365QOD- Day968

One Article per Magazine

"Too much data. I am overwhelmed."-my conclusion

This morning I ran an experiment.  I have several magazines as shortcut on my desktop.  I went to each one and selected a single article of interest.  Then I copied the article into a word document.

Selecting a single article from seven magazines added up to twenty pages of content.  Wow!  I did not think it would be that much.  Now the bigger question is, are the articles worth the time needed to read them?

The articles were very specific to me so for me they are.  But it most likely will take an hour to read and process the data into information.  For me these will be sources for blog posts so it is the diet needed to keep the blog going.

I suspect that most people tend to read anywhere from 20 to 100 pages of content from the Web each day.  If the effort is focused then it is of Value. But if the reading is on a starlet breakdown then it is simply wasted time.

Today's question us:
"How much content do you read each day?"

365QOD- Day967

Losing Focus

"I got to focus and study."-my words to myself

I have spent the last month or so studying for a PMP exam.  This is a project management  professional certification.

I am struggling keeping my focus on the end goal.  It has been years since I took a class and had to pass a test.  Years!

I realized a few months ago that I need to increase my formal learning.   Since i made that realization, i have taken two courses: green belt six sigma and a Pmp prep course.

So why am I having a hard tone focusing and studying? There are many things going through my mind that are life and work related.  It is as simple as that.  I need to clear my mind plate before I can focus.  Probably the best way is to sit down with a piece of paper and do a brain dump.  Get it down and then I can move on.

Today's question is:
"How do you know when you are losing your focus?"

365QOD- Day966

Stop Rounding

"use a more precise anchor in negotiating"-negotiating advice

I have a tendency of rounding numbers up.  When approximating I always give myself a little bit of wiggle room.  What can it hurt?

Well consider a scenario in which you are interviewing for a job and everything goes well.  The company offers a round number as your new salary.  You counter with a more precise number that does not include zeros. Immediately you stand out as having done your homework.  The conversation continues.

Consider developing a budget for a large project.  You study your estimates and round up the numbers to give yourself the wiggle room.  When you present your numbers they do not look purchase enough and they are immediately challenged because they look too perfect.

Moral of this post is that we must use a more precise anchor numbers in order to improve or chances of negotiating success.

Today's strategy is:
"Can you stop rounding your estimates?"

365QOD- Day965

The Disconnect

"I know that I should eat healthy and I don't. I know that I should spend time with my kids and I don't.  I know that money, yes, will not make me happy and I am still keep trying to make money.  It is an amazing thing about humans that we have these mistakes that we make all the time and it is not lack of information." Michael Nortonon Harvard professor

I believe that I know a lot on many topics.  Man I can reach into my brain and extract information on what I should be doing.  But as the quote teaches we know what we should do but we still do not. 
The key word is information.  He says that we have a lot of information.  What that means to me its that we had a lot of data we were exposed to and we converted that data into information. So where do we fail?

In previous posts I talked about the idea of going from data to information to knowledge to wisdom.  As we know, just by having information does not guarantee that we will do what we have information on.  We are only half way on our journey towards wisdom.

Notice that the quote also uses the word know repeatedly.  This implies the presence of knowledge.  So that will place us three quarters of the way on our path to wisdom.

The failure then is going from knowing to wisdom.  I believe that knowledge is the how and the wisdom is the why.  If the why we do something is not greater than the how then the gap exists and we are more likely to fail.

Today's question is:
"How do you make your why greater than your how?"

365QOD- Day964

Do Change

"I sincerily believe that behavior change is identity/belief change"- Buster Benson

Recently a young person I know started smoking.  I was so disappointed.  Unfortunately, overseas kids do not get the same anti smoking propaganda. So their chances of starting and staying a smoker are greater.

So why did he choose to start?  Reviewing the situation around him it was a simple case of bad peer pressure.  He kept seeing his friends smoking and eventually he decided to follow.  Amazing enough was that most of these peers are younger by a year.

He now identifies himself as a smoker.  He does not have to say it out loud. Puffing away says it all. His identity had been changed.

