La crise, quelle crise ?

  • Gravity’s not just a good idea, it’s the law – Seth Godin

    This makes my day. As I was reading the last but on post from Seth Godin titled Actually, the truth isn’t up to them, this last sentence (the title of this post) made my day! It made me create a new category too under my Misc one: Truth.

    Truth is an interesting concept. It’s generally linked to undisputable facts. It’s anchored in reality. However, it’s subject to interpretation. God is real is a truth for believers. However, proving the existence of God is factually impossible (at least as of today). I am not saying it’s impossible, it’s « factually » impossible. There are no facts that prove the existence of God (a book or a man does not prove the existence of God, and I know I am on a slippery slope).

    However, everyday we hear so-called truth on TV, on radio or over the Internet. In most cases, those are not truths. Those are facts that lead to creation of fake truths. Gravity existence is true. The moon’s existence is true. A plane that flies is a truth. However, as for the God’s example, truth is subject to deep-rooted beliefs and emotions, and generally very little science backs those truth up.

    Have a read a Seth Godin’s post. It’s not only enlightening, it makes you think about the what the truth is and how some powerful medias or people manipulate the truth. Ponder the following quote from Blaise Pascal : « The truth on this side of the Pyrenees, error on the other ». The Pyrénées being a mountain chain that separates France from Spain.

    However, IMHO, truth should be objective, not subjective, otherwise it’s just an interpretation of facts or emotions. If the world was governed by real truths, it would probably not be in this current state. However, it’s in the best possible state with the knowledge and the wisdom (or lack of) we have. So our only subjective truth is to enjoy what we have and look at improving oneself and the world.

  • Then/Now

    https://unsplash.com/sergio_rola
    https://unsplash.com/sergio_rola

    Now, bumped into this on the web and it made me laugh out loud: Then/Now.

    The three only sure things are death, tax and change. This is about change. What was true yesterday may be wrong today and ignored tomorrow. Pace of change has accelerated. Flexibility is required. Adaptation is required. Useless to moan. Adapt! And this ties to the debates these days in France about the changes that the government wants to drive in job laws, with the « infamous » Loi El Khomri that drove people of all ages demonstrating across France, forcing the government to rewrite it.

    This law is probably far from being perfect almost like any other laws. However, it shows how much people fear change. The world has dramatically changed over the last years and the pace of change is accelerating. Even climate is changing! However, change is inevitable and instead of trying to stop it, embrace it, love it, make it yours. Don’t fight it!

    Of course because there are so many changes happening at the same time at an unprecedented and overwhelming pace, most people tend to try to block change. But change will happen, inevitably. You can mourn on the past and fear the future, but you cannot freeze the present. Being alive is being in motion, changing, growing, failing, falling, getting back and moving forward. The world is at its best with the elements it has. Once you’ve embraced this simple statement and fact, you can act first on yourself then on others and the world.

    We can blame finance, the stock exchange, ISIS or Richard Nixon for all the problems the world is facing. Or we can be happy that we are living in a world that is better that the world of our parents and grandparents. I know many people think the good ol’ times were much better. But factually they were worse for a vast majority of people, this has been demonstrated factually. However, people forget and embellish the past. Now is better than Then. And we act Today to make Tomorrow better, not to make Today like an imaginary Yesterday.

    You can’t choose the Now you want to live in, but you can decide how you live it. It’s your decision and not anybody else’s decision. It may not be an easy one, but there’s only one Now and there are multiple ways to live it. However, the only right way, IMHO, is to enjoy it fully as much as we can even if the Now is dire.

  • A simple method to find ideas and be creative

    Sometimes when you have to find ideas for your next project, irrespective of what it is, the best source of inspiration is other’s work!

    Originality is nothing but judicious imitation. The most original writers borrowed one from another.
    Voltaire

    https://unsplash.com/aleksdorohovich

    May the Kindle be!

