Kiaran Finn on Life Matters!

New Years Resolutions: Hopes, Aspirations, Intentions and Delusions!

2012-01-02T01:44:00.000-08:00

Festive excess traditionally induces post hangover guilt andthoughts of new beginnings.

The guilt creeps up slowly. Anticipation of party timefrolicking with the requisite alcoholic gay abandon of youth abounds…. alas thecapacity of youth to recover over a grease laden fry up of black pudding andanything else in the vicinity within 3 months of the used by date, diminishalarmingly post 30’s!

Hope kicks in first. Hope that the hangover will be gentle.Hope that the scales will somehow deny the visual evidence around the gut. Hopethat this year things will be better.

Hope however rarely provides the appetite to actually takeaction, beyond perhaps the purchase of a Lotto ticket!

Aspiration has a little more depth. It suggests a vaguesense of commitment to a cause if perhaps lacking in a plan.

Occasionally the post hangover conviction produces a tsunamiof emotional triggers, ranging from disgust at what the mirror reveals, selfloathing as the memories of dubious behaviour return or perhaps fear that thisis as good as it gets.

Intention is like aspiration on steroids. Remember thosehandful of times when you reached that tipping point and made decisions that inretrospect were fateful. The get in shape decision that resulted in thecompletion of a Marathon, Triathlon, or trek through Nepal

That day you internalised the intention to quit smokingwithout moping around feeling sorry for yourself and acting like a whipped puppy!

Perhaps it was the time you quit your job to follow yourpassion, or emigrate, propose to your soul mate or perhaps terminate arelationship (presumably NOT the one with the soul mate!)

Intentions are relatively rare but profound in their impact.

Of course the default for most of us is that comfort zonelabelled mass delusion! Hope is an innocuous low stress state to inhabit.

Hopefully it won’t rain, the trains will be on time, the cute secretary noticesme, petrol prices drop, and my shares in that obscure technology company jump.

Mass delusion makes the world go around. Without hope depression rears itshideous head.

So my hopes for you all this year is that your hopes anddreams germinate into real aspirations and intentions, ultimately manifestinginto your most outrageously successful year ever!

The Most Underrated Key to Success in Every Area of Accomplishment

2011-05-30T03:45:00.000-07:00

Have you ever read a magazine article, blog or even a whole book and had a moment of clarity or insight where you've muttered to yourself 'that makes sense' or 'isn't that fascinating?'

A broad spectrum of topics covering weight loss, master chef recipes (yes the irony is intentional), stress relief, domestic budgeting, investment planning, dog training, pop psychology or even the latest and greatest tips on parenting may often be found in the weekend newspaper alone!

We are bombarded daily with what's referred to as conventional wisdom and yet we continue to live our lives blindly ignoring and disregarding most of it.

Sure, it would be cool to learn French, master a piano concerto, cook a meal of mouthwatering brilliance, regain our ideal weight, fund our financial independence by the age of 40, whilst living a life of self confident balance and sanity if only...

Unless you have a peculiar learning disability, it's all within the scope of your ability, so what's impeding so many poor souls in manifesting 'Success' into their lives?

The parentheses are there to highlight the idea that Success is very much in the eye of the beholder. there is no arbitrary concept of what constitutes success. If success is the achievement of a goal, then how do you measure ambivalence?

So what's the mysterious quality that separates the achievers from the rest?

Implementation!

Imagine the impact on your life if you followed through on even a fraction of the 'interesting' and 'facinating' ideas you are confronted with daily.

Green Tea Reduces Wrinkles? Wow - time to put that on my shopping list NOW!
Cutting meal size by 20% results in an average 1kg loss of weight per week for 12 weeks - Wow - let's start with the next meal

(incidentally I have no idea if the above is true!)

Of course not every piece of headline wisdom has been through the rigors of scientific analysis, however more often than not, our intuition will guide us well.

Read 100 personal development books and then continue doing the same things, with the same lack of self awareness, and it's merely served the purpose of killing time. Read 1 book and take some recommended actions immediately and marvel at the difference!

Your weight is your own choice - but why bother reading articles on the topic of wight loss if you don't intend to take action. Why bother reading inspiring stories and biographies of triumph over adversity if you aren't willing to take action...?

We are peculiar creatures in the sense that we are uniquely intelligent and yet despite the most compelling evidence will merrily act in consistently illogical ways.

Here's the challenge! Grab the next logical idea that falls into your lap and take immediate action. Worst case scenario? It's a crap idea and nothing changes....

As always these Blogs are written with tongue firmly in cheek and not too suggest that you should change one iota of your current life direction if that is your desire!

To connect socially click through on the icons on the side

Hope this finds your life unfolding magnificently

Cheers

48 Online Authorities Reveal Their Most “Unrealistic” Accomplishments

2010-12-13T20:27:00.000-08:00

This is a link to a neat post that is guaranteed to inspire -on the topic of setting AND achieving 'unrealistic' goals

48 Unrealistic Accomplishments

Ordinary May Be Overrated!

2010-09-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

We live in a culture that increasingly embraces connectivity. The melding of outward disconnection with a simultaneous 24/7 digital conversation is both ironic and mildly disconcerting to those of us not permanently attached to this digital umbilical chord.

Social niceties and courtesies are becoming severely diluted. I recently navigated the labyrinth that is Victoria Station and found myself marveling at the mass commuter hive of activity and yet clinically barren of human interaction.

Each earnest participant on this treadmill journey seemed to be lost almost trance-like in some parallel universe, having engaged some sort of automatic homing device to skilfully navigate the human traffic.
Ipods at full volume, newspaper in one hand, steaming coffee in the other and midst this madding crowd a complete absence of eye contact.

In this new world it would seem arcane and redundant to distract the herd by smiling, excusing yourself or being so bold as to offer some poor lost soul assistance.
The pause for thought prompted me to ponder the irony of this mass disconnect in a square mile comprising of innumerable heartbeats. I wonder if this immersing in our digital universe comes at a price.

A belated message? We are fed a diet of tabloid sound bytes that morphs into pop culture. We celebrate the superstars of the quarter minute and behold their ascension to the pedestal of the extraordinary. Meanwhile the masses despite more capacity for creative genius at their fingertips become ever more ordinary.

Be extraordinary. Try it for a moment. Find a voice, not one that is part of a chorus, just a unique sound. Herds provide comfort and security, but equally they are easy to shepherd and lead to some one else’s tune.

The problem with aspiring to the extraordinary of course is that peer pressure can be hard to ignore. Fitting in is the name of the game and being bold requires a little bravery.

A random act of kindness
stopping to offer assistance even though you’re late for an engagement with a cappuccino
responding to others tweets despite an overwhelming urge to share your fascinating thoughts to the world
checking out your loose facebook connections and making a comment even though they’ve never bothered to acknowledge your birthday
sending the secretary a bunch of flowers anonymously just to say thanks…..

Being extraordinary is not earth shattering, but can be profound in so many ways. I defy you to take a step away from the societal norm even briefly and be extraordinary and not feel a sense of enervating connectedness that lingers.

It may not be extraordinary but if you’d like to shake your urge to completely disregard this scribble and leave a comment that’d be great!!

Here’s hoping ordinary or extraordinary life’s unfolding well for you!

Pop over to my business site for a bunch of FREE inspirational resources - no opt in all visitors welcome CLICK HERE

The Road Less Traveled - Conformity May Be Your Achilles Heel

2010-09-01T09:04:00.001-07:00

The tone of this post is wry and gently provocative and not a rallying to call to quit your job, divorce, burn your friendships, or change one iota of your current status quo - not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that!

“We are the champions"– so sang Freddie Mercury an eternity ago and the song echoes throughout the great sporting stadiums of the world. It’s rousing and evocative. Evocative of shared triumph – and epitomizing a truly tribal sense of belonging.

There’s a primeval urge that is felt by all reasonably socialized individuals to fit. As rebellious youth we are defiant in our rejection of stereotype. It’s all about the individual, and expressing that unique albeit pompous voice that contradicts the old fashioned social mores and yet…..

With an uncanny predictability, each generation ever so subtly morphs into a diluted version of their parents.

100 years ago The Who proclaimed, “I hope I die before I grow old ” and with an irony that is breathtaking, sold the rights to the biggest television syndication of the millennium (CSI)

In the spirit of my Life Matters Blog I’d like to provoke a pause for thought for your consideration!

Social Networks are an extension of the school playground. There are leaders who dictate what’s cool. There are the followers – those that fit in and comprise the masses. And then alas there are those poor misfortunates that don’t quite fit, and are derided, teased, bullied or ignored.

Follow their path for a few years and you’ll often find they are more often than not the interesting members of society. Misfits build multi billion dollar empires out of digital thin air. They evolve into Authors, actors, king makers and sociopaths. Interesting doesn’t always equate to wholesome!

I doubt there are too many sociopaths reading this post and if so, no offense! But here’s a thought. Imagine completely disregarding convention in your business and social networking endeavors.

Sell when others are buying.

Un-follow those that annoy you.

Quit your business that you’ve invested all that emotional energy into and start over

Try a new less fancy blogging forum.

Jump on Facebook and imagine all those connections you’ve spent months cultivating are potential friends rather than list fodder, then follow some threads and see what they’re about and engage without any thought of developing a business relationship.

Empty your pockets next time you see a homeless person instead of searching for the smallest coin you can find. Say no when someone asks you to go to a function/family gathering that you have no interest in attending.

Find your own voice and tempt ridicule by expressing the real you.

Be authentic and imagine that it’s ok to be you.

Of course this is not the pulpit of any brand of insightful wisdom. The intended message is as follows. Bland is boring. Effective is uninspiring. Efficient is mechanical. Copy and paste is expedient but rarely leads to long-term success.

Warts are interesting. I don’t want them but I’m intrigued when fallibility is shared. Tribes are safe places, and safety is an important cog on the hierarchy of needs, but it is also a potential creativity suppressor.

So try it for a day, a week or a month. Go against the tide, follow the road less traveled, and you may end up lost confused or enlightened.

Why Isn't The Law of Attraction Working for You?

2010-08-09T08:38:00.000-07:00

This is a confronting and provocative question. It presumes there’s a gap in your life and that you are in some way failing, falling short of your own expectations.

If The Law of Attraction does indeed work, how then do we explain how bad things happen to good people? How can we explain how the worst of criminals can win the Lottery? Indeed we can question whether this much-quoted Law is in fact a myth.

The point of this article is not to ponder the riddle of this apparent phenomenon or get bogged down in the mire of attempting to define the intangible. Rather I would like to posit the following commentary.

Let’s twist the above question. Imagine that despite your initial reaction to the topic, that you are indeed living the dream, but have failed to realize this fact. Perhaps your appreciation lens is clouded.
Perhaps you are with your ideal life partner but are blinded to this fact by virtue of your incessant fantasizing of some parallel universe where some Goddess or God is attentive to your every need.

Imagine a world in which some serious health defect was to consume your life. Would you spend your waking hours longing for a dream life that was manifested simply by good health?

The dream car that you drool about and crave, how important to you is it really in comparison to the love and respect of friends?

I prefer the less sexy ‘Law’ that I’ll call The Law of Tendencies.

Perhaps it’s pedantic, and probably ludicrous to call a label such as tendency a law. However bear with me for a moment longer. Imagine a belief system where all meaning was contextual. Imagine that happiness, sadness, joy, wealth and indeed any emotion was a manifestation based on nothing more than a sequence of neurons following a scripted pattern.

People have a tendency to think in a certain way, which then creates their beliefs and certainties. Our tendencies lead us toward repetitive patterns of behavior. We tend to hang around certain people. We tend to gravitate towards certain situations. We tend to surf certain web sites. We tend to communicate with a certain style.

Not surprisingly I would suggest;

our tendencies set us on a path of intersection and collision with others of similar tendencies.

It’s not so much that mere meditation and visualization guarantees the object of our longing will manifest itself, but rather that in the midst of an infinite universe our patterns of thought and action more often than not propel us on to the same route as other like minded individuals.

Is there a message here? I hope so!

To achieve landmark goals, try hanging around those with similar aspirations. Spend time with those that you admire and whose apparent life experiences you would like to mirror. Network with those you aspire to be like and persist until your new tendencies become ingrained.

You may still walk under a truck, but there’s a more than reasonable chance that one day you’ll wake up and marvel at how your tendencies to all intent and purposes have become a facsimile of that elusive phenomenon called the Law of Attraction!

In the words of Desiderata-perhaps the universe really is unfolding as it should.

The Power of Negative Thinking!

2010-08-01T01:26:00.000-07:00

This a reworking of an older Post with the slightly torturous title "Doomsayers, Geniuses and the Nonsense of Scarcity Economics"

Despite the long winded title, there are a few morsels of insight that encompass the importance of mindset and perspective in determining the direction of our passions. Passion, focus and determination may bring accolades in the short term but they are often in hindsight proven to be utterly wrong!

Hope you enjoy'

You may never have heard of Paul Ehlrich or Thomas Malthus unless you have an interest in the economic principles of scarcity. That being the case I'm surprised to find you here reading this irreverent scribble! In fact Malhus died back in 1834. His Principle the Malthusian Catastrophe however lives on.

Mr Ehlrich published a couple of best selling books between 1968 and 1971, including ‘Population Explosion”, ‘Eco-Catastrophe-, (that word again!), and ‘the End of Affluence’. At the time they were the best selling environmental books to date, selling millions of copies.

So well regarded was his work that he received the ‘prestigious’ Macarthur Foundation Genius Award in acknowledgment of his ‘wisdom’. Why the parentheses you ask?

Well, remember the aforementioned Malthus? He was the 'genius' that declared in volumes of scientific rhetoric, that the price of societal improvement and welfare was impending doom, manifested as epidemic, pestilence, plague and starvation.

You see the principle of scarcity states that in a world of limited resources there can be no place for aspiration to achieve. Presumably we should live in huts and embrace a life of privation and subsistence. Happy times!

Paul Ehlrich inhabits the same doomsday world as Malthus. His best selling books that garnered him his reputation including his ‘genius’ award, predicted apocalyptic disasters on a scale never before seen.

Hundreds of millions would starve to death. Famine, plague and societal disintegration would become the norm. Indeed the world as we know it would collapse like a house of cards. When will this happen, you might ask? Ehlrich was remarkably specific. During the 1970’s!

I must admit to being perplexed as to the predictions his vanquished competitors came up with in the ‘genius’ award, if he won!

In a previous article I asked ‘Does Truth Exist?’ and facetiously postulated that truth is entirely contextual and biased by our subconscious belief and value systems, which are largely a factor of our cultural up-bringing.

Hindsight is a great ally when predicting and forecasting outcomes.

At the other end of the Truth spectrum is Julian Simon, who won a famous bet with Ehlrich, that resources actually drop in price over time and therefore are not scarce, and by predicting that contrary to the assertion that we live in a world of scarcity, we actually live in a world of untold abundance. The air is cleaner. We use less land to produce more food, thanks to the ubiquitous Corn Economy that accounts for so much of our food and packaging.

However despite the aclaim garnered by the two aforementioned geniuses, the real hero of the 20th century may be another unheralded character: Fritz Haber. It was he who managed to extract Nitrogen from the air in the form of Ammonia, the consequences of which form the basis for the abundance most Western countries enjoy today. That one innovation allowed mass fertilization to occur and the evolution of the Corn Economy.

The point is not to gloat over the misguided predictions of past scholars, but it is interesting that negative doom and gloom catastrophe and impending apocalypse is easier to sell than the more likely script, which is that the power of innovation to replace and refine our technologies is inevitably more likely.