So what are his choices?  He can continue and let the monkey get a better grip on him or change his friends.  Which one will he choose?  As the quote advises,  the identity that he best identifies with will control his behavior.

Today's question is:
"Can you reverse an identity change?"

365QOD- Day963

Vacation Goals

"Vacation without a creative goal is a wasted vacation."-according to me

I have spent the last few weeks on vacation.  It was not as good as my vacation last year but it gave me some time to stop and pause.  This is something we have to do in order to appreciate the music notes of our lives.

But going on vacation does not mean just sitting there vegetating.  Ok, I confess that I did veg out a bit. But I was also productive creatively.

Last summer I taught myself how to write an Android app.  Later on in the year I developed an app and made it available for free at the Google Play store.

This years focus was to develop different products.  So mentioned in another recent post
I write 52 small ebooks.  I also read a little about marketing and LinkedIn.  I believe that marketing of self and products the trough LinkedIn will develop into a monster on the order of Amazon.

It was also a time to think about some life goals and strategies. Our lives tend to be too busy to have a lot of free time to think about those. So this time allowed me to sip a bit of coffee and to reflect.

Today's question is:
"Do you set vacation goals?"

365QOD- Day962

Bicycle Boat

"You can't combine those?"-a limiting belief

This morning I happen to be watching Croatian morning show.  They had one segment about a small town on the Adriatic coast and how people there lived. It was a picturesque little town on the coast.

Towards the end of the segment they showed a bicycle enthusiast who has invented a bicycle boat.  The top of the boat was flat and he had mounted a bicycle.  The back wheel was connected through a chain to a set of paddles that propelled the boat.  The front wheel was mounted into a slit and held in place so when he moved his handle bars left or right the boat followed that direction.

I was impressed that this gentlemen had figured out how to take his passion for bicycling and tanned it to boating.  He had combined two uncontainable things. His world crushed the limiting belief that bicycles and boats can not be combined.

Today's question is:
"What two things can't be combined in your world?"

365QOD- Day961

Getting Out of a Funk

"Time spent without purpose is easily forgotten"- Robert Trajkovski

While on vacation the other day I stated moping around. Everything seemed to bother me and I had no peace.  I was on vacation and not feeling great and relaxing. I was in a funky mood.

I quickly realized what was missing.  I needed a creative endeavor to fill my mind.  So I sat down and created 52 small ebooks.  Yes, you read that correct, 52 small ebooks.

In the last two years I have written two books based on my blog posts.  At the end of the year I take the posts, organize them by topic, and heavily edit them into a book.  So this process is one of reorganizing by topic.

My friend Naren, during a walk, suggested that there are many products that can be extracted from my work.  I quickly realized that each topic could be an ebook of its own.  That is what I did.  I took the last two books, combined them, and extracted each topic into a new word file.

The work took me two and a half hours. It was so pleasurable that I immediately felt great.  All I needed was a little creative time to get me out of my funk.

Today's question is:
"How do you get out of a funk?"

365QOD- Day960

Shaping

"One's philosophy is not best described in words;it is best described in the choices one makes.  In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves.  The process never ends until we die.  And, the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility. "-Eleanor Roosevelt

Responsibility is a heavy weird for most of us.  We want to take credit for our successes and want to redirect the focus for our failures.  It is human nature. If we admit that it was us, then maybe we were not good enough? What a mistake!

As Eleanor points out, it is the choices that are our true philosophy.  It is not empty words that we say but do not apply. 

So if we want to shape our lives then we have to recognize the results that we do not desire and make better choices in order to get better results.  This choosing and making better choices is a never ending process.  The process is the basis of my first book, The Result.

It is encouraging to know that we do have control and often several choices we can make at any instant.  Unfortunately, most often we are not aware of the present enough to consciously choose. So the key, in my opinion, is to become more consciously aware at each moment in order to choose the best option that will lead us towards our ultimate self.

Today's question is:
"Do you actively shape your life through your choices?"

365QOD- Day959

How many knives does a chef need?

