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The Little Book of Less=More (How to change your life by doing less)

January Subjects for Less=More: FUN, 85 Years Old, Visualisations, Affirmations, My Possibility, Change Now! Have a Break, Roles in Life, My Updates, Organic Growth, More, Self Promotion, More of the Less Bit, Organic Goals, Goals, Vision and Action, Newspapers, TV, Sleep, Less, Introduction.

 

Feb Subjects for Less=More: Attributional Thinking, Success Motivates, Motivation and Luck, Mind Maps, Priorities, Word Strings, Conscious Competence, Morning Pages, Unblocking The Artist (Creative Expression), Mix with Positive People, Winning Formula – If you want something doing then do it yourself, Confidence, Perspective, Work Patterns, People, Awareness, Synchronicity, Breaking Promises!, Equal =, Play Big in Life and Shine Your Light, What’s the Worst that can Happen?, Perception, Good Days and Bad Days.

 

March Subjects for Less=More: Perfectionism, More Georgia, He’s Stupid Enough to be Neutral, Move On, Anti-Role Models, Role Models, Sunshine and Vitamin D, Risk and Failure, Twix, Doing Less Again!, Fitting it all In, Family, Paradox of Leadership, Commit, Timetable, Neuro Linguistic Programming (Six Step Reframing Outline), FreeCell, Quality of Time, 2 Chairs, 3 Perspectives, Motivation Again!.

 

April Subjects for Less=More:  Sharpen the Saw, Reframing, What Can You Give?, Action not Words, Play to your Strengths, Windsurf or Cycle, 5 Memorable Things per Year,  Legacy, Anger, Commitment Again, Just Do It!, Roller Coaster Day, Smile, Live Today, Animal, Dreams take time to come true, Eat LESS, Form Storm Norm Perform, Shoot for the Stars and Hit The Moon, !, Get Up Early and Go Out for Breakfast, Book Shop, Top Dog, Underdog, Parts of Yourself, I Can’t Even Motivate Myself!, Myers Briggs, Beware of Symptoms and not Cures.

 

Tuesday 30th April 2002

Sharpen the Saw

Suppose you were to come upon someone in the woods working feverishly to saw down a tree.

“What are you doing?” you ask.

“Can’t you see?” comes the impatient reply, “I’m sawing down this tree.”

“You look exhausted!” you exclaim. “How long have you been at it?”

“Over five hours,” he returns, “and I’m beat! This is hard work.”

“Well why don’t you take a break for a few minutes and sharpen the saw?” you enquire, “I’m sure it would go a lot faster.”

“I don’t have time to sharpen the saw,” the man said emphatically,  “I’m too busy sawing!””  Steven Covey -The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

 

Are you working feverishly and not taking time out to sharpen the saw?

 

Monday 29th April 2002

Reframing

I may have written about this before but it’s a good reminder.

Sometimes the best thing we can do is let things be the way they are, not try to change them, except our perspective.

Reframe.

The best example I can give is from Allen Carr’s book Easyweigh to Lose Weight.

He asks us about our concept on food.

Why is it we eat beef (Cow) but not dog.

Why is it some cultures eat dog.

It can’t be about taste, and yet we attribute so much of our taste in food to taste.

If we think of our beef as dog then that’s one way to give up on the beef.

Same with Chocolate, Cakes, Crisps, whatever.

 

In other words, you can reframe your perspective on almost anything.

 

Sunday 28th April 2002

What Can You Give?

Contribution.

It’s as much about what you can give as what can you take.

When I contribute I always find I get something back.

At times when I open my heart, the world rewards me.

 

Have a think about how you can contribute to the world rather than what you take, what you need and what you get.

A suicide recently within the family, made me think about how even if I have nothing left of myself and no self-worth I could still contribute to those less fortunate than myself.  Give my life over to helping others.

Of course when you’re feeling depressed and suicidal the thought of helping others is not something that readily enters your mind.

Nevertheless it seems so sad for someone young to lose their life, deliberately, the pain they leave behind and the contribution they could make to others.