All innovation starts with the seed of a ‘what can we improve’ question.

Doomsayers prefer to build their audience on the Principles of Malthus and Ehlrich.

All thoughts appreciated-Cheers Kiaran

Maybe You Should Just Quit!

2010-07-29T03:41:00.000-07:00

Not a slogan Nike would advocate!

Without some context words such as persistence, patience, endeavor and dedication suggest a noble attitude to life matters. They symbolize ‘the stiff upper lip’ attitude to struggle. "Never ever give up"; to paraphrase Churchill goes to the heart of most self-help and personal development philosophy.

The danger of blindly following this type of perseverance without considering its context is that more often than not, triumph does not overcome adversity, at the first attempt.

There is a massive industry peddling personal development material. Books, Seminars, Webinars and all manner of strategies that range from useful and inspiring to borderline extortion.

Harsh comment? I don’t think so. We live in a society that reveres its celebrities regardless of their substance. The personal development industry has its share of super rich ‘leaders’ who have attained a status within their tribe equivalent to religious pontiffs.

Some of these leaders are charismatic marketers who meld their worldview into the economics of their business. This has consequences. Akin to a cult, many adherents lose the perspective to judge whether the vision presented is real or illusory.

That said I am a big believer in the power of positive reinforcement, inspiration, motivation and the harnessing of the minds awesome potential. My bookshelves are laden with the works of Robbins, Tracy, Waitley, Branson, Canfield and the like. From time to time though I consciously step back and say ‘but it ain’t necessarily so!”

Wisdom is often only observed in hindsight and some of the lessons we believe to be true, especially because our heroes have uttered them, are wrong.

Winners never quit! Actually they do, considerably more often than couch potatoes. Never ever give up! Why not? If you are in a terrible relationship or job or non-profitable business or any number of pursuits, there comes a time when decisions need to be made and acted on.

The magic ingredient is context. Success in any area of life requires a belligerent never say die attitude. It is the attitude of believing in the dream or aspiration and the continual refining of the skills required to attain success that really matters.

The vehicle may change many times. Quit the business, but keep the belief in the goal. Quit the Yoga and take up Pilates, quit the doctorial studies in Medicine and transfer to Law. Maintain the rage I say. Maintain that passion for attaining your childhood dreams, but be mindful there’s more than one way to reach the summit.

Hope your life is unfolding and with exhilarating possibility on a daily basis!

Free Inspirational Gifts-no opt in reqd

Life Matters - The eBook

2010-06-29T01:32:00.000-07:00

My Blogging serves many purposes including a de-cluttering of the mind to see if the translation of my random streams of subconscious thought have a coherent value, in other words to see what pops out.

This blog was originally born out of an intention to tweak some pervasive ‘truths’ and offer an alternate perspective of this transient essence we call life, and was never intended to pontificate as to how anyone else chooses to frame their life.

Enough of the verbal gymnastics. I’ve just completed the first draft (who knows, it may be the last!) of my eBook- a collation of scribbles and insights from the archives of this Blog.

For those of my visitors who appreciate the slightly warped tone and content of my ramblings I offer you a complimentary download. It needs some editing and polishing, and maybe something as fancy as an eBook cover but in the meantime my celebrity dog-Zola- who makes a few appearances on my sites, including Youtube will have to suffice as the point of click.

Any content can be shared, there is no protective mumbo jumbo copyright clauses, I only ask that if you choose to copy and paste bits and pieces that you include my author credits.

Comments as always appreciated, all the more so if I don’t have to filter them through babel fish – that said I have had some nice comments in foreign languages and do welcome them

Cheers Kiaran

Nonsense

2010-06-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

"When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’

’The question is,’ said Alice, ‘whether you can make words mean so many different things.’

’The question is,’ said Humpty Dumpty, ‘which is to be master — that’s all."

— Lewis Carroll -Through The Looking Glass

Do you have a favourite word? I quite like the word oxymoron. Maybe it’s a Bart Simpson puerile thing, you know, an adult word that finishes in moron must be laugh worthy.

What I like about the oxymoron is how unpretentious a word it actually is. Once the terrain of stand up comedians, the oxymoron seems to have become the default of political obfuscation. Not coincidentally, perhaps my second favourite word.

Very good, you picked the irony (hint: second favourite!) As an aside the reason I like the word obfuscation is not because it sounds so pompous, and indeed is most used by pompous types but because it is so apt. The very pronunciation virtually requires a mouth full of marbles to best enunciate. And that of course is the point. Obfuscation is the deliberate mangling of language in order to confuse and obscure meaning. Hence the reference to politicians!

That’s awfully good, a definite maybe, an original copy, a minor crisis, with a dose of job security and a dash of Facebook privacy thrown in for good measure.

Twitter also gets an honourable mention partly because it so accurately captures the essence of the medium it describes and yes you’ve guessed it comprises the word Twit.

A scribble on the topic of verbal nonsense probably needs a counterbalance. I have two words that are pet hates of mine. Hate is a little strong perhaps, hence the softener of the preceding pet.
Ultimate. A pretty neat word I guess, unpretentious and innocent enough, but… Arguably the most misused word in the English language. The favourite adjective and adverb of media voice over presenters, to introduce the ultimate game show, crime series, cat food, ab-machine, or holiday destination, is patently untrue.

An unsubtle segue to my other word of irritation. A few years back, everything was just so patently obvious. It was the word of choice by the most condescending of smart alecs. Not only is it a redundant word it not so subtly implies that not only is their point of view actually obvious (actually gets another honorable mention) but its so obvious, patently, that anyone not realizing this, i.e. having a contradictory opinion must be a buffoon.

Enough of the silliness. Sometimes it’s interesting to step out of the moment and listen to the dialogue and tune in to the peculiar nonsense that passes for conversation.

Here’s hoping this finds you clearly confused!

Cheers Kiaran

What Are You Excited About? The Key to Happiness

2010-05-30T00:58:00.000-07:00

This is a slightly different theme to my usual Blogs and a little less tongue in cheek. One of the most baffling contradictions I see in life is the prevalence of unhappy joyless people surrounded by an environment of milk and honey and more choices to do, have and experience than ever in the history of the world. Are we pre- programmed to be cynical or just blind to the 'miracle' of existence, or is it a mal-adjustment of our perspective lens? You be the judge

Excitement, anticipation, aspiration or however you want to label the charge that gets you up in the morning is probably almost completely aligned with you happiness quotient.

Some of the most cranky, uninspiring people I’ve ever crossed paths with have invariably shared a couple of personality traits. One is ambivalence, that devil may care attitude, that on the surface presents as cool and unruffled, but upon closer examination manifests its true essence, that of disenchantment.

A second trait shared by these joyless poor souls is a lack of empathy. Perhaps this is not a trait, but certainly a common denominator. An inability to care about another individual is as big a barrier to communication and rapport development as you can get.

I suspect the latter affliction is genetic, but the former, that air of boredom is a learned handicap and often a precursor to depression.

It’s hard to be bored, ambivalent or dare I say depressed when you’re excited. So what’s exciting you right now? What are you aspiring to? When was the last time you rekindled those childhood feelings of Christmas Eve, awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus?

Alas for many, those feelings have remained lost in the memories of childhood.

Some reasons to be excited:

• Start or end of a relationship!
• Starting a family.
• Moving in to a new career or business venture.
• Training for a marathon or triathlon.
• Building a house, or writing a book.
• Losing 15 kilos.
• Connecting with lost family or friends.
• Learning a new language or pursuing an adult education program.

There are an infinite number of inspiring projects that we can focus on and yet for many, there is another route taken. This route is that of expedience. Expedience is the trade off of a quick fix that is tension relieving rather than goal achieving.

An hour at the casino can seem temporarily exciting and fruitful, whilst simultaneously seducing us into believing there is any substance or foundations beyond the momentary thrill. A snort of C or a shot of H can have a similar effect. Short-term gain, life time misery.

Excitement is rarely something that happens to us. Rather it is an outcome of pre-planned intentions. Waiting to win Lotto or bump in to good fortune will produce a very predictable outcome, that of disillusionment and frustration.

Setting unrealistic goals however creates a new energy. New ventures become adventures and lead to destinations often unpredicted. Limitations become less clear and reasons to be cheerful emerge.

We have a choice. We can focus on the countless reasons to justify our misery, and I’m sure they literally are immeasurable. Or we can choose to focus on new horizons and possibilities, which are equally infinite. Yes I’ve spotted the paradox-but you know what I mean.

If you can find just a half a dozen reasons to be genuinely excited and focus your attention almost exclusively on this for the next 21 days, your energy, enthusiasm and happiness will change utterly.

Hoping this finds you with a compelling reason to get out from under the covers-Cheers Kiaran - all comments appreciated-

Why Having Too Many Followers Maybe Killing Your Social Media Experience.

2010-05-25T03:51:00.000-07:00

I have way too many Twitter connections. Let’s not delude ourselves that they are Followers-that’s a misnomer if ever there was one. Yep that’s the price you pay for accepting every request. What you say! How can you have too many? Isn’t the goal to have an infinite number of Tweeters in your tribe? Those with the most followers win-surely.

Ok perhaps I’m being overly wry. But have you considered the downside to building a large Twitter base?

Too many tweets from anonymous twits create a din, not an orchestra.
The tweets that you actually see are completely random and virtually impossible to engage.
Too many ‘followers’ assume that they now have an intimate relationship with you that justifies them sending you automated direct messages-that under any other circumstances would be considered spam.

Why bother then? Well of course it’s not ALL bad! A few minutes browsing especially following the retweets (those are usually the interesting ones) can be very illuminating, diversionary and lead you in directions that you’d never expect.

There’s also that nagging feeling that Twitter is a social medium that hasn’t fully evolved yet and perhaps its better to be in it and see how it all unfolds than be a bystander.

Enough about Twitter. This Blog was originally supposed to touch on that nebulous concept called engagement. This is somewhat different to connectivity. Hook me up to your Facebook page and I guess we’re connected perhaps never to directly communicate. Engagement is immeasurably more powerful than a degree or two of separation.

We may share an acquaintance, but that doesn’t mean we are now related. We do however have a reference point that gives us an excuse to become acquainted.

It’s ironic how much time many social networkers spend chasing people to add to their collection and then proceed to sprint off into the distance with barely a wave.

Here’s a thought. Not very original but I would suggest profound in its effectiveness. Make a decision to actively engage 10 or 20 of your connections per day for the next 21 days and be prepared to see a quantum shift in your online experience.

How? Sorry If I’m over doing the rhetorical questions!

Respond to comments. No I don’t mean copy and paste the same response all over the place like a poodle introducing herself to the neighbourhood! Check out someone’s Facebook profile and see if you have anything in common that you can make a genuine comment about. If you have nothing in common why are they in your social network? Not many people do this and when it happens it creates a much bigger impression than you’d think.

Check out people’s blogs-and yes you’ve guessed it-leave a relevant comment. I don’t mean something like ‘hey dude great Blog check out my GRQ affiliate program it’s awesome!”

Once you’ve built some genuine connections you can then ask them to visit your Youtube channel or blog and many will reciprocate. Imagine if just 1% of your social media connections popped by your site and left a friendly and supportive comment. You’d feel like an absolute celebrity. How come? Well work out how many people that is. More than likely 1 in 1000 will take the trouble to so unprompted.
Authenticity takes time to become second nature. Human nature has a natural default towards competitiveness, which alas is not great glue for social adhesiveness.

Instead of trying to impress, try being impressed.
Be interested instead of trying to be interesting
Give compliments rather than chase them.
Tell people how inspiring they are.

You get the message. I know, you already know all this-we all do-but sometimes we kinda get sucked in to the vortex of following the crowd-shouting ever louder to get our message out there-only to realise no one’s listening.

Hope this doesn’t sound too evangelical!

If you can be bothered leave a comment and yep I do practice what I preach and I’ll gladly reciprocate-of course if you think it’s all rubbish then feel free to ignore.

Hope your universe is unfolding well for you!

Cheers Kiaran

I Hope Your Delusions are Working Well for You!

2010-05-18T08:40:00.001-07:00

“I read the news today, oh boy” The Beatles lyrics echo like a broken record in my head. If you’re under 30 I’ve probably lost you with the insect and antique references!

As an avid scanner of newspapers, another soon to be outmoded medium, I’ve been wondering lately if there is any correlation between media exposure to ignorance or wisdom.

In Ireland there is an idiom, ‘cop on to yourself’, meaning to get a life and not to be so stupid. It’s one of those neat rebukes that is rarely taken offensively, but serves to highlight and dismiss pretentiousness and stupidity. Which I would argue are one and the same anyway.

I would also argue that the degree to which we are exposed to the latest media expose is actually more likely to delude us into believing we are savvy, attuned and wise. If you didn’t tune in to the latest current affairs show, read the newspapers or even listen to the radio, what would happen?

No doubt the world would continue to unfold on a daily basis. However your prejudices might subtly change. They would become intrinsic and less a factor of the editorialized view of your friendly local media mogul!

Imagine how you’d act if you were ignorant of the Great Economic Global Recession 2, imagine if you’d even missed the first one. You would probably go about your life, in the eyes of your colleagues as an idiot savant, blissfully unaware of how ludicrous it is to be optimistic in such times of crisis and doom.

I have recently been informed by someone ‘who knows’ that the whole economic world as we know it is about to collapse in a heap, don’t worry, it won’t happen until September! Wow, I’m glad I know that, it would be such a shame to be unprepared when it happens.

Bad news sells. All news is heavily edited. The headline news that ‘yet another surfer has been killed by a shark,’ is scary enough to make you think twice about venturing in to the water. Curiously you’ll probably still cross the road and take a far greater risk of getting run over by a bus. Not so newsworthy perhaps.

House prices maybe tipped to drop dramatically. Interest rates maybe predicted to go through the roof. Global warming may destroy the icecaps whilst simultaneously leading to a dramatic increase the sales of sun cream in Ireland!

Funnily enough it’s almost certain that those who choose not to tune into the ‘truth’ and continue on a daily basis to be proactive, learn new skills, aspire to new challenges and ignorantly go against the flow will mysteriously thrive.

The closest definition I have of the meaning of life is pretty simple. ‘All truth is contextual.’ If this is so, then all our prejudices and behaviour triggers are at the mercy of those that create the context.

So I think I’ll just ‘cop on’ to myself and ignore the conventional wisdom of the better-informed preachers of doom and destruction.

Hope your delusions are working well for you!

Are You Depressed or Just Having a Bad Hair Day?

2010-05-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

The following Blog is written with intention of providing a wry observation on Life Matters and I am flattered if it encourages commentary-however no offense is intended to those, celebrity or otherwise who are under the curse of depression and a link* is provided below to some resources that may prove useful.

In a celebrity obsessed modern culture which parades the foibles, inadequacies and fallibilities of these tabloid icons on the red carpet of our social consciousness, I ask the question: When did it become quaint to embrace serious malaise as trendy?

Depression seems to have taken over the mantle from suicide as the new chic of uber-modern social currency. How so?

I don’t expect delinquent athletes, supermodels or rock stars to provide a moral compass or embrace the mantle of role models. And yet by virtue of the sheer visibility of their every stumble and muttered obscenity, they do indeed have a profound influence on the malleable mind.

A demise of a tenuous flirtation leads to headline quotes of suicidal consideration. A couple of unfortunate set backs become the trigger for a confession of the debilitating effects of lifelong depression.

This craving for social sympathy camouflaged behind the crocodile tears of a self obsessed need for attention completely undermines and dilutes the very real misery suffered by those with clinical ailments.

