Exploring Resilience via Lifes Burning Issues

Category: Thoughts (Page 29 of 46)

Whack! Did that make you think?

Whack….

Sometimes something or someone comes along that just whacks you in the head and makes you think differently……

People who whack you in the head..

I’m lucky to have a connection to a guy by the name of Sean D’Souza who himself has that knack, but he also has the knack of finding and pointing to material and/or other people who do the same (there’s an example coming up below)

Things to be whacked in the head about…

You have probably seen a whole lot of things that tell you that the richest x% of people control y% of this or that.

The mere fact that you are reading this post on your computer or your smartphone says something about where your position in that equation, it also says something about where you sit in the energy consumption equation of the human population. All that energy consumption has to have consequences somewhere, and therefore you would have to have been living in a cave if you had missed the ongoing discussion about global warming and if like me, you are an Australian then you certainly could not have missed the debate about a carbon tax/emissions trading scheme.

Most of the debate has either been around dry academic arguments about the validity of the science of global warming and the need to reduce carbon pollution, or about pure politics associated with selling us the concept or scaring the hell out of us about the economic implications of attempting to do so, but NOBODY in Australian politics or media has cut through and delivered a lesson like a man (who is neither Australian, a politician or journalist) by the name of Hans Rosling.

Prepare to be whacked

Nick, Nack, you’ve been Paddy Whacked…

Hans Rosling and his magic washing machine have taken some pretty hefty concepts, whacked us in the head with a story that is easy to grasp and challenges us to think differently about our energy use, the implications of economic growth and power consumption and by association presented a challenge to think about changing to greener sustainable energy… WOW all of that in 9 minutes and 16 seconds (including TED’s intro!)

The ability to distil and deliver a message like that is amazing!

If you need someone to help whack you in the head regularly and help you work on getting your messages as good as the one delivered by Hans Rosling you could do a lot worse that connecting up with Sean D’Souza! Sean is a man who works hard helping other people think about presentation skills, marketing, customer focus etc etc and you can find him and his various programs at   psychotactics or keynotenut (please note these are NOT affiliate links but if you connect up with Sean give him a gentle nudge that it was me that sent you his way 😉

When things are foggy

when things are foggy

A morning fog….

This morning was one of the first days this year that I have woken up to a thick fog, that completely changed the drive to work and it set me thinking about when things are foggy.

Reduced Visibility

Obviously one of the first things that you notice when you wake up to a foggy day is that you can’t see as far as you usually can, your visible world has shrunk. It doesn’t mean that all those things that are usually there aren’t there it’s just that they have become obscured.

When setting off on a trip in these conditions the same applies to your journey, many of the landmarks, signposts and other clues that you would use to help guide you are obscured, but the road is still there and so is your ultimate destination.

A need to change focus

Driving in a fog causes you to change strategy about the way that you choose to light your path. You can’t hit high beam to push your way through the fog, it just causes the fog to appear thicker and brighter and it further reduces your visibility. You can’t just speed up and push your way through it ( well you can but you are just inviting a car wreck!). The fog causes you to change your focus and start looking at clues that are more immediate and closer to you than your usual length of focus. To get the best visibility  you need to use low beam or change the colour of the light you use by switching to fog lights. When you do this the fog becomes less intense and your visibility improves.

When life gets foggy

Many of life’s problems can act a bit like a blanket of fog. They obscure how much you can see and they hide your destination from you. They cause you to shift focus. Just like driving if you try to switch your life to high beam, or speed your life up to try to push through you just manage to make things less clear or rush headlong into a potential wreck.

Treat life’s fog like driving in the fog

  • slow down
  • reduce the intensity of your focus
  • use landmarks and signposts in your life that are close to you, one’s that you often usually don’t pay attention to you
  • change the way you light up the problem, it might allow you to see a way through that you can’t otherwise

What are your tips for safely navigating through life’s fog? Share them in the comments ….

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