To me, every second is precious.

 

Saturday 27th April 2002

Action not Words

I met with a company a few months ago.  I was offering to help distribute their product.

They were going to come back to me with a price.

In the midst of the conversation they wanted to give me a set of tests to help me with my career choices.

Fine I thought this is goodwill and the way to do business.

Misunderstanding.  They wanted to charge me $375 for the privilege.  I said no, and I haven’t heard from them since.

 

How many times do I need to be cut and diced into yet another set of classifications.

They’re all fascinating to know how you’re this way and that and how it relates to others.

Just one thing!

What are you going to do about it.  What am I going to do about it.

I don’t know about you, but I know enough about myself.  It’s what I do with that knowledge.

What action are you going to take when you find out these amazing new facts about yourself.

 

It’s not about Words, it’s your actions.

That’s why I’m writing all this because I realise you can read as many books, see as many therapists, talk to as many people as you like,

But you either accept your situation and perhaps reframe how you see it or you change it.

In order to change it you have to do something different.

Now given there are 24 hours in the day and you already have your life nicely mapped out,

I ask you in order to take some action, what are you going to do less of?

And I’m going to keep asking you this.

 

Commitment is easy.  You can commit in a microsecond.  Now!

It’s your on-going follow through action that will see it happen.

 

What are you going to do less of, to do the things you know you want to, (should!?) be doing?

 

Tuesday 23rd April 2002

Play to your Strengths

Stop beating yourself up for what you can’t do and what you’re not good at, and play to your strengths.

I was just writing about my struggle with handwriting and the limited criteria for academic success at school.

 

But nowadays I play to my strengths.  I don’t write proposals because I’m no good at proposals.

I’ve lived all my life in a written world, and I don’t have to write now if I don’t want to.

What is it you’re forcing yourself to do that you don’t enjoy doing?

Could you be doing it a different way?

Could there be other things you could be better doing?

 

What is it you enjoying doing and would like to do?

Life’s too short to do things we don’t enjoy doing.

 

Monday 22nd April 2002

Windsurf or Cycle

Find different things to do when you’re in different moods or situations.

When it’s calm I cycle, when it’s windy I windsurf.

I don’t try to cycle when it’s windy or windsurf when it’s calm.

 

Make life easier by finding things to do which satisfy you in the mood you’re in.

 

Sunday 21st April 2002

5 Memorable Things per Year

Pick a year of your life at random.

Can you think of 5 memorable things which happened in that year?

The wise Rabbis say that if you can remember more than 5 events from a year, you’ve had a good year.

Conversely, do things which are memorable for years to come!

 

Saturday 20th April 2002

Legacy

What is it you want to leave behind when you’re gone?

Where do you see yourself in 100 years time?

In other words, what effect will your life have on the world in 100 years time?

 

For some, it doesn’t matter.

For others, it’s about generations of family.

Fame or Infamy

Something of permanence like a building or book.

 

It’s often struck me that Christopher Wren’s St Paul’s Cathedral has left a greater legacy for him than most Kings and Queens.

One way to think about legacy, is to ask yourself what you would do with 6 months left to live.

That normally focuses you on what you would like to happen after you’re gone.

 

Friday 19th April 2002

Anger

Anger is usually best expressed and not kept inside where it damages you.

As long as your anger is expressed appropriately.

 

More importantly they say that behind anger is a need, a desire.

So ask yourself what your anger is about.

What is your need?

How can that need be satisfied?

 

Thursday 18th April 2002

Commitment Again

There’s nothing like committing to something and then following through on it.

I’ve committed to write this every day for a year and wherever possible I’m following through with that commitment.

Committing is easy.

You can do it now this second.

It’s the action that follows the commitment that the challenge.

Sticking with it.

How many people fail in their commitments and let themselves down, let alone other people.

 

Why is it so difficult to do what you say you’re going to do?

Human nature I suppose.

 

Wednesday 17th April 2002

Just Do It!

Sometimes there are days when you just don’t want to do it.

I’m tired and not feeling well, but at least I’ve written this.