If my goldfish dies perhaps the appropriate emotion is momentary sadness. If my football team loses the emotion is escalated to disappointment. My wife no doubt would find it unfathomable that I would have any emotion about the result of my football heroes! Bereavement crosses into the realm of grief. These are all normal symptoms of all but the local sociopath.

Suicidal tendencies are an obvious indication of a severe mental health issue. At the microscopic core of our human essence is a survival instinct that has evolved since time began.

Depression and disappointment should not be confused. Disappointment is the precursor to many a great endeavour. There is an innate need to prove ourselves to our parents and later to our children and those whom we look up to. The fear of coming up short is the fire that fuels many a great expedition.
Depression however is debilitating.

Disappointment is a signal that something needs to be changed. An indication that we’re not getting the results we’d like. The response? Change job, relationship, country, diet, attitude, or any number of daily choices that lead to our status quo. Voila! Disappointment dissipates as new life experiences manifest.

How we label our emotions can become self-fulfilling. I’m irrationally optimistic. If I can recalibrate an emotion back a click or two it invariably helps. Outrage morphs into disappointment. Disappointment dilutes to become irksome. Annoyance is barely worth the effort.

Of course this all falls by the wayside in the event of dodgy refereeing decision against my team, then all bets are off!

Here’s hoping your emotions are treating you well.

*Link to Resources

Why Are You So Stupid?

2010-04-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

Why Are You So Stupid?

If you have even a mild reaction to that greeting then you’re in good company. Call me any number of names and direct unsolicited vitriol in my direction and unless your opinion actually matters to me I guess I’ll continue on my merry way.

Or not. How many of us are that grounded and rational?

'Why are you so stupid?' is a question that reads differently depending on the word emphasized. There’s also a presumption you are in fact stupid.

Fully-grown and productive members of society often revert to the emotional state of a three year old when criticized, particularly if name-calling is involved.

This is most in evidence on the anonymous highways of our urban jungle. Placid librarians morph into frenzied psychotic gesticulators and incoherent expletive rendering ranters at the merest of accepted traffic etiquette being breached.

In the cold light of day and reasoned contemplation it would appear to be evidence of global lunacy. Let’s assume that all things do actually happen for some logical reason. It’s not a great philosophical leap to imagine that cause and effect manifests the apparent order in our universe.

What therefore is the trigger for all this irrationality?

Well here’s an anecdote that tells its own story. I recently observed a harried mother chastise her three year old with those words; ‘Why are You So Stupid?’

I found myself idly putting myself into the three year olds shoes but with the benefit of a grown up’s life experience and tried to process the question. I’m led to believe that three year olds are prone to do that, you know, make sense of questions.

I admit to being utterly bereft of any modicum of insight. The lingering message of course is that I must be stupid. Why? That’s another question.

With the benefit of adult hindsight it occurred to me that an appropriate answer albeit something of a stretch and risky in the extreme would be to respond, I’m only three what’s your excuse!

We’re subliminally programmed from a young age to buy into the thoughtless labels thrust upon us by careless authority figures. Over time the layers become reinforcing and the self-concept emerges.

As adults, when confronted by faceless critics we revert back to our three year old state, but become emboldened and react accordingly, empowered by our adult façade behind which lurks the child.

I like the quotation: "Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response”

In the heat of daily frustrations many a parent neglects to pause and consider the impact of their communication on the fertile minds of their progeny, and if they did they may recoil at the echo of their words, the echo of their own parents.

So perhaps next time your spouse, child or fellow road user is ‘doing your head in’ consider whether your reaction is the response of the three year old. Of course you could be right and they are all stupid!

You Only Get What You Put Up With!

2010-04-20T01:06:00.000-07:00

‘You can’t always get what you want, but you know sometimes you get what you need.’ Inspiring words from Mick and Keith.

I have an irrational lack of appetite for shows that purport to be Current Affairs. Not for any compelling reason other than the fact that they gnaw on my soul when I inadvertently wander into the sphere of their influence.

Not unlike the sound of long nails clawing across a windowpane or a Celine Dion record for that matter, the irritation is palpable.

Like fodder to sheep or lambs to the slaughter, to prolong the metaphor, the overt manipulation of salacious and highly edited ‘news’ into a neat advertising friendly package, is acutely self serving.
So what you may ask?

I have no particular opinion on tabloid journalism. In fact the more outrageous the headlines, the more entertaining and by extension, the less seriously we accept the message.
Current affairs shows however, masquerade as arbiters of right and wrong, providing the moral compass for society. The real agenda is of course ratings. The pity is that these ratings come at the price of escalating human misery and celebrating the victim mentality.

At the risk of this scribble dissolving into a pious rant I’d suggest that the down trodden might have more success focusing on solutions than indulging in the pop psychology of Oprah’s couch or dare I say Jerry Springer!

There are countless legitimate victims in society. Those who by no fault of their own get snared in a web of inexplicable bad luck. Illness, bereavement, and any number of tangible sufferings which conspire to create the misfortune.

The other 90% of societies’ victims are, alas the product of false belief systems. The disappointment and rage that comes from unsatiated sense of entitlement.

An infant will cry at the merest scrape, whilst in the company of attentive adults, yet barely bat an eyelid when there’s no audience. This is a self-preserving instinct.
This can perpetuate into adulthood. Woe is me can be a seductive rallying cry for the ‘wanna be’ victim. The conversation usually starts with ‘let me tell you all the cr*p in my life…’ A bigger audience compounds and feeds the suffering and ironically and ultimately a state of complete impotence.

Here’s a thought and variation perhaps on the title to this blog. ‘You only get what you put up with most of the time’.

This is completely unpalatable to the victim, and who hasn’t played the victim card occasionally? There are remarkably few things we cannot change in our lives. Therefore if something is out of sync, then we do something about it or we can indulge in the martyrdom.

When I find myself whinging about Current Affair Shows or the irritation of a Celine Dion tune, then I guess it’s a wake up call to ‘put up and shut up, or move on’

As always the message is firmly tongue in cheek and hope I’m not really turning into a grumpy old man. I welcome any equally pompous retorts!

The Tipping Point

2010-04-15T04:24:00.001-07:00

Certain phrases and labels mysteriously appear in the everyday lexicon and virally spread. Before long Four Wheel Drive vehicles are the quaint labels used by absent-minded old codgers to describe SUV’s. Portfolios used to refer to man-purses carried by toffs. All day has morphed in to 24/7 and social networking has erupted from the realm of Church tea and scone get togethers in to the ubiquitous tweeting of mass popular culture.

A few years back it seemed like all change was described as a paradigm shift. More recently the term ‘Tipping Point” has made its entrance.

Unlike the word paradigm, which is a non-descriptive word without soul and colour, favoured by Lawyers and politicians for the obvious reason that they facilitate obfuscation, I quite like this new player. You can mentally shift gears when imagining a tipping point.

With the warp speed evolution of ideas into things and an apparent unquenchable appetite for the novel and uber cool latest technology; tipping points become relevant reference points to measure key predictors of performance-read profit.

When did Facebook move from being a nerdy indulgence into the leviathan it now is? At what point did Obama move from obscurity into the barely comprehensible position he now holds? Ideas hover as intangible flights of fancy until a tipping point where an action takes place. Individual actions appear irrelevant until a point when for no apparent reason the masses jump on board and the virus takes hold.

If only we could predict the tipping point and adapt accordingly. That point just before a relationship moves from uninspiring to broken, or from a brief glance into a full-blown life passion.

Some people seem to have a multitude of life tipping points. Eureka moments and moments of profound clarity that completely redefines their future endeavours. Many alas don’t. Those poor souls who live lives of quiet desperation, taxiing down the runway of their life, never quite committing to accelerating enough to take off.

In a world of immeasurable options, we all have potential tipping points on a daily basis that can potentially reshape our whole life experience. To protect ourselves from the chaos and anarchy of unpredictability, we covet our comfort zones. Comfort is not to be under estimated. The danger of course is that this zone is often not actually that comfortable, but ‘better the devil…’

If there is a message it’s this. Sometimes there’s merit and reward in throwing off the shackles of predictability and embracing the unknown. Tipping points are usually noticed after we’ve stepped over the edge. So there’s a risk, a risk of falling flat on your face, but nothing ventured nothing gained.

Hope your Tipping Point works out well for you!

Hope is Not a Strategy!

2010-04-12T02:26:00.000-07:00

As a preface to this scribble I'd like to reiterate that this Blog does not represent a philosophy or point of view I believe anyone else should adhere to. As the Header indicates, this is merely a wry commentary picking at the scab of human observation, in the hope of eliciting an occasional pause for thought and confronting some of the irony in life's journey. All hugely positive comments endorsing the the Blog are welcomed in the spirit of my own delusion.

I like the provocative statement; hope is not a strategy. The use of words such as wish, hope and turn of phrases for instance; 'if only..', are usually the precursors to paralysis. When we have delusional excuses to fall back on, it's easy to abdicate personal responsibility.

I wish i could speak fluent Japanese, bench press 150k, date a super-model(not really!) play jazz piano with ease and own a football team, ...if only.. There's the rub. 'If only' just doesn't cut it.

Having a fantasy goal such as winning Lotto, is a safe haven for disappointment. 'You've got to be in it to win it', or so they say. This presumes of course that the odds of winning improve significantly. Yet, winning Lotto is far less likely than falling off the perch of life for no apparent reason.

I enjoy the company of delusional people however. Those who have an irrational belief in possibility thinking. They fervently believe that their football team will defy all odds and win something. They exude a childish confidence in the outcome of their daily endeavors. When things go wrong they invariably conclude that this is necessary feedback, and occasionally they achieve unexpected victories and accomplishment. The super model, notices them. They find themselves transferred to Tokyo. They become acquainted with a mentor with the same passion for jazz piano as themselves. They create a supporters club for their team in a foreign land.

Fantasy goals and outrageous aspirations frequent different points in space and time. One is illusory and one is tangible, though slippery. Chasing windmills a la Don Quixote is always more fun than wishing and hoping. Good lyrics to a song though!

Life Matters! The E-Book?

2010-04-02T01:32:00.000-07:00

Pondering the absurdity of quantifying meaning in an infinite and intangible universe- I am compiling a collection of recent Blogs into an E-Book. As a thank you to my social networking connections I will be offering 50 Free downloads to those who register interest.

Let me know at kiaranfinn61@gmail.com

If you have a favorite title -Let me know-feedback's always appreciated.

Below is a link to some archive Blogs:

http://www.adversity2success.com/archive_observations.html

Cognitive Surplus and What to do with 100 Million Hours of TV Advertising Time!

2010-03-27T00:18:00.000-07:00

I get a buzz out of those rare moments when my certainties are confronted. Recently a quote permeated that part of my brain that has nothing better to do than ponder and elicit some profound meaning.

The almost imperceptible buzzing on the edge of my sub conscious related to a comment by a certain Clay Shirkey (I’d never heard of him either!) To paraphrase; how can we waste our time watching TV when there are so many other options?

I found myself pondering this question from the high ground of the devils advocate. What makes watching TV inferior to any other number of past times? There are a myriad of reasons to flop down on the couch and bond with family and pets, disengaging the brain and recharging our flow.

How can you actually waste time anyway? Surely the absolute incomprehensible magic of inhaling breath and functioning as a self-actualized bundle of cells, constituting me and you is of itself breathtaking.

I pondered the relative merits of this apparent inane burning of precious time, and concluded with a sense of self righteous indignation that this chap must be a social snob, looking down with disdain on us unwashed unsophisticated.

I also love Paradoxes, those seemingly irreconcilable contradictions that flavour our daily interactions when certainties collide. Like most hard and fast beliefs, context changes the terrain and hence my paradigm shift.

The real essence of the commentary however concerned an exquisitely elegant term, labeled ‘Cognitive Surplus’. This sounded like one of those mind numbingly boring concepts I remember from Economics 101.

Excuse the rhetoric. Here’s the message.

Once upon a time not so long ago, a whole society shared the experience of TV watching between 6pm and 10pm. This was the source of all relevant knowledge. Discussions around the water cooler pertained to the previous evening’s programming.
If you didn’t watch Johnny Carson, The Football, Saturday Night Live, The Gay Byrne show (that’ll confuse some of you), then you were out of sync with the tribe, marginalised almost as if you were illiterate in a world of academia.

Quite dramatically the shared experience of societies has changed utterly. Choices abound. There are all our social networking sites to update. We need to upload our videos, contribute to our multitude of Blogs, contribute to Wikipedia, invest in our various online ventures, whilst multi tasking with our Skype and ITunes.

Cognitive surplus refers to the additional collective time that has seeped away from the aforementioned TV watching.

Think about this: At its peek just in the US alone, it is estimated that TV accounted for over 200 billion hours of individual time invested. Adverts consumed an estimated 100 million hours!

Imagine the impact of just 1% of this time, now moving towards another medium, more specifically an interactive one, such as those mentioned. That’s 2 billion hours surplus that is compounding its impact elsewhere.

More and more people are becoming increasingly creative with this mass surplus and the effect is tangible.

Change is afoot. The creative juices of a previously dormant section of society are redefining our world, and the architecture of participation is manifested in the evolution we are living through.

I still defend my right to turn off 90% of my brain and watch re runs of shows that I didn’t particularly enjoy first time around, but I feel a little less motivated to be so vocal, and yes I’ll continue to disengage from the adverts and update my Blog!

Reverse Tweeting-Radical Twitter Experiment!

2010-03-23T00:51:00.001-07:00

Obscure title I know-but here’s a long dormant thought for you to contemplate.

Last year it occurred to me that there was an inverse relationship between the volume of Twitter ‘followers’ I had accumulated and the quality of the relationships.

This started to become apparent when my ‘following’ reached over the 100 mark, and has been reinforced as the numbers passed 2000.

It seemed popular particularly, thought not exclusively among online marketers to chase the numbers. There would be self-congratulatory tweets exclaiming joy at hitting 1000, 2000 or even 10000 ‘followers’ as if it actually meant anything. E-books were compiled to educate the ignorant on how to amass tens of thousands of ‘followers’. To what purpose, a few may ask?

You’ve no doubt noted the inverted commas. I use the term ‘followers’ very loosely. This is undoubtedly a misnomer. If you are tweeting regularly on topics of inane pointlessness for periodic relief of boredom-then that’s certainly your prerogative, however I would suggest that the belief that you have 5000 followers taking even the remote interest is, well, delusional.

I doubt the irreverent tone of this Blog is upsetting anyone, unless the afore mentioned delusion was deeply ingrained, but the point of this scribble is to posit an alternate use of this hugely useful interactive tool.

I have a secondary Twitter account that I am just about to launch. It has been sitting sedentary for ages since the first seed of the following proposition popped in to my head. My experiment that I’d love you to join me in is as follows. Create a second account if you are already in Twittersphere and promote it only to those that you can build a genuine connection with. Those for instance whose content you are actually interested in and whom presumably will offer reciprocal dialogue.

My objective is to create a ‘following’ ‘followers’ target of max 100! –Excuse the garbled language! If you could only follow 100, who would you follow? Personally I would only follow those with some mutual connectivity benefits. Those for instance that post interesting, informative, humorous content rich tweets and links, rather than the random anonymous pitching of business links, without any effort to relationship and community build.

Hope this doesn’t sound like I’m pontificating. I will continue to maintain my other Twitter account but the link below is only for those with whom I can genuinely engage.

So that’s it. The radical concept. Follow a Max 100 and only follow those who have 100 or less followers!

Would love to hear your thoughts. My firm belief is that the quality of tweeting will improve ten or even 100 fold.