"Last year I believed that these five exercises are all one needs, but this year I have added three more"-Dragan Stojmanovich

Last year Dragan shared his five exercises with me.  Full of energy he could not sit still without showering them to me.  He told me that those five exercises were all you will ever need to keep in great shape.

This year he told me that he added three more because he was saw them and quickly realized the benefits.  Now his set consists of eight exercises.

This encounter made me think about the minimum set of tools needed to accomplish a job.  Maybe it is five or eight or just one?  And what will make you realize that you need to add a tool?

I believe that we always have to examine what we do and think about how to do it better.  This awareness will lead us to realizng that we are missing a tool. Our if we are not using a tool to getting rid of it.

Today's question is:
" How do know when you have the right amount of tools for the job?"

365QOD- Day958

Sparks

" Expressed in plain English, this means that a single moment of insight is the result of thinking that happens before it--often, the authors state, due to reorganizing or restructuring the elements of a situation or problem. This echoes the favored Fast Company definition of creativity, that it's finding the connections between seemingly unrelated things."- Drake Barr in Fast Company article Creativity is Just Persistence, and Science Can Prove it

According to John Kounios of Drexel University and Mark Beeman of Northwestern University, "although the experience of insight is sudden and can seem disconnected from the immediately preceding thought, these studies show that insight is the culmination of a series of brain states and processes operating at different time scales."

The words series of brain states caught my interest.  This holds true for me.  I usually have to be thinking about something for a while before I get to the aha moment. So in a sense when I am thinking about a topic I am moving from one state to another until I get to the creative state.

Now notice the second portion of the quote, " at different time scales".  In other words, these states can be close or far apart in terms of time.  If we spend more time thinking about something then the states seem close to one another.  So the spark does not seem so big but if the states are somewhat apart then the jump seemed big enough to be defined as an aha moment.

These two pieces together tell us that by being persistent to work on something for a while we will get to the creative state.  The only unknown is time.

Today's question is:
"Do you know how to be persistent to move though different brain states quickly?"

365QOD- Day957

Using email to sell

"Email is not a way to sell electronically; its a way to start and have a conversation."-Gefferey James Inc. magazine story How To Sell via Email

In post Day956 I mentioned a statistic that only 20% of emails are read.  Today I happen to read a story that takes about how ineffectively people use email to sell.  If the response rate is 10% of the 20% then we are talking to only 2% of the target audience.

The quote provides a solution.  It is all about initiating a conversation.  Initiate a conversation and if the other person is interested they will respond.  As an example the author offers this advice for a good conversation starter:
"prospects name , my company  company name, has a track record helping executives reduce overhead costs and increase cash flow.  We recently worked with, a company known to prospect,   and were able to reduce their cost by 20%. 

If this interests you, I can send you a case study or detailed description of what we do for our clients. 

Your contract information"

If the person reads it they should get the feeling as if they are getting something for nothing.

Today's question is:
"How would you start a conversation through email?"

365QOD- Day956

Just Open It

" The cold reality is that not every email you send is opened. The average open rate is around 20 percent across all industries. That percentage doesn't really tell the complete story either. Unless you really dig into your metrics, it's unclear which 20 percent is opening your emails. It's also likely it's not the same 20 percent opening your emails every time." - Entrepreneur magazine story

I believe that most of us between several personal and work email accounts we all receive anywhere from hundred to two hundred emails per day. I believe this statistic is true.

Recently I wrote a post in which I recommended that the subject line should be used more effectively by making it an action subject line.  Instead of saying x tell the reader what you want done with x.

For example, instead of asking for approval and using the subject line funding request for x, use please read and approve funding request for x.  The reader knows what you expect: to read and to approve.  Your chances of the email being read is higher and you getting the approval is higher than 20%.

Today's question is:
"How do you effectively get your emails read?"

365QOD- Day955

A Great Day

"Would you know a great day if you saw one?"- advice given to Jason Womack by his mentor
I recently was reading some stories from different sources when this little gem popped out.  I immediately knew that I had to write a post about it.

