There’s a velux window directly over the head of my bed. Listening to large globules of rain hitting that window in the small hours of the morning, at 3.30 am or thereabouts, is one of the best, free experiences I frequently enjoy. Lying in bed, warm, with the duvet pulled up, and listening to the… Continue reading Your Best, Distraction Free, Lucid Thinking-Do You Have a Place?
Category: Self Improvement
Chop Wood, Carry Water-Why You Need to Adopt This Buddhist Philosophy in 2020
It is a Zen Buddhist saying that if you want to reach enlightenment you should “chop wood, carry water”. And if you want to retain enlightenment you need to, you guessed it, “chop wood, carry water”. This is an exhortation to do the work that matters for you, and to guard against distractions and anything… Continue reading Chop Wood, Carry Water-Why You Need to Adopt This Buddhist Philosophy in 2020
Start With Why-Is Simon Sinek Mistaken?
Reading “Start With Why” by Simon Sinek at the moment and am struggling a little bit. I am only half way through and hope I can accept, or reconcile, the hypothesis put forward by Sinek. His proposition is that people do not buy what you do, they buy why you do it. He points to… Continue reading Start With Why-Is Simon Sinek Mistaken?
One of my most important tools: my journal
The journal you see on this page is one of the most important tools I own. When I refer to it as a tool I mean it is instrumental in maintaining sound mental health. It allows me to go to a place of complete privacy, solitude, stillness where I can gather my thoughts and put… Continue reading One of my most important tools: my journal
My Aim for 2020: Stillness
2020 will be the year of stillness and focus for me. That’s the plan, anyway. I want to follow the Zen saying of “chop wood, carry water”-that is, do the work that matters. Focus on the important stuff and reduce or cut out entirely the distractions, the stuff that stops me from focusing and doing… Continue reading My Aim for 2020: Stillness
Winning Arguments-the Principles and Tools of Rhetoric
I am reading a book ( Winning Arguments: From Aristotle to Obama – Everything You Need to Know About the Art of Persuasion) at the moment about winning arguments and the use of rhetorical tools and principles. I am writing this blog post to help me understand the book better because I firmly believe writing… Continue reading Winning Arguments-the Principles and Tools of Rhetoric
How to Speak Like a Leader
How to convince and persuade by the use of words is something that fascinates me. Regardless of whether the words are written or spoken the power to move other people with your choice of words and formulation of what you wish to say has been evident from time immemorial. From Aristotle’s ‘Rhetoric’ (also known as… Continue reading How to Speak Like a Leader
Unfair Comments and Reviews-What You Can Learn From the Greats
Check out the reviews of books on Amazon. You will find it worthwhile and you will find some surprises. For example, a book like “To Kill a Mockingbird”, with 3,664 reviews and an average of 4.7 stars out of a maximum 5. Yet 2% of its reviews are 1 star. Of the 3,664 reviews 73… Continue reading Unfair Comments and Reviews-What You Can Learn From the Greats
Learning in The Most Surprising Places
It’s amazing where you will learn stuff if you take the time to observe closely. Let me explain. There’s a man on YouTube with his own YouTube channel. Even though the views he espouses are, to my mind, pathetic, odious, chauvinistic, right wing, misogynistic, and repulsive I have learned something from him. Before I share… Continue reading Learning in The Most Surprising Places
Envy of Meticulous Oral Communication-Is It Too Late to Learn?
I envy the individual who, without the need for coarse or vulgar or oversimplified language, or the need for vocal stumbling and stuttering and ums and ahs and vocal fry, can fully articulate his views on a topic about which he feels strongly. For example, if I tried to explain my opinion of how odious… Continue reading Envy of Meticulous Oral Communication-Is It Too Late to Learn?