Hook up on www.twitter.com/kiaranfinn and if you’ve got less than 100 followers I’ll follow you back and hopefully engage!

Breakfast and Wisdom with Sir Richard Branson

2010-03-19T01:40:00.000-07:00

As part of a fundraiser for Strike a Chord for Cancer I had the opportunity to glean first hand some insight into the philosophy of Sir Richard Branson. Without eulogizing over the status that this king of branding has attained and the unusually high personal popularity rating his entrepreneurial endeavours have garnered, I’ll cut straight to the content.

A series of questions were posed, crossing a wide spectrum inclusive, business, environment, education and space travel. Despite the diversity of topics some consistent messages emerged.

A core strength of his myriad of businesses is the empowerment of the people. Selecting those with exceptional communication skills seems to be a pre requisite in the hiring process.

Instilling the mindset of his team to not only identify problems but to also take immediate action to rectify.

Focus on the goal rather than the monetary outcome.
Encourage creative thinking in the education process.
Encourage continual feedback from the customer in order to respond hastily to problems.

Global collaboration in the pursuit of peaceful resolution of conflict.
Big goals require the ability to delegate.
Treat everyone with equal respect, regardless of whether they are cleaners or managers.

Have fun.
Take the wisdom of successful entrepreneurs, and elder statesmen and apply some of their strategies to global problems.

Like most true wisdom, it never seems quite so profound when delivered in bland script. The power of a message is compounded by the status of the messenger, and there are few have attained such an iconic status of achievement as Sir Richard Branson. His message therefore resonates so much clearer.

Common sense it would seem is rather uncommon.

Anomolies of Life and Old Wives Tales

2010-02-23T06:57:00.000-08:00

The Wisdom of Parents: ‘eat everything on your plate and be grateful you’re not one of the starving millions’ a rallying cry and first seed of an obesity epidemic is born.

Governor Arnie chastises his children for leaving too many lights on in the house, the environmental cost presumably equates to a punctuation mark in his litany of mind-blowing special effects, and Hummer driven excesses.

Global warming is a hysterical theatrical issue that we are cajoled into feeling guilty about in a manner reminiscent of teenage catholic boys reaching an age of carnal curiosity. How exactly is a perpetually drenched and windswept Celt worse off by this advent of clement weather? Perhaps the historically far more prevalent global freezing is the greater grim reaper.

Today’s hero invariably morphs in to tomorrow’s villain. Our sporting idols fall, we mimic the outrage of the tabloids until we adapt to their integration as mere mortals amongst us, and then rehabilitate them as rebels incarnate to be admired again as they triumph over adversity.

When have you ever tut tutted at someone’s indiscretions and later wondered what possessed you to become so self-righteous? Non smokers look with disdain on their fellow dim witted friends before hurtling off at literal break neck speed down the freeway of life, mobile in hand, distracted by the merest glimpse of sexual gratification via the billboard reflected in the rear view mirror.

Are we all mad or have we inexorably devolved into our parents. Say it isn’t so! When did we become so sure of our certainties, and the way the world should unfold? So many questions with fleeting answers that more often than not evaporate into the old wives tales they inevitably become.

Of course this all an exercise in irreverence, and the futility of taking life too serious. In hindsight we’re all living in a cosmic joke, with no punch line.

Hope you’re appreciating the nonsense of this temporary experience!

If any of this scribbling is to your palette's taste you might also like a previous archived Blog titled Does Truth Exist?

All comments appreciated except the ones expressing what a tosser I am? Only kidding-they're appreciated too!

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How's Your Obsesion Working For You?

2010-02-07T03:19:00.001-08:00

What a boring bland world this would be in the absence of mass irrational obssessiveness. There would be NO wonders of the world. Forget about the Guinness Book of Records or in fact any significant historical achievement.

Why would anyone in their right mind set sail in a barely sea worthy vessel in the direction of the horizon with no reasonable expectation of navigating anywhere but over the edge of the world?

We could argue that the Pyramids and ancient Aztec monuments were a response not to obsession but rather to a spiritual impulse. The appeasing of the gods as it were. Let’s not however meander in to that quicksand of philosophy. It would be all too easy to polarize most readers of this brief scribble by even hinting that Religion is an obsession.

It’s hard not to be fascinated by the apparent crazy impulsive behavior of many collectors. I’m not referring to those with an eye on turning over a dollar, but rather those whose lives seemed consumed in a never ending search for some obscure memorabilia of an even more obscure historical figure.

These philatelists, taxidermists, fusilatelists or even cruciverbalists, whilst an easy target for comedic fodder, are undoubtedly comment worthy. If you’re feeling a little confused by the labels above, then you’re in good company, spell check is equally baffled!

Perhaps our biggest misconception as human beings is the belief that we’re actually logical creatures. This is repetitively proven to be a delusion on an almost hourly basis.

We’re irrationally emotional, prone to temper tantrums and other non-sensical behaviour. We drink, eat, smoke and generally indulge to excess in a manner that defies any definition of logic.

Why is it therefore that we seem shocked by the daily tabloid stories of lurid tales of the obsessive actions of those that we irrationally look up to. Why is Tiger Woods a role model? Why do we think that (former England football captain) John Terry a fallen icon?

Do you collect stamps, mount animal heads, (don’t be rude), collect telephone cards or spend hours doing the daily crossword? Hint: you don’t need to look up the above gibberish labels now!

There’s no particular message here. The observation I’m making, is that most of our behaviors are irrational at best and more often than not, downright illogical. With that in mind I say, choose your obsessions well. If they work for you, then don’t worry about justifying them to your pretentious peer group, because I guarantee they’re just as crazy as you!

One sobering word of caution however. Like all things in life, all actions have consequences, so with that in mind enjoy your obsessions!

Whatever! The Curse of Ambivalence

2010-01-27T07:07:00.001-08:00

It doesn't seem that long ago that the one word, concluding punctuation mark, 'whatever' entered the common lexicon. What would once have seemed abrupt in the extreme became the deflection of choice for a generation. Any conversation that needed immediate termination could be executed with the briefest of eye brow raise and the barely audible 'whatever'.

Like a Seinfeld comedy sketch a whole generation embraced this 'in-joke'. What might once have appeared rude or condescending became a rallying call flavored in irony for the apathetic and ambivalent.

Catch phrases act to bond like minded people. A tipping point is reached with inter-generational and cross cultural participation. Suddenly everything is 'whatever'. Debate and rational analysis default to 'whatever'

The interesting thing to me is this: If that little voice in our head that guides our impulses starts to mutter the 'whatever' mantra, that's when the curse of ambivalence kicks in. Ambivalence is the 'devil may care' attitude that abdicates all responsibility for our actions and consequentally our results.

We all have a couple of throw away phrases that we catch ourselves repeating. We sometimes pick up on the repetitive aphorisms of others. 'I'm such an idiot'. 'Life's a bitch' 'S**t happens' (**LOL!) 'Whatever'

Listen to yourself and notice whether your language is tilted toward the enthusiastic or the ambivalent. Ultimately (side bar; my least favorite word) our self talk defines our attitude to life and it's worth the occasional pause to reflect on the phrases we use and how they impact on our lives.

What do you reckon? Let me guess. WHATEEEEEEVER!

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If the Law of Attraction Works Why Aren’t You Living Your Dream Life?

2010-01-19T07:44:00.001-08:00

This is a confronting and provocative question. It presumes there’s a gap in your life and that you are in some way failing, falling short of your own expectations.

If the Law of Attraction does indeed work, how then do we explain how bad things happen to good people? How can we explain how the worst of criminals can win the Lottery? Indeed we can question whether this much-quoted Law is in fact a myth.

Let’s twist the above question. Imagine that despite your initial reaction to the topic, that you are indeed living the dream, but have failed to realize this fact. Perhaps your appreciation lens is clouded. Perhaps you are with your ideal life partner but are blinded to this fact by virtue of your incessant fantasizing of some parallel universe where some Goddess or God is attentive to your every need.

Imagine a world in which some serious health defect was to consume your life. Would you spend your waking hours longing for a dream life that was manifested simply by good health?

The dream car that you drool about and crave, how important to you is it really in comparison to the love and respect of friends?

I prefer the less sexy ‘Law’ that I’ll call the Law of Tendencies.

Perhaps it’s pedantic, and probably ludicrous to call a label such as tendency a law. However bare with me for a moment longer. Imagine a belief system where all meaning was contextual. Imagine that happiness, sadness, joy, wealth and indeed any emotion was a manifestation based on nothing more than a sequence of neurons following a scripted pattern.

Not surprisingly I would suggest; our tendencies set us on a path of intersection and collision with others of similar tendencies. It’s not so much that mere meditation and visualization guarantees the object of our longing will manifest itself, but rather that in the midst of an infinite universe our patterns of thought and action more often than not propel us on to the same route as other like minded individuals.

Is there a message here? I hope so!

In the words of Desiderata-perhaps the universe really is unfolding as it should.

Are you A walking Zombie?

2010-01-08T22:21:00.000-08:00

How Engaged Are You?

Another day another story recounting how some poor IPod worshipper has walked into a pane of glass and lacerated themselves to within an inch of their life.

Are we becoming a society of zombies stumbling along like ghosts only incidentally tuned into the physical environment when our most urgent of needs need satisfying?
Earplugs embedded, Mobile at the ready with expectant text fingers twitching in anticipation, and video on standby for instant capture and upload to YouTube, should a major catastrophe occur, and our digitally engaged pale faced sleep walker is ready to embrace the physical world.

Excuse the facetious ramble. Have you ever pondered how engaged you are in your social sphere? Engagement is a step beyond simple connection. There maybe literally only 1 degree of separation between you and a million people. I believe I’m underestimating this figure greatly.

Let’s imagine you have a combined network of 1000 people. This is includes family, work colleagues, social acquaintances, and social media connections. We all know people who have 1000 Facebook or Twitter followers alone! Multiply that by 1000 and there you have it, a million plus people that are in your sphere of connectivity.
So what you may ask. If you know only one person but they know President Obama then you’re only a connection away from millions. Of far more significance, is the issue of how engaged you actually are.

The degree, to which you are engaged, signifies the amount of influence you hold.
If you are a passionate Yankees or Man Utd fan, then the engagement is one way. They are the players you are the punter. They earn the wealth and accolades, to which you contribute.

Quality engagement is one of communication and influence. Within your ‘tribe’ are you a talker or a listener? Are you an initiator or a follower? In other words do you have an audible voice within your sphere?

So many questions. Here’s an answer.

We have a choice to lead follow or get out of the way in our engagements. Disengagement is the comfortable default for many. I have neighbours that overtly avoid eye contact, presumably for fear of engaging.

Teenagers accompany parents on various excursions whilst hooked up to various digital devices that facilitate this same disengagement.
The message of this scribble is that social skills and courtesies are being eroded to the detriment of all. When it becomes more comfortable to turn inward for gratification it weakens the glue that binds and defines society.
Ultimately we become a herd of followers, connected yet disengaged and hence disenfranchised.

I say reclaim your voice. Demand attention when you speak. Prompt eye contact with the store assistant. When you ask politely how their day is going and they ignore you, ask again. Sometimes engagement needs to be trained. My neighbours have to work hard to avoid engagement with me, as I will continue to say Hello until they get used to this ‘peculiar’ cultural nicety.

Hopefully the incidences of sober outwardly intelligent people blindly walking out in front of traffic or into windowpanes can be arrested!

If you like this let us know or RSS us
Hope your day is unfolding well-Cheers Kiaran

Did You Know?

2010-01-06T20:58:00.000-08:00

Please excuse the duplicate content from my other Blogs but I think this fits nicely with the tone of this Blog Site.

This Video has had over 8 million views. There's no message or anything like that but it really causes pause to ponder our place in this globe of warp speed change. Personally I enjoy the challenge of embracing it-the alternative I guess is getting left behind.

Hope you enjoy-let us know what you think below.-Cheers Kiaran

New Year Resolutions!

2010-01-03T00:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to another decade (technically we've got another year to go before the new decade actually starts, but let's not quibble!). What's your intention for 2010?

That question didn't exactly roll off the tongue did it? We're most used to saying 'what's your goal?' but I think intention has a bit more substance to it. Some goals can be little more than a wish and a prayer. We set vague goals daily. Some get done, some don't. So what?

Tell your kids that you intend to get something sorted out right now, and you've got their attention!

Enough of the semantics. The most common resolutions that kick off in early January usually include losing weight and getting more exercise. Not incidentally the same thing. I wrote a Blog awhile back where I discussed the relative pointlessness of exercise in contributing to weight loss, certainly compared to diet.

By late January the gym Memberships have been purchased, the body somewhat detoxed, a couple of Kilos lost and a few aching joints to show for our endeavors and before you know it we've defaulted to our usual comfort zone, and on the cycle goes.

Is this your story or am I totally off base? It seems to make sense to start off the year or decade with fresh resolve, yet there is no particular reason to begin in January as opposed to March, yet who sets resolutions in March?

The bigger question is Why? Why should you bother? If it's out of some token sense of guilt that you feel a little out of kilter with your perception of societies' expectations, then it's unlikely you'll really give a damn after the initial adrenalin rush wears off.

If however you can find a really compelling answer to the 'Why' then the whole game changes.
If for instance it occurs to you that continuing to smoke could significantly decrease your odds of seeing the Grand-kids grow up, then your Intention to give up the cigarettes may just be strong enough to make it happen.

If your struggle with weight loss has been never ending then maybe a candid warts and all assessment by your physician may be the catalyst for change.

Perhaps you've wanted to go into business for yourself and drop kick the 9-5 into Timbuktu (or however you spell it) but you've dragged your feet, procrastinated, let doubts and fears pervade your dream and again defaulted to the comfort zone of sitcom TV instead of taking some meaningful first steps toward that dream. Then perhaps a different answer needs to be found. If not now when? Are you prepared to cop another 10 or 20 years of office politics. Are you happy to meander towards a subsistence pension in 5 or 10 or 15 years?

What scares you? What exhilarates you? This is the key to your success or failure in accomplishing your New Year Resolutions. Find a big enough why and virtually anything can be accomplished, else ambivalence kicks in and you're destined to taxi down the run way of life indefinitely without ever reaching critical speed to take off. - Sorry for the metaphor-speak-but there's a hint of truth in there I reckon!

Best Wishes for 2010 and I hope your compelling Intentions happen for you.

Cheers Kiaran

Check this Guy out-Goosebump Stuff

2009-12-27T18:44:00.000-08:00

Occasionally a unique artist appears out of left field and shows up the manufactured Idol wannabees for what they are. No offense to those who aspire to achieve their goals via reality TV but I like the fact Mr Gurrimal has come from total obscurity-a remote aboriginal settlement-with the added challenge of blindness to connect with a world wide audience via his sound alone-ie without the slick record label honchos-directing his sound.

Have a listen and leave a comment-Enjoy-
Cheers Kiaran

Seasons Greetings and Hope You Have an AWESOME 2010!

2009-12-23T22:00:00.001-08:00

Thank you for visiting my Blog during what for some was a fantastic 2009. My hope is that you and your family have a great 2010 and your aspirations find fulfillment.

Some of you may have had the best year of your life and some alas the worst-that's the swings and roundabouts of this merry go round we call life. I welcome you to re-visit next year as we build our community of like minded individuals for common, Inspiration and Motivation with my goal to make it an AWESOME-2010

As always I welcome your connection-Cheers Kiaran-here in currently very summery Perth-not a snowflake in sight!

