It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. Aristotle
Tag: value
It’s all Greek to me
c/o an unnamed genius… I think having family (albeit distant relations) in Greece helps me understand the situation from a humanitarian perspective, but I also know there are going to be some severe implications for…
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…
Silly Season
It’s that time of year again, the silly season! I’m not feeling the usual hysteria though. Perhaps we’ve all run out of money? Maybe, we’ve began to see through the illusion of scarcity? Or is it that…
7 practical tips of persistence
Tip #1: Start small One thing at a time, ‘Φασούλι φασούλι γεμίζει το σάκούλι’. Affect change where you can, immediately, progressively, and iteratively – this stuff is easy if all you need to worry about is making a change to…
My story of persistence: Part #6
I know this story has been dragging on for some time so I’m going to try and wrap it up as quickly as I can, maybe even in this post…let’s see how we go…thanks for…
My story of persistence: Part #5
As you do when looking for work, especially when you know its time to move on, you look for anything and everything that looks remotely interesting. You don’t really put all your eggs in one…
My story of persistence: Part #4
There is something very reassuring about mail. I reckon it’s a key indicator of a modern, functioning civilisation (along with safe and efficient garbage disposal but that’s a story for another day). Almost without exception…
My story of persistence: Part #3
There are some professional service vocations that require practitioners to maintain a certain level of competence by obtaining what’s called continuing professional development points. The goal is 10 points in a 12 month period. You…
My story of persistence: Part #2
So the job situation was by no means dire. I had a good boss who understood me and how I worked. The pay was satisfactory for my level of qualifications at the time and given…
My story of persistence: Part #1
About three years ago, I started on a journey that would take me to a destination that I had decided I needed to reach. I’m making some head way and I want to share my story with you.…
It’s all about Valume
Yesterday, I had the privilege of hearing Adrian Fittolani introduce me to the concept of valume. Now there is no way I will be able to convey the message with anywhere near as much heart…
Disruptive Thinking
#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…
With intention
Know real Now matters Open honest Without hesitation Live deliberately Extend boundaries Do what matters Grow and contribute Eclecticism
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…
Noise
Wherever we turn, no matter what we’re doing, we have to deal with noise. Even in complete silence, we filter cognitive noise. This noise is audible and visual too. Our lives are being bombarded with noise. Useless and utter crap.…
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…
Letters of Note
The internet is a sharing tool. The inspiration and creativity found is that of fellow human beings. Occasionally you come across a truly inspirational collection of information that warrants our attention. Here is one site…
Learning from strangers
All our lives we are taught by strangers. We are told to listen, respect and learn from their teachings. It’s been a long since teaches actually taught us something worth learning though and that’s the…
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
Public Domain Dedication
“Public Domain Dedication” sounds like the type of thing you do when you’re about to ask your life-long partner to marry you in front of tens of thousands of people at a New York Yankees…
Making time
You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it. Charles Buxton I always try putting in place a few measures to ensure I get exposure to challenging and confronting…
Working with your hands
In this day and age intellectual property rules but there’s something to be said about working with your hands. Going to university, getting a degree and landing that sweet desk job is the aspiration of…
Meandering Mondays XII
After somewhat of a hiatus we’re back and travelling to a small Victorian outpost called Malmsbury for this Monday’s meander. Malmsbury There isn’t that much to say about this place but that’s the point. It…
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…
Illusion of scarcity
Our consumerist existence operates on the concept of scarcity. We are made to believe that the things we have become obsolete, that the sales on offer are for a limited time, that the goods we…
Artistic expression
Some of us write. We all probably photograph. Drawing was something we did as kids [at least for most of us]. By writing, photographing and drawing we communicate to those who care to notice. Some…
Health
We are nothing without our health. Somewhere, somehow we need to be sure to keep a healthy body and healthy mind to save ourselves from the greatest calamity that is: being unhealthy.
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…
Bruce Lee
How is this for a varied career: martial artist, martial arts instructor, actor, film director, screenwriter and founder. Bruce Lee died at the age of 32 but in his short existence he redefined so much.…
The Horse and His Trainer
The following is my adaption of one of Aesop’s fables: A horse trainer took the utmost pains with his charger. As long as the Spring carnival lasted, he looked upon him as his fellow-helper in…
On tick
Buying something ‘on tick’ usually refers to a purchase on credit. That is, using money you don’t have right now to buy something right now by borrowing money right now. Effectively what’s happening is that…
Eggs will hatch
You may have heard the saying: Don’t count your chickens before your eggs hatch The basic premise is self explanatory. We have so many chickens and yet we still insist on counting our eggs. Instead of…
Visuals
Source: Pop Chart Lab I picture things. All manner of things. I draw pictures to understand. I visual scenarios to recall a detail I need to remember. I take a snapshot of a page as…
Special
This is Ansel Adams. Source: georgerose.com He took photos of landscapes like no other person.
Dvorak
Not Dr. Evils second cousin but a ‘simplified’ keyboard layout patented in 1936. Apparently it’s easier, more efficient, requires less finger motion and reduces errors as compared to his more popular sister QWERTY. Proponents of…
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…
Φασούλι φασούλι
‘Φασούλι φασούλι γεμίζει το σάκούλι’ – and in English: ‘fasouly fasouly yemizy to sakouly‘ translated from Greek means ‘bean by bean fills the sack’. Growing up I remember hearing this phrase bandied around quite often both in relation to…
The Estyn Curve
The theory illustrated in the Estyn Curve was developed by a small group of undergraduates (including yours truly and a guy named Estyn who’s idea it was in the first place) whilst procrastinating instead of…
Building
Working with your hands, learning a trade, building something you can see before your very own eyes is a wonderful thing. Like the intangible effort, building something with your hands requires skill, concentration and effort. Little is left to chance. Unlike the intangible effort…
Mastering
Getting to know something like the back of your hand takes time, dedication, commitment and above all sacrifice. To master an art is to choose this art over all others. Most fall into vocations that…
If this then that
It’s always worth re-visiting first principles i.e. the theory from time to time…today is a very basic recap of a fundamental logic using facts, rules and definitions as the basis for reason; deductive reasoning. Lets…
Stand up
Stand up for progress. Stand up for change. Stand up to brief. Stand up to debrief. Stand up to sprint. Stand up to retrospect. Stand up to scrum. Stand up to iterate. Stand up to…
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…
Peaks and troughs
Peaks High, Bright Soaring, Powering, Unrelenting I am great and unstoppable | Why is this happening to me? Lacking, Unforgiving, Depressing Morose, Austere Troughs