Do you remember Goldilocks and the Three Bears?
This is a clear illustration of societal conditioning. As you know, Goldilocks is portrayed as a white character with a sense of entitlement, freely acting on her impulses, taking what she wants, and showing little concern for consequences. The narrative appears to condone and even facilitate her inconsiderate behaviour. On the other hand, the Brown Bears are hardworking individuals who maintain their livelihood, food, and lifestyle. Despite Goldilocks' careless actions, the bears are portrayed as submissive, continuing to accommodate her in their home, inadvertently conveying a message of tolerance, acceptance, and patience toward those who resemble the Goldilocks archetype in society.
One of my favourite quotations
““A cat that dreams of becoming a lion must begin with losing appetite for rats.” ”
I think it means that in order to achieve significant growth or transformation, one must be willing to let go of small, insignificant pursuits or habits.
Financial choices
The concept of a wealth blueprint is grounded in a structured progression of steps, highlighting the interconnectedness of thoughts, emotions, and behaviours in achieving financial success. I think ideas lead to feelings, and feelings lead to actions, and subsequently actions lead to outcomes. And in order to achieve these goals, good behavioural habits will be required.
The mind always wants more
My favourite organ is the mind, and what truly captivates me is the internal sense of self and the intricate complexities of human behaviour. While advancements in various fields of medicine are consistently enhancing outcomes, mental health remains an exception. Despite the progress in neuroscience, we are witnessing an increasing number when speaking about addiction, depression, and suicide rates. I think this clearly, our current approach to understanding the workings of the mind is flawed. I have dedicated my entire life to unravelling the intricacies of human behaviour and understanding “blind spots.” I feel it’s my duty to connect the dots and bridge the gaps.
Things start to happen
There is a great deal of difference between the art of presentation and persuasion. When I first got into sales, I became a pretty good presenter, so why are they not buying? As my late mother used to say, self-praise is no recommendation, so I quickly learned that I had to add an additional skill. I always knew I was a good presenter, but needed to become a great at persuasion if I was going succeed in sales. And I think you can only consider yourself a good persuader if the results start to follow, for example, when people start to act after your presentation. And to become good at persuasion, you have to become a good storyteller.
Wake up everybody
““We live in a country in which words are mostly used to cover the sleeper not to wake him up.””
Learning from mistakes
As a human being, no one is immune from making mistakes. I think that learning from your mistakes is one thing, but putting what you've learned into practice is another.
What was I trying to do?
What went wrong?
When did it go wrong?
Why did it go wrong?
““We must learn and grow from our past failures, disappointments and painful experiences. Rest your goals and priorities and move forward. Start today by untying the knots that are limiting you.””
It's a long game
Research has shown that by simply providing information doesn't necessarily lead to behavioural change. I think while knowledge is valuable, changing behaviour often requires more than just information as human behaviour is complex, influenced by various factors beyond mere awareness. Effective behaviour change often involves a combination of factors for example, motivation, context, emotional connections, support systems, and practical tools or strategies.
“A large part of economic success is based on trust, in other words, do people trust you to fulfil your promises. ”
Conscious behaviours
Sustainability has evolved from being merely a business differentiator to an indispensable requirement for operations. Today, it serves as a license to operate rather than just a selling point. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria have become pivotal benchmarks for socially conscious investors when considering potential investments. I think where significant investments flow, others will inevitably follow suit. For small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the consumer sector, prioritising sustainability isn't just ethical; it's increasingly strategic. Aligning with ESG principles can significantly enhance the chances of a successful sale and improve valuation, given the growing importance placed on sustainability by investors.
Don't get left behind
Over time, the nature of work has evolved through distinct phases. In the past, during the "Muscles" era, physical labour and manual skills held paramount importance. This period, exemplified by the Industrial Revolution and earlier agricultural societies, demanded physical strength and endurance for jobs that revolved around labour-intensive tasks in agriculture, manufacturing, and construction. Nowadays we are in the "Brain" phase, marked by the Information Age and technological advancements, knowledge work, problem-solving, creativity, and intellectual skills take centre stage. The contemporary workforce increasingly values cognitive abilities such as analysis, programming, design, and management, emphasising the significance of education and specialised skills. And in the future, we will enter the "Heart" phase where there will be a shift towards a greater emphasis on emotional intelligence, empathy, interpersonal skills, and values. I think as automation and artificial intelligence progress, it is likely that roles requiring human connection, understanding, and compassion will become more prominent, particularly in fields like healthcare, counselling, relationship management, and social support.