Free E-book By Seth Godin-No Opt in Required

2009-12-17T07:35:00.000-08:00

Something different. I've just downloaded this content rich 80 page E-Book which is chock full of insightful observations. I hope you enjoy. Return and let me know your thoughts

Cheers Kiaran

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/files/what-matters-now-1.pdf

Frustration

2009-12-09T21:58:00.001-08:00

Is there a more pointless emotion than frustration? It serves no useful purpose other than emotional feedback that something in our status quo needs to change. More than likely that change is one of perception.

A long and mentally challenging day at work is rarely a factor of the actual activities we’ve engaged in, but rather the sense of impotence in achieving our goals.

There are many ways to define frustration; I like to define it as the gap between what we want and what we’ve got.

To eliminate this debilitating emotion we need to do one of two things: change our focus on what we want or accept that something’s are not in our control and move in the direction of that which we can control.

If the kids are doing your head in, or the boss, or your spouse, you do have a choice. Regression is the response of what I call the spoilt brat! Throw a tantrum, sulk, cry and any number of other manipulative performances.

However whilst this may provide temporary respite from our feelings of helplessness as we hook others into our ‘poor me drama,’ the long-term consequences are that people start to treat us like kids and become immune to our cravings.

Sadly, frustration is no laughing matter and there are many unstable individuals locked up due to letting emotions such as disappointment gradually escalate into despair, anger and eventually into irrational out pourings of anger and sometimes violence.

We are all calibrated differently with different trigger points and coping abilities. However once we become self aware of what’s actually going on emotionally then we start to become empowered with regard to our calculated response as opposed to the more typical knee jerk reaction.

Impulse control is mostly a factor of being tuned in to the moment and being aware of the bigger picture and consequences of our actions. Many regrets in life are the result of acting on impulse, when in the clear light of day we wonder why we acted so irrationally.

Alcohol for example is a well-known inhibitor of rational thought and the consequences of impulsive drunken behavior are well documented.

The message? Be aware of your ability to handle frustration before it consumes you. If you feel you can’t, then make some changes. Change job, relationship, or whatever is creating the most stress OR adapt and start to care less.

As the line in Desiderata states: perhaps “the universe is unfolding as it should”

Random Act Of Kindness Experiment

2009-11-30T07:11:00.000-08:00

Something different. I don't Blog to espouse any particular life philosophy, but rather to momentarily prompt pause for thought. December is a month of celebration and reflection for many. Connecting with friends and family, present giving and receiving and for many some contemplation and renewing of spiritual beliefs.

In the midst of this crazy neon illuminated tinsel sprinkled hustle and bustle are many lost souls enduring a disconnected sense of emptiness, highlighted by the apparent joie d'vivre playing out all around them.

Here's a thought. Not original I might add. Try doing something a little outrageous this month. Let's call it a Random Act Of Kindness. Random as in unplanned, spontaneous and possibly anonymous, and marvel at the impact. I'm making a leap of anticipation here, and that is; the impact on YOU will be as profound as the recipient.

Some concrete for instances. When someone next asks you for some change, tell them you've only got a $20 note, would that do?! Perhaps stopping to assist some poor motorist who's broken down, even if it's raining and you're late for an appointment. I am sure you can think of some much more creative ideas, I'd love to hear some examples, both of how you felt and the reaction of the recipient.

It's good occasionally to step out of line and do the slightly irrational act and notice the ripple effect it has on the rest of your day.

Of course you could totally ignore this dribble and perhaps be a recipient, and that'll definitely mess with your world!

Please share your Experience and thoughts-I am online to be inspired and occasionally inspire!

Cheers for now-Kiaran

The End Of The World!

2009-11-15T07:19:00.000-08:00

According to the great prophets of doom and supported by a heavy mix of pseudo science and science fiction the world is on course for a predictable conclusion in late December 2012.

Wrapped up neatly in ancient Mayan mythology, though mostly ridiculed by modern Mayans, the 2012 phenomenon as it is referred, posits global cataclysm of Doomsday proportions. The end of the world as we know it.

The hype and speculation certainly adds fuel to the fire of Hollywood self promotion. A film (2012) that reputedly cost nearly 300 Million dollars to spawn will milk every ounce from the flood of speculation and accompanying sensationalism.

What fascinates this scribbler however, is the observation that so many outwardly intelligent participants in this soap opera seem hypnotized and unable to distinguish reality from fantasy.

There are an increasing number of accounts of people preparing for the 'inevitable'. talks of suicide pacts, and other troubling stories of mass delusion.

Where do these apparently absurd beliefs emanate? How is it that celluloid villains are chastised and admonished on the street by apparently normal people seemingly oblivious to the fact that these are actually real life people.
Matinee idols are equally feted by virtue of their onscreen animal magnetism.
Invariably in the flesh they are 5 inches shorter and displaying love handles a fact that seems to perplex these hypnotized folks.

If suspended belief helps us transcend normal cynicism and heighten our escapist enjoyment of popcorn entertainment, then so be it. There must be a moment though when we realize that it's not entirely healthy to completely embrace fantasy into our everyday interactions.

If you're over the age of 6 and still have an imaginary friend, or are accustomed to sitting on the train chatting away to yourself whilst gesticulating wildly, then it may be time to investigate the merits of medication or at the very least a little therapy.

Yet behavior not too far removed from the above, is encouraged and reinforced by the media as if it is reasonable. Before long group hysteria starts to take over and fantasies become profound beliefs. Therein lies the problem. The inability to engage rational reason creates a default to populist thinking.

What can be more populist than John Cusack earnestly racing across our screens to save his family from the apocalypse. He seems credible, so let's enjoy the ride and buy in to the plot and become part of the cast of millions.

Just remember to exit rear stage when the credits roll!

Gettin' in the mood for action-This guy's psyched!!

2009-11-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

A 90 second pause of light relief. Can't believe people want to know if it's a real gorilla! Enjoy-RSS me if you like any of my ramblings or maybe check me out on Facebook-Cheers Kiaran

The Profound Gap between Obsession and Indifference

2009-10-25T02:17:00.000-07:00

Have you ever met a an ambivalent success story? Have you ever admired someone or aspired to to achieve their state of nonchalance?

The polar opposite of indifference is obsession. Is this a more favorable disposition? if someone described you as pathologically compulsive, would you feel flattered?

Somewhere between these two states lies our default zone, and as a direct consequence, our capacity to shape our destiny.

Ambivalent people are mostly bit players, and extras in the comedy of life. Life indeed, is something that happens to them, rather than something they direct. Motivation is the fuel that allows one person to run through a brick wall in the pursuit of a goal, indifference provides barely enough fuel to get out of bed.

On the continuum of emotions from indifference up to obsession there are a myriad of complex stimulators and inhibitors that aid or hinder our quests. The problem with obsession is that the narrow focus and lack of peripheral insight repels rather than attracts the object of the obsession. It is an addictive and often self centered pursuit of self gratification.

If you could choose your emotional state (which of course you can), which emotional state would be most conducive to your pursuit of your dreams, goals and aspirations?

This is a simple scale of states you could choose from.

Ambivalence/Indifference
Wish/Hope
Vague Interest.
Strong Desire
Passion
Obsession

Very few changes in the conditions of our life will ever occur, unless we can find the inspiration and hot button to move us into the state between Strong Desire and Passion. That is the zone in which common folks find the energy to accomplish uncommon goals.

Sadly most people live in the zone between Hope and Vague Desire, which provides neither the energy or motivation to set goals, take action and move out of the comfort zone.

All of us have unimaginable potential to achieve great things, but a combination of lack of belief and unempowering mindsets, inhibit our ability to achieve fulfillment.

Try being a tad obsessed about achieving a significant goal this year, and if you lose traction perhaps you'll slip back into the zone labeled passion!

Quantum Physics and The Law of Attraction

2009-10-24T08:13:00.000-07:00

It has become popular in recent years to blend the intellectually unfathomable concepts of quantum physics with pop-psychology precepts such as The Law of Attraction.

Can science prove the theories of the philosophers who since time immemorial have built huge and loyal adherents espousing this seemingly mystical observation?
How would you explain the science of Quantum Physics to a 6 year old? It’s like explaining that the world of Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is the real world and that we live in a parallel world where nothing makes sense.

If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn’t

Quantum Physics examines matter and energy at an infinitesimally small size, and at this particle level, all the Newtonian Laws of science appear to break down. Even Einstein needed some convincing to accept the empirical evidence.

The essence of this phenomenon is that it confronts our certainties. If you can’t entirely rely on logic and rationality a whole new horizon of possibility thinking emerges.

The Law of Attraction has been the central tenet of personal development authors such as Napoleon Hill and more recently Rhonda Byrne and many are now using the principles of Quantum Physics to support their theories.

As there are perhaps only a handful of scientists capable of coherently expressing or indeed understanding this nebulous concept any attempts by mere mortals to weave philosophy, spirituality, logic and particle physics into something meaningful is destined to be labelled hocus-pocus.

Some concepts that are expressed are as follows:

Thoughts are things.
We attract like-minded people to us.
Everything is energy and in a constant vibratory state.
Visualization manifests actualization.

The lesson here is that the boundaries of the possible and the impossible are becoming blurred. Perhaps nothing is as it appears.

The mistake is probably akin to that of wave-particle observation. Observation changes the nature of what is being observed.

We live in a world of infinite possibility that simultaneously vacillates between elegant order and utter chaos.

Monkey Business!

2009-10-18T07:50:00.000-07:00

80/20 Book Review

2009-10-17T08:13:00.000-07:00

From time immemorial our elders have preached the merits of working long and hard to succeed. The motto that hard work equates to success is a rational concept, yet upon closer analysis, the empirical evidence doesn’t actually stack up.

Over a 100 years ago an Italian Economist Vilfredo Pareto produced some counter intuitive evidence that seemed to suggest that 80% of Europe’s wealth was controlled by 20% of the population, and this pattern of skewed effort and reward manifested itself in all manner of societal observation.

80% of Crime appeared to be committed by 20% of criminals. 80% of carpet receives 20% of the wear! 20% of Insurance Sales Reps earn 80% of total commissions. You get the point.

Richard Koch examines Pareto’s Principle from both an economics and business management perspective and is unequivocal in his endorsement and the lessons and advantages that can be gleaned from acting in accordance.

Unlike many authors who talk the talk but often fail in the walking department, Koch achieved significant financial success in his private equity investments business, which he attributes to the application of this strange theorem.

Many successful business entrepreneurs attribute much of their success to the application of Koch’s lessons, and this book is frequently quoted as being the most influential and favourite book in many a library.

Some of the lessons that Kock espouses:

“Leverage your own time so that you focus on the things where you add five times more value than elsewhere.”

“Choose a niche that you enjoy and in which you can excel”

“Identify where 20% of effort gives 80% of returns”

“Figure out the 20% of what you do that will contribute the most to your success in the future, then concentrate your time and energy on that 20%”

Anyone who’s ever played golf can probably appreciate the quirky contradiction that the harder you try to hit the ball the less likely it will travel far. The more you relax the better you will perform.

This is a lesson that very few amateur ‘hackers’ will ever truly accept, and therefore continue in their futile attempt to defeat the law of effort and reward. Less effort, concentrated in the pivotal area will always produce the highest degree of reward.

This is a book that takes a little patience to reach its conclusions. The first half reads like an economics manifesto, full of graphs and charts, with statistical analysis that will not be to every one’s palette. The second half however is worth waiting for. There are at least a dozen lessons that if applied can produce some profound changes in your results.

At the risk of sounding banal, you’ll probably find that 80% of the benefits you’ll gain from reading this book will come from a mere 20% of the content!

A little Inspiration

2009-10-15T07:48:00.000-07:00

Life Scripts and Metaphors

2009-10-06T20:22:00.000-07:00

Philosophers from all walks of life have burned out innumerable brain cells pondering over the riddle; ‘what is the meaning of Life?’

Since the dawn of civilization emperors kings and queens have built ingenious structures from the blood sweat and tears of their minions in the hope of gleaning some insight into the mystery of our existence.

In a modern day society of empowered freethinking individualism, we have greater reign to express our individuality and posit our beliefs to the teeming masses that jostle and compete for recognition, than ever.

In order to navigate through life without a brain explosion, it is simpler to reduce our search for meaning into basic scripts and metaphors.

Body adornment, including piercings, tattoos and painted faces, have been a symbol of self-expression since we vacated the trees and set forth on two legs chasing some answers.

There is some irony in the fact that consumerism has helped reduce our Individuality to the bland slogans of our clothing brand and bumper stickers on our cars. Inevitably puerile and banal, yet evidence to some degree of what we stand for.

It has become trendy recently to tattoo slogans across bodies. “Such is Life” for example. These labels become self-fulfilling prophecies that can come to define our life experiences. The above example, while outwardly, a devil may care attitude, does perpetuate and reinforce the belief that life is something that happens to us, rather than something that we shape and bend to our will.

The question I am prompting is this. Do we choose our life scripts and labels or are they woven into our lives as a by-product of our peer group influence?
What’s it all about? Life that jigsaw puzzled mystery that consumes so much of our waking hours contemplating and deciphering?

The thought for the day this scribbler is throwing into the melting pot is this:
The metaphor that we use to describe our life defines the meaning of our life. The degree to which we align ourselves to this image determines how much sense and meaning we perceive.

If Love is a battlefield, if you’re an accident waiting to happen, if life is a bed of roses, or a journey, or a gift, or a purgatory, then our sense of fulfillment will be related to how faithfully we adhere to these scripts.

If you could choose a metaphor to express your attitude to life, that would describe what you stand for, what would you choose? Just a thought!

' I Could Have Been a Contender!"

2009-09-25T23:23:00.000-07:00

It was one of the truly memorable great quotes, uttered by Marlon Brando over half a century ago.

"You don't understand! I could've had class. I could've been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, Charley, let's face it." Terry Malloy-On the Waterfront (1954)

It resonates, because so many can identify with the plaintive message. We all know people who live in the past and regale us with their stories of what they could’ve done, what they could’ve been, what they could’ve had, if only…

There lies the rub. No one really cares. Lost perceived opportunities exist in the realm of science fiction parallel universes. If you had asked that girl out, if you had got that dream job, if you had given up smoking, if you had started your own business, and any number of alternate choices had been taken, are fodder merely for idle day dreaming and the sustenance of frustration.

The only thing that will ever impact our current reality is that which we actually do in the moment.

We can all be contenders. There is however one very significant hurdle to be cleared, one that very few people will ever scale. Virtually every conceivable and measurable achievement we ever attain will be defined by the limits of our comfort zone.
If ever there was a mislabeled term or misnomer, it has to be ‘the comfort zone’
The gap between our potential fulfillment and the reality of our experience is mostly a factor of fear. Not only fear, but more accurately, perceived fear.
Fear of public speaking, fear of failure, fear of intimacy, fear of success, and fear of any number of illusory shadows in the dark, that are in fact rarely based on actual evidentiary fact.

The ability to extend our comfort zone, will, more than just about any other activity, redefine our future achievements.

Imagine, if you had a momentary insight in to that parallel universe in which you lived the alternate life you were capable of living. Imagine glimpsing the person you could be. Successful, happy, respected by your peers, with an awesome family life, healthy, wealthy and wise.

I would imagine that would be a thoroughly depressing insight to have on your deathbed.
The message therefore is as follows: expand your comfort zone, even incrementally, on a daily basis. Take little risks. Ask for a pay rise. Ask your next-door neighbor, the supermodel, out for coffee. Set some real tangible hardcore goals for yourself that you want to achieve in the next 12 months, and start acting ‘as if’ you can’t fail.

You are a contender, every instant of your life, and the shackles around your neck are imaginary, as is the comfort zone that you inhabit.
Just a thought!

