I was struck by an interesting if somewhat sideways observation from Ceasar Milan… ‘The Dog Whisperer’ when reading Scott Gould’s blog on Productivity vs Creativity

“Mother Nature always wants to be balanced. So there’s no age where they don’t want to return back to normal. I have worked with dogs that are 11 years old, 13 years old, which you witness in the show. I worked with a dog that was 13 years old that was extremely territorial to her food. And I was able to accomplish a calm, submissive state, which is allowing for you to create rules, boundaries and limitations. The mind backs away from the food. So in their world, they are always ready to balance. It’s the human who fights it.”

Finding Balance
It is in our nature to find balance, but our social conditioning has made us seek social reward, which is given for adhering to the norm. The ‘Overworked’ – work hard – play hard attitude prevails. Although there are nuances, based on social groupings, in the Western Capitalist societies this is the norm.

Social Conditioning
The nature of corporate driven consumer based capitalism, sucks value into monopolies and rewards hoarding. Capitalism needs balance. Democracy and the judicial system alone have failed to provide that balance, since political parties and judicial review is blinded by the status quo.

The very measure of success being more money = more rewarding is causing the problem.

The Hoarding of Value
The act of making money alone isn’t the problem. The systemic ability to hoard, capture, and suck that money up the wealth chain is. There has to be a reward for building, maintaining & improving. However, the current economic system needs to sell a consumable product, in order to improve next quarters revenue figures also has to socially condition you with advertising to want to buy that product.

Punishing sustainability
We don’t build sustainable products because they generate less reward in our current economic system.  That mechanism is the flaw, not the idea of capitalism all together.

Instead of rewarding quality, we reward the ability to make money.

I don’t believe for a second there was ever a master plan to get to this point, it just happened because we believed making money could only come from quality. Time has proven this naive.

Real Growth you can believe in
The problem is, growth alone has been attributed to improved living standards. Growth = better life has been the economist’s, politician’s and business man’s Modus Operandi for decades, without clear evidence of that being the case. Growth = Better life FOR SOME.

The Right Kind of Rewards
Growth needs balance. Human’s are a creative species and will invent. This invention needs reward. A well timed reward reinforces good behavior. Yet our rewards system is geared towards hoarding finance. You can earn twice as much by knowing how others will do, than by doing.

Our Academic education system, has produced adults who have not been rewarded for doing regularly enough. Our social reward system (pay) is geared towards hoarding that pay towards those who can predict and engineer business reality.

How can you help?
The recent ‘Start Up Britain’ initiative is nice, but what we really need to do is re-dress this imbalance in society. I’d argue Game Theory and rewards in education have a role to play here, as well as rewards outside of money.

Your thoughts

1. What other measurements of success can we bring?
2. Can we bring balance to capitalism?
3. What role does education play?
4. Are you striving for what you need, or what you want?

In a friendly debate with Scott Gould about finding answers.  The debate has become, is truth a tangible thing, a tick in a box? Or is it something more personal?

The pragmatist in me chooses values which sit well emotionally, personally and logically. How did you choose your values?

Do you hold them as “the” truth, or hold them as “my” truth?

In a strange way, knowing the truth or finding answers doesn’t by default make us a better person.  We still have to live through mistakes and learn from them to grow.

As a person who violates my own values (albeit working diligently to fix that with discipline and focus), I’m in no position to hold them up as the right thing, or the ideal. I try to share values when it feels relevant and if you find them useful then good .  Stephen Fry is my hero.  He loves and lives for knowledge, and yet is remarkably honest about is human failings.

Personally I find the quest for knowledge the most addictive, fun and worthwhile pass time I have experienced.  As a human, I’m still capable of straying from those values and that has consequences and I think we all are…

I’ve learned far more from being wrong, and mistakes, than I ever did from being right. But then, being wrong is part of the search for answers. Can we find answers, without holding them up as the truth?

Why are we searching in the first place? What is motivating us? The desire to be right? The desire to know the answer? Or the desire to use the answer? Is it the answer, or how you use it that counts?

This may be the most important thing I ever write. Please read it. You will get to know me a LOT better by reading all this. A lot of stuff I’ve never revealed.

Figured I’d record a few thoughts while I’m sitting here. Who knows they could be useful one day. Mortality is interesting. How will you react when you face it? You think you know, you’re quite confident, but actually facing it is quite different. Or in my case suprisingly indifferent.

I am actually happy I could die tomorrow, warts and all, knowing I’d be both missed and fondly remembered. Is this not true immortality, and why we are here? Sure with another 60 years that would only grow. It does partially annoy me that I have many thoughts and ideas which I haven’t yet had time to express, and that I get caught up in the mundane so easily.

Understanding the world around me, has let me know the world. With less enigma’s there is less confusion. Clarity is essential. Piano’s are clear, music is clear, the sky and a breeze are always clear. Find those whenever confused, they give perspective like nobody else can. We already know all our answers, because they come from within, not outside of us.

Learn about politics, understand how your world works. Learn about people, learn about business, learn about animals. The human brain when functioning anywhere near correctly, never looses the ability to learn. What a gift that is. Use your mind to explore your emotions, Use your emotions to explore life. Being alive, at our best guess, is a fluke. Why not ENJOY that? Depression is not a state of mind, its a stain on the mind. Clear it with clarity, bourne of self discovery.

