Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Not Fooling Anyone - Fake Laughs

A laugh is considered fake when it is generated without the proper emotion behind it. A fake laugh doesn't give away the impression that the person is happy but rather that he's not comfortable with himself; like something is troubling him.

It is better to be genuinely angry than to fake happiness. Work on fixing what makes you angry for your happiness to be genuine.

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Who ever does it longer; Wins

Consistency is what determines who will win. How long are you prepared to do something in order to win? Consistency is applied disciplined. It's doing what it takes longer than the opposition.

[Edit - July 31, 2013]

"...But persistence is only one of the ingredients of victory. We can try and try, and try and try and try again, and still fail, unless we combine persistence with experimentation." -David J. Schwartz

While consistency is important, it doesn't do much when we're doing the wrong things. We not only have to stick to something for longer than the opposition, we also have to become the best at it through learning from our mistakes.

Monday, July 29, 2013

The Pension Promise – Risky Business

Definition:
A pension is a promise of income at the end of one’s career. The pension was designed for people looking for security rather than freedom. It’s usually half to a third of the income you couldn't afford to live on while working.
Many believe that our pension is in a bank somewhere just waiting for us to retire when really that money is being invested in all sorts of government related activities.

Why it doesn’t work:
The idea is to have the generation that comes after us pay for our retirement. This will only work if:

1. The generation that precede it isn’t significantly larger than the one before it - The baby boomers are retiring and there’s currently not enough people working to pay for their retirement.

2. The population isn't paying their taxes – Only 47% of the population paid their property taxes last year in Detroit. The city had to file for bankruptcy and can no longer give pensions.

3. The retiree dies soon after he retires - Only a limited amount of people can retire at the same time. We’re only expected to live 2-5 years after we retire but since people tend to live longer the retirement age went from 65 to 70 in some provinces.

I believe that the Pension Promise is dying and we're about to hit a home base business revolution. It doesn't make sense to work for 40 years to end up with nothing.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Nourishing the Mind

"...a mind that feeds only on itself soon is undernourished, becoming weak and incapable of creative progressive thought. Stimulation from others is excellent mind food." - David J. Scwartz

It is important to associate ourselves with people of quality either physically, through books or audios in order to challenge the mind. Doing activities outside of the comfort zone is also a good way to stimulate the mind.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

It isn’t smart to be intelligent

“… time and time again in high schools when a group of lunkheads deride a classmate who has the good sense to make the most of his educational opportunities and come out with high grades. Sometimes-and all too sadly often-the bright student is jeered at until he reaches the conclusion that it isn’t smart to be intelligent”
-P. 155 of “The Magic of thinking BIG” by David J. Swartz

"There is such a thing as people living mediocre lives. Some of them will fight you when ever they feel you’re doing something different. They don’t mind you getting ahead, they just don’t want you getting ahead of them."

Mediocrity is an hindrance to excellence and is the cancer of our society. Those who attempt to excel will be discouraged by the mediocre fellow who doesn't have enough courage to do the same.

Excellence is all that there is. Doing something without the intention to reach for the stars isn't worth doing.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Finding your center

A few years ago, I was exposed to the idea of a center of a person. Even though I listened, I didn’t fully understand what the speaker was talking about until I, too, found my center.

The center is the real you, It’s where your confidence and sense of self is. The closer you get from it, the more comfortable you are with yourself and the less you care about what other people think.

I found my center through reading self improvement books and fitness. There are probably many different ways to find your center.

Once the center is found, it becomes easier to identify when we move away from it. We constantly have to work on ourselves to grow and be that center.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Choosing a teacher

If you’re serious about what you want to learn then you have to find the best possible teacher for it. Learning something wrong can be more damaging than not knowing. The confidence that “you know” won’t hold any ground and may come back and bite you.

Most martial arts champions will agree that most black belts are not good fighters. This is in part due to the student and the teacher. The thinking behind the kick is as important as the kicking (if not more). Are you just learning how to dance? Are you learning how to “be” a martial artist or just imitating one?

Find the best teacher.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Communication Noise

There was a time where people who could communicate using speech were considered highly educated.

Communication is what creates a sense of community. The rise of technological devices, which in theory should have helped with creating a stronger community, created isolation. You can’t have a community of isolated people.

The technological noise has made us so busy that it often interrupts the time we’ve set apart to be with our family and friends. How many of you have been to a family supper and seen people answer their texts or browse Facebook when they should be focus on the present moment with their peers?

When spending time with people you love, don’t let your technological devices interrupt the interaction.


Friday, July 12, 2013

The Benjamin Franklin Virtues - 13. Humility

Humility is to be humble; to be without ego or self.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

The Benjamin Franklin Virtues - 12. Chastity

Chastity is to follow the sexual behavior acceptable to the moral standards of a civilization or religion. In Christianity-it is often associated with sexual abstinence, especially before marriage.

References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chastity

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

The Benjamin Franklin Virtues - 11. Tranquility

Tranquility is taking time away from the daily distractions. It is removing oneself from an overcrowded mental space to find calmness and serenity.

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