Most times we go through life pre-occupied in our thoughts and our peculiar challenges such that we miss out on a lot of lessons life throws on our paths. We are either plugged deep into a PDA while commuting or screened out of a noisy environment by tinted car windows. In either of this case, you are engrossed in the distillation of varying sounds emanating from a myriad of outward assaults emanating from public speakers, mobile traders, hooting and honking of motorcycles or vehicular machines just name a few.
Irrespective of our experiences or sides of the street, one thing is clear; the mass of passers-by are defined by a pensive, hapless and often obvious expectant mien that masks an internal war. Generally, one obvious denominator can be found in the love for JOE. Joe seems to be the only guy that is loved unconditionally by everyone in respective of age, race, religious or philosophical leaning; he is the man to beat.
All economic, social and even cultural systems in the world are set up in favour of Joe. From communal co-habitations to geo-political definitions; from sovereign structures to global architecture, Joe’s influence is unparalled and almost infinite. His wisdom is sought by Kings, rulers and world leaders and, in return, he rewards them with empires of great wealth and immeasurable authority fully furnished with loyal adherents. Is Joe therefore not the uncrowned king of the universe!
As I stood in the middle of a transit centre, I paused to observe the continuous flow of quickened steps and unseeing eyes – commuters hastening to various callings while missing the moment because Joe says so. Remember, Joe is the advocate of the 50/50 principle and the god-father of the ever-present middle class; the protector of the unadventurous. His dictionary defines comfort and security in bold and angelic terms. Ironically, these are the manure of the earth.
While most development comes as a result of change, not all change may result in development. For Joe, change is always a threatening experience as leaving the comfort zone creates an uncertain future. Yet, without movement, however minimal, there may not be growth.
The average Joe will ever remain average. He will always be a prisoner of his fears. He will always remain comfortable. His perception will continue to be limited and as his dreams fades into a distant past.
But like a watershed on the hillside, those droplets, whether a handful or in quantum, are the very ‘salt’ of the river groove landscape. The nourishing moist contributed by these ones compliment other elemental presence and together tells the story of a beautiful picturesque. These are the rebels or are so called. The brave and courageous who dare to challenge the authority of Joe in all ramifications. They befriend adventure and take risk because they understand that life grows out of the ‘box’ of convention and that beyond the 'system', just a little bit, lies evolution. Even as humans, our immune systems are ratified by the actions of the free radicals!
You should pause for awhile and do a self-check – yes an audit of your dreams and expectations. Are you where you dreamt to be years ago? If not, what is holding you back? What must you tomorrow? NO! what must you do NOW? You can’t be an average Joe and expect to win the game of life. If you are too casual about life, you might end up a casualty! You have to go the extra mile and kick it up a notch. "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing" saids Helen Keller. The trouble is, if you don't risk anything, you risk even more as Erica Jong saw it.
So listen to your heart. Because if you do, you might learn something - personal wisdom, they say, is self-evident.
Faj
Friday, August 7, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Mental Detox...
In this age of information ‘bombardment’ and the resultant increase in general stress levels, it is important to embark on regular mental detoxification. Increase in statistical data of psychological cases is scary enough to set this trigger in for most, if not all of us. While there may not be a generic solution to this malice, it is clear, however, that the human mind is just like a garden that needs constant weeding and attendance. Prolonged neglect may result in the ‘weeds’ taking over just like a physical garden. Now, not only do you need to weed this garden often, you may also need to plant beautiful flowers to make it more lively and enduring.
Some psychologists even liken the human brain to computer software that needs periodic upgrading to enhance its effectiveness. After all, if we look at mental development, we naturally grew into adult thinking from childhood naivety. And we go to formal schools to sharpen our minds to fit our current social structures.
But it’s equally important to note that while good fertilizers can enhance a garden’s prospect, a poisonous weed will do the opposite. One of the sources of distress is mental poison. Ironically, our sources of nourishment may also become toxic – whether they are environmental, personal, institutional or global influences. Mind-building opportunities can become mind-slaying advantages arising from personal interaction, social bonding and even the gamut of media apparatus. No matter the source or sort of program it is, the onus lies on everyone to check, decide, mitigate or eliminate insidious source(s). But of course, this can only happen if you aware of this 'possibility' in the first place – then proceed to ask the right question.
For starters, you might want to check mental poisons coming arising from:
1. Your belief System. You may be your own enemy. After all, if you don’t believe you can succeed, why blame others?
2. The Right Knowledge. Acquire the right information about your project whatever that may be – the what, how and when. This helps you determine the gestation period and gives you a fair idea of expected results. Ignorance is a form of mental poison.
