"Change your world view, & you change the world! Not just the world at large but also your own personal world, writ large!"
~ Dudley Lynch, thinkologist, founder & CEO of Brain Technologies; also author of the classic on accelerated self-growth, 'Strategy of the Dolphin', among many others;
Have you found joy in your life?
Have your life brought joy to others?
~ inspired by the poignant movie, 'The Bucket List', starring Jack Nicholson & Morgan Freeman;
I have just finished watching a beautiful movie on StarHub cable television this afternoon.
It's 'The Bucket List', starring two very fine actors, also personal favourites of mine, Jack Nicholson & Morgan Freeman.
The poignant story in a nut shell:
A hot-headed billionaire Edward Cole (Jack) & a working class but cultured auto mechanic Carter Chambers (Morgan) shared a hospital room together, as terminally-illed cancer patients. Knowing that they had only 6 to 12 months to live, they decided to leave the hospital & to do all the things they had ever wanted to do before they die, according to their bucket list.
In the process, both of them healed each other, became unlikely buddies, & ultimately found the joy in life on their last few days.
Besides the witty dialogue, I love the ending part of the movie, with the following memorable "dialogue" segments:
Carter Chambers: [in his hand-written letter to Edward, just before Carter went into unsuccessful surgery at the hospital]
"Dear Edward, I've gone back & forth the last few days trying to decide whether or not I should even write this. In the end, I realized I would regret it if I didn't, so here it goes. I know the last time we saw each other, we weren't exactly hitting the sweetest notes-certain wasn't the way I wanted the trip to end. I suppose I'm responsible and for that, I'm sorry. But in all honestly, if I had the chance, I'd do it again. Virginia said I left a stranger & came back a husband; I owe that to you. There's no way I can repay you for all you've done for me, so rather than try, I'm just going to ask you to do something else for me-find the joy in your life. You once said you're not everyone. Well, that's true-you're certainly not everyone, but everyone is everyone. My pastor always says our lives are streams flowing into the same river towards whatever heaven lies in the mist beyond the falls. Find the joy in your life, Edward. My dear friend, close your eyes & let the waters take you home."
After Carter passed away in the hospital, Edward subsequently delivered his personal eulogy at the wake:
Edward Cole: "Good afternoon. My name is Edward Cole. I don't know what most people say at these occasions because in all honesty, I've tried to avoid them. The simplest thing is I loved him & I miss him. Carter & I saw the world together, which is amazing when you think that only three months ago we were complete strangers. I hope that it doesn't sound selfish of me, but the last months of his life were the best months of mine. He saved my life, & he knew it before I did. I'm deeply proud that this man found it worth his while to know me. In the end, I think it's safe to say that we brought some joy to one another's lives, so one day, when I go to some final resting place, if I happen to wake up next to a certain wall with a gate, I hope that Carter's there to vouch for me & show me the ropes on the other side."
A powerful lesson from the movie:
LIVE YOUR LIFE TO THE FULLEST, & FIND JOY IN YOUR LIFE, & BRING JOY TO OTHERS!
"I would say the most important duty of any creative person is to find his or her own, particular, unique story."
~ Isaac Bashevis Singer, (1902–1991), Nobel Prize-winning Polish-born American author, storyteller, & one of the leading figures in the Yiddish literary movement;
What is my chosen personal niche for the future?
What can I do to create this personal niche?
How can I use the natural forces of change as allies in this personal effort?
I have stumbled upon the following interesting perspective about the important process stages of creativity from Robert Pratt, the lead facilitator of the C2 (Creativity Squared) workshops:
THE CREATIVE PROCESS IS THE SAME NO MATTER WHAT YOUR ARTISTIC DISCIPLINE OR CHALLENGE
1. First, there is the RECOGNITION phase, in which you have a wish to create something that doesn't exist, or solve a specific problem
2. Then there's the moment of INSPIRATION when the creative bulb is turned on. It's a time in which the idea or solution to whatever challenge you may be facing is born
3. Next comes the INCUBATION phase, when various options for executing the idea, or solving the problem, are cultivated and considered
4. The SCAVENGER HUNT phase usually comes next, a time when you assemble the resources or materials you'll need to execute the idea
5. Then there's the EXECUTION phase, when you actually create what's in your mind - or at least a reasonable facsimile
6. The REVISION phase usually follows, when your concept or solution is refined and polished until you are happy with the results
7. Finally, you come to the GIFT-GIVING phase, when you share the joy of your creation or problem-solving skills with the world
Just recognizing where you are in the process can help you achieve your goals. This applies not only to the creative process, but to solving virtually any kind of problem.
"Most companies die not because they do the wrong things, but because they keep doing what used to be the right things for too long."
~ Prof. Yves Doz & business scholar Mikko Kosonen, authors of 'Fast Strategy: How Strategic Agility will help you stay ahead of the Game';
I have spotted this moving bus ad at the bus stop outside the Dhoby Ghaut MRT station on Orchard Road this afternoon.
I have spotted this hanging poster from the Page One bookstore while window-shopping with my wife at Vivo City today. I like the message, probably because it reflects my personal lifestyle:
"Even if you read books every day, you'll still never finish reading all the books in the world. But do make it a ritual."
"Go where tomorrow is. Let the rest of the world catch up!"
~ Donnie Deutsch, advertising executive & host of the CNBC Talk Show, 'The Big Idea with Donnie Deutsch';
If I climbed to the top of the mountain in order to ask a wise guru just one question: what would I want to know?