    And for this idea generation, I generally use my Kindle! There’s a simple function in Kindle that allows you to annotate a text. I generally due this when reading a sentence or a paragraph that inspires me. I collection quotes too, like the one above, but I would say quotes can be easily found on the net, extract from text you read have a more personal relation: you read the book, the text ticked at a particular moment and you made the effort to set it aside.

    With a kindle, you can go back to your notes by opening My clippings (I have a pretty old kindle, so not sure it’s all the same in the newer ones, but I’m sure you’ll manage). There, I browse through all the extract I kept over the years. Inevitably, something will resonate. You will remember why you picked this sentence, it will remind you of a particular story or it will inspire you. It never failed me and I’m sure it will not fail you if you just use it.

    https://unsplash.com/mcraftpix

    Creativity is a matter of brain connection

    Being creative is not difficult, it just requires some action and some tricks like this kindle one. Ideas are never created ex nihilo, although sometimes we may feel they are. It’s just our brain playing some nasty tricks on ourselves. Because ideas are just coming from other ideas, linked one to another in a neuron mesh. The beauty of the process, the more you use it, the easier it becomes. Practice makes perfection!

  • Tying Productivity, Methods and Tools

    Your Hump Day Success Edge Post #3

    Productivity is a loose word as it may mean a lot of different things for different people. As per the Oxford dictionary, productivity is the state or quality of being productive, that is to be able to achieve a significant amount or result. If I need to deliver 10 actions in the course of the day, I want to deliver as fast as possible with the required quality. Therefore, productivity is generally linked to a form of time management (method) and to tools we use.

    Make your own productivity methods

    A good productivity method makes thing being created
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    Unfortunately for any human being, there are plentiful time management, goal setting, project management methods, just to name a few « buzzword ». The most important method is the one that works for you. I’ve seen many failed attempts to fit a square peg in a round hole. The only way to make any method work is to adapt it to our own existence and adapt our own existence to the method. This means making a conscious effort, but not a too steep one. It needs to make sense for you. If the method does not make any sense, change it!

    Make your productivity tool work for you (not the opposite)

    Adapt your tool to get optimal productivity
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    As a professional, I keep track of my goals and what I need to do in Microsoft Outlook, because it replicates to all my devices and is easy to capture any new task. But I’m not a classical user of Outlook, I’m a deep user of Tasks and Calendar, on my own terms. However, Outlook may not work in every situation, particularly for team work, for which I am using my own version of Scrum in simple Excel spreadsheet. Because my motto in productivity tool is: Keep It Simple, Stupid! If any tool requires more that one hour to master, I throw it away.

    Does this make sense? Let me know!

  • The one behavior that makes a huge performance difference

    Recently Inc.com published a post entitled The Productivity Secret Behind Bill Gates’s Incredible Success. The title entices you with the idea that Bill’s success is a matter of just a productivity secret, which is, of course, not really true. However, it puts the finger on something that has now been demonstrated numerous times: intensity of focus is a game-changing behavior and increases performance.

    Monotask

    https://unsplash.com/negativespace
    https://unsplash.com/negativespace

    For peak performance, the first to get rid of is distraction. Second, you need to concentrate on the one task you have to do. If you’ve ever been totally absorbed in what you do, like coding or painting, or any pleasurable activity, you should have been amazed at how time flies fast and how much you have done. This is the power of dedicating all your energy to one activity and one activity only. Of course our brain and body are multitasking: we breathe without thinking about it, we digest, we do all sorts of things without being conscious about them. However, dedicating our conscious energy to one thing only is what I’m calling monotasking here.

    Concentrate

    https://unsplash.com/asthetik
    https://unsplash.com/asthetik

    When you are about to do something difficult, you often need to concentrate. This moment of deep thinking allows to focus our mind and energy on what we are about to do. Unfortunately, with all distractions, many people have lost the ability to concentrate and dedicate oneself to deep work. If you are prone to distraction, you may need to start with short period of concentration, like 10 minutes, and increase slowly to be able to sustain an hour or more of deep concentration. Concentration will bring you to the next performance level.