Just Do It! Commitment.

 

Tuesday 16th April 2002

Roller Coaster Day

Just talked to a friend who’s having a bad day.

I’ve had a baddish day.

 

Sometimes you have to accept the roller coaster.

Bad Hours, Good Hours.

Bad Days, Good Days.

Bad Weeks, Good Weeks.

Bad Months, Good Months.

Bad Years, Good Years.

 

God this is depressing!!  What I mean is that when things are bad, they will roller coaster back.

Mind you it also means when things are good they will roller coaster down!!

It’s the struggles in life that gives us the contrast to appreciate the good times, and good things.

Unfortunately when they’re bad we tend to look back to when they were good, rather than look forward to when they’ll be good again!!!

 

This piece reminds me of when I first ran a day with a group on motivation.

The following day one of the group came to me and said,

“Tony, we feel worse today than we felt yesterday before you did the thing on motivation!”

Back to the drawing board.  That’s why I’m writing all this on a daily basis, gathering my thoughts and knowledge.

Actually I wasn’t put out by the comments because it was about motivation, not getting motivated.

Also people and groups go through the Form Storm Norm Perform phases so it wasn’t surprising that they were in Storm moving on to Norm.

Often happens on the first to second day of a course.

 

Monday 15th April 2002

Smile

Smile!

J

 

Sunday 14th April 2002

Live Today

Met someone yesterday who has had an illness recently.

It reminds me to live today and not to take my health for granted.

Appreciate it.  Especially instead of worrying about the health things that might be wrong.

I’m off to Albert Park (where they run the Melbourne Grand Prix)  with Georgia my daughter and Annie my wife.

 

Saturday 13th April 2002

Animal

If you were an animal what would you be?

What animal would you like to come back as?

Just wondering.

 

If you had a business card or website (maybe you do), what would you like it to say about you?

Just designing my business cards and possible logo with a designer today, so it bring back a lot of things.

What I believe in and stand for.

The plans and designs I had 6 years ago.

The animals I think of.

3 Toed Sloth  (“The Sloth sleeps soundly upside down for 18 hours each day”)! I like it.

Seagull and Albatross (Scavenger and Long time flyer)

Tiger (Leave me alone Grrrrrrrr)

In summary I’d like to come back as a Seagull (Scavenge and Shit on people) with hands as well as wings, so that I can pick things up.

 

Your turn.

 

Friday 12th April 2002

Dreams take time to come true

Just had some good news today and yesterday.

There’s nothing like good news to help create some more good news

I know, I’ve said this before, but I’m amazed at how what you put out you eventually get back, and it could be months or years before it happens.

 

In fact, come to think of it, I had my idea for my company name and logo, 6 years ago, and this weekend I’m talking to a designer about creating something. 6 Year Later!!

 

I’ve also said before that my dreams come true, it’s just a matter of when, and they’re normally much longer in time than I expect.

But believe me, they come true.

 

Thursday 11th April 2002

Eat LESS

I’m getting nothing done right now because I’m using food as a distracter.

Drugged up to the eyeballs with food.

As soon as there’s an inch of space in my stomach I get up to snack something.

And the stuff is clouding my brain.  Mainly chocolate and tea.

 

So eat less.  We all eat too much in the Western World.  There’s very few people who eat to little.

Want to live longer and be healthy?

Eat Less.

 

The best book I’ve read on eating diet and health is Allen Carr’s Easyweigh to Lose Weight.

It’s not about weight loss, it’s about reframing our thoughts about what we eat.

 

Wednesday 10th April 2002

Form Storm Norm Perform

Just talking today to someone about starting a new job.

Usually, when you start and on the first few days you think,

“What the hell have I done?”

And then after a while things settle and you start liking and enjoying the job (usually!).

 

It reminded me of group theory, which you can apply to yourself in that type of situation like a new job.

FORMING,  STORMING,   NORMING,  PERFORMING.

All groups go through these phases.  It useful to know this when running groups.

In my experience it’s true about these phases in 90% of the groups I’ve run.