According to the authors of 'Juicing the Orange: How to Turn Creativity into a Powerful Business Advantage', Pat Fallon & Fred Senn, founding partners of the ad agency Fallon Worldwide, "creativity can be not just harnessed, but also leveraged".
They offer seven steps for doing so:
• Always start from scratch.
• "Demand a ruthlessly simple definition of the business problem."
• Find a "proprietary emotion" you can appeal to. "Marketers who favor reason over emotion," they write, "will find themselves quite literally forgotten."
• Think big. Don't be limited by the budget or the initial challenge.
• Take calculated risks.
• Collaborate with others both inside and outside your company to solve the problem.
• "Listen hard to your customers. (Then listen some more.)"
"I don't have to invent anything . . . It's out there somewhere if I can just find it & integrate it . . . Inventing is frustrating, it's dangerous, it's expensive, & inventors should avoid it whenever possible. Be a systems integrator."
~ Dean Karmen, inventor of the Segway;
According to Steve Tobak, writing in the BNET Insight weblog, here are 10 gold nuggets of wisdom on "Innovation in a Disruptive Environment" from Steve Jurvetson - the highly acclaimed, fast-talking managing director of leading global venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson:
1) For innovative cultures to thrive there must be a willingness to fail and an understanding that it’s okay to be wrong most of the time. In other words, not an environment of fear.
2) Great companies are formed in down markets, including Adobe, Broadcom, Chevron, Digital Equipment, HP, Microsoft, Rambus, Skype, Texas Instruments, Westinghouse.
3) Today, many entrepreneurs and companies look at the China and India markets first, not the U.S.
4) These days, businesses should tilt toward risk-taking behavior.
5) Most great, disruptive businesses were considered dumb ideas by most VCs; expect a lot of rejection and certainly not unanimous acceptance.
6) According to Ray Kurzweil, “The next 20 years of technological change will be equivalent to the past 100 years.” That means shorter forecast horizons and perpetual “future shock.”
7) What DFJ looks for in investment opportunities: Passionate entrepreneurs with unique ideas that can change the world.
8) Startup success depends on disruption: financial turmoil, new channels, or disruptive technology.
9) Entrepreneurs are becoming more globally distributed all the time.
10) Technology adoption rates are skyrocketing: hot new services like Hotmail, Skype (DFJ invested in both) and ICQ all achieved 8 - 14 million users in their first 12 - 18 months.
According to Geoffrey James, writing in the BNET Insight weblog, under the caption 'How To Motivate Yourself in 60 Seconds', & drawing inspiration from Jeff Keller, author of the bestselling book 'Attitude is Everything':
If you’re not at the top of your game, you can re-motivate and re-energize by asking yourself the following five questions:
QUESTION #1: Do I have an unrealistic timetable?
Explanation: Success is usually achieved one step at a time and big successes usually take longer than small successes.
Fix: Be patient with yourself and resist the temptation to compare your progress to that of others.
QUESTION #2: Am I truly committed?
Explanation: if you’re going to be successful, you need to be willing to do whatever it takes (within legal and ethical bounds, of course!).
Fix: Banish any thought of giving up before you accomplish your objective. Just do it.
QUESTION #3: Do I have too many discouraging influences?
Explanation: If you hang around with people who are highly critical or who are doing very little in their own lives, your energy and enthusiasm will be drained.
Fix: Decide to surround yourself with people who support and believe in you. Then do it.
QUESTION #4: Am I preparing to succeed?
Explanation: If you’re not improving your sales skills and business acumen, you’re gradually losing your edge.
Fix: Take a step to learn something that will help you accomplish your goal. Buy a book or a tape, or set yourself up to network with highly successful people in your field.
QUESTION #5: Am I truly willing to fail?
Explanation: In most cases, you will encounter setbacks before you finally succeed.
Fix: Decide that failure is an unavoidable yet vital component in your quest for success.
“Without AMBITION one starts nothing. Without WORK one finishes nothing. The prize will NOT be sent to you. You have to WIN it. The man who knows HOW will always have a job. The man who also knows WHY will always be his boss. As to methods there may be a million and then some, but PRINCIPLES are few. The man who grasps PRINCIPLES can successfully select his own METHODS. The man who tries METHODS, ignoring PRINCIPLES, is sure to have trouble.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson;
What is invisible that is invisible?
How many of these patterns are around me today that cannot be seen & are unknown, but right under my nose?
How do I identify them before they reach the center of the bell curve?
How can I bring early attention to weak signals – weak signals that are about to double in frequency & amplitude, before someone else in my industry does?
What is known now that was previously unknown?
~ inspired by the work of innovation strategist Jatin Desai, Strategy-Driven Innovation weblog;
“All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.”
~ Anatole France (1844—1924), born François-Anatole Thibault; French poet, journalist, & novelist; he was a member of the Académie Française, & won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1921;
What is my life all about?
How involved must I become in the world in order to strive - & thrive - in it?
“Before you start some work, always ask yourself three questions:
- Why am I doing it?
- What might be the results? &
- Will I be successful?
Only when you think deeply & find satisfactory answers to these questions, go ahead.”
~ Chanakya (350 BC-275 BC), Indian politician, strategist & writer;
“The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof. “
~ Barbara Kingsolver, 54, journalist, novelist & storyteller; when not writing or spending time with her family, Barbara gardens, cooks, hikes, & works as an environmental activist & human-rights advocate;
