Why it is relevant to discover who you are

Identity is all. Most people don’t know that because their identities seem to be quite defined, but as times change and reality offers different possibilities, maybe it is a good time to reflect on a simple question: Who am I?

An example: in Brazil, my birthplace, when people ask me my surname, or last name, I respond Gimenez; but in Colombia and Spanish-speaking countries, I had to adopt my other surname (from my mother), Bulk, due to the way Spanish-speakers write full names. It does not look like a big thing, but just think if the American ex-president John Kennedy was called John Fitzgerald in Colombia…

An identity is more than a number or an identification card; it represents you: your culture, your way of seeing things, your thoughts, emotions and your style. If you misunderstand your identity, you will feel as if you have lost precious time of your life.

In times of high use of internet and social network, I invite you to ask yourself the question: Who am I? In a reflective mood, wait for the answer that will come from within and let yourself be guided by this real identity.

Don’t let yourself be guided by the several different superficial identities that are currently defining people…

Your main wealth is your wisdom - Reason 26

Information comes every day.  It flows from the pores of our civilisation, from gadgets we create and maintain with the hope of improving our lives.  Go and talk to an illiterate person whose children or grand-children were able to go to university, the temple of information, and you will listen to the changes in their lives that go beyond physical: attitude is affected, perspective becomes different and lifestyle turns into a new direction.

Information that is relevant may be called knowledge and you cannot deny its impact at present.  However, if you talk to someone who graduated from college and has been hired by a company, you may find that not everything they studied has proved useful.

Some people are able to discern all the bits and bytes of information that are unnecessary or excessive, avoiding them, and turn what is necessary into a transformational knowledge.  A leader is able to take one step further and convert it into wisdom.

Wisdom comes from knowledge that is well applied, modified by lessons, experiences and experiments, by becoming part of the way the person reflects, thinks, talks and acts.  If information is like molecules, we could say knowledge is like coal and wisdom is a diamond.

Wisdom will guide the leader, by helping him or her to guide others, sharing that diamond.

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

The art of concealing and revealing (The 16 celestial arts)

If you go a house where there is a friendly dog, you will normally meet three types of reactions from the dog: 1) if it likes you, then it will come, wagging the tail and licking your hand; 2) if it does not like you, then it won't make much of that, perhaps a stern eye, even a small growling, 3) but if it HATES you, it will try to bite you!

However, what about the owner? If the owner likes you, he or she can smile and make a beautiful scene of hugging and kissing, or just ignore you, because they think it will be funny to see your reaction. And if there is another person there who does not like you, it is possible the owner shows some hostility towards you because of that, even though he or she does like you.

Does it make sense?

Certainly not, but this is how we humans are. It is difficult to express our real feelings and emotions because of the many ways our network was built. We try to not hurt others and many times we ourselves get hurt in the process...

So, to live in such a complex society, we do need an art: concealing and revealing. I will focus that specifically in relation to our lifestyle and traditions or beliefs we follow.

Take the example of a young 11 years-old boy, who wants to be a doctor. His neighbor is a doctor and he is stimulated by the fact he sees the doctor's family and way of living as the perfect for him. So, he asks his neighbor how is it to be a doctor.

Now, let's imagine this neighbor, with the consent of the boy's parents, take the young man into a surgery theater, there exactly by his side, so the boy can watch the good doctor, good father and good man to cut someone else's body, sweat and get blood all over him. After the operation, with his still blood stained doctor uniform, he smiles to a now very frightened boy, and asks: "This is what being a doctor means!"

I think you get the idea... probably that boy would become an engineer and I am almost sure he would prefer alternative healing instead of going through operations...

Well, there are things from our life style, traditions, beliefs and ways of doing things that are worth to be shown to the world. You can feel proud of it and you know they will follow your example. If our dear doctor would just invite the boy inside his house and talk to him about being a doctor, probably the outcome would be different.

There are other things you wouldn't tell anyone, except those you feel would share your values. If the boy is not 11 years-old, but 16, and his parent would go with him to the same place then things would work out too.

