Testing Boundaries

.....can be an exercise in futility. Naturally, this doesn't happen fruitfully under the duress created by criticism. Andrew Carnegie spells this out plainly in his book "How to Win Friends and Influence People." For influence to be successful, subtlety is key. Others seem to want to take credit for their own learning and are consequently best lead down a colorful path enriched by quiet undertones of messaging which at their best would almost seem subliminal.

One must always be cognizant that every mind is prejudiced by years of development shaped by people who have not necessarily been versant in universal laws, moral creed, and characteristics typifying preferable conduct. Hence; people will cross your path from a place you cannot even imagine. Yet you may only have a short time together.

Head downtown at lunch hour to do your people watching. The degree of inwardness in those faces coping with stressors is comprehensible in the context of their subconscious underpinnings laid down by time.

Reading David Brooks' "Social Animal" right now. I'll keep you posted. You know Brooks - writes for the NY Times and is a frequent guest on TV news magazines.

Workplaces are getting nastier - Healthzone.ca

I've always been a big proponent of self employment. Evidence continues to build.

Workplaces are getting nastier - Healthzone.ca

Thoughts Are Things

Thoughts are things. You’ve heard it before. We think our way into our state. Unfortunately, our reactive mind is predominantly at work and training the brain is no easy task. Or, come to think of it is it “the mind” that needs training. Psychologists have grappled with the notion of the mind versus the brain and brain studies are vast. Richard M. Restak, M.D. in his book “The Mind” published in 1988 exclaimed that “neuroscientists now believe that throughout our lives, new information can actually be incorporated into the structure of the brain through the creation of new synapses and the facilitation of existing nerve pathways.” What do you think the chances are of improving these nerve pathways if we daily submit ourselves to the same ritualistic routine without injecting new stimuli, people, events and activities? Man is meant to grow intellectually over time but an environment conducive to growth must be inherent. We know when an environment becomes stale, negative or judgmental but the magic underlying our composure and participation will be our response in the context of a journey whereby moderating the reactive mind is a goal in and of itself.

On a lighter note – took a pretty good spill on the roller blades today. Gave some bystander a good belly laugh. Bless him though. He asked if I was okay.