Look at what we as a species have invented completley off our own backs and get to enjoy. Nectar points, little chefs, nail clippers; ANYTHING. Our lives are shockingly awesome. The human condition seems to be convinced we have to be guilty for being who we are, or sad about something we must fix. This is different from contentment and happiness, which in turn is different from ambition. Happiness fuels ambition, and ambition fuels happiness.

Make light of dark, we figured out fire a long time ago, but we have a fire inside us to change ANYTHING. We as a species or even individuals are incredibles. Our attitute to life can change other lives. This is the greatest pleasure and indulgence I have EVER experienced. I run a website dedicated to helping people, and while my goal may be pretty big; to cure hurt wherever I see it, I think its achievable if we all adapt an attitude to do so.

What inspires you? Do you even know? What makes you who you are? Whats different about you? What do YOU have to offer the world? You will suprise yourself. I’ve always felt different. Like I was destined to change the world almost… but then maybe we all are. Ask yourself honestly, do you think you have untapped potential? Its true of nearly EVERYONE. Why is that?

Steps to inspiring yourself and others

Connecting with a persons emotions and desires is far easier than you think. Your hunches are usually correct, and when they aren’t and you make a mistake, you are merley improving your instincts. Sharpening them.

Read people’s emotions behind their words. Chances are they struggle to connect with their own emotions. Through your exploration, you are used to doing so. It pains me to see two people miscommunicating good emotions and arguing with each other! So much… There are very very VERY few bad people in the world, just confused, sad and hurt people. My mum once said “Sad people hurt others”. Its true. Fix the sadness, fix the anger. All anger is sadness struggling to get out.

People can be freaked out and will get defensive when facing their own emotions. They have learned for years to hide any weakness with agressive behaviour and will throw that front at you. Patience is a gift. Use it. It helps people. Speak to their emotions, not back to their words.

They may throw an agressive accusation at you, beginning an argument. Resist the urge to argue. A strong person never argues and does not accept bullshit. You try to respond to them, and if they refuse to meet you half way after a few attempts cut off communication until they are. Respond with things like “I don’t think you mean that, I mean have you thought about the fact your words might hurt someone? People need you’re help and you’re good at XY and Z.”

We are the light in the tunnel, we are living and dying, see how we are thrown in the world. We are the light in the tunnel for us all. Realise I am alive. We are the ones who make a difference to EACH OTHER. We have all the power we will ever need to change our own and each others lives. The world is not leading us, we lead it.

Make people believe this. Share it with them. Allow a person to realise how important THEY are to you and everyone else, and they will not WANT to be mean. Bad emotions get in the way of good ones. The way to aoid hurt is to give respect until it is lost, and allow it to be earned by others and earn it yourself. Outside that, nothing exists. Expect nothing, accept anything if you understand the motives. Work with people not against them.

But ultimatley if they are too unreasonable to help, don’t.

Learn about the world

Why will learning about mundane shit help at all? Shh Mr Cynic. Being informed is being in form as a human being. Being informed is being human. You are more likley to be able to help others and yourself if you understand something, than if you don’t. It sounds shockingly simple, but now think about the idea of understanding how your country or the stock markets work, or politics? Most people have settled for somebody elses answer. Have you REALLY explored all possibilities and considered the world around you? Have you properlly thought about it?

Your world is your canvas to enjoy living, and help others do so. This is my meaning of life. Marketing is genius, market your abilties, market positive experience to others, market marketing.

Random Biographical Details

So how many of you fuckers actually know me huh? The pretty handsom akward sexy shy LUNATIC that is me? As a kid I was a fat bugger. I hate photos of me from about 7 to 17, in fact the 90s was a nasty decade for me. Save the rave is the worst possible thing that could be a fashion! I don’t want anything to do with the 90s.

I spent the late 90s in high school, bit of a geek. My claim to fame was I knew all the specs and how video games consoles worked. Really. Fortunatley I was quite likeable and never really got bullied. Except for a bunch in the face from Brendon Duffy in year 7. I didn’t mind, he punches like a pussy, it didn’t even bruise. What a first class nob that guy is.

I spent all of highschool fancying Becky Cawthra. MAN, she WAS jennifer aniston, who I also had a thing for. Same crazy personality, stunning but just a little bit crazy and silly. Towards the end of high school we got on as friends, and I actually learned a lot from her. Saw her like two years ago and it was fun reminicing. I am a very different person now. Honesty with my feelings is just not an issue. It would be so cool to be me NOW going through high school. I’d RUN that place.

I adore Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Legends. I love classic styling and suits. But I can’t resist the whole beachy thing and I wanna live in miami. The variety in life is incredible. Movies are pure entertainment, as are video gamers, but the best way to clear your head besides meditation is the gym or physical activity. No matter what your problems are, they’re never as bad after the gym. Perspective comes from getting out of your logical mouse traps.

My mum is single handedly the greatest mother in the world. Everyone says that. Everyone says that everyone says that. Everyone likes to mention it about their mother. But I actually mean it. Others have agreed. So I know Im not bonkers. My mum is a best friend, superstar, incredibly helpful and a bundle of happy. She has given me the perfect start to life, and my life exists to thank her for the start she gave me.

My Bro scott is a legit legend. The hardest panda bear known to man :p and a gay. A big metal head gay lol. Ry and Amo both smell lightly of scented oils and love you longtime, try desperatley to get in their pants. Seriously.

Ok that concludes part 1. You cant sum up a life of thoughts in just one rant. Checkback for more.