It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. Aristotle
Tag: honesty
B Movie – Gil Scott Heron
You don’t need to be in no hurry. You ain’t never really got to worry. And you don’t need to check on how you feel. Just keep repeating that none of this is real. And…
If you want to be successful…
…get yourself a mentor. We’re not just talking about someone who can provide neutral third party advice and act as a sounding board for your ideas. Although this can be a critical part of the…
#EpicCollaboration
Firstly I want to thank everyone involved at #EpicCollaboration. I had the pleasure of attending a strategy session the other night with a group of honest, intelligent, compassionate, creative and committed collaborators. I appreciate you…
I’ve been launching…
Firstly there’s Knowledge Work: honest, friendly and highly beneficial mentoring for young professionals. Then there’s the launch of something that is truly beyond words. Unequivocally remarkable. Those of you who know me know what I’m talking about…for those…
Taking stock
I’ve been writing this blog for almost a year now since I decided to make the switch. Every now and then I look back at some of the things I’ve written…sometimes I can’t even remember ever writing…
Purpose
When you know what you want, when you know where you are going, you begin to appreciate a purpose. If you’re in doubt about what you want, if you’re questioning the direction you’re heading, you will…
Why?
There is nothing and no one waiting for you. Your life is yours and lived only once. Why do we strive for distraction? Time in space is all we have. Attempting to avoid reality. The…
The fox and the grapes
One hot summer’s day a Fox was strolling through an orchard till he came to a bunch of grapes just ripening on a vine which had been trained over a lofty branch. “Just the thing…
Greatness
The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark. Michelangelo
Shady
There are so many shady people out there it’s easy to forget that honest and genuine people exist. The shadiness isn’t always obvious. It’s not as if these people are necessarily rude or obnoxious or…
The whole is great
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Aristotle It’s true also that each part is painstakingly engineered and crafted to serve its own purpose. We are each individually capable of anything but…
‘Tis the season to be wary…
…of everything. The food will make you fat. The spending will make you poor. The small talk will be painful. The crowds will be in your way. The heat will make sweat. The cold will…
Community
What does community mean? How do we define who is in our community and who isn’t? Geographical parameters work…well sort of…but what about online communities? Do online communities exist by virtue of a username and…
One liners
A few words can be so powerful. In fact fewer words are often most powerful and influential. It’s not the quantity that counts but the quality. Same applies to everything. Everything. The creation of a…
Avoid a void
Lever from clever Grin in the grind Can do in candor Cue the rescue Ink is to think Courage is rage Lie to believe Anger is dangerous Inspiration not ration Harm in pharmacy Urge not…
Recognise amazing
Calling someone out for their brilliance or in recognition of their amazingness is not a frequent enough occurrence. We should all strive to point out a huge effort, to give credit when and where credit…
This is water
There are so many people going places; doing things; always in each other’s way all at the same time. Everyone is in a rush operating in some sort of vacuum, oblivious to their surrounds. If…
Meandering Mondays VII
Happy Monday! Australia is a vast country mainly of deserts and rocks… ULURU This had to be portrayed in colour…for obvious reasons. It’s a sacred place to indigenous Australians but if you’ve ever been you’ll…
You are my everything
Life without you is unimaginable. You are the beating heart of my life. You are determined and energetic. You are my exhaustion and exhilaration. Don’t ever stop exploring. Don’t ever stop learning. Don’t stop pushing…
Contentment
Contentment is a word often used out of context. It has the connotation of being mediocre and settling for whatever when in fact it is the acknowledgement and satisfaction of reaching your capacity. In other…
Predictability
Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary…
Frequency
We’re all on a different wavelength but even so there’s significant overlap within our range…unless of course you’re a tuba and you have to deal with a piccolo. But that’s rare. Most of the time…
People watching
People are amazing, they’re unpredictable. Not one person is the same. We are all different; both in appearance and in the way we think. Stopping to observe people on the street, at work, interacting with…
Sunk costs
There is nothing more sobering than a sunk cost. It’s the most truthful realisation of a f&*k up. Often the term is associated with business and economics and known as a previous expenditure that can…
Commitment
Conceptually is unqualified, unconditional, absolute. Often it conjures thoughts of long term, but it can be temporary too. Momentarily there is fear and trepidation. Moreover though a realisation of benefit and achievement. It is that which…
