The art of learning and teaching (The 16 celestial arts)

We start to learn from the very beginning of our life, and we don't stop until our breath ceases.

However, sometimes that lesson we have learned is forgotten in the waves of life, as there are too many things happening around all the time. This is why teaching is important too.

Although teaching is the word, a more proper expression would be SHARING, because that is what teaching means: sharing whatever you have with others in such a way besides they receive it, they also imbibe it.

The trick behind teaching is: the more you teach, the more you learn. There is no doubt for anyone who ever taught anything how much they have learned through that.

The art of learning and teaching therefore is not only assimilation of new ideas, but it is also the capacity to transfer them and imbibe them even more. When you develop this art you will feel that you will ever have something new to learn, no matter your age or degree of knowledge...

The art of administration (The 16 celestial arts)

During a long time, we valued food, water and all that came from earth more than anything. People were considered rich because of how much land they had, not necessarily money... Later, mass-production turned into the main stream of our economy - we started to value a watch more than potatoes, even though we can't possibly eat a watch!

Not long ago, commerce and services took over. For some time, places which didn't produce anything but who were able to sell products well became famous around the world.

But then... I still remember when Microsoft, a software company that really does not produce anything you can eat or touch, became the most powerful company in the world, showing the last part of this Historical Economic Evolution: information is the most valuable thing in the world nowadays. The example of how people in poor countries skip a meal to be able to keep their cell phone working shows what we really value nowadays...

We are all on the inflection point of History... and we still don't know what will happen next. Many people has been prophesying it and we all know it is about to happen. Signs?

• People are trying to be simpler, going back to their original way of life.
• Organic food is a must! Nature is fashionable.
• Dozens of millions of people have watched the video "I forgot my phone" showing what is undeniable: people would love to forget their phone (cell, mobile, tablet, etc.).
• And, come one, your dream vacation place is not a city full of buildings, traffic and machines all around you... which indicates the preferences in your heart.

But before the big change happens, something we didn't realize has taken place. With all the economic changes, we really didn't let go of the past things. Different than what some scholars say about paradigm, when the new paradigm came, you held on the old one too.

So, your list of possessions is, I am sure, a very long one. Add to that intangibles like time and talents and you will have a book of possessions. Question is, how to manage all that?

Keeping success in your life relies on your capacity of administrating all you have, because everyone in this world has something valuable to another person who lacks it. It can be potatoes, or the capacity of making a chair, a sweet, or selling that to others and turning into money, or the capacity of creating a webpage, where people can exchange their talents...

Administration is an art. When it comes not from the desire to earn money, respect or fame, but from a genuine need or the desire to help others, or simply because you have that beautiful thing in yourself and you want to express yourself freely and openly, that means it comes from a different awareness.

Much of the success nowadays is based on that awareness. Look at the free stuff in internet, it is simply overwhelming. In fact, if someone just has the money for connecting and some hardware, he or she should be able to have all they need in terms of software for free. Because it comes from people who have so many treasures they don't mind sharing them with others...

Administration is not cutting or avoiding expenses. It is know how to use and spend whatever you have. The key is the authenticity you have inside.

Listen to your heart before spending money.
Listen to your heart before charging someone of something you have done.
Listen to your heart, and you will be an expert of this art.

The last of the forties

A friend of mine, about one month older than myself, posted a picture of himself tasting a cake for "the last of the forties".

Yes, with this birthday I will start to cross a moment in time that used to scare lots of people not long ago: I am 49 today, January, 12th. Next year, 4 will be replaced by 5... It is just a number, but a huge impact in life.

I know that according to many people, I should be very worried as my life is getting shortened. Birthdays are fun when you are young and full of energy; after that, they just remind you about the closeness to death.

But, as I write here, I really don't feel like that and I know the world is also changing. The world is "getting old" as many people put it, but I just say the world is changing...

First of all, people are not so much afraid of death as they used to be. In 2010, a survey in the United Kingdom shown that people feared most to BE IN DEBT. That is right... At the fourth position you can see something related to death, but not directly (crime with knife).

Second, economics show that older people more and more have all they need. If at some places in the past children had to sustain their old parents, it is not the present reality... In fact, many of them sustain their children who are going through one crisis after the other.

There is a third further point. A tradition of mine makes me wander around in the day of my birthday. So, I ended in a very interesting bookshop in Bogota, where I saw this not so exotic issue of The Economist, with a cover talking about the Age of Happiness, I think that was the title. In it, using its very complex language, The Economist shows the fact that after 50 years-old, people start to feel increasingly happy. And I think this is the key point.

The only thing to diverge in relation to that article is that it is not age as much as maturity that makes people sees happiness everywhere. Maturity enables you to be happy even though you didn't get your quota of recognition by others, or you just missed your favorite football match. And the magical thing about maturity is that you can get that anytime in your life. The funny thing about it is that it seems you never end getting mature... There is always margin to be more mature.

So, I reach this age very mature, and looking forward to increase that wonderful sense of maturity. I reach this age knowing I am much happier, healthier, more peaceful and more loved than I was ever in my life. I am aware I could be even better, but I am also aware I am much better than I've expected.

I embrace the fifties that are waiting for me a little ahead, and all that comes with it. Thank you, life, God and everyone for this wonderful opportunity. Thanks to myself for that too.

The art of leadership (The 16 celestial arts)

A friend of mine, who has written a couple of books on leadership or related topics, is very tired. He is tired about talking on leadership.

He says because it is a saturated topic. However, I think it differently because never as today we have been in the need of a leader, and to understand what leader means.

I feel the reason is that no matter what, leadership quality is still very low.

