Real Efficiency
One of my interests is looking at what we all can do to help the planet with regard to climate change, particularly with regard to our actions.
I have thought about the issue fundamentally from the standpoint of clean energy sources. I see two fundamentals that I think must be kept in mind.
Firstly, any of the processes that are happening should waste no energy.
Secondly, any energy can be converted from one form to a useful form.
This is just the beginning as I will include more posts on the topic but I really wanted to throw these thoughts out here and see what folks had to say. Feel free to share your thoughts and any ideas.
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If you think about a vehicle, it needs to be maintained. If you don’t properly and regularly maintain your vehicle then the likelihood of mechanical breakdown is increased. I think most reasonable folks would accept this premise.
However many of us do not often recognize how this principle operates in all other areas of our lives and instead assume that if results are not immediate or no improvements are noted then there is no point in doing something.
What areas am I talking about?
I’m talking about literally all areas of your life and mine.
One example is to look at the notion of taking supplements for your health. Now you might be taking supplements for your health but because you don’t see an improvement or notice a difference when you quit, you conclude that they must not have a benefit for you. However going back to the example of maintaining your car. You could have a brand new car, and you might be doing the regular maintenace on it and you wouldn’t be looking for an improvement in performance because you realize that you are merely maintaining your vehicle. Well why would this be any different with regard to your health or any other area of your life?
If you want to be an empowered or healthy person you must recognize that the benefits of doing things regularly might be more of a maintenance function but this does not diminish the importance of doing them. I will leave this as a general post without more specific examples because I think that you as an individual can easily fill in the blanks, so to speak, with respect to looking at the areas of your own life. I hope you do so and this will help you to stay on track but also to start doing maintenance in areas where it is not happening.
In my dealings with various bureaucracies and individuals in different organizations over the years I have come to see very clearly many people are overzealous in their authority. It certainly can be extremely difficult and troubling to deal with someone who is being unnecessarily heavy handed.
Moreover, although it would never be fair to excuse anyone who performs an act of violence and puts the blame on individuals in positions like the ones I’ve mentioned, I can’t help but think over the years that systemically if this has been a person’s experiences with bureaucracies, then perhaps from that person’s perspective he/she feels justified in trying to get revenge. Again I’m not saying this reduces in any way the person’s total responsibility for their actions who commits an act of violence or crime but I do have a point to make. My point is that common sense is so sometimes missing or not being used by folks that work for various organizations. They of course have very good reason to follow rules (i.e. they’re just “doing their job”, but there is no official rule that these folks have to be rude to other people (as is sometimes the case) or that they have to go beyond the rules / their authority to show the person who is boss. My point is that a person who already feels mistreated is going to be more provoked and convinced that this is the case if they’ve been subjected to this treatment again and again.
Ultimately I am really expressing an opinion that the people who fall into the group of bureaucrats I’m describing really need to use common sense and fairness when dealing with people. I don’t think it’s just a nice thing to do but really the only prudent way to function. So for those who are over zealous without common sense it is my hope that someone reading this might consider heeding and/or passing on the message where applicable.
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One of the points that I’ve raised in this blog is that if you become truly empowered you’ll want to reach out to others so you can be of service. One of the great ways you can be of service is by living an example of what you’d like to see more of in the world.
The famous non fiction writer Malcolm Gladwell, in his book The Tipping Point, discusses how individuals can set trends. Many trends have resulted because of someone’s decision to do something a certain way.
One simple example: if you would like to see a more friendly and conscientious society then the first step is to make an effort to consistently act that way in your interactions with people. These things, like many, have a tendency to create a ripple effect. So you see: this is a simple yet true example of how one individual can make a difference.
If I can be so bold as to make a suggestion it would be this: do some brainstorming on what values or whatever you’d like to see in the world and make a commitment to consistently bring those into your day-to-day interactions. You know the old adage that actions speak louder than words, well what are you waiting for?
Do take care.
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If you look at people who are successful in accomplishing their goals, you will see that they often have utilized a variety of strategies to do so.
If one looks across the spectrum of examples in society, many successful ventures are the result of joint ventures in which contributors share resources, roles, etc. It might be public and private partnerships. It might be an interdisciplinary team that provides healthcare. It could be the healthcare approach by a society which involves a public component and supplemental private coverage – sometimes a more even combination might be referred to as a hybrid system.