Boundaries
We all have boundaries. We all create boundaries. Some boundaries are imposed on us. We can choose to stay within these boundaries or we can choose to venture beyond them. There is a different world…
Deal with it
There are so many distractions in our lives that we don’t have the time to deal with our problems anymore. Increasingly our capacity as human beings to confront setbacks and bounce back is being diluted…
Adding value
Where do you think you add value? It’s a question I ask myself often…it’s like looking yourself in the eye and asking what your purpose is…it’s a tough one. To answer the question you could…
Terms and conditions
We live in a world of terms and conditions. Almost everything we do and almost everything we own are all subject to terms and conditions. From the toaster we use to the cars we…
Freebies
I used to love freebies; free food, freed drinks, free memberships, giveaways of any sort! Some say that nothing is for free. Although I never really understood that previously, in most cases now, I agree.…
Rhythm of the soul
Music is very special. It can mean so much on so many levels. Regardless of what genre of music: it resonates, it has impact. Our happiest moments as well as our darkest are all marked…
Pulling faces
We are all very different. None of us are the same. Yet we are all connected. We all live and breathe along a continuum of time in finite space. Let’s embrace each others differences and…
Captive
I’m going to take a slightly different approach today as I realise I’ve been rather negative in dealing with some issues explored here at Ask a Toddler. So I’m not going to focus on our…
Misanthropy
Misanthropy is the general hatred, distrust or disdain of the human species or human nature. The word’s origin is from Greek words μῖσος (misos, “hatred”) and ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos, “human”). Not to be mistaken with its…
Automatons
The only thing that now separates us humans from robots is self awareness. There are probably still a few things we can do a little better than a well oiled, software driven, precision built machine,…
Mind works
For if you [the rulers] suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners to be corrupted from their infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what…
Illusion of choice
We are constantly faced with decisions, hundreds of times a day. What to eat, what to wear, how to travel, who to speak to, what to say, how to say it etc etc. Choices. Decisions.…
Benefit of doubt
Wise men [sic], when in doubt whether to speak or keep quiet, give themselves the benefit of the doubt, and remain silent. – Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich There is a fear of speaking…
The plot
Thank you Ashleigh Brilliant. We’re not supposed to know the plot because we’re writing it as we go. We’re the directors, the producers, the protagonists all in one. Hopefully we can gather a superb supporting…
Keeping track
There’s Jawbone’s Up, 23andMe, Xero, Fitbit, Do It! Geotags, CloudOn, CheckMark, MakeMe and a million other gadgets and apps designed to help us keep track of our own lives. Everything under the sun is covered…genetic…
Building bridges
We’ve all experienced a traumatic event or stuffed up majorly. Sometimes these incidents are a little worse than others but we’re all still here, sanity intact and physically able to [at least] get to Ask…
Pack light, live free
Travelling alone for extended periods of time (in excess of 6 months and not really alone because there are plenty of like minded people around the world) teaches you many many things…but I think one…
Meaningful relationships
Our interaction with others is what defines us. It is our relationships that make our lives meaningful. Our contribution to others is why we exist. If there is someone you care about; if there is…
Everybody is a genius
Albert Einstein was a genius. There is no question about that. According to Einstein we are all geniuses. Can that be the case? Are we being judged against the wrong criteria? Formal institutionalised education imposes…
Illusion of strength
We often associate strength with weight, uniformity and size. It’s not always the case. In reality, strength comes from within our hearts and minds. When we combine passion and intelligence there is no stronger force.…
Random acts of kindness
We all have something to learn from each other. No matter who you are, what you do or what you’re about. Even Emmanuel, the homeless man you see pictured, was a source of invaluable information…
Too far to turn back
What do you do when you know you’ve gone too far to turn back? Do you give up and start afresh? Do you trace back a few steps and change trajectory? Or do you carry…
Pleasures in life
Food glorious food! We’re talking home grown, home made, home baked, full of flavour and made with love. There is no substitute for fresh, homely, culinary mastery. There just isn’t. When you have the luxury…
Admissions
It’s a tough gig admitting we’re wrong or admitting we need to change. Like getting admitted into hospital, its quite a process. Firstly there’s a level of self awareness we need to have which is…