    Meditation can help you reach your concentration goal. By bringing back focused monotasking in your daily work, you will soon be amazed at your results!

  • The only thing you can control is you…

    The only thing you can control is you…

    Your Hump Day Success Edge Post #1

    Today’s inspiration comes from Kevin Turner, Microsoft’s COO. During a presentation on Monday, he used this quote: « the only thing you can control is you, the only thing you cannot control is everything else ». When you reflect on this, you realize it’s common sense on one side, but really powerful when you’re interested in learning and growing. Do the Iowa results have an effect on what you do and think? If you’re in politics and your career depends on it, may be. Otherwise? Can you control what Cruz or Clinton will do? Probably not. Even Bill does not control Hillary! Joke aside, focusing on what you can control is the best, if not the only way, of creating a better you.

    https://unsplash.com/pawelkadysz
    https://unsplash.com/pawelkadysz

    Of course, you can argue that you can control any kind of machinery, your car or your direct reports, for instance. However, think for a moment. What if something breaks in your machine or car, what if one of your direct reports is sick? Can you still control them? The only thing you can really control is you, you are in charge of your actions and your emotions, and it’s within your power and decision to take control of your actions and emotions. Once you let go what is around you that you have no effect on, you can concentrate on what matters really: becoming a better you, to serve better others!

  • Your Hump Day Success Edge

    Your Hump Day Success Edge

    You open a newspaper, it’s all about politics, war, and horrors. Between lies from politicians, finance institutions ripping off your savings, and big corporation making billions, it seems the world is going down to the cellar. However, there are millions of individuals who have understood the underlying forces of success, who are living successful lives, and who seem to go through difficulties with ease. This is what I’m interested in. As a successful entrepreneur and professional, I’ve gone through tough days, weeks, months and years, gone through tremendous successes, and leveraged all my experience to continue to strive in whatever I start and do.

    I created this blog after the financial crisis of 2008 (if you are still wondering what happened, go and watch The Big Short) because I was fed up of all the negativity that was floating around. Yes, the financial system is rotten. Yes, politicians are corrupted. Yes, we can see the world is killing itself. Or we can be optimistic while not delusional, we can build on positive thoughts and actions, we can put a brick in the wall of the new world. And this is what I want to help people with, through this blog and my new resolution for the year: the hump day success edge.

    For non-English natives, hump day is Wednesday. Why hump day? From urbandictionary.com, hump day comes from « the context of climbing a proverbial hill to get through a tough week ». Therefore, the hump day is the best day of the week, because the weekend gets closer. However, I see this has the pinnacle of the week, the day of hope, of maximum energy. And because I want ultimate success, this is the best day to stop for 15 minutes and reflect on our lives, loves and craft. So this year, I will, every Wednesday, write on what can make each of us more successful in every aspect of our personal and professional lives. Simple no non-sense ideas, easy to execute, and game-changing.

    Get ready for the Hump Day Success Edge! Live February 3!

  • How to Disagree Without Being Disagreeable: 7 Tips for Having More Productive Discussions by HubSpot

    https://unsplash.com/martz90
    https://unsplash.com/martz90

    In our professional lives, we may not agree every time with others. Sometimes, we may be right, sometime we are wrong. But overall, it’s not because we disagree that we need to be « disagreeable ». This post from HubSpot goes over 7 tips to agree to disagree without being nasty. Those 7 advices are:

    1. Be mindful of your tone. No need to get angry, your ideas can go their own way by respecting other people’s idea. No need to yell or shout, stay courteous.
    2. Don’t use « you » statements. You do not want to judge the person, but to challenge her ideas. No need to point finger at the other party by using « you ».
    3. Avoid filler words or hesitant phrases. In other words: be brief, be bright, be gone!
    4. Do your research. Want to make a point? Facts, facts, facts. Less stories, more tangible facts.
    5. Don’t get personal. As with point number two, don’t point finger, don’t fill pointed finger at. Stay at idea and fact level.
    6. Be mindful of your body language. You mouth say something, but your body may say the opposite. Align yourself mentally and physically.
    7. Know your non-negotiables. Do not compromise on something you truly believe in, it will bite back later.