I am vegetarian. As society changes, that is not something I need to hide anymore, but for a big part of my vegetarian life (I've started when I was 18), I had to do it. Well, you don't get social marks by coming into a meeting and say: "Hi, guys, I am a vegetarian!" I prefer to show a good health, my own smile and cheerfulness. I prefer to show others values they can relate and understand.

Now, if another person is vegetarian, then I can be very, very clear and objective about my practice. I don't need to hide; I can tell them whatever I want.

Did you get it? It is an art that will make you getting more friends and being even happier. I hope you can master that very well!



With this post, I finish talking about the 16 celestial arts.

Can vegetarianism save the world?

From time to time, opposites don't attract each other. Out of the many possible styles, choices or human realities, being vegetarian and non-vegetarian has provoked massacres along history.

But time has changed and cultures too. Everyone is a little more tolerant nowadays and strict vegetarians are used to eat along with non-vegetarians and non-vegetarians accept easily their "weird" relatives or friends who seem to eat only lettuce. I personally remember that unforgettable moment when my mother prepared a GIGANTIC palmetto salad only for me...

So, perhaps now it is the time someone impartial can analyze and understand the impact of being vegetarian in the world, because I do feel a difference can be made there by choosing this lifestyle.

There is no doubt for me that to be vegetarian is healthier and cheaper, but that is my point of view. And with news of people eating horsemeat - after all, there is not that much cows anyway - I think some are really tempted to try. Most people would love to be vegetarian if it was easier to find places who cook that food well, or if they themselves know how to cook well - after all, we can't eat that much lettuce, right?

There is also the question of ethics and as science evolves to enable us know that animals also think and feel (old news for pets' owners), there is a final conclusion: what I am eating... oh, my God, it was thinking being!!!!!!

But what will really change people's minds and at least put the vegetarian choice as something more than an eccentricity is the news that vegetarianism can impact the world. Economy. Climate change. Life.

When that choice is there and it is clear that it is a good and powerful one, people can chose it in a more conscious way.

And that in itself is a big step for changing the world.

Changing your life style

During a lifetime, how many times a person changes its life style? Hair (size, color, style), clothes (formal, casual, elegant  and even values (economy, joy, love for family) are changed so many times in our life. Most of the time is under the influence of something external.

Advertisement takes advantage of that, sometimes being so powerful that helps the change to happen. For instance, the number of people who acquired a smart phone or tablet, which changed their life style in many ways, just because of a few ads here and there, and the implicit suggestion that by having those you will be smarter, cooler or anything like that.

Sometimes your life style is changed due to a need. With the present economic crisis, many people of richer countries are learning to live a simple life.

Well, what about changing life style based on a personal decision? That happens a lot among people who decide to take a spiritual path (like me) or in relation to personal health, but it can also apply on cases when the person acknowledges the need of a certain habit to be part of his or her life.

Habits are not created just like that - not in 21 days or one month. Some habits - like brushing your teeth or waking up at a certain times - can take years to be created. However, habits are very fragile as they normally rely on external factors - brushing teeth when mom and dad are around, or waking up later during holidays. To make a habit last longer, you have to change your own life style - carrying toothbrush around all the time or schedule early yoga practice during holidays.

Time management in its more useful way takes the shape of a habit, something the user is not even conscious but it is there, monitoring every act of the user's life. For the habit to be part of a person's life and to show its benefits, the person has to change their life style.

What is the best life style for a person who is concerned about time management? There is no "right" answer for that, but there are a few factors I have been observing along the years:

• Fashion, hair and clothes take a very pragmatic approach. One interesting case was a Brazilian senator who used to have EXACTLY seven EQUAL suits. OK, let's not exaggerate; but it helps if your fashion is an ally for your TM habits, or if you schedule a longer time for dressing at least.
• Clocks everywhere! Hook's nightmare, but the reality is that most "TM people" have more than one clock or watch: bedroom, over the table, kitchen, office desk, wrist, etc. As it's a life style we are talking about, take advantage of that to have the best or the most beautiful pieces.
• Diary, agendas, schedules. A "TM person" moves according to a fix table of activities, right? Not really. In this case, you have to understand the way you are and see how you want to handle this. I myself have: one schedule (GCal), another informal To-Do list (StickNotes), a prioritization scheme using draft paper and, when I lack a gadget, a small notebook to take notes of appointments and incorporate to the rest. Crazy, right? But it works, it helps my very flexible life style.
• Relaxation periods. You will find very important, to keep the balance, to have a fixed period of relaxation, which can take the form of yoga, walk on the park or sitting with your kids every Friday night.