Similarly a hybrid approach is best whenever you read or watch a news story or are attempting to critically evaluate anything for that matter, an approach which honestly considers the good points as well as the bad points is the best path to follow.
Don’t get caught into the trap of trying to defend your own perspective instead of recognizing the good points of another. This is what happens all too often with politics, for example. Admittedly sometimes one perspective is better than the other but not usually to the complete abandonment of the other. More precisely it’s probably a matter of looking at the conclusions that are being drawn from either argument. Give this a shot the next time there’s an opportunity to critically evaluate something.
In yesterday’s post I suggested you might try thinking about some folks who if they just applied themselves towards different goals they might bring about more positive results.
When I thought about this topic I initially was thinking about a variety of folks that I had met throughout the years, but then I realized who really can be the beneficiary of this question. It’s me. In your case, it’s you, and so on and so forth.
I’m suggesting that each of us likely spend time and energy trying to accomplish misdirected intentions – sometimes we are not even explicitly aware of these motivations – but if we could consciously redirect some of our efforts we could accomplish much more.
This suggestion is all fine and well, but at this point it’s simply words. Actions speak more loudly! This is very true and that’s why I’d like to share some suggestions for taking this principle, if you will, into your day-to-day life and becoming more empowered.
It’s actually quite simple.
You need to:
1. Spending some time brainstorming and actually writing down areas where you might be wasting your time and energy.
2. Next spend some time thinking about your own unique abilities and talents (you see we all have them) and writing them down,
3. Deciding how you can redirect your own unique abilities and talents into specific goals. You will need to write this down too. This does not necessarily mean that one has to change jobs or change all their goals – but it might – rather you can creatively come up with a variety of ways to integrate your own unique talents and abilities into your day to day life in a much more positive way.
I think if you spend some time reflecting on this that you will be amazed at the results.
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Best!
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I don’t know about you, but I have known of many people over the years who have been very skilled at what they do. The only problem, however, is that they have used these skills in a lot of harmful activities. I’m not sure that they can see it that way though. It could be someone who feels wronged by someone and consequently spends every ounce of their energy trying to get revenge – although they don’t see it that way – or it could be someone who thinks of all kinds of schemes or criminal activities that they can carry outl
My question today is: what if these folks instead spent their energy on things that would actually help others? What if they focused on solving problems / challenges that we as a society share?
If I can make a suggestion, it would be to spend some time thinking about folks you know who might provide more benefit if they just applied themselves on towards different goals. I will come back to this issue next post.
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Did you generate some alternate viewpoints? In the last post I suggested that you should generate alternate viewpoints on a news story because doing so can often force you to take in more information than you normally would when you reach an opinion on something.
Some points to ponder:
If you’ve ever participated in volunteer organizations or other similar functions, you’ll likely have come across some folks in the group who don’t show up for a lot of meetings, they don’t contribute much; when they do have something to say it is negative, and so on. The reason they often have such negative viewpoints or can be so critical is because they haven’t considered all the facts. Sometimes a negative viewpoint is warranted but in this instance I am only referring to those who do little but criticize because they refuse to be informed on many of the issues.
A quick analogy:
If you know some competent lawyers you’ll know that when they are preparing for a case in court they will have considered the arguments of the other side, they are completely apprised of all the facts, and know the arguments and counterarguments. Now in this instance they know all the facts and then they make their argument. Now whether or not one agrees with their viewpoint, one must admit that at least they are informed. This is what I’m getting at with respect to being informed with news stories. Obtain as much information as you can before reaching an opinion. At the very least you should always be reading the news and asking skeptical questions and then seeing if you seem to get reasonable answers. Often you might get alternate viewpoints if you do so. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with having an opinion, but one should always try to be informed before forming one.
You know, in today’s busy and competitive world, being informed is not only valuable it is necessary. That’s why I would recommend that you consider joining my free and continuous newsletter which deals specifically with how to be informed on a variety of important subject areas. People often state that an activity is valuable if they can take away at least one actionable idea – with respect to improving the quality of their life physically, mentally, intellectually . We’ll by joining my newsletter you will walk away with many actionable ideas on an ongoing basis. To get started, simply enter your email in the sign-up box at the top or bottom of the blog.
Take care,
Matthew
I will keep this post short. I want to make a suggestion which I think relates to the concept of being truly informed. The next time you read a news story and begin to find yourself forming an opinion, immediately try to find alternate viewpoints. You can listen for them in the news or you can easily go online. Next try to ensure that you fully understand the arguments being made from all sides of the story that you have found. I will pick up from here next time.