When I first started numbering my days I quickly  realized that most days are not memorable.  We have to make strategic choices in order to make them memorable.  If we are not aware enough then the day slips into the past without a trace.

I also realized that for me a day without creativity can never be a great day.  It can be a fulfilling and productive day.  But only days when I produce something creative are great days.

This is why the quote resonated with me.  I have a very tight specific criteria to make a day into a great day. I suspect that most people would not be able to create a great day.  Maybe even a large number would not even recognize one if they saw one.

Today's question is:
"What is your great day criteria?"

365QOD- Day954

Honest

"10. Be Honest And Dependable; Take Responsibly: Otherwise, numbers 1-9 won't matter."-IBD tenth of ten secrets to success

I also believe that without honesty the other nine traits are meaningless.  Interesting thing about honesty is that you can not fake it.

As a leader you can delay giving information to your team but once you lie once, you will never be trusted ever again.  Your team will remember the lie(s) and hesitantly follow you.  This delay is hurtful in making forward progress and it could lead to eventual failure.

One thing I always say that it is easier to remember one truth than the ten lies.  It never stops at one lie.  That first lie had to be covered by another and another until you have to think about what you originally said.  This us such an energy waster.

Today's question is:
"How do you keep yourself honest?"

365QOD- Day953

Communicate

"9. Deal And Communicate With People Effectively: No person is an island.  Learn to understand and motivate others."-IBD ninth of ten secrets to success

Communication with others and our self is very important.  What and how we say things to others and ourselves could build us or destroy us.

Long time ago I read a John Maxwell book on 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.  In it he graphically explained the results of being able to move people towards a common goal.  He showed a graph on which he showed a line to the right to indicate a person's effectiveness.  This was a rather one dimensional.  You can work on yourself and the best you could get to is a 10 on a ten scale.  But if you improve your communication then the graph adds a second vertical axis. 

Now suppose that your effectiveness is 7 and your team is a 8.  Your total effectiveness is 56.  By improving your self to an 8 only moves it to 64 but if your team becomes a 10 then you guys become an 80. A drastic improvement fit three whole team.

Today's question is:
" How effective are you at communicating with others and yourself?"

365QOD- Day952

Be Different

"8. Don't Be Afraid To Innovate; Be Different: Following the heard is a sure way to mediocrity."-IBD eighth of ten secrets to success

This is so me.  I have never fit a mold.  I might borrow a term from Naren and call myself a maverick.  I never truly fit the boxes I am put in.

During my working career I have had many titles but I might just call myself a problem solver for my company. Often I look at what is required from me and try to understand what the problem truly is that I am being asked to solve.

I never stop there.  Just because it is someone else's problem it dies not mean that it us cool to me.  So I ask myself, what is it the problem that I could solve that is cool to me and whose subset will provide a solution fit my company.

Believe me when I tell you, solving a cool problem will excite you and move you forward more than just solving others peoples' problems. This innovation can get you promoted faster and result in larger pay raises.

Today's question is:
"What makes you different?"

365QOD- Day951

Focus

"7. Focus Your Time And Money. Don't let other people and things distract you."-IBD seventh of ten secrets to success

I have been blessed with great examples of purple around me who have great focus.  My daughter has what I call scary focus.  My wife had what I call laser focus. 

Scary and laser focus are my ways of explaining how focused they are in not allowing other people and things from distracting them.  They focus to sightly in the goal that you can nit see the glow.  It is just the pin point dot that shows up.

I am more of a broad point.  You can see the direction but the total focus point is not very clear.  As a mater of fact you might have to look on another wall to find it.  I allow disturbances to take me away from my task.  Maybe this a fault that I need to control.  Now that I know it us a desirable trait maybe I should manage it better.

Today's question is:
"Where do you focus your time and money?"

365QOD- Day950

Analyze

"6. Learn To Analyze Details: Get all the facts, all the input.  Learn from your mistakes."-IBD sixth of ten secrets to success

As the old sayings goes,"The devil is in the details."  It is the understanding of details that allows one to be comfortable with making hard decisions.  This only happens with analysis.