It is interesting. With all the knowledge we have and so much capacity in terms of resources in general, the world looks like it is in a blind alley - it got into it, but there is no way to exit...

The art of leadership is related to several aspects that can be developed easily:

• It implies leadership is not an exact science. It requires experimentation, lots of patience and perseverance to happen.
• To improve the quality of any art, there is a methodology. For instance, silence and study... To improve the quality of leadership, leaders need to go deeper in silence and study more about it.
• If you are going to paint, you need to know not only about colors, but its material. Leaders need to know the context of their own leadership, which means to understand their people, their lives, the organization, the market and the world in general.
• You won't have success if nobody buys your pictures. Who is going to buy your leadership? Or, as someone said, who bothers that you get up every morning?

The world needs lots of leaders, good quality leaders. I am sure you are one of them, so I hope these points can help you to refine your leadership.

Preparation for a successful New Year

The New Year is not just a set of positive affirmations. Nor is the denial of reality, as you cannot drown your problems in a euphoria that lasts hours or up to a few days.

New Year is something SERIOUS, for which we need three keys to ensure its success: lots of creativity, meditation and humor. How to experience this?

Creativity will grant you novelty in life. Old formulas tend to give a lot of pain ... It is better to reinvent the self. Change your consciousness, use new attitudes, try a change in your way of seeing the world and of course, some physical changes are always beneficial. Do not forget that you have a potential MUCH bigger than what you do now - explore it without fear, with love towards yourself and enthusiasm to transform the life you lead.

Meditate and experience a new inner world, an infinite world that can never end. It is the experience of who you really are, in contrast to the experience of your current state. It is living this inner happiness in your being, which is there, waiting you to leave aside old habits of unhappiness and sadness. Meditate. Daily.

And do not forget that New Year is something serious, because your life is at stake. So never miss your good humor. No matter what happens, do not let the smile disappear from your heart and watch everything going on around you as a new opportunity, something wonderful. Through humor you have the unique chance to feel like a little child for whom the world is always open to give the best it has.

If you only work on these three keys in your life, you will see the overall success which will take shape before your eyes. A success that will not only make you feel full, it will inspire many other people too.

May you have an incredible New Year!

My MERRY CHRISTMAS to you...

One of the most special times of the year is its end. It seems that the entire population of the world (almost) begins to rethink their year, their life and existence, reviewing what has been accomplished and achieved, what was missing and what can be done for next year. But before that, we celebrate a very special date.

Although Christmas is Christian, its message has exceeded the barriers of religion and culture. It is a message of renewal, forgiveness and charity that cannot be ignored, but sometimes is confused with limited trade and mercy.

As it comes so close to the end of the year, allows us a deeper reflection, because as humans it is how we grow: we reflect, we expand our awareness and then share with others.

Want to give yourself a gift? Answer a few questions and apply their answers in your own life. If you want, send them to other people who can benefit from this reflection:

• How I have renewed my own self? Christmas means birth. The image of little baby Jesus born in a stable has a deep spiritual meaning: it is the highest and purest awareness born in a fallen world to help it to improve and transform. Do you let this new awareness that wants to stay afloat become part of your own life? It is an awareness that connects you directly with God and the divine we all have.
• To what extent have I forgiven? Many negative situations happen to us and hurt us. Forgiveness is the magic balm we have in our heart that allows us to move forward and enable others to keep on going. It is the ability to understand and find internal resources to grow, no matter the tragedy we have experienced. Also, the more we forgive, we will feel healthier inside.
• How much charity have I done this year? I think for some people that means to give someone a few cents, or maybe clothes that nobody else uses in the house ... Charity truly begins in the mind, where I understand my own treasures and decide to share with others. Charity can be in the form of a smile given to someone in a difficult time, a word of encouragement, something physical you value but you know it will be more useful to others, and mainly a genuine positive thinking towards the other.

May this Christmas be the time when your heart is satisfied and you can satisfy others' hearts!

The art of organizing (The 16 celestial arts)

On the 70's and 80's, the art of organization left some areas of human society and got into the mainstream of our own society. It became common - several agendas emerged, diaries, PDAs, etc.

However, what happened was the opposite of what should happen. As more means for self-organization started to be used, more organization was needed! So, more - new and sophisticated - gadgets came into existence. Result: more organization is needed.

A common person doesn't talk to his or her friends most of the time - no statistics here, but reality is that social interaction has decreased at least 80% in relation to the 60's. Sorry, no Facebook counting here... talking about REAL interaction, 3D, touching and feeling... After all, according to an old experiment, we humans need physical contact to grow and develop ourselves.

Also, tasks are not less and not better manageable because we have more instruments. Just look at a normal airport and you can see errors increasing at a fast pace - lost luggage, more time in queues than actual flying, etc.

Organizing yourself is not something you can assign to a machine. When you and I act, we use all our energies for that - time, money, intelligence, emotions, experience, desires, dreams, etc. How much of that you can really transfer to a Google Calendar?

Clarification: nothing wrong about using instruments. I use them. I just don't rely on them.

The art of organizing comes from another art... an old and almost lost art, the art of writing.

Writing is something different than typing, as the former is more art than mechanic, the basics of typing. So, just try to organize yourself by using your own hands.

For instance, I have an agenda of priorities. It is a basic text file, easy to manage. After putting into it all priorities I have, I start to write each one of them into a piece of paper. After that, I prioritize them.

The result is a very interesting sense of satisfaction when I see the pile of slips of paper disappearing around...

Start with a small to-do list. Perhaps a wish-to-do list. Experiment with yourself and you will see its impact in your organization process as a whole.