Check out the below story. I think from the title that it’s quite self-explanatory . I always take heed when someone of this age dies.
CBC News – World – P.E.I.-born woman dies at 114 (Don’t worry this will open in a new window) Come back when you’re done reading.
Something I’ve thought about on/off over the years is what lessons could someone who lives to 100+ teach us. These lessons would certainly be helpful for anyone, I think, who wants to optimize their health. So I wanted to include some observations on centenarians.
I tend to think that there must be more to becoming a centernariun than pure chance whether it’s intentional or not. Because it is difficult to study centenariuns as a group we need to infer certain things from what we know about them.
One important feature is that they are hardly ever what could be called lazy people. Those who live more than a hundred years have nearly always been more mobile and physically active than the average. In particular, they have frequently been vigorous walkers or cyclists. I do not mean to imply that they were athletes it is a strange fact that athletes do not live longer than the rest of us. Violent exercise seems to take its toll on the human body. But the long-lived did take steady, relaxed exercise on an almost daily basis. Madame Calment, for example, was still riding her bicycle around Arles when she was 100.
Mental exercise seems to be as important as physical activity. Nearly all the centenarians retained a sharp interest in the world around them. They still had a zest for life, right to the end. My favourite example is Margaret Murray, the archaeologist, who wrote a book with the wonderful title of My First Hundred Years. Above all, the very long-lived lacked nostalgia. They didnt look back to the good old days they felt that the good days were still ahead of them.
A sense of humour also appeared to be an important ingredient. Most centenarians managed to keep a twinkle in their eyes even if their vision was not as good as it used to be. This twinkle not only reflected that fact that they still found life entertaining, but also revealed that the endorphins released by laughter were still helping to flood their aged bodies with natures in-built pain-killers.
Other qualities that appeared time and again among the centenarians were: a degree of self-discipline a tendency to organise their lives and to impose a pattern on their daily routines; moderation in eating most of them avoided over-eating and under-eating and fad diets were nowhere to be found; moderation in drinking many of them enjoyed alcohol, but only in small, regular amounts; a focus on things outside themselves without too much introspection or self-examination; and finally, and most importantly, a calm, even-tempered nature.
If these are the qualities that are typical of the 100+ survivors, then they must surely give us some clues as to how we, who have not yet reached that extraordinary age, can best increase our chance of getting there.
I tend to think that there must be more to becoming a centernariun than pure chance whether it’s intentional or not. Because it is difficult to study centenariuns as a group we need to infer certain things from what we know about them.
One important feature is that they are hardly ever what could be called lazy people. Those who live more than a hundred years have nearly always been more mobile and physically active than the average. In particular, they have frequently been vigorous walkers or cyclists. I do not mean to imply that they were athletes it is a strange fact that athletes do not live longer than the rest of us. Violent exercise seems to take its toll on the human body. But the long-lived did take steady, relaxed exercise on an almost daily basis. Madame Calment, for example, was still riding her bicycle around Arles when she was 100.
Mental exercise seems to be as important as physical activity. Nearly all the centenarians retained a sharp interest in the world around them. They still had a zest for life, right to the end. My favourite example is Margaret Murray, the archaeologist, who wrote a book with the wonderful title of My First Hundred Years. Above all, the very long-lived lacked nostalgia. They didn’t look back to the good old days they felt that the good days were still ahead of them.
A sense of humour also appeared to be an important ingredient. Most centenarians managed to keep a twinkle in their eyes even if their vision was not as good as it used to be. This twinkle not only reflected that fact that they still found life entertaining, but also revealed that the endorphins released by laughter were still helping to flood their aged bodies with natures in-built pain-killers.
Other qualities that appeared time and again among the centenarians were: a degree of self-discipline a tendency to organise their lives and to impose a pattern on their daily routines; moderation in eating most of them avoided over-eating and under-eating and fad diets were nowhere to be found; moderation in drinking many of them enjoyed alcohol, but only in small, regular amounts; a focus on things outside themselves without too much introspection or self-examination; and finally, and most importantly, a calm, even-tempered nature.
If these are the qualities that are typical of the 100+ survivors, then they must surely give us some clues as to how we, who have not yet reached that extraordinary age, can best increase our chance of getting there.