3. Mental Exercises. If we find it necessary to replenish the body through daily feeding, exercise the body to keep it fit, then the mind deserves mental workouts too to keep it optimal. Playing mind games like Crosswords, Chess or Scrabble can stimulate key parts of the cerebral cortex. Aside from honing your analytical skills, this mechanism also sharpens your mind's ability to organize thoughts and come up with out-of-the-box solutions to problems.
4. Negativity from others. People who are sworn pessimists who only see doom no matter what good prospects there exist. Then there is the larger social circle, institutions, governments and the global ‘cults’. Pick your radius carefully, you never can tell.
5. Enhance Your Intuition. We all have gut feelings naturally from childhood. But we lost this ‘sense’ as we grow older. Yet, this is the best friend we never encouraged. It always helps to crank up your intuition when you need to make decisions. Your gut enables you to make sound judgments that are not based on misleading appearances or other people's opinions.
We live in a world of games players; you are either on the winning side or the losers – the choice is yours.
Faj
Some psychologists even liken the human brain to computer software that needs periodic upgrading to enhance its effectiveness. After all, if we look at mental development, we naturally grew into adult thinking from childhood naivety. And we go to formal schools to sharpen our minds to fit our current social structures.
But it’s equally important to note that while good fertilizers can enhance a garden’s prospect, a poisonous weed will do the opposite. One of the sources of distress is mental poison. Ironically, our sources of nourishment may also become toxic – whether they are environmental, personal, institutional or global influences. Mind-building opportunities can become mind-slaying advantages arising from personal interaction, social bonding and even the gamut of media apparatus. No matter the source or sort of program it is, the onus lies on everyone to check, decide, mitigate or eliminate insidious source(s). But of course, this can only happen if you aware of this 'possibility' in the first place – then proceed to ask the right question.
For starters, you might want to check mental poisons coming arising from:
1. Your belief System. You may be your own enemy. After all, if you don’t believe you can succeed, why blame others?
2. The Right Knowledge. Acquire the right information about your project whatever that may be – the what, how and when. This helps you determine the gestation period and gives you a fair idea of expected results. Ignorance is a form of mental poison.
3. Mental Exercises. If we find it necessary to replenish the body through daily feeding, exercise the body to keep it fit, then the mind deserves mental workouts too to keep it optimal. Playing mind games like Crosswords, Chess or Scrabble can stimulate key parts of the cerebral cortex. Aside from honing your analytical skills, this mechanism also sharpens your mind's ability to organize thoughts and come up with out-of-the-box solutions to problems.
4. Negativity from others. People who are sworn pessimists who only see doom no matter what good prospects there exist. Then there is the larger social circle, institutions, governments and the global ‘cults’. Pick your radius carefully, you never can tell.
5. Enhance Your Intuition. We all have gut feelings naturally from childhood. But we lost this ‘sense’ as we grow older. Yet, this is the best friend we never encouraged. It always helps to crank up your intuition when you need to make decisions. Your gut enables you to make sound judgments that are not based on misleading appearances or other people's opinions.
We live in a world of games players; you are either on the winning side or the losers – the choice is yours.
Faj
Monday, July 20, 2009
The Six Degree of Separation?
Six degrees of separation is the theory that anyone on the planet can be connected to any other person on the planet through a chain of acquaintances that has no more than five intermediaries. This theory supports the notion that anyone can form a chain of personal contacts leading to any other person, with no more than six links in the chain. Nearly everyone has heard of this idea, thanks to John Guare’s 1990 play “Six Degrees of Separation” and the “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” game that became popular in the late 1990s. This game is based on in serious sociological research and there are on-going efforts to scientifically authenticate its veracity.
The theory was first proposed in 1929 by the Hungarian writer Frigyes Karinthy in a short story called "Chains." In 1967, American sociologist Stanley Milgram devised a new way to test the theory, which he called "the small-world problem" to prove this interconnectedness. Though his findings became contentious perhaps because it was administered on a small scale it has, nonetheless gained worthy public attention lately. While the exact number of links between people may differ depending on the population measured and the types of links used, it is generally found to be relatively small. Hence, the phrase "six degrees of separation" is often used as a synonym for the idea of the "small world" phenomenon.
In 2001, Duncan Watts, a professor at Columbia University, revisited Milgram's experiment on the Internet using e-mail messages. His research uncovered fresh areas that later underpin advancement into corporate communication and network theories etc.
Today, the notion of six degrees has become influential and moved beyond academic and philosophical terrains. For instance, the concept of network marketing and social networking on platforms like Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, LinkdIn etc might have taken their bearings from this theory.