 

Firstly, they FORM.  They look around the room, check out the environment, check out the people,  check out the trainer or leader/facilitator.

The Forming part is usually best handled by introductions.  Getting everyone to introduce themselves or someone else.

This is why you have so many daft exercises at the beginning of Training Groups.

 

STORM.  Why the hell am I here?  I know more than this lot put together.  They’re boring the hell out of me.  The trainer is shit and knows nothing.  I want a break.

Etc etc.  This is the storming angry part where once people have settled in they often get angry about their initial expectations not being fulfilled.

The best thing is to recognise that this phase happens all the time, and it passes.

 

NORM is where the group settles in and starts to work together and make best of what is there.

 

PERFORM.  Alas this tends to happen when time is running out and there’s been too much Forming Storming Norming.

 

And guess what? These 4 stage always seem to fit the time allocated.

So if you are in a one day seminar, you go through the 4 phases in the day.

If it’s a 3 day course then you fit the 4 stages in to the 3 days.

And if it’s 6 month project, then again the time fits the 4 stages.

So instead of spending 2 hours Forming, the project team spend 1 month Forming.

 

It’s interesting to bear in mind that when you do something like start a new job, or become a member of a group, that you may also go through these phases, regardless of the situation.

So, just be aware of them.

FORMING – What’s this new job all about and who are all these people?

STORMING – What the hell am I doing here?

NORMING – I’ll make the best of what’s here and stick it out.

PERFORMING – Hey, I’m really enjoying this.

 

Tuesday 9th April 2002

Shoot For the Stars and Hit The Moon

I just finished updating my website and putting more pictures of Georgia on, and now I feel ready to take on anything.

I don’t know what got me to finally update things on my website, but I was thinking about finding tasks more onerous than the ones you find onerous in order to do the onerous ones!

If you see what I mean.

 

It’s an important part of motivation, to Shoot for the Stars and Hit the Moon.

It’s a Stretch Objective, something beyond reality that pulls you to what you normally want to achieve.

 

It’s like going on a 1 mile run with no fitness.

Want to do a 1 mile run easily from scratch?  Easy, go on a  2 mile run and the first 1 miles will be a breeze.

I imagine it’s the same with long distance running.  10 miles difficult?  Go on a marathon.  10 miles will never appear as difficult again.

 

It’s really about perception.

If we believe something is difficult, then it is.

If we alter that perception by setting something way out in the distance, a light at the end of the tunnel, then it becomes easier.

The trick is to set something that stretches but isn’t too unachievable.

 

Mind you it goes back to the 4 minute mile.  Once one person broke the 4 minute mile, suddenly everyone knew it was achievable.

The same with say Man Utd not winning the Championship for 26 years.  As soon as they won it again, they can’t stop winning it.

If you play tennis as a junior with someone and they go on to achieve things at tennis, you say to yourself,

“I was at least as good as them, I have the skill, I just need their application.”

And most of the top 500 male tennis players have the same level of skill.

When they knock up you’d be hard put to tell the difference.

But there’s something else there as well.

That magic ingredient.

And of course the top 5 tennis players have something extra extra special.

You can still be in the top 10 and win grand slams without being a top 5 player though.

 

Lots of us could, should, would, but how many do?

The answer is 5% by the way.

 

Monday 8th April 2002

!

Jack Levin wants the exclamation point brought to prevalence, as he complains in a 1990 article that "We seem to have lost our capacity to be aroused, alarmed, revolted, outraged, or shocked by anything important."” Tom Peters

 

I find when I’m writing I love using exclamation marks to add a bit of emphasis and humour to a point.  I wish there were other punctuation marks so powerful!!

 

Tom Peters has branded himself Tom Peters!  Here he explains why.

“The exclamation mark has a rather interesting reputation -- daring, emphatic, loud, effervescent -- but at the same time it's protective. It symbolizes harsh language instead of forcing us to read or write it. It occasionally serves as a warning sign. It can remind us of our childhoods (comic books and exuberant notes to friends in which whole piles of exclamation points are included!!!) It's edgy but at the same time familiar, safe to use when we're reluctant to vent our emotions in stronger, less oblique, symbols. It's that paradox -- edgy but safe, safer than other symbols might be -- that draws our attention to it. That paradox also makes it a perfect symbol for the Internet.”

