The most valued in life

If you are about to die, what is that thing you would miss most?

Probably, it is a tragic question at moments where in most parts of the world there are parties and people are more concerned in celebrating than anything else. But, ask yourself anyway.

Then, with the answer in your mind, ask again: Why?

This why can open a long queue of feelings and deep reflections, and in fact it can help you to understand your life as it is - because we normally focus our energy (time, body vitality, money, etc.) towards those things we value most. However, sometimes that is not what happens...

Sometimes we spend our time, use our body up and waste our money in things that we really don't value. If you have asked those questions, you now have an idea and it is up to you to refocus the use of your energy, so that those things you value most in life receive most of your energy.

What will be effect of that? Naturally, there will be peace in the heart and a feeling of accomplishment. Happiness will come more naturally.

But, it is up to you to live the life you value, instead to value the life you live... And this is a good time to make a new year's NEW resolution.

New and Old, and also Christmas

Do you like Christmas? Do you REALLY like Christmas?

So, if I give you something OLD, very OLD, practically useless for many people - after all, it is something you can't buy or sell, and it does not indicate status either... would you accept that?

Probably not, right? Your thoughts are probably going to a new watch, car, dress, or anything of the sort. Not something OLD, never!

It is something that exists even before the original date of Christmas - yeah, the one when THAT baby was born.

It is something that some people say we practice even before we are born.

Because, you know, I want to give you a smile. Gentle, kind, encouraging, loving, friendly - you can choose!

I know that my smile won't make you richer, more beautiful than you are now and it won't open doors for you in the high society. I am sorry it won't serve you so that you could sell it. And I am happily giving it for free.

But... you know, I think at some point next year, that will be very useful. It is a virtual smile - you can't see it, but I am giving it to you while I am typing this post. And it will be useful for you, when you feel the lack of gentleness and kindness, when you don't have the courage to do something, and when your heart feels a little empty.

At those moments, just remind yourself of this very useless gift I am giving to you. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Ideas, Creativity and Innovation

One person was talking the other day on how FUN is losing its, well, fun. He was saying about how everyone nowadays is funny - there are funny pictures, funny videos and funny stories, all over the place! So, fun is less funny when is everywhere.

Is it like that with creativity? Possibly. Creativity has an interesting and easy path to follow through: it starts with an idea. The more original that idea - or, at least, the more original you think that idea can be used in reality - more that idea can become a spark of your own creativity.

However, originality is a must in that case. For instance, you can have an idea of cars moved with kinetic energy, let's say like a "bicycle-car". But, was that idea really original, or you just saw it at someone's pinterest board?

In this era of information, an omnipresent information, it is crucial for the sake of creativity to take time out and unplug. Then, allow the mind works on that wonderful idea that is just germinating. This is a good recipe for creativity: from that point, if you are able to turn it into something profitable, you will turn your own creativity into innovation. Profitable does not mean necessarily generating money, but something that you feel "richer" because of that, like a new way to give poor children hope in life.

Another way to keep creativity going on is to let yourself flowing in the waves of the internet ocean, taking inspiration of everything there. Sometimes, originality is not so much in imagining something nobody ever did, but imagine something that is already there in a different way. It is the typical case of IPod, which is a different version of Walkman... hard to connect both, perhaps, but it is the same principle: play music in a portable device.

However you think you can do, do it: keep your ideas, creativity and innovation alive. After all, wouldn't be interesting to have a "bicycle-car" one day?

My message to you

This is the message I am sending to all my email contacts. I never thought they were so much! But I feel it is a message to everyone...

At some point we have met. Maybe we were ships passing at a distance, or we were passengers at some train of life, sitting close together.
Maybe we shared something personal, maybe a secret at some point. Or perhaps I wanted to do business with you, to give my especialties to your company, or you wanted to give yours.
Maybe we were born at the same land, or maybe we share the same mother tongue. Perhaps, you have taught me new words of your own beautiful language.
By having someone's email, that means at some point I have written to you. But, technology pace sometimes does not allow us to keep track of who is who.
But something I am sure: YOU ARE A VALUABLE PERSON. Otherwise, I wouldn't email you.
And if I could give you a gift for Christmas, I would like to give you this title: YOU ARE A VALUABLE PERSON.
And if I could give you a preparation message for 2013, I would like to ask you to never forget: YOU ARE A VALUABLE PERSON.
Because next year, your ship will face fog and storms. Next year, your train of life will be delayed, sometimes.
Whenever that happens, I hope you can remember this friend of yours who is writing now, and the gift he gave you.