The television program Lost might have also explored this theory as almost all the characters seem to have random remote or direct connections. The Oscar-winning film, Babel, also appears to be based on this concept. The lives of all of the characters were intimately intertwined, although they did not know each other and lived thousands of miles from each other. A popular film like the Matrix may also give you an idea of how information is critical to survival.
On the flip side, an astute mind-slayer may employ this theory to manipulate a subject through misinformation, misconception and misconstruction. By using a tactic of ‘cutting the edges’, a subjects’ attitude and actions can be influenced for purposes intended. Miyamoto Musashi, in a Book of Five Rings, says if the corners of an opponent are overthrown, the spirit of his whole body will be overthrown.
Now amplify the use of this theory in the hands of mind-slaying institutions, organizations or even sovereign entities – your guess is as good as mine. You may be shocked at the quantum of ‘untruths’ that has submerged you. Remember, no knowledge is ‘bad’; it’s the use to which this is committed that matters. Think out of the box!
Faj
The theory was first proposed in 1929 by the Hungarian writer Frigyes Karinthy in a short story called "Chains." In 1967, American sociologist Stanley Milgram devised a new way to test the theory, which he called "the small-world problem" to prove this interconnectedness. Though his findings became contentious perhaps because it was administered on a small scale it has, nonetheless gained worthy public attention lately. While the exact number of links between people may differ depending on the population measured and the types of links used, it is generally found to be relatively small. Hence, the phrase "six degrees of separation" is often used as a synonym for the idea of the "small world" phenomenon.
In 2001, Duncan Watts, a professor at Columbia University, revisited Milgram's experiment on the Internet using e-mail messages. His research uncovered fresh areas that later underpin advancement into corporate communication and network theories etc.
Today, the notion of six degrees has become influential and moved beyond academic and philosophical terrains. For instance, the concept of network marketing and social networking on platforms like Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, LinkdIn etc might have taken their bearings from this theory.
The television program Lost might have also explored this theory as almost all the characters seem to have random remote or direct connections. The Oscar-winning film, Babel, also appears to be based on this concept. The lives of all of the characters were intimately intertwined, although they did not know each other and lived thousands of miles from each other. A popular film like the Matrix may also give you an idea of how information is critical to survival.
On the flip side, an astute mind-slayer may employ this theory to manipulate a subject through misinformation, misconception and misconstruction. By using a tactic of ‘cutting the edges’, a subjects’ attitude and actions can be influenced for purposes intended. Miyamoto Musashi, in a Book of Five Rings, says if the corners of an opponent are overthrown, the spirit of his whole body will be overthrown.
Now amplify the use of this theory in the hands of mind-slaying institutions, organizations or even sovereign entities – your guess is as good as mine. You may be shocked at the quantum of ‘untruths’ that has submerged you. Remember, no knowledge is ‘bad’; it’s the use to which this is committed that matters. Think out of the box!
Faj
Saturday, July 4, 2009
You need to 'listen' to this... or read?
I read an article recently By Brian Vaszily, Founder of IntenseExperiences.com and was amazed at a useful discovery. Please read on..
Raising my son, who is eighteen now, and my stepdaughter, who is seventeen, I actually noticed a long time ago that they seemed to pay more attention when I requested something to their right ear versus their left. For example, I’d only have to ask them three or four times to take out the garbage or clear off the table into their right ear. It never seemed to work at all in their left ear ... nor straight at their face, for that matter.
Now a series of studies by Dr. Luca Tommasi and Daniele Marzoli from the University "Gabriele d'Annunzio" in Chieti, Italy, have demonstrated that people prefer to be addressed into their right ear.
Furthermore, people are more likely to do what is requested of them if the request is delivered into their right ear versus their left!
According to the research, this is because of our right brain / left brain hemispheres; the left hemisphere of human brains, commonly known as the analytic side versus the creative and more abstract right side, is superior for processing verbal information. Sound going in the right ear processes in the left side of the brain and vice-versa, so it makes sense that verbal requests in the right ear are more likely to be heard and carried out.
According to the study's authors, "Our studies corroborate the idea of a common ancestry - in humans and other species - of lateralized behavior during social interactions, not only for species-specific vocal communication, but also for affective responses." [wow, some technical description!]
But more important are the potential applications of their findings! For example, if you want to have a better chance of persuading your spouse to go out for dinner, or finally clean out the garage? Aim your request at his or her right ear!
You’ll be making requests of other people for the rest of your life ... so now you know which ear to aim those requests at.