The Most Famous Person You've Never Heard Of!

2009-09-21T22:48:00.000-07:00

I’m going to make an assumption, so please bear with me. I’m guessing you may be familiar with the names of some of the winners of any number of reality shows, such as ‘Idol’, ‘Biggest Loser’, ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and perhaps even the winner of Miss World. If for no other reason than by osmosis, from seeing the magazine headlines that abound.

My second assumption is that you’re not up to speed on the works of Norman Borlaug. Me neither. I spotted a small obituary recently hidden in the depths of a celebrity gossip filled newspaper, that caught my eye, and made me question, why I’d never heard of this chap.

Agronomists, humanitarians and Nobel Laureates are generally not too well known, unless they simultaneously have rock icon status or adopt third world children to parade on the red carpets of the world.

So who is Dr. Norman Borlaug? Well as C.V’s go, I doubt you can ever hope to better his. He is credited with having saved more lives, an estimated Billion, than any other person in history! That’s not a typo! Incidentally that equates to almost as many people that were alive when he was born nearly 100 years ago.

For a sneak preview of this remarkable person’s achievement I’d recommend taking a few minutes to check out some Wikipedia citations. Suffice to summarize: Gorlaub spent most of his life in the pursuit of eliminating global starvation, by means of dramatically increasing crop yields. He was responsible for developing wheat strains that were semi-dwarf, high yield and disease resistant.

In the mid 1960’s there was a very real fear that crop yield would not support a population of more than 4 billion. Yet between 1965 and 1970, Borlaug’s intervention, helped avert an unprecedented famine scenario in Mexico, India, Pakistan and China. It is estimated that his discoveries have contributed to a quadrupling of food production.
Remarkably, this trend in global food production has expanded faster than population growth. The new estimates for population sustainability are now in the vicinity of 10 billion.

Sometimes the work of scientists can seem drab and uninspiring, and yet if some of these unseen heroes were feted with just a fraction of the idolatry that the latest manufactured celebrity receives, then I believe many of us uninformed consumers of the mass media production line would be genuinely inspired.

I’m not sure if Mr Gorlaub had matinee looks or dated a model or two, but I believe society would be well served by at least being aware of his impact.

Who’s inspired you lately?

4 minutes of hilarity-hope you enjoy!

2009-09-15T06:34:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon-My Pet Monkey Online.....

2009-09-08T05:14:00.000-07:00

There's something afoot. I will be introducing a unique character to the Information Marketing World who will revolutionize how how you view this terrain and utterly change the landscape as you know it. He is currently working on his totally unique 'whois' page whilst simultaneously launching his personal brand that he likes to call "Gorilla Marketing". His name is Nigel and I promise his impact will astonish! On that cryptic note I'll depart for now. Tune in or pop over to Kiaranfinn.com for my Free Report and sneak preview

Check out Interview with Frank Kern and John Reese

2009-09-07T21:14:00.001-07:00

I want you to take a look at: Interview with Frank Kern and John Reese

The Two Key Factors that will Determine your Success in every area of your Life

2009-09-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

On a daily basis I observe stressed out puffed out, morbidly obese, frustrated,underpaid emotional bankrupts stumbling blindly through the daily monotony that defines their mortality and bereft of any enthusiasm, joy or hope.

So who these people are that I’m hanging out with! I’d guess they’re the same poor souls you notice everyday vacuous with funereal expressions in cubicles, factories, shops or commuting in cars, buses and trains.

We don't live in some Dickensian world of poverty, rather in a modern golden age surrounded by abundance. In a world of unparalleled opportunity,where the barriers of social standing no longer inhibit upward mobility, how is it that the barometer of health and happiness, often labeled 'Life balance' seems to be so out of kilter?

Stress, obesity, frustration, and empty relationships are mostly a manifestation, not of unfortunate luck or inherent genetic flaw but something profoundly simpler. I'll call it 'sclerosis of the attitudes'. This is obviously a play on words, referring to that other devastating health issue: the hardening of the arteries.

I have studied the subject of self concept, belief, value systems, and the degree to which it is a predictor of general well-being. yet whilst feeling good about ourselves undoubtedly is of huge benefit in attracting positive energy of people and circumstances in to our lives, it doesn’t answer the question; How to you acquire this magical state of being?

The two magic ingredients that will propel you to untold heights of attainment in any area of your life are the following. Wait for the drum roll! Inspiration and Aspiration.

Aspiration is the visualization or goal that you desire to achieve. Much frustration in life is a factor, not of unfulfilled dreams, but rather the emptiness left in the absence of a precise measurable target. The comfort zone of familiarity is often a bleak place, and alas often a prison of our own making, This failure to spot the horizon and the possibilities that lie just beyond, tie us to our worlds of quiet desperation.

Inspiration is the ingredient that enables obese people to lose 60KG’s in six months after a lifetime of misery. That motivates a blind person to scale Everest, a mother to work three jobs to send her kids to private school and factory workers to become over night self-made millionaires in their spare time.

Curiously, these chains that bind us to the status quo are often a eureka insight instant away from being lost forever. There is often a moment of clarity that precedes all great success.

It might be a word of encouragement or a television documentary that inspires us to make decisions and take new actions. Occasionally it can be that moment when we reach rock bottom. That moment of darkness before the dawn when we finally become sick and tired of being sick and tired and truly decide that something must change, and it must change now.

For some people this moment happens at a young age, for some in middle age and alas for the majority it never happens. The beauty of this insight however is how simple it is to implement, and thus utterly change your life experiences.

30 minutes invested in brainstorming and committing to paper your dreams hopes and aspirations is the first step.

The second step is marginally more difficult. Find a role model. Or two or three. If you want to lose weight, then simply Google the topic, jump on to YouTube and find someone that you can relate to, connect and get inspired. The inspiration will motivate you to take action.

If you are in an unhappy relationship, then decide what you want. Either take the steps to make the relationship work or ‘get the hell out!’ At the risk of upsetting some people “this ain’t no dress rehearsal”

If you underwhelmed by your job, or are financially embarrassed, then look for mentor or role model whose been down that road and achieved success. There are people achieving outstanding success online everyday with relatively little investment in time and money. Take some action steps. Make some connections and get out of that less than comfortable default zone, fast.

Inspiration and aspiration will ultimately define your future success in every area of life. Enjoy your journey!

Doomsdayers, Geniuses and the Nonsense of Scarsity Economics

2009-09-01T18:34:00.000-07:00

I am always amused when I hear an opinion prefaced with the statement; "I'm no rocket scientist but..." The implication being that you don't need to be a genius to debate a subject. It's amusing because the passing of time often renders yesterday's "rocket scientists" as naive in the extreme, and more often than not, patently wrong in their predictions. no doubt the original flat Earth Society were highly regarded for their insight at the time.

You may never have heard of Paul Ehlrich, or Thomas Malthus unless you have an interest in the economic principles of scarcity. In fact Malthus died back in 1834. His Principle 'The Malthusian Catastrophe' however lives on.

Mr Ehlrich published a couple of best selling books between 1968 and 1971, including ‘Population Explosion', ‘Eco-Catastrophe', (that word again!), and ‘The End of Affluence’,. At the time they were the best selling environmental books to date, selling millions of copies. These were the epitome of doomsday thinking.

So well regarded was his work that he received the ‘prestigious’ Macarthur Foundation Genius Award in acknowledgment of his ‘wisdom’. Why the parentheses you ask? Well, remember the aforementioned Malthus? He was the chap that declared in volumes of scientific rhetoric, that the price of societal improvement and welfare was impending doom, manifested as epidemic, pestilence, plague and starvation. You see the principle of scarcity states that in a world of limited resources there can be no place for aspiration to achieve.

Presumably we should live in huts and embrace a life of privation and subsistence. Happy times! Paul Ehlrich inhabits the same doomsday world as Malthus. His best selling books that garnered him his reputation including his ‘genius’ award, predicted apocalyptic disasters on a scale never before seen. Hundreds of millions would starve to death. Famine, plague and societal disintegration would become the norm. Indeed the world as we know it would collapse like a house of cards. When will this happen, you might ask? Ehlrich was remarkably specific. During the 1970’s!

I must admit to being perplexed as to the predictions his vanquished competitors came up with in the ‘genius’ award category, if he won! In a previous article I asked ‘Is Truth a Myth?’ and facetiously postulated that truth is entirely contextual and biased by our subconscious belief and value systems, which are largely a factor of our cultural up-bringing. Hindsight is a great ally when predicting and forecasting outcomes.

At the other end of the Truth spectrum is Julian Simon, who won a famous bet with Ehlrich, that resources actually drop in price over time and therefore are not scarce, and by predicting that contrary to the assertion that we live in a world of scarcity, we actually live in a world of untold abundance. The air is cleaner. We use less land to produce more food, thanks to the ubiquitous Corn Economy, that accounts for so much of our food and packaging.

The point here is not to gloat over the misguided predictions of past scholars, but it is interesting that negative doom and gloom catastrophe and impending apocalypse is easier to sell than the more likely script, which is that the power of innovation to replace and refine our technologies is inevitably more likely.

All innovation starts with the seed of a ‘what can we improve?’ question. Doomsayers prefer to build their audience on the Principles of Malthus and Ehlrich. Maybe the doomsdayers are right but their timing is out. It seems to me however that given a choice,I'd prefer living a life of optimism, aspiration and enthusiasm, which is profoundly more fulfilling than that proposed by the aforementioned 'rocket scientists'.

Are you addicted?

2009-08-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

Are we a society of addicts? Addicted to Shopping, Alcohol, Shoes, Drugs, Food, Sex, Sport, Gambling, Work, Twitter?
The bigger question is; are these addictions of choice that add fun and excitement, color and texture to our lives? Or perhaps they are subconscious default habitual addictions that imperceptibly eat away at our ability to adapt to our social environment. Whilst there are physiological addictions that require medication to stabilize behavior, ever more research is providing compelling evidence that a huge percentage of destructive habit patterns are controllable. This research is suggesting that many addictions are adaptations to stress. Often these behavioral adaptations are inherently self destructive.

Stressful events affect the immune system. Anxiety, fear, tension, anger and sadness are emotions and physiological stressors.

It needs to be understood that these descriptive words are actually describing chemical reactions in the body. These chemical reactions define our physical and mental health.

Addiction derives from something called the dopaminergic system, or in simpler English-The brain's reward system. The intensity of this desire for reward (the rush of dopamine running through our veins and the ensuing spike in sensory pleasure)

A polarizing theory is posited by Professor John Booth Davies in his book 'The Myth of Addiction' He asks the question 'Is addiction a choice?' and suggests that addicts fall into two categories; those interested in changing, and those not interested.

Insight is the starting point for those interested in changing their habitual destructive actions.

Dr Hans Seyle, coined the term 'General Adaptation Syndrome" He describes three clear stages of adaptation to stress. Initial brief alarm, followed by prolonged resistance, and eventually the third stage, which is exhaustion and death! The chemical precursor to this disturbing eventuality is; enlargement of the adrenal gland, atrophy of the thymus and spleen, and lymphoid tissue, as well as gastric ulcerations.

This is not a medical resource article, but it's worth noting that the throw away labels we give to our emotions and behaviors have an underlying and very real impact on our well being.

So much misery in life is the result of maladaption to stress. What interests this scribbler however is the area of science called Psychoneuroimmunology. Research in this field of science, looks at the impact that state of mind has on the immune system. Former Harvard professor of physiology-Walter Cannon first coined the term Homeostasis. He observed that there is a brain body dialogue played out via control of cortisol levels that can largely be manipulated by conscious thought. Popularly known as the power of belief.

Many NLP(neuro-liguistic-programming) practitioners believe that we can trick the body by changing our response to stress triggers. The belief is, that the stimulus is not the stressor, rather our response. How we label a stimulus defines its impact. Are we angry, or merely annoyed. Are we devastated or merely sad. These labels, our interpretations of our life experiences, are ultimately manifested within our immune system.

Beware how you label your experiences it's self fulfilling. Just a thought!

What would you do if you knew you had 5 years to live?

2009-08-30T19:44:00.000-07:00

If you knew you had exactly five years to live, would you do anything differently?

This is a question that cuts to the quick regarding what really matters and what we truly value. Step back for a moment from the hustle and bustle of making a living and observe your efforts in creating a life. What defines you? Is it the car you drive? The acres of tiling or marble that envelopes your house? The manicured lawns? The awe and esteem of your subordinates? The fear of your enemies? Does your sense of well being relate to your sense of status within your peer group?

Perhaps the bigger question is whether this sense of life purpose and relative self importance is merely an exercise in futile self delusion. A recurring question this scribbler posits is thus. In the absence of context can anything have meaning. Hence the question; would you live your life any differently if you knew its exact expiry date? Would you smell the roses more frequently. Would your perspective alter with regard to what really matters? Would the smile of a child mean more than the compliment of your boss?

We could wax lyrical with any number of metaphoric images to convey the essence of living. The point however is this. If you would make any significant changes to your life in the knowledge of its use by date, then what on earth is holding you back? Are you going to wait until you reach the ripe old age of 95 before you start focusing on what really matters? Procrastination is the default for so many sad souls. Waiting until the time is right before living life. Building houses, instead of homes. Delaying enjoyment today for delayed gratification tomorrow.

For what it's worth, here's a little paradigm shift of context to mess with your grey matter. Reframe your goals in the context of a finite 5 year time line. Notice what adjustments you would make. Notice what your true values really are. If you don't rate the 40 plus hours per week you spend at work as at least an 8 out of 10 in terms of relative enjoyment, then perhaps something needs to change. In the next 5 years you will no doubt use up 9600 hours, engaging in this activity. That equates to 400 twenty four hour days.

If you had only 5 years to live, would you want to spend 40% of your waking hours in the pursuit of an activity that rates so low on the enjoyment scale? Of course we can defer fun and pleasure today, the French call it joie de vivre in order to indulge in our sunset years. Problem is of course, if we are already in our sunset years and haven't realised it, then that really would be disappointing! Life matters is obviously a play on words.

Sometimes it pays to step off the treadmill of life and ask, what is it that really matters? And act accordingly.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

2009-08-30T19:43:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the better question is; "Why do you want to grow up?"!

Remember a time in the dim mists of time when life's riddles seemed simpler? Grown ups would delight in endlessly interrogating any young child in sight as to what they wanted to be when they grow up. Answers such as doctor, nurse, pilot, builder, policeman were positively and knowingly approved. Ask the same question today and you might feel less enlightened by the answer.
Traditional jobs are 'all so yesterday'. Much in the manner that a previous generation may have responded to the career choice perhaps of a cobbler, chimney sweep or basket weaver. It's all in the realm of black and white movies of a bygone era when politeness and formality ruled over spontaneity and individualism.

Predictability in our warp drive journey through the vast digital world of untapped knowledge is all but dead. 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' Is a question that presumes some future Nostradamus-like insight into the shape of things to come.

The modern child prodigy is more likely to define their future career goals in terms of what they want to become rather than how they want to spend their lives. Predictability is the antithesis of the new generation's future strivings. It's all about now. Predicting future trends is the new Lotto. It's all about finding contemporary niches to manipulate. 'Niche' is the new buzz word for the ambitious. It's not about becoming an engineer or accountant anymore.

It's about finding and tapping into a hidden somewhat obscure yet lucrative market place. Perhaps garden gnomes. Find a community of gnome enthusiasts and cater to their predilections Join their social media communities. Blog with them. Identify their desires and provide solutions. Sell them an e-book on some curious angle about their passion and conquer the world!

The glazed somewhat confused look your question may elicit may not be the result of lack of ambition, but perhaps the instinct that their answer will be so incomprehensible to you that it's not worth the effort answering.

