Académique Documents
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Lifelong Learning
When we are captain of our own ship, life can be a wonderful continuous voyage o
f discovery.
Over time our competence continuum moves from ignorance to conversational compet
ence, to operational competence, then towards proficiency, and finally all the w
ay to mastery.
Too often we settle for operational competence.
We can choose to be life-long learners rather than flat-line learners.
Listening
When it comes to describing much of what currently passes for personal communica
tion, the analogy of the crocodile is an apt one: all mouth and no ears...
In conversations we have a choice; we can lecture or we can learn.
Approaching conversations through a learning lens should be our default setting.
I have a view, but, what might I be missing here? What if the other person has
some insight that can illuminate my own? What if I am wrong?
To truly listen to others is a gift to them. As Seneca said: One of the most be
autiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.
Incentives
Incentives matter a lot. They are what drive human behaviour, and we underestim
ate their influence at our peril.
We can only see a situation with true clarity when we take the time to carefully
consider the interests at hand.
And we understand it even better when we consider how the situation might be dif
ferent if the underlying interests were different.
For most things "contextually confident" seems like where we should be. Nothing
occurs in isolation. Always consider the context and recognise that it changes
over time and is different for everyone.
Emotional Intelligence
Some traits to strive for include:
acceptance,
awareness,
character,
compassion,
equanimity,
honesty,
interdependence,
patience,
perspective,
resilience; and
sociability.
Fear
"Gratitude looks to the past and love to the present: fear, avarice, lust and am
bition look ahead." C.S. Lewis
We all have natural abilities when it comes to selling, negotiating and influenc
ing. These can be enhanced by understanding the science involved. For example,
here are some traits of successful negotiators:
Successful negotiators:
... prepare
... seek bigger pies, not bigger slices
... take their time
... focus on understanding the underlying interests of all parties
... understand perception
... maximise, but never overuse, their perceived power
... rarely accept the first offer
... recognise that virtually everything is negotiable
... delve into differences as a treasure trove of differing perceptions of value
... incrementally and continually build on common ground
Adversity
Adversity is both inevitable and relative. Everyone meets with adversity, but n
ot in equal measure. We get to choose the narrative of our response.
A victim narrative can take is under, but a survivor narrative helps us cope. S
ome go beyond a survivor narrative and take on a growth narrative, interpreting
an adversarial event as an opportunity to demonstrate resilience and tenacity.
Experiences
Facts fill the mind, experiences open it. When you get the opportunity to experi
ence something different, take it. Differentiate yourself through your diversity
of experiences.
The Ubiquity of Energy
If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, freq
uency and vibration." Nikola Tesla
It's all about energy - everything. Move beyond being simply being re-active.
Be pro-active, or better still be enthusiastic...
Choosing a Career
We should strive to find a career that offers:
1. Work we enjoy
2. A share in the value we create
Simplicity
Complexity is failed simplicity...
Be a True Friend
"Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort, of feeling safe with a person, havi
ng neither to weigh thought nor measure words, but to pour them all right out, j
ust as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will tak
e and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with a breath of kindness
, blow the rest away." George Eliot
True friends are WARM
Welcoming
Authentic
Reliable
Mutually Respectful
Where to Live
Where we live too often comes down to chance, as a by-product of other decisions
or as a compromise. Recognising that where we live is an important life choice
should cause us to give the decision more thought.
Having Children
Having and raising children is not a fair-weather pursuit, yet those who have th
em wouldn't have it any other way. Our ability to fully control whether we have
children is open to debate, but the choice to love them, no strings attached, is
ours alone.
Compound Gratification
Earn more. Spend less.
Set up a regular savings plan and make a public commitment to maintain it. Make
savings automatic.
Invest rationally through a passive, DIY, or trusted manager route.
Avoid large mistakes.
Do your homework and be careful of leverage.
Minimise expenses.
Maximise tax efficiency.
Think about the compound gratification of knowing that you have chosen the smart
route - enriching the choices you will have later in life.
Choose larger later over smaller sooner.
Thinking
A child of five would understand this.
Send someone to fetch a child of five.
- Groucho Marx
Our brains are powerful but far from perfect. While our gut, intuition and subco
nscious serve us well, for important decisions we need to think twice. Understa
nding how our brains operate improves our ability to use them.
Full Circle
To Contemplation's sober eye
Such is the race of man:
And they that creep, and they that fly,
Shall end where they began.
Pebbles of Perception