And speaking of requests, I have one to ask of you. BUT please close your left eye as you read this, because I’ll bet you're more likely to carry out requests you read with your right eye, too: if you know of anyone who might find this article interesting, please forward it on to them ... and encourage them to subscribe to the FREE IntenseExperiences.com newsletter (they'll also get my new eBook, The 23 Most Important Secrets to Achieve Deep Happiness, free and instantly too!)
Thanks. You can open your left eye now. ☺
P.S.: Some information I might add! Enjoy. Faj
Raising my son, who is eighteen now, and my stepdaughter, who is seventeen, I actually noticed a long time ago that they seemed to pay more attention when I requested something to their right ear versus their left. For example, I’d only have to ask them three or four times to take out the garbage or clear off the table into their right ear. It never seemed to work at all in their left ear ... nor straight at their face, for that matter.
Now a series of studies by Dr. Luca Tommasi and Daniele Marzoli from the University "Gabriele d'Annunzio" in Chieti, Italy, have demonstrated that people prefer to be addressed into their right ear.
Furthermore, people are more likely to do what is requested of them if the request is delivered into their right ear versus their left!
According to the research, this is because of our right brain / left brain hemispheres; the left hemisphere of human brains, commonly known as the analytic side versus the creative and more abstract right side, is superior for processing verbal information. Sound going in the right ear processes in the left side of the brain and vice-versa, so it makes sense that verbal requests in the right ear are more likely to be heard and carried out.
According to the study's authors, "Our studies corroborate the idea of a common ancestry - in humans and other species - of lateralized behavior during social interactions, not only for species-specific vocal communication, but also for affective responses." [wow, some technical description!]
But more important are the potential applications of their findings! For example, if you want to have a better chance of persuading your spouse to go out for dinner, or finally clean out the garage? Aim your request at his or her right ear!
You’ll be making requests of other people for the rest of your life ... so now you know which ear to aim those requests at.
And speaking of requests, I have one to ask of you. BUT please close your left eye as you read this, because I’ll bet you're more likely to carry out requests you read with your right eye, too: if you know of anyone who might find this article interesting, please forward it on to them ... and encourage them to subscribe to the FREE IntenseExperiences.com newsletter (they'll also get my new eBook, The 23 Most Important Secrets to Achieve Deep Happiness, free and instantly too!)
Thanks. You can open your left eye now. ☺
P.S.: Some information I might add! Enjoy. Faj
Friday, July 3, 2009
Chapter 11 – Financial Education An Unfair Advantage | Conspiracy of the Rich: The 8 New Rules of Money
Robert Kyosaki is an authority on money matters. I have followed his works over the years. I believe his new book (in the making) is quite revealing particularly in these challenging times.
Enjoy a good chapter here..Chapter 11 – Financial Education An Unfair Advantage | Conspiracy of the Rich: The 8 New Rules of Money
Enjoy a good chapter here..Chapter 11 – Financial Education An Unfair Advantage | Conspiracy of the Rich: The 8 New Rules of Money
Do u know...
The Internet Never Forgets
Recently, I read an interesting article by Mark Nestmann, one of the regular writers at Sovereign Society. It’s quite informative and I thought I’d share it with others, just in case you haven’t seen it.
Web-savvy employers and universities are increasingly employing a new tactic to screen applicants: conducting online research to unearth photos, blog entries, or other "digital dirt" you might prefer to keep private. Indeed, companies are springing up to dig up Internet postings that might be of interest to employers, government agencies, or whoever else might be interested. For instance, you can view Web pages that were modified months or even years ago through the Internet Archive, also known as the Wayback Machine, at http://www.archive.org.
But that doesn't mean you can't obscure your digital trail. While I normally suggest that anyone interested in privacy avoid posting information to the Internet about themselves, if data you don't want others to see is already there, here are a few suggestions on how to cope: Delete, delete, delete. Start by deleting any photo, personal profile, or personal description on any social networking or dating Web site that is even mildly embarrassing. For instance, I suspect Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google, might prefer not to have this photo of him in drag immortalized. While Sergey may be wealthy enough not to care, you may not be.
Unfortunately, most social networking sites create archives in which your photos may reside permanently, even if you delete them from your profile. Someone with a link to the original photo—or using the Internet Archive—might be able to find it.
Do a search of yourself on Google. Look for any links back to potentially incriminating or embarrassing posts or photos. Unfortunately, Google won't remove content itself, but merely will refer you to the Webmaster posting the content. If you can't figure out who's in charge of a Web site, search for the owner at www.whois.net. Contact the owner of the site and ask that comments by or about you be deleted. In most cases the owner has no obligation to remove the content, but it may do so if you persist or threaten legal action.
