Watch “Malcolm Gladwell – Why do some succeed where others fail?”

If you haven’t read any Malcolm Gladwell, you should. If you haven’t listened to him, you should.

To do anything less…

No hesitation, just action. No fear, just movement and flow.

It's a Cat smacking a Dog!

Come in, make a huge impression, leave behind a legacy of your deeds that they will talk about for generations. Like a Viking. Like men once did.

To do anything less, would deny yourself the potential of living.

I’m still here,
Pearce

P.S. Have a great holiday season whatever you celebrate. There might be the traditional christmas post with food and more food and more food yet to come…. Then again, who knows what the new year will bring?

Remind Myself

Everyday I have to remind myself to set aside the fear, be the explorer. Sieze the day. Scars tell tales of mistakes learned.
I don’t want to be a tourist.

Even with the knowledge that being a tourist is the safer route, less risk of getting hurt. But without the risk, where is the fun? Where is the thrill? Where is the exploring without knowing what is going to happen next? If I want someone elses experience, then I’ll be the tourist. It will all be nicely sterilized and individually packaged to meet a markets major margin (primarily occupied by the mediocre) for satisfaction.

How boring does this get?

There is no room for innovation, creativity, or true learning with this system. It stifles curiosity and motivation. And over a period of time, this enforces laziness. Someone else will have already done the work. And over time, it slowly creeps into all aspects of life. Everything has already been done, and no one is questioning why. Not one of them has taken the time or the willingness to draw or colour outside of the lines.

Amazing gardens produce fantastic vegetables, only if there is good attention put into them. Is there a pre-determined formula that will work for everyone? No. There is no secret ingredient, only the willingness to try something different. Would you follow the exact recipe that your neighbor tells you for gardening? You would if you didn’t have the motivation or inclination to try it out yourself.

Its one thing to dream about greener hills, it’s another to actually move beyond that dream and actually take a look at how much it will take to get there. Fortunately, sometimes all it takes is a new perception to go into new territory. A willingness to think differently and try things in a new manner allows exploration in what you have overlooked.

So what’s out there? I don’t know. I am willing to find out. I am willing to make mistakes, learn from them. I’ll be on the beach asking both groups why there is a line drawn in the sand when a combined effort would work better for all of us.

You take away the efforts and attention to detail, you remove the passion from it. Product X is created, mass produced by the thousands. How much attention could each one of those items get? The beauty is less as a crowd, it no longer has an individual identity. The major margin which everyone can identify does not necessarily mean that it should be good for everyone. Once you weed out the higher quality and not make it available, you control the mediocre market, where those masses of micro dollars are. The only thing this enriches is someones wallet, not your own life. (Product X patent pending)

There is a bhuddist quote, pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. To live in fear is to suffer and hide from life. To learn from your mistakes is painful, but denial and hiding from the possibilities of life is far worse. Its a rejection of life itself to put on the blinders of ignorance.

So what is this all about? Travelling? Gardening? Something you can purchase?

This is about perspective.

It’s about stepping outside of those lines that have been put around you, questioning those around you and asking them ‘Is there a better way?’ Its blowing your mind with a great book. Its taking a different route home. Go that extra step, get curious. Look around that extra corner. Take the initiative and try that new recipe. Be silly in public. Say ‘screw that I’m too old to learn anything new’ and do something new. Laugh at the mistakes, enjoy the new places you are going to take yourself. It’s allowing yourself to you open your mind to the possibilities, and seeing what life will bring you. Fortune does not favor the weak or the timid.

Or so I have to remind myself.
Every day.

I’m still here,
Pearce

P.S. this is more of a post for myself, than anyone else. If you like it, let me know. Drop a comment.