YOU ARE A VALUABLE PERSON

China or India? Brazil?

The issue still appears in magazines such as The Economist, or in the head of thinkers and philosophers. It hasn't come to the main stream, but if you do not know China will be the future superpower.

Or not?

In the twilight of the world, almost completely dominated by the United States, we see the deep division in the economy and society in that country, affecting the entire planet. In fact, when Obama's victory came, some newspapers around the world spoke of Disunited States of America...

That fall, associated with the Europe's fall, is creating an interesting effect similar to what we hear of the ancients on the void: nature always tries to fill it. Several countries have emerged to fill the position of superpower.

My question is: do we need a superpower? In a social context, naturally people are always looking for a leader. In a global context, so do countries. A leading country - power or superpower - helps the world to have a clearer vision of where to go, and interferes other countries' decisions with the power of its economy, society, or, in the past, weapons. I think we probably do not need a superpower, especially with the development of information and communication, which makes the world smaller. However, it seems natural that a country has more force at the time of decision making than others. If it's good or bad, I do not think it is realistic to discuss that.

In the process we live, watching the mighty fall and the rise of their replacements, it is good to look at recent history, at Germany and the UK, powers of the past, and we see they still have a lot of power. Even with the U.S. (or DSA ...) fall, we will continue to wear their fashion, see their movies and English will remain the lingua franca for a while.

Successors?? Well, what is observed is that some countries do not seem to be in the race anymore. Russia certainly has a status similar to that of the UK and Germany. Mexico and Chile lost their golden opportunity in the past for various reasons (the first for obvious "attachment" to the U.S. economy in decline, the second for not opening up more to the globe), the same happening with Israel and Arab countries, mostly for its endless conflicts. Canada does not seem to have much interest in the subject and Australia is a bit like Canada and Chile.

So we have the group dubbed Brics: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Russia, as we said before, is in another status, having enjoyed its time as a superpower. South Africa has failed to reinvest the legacy of Mandela (and some time ago, the Brics was renamed simply BRIC), so we are left with something that would be the CIB.

China certainly has a great advantage and the world is betting on its leadership. There is the unspoken hope that the pressure of the economy and society makes the current regime changing, the dragon's most important Achilles heel. And there are several heels. Much of their economy comes from cheaper products whose quality has improved over the years, reminding us of Japan and other Asian tigers. But, the Chinese worker does not receive generally a good salary, not even good quality of life. If economy changes are not made as soon as possible, at some point China will be obliged to raise wages, which will raise the value of products and force the world to find new suppliers, causing a decline in its economy and power.

India?? The big advantage is that India is where China may come a day, with wages increasing more and more, as well as products. A friend told me you could have coffee at the airport for about 20 rupees, and today, the value amounted to more than Rs.100, reflected in the quality of life of the worker who sells it. While China was growing enormously, India was learning to better redistribute wealth. It is far from ideal, but at nearly 30 years of travel to that country, I can see less poverty, more middle class and greater capacity for growth.

Brazil will have to break free from its informality. We, Brazilians, say sometimes that Brazil tends to lose the championship because while other countries teams are superconcentrated the night before, Brazilians are out to have fun ... I find it will be hard for Brazil to reach a superpower level, because it will require profound cultural change. Most likely assume its position in Latin America - a lost boat after USA withdraw and barely maintained in part by Mexico and Venezuela - and help this cluster of countries to negotiate a better position.

If you think about the future, you should learn Mandarin, start doing business with India (assuming you are already in business with China) and invest more in the "green giant" South American, not just going there for vacations or conferences.