    This may seem common sense to many people, and yes, it is, but common sense is unfortunately lost this days too frequently. So next time, you disagree and want to find the right decision for both parties, have a look at those seven advices and… good luck!

     

  • Is dropping the jack planned obsolescence? A simple view and behavior on progress

    Is dropping the jack planned obsolescence? A simple view and behavior on progress

    Intrigued by the title, wondering what jack I’m talking about? Let’s define two words (stay with me, it’s gonna be fun and provocative):

    • Jack: in the context of this post, it’s a plug. There’s a good chance you are using one if you have a wired headset for your phone or mp3 player.
    • Planned obsolescence: « in industrial design and economics is a policy of planning or designing a product with an artificially limited useful life, so it will become obsolete, that is, unfashionable or no longer functional after a certain period of time », wipikedia.org.

    With this in mind, when there’s rumor that Apple is going to drop the jack connector on the coming iPhone 7, is this planned obsolescence? Some opponents to this choice claim that yes, I think the opposite, it’s not planned obsolescence, it’s progress. From the day we are born, until the day we are dead, we tend to want to progress, to make the next day better that the one we just lived. Although there are multiple way to do this, technical progress is one of them. Do you think that the electronics used to perform cardiac surgery has planned obsolescence and this is bad?

    If I think planned obsolescence, per se, is bad because it forces consumption of more and more devices and increased pollution, all this can be managed. First by managing what you do with your electronics. Almost all electronics devices can be recycled, and more will be as environment laws will become more stringent and customers will become more conscious of the impact their behaviors have. Second by taking care of all your objects. Maintenance prolongs life of any objects. For example, if you have a car, you bring it back for service maintenance so it continues to work well, do the same with all your electronics. Third, by not listening to all the commercials out there.

    We all know marketing is there to make you purchase the latest smartphone, tablet, or other gadget. But YOU decide. You can decide to keep your device one more year, but just thinking about three simple things:

    1. It’s hype not to follow the herds of early adopters who spend a premium to get the new thing.
    2. Purchasing the new toy triggers a shot of dopamine in your brain, so it’s not about the new toy, it’s about the shot of dopamine your body wants. Dopamine is known as the reward neurotransmitter, it makes you feel good, it’s also highly addictive.
    3. The new toy, like all toys, will be old very soon and there are huge chances you’ll get bored and will use the new toy as you were using the old one.

    I’m not saying you should not purchase the latest technology, I’m saying you should do it knowing what you do. You should do it understanding how to recycle the old. You should do it knowing curiosity and progress is inherent to our nature, and be happy to be able to live this incredible life. So is dropping the jack planned obsolescence? No, it’s not, it’s progress, it needs to be well managed for the present and future of mankind.

    What do you think?

  • Le développement personnel, pour qui, pour quoi ?

    yogaNous sommes tous plus ou moins à la recherche d’outils, de méthodes ou d’astuces pour se sentir mieux, être plus efficace ou développer ses capacités. Le terme « développement personnel » est devenu de ce fait un fourre-tout. Véritable industrie de nos jours, on y trouve autant de charlatans que de véritables professionnels.

    Matthieu Ricard nous interpelle dans cet article intitulé le développement personnel, pour qui, pour quoi ? inspiré par le livre qu’il a co-écrit avec un philosophe, Alexandre Jollien , et un psychologue, Christophe André.

    Il remet en perspective ce fameux « développement personnel », dans la dimension de notre rapport aux autres et des efforts à entreprendre pour devenir un meilleur être humain. Un texte tout court, qui fait réfléchir par delà les religions, les philosophies ou techniques de développement personnel.