your Life
• 25 Ways to Help a Fellow Human Being Today
• The No. 1 Lifehack You can Implement Today to Make the World a Better Place

7. Daily routine. It’s so simple, but creating a daily routine for yourself can make a big difference in your life. The best routines, I’ve found, come at the start and end of the day — both your workday and your day in general. That means, develop a routine for when you awake, for when you first start working, for when you finish your workday, and for the end of your evening.

How will that change your life? It will help you get a great start to your day, and finish your day by preparing for the next day. It’ll help you firmly root the productive habits you want to firm in your everyday life. It’ll help you focus on what’s important, not just what comes up. It’ll help you make sure you get done all the things you really want to make sure gets done everyday. And that can mean a lot.

Read more:

• Tips to Establish a Morning and Evening Routine
• 12 Ideas for Establishing a Calming Routine

This post was originally written by Leo Babauta. I 'borrowed' it to test how responsive people are to simple yet such potentially transformative instructions.

A private treaty | 7 rules for 2012

(thoughts to oneself. In Media One)


1. Clarity precedes everything good, and worth pursuing

2. 'Real' compassion lies in hearing what people mean, not listening to what they say

3. People don't get you for what you do, but rather for why you do it (good or bad)

4. Your understanding of 'culture' is linked to the scale of your potential

5. Gratitude is the most important rite you're born with

6. Do what you have to do in order to do what you want to do

7. To get something you've never had, you have to do something you've never done...

3 D's to a more balanced life (Borrowed from Mary Tribby)

(simple but very wise advice for all you plate spinners out there)


On any given day, most of us dedicate time to our children, spouses, careers, friends, charities, churches, parents, siblings, clients, household activities, and, oh yeah, if there is a little extra time left in the day, ourselves. 

So why is it that only a select few of us can make it look easy... while so many look like they have been run over by a tractor trailer? 

The answer is simple. 

Most busy people don't evaluate the project or the task at hand before they begin. This holds true whether they are working on their business lives or on their personal/family lives. 

Instead of taking a hard look at the task or project, they simply try to get it done. They do whatever it takes. 

But unfortunately, the price they pay is very high. 

They sacrifice special moments and milestones with their kids. They risk losing the closeness and tenderness of their spouses. They even jeopardize their own health. They take on all these hardships in order to prove that they are "superparents". And to add insult to injury, in the end, they often miss their deadlines, fail to properly complete the project, and neglect their spouses and children. 

Why do they do this to themselves? 

Because all of our lives we have been told they have to multitask. You have heard the old mantra, "if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself" about a million times. And you don't want to appear inferior. 

If this sounds remotely familiar, I need for you to make yourself and me a significant promise. 

You need to vow here and now that you are ready to read this issue in its entirety and apply my Triple D Strategy to your life starting today. 

This strategy is so powerful that you will have an immediate sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. 

When done correctly, it will allow you to have more free time and make more money in your business. Your friends and family will notice immediately that you are not stressed and moody. But most importantly, your "happiness meter" will be heading in the right direction – up. 

And here's the really beautiful part – it is so simple! 

Allow me to introduce my Triple D Strategy. 

Ditch, Delegate, and Duplicate 

When you start to evaluate every project or task that you THINKhas to be done and done by you every day, you will soon find that the task could fall into three possible categories: 

1) Ditch: This is extremely important if you have a hard time with simply saying "no." Most are unable or unwilling to say that a task is not important enough for their time or anyone else's. Look: we all have the same 24 hours in a day – no more, no less. So why is it that we sometimes feel that we should accomplish 28 hours' worth of tasks in a single day? 

In order to turn down a task, just ask yourself the following question: "What will the result be if nothing is done about this project?" This makes your decision very easy. And when you are completely honest with yourself, you will find that 20% to 30% of the things you spend time on don't need to be done at all! 

2) Delegate: The art of delegating relies on finding the right person whose strengths are YOUR weaknesses. You need to do what you do best. Not spend time and energy on tasks that you are not particularly good at or that don't excite you. Your time and energy should be spent on your natural gifts; things that are innate and that you love doing. You should apply this rule at home and at the office. For example, I'm not particularly good at building websites; this is something I delegate to team members. At home, I don't enjoy cleaning my house. This is a task I delegate to a cleaning woman who comes to my home and – believe it or not – loves to clean. 

Because I do not spend my time on tasks like these, I get to devote that time to tasks that play to my strengths. At the office, my strengths are marketing and content creation. At home, one of my strengths is helping my kids with their homework. These are things that I am very good at and I love doing. 

3) Duplicate: Have you ever wished you had a clone? I sure used to! Now I have several. Being able to make more money and have more free time comes down to doubling, tripling, and quadrupling your output without YOU doing the actual work. 

The reason so many people don't duplicate is because they don't understand the correct way to do so. Most people think, "I will never find anyone as good as I am." Here is the beautiful part – you don't have to. 

You see, you must simply find different people who can do specific tasks as well as you can. So perhaps you need to find three or four people. These people need to share some of your qualities. You need to check your ego at the door and strive to find people who have the ability to be as good as and even better than you are. 

If you write all of your promotional copy, make all the affiliate deals, and develop all your products, you need to find three duplicates: One person to write the copy better than you do now while maintaining your voice and style. One person to cultivate new affiliate deals. This person should have your vivacious personality and be extremely outgoing (if these are your personality traits). And one person to develop products – someone who has even bigger ideas and the ability to get the products completed faster. 

If this is the future...it might be worth waiting for...

The most thought provoking video of 2011? You decide.

Read this article. It'll make you better.

http://the99percent.com/tips/7106/The-Four-Paradoxes-of-Great-Performance