Set up a Google alert for yourself. You'll receive a daily e-mail update of the latest updates of whatever topic—yourself in this case—that you choose. This is a great way to monitor what others are saying about you online.
Create favorable content about yourself. You can do this in many ways. For instance, create a professional Web site and/or professional blog. For blogs, Wordpress, LiveJournal and TypePad all have high Google page ranks. You can also create a Wikipedia entry for yourself. To further insure these sites are at the top of any Google search of your name, use title tags and headers to highlight information about you that you want people to see. Don't forget to create a Google profile that contains the information about yourself you wish to highlight. You can also leave comments on blogs and Web sites you respect under your own name.
Use social networking sites intelligently. It's almost impossible to permanently eliminate content you post to social networking sites, even if you unsubscribe. However, you can also use these sites to your advantage, especially if you're setting up a profile for the first time. Web sites like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Flickr, and Twitter are a good place to begin. You don't even need to use these sites. Just create a profile and add the content you want people to see. Web sites that let you create a unique link with your name in it are especially useful (e.g., LinkedIn). Those pages will show up ahead of most other sites that might contain content you don't want others to view.
Use protection. There's no such thing as an Internet condom, but you can hire companies that will contact sites that have published material pertinent to your character. One that has good reviews—although I haven't used it personally—is http://www.trackur.com.
Just don't forget that once you've posted something on the Internet, it's very difficult to permanently delete it. So before you hit the "post" button, be absolutely certain that whatever you're about to send into cyberspace belongs there.
Recently, I read an interesting article by Mark Nestmann, one of the regular writers at Sovereign Society. It’s quite informative and I thought I’d share it with others, just in case you haven’t seen it.
Web-savvy employers and universities are increasingly employing a new tactic to screen applicants: conducting online research to unearth photos, blog entries, or other "digital dirt" you might prefer to keep private. Indeed, companies are springing up to dig up Internet postings that might be of interest to employers, government agencies, or whoever else might be interested. For instance, you can view Web pages that were modified months or even years ago through the Internet Archive, also known as the Wayback Machine, at http://www.archive.org.
But that doesn't mean you can't obscure your digital trail. While I normally suggest that anyone interested in privacy avoid posting information to the Internet about themselves, if data you don't want others to see is already there, here are a few suggestions on how to cope: Delete, delete, delete. Start by deleting any photo, personal profile, or personal description on any social networking or dating Web site that is even mildly embarrassing. For instance, I suspect Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google, might prefer not to have this photo of him in drag immortalized. While Sergey may be wealthy enough not to care, you may not be.
Unfortunately, most social networking sites create archives in which your photos may reside permanently, even if you delete them from your profile. Someone with a link to the original photo—or using the Internet Archive—might be able to find it.
Do a search of yourself on Google. Look for any links back to potentially incriminating or embarrassing posts or photos. Unfortunately, Google won't remove content itself, but merely will refer you to the Webmaster posting the content. If you can't figure out who's in charge of a Web site, search for the owner at www.whois.net. Contact the owner of the site and ask that comments by or about you be deleted. In most cases the owner has no obligation to remove the content, but it may do so if you persist or threaten legal action.
Set up a Google alert for yourself. You'll receive a daily e-mail update of the latest updates of whatever topic—yourself in this case—that you choose. This is a great way to monitor what others are saying about you online.
Create favorable content about yourself. You can do this in many ways. For instance, create a professional Web site and/or professional blog. For blogs, Wordpress, LiveJournal and TypePad all have high Google page ranks. You can also create a Wikipedia entry for yourself. To further insure these sites are at the top of any Google search of your name, use title tags and headers to highlight information about you that you want people to see. Don't forget to create a Google profile that contains the information about yourself you wish to highlight. You can also leave comments on blogs and Web sites you respect under your own name.
Use social networking sites intelligently. It's almost impossible to permanently eliminate content you post to social networking sites, even if you unsubscribe. However, you can also use these sites to your advantage, especially if you're setting up a profile for the first time. Web sites like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Flickr, and Twitter are a good place to begin. You don't even need to use these sites. Just create a profile and add the content you want people to see. Web sites that let you create a unique link with your name in it are especially useful (e.g., LinkedIn). Those pages will show up ahead of most other sites that might contain content you don't want others to view.
Use protection. There's no such thing as an Internet condom, but you can hire companies that will contact sites that have published material pertinent to your character. One that has good reviews—although I haven't used it personally—is http://www.trackur.com.
Just don't forget that once you've posted something on the Internet, it's very difficult to permanently delete it. So before you hit the "post" button, be absolutely certain that whatever you're about to send into cyberspace belongs there.
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