It's a new world where spontaneity, laced with a touch of hedonism and living in the moment, whilst not particularly sensible and definitely not predictable is undeniably perfectly adaptable. Adaptation is the key to survival in any environment and perhaps this new unblinkered approach to career possibility is enlightened.

Just don't expect a simple answer to your question!

why is it that everyone wants to go to heaven, yet no one wants to die?

2009-08-30T19:41:00.000-07:00

Facetious statement, I know. There is a hint of truth there, however.

How is it that some seemingly fortunate folks seem to sail smoothly through life, with few turbulences, crises or adversity worth talking about, whilst an all together larger percentage of the population seem to experience the opposite? Catastrophe, bad luck, and various examples of strife seem to shadow their every venture.
If the personal success guru's are to be believed. Then it's all pretty simple really. It's to do with the law of attraction. We attract the people and circumstances consistent with our dominant thoughts in to our lives. Taken to it's logical conclusion therefore, this law would seem to suggest that peer group is the biggest influencer of success and failure in life, all other things being equal.

Having worked with Juvenile Justice recidivist offenders, Olympic Champions, Multi-Millionaire Entrepreneurs, and more than a few of life's hard luck stories, I've often pondered what is it exactly that most determines the differences in their respective life results.

At the risk of condensing the myriad of life's complexities down to a few simple platitudes, it does seem that there are certain strategies that have a quite profound impact on performance when implemented.

For almost immediate guaranteed change to take place in your life, try a couple of simple exercises, and reserve judgment until after the exercise.

Firstly. Make an emotional decision. A decision that some aspect of your life MUST change. Now!

Secondly, establish the belief that you are capable of actually making the change.

Thirdly, take massive and immediate ACTION.

The degree of change that you want to occur will determine the the extreme level of action that needs to be undertaken.

CHANGE is the operative word. Try Changing your peer group for awhile. This is the biggest influencer and reinforcement of your current situation. Break free. Build new social networks. Try different activities.

Change, if necessary, disempowering intimate relationships. Change job. Change clothes. Change thinking. Just start making changes!

Find a MENTOR. Success in sport, music, art, rocket science, is rarely acheived independently. Life accomplishments are more quickly acheived with the assistance of others. Find someone to model, copy, duplicate.

There's an old Irish expression that states that 'everyone wants to get to heaven, but no one wants to die!'

The challenge for many potentially outstanding individuals, is that the comfort zone of their lives, whilst far from being comfortable, is preferable to the unknown. Sometimes the umbilical cord, connecting us with an often malignant and miserable experience needs to be cut.

There is in life a risk in stepping in to the unknown. However continuing on the same path to predictable oblivion makes no sense whatsoever. It may be a cliche, but nevertheless there is a simple truth to the line; 'if you keep doing the same things over and over, then don't expect different results". In other words if you want to fly with eagles, get out of the turkey pen!

Fatalism and Simpl-exity Conundrum

2009-08-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

Friar William of Ockham seemed like an interesting fellow. 600 years after his less than earth shattering comments, along the lines that, simplicity is invariably the answer to all manner of puzzle, quandary and bafflement, philosophers still debate vigorously the merits of this belief system.
The more grounded and less sophisticated ponderers of life's big questions might wonder what all the fuss is about, over someone who stated the 'bleedin' obvious' yet whose tenet 'Ockham's Razor' has slipped so comfortably into the modern lexicon.

This scribbler however does question this assertion that the simple answer is invariably the best. The inspiration for this brief ramble was a chance conversation recently with a chap who informed me with no hint of winking kiddology that he expected to depart his mortal coil at aged 62. He wasn't specific though regarding the exact time and date. His fatalism was borne out of nothing more than the observation that many of his predecents died at around this age. His thinking might have been applauded by Friar Ockham.

In a universe that is unfathomly diverse and debateably, immeasurable, is such fatalism justified? In a world where bad things happen to good people, is it useful to live as though free will is an illusion? We've all been inculcated by the passed down aphorisms of long passed cultural sages such as; 'what will be will be'.

The old wise Greeks coined a term; Moira for that unseen power that rules over human destiny. If cosmic determinism really scripts our life novel, then are we then deluding ourselves with the belief that life has any meaning or purpose? Nihilism-the belief that nothing has meaning, lays the seeds of indifference. This pervasive attitude manifests in feelings of pessimism, hopelessness and despair.

Some religions counter this bleak prospect with the idea of Providence. Christianity would refer to as Divine Providence. In the absence of certainty we are offered solace in hope. The problem of course, is that a life lived with the guiding light of hope as its engine is generally rendered impotent. Self determinism or self actualisation therefore is the domain of the non believers.

This is not an article on philosophy or religion, but rather the questioning of whether it is useful to choose beliefs that are empowering, motivational, inspirational energising and uplifting rather than dreary self defeating indifference that pervades that of fatalism.

Perhaps the whole concept of our existence is not within the scope of of our grey matter to ever comprehend. Given the choice of choosing positive simple beliefs that are positively charged, whilst not conclusively verifiable may lead to a more fun journey.

What's the story with Life Coaching?

2009-08-30T19:37:00.002-07:00

Sounds like the introduction to 'Seinfeld" skit!.

Life Coaching: When did it become fashionable to acquire a life coach? There seems to have been a dramatic shift from the psycho-therapist's couch to the On-Line Life-Coach/Personal Planner in recent times.
Are we becoming less sane? Or are we becoming more self aware and sophisticated in our personal development?

In a mere few generations, society has moved from agrarian to urban. Family and village values that tied communities together became diluted as the pace of change increased and peer groups became less cohesive.

Back in the day, the Sunday pulpit served as a voice of reason and consolidation of values and meaning. The erosion of simple life philosophies through education bred cynicism, and questioning of ones place in the natural order. The problem with self awareness is that increasing introspection can leave a void. A sense of fuzziness as to our life's purpose.

This 'helter skelter' rushing around chasing work, home, social, education, health, sport and spiritual pursuits, in the hope of achieving a successful balance of sanity, happiness and meaning no longer seems so simple. Divorce rates have never been higher. Kids today are reared by biological and step parent/s. Their siblings are biological and step-'half-brothers and sisters'. Families relocate frequently. This dislocation can impact our our innate sense of balance and social calibration.

How do we define ourselves? Are we mothers, teachers, entrepreneurs, friends, or confidants?

This awareness that Life's no longer simple and predictable is producing generations of stressed out confused and uneasy individuals, assessing their life balance ratios.

What is life Coaching? Generally accepted as unregulated and non accredited, the Life Coach is often a mentor within the same social circle. Often a calm voice of non judgmental reason and sounding board. A motivator and listener. The main difference between a Life coach and certified therapist is that a therapist focuses on diagnosing the past. The LC however focuses on facilitating change in present and future behavior.

The main goal of most LC's is the inspiring of a more positive future vision. Identifying and inspiring goals. The two most important roles of the LC however is eliciting a conscious balancing of life goals to produce the highest degree of happiness, and uncovering the highest life goal, which is that of Life Purpose. There is very little in life that is more profound than the search for meaning. Life purpose may be defined as that which we would be willing to die for. Ironically, this life purpose can get lost in the head long rush toward insignificant accoutrement, and once lost, leave an empty feeling of pointlessness bereft of joy.

So what's your life purpose? A tad uncomfortable question to answer perhaps, but worth the effort maybe!

The Lotto Fantasy

2009-08-30T19:37:00.001-07:00

I recently spotted an advert for an e-book, entitled ‘Proven Lotto Winning Strategies Revealed' If the title is to be believed then it should become one of the best selling books of all-time.
I’m not sure however what the motivation to write this book is however. Shouldn’t the author keep this epiphany of knowledge to himself, else all his believers dilute the winnings!Recently Oz Lotto had a first prize of $90 million. This was shared between two winners. A cool $45 million each. Some expressed amazement that one of the ticket holders had won, with the first ticket they had ever bought.

What I find infinitely more amazing is the irrationality of spending $20 on something with odds so small that there is more chance of getting into a fatal accident on the way to buy the ticket, than actually winning.

I understand the emotional daytime fantasizing that such a purchase derives. The building of hope and dream building, yet ponder this thought. If we could have an alternate perspective to measure the odds would we indeed ever part with our hard earned cash?

Consider this. The odds of actually winning are in the realm of 45 million to one. There are close to 50 million combination of numbers. Imagine flying into Heathrow Airport, paying a sum of $20 that would allow you to randomly select one person in the whole of the United Kingdom who had the winning ticket?

You’ve got to be in it to win it, the believers cry out. Buy two tickets and double your chances! Technically that is true but practically, deluded. Lotto is a game of outrageous chance and the pursuit of systems and tricks is as pointless as trying to burn water.

There are only four strategies that can produce financial independence.

Save: squirrel away a significant portion of your income for a lifetime. After a lifetime of poverty and misery you may achieve significant wealth.

Inherit: a strategy often pursued by completely unmotivated individuals.

Investment: in time and money to leverage and compound results.

Lotto: Hardly a strategy, but a default mechanism that offers solace and hope to those who have lost faith in any of the previous strategies to produce the bacon.

A little fantasy can be fun. But, a lifetime obsession chasing windmills is the epitome of irrationality. Bon Chance!

Is Adversity a blessing or a Curse?

2009-08-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

There's an old adage, that suggests; that which doesn't kill us makes us stronger. I'm not entirely convinced that all trouble and strife is heaven sent to strengthen our resolve and turn us into unconquerable uber-warriors. There is a corollary to this view however. The absence of challenge or difficulty often breeds weakness. Observe the the life outcomes of second and third generation offspring born into wealth and privilege. Often a recipe for mal-content and dysfunction
Adversity and Opportunity, are they two sides of the same coin? Adversity has two subtly different definitions. One is; misfortune, affliction, difficulty, trouble, hardship, distress and so forth. This definition refers to a negative reference point or actual manifestation of strife the sufferer of the adversity endures. It suggests a pervasive and passive state of existence. There is a hint of victimization apparent with this state of being.

The other definition of is; contrary, against, opposed. As in an adverse decision or finding.

If an adversity is viewed through our perception lens as less of an actual state but rather a set back, not to be endured but rather as an uncomfortable but temporary situation, then the attitude starts to change. This can then become a wake up call or feedback barometer that motivates us to look for the lessons that need to be learned in order to progress.

The language used to identify our adversities can define them. Simple words such as desperation, distress, hardship and crisis can become self fulfilling. If however in the face of apparent hopelessness we choose to revert to more empowering descriptions such as setbacks, blips, challenges or temporary hurdles, then the internal strength and resources to move forward become more easily engaged.

Opportunity is the enemy of adversity. The word itself is enervating. It conjures up visions of hope and self control. In the midst of even the greatest personal devastation we have a choice in how we respond. The problem may not evaporate but with an attitude of hope and orientation towards finding some opportunity from the depths of the despair some progress may eventuate.

Adversity is either a fixed state of hopelessness or an opportunity to re-analyze new options. There is nearly always an alternative way to respond to any situation and our ability to redefine the experience is the first step.

A life bereft of opportunity would indeed be cursed. Transient periods of adversity may however be a blessing, the fuel that propels our motivation.

Today's crisis may one day be viewed as the catalyst for greater triumphs to come.

How's your work-Life balance?

2009-08-30T19:34:00.000-07:00

Why is it that so many people love Fridays yet don’t like Mondays? This is not a trick question, as the answer perhaps seems obvious.
Many millions of commuters identify the daily grind of competing with the masses as a necessary evil in the pursuit of the wherewithal to pay for life’s bare necessities.

The weekend however provides the opportunity to indulge in social activities. Catching up with friends for drinks, coffee, meals and good banter. Perhaps to pursue hobbies and crafts. Paint landscapes, re-build old cars, write the grand novel go for long treks with loved ones whilst contemplating the marvel of life.

The reality of course is somewhat different. Monday comes around all too quick. The weekend is spent cleaning, gardening, taking kids to sport, paying the bills, catching up on the news and worrying about work.

Is your work complementing your life or getting in the way of family time and meaningful endeavors. Are you energized, enthused, motivated and empowered or stressed, frustrated, constantly tired, and on edge? If so surely there’s got to be another way. Is the alternative to work, the pursuit of a hippy life on some commune?

Millions of people are now searching for alternate solutions to the 40-hour week x 40 years to retirement existence that will be the default life for the masses.

The exciting news is that we currently live in the midst of greater opportunity and accessibility to knowledge than ever before in the history of the human race. There are more choices available regarding how to spend our time and earn a living than we can count.There are people working in their pyjamas at home earning more money and spending less time doing it than most of their friends spend just commuting to and from their labour of love

One of the great paradoxes of life, is that so many will spend their precious and finite hours in quiet desperation working to a plan that if successful will not even provide them with their desires.

Life balance is precious. There are alternate ways to live your life. Change jobs. Learn a new language. Live abroad for a year. Work from home. Try something new. Just do something different once in awhile!

Michael Jackson: a troubling epitaph

2009-08-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

As the dust settles after the frenzy that surrounded yet another celebrity melt down, it is interesting to reflect on the legacy Michael Jackson leaves behind. Those who worship at the alter of cultural icons rarely find an excess that can’t be reframed sympathetically, thus maintaining the almost divine aura of their hero.
Is there something in our cultural psyche that blinds us to the insanity of such obviously self-destructive behavior and hypnotically draws us to tears and mourning akin to that felt with the passing of a close friend or relative?

How do we remember Elvis Presley, now that 32 years have passed? It’s hard to differentiate between the musical legacy and the craziness of his last few years, which saw a relatively young man with more to live for than most of us could hope to aspire to in a thousand years. He had millions of adoring fans, was at the pinnacle of career success, with a family and royalty income that would keep an oil sheik happy for a lifetime.

How will Mike Tyson be remembered? Will he be remembered for his total and terrifying dominance as a heavyweight boxer or as a complete and total loser?

We create celebrity heroes to indulge our reminiscences. We love to look back and wax lyrical of our memories of Ali, Monroe, Gable, Jordon, Pele, Tyson, Elvis and Michael Jackson. Our Sporting, Big Screen and Musical idols provide grist to the wheel of our pub conversations.

Our collective appreciation for the sheer magic of excellence, albeit often fleeting, somehow bonds us as a society.

Legacy is by definition the imprint or lens by which we filter our memories of said legends. As role models however, it is curious that some of these idolized heroes of our generation, in the cold light of day represent a mother's worst fear for her children. What mother would trade the choice of 10 years fame and idolatry for the complete and utter car wreck in which many of these ‘heroes’ end their lives?

Like Elvis, it’s hard to separate the great memories with the knowledge of their extreme foibles. The epitome of dysfunction and excess pervades our memories and with the passing of time some of the gloss will wear off.

Some of the great inspirations of every generation are those that rise out of adversity and achieve greatness, the other journey from greatness to complete catastrophe is sobering and perhaps also inspiring, but for a different reason.

The lesson perhaps to be learned is that all success is contextual and that depending on the lens you use to examine a legacy ultimately determines whether the epitaph, is that of Legend or Loser. Judge for yourself!

Welcome to my Podcast

2009-04-05T05:47:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone, I posted an episode to my podcast, kiaran finns Podcast.

Click this link to check it out:
What exactly is the objective of this website?

- kiaran

Podcast

2009-04-05T02:52:00.001-07:00

kiaranfinn

2009-04-05T02:24:00.001-07:00

The Futility of Exercise

2009-04-04T09:15:00.000-07:00

My friends think me slightly odd. Perhaps I'm understating their actual viewpoint. You see I have a predilection, some might call it a vice. I frequent a 'no-name' fast food establishment, daily. Have done so for years. Apparently this is the behavior of the bewildered, odd, eccentric and by all accounts, one step from psychiatric Institutionalization.