 

I just love quoting Tom Peters!

 

I think that explains my love of ! in my on-line word-processed, Internet/web writing.

 

Sunday 7th April 2002

Get Up Early and Go Out for Breakfast

If you want to gain a great sense of achievement and time on your hands, then once in a blue moon, get up early (especially at the weekend) and go out for breakfast.

 

I just did and it’s still so early and I already feel like I’ve achieved so much today already.

 

Also, I love watching the world start to wake up in the morning from very quiet.  The shops setting up shop.

Sleepy people staggering down the street.

The smell of early morning outside.

 

Come on get up, out of bed, rise and shine!

 

Saturday 6th April 2002

Book Shops

Sometimes when you’re really really stuck in life.  When you’re feeling low.  When you don’t know what to do or where life is taking you.

Go and walk round a big book shop and see what catches your eye.

Take your time.

Go round the bookshop and see what mood you’re in, what type of book (or magazine) you want to buy (and maybe even read).

 

Today I forced myself into the book shop, I had no intention of buying anything, and came away with 2 books on webdesign, Business 2.0 magazine, and a magazine with an interview with Oprah Winfrey looking at what she want to do now that her business is nearly worth $1Billion.

 

And what I came away with is the idea that someone like Oprah needs to lead 100+ million people into something new, away from all this corporate bullshit and politics of no choice and murder.  I just want to read about where she’s at with it all.

 

The other thing is I know I want to read a really good novel, either of the Nick Hornby genre or something Andrea Ashworth like.

Your turn, get down to that bookshop.  You don’t even have to buy anything.

 

Friday 5th April 2002

Top Dog, Underdog

Another and more simple way of looking at parts of yourself, is to split it into 2 key parts

Top Dog and Under Dog

 

Top Dog is the criticising, parental, voice that tells you, you can’t or shouldn’t do things.

Under Dog is the rebellious, victimy, won’t child part.

 

Between them they can undo all your good intents, motivation and desires.

They can sabotage your dreams and goals.

It’s quite well explained in this description .

 

It’s good to separate out the things you are telling yourself that stop you doing things.

They’re likely to be either a Top Dog message of should, shouldn’t, can’t,

Or an Underdog message of  won’t, don’t want to.

 

Separate them out.  Look at them. And bring them back together to see if them can work better together and help each other with their strengths.

Simple isn’t it?

Now go for 7+ years of Gestalt Therapy and that should sort you out!!

 

Thursday 4th April 2002

Parts of Yourself

One of the key areas of psychotherapy are the “Parts” of ourselves we have.

Effectively our different moods.

Once you’ve identified your “Parts” you can start to play with them and use them for gaining perspectives.

One of the best bits of work I’ve ever done as part of my psychotherapy training was to have a “Parts Party”

 

I know, it sound a bit touchy feely, but it was a real eye-opener.

I nominated 5 parts and people to play those parts.

My wife (at the time!!) nominated her 5 parts and people to play them.

We were then given a situation and we nominated one of the players or parts to play against the others’ part.

Very funny to witness as an outsider how one of you parts interacts with someone else’s part.

I’m trying to remember some of my parts.

  • Northern Chemist (Dour Logical Low Risk taker, assesses)
  • Tigger (Playful)
  • Rescuing Mother (Kind Well-Meaning Interfering Parent)
  • Tennis Warrior (Sporty Active Competitive)
  • Young Einstein (Creative, Rebellious, See All, Knows it All)

The interesting bit is then one of your parts, say Tigger, up against somebody else’s Bossy Mother!

Now what if you changed and put Rescuing Mother up against Bossy Mother!!

It’s like WWF wrestling isn’t it?

 

I know that my fall back position tends to be Northern Chemist.  It’s my “coping” part and strategy.  Sit back, evaluate, objective, low risk-taker, and dour!

