Professional and Personal Growth

By all means be a unique person That quirky thing you do that makes you, you. Being who you truly are can be defined best by an Eastern philosophy I have come to believe in. It might seems that an outsider is making a judgement call but before we get there consider the following when next you look in the mirror. In Japanese culture, they say you have three faces. The first face, you show to the world. The second face, you show to close friends and family. The third face, you show to no one. The third face is also the person you truly are. Taking this philosophy into consideration, you cant really show your third face to anyone. Your second face to some and your third face to all. The only thing we can really do is to better understand ourselves first, before sharing with everyone else. What you need to remember before you start "being yourself" is that you are above all a human first. Contrary to popular belief we are all flawed. As a species we are at the dawn off g...

It takes an average of 2 months to form lasting habits. The better the habit, the longer it takes to become an automatic daily action. This rule applies to good habits. "Good" meaning something that you know you should be doing but is too much of a discomfort to do. Bad habits take around 2 weeks to become an automatic daily action. "Why?" you might ask. Because it is something that fits right into comfort zone. You know you should not be doing it as it has no positive lasting effects on your life. Our habits form us and have control over our lives. Your habits lead to certain friends circles or even business partners.  But habits have a far greater effect on your life then you might think. It has the power to change your brain physically. This in turn means that your perception of the world changes along with it. Where other see opportunity you might see an obstacle. Similar the difference between a fleeting thought and life changing epiphany. How you see thes...

One vs one million, the beggar’s story. The same rule that applies to one, applies to one million. I have read many books on this simple rule but saying is easier than doing. From Sun Tzu’s, The Art of War to leading business books there is mention of what counts for one counts for many. The rule gets repeated through the centuries as the basic principle behind small to large scale action on anything. If you can influence one person, which we all can then why can’t you influence one million? Let me ask you a better question. If you can earn a basic salary of one to several thousand a month, which we are all doing then why can’t you earn one to several million? Let me tell you the story of a street beggar I had an argument with over employment the other day. I left my workplace around lunch time to just get some air. By then I already had a pretty bad day and I was in no mood for any irritation. You know that ‘get out of my way, on the edge of road rage’ or ‘just running away’ feeli...

Say less than you know but know more than you say. Speech, the verbal word. Your friend, ally or most dreaded enemy. It is believed that our verbal word makes up 7 to 40% of communication with 60 to 90% nonverbal communication attributed to body language and tone of voice. There are several variables to this analyses ranging from age to culture. I want to explain the relation between verbal and nonverbal communication through personal experience. “Have more than you show, speak less than you know.” - William Shakespeare – People judge you by what they see then get to know you by what you say. It’s important to first appeal visually then back it with intelligence. Body language is the ‘show’ part but in many cases the ‘show’ can be misleading. I have met many people that did not match their appearance. I have also met people that were spot on. Now to turn the table and assume an introspective view. Do you match your appearance? When we deal with other people in a relationship or pro...

Overthinking Synonym’s: brood, consider, deliberate, despond, dwell upon, fret, gloom, grieve, lament, languish, meditate, mope, mull over, muse, ponder, reflect, repine, ruminate, sigh, speculate, stew over, sulk, sweat out, sweat over, think about, think upon, worry, focus, peruse, speculate, scan, revolve. ( https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/293798-synonym-for-too-think-too-much/ ) (Mar 7, 2005) Most of the above mentioned words amply describe overthinking. In my opinion it sounds like a therapist describing a person suffering from depression or anxiety disorder. Why? Because in many cases it is. Even though overthinking forms part of the thought process it should not be confused with analytical thinking or problem solving. I like to differentiate between these thoughts by classifying them as positive and negative. Analytical thinking, problem solving and planning all deal with negative subjects but have positive outcomes in mind. Whereas negative thoughts on negativ...

Waiting, you either like it or are so upset at the human factor causing your current frustration that you don't have the clarity of mind to realize that you are in control of what you do while you are waiting. Time brings me to the point of this little note. How important is your time to you? Time is worth far more than any monetary currency. You have a limited amount of time to live. Time spent waiting is equivalent to life time wasted. When you wait you are not doing anything to add value, or grow in any way. I am currently waiting on someone. Instead of being consumed by the misery that overthinking can bring on, I am taking this time to write about waiting. Why write? you might ask. This is a technique I use to help me understand a subject better, and I get to do something I enjoy. What could you be doing when you have no other option but wait? The possibilities are endless, even the act of solving the aforementioned problem is a blessing in itself. While thinking abou...

Not an easy subject by any means. Firstly it begins at a molecular level. How your genetics influence your biochemistry and ultimately how these are in turn influenced by your habits. Secondly how your Psychology is influenced by the effects of Sociology on your mental development and the person you ultimately become. A question that always fascinated me is the one of fate or destiny. Was the homeless person siting on the corner living off scraps destined to be there? How about the CEO of a fortune 100 company? Let's put aside the stereotypical answer where the CEO came from a rich family and the homeless person prefers to beg rather than work. My point of view on the subject delivers the following logic. At some point during each one of these peoples lives there was a defining moment that made them what they are today.  Although this is true its an easy answer to a complex situation. Lets set the following control for the homeless man and CEO. They both come from a middle cl...