Social cognition
Alexander Todorov, psychologist at Princeton University is known for his research on social cognition and the psychology of first impressions. He has conducted studies that suggest people make snap judgments about trustworthiness in a very short amount of time, often within a tenth of a second, or even less. These rapid judgments are based on facial cues, body language, and other nonverbal signals. Todorov's research has shown that once we make these initial snap judgments, we tend to stick with them and use subsequent information to confirm or support our initial impressions, rather than revising them. I think this phenomenon is related to the concept of confirmation bias, where individuals tend to seek out and interpret information in a way that confirms their pre-existing beliefs or judgments. Remember that these quick judgments are not always accurate, and people can make mistakes in assessing trustworthiness based on minimal information. Todorov's work highlights the importance of being aware of these cognitive biases and being open to revising our judgments when presented with new and more reliable information.
The Learning Pyramid
The Learning Pyramid is framework that identifies the seven methods of learning, and the effectiveness of each method in terms of knowledge retention. In the illustration you can see that the lower effectiveness percentages are assigned to the passive learning methods like lectures and reading, while the significantly higher percentages are attributed to active learning methods such as group discussions and hands-on practice. These percentages were borne from extensive research by the National Training Laboratories Institute.
Dual process
Dual process thinking is a psychological concept that describes two distinct modes of cognitive processing, in other words, how humans process information and make decisions. Daniel Kahneman wrote in his best selling book, “Thinking, Fast and Slow” about System 1 and System 2 thinking.
System 1:
This is often referred to as the "fast" or "automatic" thinking system. It involves quick, intuitive, and often emotional responses. System 1 thinking doesn't require conscious effort and is responsible for making rapid judgments and decisions based on instinct and previous experiences.System 2:
This is the "slow" or "deliberative" thinking system. It involves analytical, rational, and logical thinking. System 2 thinking requires conscious effort and is used for more complex decision-making, problem-solving, and critical thinking.
Food for thought
Expand your mind (Pt-2)
Expand your mind (Pt.)
I'm not particularly keen on discussions about strengths and weaknesses without considering the context. Instead of viewing ourselves in terms of strengths and weaknesses, I think it's more accurate to see our traits and attributes as unique characteristics. In the appropriate circumstances, these qualities can transform into strengths, while in unsuitable environments, they might appear as weaknesses. It's crucial to understand our true selves and seek environments where our specific traits can be utilised to our advantage.
““Don’t ask people how clever they are, instead ask them how are they clever.””
How do we differentiate?
Image c/o The NY Times
Control is a major human addiction, and thinking we have control by keeping everything in our heads is deceiving. When we combine money and psychology then we’ll begin to understand that there is more to a rich life than just numbers in a spreadsheet. During my study of human behaviour and psychology, I became fixated on this question: "Why do we know what we should do but still don't do it?" I think that regardless of our backgrounds, we can lead a fulfilling life. While a higher income can be a significant aid, similar to improving fitness, we all have the potential to enhance our lives starting from where we are now.
Time waits for no one
How can we use our time in a way that makes our lives meaningful?
Ancient philosophers were obsessed with this very important question of how to use our time in a way that makes our lives meaningful. Modern time management has moved away from its philosophical roots, and only focuses on tips, tricks, and techniques to get more things done faster, more productively and efficiently. I think it's important to delve deeper into the philosophical roots of this concept to gain a broader perspective on the subject by asking the following questions:
· Why do we have to manage time?
· How precious is your time?
· Contact me via e-mail and let me know what do you think about time.
Horse metaphor
c/o The New York Times
Horses possess acute sensitivity and are swift to respond to your energy. To illustrate this concept, I use a metaphor of a horse and its rider. In this metaphor, the horse represents your emotional self - the raw animal energy, the hormones that elicit anger or excitement, and so on. On the other hand, the rider symbolises your rational self - your prefrontal cortex, your executive decision-making processes that employ logical reasoning to achieve your goals.
““Horses jump over obstacles and Macbeth’s ambition will propel him to clear the obstacle of Duncan. However, the word also has other suggestions, which Macbeth realises. Ambition is something of a problem – it may help the rider clear an obstacle, but it may also make the rider go down.””
To do lists
I think that there are three types of tasks on your to-do list: have to, want to, and should do.
· Tasks you have to do pay the bills.
· Tasks you want to do feed your soul.
· Tasks you think you should do drain your energy.
A key to avoiding burnout is putting should do tasks on the back burner.