Recreating a map to navigate our world: the importance of patterns

Should I go right or left? I look around and I see on the right a beautiful stone-laid path, flowers from both sides and it is a little steep, but the left path is muddy, the plants are wild and it looks quite dark.

No need to think there! Of course, the right path is…

 

That’s how we navigate our lives: turning left, right or center, staying for a while at some place or setting goals and move on. We find a job, a new friend, we reconnect with an old friend, we lose our job, we got a health problem, etc.

Sometimes the path will be idyllic, other times will be muddy. So, which one is the ideal for my life?

There are basically three ways to deal with that…

Intuition will be preferred by some people. They will just think where do I go and they will feel which way is the best for them.

Logic will be the favorite path for other people. They will see the muddy path and, of course, will chose the next one.

But both ways have big flaws. Intuition is often considered a manifestation of the unconscious mind, that is, things that have been picked, but not prioritized by the conscious mind, come up in the form of an intuitive thought. It may work, it may not work, it all depends on whatever has been picked. Logic will be restricted by the normal logic restrains of AND/OR, TRUE/FALSE, HYPOTHESIS/THEORY, and there are things that go beyond all of that. Maybe the muddy path is the right one…

So, there is a third way which I would like to explore with you: patterns.

Wait, what? I know people don’t talk about patterns nowadays, but they should be doing as we are living surrounded by patterns and we are letting them to lead us in our decisions. That is, patterns are drawing the map of our lives. Here are a few examples:

I follow my mother’s options in life in terms of jobs, relationships, etc.

I follow what my neighbors do during week-ends.

Even though I am retired, I still do shopping as if I was working, that is, on Saturdays, instead of a sale Tuesday.

I watch movies and TV series episodes which are basically equal, because those are the patterns…

It is bad… or it can be good too.

I follow my mother’s options on her courage and honesty, values that are transcendental.

I follow the specialties of my neighbors, appreciating they are around me and the example they set for me and my family.

As I am retired, I do as many retired people do: I volunteer. I help people with whatever energy and time I have.

I watch things that educate me or improve a bad day, because those are the patterns…

This is the third way to create your map, just use what is available, but use it in a good way, in a positive way. It will be easier to draw that map and it will give benefit to everyone who follows it, not only you.

When being creative is the solution, the only solution

 The 9 points puzzle.

Out of the box!

Just do it!

 

Creativity is a spark that changes reality in ways that are often unthinkable before it emerges. It makes life a funny experience and a it creates a novelty.

But creativity is more than that as it changes the mindset enabling the person to see something else… beyond the situation…

When you allow creativity to take up the flow of your life, it means you are allowing yourself to dare, to go against the odds and to think beyond the present paradigm.

Problems emerge partly because of the way you get into the depth of the present life; by being creative you are moving away, moving towards a new horizon and new possibilities.

In reality if you have a problem, the ONLY solution (at least one of the first ones) is to challenge your concepts and ideas, to try something new, to be creative.

So ignite the spark and a fire in your life, burning the old and open space for the new to come into your existence.

 

What is wrong with today’s leadership?

I don’t want to justify the failure in the world’s leadership – and yes, it is a failure, there is no other world that may explain what is happening. However, there is a simple reason that explains it: lack of adaptation.

You see, leaders are masters in dealing with uncertainty, particular the one created by a crisis.

Most of them are also good in overcoming the obstacles that are fruit of a disruption.

So with both paradigms, the leaders can adapt and conquer.

However, very few leaders are ready to deal with uncertainty and disruption at the same time. It is kind of someone who is an expert in surviving an earthquake being affected by it plus a 10-meters wave…

This is why many leaders have chosen to attack the threat that was more visible, but have ignored others…

How to adapt to the convergence of these two paradigms? The best way would be to invest time and energy strengthening the leadership over the self.

At the extent our leaders become self-leaders, it will be easier for them to find certainty within and on the basis of that, they will be able to meet the problems that emerge with the disruption. Adaptation would happen from inside the self, from their thinking and decision-making process, instead of coming as a reaction.

In this way, we can create a better leadership for our civilization.

It is easy to adapt to a new environment – Reason 49

An old parable talks about the oak and the reed[1] that used to live close together: even though the oak was very strong and it used to brag about it, when a fierce storm came, only the apparently weak reed survived and lived on.