Now this Northern Chemist is great in many situations for me, but it can be limiting.

When I want to be creative Northern Chemist mode is perhaps not the weapon of choice.

 

Also, being Northern Chemist when my wife enthusiastically tells me something, often doesn’t go down well.

Classic case yesterday.  She’s been looking for someone to baby-sit Georgia next week.

Finally she found someone, through an agency.  She was relieved and told me.

Northern Chemist them pointed out all the pitfalls in going through an agency!  Nice one Tony, but very bad timing.  Very Negative.

 

Better today.  Someone told me just now that she met someone and is moving state with her kid to set up with this guy.

Now my initial Northern Chemist reaction is to pour water in this idea given that she’s met him only once.

But give it a chance Tony.  Who am I to judge.  Lord knows the number of opportunities in life I’ve let go by taking a low-risk strategy.

Also I have a big thing about committing and then see what happens.  That’s what this person is doing.  Commit first and watch the opportunity open out.

 

What are your parts?  Logical Part, Playful Part, Parental Part, Sexual Part!, Active Part, Creative Part?  Identify it, give it a name, wallow in the part.

What are the parts of other people you notice.  Partner, Colleagues, Friends, Family?

Do they have other parts than the one that drives you mad?

What other parts of yourself could you use to give you a different perspective?

 

Parts gives you a fantastic way of getting a third person perspective on what is happening to you, and choices to take an alternative way.

Or just observe and laugh.

 

And if you’re feeling really creative, Have a Parts Party!!

 

Wednesday 3rd April 2002

I Can’t Even Motivate Myself!

I don’t have to motivate myself, and it doesn’t stop me from motivating others.

I’ve said this story before but I’ll say it again.  You don’t have to be successful in order to help others be successful.

 

When I was a kid, aged 7, my Mum took me to swimming lessons, with Ken.

She told me that Ken was an Olympic Swimming coach.

“Oh, so he swam in the Olympics?”

“No, he coaches Olympic swimmers.”

“Oh, so he swam in the Olympics?”

NO

Ken didn’t have to be an Olympic swimmer to help others become Olympic swimmers.

It’s a 7 years old thinking to believe that you have to have swum in the Olympics to coach for the Olympics.

I sure wish that sports teams realised this and appointed good coaches and not good players.  There’s a big difference.

Good Players motivate themselves, which isn’t always transferable.

Good Coaches motivate others.

 

And also, and often, the most difficult person to help is ourselves.  It sure it easy to see other people’s faults and help them.

But our own?  That’s a different matter.

 

So the best way out of this is often to seek help from others.

Or stick it out.

Or accept the way things are.

 

And maybe this is part of the problem.  We look up to other role models, we read their books and still we stay stuck.

It’s easy for them to say how they did it.  But what about me?

And most success that we see is a compact of time.

A compact of many many failures before success appeared.

We just see the success and not the Persistence.

Tuesday 2nd April 2002

Myers Briggs

Are you Extravert or Introvert?

Do you get your energy from other people or from within.

Bad day at work?  Do you talk on the phone to someone about it (Extravert) or quietly watch TV (Introvert)

 

Are you Sensing or iNtuitive?

Do you use your 5 senses only to pick up information.  Do look at the detail? – Sensing

Or do you see the picture, not get bogged down with detail? – iNtuitive

 

Are you Thinking or Feeling?

Are you a cold logical head Thinker or an empathetic people based heart Feeler?

 

Are you a well planned completing Judging person or a lastminute.com open ended Perceiver?

 

You have 4 either/or to chose from

Extravert or Introvert (E or I)

Sensing or iNtuitive (S or N)

Thinking or Feeling (T or F)

Judging or Perceiving (J or P)

 

This give you 16 types, ISTJ, ISFJ ESTP ESFP INTJ INFJ ENTP ENFP ISTP INTP ESTJ ENTJ ISFP INFP ESFJ ENFJ

 

Confused?  Search for “Myers Briggs” on the Internet and see what you find.  Also, if you have any idea which of the 16 types you are, you can search on that 4 letter type.  There’s lots on the Internet about your type.