I quite like the predictable ambiance. No one hovering around, trying to upsize you to desert, more drink. A macchiato perhaps. Also it's within the acceptable etiquette to eat alone whilst perusing the provided newspaper.

Not least is the lack of daily decision making about what to eat daily. like a mini celebrity, the 'usual' is proffered without asking.

Parallel to this apparent idiocy, is my thrice weekly visit to my local gym. There I 'mix' with many adherents of this peculiar pastime. Pumping Iron, pulling cables, sweating profusely, heart rate elevated. Except, what's curious, is this is actually not the case for most of these fellow gym junkies. Most look way too anemic to have ever stepped inside the 'No name" fast food eatery. Definitely the Veg and Fruit types. In all the years we've co-frequented this place of toil, they look exactly the same, except older. Neither more toned, larger, more defined, tauter. No just older.

Makes me wonder who's actually strange. Maybe it's the world that's out of kilter not me!

There is an observation here, maybe even an insight.

You see by normal social standards I should be obese. On the contrary.

I barely spend 35 minutes in the gym. That includes warm up and warm down. Yet I lift twice maybe three times as much weight as most of these unmet 'junkies' with virtually no recovery between sets. Some of these characters are 5 days a week 90 minutes a session participants. Yet no discernible change in body shape or strength. How peculiar.

It's a myth that fast food makes you fat. Bold statement. It's what you eat and how much. Newsflash: Fried food cooked at home and eaten in copious amounts washed down by a gallon of coke or bottle Chardonnay is not a healthy diet.

Exercise is either a form of obsessive compulsive pointlessness or its an ongoing incremental adaptation to stress. Without some level of stress, nothing happens. Lift heavier, take shorter recovery and make progress. It's not profound. Meanwhile I'll continue my peculiar relationship with my contrasting establishments.

Does Truth Exist?

2009-03-28T22:58:00.000-07:00

Have a listen to a political debate, eliminate the spin and make sense of what's left.

All truth is contextual. Change the context and the meaning also irrevocable morphs. One of the greatest delusions we inflict upon ourselves, is the presumption that there is a universal truth about anything. Yet we can literally lay down our lives in defense of an illusory ideal.

Changing context, fashionably labeled a paradigm shift, used to be referred to as walking in someones else's shoes in order to understand them. Still the myth perpetuates, the belief that we can really grasp any "truth" other than that filtered through our perception lens.

The degree to which an idea fits our quirky beliefs and value systems determines the label we give it. Fact or fiction, right or wrong. As we only have loosely shared life experiences, our perceptions will differ accordingly.

Which eventually brings me to an observation. In a world where beliefs define our actions, regardless of their veracity, we need to buy into the illusion of truth to avoid inertia. We must boldly follow our instincts and create our reality

Occasionally it is interesting to step back and notice the myths that abound, and take stock of the absurdity of some of our intransigent beliefs.

Danbisa Moya is a Zambian Global Economist, who's written a hugely confronting, paradigm shifting book, with an appropriately enigmatic title 'Dead Aid'. The premise being that the estimated $1 Trillion (how many zero's are there in a trillion?) in Aid directed to Africa over the last 50 years has been counter productive. She contends, from the perspective of an African, that it is a myth that aid actually works. Some of her arguments are compelling and not within the scope of this brief blog. But she notes how aid fosters corruption, lack of government accountability, and rather than being a band aid solution, is part of the problem.

Like all things there will be counter 'truths' It is however confronting to have a sudden perspective shift. Does this mean that Bono and Sir Bob, and the millions of genuine contributors are building a house of sand? Is the very real relief that is innoculating and tangibly helping millions in effect perpetuating an inter-generational poverty cycle that is ensnaring hundreds of millions. This a 'truth' not worth contemplating.

What do we do? Do we follow the creed of the ultra right wing anarchists? Embrace only the moment, to hell with consequences, and pursue the immediate goal of the tribe, to hell with the rest of the world? Or more hopefully do we accept that life's a myth and all progress is moving from one myth to a more sophisticated myth in the hope that good intentions bear some fruit.

Less controversial is the 'truth' about the multi-billion dollar Vitamin industry. What could be more harmless than the pursuit of better health through dosing up on a few daily Vitamins. Yet again, more and more actual scientific research is debunking the 'truth' that most vitamins offer much more than placebo benefits. In fact if the dollars spent on vitamins were spent in other areas of health care, such as Yoga or Gym, Pilates, fresh fruit, an hour at a spa perhaps then real benefits may emerge. Do we really want to know this? It's uncomfortable to question what we 'know'
The Flat Earth Society view of life supports the Status Quo. Which is very comfortable thank you very much.

Finally. There have been whisperings for some years now, generally believed to from the mouths of the fringe weirdo, nut jobs, that pre-stretching for sport is largely useless, and perhaps counter productive. Nonsense i say. The benefits of Stretching is an absolute truth. Or not. Looks like another myth i'm afraid. Recent research while contending that warming up muscles before explosive activity is useful in preventing injury, is also debunking the merits of those excruciating groin and hamstring routines we all loved so well.

Embrace your delusions I say. Next year, Smoking will be found to be good for you, Heroin will be on the pharmaceutical benefits list, and your wife will announce that she wished you'd stay longer at the pub.

Who needs Role Models?

2009-03-22T00:48:00.000-07:00

Remember your comic book heroes? Batman, Superman, Modesty Blaise, Andy Capp et al. As time progressed perhaps you evolved to Bart Simpson, or Homer, SpongeBob Square Pants or any number of quirky seriously flawed characters!

As you outgrew your childhood heroes the vacuum was filled perhaps with sporting gods to replace the war heroes of parents and grandparents. Remember a time when these Parents and Grandparents were the Role models for future generations. Reinforcing Nationalistic Pride and cultural values of yesteryear. What happened?

When and how did Brittany, 50 Cent, Eminem and Oprah step in to fill the breach? The cult of celebrity is at it's zenith.

Ambition lives on, yet it's a tad disconcerting that achievement is becoming increasingly rated on a continuum measures cultural status and fame. The higher you rate on this Totem Pole the closer you are to that highly prized goal that is, celebrity.

15 minutes of fame? 30 seconds will do. Whatever it takes. Contribution, altruism, sainthood, martyrdom, are a waste of time and energy unless visibly conspicuous. Let's get on the latest "reality" show. Let's get noticed. It's not about winning. It's about being outrageous, controversial, obnoxious. Noticed. That's the game.

The greatest fear of this generation sub-set, of broadband connected, social media savvy celebrity wannabees is, invisibility.

Who needs Role Models? What service do they offer? Are they in fact the glue that bonds disparate communities? If we have shared populist heroes, with millions of our cyber-peers, that must mean we're relevant by extension.

Imagine if our Role Models were not simply manifested by default. Imagine if we were inspired, motivated and uplifted by the works, actions and philosophies of non celebrity characters, and we started to model their beliefs, and attract their energy and results in to our own lives. I guess that would be a life designed by choice rather than default. What a concept. Old fashionably labeled self actualisation.

But who doesn't want to belong? Who doesn't want a 100,000 Twitter, Facebook, My space, Squidoo followers to validate our lives? Can't do that by drifting too far from the herd, might be labeled a black sheep, or worse, become anonymous!

Rubik's cube!

2009-03-15T03:24:00.000-07:00

Mar 15, 2009, Rubik's Cube!

In 1983 a young man, let's call him Graham Parker, as not coincidentally is his real name, walks in to a store and buys a Rubik's Cube.

Wait for the punch line. 26 years later, after serious wrist and back problems due to the pursuit of solving the puzzle, announces triumphantly to the world, via every media outlet imaginable, that he's solved the puzzle.

Triumph? Success over adversity implies surmounting all manner of obstacles, persisting a la Winston Churchill "never, ever give up"

It's a common mantra by sensible people of the world that there's no such thing as get rich quick. Which is patently untrue. People Win Lotto, Inherit, Steal, Share price quadruples, social networking site sells for squillions. More accurately it's extremely rare, more rare than getting run over by a truck in the pursuit of dream!

Which brings me back to the now "famous" for 15 minutes, Mr Parker. undoubtedly he has achieved his goal, which is probably of great relief to his body and sanity. Not wishing to denigrate the achievement, I am perplexed by his Strategy.

Setting and achieving goals, really does make the world go around, but progress would be incredibly ponderous, if every go-getter decided to re-invent the wheel before embarking on their journey.

Shared knowledge is what allows progress to be exponential in its growth. Some mathematician has worked out the number of permutations involved in randomly stumbling on the Rubik solution. 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 (~= 4.32 * 1019). In less simple terms that's roughly Four multiplied by Ten to the power of Nineteen, and then some!

There's more than a couple of "players" on the planet of average intelligence that have completed the puzzle in about a minute. They of course use a different strategy to the above maligned random approach.

Who's ever tried to put together the most simple piece of furniture from Ikea with complete disregard for the instructions, only to see the light after much swearing and shouting? Generally doesn't take 26 years to see the light.

How's your strategy currently working out for you? It's comforting to know that information has never been more accessible, thanks Google, Twitter et al. Yet how many of us still drive around in circles without a map with smug misplaced confidence in our ability to reach our destination?... Eventually

Twitter me http://twitter.com/kf13 or check me out at www.adversity2success.com cheers Kiaran Finn

2009-03-07T06:48:00.000-08:00

Crisis what Crisis?

Remember the band Supertramp? They sang "Crisis what Crisis?" the Logical Song and Breakfast in America to name but a few big hits from the early '80's.

How apt is that song today? Everywhere you look, there's another story of crisis. More specifically the Global Economic Crisis.

As this label gets tired, the headlines adapt. Emergency! Catastrophe! Disaster! Meltdown! Climax. Recession! Depression!

We're at a juncture, tipping point. crossroads. What does it all mean? Should we go back to bed for a couple of years until it all blows over?

Yet I'm wary of buying into labels that define my life expectations. Someone you know, is currently enjoying possibly the best day of their life. Someone else (unlikely to be the same individual) is alas enduring the worst day of their life.

-Unless the mother-in-law has just driven off a cliff in his new Ferrari!

The above experience in fact mirrors the experiences of tens of millions of individuals on the planet. Crisis therefore is contextual. If unemployment reaches 10% this is so much more evocative and sellable by the media than the multitude of experiences by the 90% that are employed.

Should we not empathise with the victims of this Global Economic Crisis therefore?

That's our choice of course but whether we should partake in a global wallowing in doom and gloom as the media would have us indulge is not my cup of tea at all.

"Always look on the bright side of life" as the irreverent Monty Python would have us do, is perhaps a tad facetious, but not entirely ludicrous. Misery feeds misery as the older relatives mumbled knowingly has truth to it.

There's a bunch of elite individuals in Doha/Switzerland (about 2000 in fact representing 91 nations) currently discussing solutions to our "key economic concerns" bureaucratic speak for the mess we're in right now. Issues include Poverty, the Environment, Globalisation and the dangers of protectionism. Not a bad agenda for four days of discussion.

After the networking experience is over one wonders what solutions will emerge or whether this global elite (this is after all invitation only) will merely re-label our current crisis to fit the expectations of our palette.

What's going to be on your menu this year? Your best ever year or otherwise? Me? I'd like to feel I can create my own positive expectations of achievement, you too I hope.

2009-03-07T06:46:00.000-08:00

A Weighty Issue

Is there a more emotive topic regarding self concept than weight. More specifically ideal body weight?

There is a media driven obsession with defining the ideal body, actually the obsession is the selling of magazines.books, TV shows and so forth.

There seems to be a bizarre attraction-repulsion with modeling ourselves on the image of pseudo celebrities that we don't even admire, yet feel compelled to measure up against.

A dose of emotion, inspiration, adversity and voyeurism, contributes to the ongoing success of shows such as The Biggest Loser.

The massive contradiction within Western societies' attraction to the ideal self as epitomised by the latest red carpet spokesperson is how abject our failure to measure up actually is.

These role models that so inspire us to join the gym, enroll in pilates and spurn the nightly glass or bottle of wine, lurch from bulimia to anorexia as often as they change lovers.

Who wants to be a Super Model? Is there a show that better taps into the vicarious desires of mothers and daughters. There but for the grace of god...genetics, obsessive dieting, egocentricity, and psychological well being, go I.

This obsessive compulsive nature that strives for neo-perfection as defined by the media, is destined to end in a valley of tears and broken dreams.

What life partner wants to measure up to the perfect being. Waif thin, joyless, competitive and judgmental of their peers. We live in a world that is coming to accept child obesity as normal, yet there has never been more money spent on diet programs, gym memberships, and ab-machines!

The contradiction is stark. Everybody wants to go to heaven, yet nobody wants to die. A lifestyle that is out of kilter with health cannot be balanced out with the latest fad diet.

Check out all the great fad diets. of recent history. Atkins, South Beach, Cabbage Soup, Zone, Grapefruit and Beverley Hills to name a few. How many real disciples do these diets still have?

Expediency explains the illogical viral like spread of these diets. We want quick and easy, immediate results, and we want it now.

Look at anyone in great shape in their 60's or 70's and you see someone who besides being blessed with decent genetics and a touch of willpower, also embraces a lifestyle of exercise, moderation, and little excess with a joie de vivre.

Meanwhile the rat race Sex in the City Wanna Be's will eventually find it all too hard and default to worn out, can't be bothered old age before their time.

It's not that hard. A little structured exercise. 4 or 5 moderate portion meals per day, preferably grilled. Some form of destress activity. A little perspective and a sense of humour may just be the dose of medicine that keeps the Dr away.

2009-03-07T06:44:00.000-08:00

What's the BIG Secret?

A few years ago there was a tipping point in the personal development pop psychology publishing world. The release of Rhonda Byrne's book "The Secret" with more than a little help from Oprah created a feeding frenzy of interest, discussion and almost religious zeal in extolling its message.

There were echoes of the Blair Witch Project. You just had to investigate, what all the fuss was about.

Yep, it was all about the magic of hype and uncovering THE SECRET. Secrets sell.For those of you that remember the early 80,s "Who Shot JR?" was a cultural phenomenom with no apparent logic.

Which brings me belatedly to my point. Why are we consumers so seduced again and again by the promise of witheld answers, that we are willing to part with much hard earned coin and emotional energy for THE ANSWER?

The success of any soap opera is dependent on the producers never answering a question, without posing at least another even more vexing question.

Weight Loss; 2 acquaintances of mine, recently shocked me, with separate stories of how they managed to lose upwards of 40 Kilos!

What was their secret? Well here's the thing, and don't tell anyone in the weight loss industry! It's not the strategy, the pills, the laxatives, the self flagellation. It's not the new Ab Master, Home Gym. The key to their independent success was... Tune in next week, only kidding.

The key to both successes was the strength of their DECISION.

Bob(not real name) made a real decision after a family intervention. No threats or tears simply family concern triggered an emotional response that was life changing.

Rick woke up one morning looked in the mirror and just decided. Personal responsibility and making a real decision triggered actions and motivation never found in a supplement or diet book.

Thirty years ago my father an 80 cigarette a day smoker also made a decision, with no fan fare, to stop smoking. No patch, self talk, nicotine gum, or promises, just a real decsion.

Real decisions foster immense motivation to act. Rhonda Byrne's book, tells us that we attract into our lives that which we think about. Sorry if I've spoiled the plot. The packaging is so much more enticing than the answer.

What's the slogan? Just do it!