The oak symbolises the old paradigm and leadership model: beautiful in its greatness, big and strong, experienced and probably very talented, but with a tendency to treat others with mild scorn for what is seen as their weaknesses.  This type of leaders as well as oaks is unable to adapt to a new environment or situation.

On the other hand, the new model of leadership is just like the reeds: flexible.  They stimulate another perspective through the ability to react to situations by understanding them and by bending, without breaking.

Instead of fighting against a new environment, by being a leader the person is focusing on new possibilities and opportunities.  As a consequence, she or he adapts to the novelty, giving the best in the process.

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[1] The oak and the reed is a parable by Aesop. You can read about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Oak_and_the_Reed

(Excerpt from the book 82 Reasons to be a Leader)

The power of cooperation gives context to the world – Reason 29

If someone would describe the world today in about 50 years’ time, they could use a spider web as an analogy.  On one hand, the web we are living is strong and interconnected; on the other hand, just as a child could break it, our huge human network is as fragile.

For everyday people, to know how to manage life in this web is part of the big challenge and many times the person can feel like a fly that is caught up in it.  For a leader, the fact we are a network is an advantage, since she or he constantly has a task to perform, or an activity that is probably bigger than her or his capacity.

Leaders replace old paradigm of bosses who use their authority as a means to impose order and to get people to contribute with cooperation as a natural skill to get the same results but with different consequences.

Leaders easily learn to navigate in this big human web and how to capitalise this huge potential.  An example of that comes from former USA President Bill Clinton who touched that topic in a notable paper for the International Monetary Fund, with the indicative title The Power of Cooperation[1].  He describes the possibilities of cooperation and results, silently showing their advantages in relation to former paradigms like conquer and win.

That goes beyond politics and global scenarios: for a leader, cooperation starts from within, from his or her own conviction and the natural sense of giving help to others.

(Excerpt from the book 82 Reasons to be a Leader)

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[1]The Power of Cooperation.  http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2012/12/clinton.htm

Win and win...

One of the biggest changes in terms of civilization paradigm – and it is still going on – it is one of the least perceived, and it could comprised in the change of just one word: from OR we are coming to AND.

Now, now, we are not talking about math here, but common use of these words. When I say I will be working today or tomorrow that means it is one of these two days, not both.

OR worked powerfully for centuries and it was expressed in many ways like I will be a lawyer or a doctor, I will be supporting this political party or the other one, I am either a Christian or a Muslim.

AND is the new model and it can be expressed in different ways: I will be a lawyer specialized in medicine, I will be supporting any person whose values are aligned to mine, I understand and embrace all religions.

In relationships and any negotiation there is another effect: you want all sides to win.

During the OR paradigm, winners were only that because of the losers; with AND paradigm, there are no winners if there are losers, and of course there are no losers when all win.

It is probably a little harder; it will take much more time than just go and win over the other and declare your domain. But in a life we all know it is a long journey, that time you spend reaching a consensus will be rewarded in a big way.

How to get success ALL THE TIME

I know... this is a world that pushes you, pulls you and it seems you are forced to be successful. ALWAYS.

I have been working on this for a long time now initially for the sensation of being a total loser - no success on my path. Later, I started to experience success here and there. And I have been observing my own personal process.

Sometimes my success is short-lived, like winning a Solitaire game or getting that job I was really wanting. Listen to me: the feeling is almost identical. And for that reason, I have become more and more detached from this type of success. Spirituality has helped me a lot. Of course, I am human and I still celebrate when his type of success knows at my door (not the Solitaire game anymore...).

There is another type of success, the long-life one. You know, it is that act of success that changed your whole life. I have felt that many times and it is a wonderful feeling. The greatest I remember happened when I traveled abroad first time. The feeling of freedom has never left me and every time I travel, I still feel as that first time. Long-life success goes with you and it becomes part of your life, forever.

And then there is that success you feel you are going to get it. It is not expectation, which creates confusion and anxiety, but it is like when sow a seed and start to see it growing... You know the fruit will come eventually and the time it takes, is a time to invest in other things and situations. That is the kind of feeling I am having more and more, and it is wonderful as it motivates me to perform even better in whatever I do. In fact, it stimulates me to BE better.