 

I’m INTP.

I’m an Introvert living largely in an Extravert world.  That’s ok for me because I find it relatively easy to adapt to being an Extravert.

But the older I get the more I realise I’m more naturally Introverted.  I get my energy from inside, not usually from other people.

I’m increasingly enjoying working from home, surfing the Internet, and writing.

And yet for the last 20 years, I’ve worked in open plan offices, I train people, I sell.  I’m out there, but it’s not my natural state.

 

I’m Intuitive.  I don’t like detail.  I don’t check spellings and grammar very well, I see pictures and vision.  I like future possibilities.

I’m Thinking.  Logical.  Non of this Feeling nonsense.  I’m in my head.  I can always tell what I’m thinking but struggle to say what I’m feeling.

I’m Perceiving.  I leave things until the last minute, wait for divine inspiration.  I like things loose and open to change.

 

There’s no right and wrong with the 16 types.  And also it’s not what you test as, it’s what you believe you are and feel comfortable with.

You can also use it to guess at what’s happening in interactions with other people, though strictly speaking you shouldn’t assign what people are, it’s what they believe they are.  However, I know that I’m very Intuitive and Perceiving, so when I train a group of people, I have to take into account the Sensing Judging people, who want detail and structure.  It’s sometimes a real struggle for me to deliver that.

 

Also just for fun today I was thinking about countries and what their Myers Briggs type would be.  Here’s some of my estimates.

USA ESTJ (Howdy, they love their rules, very logical and like completing tasks)

Australia ISTJ (Just like the Yanks but in reality not as Extravert)

Germany ISTJ (No sense of humour, rule bound, logical, and make the trains run on time) (and the Swiss)

Japan ISTJ (Ditto)

Holland ENTP (Hate the Germans so what’s the difference?  More Extravert, see the bigger picture, and will wait for things to happen)

France ENFP(Just like the Dutch but more emotional)

Italy ENFP (Ditto)

Scandinavians INTJ (More Introvert but differ from the Germans in being Intuitive)

England ISTJ (Actually the most difficult to work out.  Generally Introvert when compared with the Yanks, like rules but not too much, stiff upper lip, and try to be task and  completers but only in a crisis)

 

Any more?  Disagree?

 

Monday 1st April 2002

Beware of Symptoms and not Cures

Being April 1st, I was just thinking about what’s the worst piece of advice I’ve ever seen or read.

And I realise it’s more a general comment to beware of those that describe and prescribe for symptoms and not cures or causes.

Many books I’ve read are excellent at describing the symptoms.  Many doctors are trained to identify symptoms, but when it comes to causes or cure they are totally useless.

 

Don’t be seduced by all these wonderful books, training courses, and the medical profession that identify symptoms eloquently. It doesn’t mean they have the right cure.

So many books in the first few chapters describe so beautifully the problem, be it business, motivation, health, relationships.

 

We’re left nodding our heads like one of those back seat toy dogs.  But when it comes to the cure it’s either unpalatable, unachievable, or just plain stupid.  A fad.

What books, diets, advice, software, gurus have stood the test of time?

 

Events and situations change.  We generally don’t.  We are what we are.  And we only usually change when an event dictates we have to.  Like having a child!

We get up in the morning, we have go to the bathroom, we have breakfast, we go to work, we come home, and we go to sleep.

It doesn’t leave much room for change does it?

We all generally consume the same products, watch the same TV programmes, read the same trash, and live pretty similar lives.

From Bill Gates to me, Joe Public.  Of course there’s a few variations within the theme.

 

So don’t believe the hype.  Don’t believe the diet books that pad out their pages with recipes (only Allen Carr’s Easyweigh to Lose Weight bucks that tradition).

I don’t know what the answer is.  I’m working on it.  Training that has a lasting impact and not a temporary candyfloss appeal.  Books that when you read you remember and act upon and it stays with you.  Sure, describe the symptoms and problems, but it’s the lasting cure that’s the real Utopia.

 

All suggestions welcome.  Watch this space.