Hope this helps you in your process of keeping your Time Management as part of your life, not at some course book. Take care!

Change implementation

New year, new life. Right?

Not so. I have never heard stadistical data, but I am sure 90% of New Year's resolution does not pass the February limit. Probably more.

But, don't worry, you are not guilt for that. It's just a case of change implementation. Bad change implementation.

That is a whole subject in companies around the world and, in a way or another, in societies, families, political parties, etc. Change is happening all the time, but how to implement it in a way that minimizes the bad impact (losses mainly) and change resistence, and at the same time optimizes the benefits and change agents?

Here are a few points that can help you with those resolutions implemented in your life, or even other changes:

• Know very well the change you are going through. First weapon to really implement any change is knowledge. Most people go through change without really knowing what that means until it is too late, generating desistance or frustration.
• Know the change means to know where you are coming from and where you are going to. Sit quietly and think about your present and proposed future situation. Be honest with yourself in the first, but allow creativity to take over in the second. Understand the different states of yourself and what will be the impact of change in your life as a whole (personality, lifestyle, friendship, etc.).
• For the implementation, you have to think of how. Get a piece of paper and design the various possibilities to go from the present to that proposed future. Try to have as many details as you can without stressing you out.
• The others. Others matter, always matter. A simple exercise is to create a circle as big as your relationships are, it can be on paper, computer or even with plastilin. Now, put yourself in the center of the circle (a point will be enough, with your name or a different color). Think of every relationship in terms of closeness and their impact in your life, and position them just like you (but different enough so that you can make up who is who); the closer to you means not only closeness, but also impact in your life. After that, with post-it or something similar, write the impact of your change in their lives or in your relationship with that person.
• More... Create an itinerary, as if change would be just a trip. Don't forget fail-safes, in case change is not working (for instance, organize a meeting with your closest friends to talk about that and look for encouragement to make decisions). Study as much as you can. Enjoy as much as you can. Smile and laugh, whenever you can, and even when you cannot.

I think that will be helpful, but look at a future post on the changes in lifestyle, as that is an important element in any change you go through. Take care.

How to do it on time?

Time management is, for some, the most successful seminar in the world. At least, for the trainers, consultants, facilitators, teachers, professors, coaches, and the whole bunch of people who teaches, facilitates, and, well, you know it...

However, is it the most successful seminar for the participants?

As we saw in a former post (January 6th.), we are now "time jugglers", and I do feel no seminar, lecture or anything related to human development can solve the problem. It can help - and quite often it helps - but what is needed is something else.

First of all, all of us have to understand the real value of time and the meaning of each minute we pass. That requires reflection and contemplation - don't worry, it will be a time very well invested as at the extent we understand our own time we will use it in a wiser way.

Second, prioritization has to become something we cannot go without it. Many people just allow themselves to react when emergencies emerge, or according to a routine other people have planned to them. However, when we start to prioritize, we really become masters of our own time, we are able to make decisions that can impact our performance, relationships and even our self-esteem.

Third, a change in life style is needed so that the former points can work out their magic. There's one case I appreciate: Ricardo Semler and how he made an extreme decision in relation to his management style - time management was part of it. But, he needed to change his life style too, otherwise that won't work. Waking up early, creating limits to read emails or making up time to catch up with reading - all of that will influence, support and help understanding the value of time and how to prioritize.

Fourth, a constant dialogue with the self helps. It can happen via meditation, writing or simply sitting down so that we can refocus our life. Time management in times like these we are living is not only a procedure, it requires deep thought and deep actions so that we don't feel we are being drowned in a sea of time, but rather than that, we are enjoying the wonders time can make in our lives.

Doing all that and we can easily manage our social lives, where many people's time managements intersected, clash or never meet.