The last type of success is specifically for spiritual people and those who work on affirmations and it is when success comes disguised as failure. In fact, ask any successful person if they have had failures in their lives and the answer will always be YES. What you and I do with failure, which is something different... You can turn failure into a step of success. Failure can become learning or a chance for progress. Failure can be a sign on the road of life indicating you shouldn't be doing that. Failure is a very powerful tool for those who only think in terms of success.

In reality, thinking this way will make you feel you are successful, no matter what happens in your life. Try it, you will enjoy!

Our perspective counts

Watching the Colombia versus Brazil game would be difficult for me. As a Brazilian, I would obviously be in their favor, however as a Colombian 20-year-long resident... And sum to that the fact Brazilian team was not that good and the Colombian one was great, and you probably can figure that out.

In life, all depends on our point of view. After Brazil defeated Colombia, I could hear screams from both countries as from their perspective, the other did something very bad.

In fact, this means you can chose ALWAYS whatever you want to be or feel. If you have the right point of view, all will be alright, no matter what happens to you, check this video for that...

How to do it? Because this can be the key to stop complaining and wailing about your own destiny; it is the key to embrace whatever situation you are living and enjoy it from the heart.

Here are some tips that can be helpful:

• Everything that happens to you is always good. If you don't feel like it, change your mind set by meditating, talking to someone positive or reading/watching positive materials.
• Don't deny bad things, take care of them properly. Just chose a different focus than complaining... Do something, help other people with similar problems or go on a tour to some very different place.
• Love the life you have as much as possible. Don't compare with others or other places' lifestyle. Take the maximum benefit, feel blessed and be happy with someone else's smile.
• Self-dialogue works. When things don't work, as you would like or need, talk to yourself and look for the light behind the darkness and the reason behind the circumstances.
• Someone else's smile... Sometimes, as much as you do, things DON'T work. Just make someone smile and enjoy their happiness as if it was yours own, like this video here...

Remember: changing perspective does not change reality, but it changes your perception and how much you are affected by it.

Signs of Paradigm Shift II

Problem of paradigm is that when you are merged in a paradigm, you can't see it shifting until is too late. That happens with districts especially in South America: one distric is for wealthy people and some decades later, it becomes a middle-class place.

But people from these places, they rarely notice the change. Yes, they see things happening, but they are "blind" to the total change. One day, their district changed around them, and possibly their status too.

But, how to really notice changes? For instance, I have talked about the shift of the poles, at least in economic terms. Last months Europe has been rocking hard, and although Germany has some economic power, it is obviously not enough to keep the whole boat afloat.

So, what I realize is that when a paradigm is changing somewhere, at another place the opposite is happening. Brazil was reported to be interested in buying the European debt last year; well, I am from Brazil and I just thought: WHAT????? Almost whole South America is booming with the economy: less poor people around, lots of construction and buildings, etc.

Another way is to see the changes in very small things. For instance, one of my early memories of London was the big advertisement they do on movies. They paint the buses and the effect is very nice and interesting. More interesting than that was the fact that most of the movies they were advertising were not on theaters in South America. This time, many of the movies they were advertising in London have left the theaters already...

Just to reconfirm your observation, look out for news. A few days later after coming back from last trip to London, a small article talked about the fact that nowadays most of the big American movies start to show first abroad.

Easy?

1. Whenever a change is happening, looking for its counterpart.
2. Check about small things, like movies, shoes or technological devices.
3. Wait for official news in main media.

But, why to be so focused on Paradigm Shift? To prepare yourself...

Signs of Paradigm Shift I

I heard the word PARADIGM about 20 years ago. It touched me as it was explained, clarified and its examples. Barker's video and book on paradigm made up my mind and I was a believer!

Later I developed more sense on the stuff and, although I appreciate his work and his innovative way of explaining it, I really started to see things a little different here. And paradigm became part of me, so I stopped working on that.

You know, paradigm as a word came out of fashion one day, but as it is part of me, I can relate to that all the time.

And it is a wonder when you know and you can see how paradigm is shifting everywhere...

Not talking about the big elephants in the room, as China (and India, did you notice it?) takes over from a fallen USA and Europe, or how Brazil is becoming the third in the row.

I am talking about day-to-day circumstances and situations, happening all over the planet.

Do you notice it?