When I analyze a problem, I often ask myself if I understand all of the inputs and outputs.  It is easy to
simplify and miss a critical input.  Without that input we might not have a clue as to why a system produces a particular output.

It is kind of like trying to find the cause of why a kid us doing poorly in school by only blaming the kid.  It is a complex system.  We have to look at the school, the habits, the teachers, the parents, the environment, the friends, etc.

The last part of the advice  is to learn from mistakes.  I think I am going to start a notebook called my Favorite Daily Mistake.  I think by ripping it apart it will teach me how not to repeat it and to improve the quality of mistakes I do make.

Today's question is:
"What strategy do you use the analyze the details?"

365QOD- Day949

Persistent

"5. Be Persistent And Work Hard: Success is a marathon, not sprint.  Never give up."-IBD fifth of ten secrets to success

Persistent is one of my twenty six power words.  It is a wonderful word and its power grows exponentially when coupled with hard work.  Why?

First of all, we can persist in the wrong things. So once we are working on a true dreams and goals, we have to expect to put in hard work.  Remember by definition our dreams have to be daring enough that we can fail. This makes them something we will have to work hard to achieve.

As Churchill wisely advised, "Never. Ever. Never ever give up!" To me that is the ultimate persistence. 

Once you make the decision that something is important enough for you to persist, then not to ever give up.
Expect the process to be a marathon.  When I run half marathons, my mindset is different than when I go out for a five kilometer jog.  I have to be willing to persist even when the body might decide to quit.  I only stop if my body hurts nit if it only complains.

Today's question is:
"How do you know you are being persistent enough?"

365QOD- Day948

Learn

"4. Never Stop Learning:  Go back to school or read books.  Get training and acquire skills."-IBD second of ten secrets to success

This bit of advice fits me perfectly at the moment.  A few months ago I concluded that I need to attend some formal training.  I have the ability to self teach myself anything but I realized that I need to put on my white belt on and become the student.

Since I made that decision I have attended a six sigma green belt for two Week.  I also attended  a week long PMP test prep course.  I enjoyed the hell out of them!

It is my belief that we have to constantly review our skill gaps and develop a plan to fill them.  We are lucky now that with the internet learning something new is just a few clicks and videos away.

In my opinion we should have at least one book we are working through every week.  Force yourself to complete it and then spend time thinking about it.  What is still not clear? What could use a but more work with?

Today's question is:
"How do you keep yourself learning?"

365QOD- Day947

Action

"3. Take Action: Goals are nothing without action. Don't be afraid to get started now. Just do it."-IBD third of ten secrets to success

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the GOSPAL technique is great for goal achieving.  Notice that the first for letters are all about dreaming, thinking, and planning.  It is the fourth letter that begins the action process to get something done.

As the quote cautions, goals are nothing without action.  It is only mental masturbation.  It makes you feel good but has no useful product.

The quote also encourages us not to be afraid.  Just do it now.  Don't wait ttyl tomorrow to do something towards your goal.  The size of the move does not matter but the direction is viral.

Today's question is:
"What are you just going to do now?"

365QOD- Day946

Decide

"2. Decide Upon Your True Dreams And Goals: Write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them."-IBD second of ten secrets to success

Making decisions is a part of life.  We struggle with the small ones and typically postpone the big ones.  But let us think through this quote.

The advice is to decide your true dreams and goals.  Thinking can only be done by you with a lot of time and paper.  Put it down, modify it over time, and change what parts lose importance.

You are allowed to change over time. Don't expect your dreams to stay the same.  It would be silly if only your dreams as a ten year old were your only true dreams and goals. Put write them down, put dates, write in different colors to signify changes or deletions.

After you have thought through then, then lay out plans on how you would achieve them.  I reference you to a series of posts I write on the GOSPAL technique.  It will walk you from the goal, to objectives, through strategies, developing plans, creating daily actions, and capturing learnings. Achieving goals is a unique endeavor that should be time bound and has the possibility of failure.  If there us no potential to fail then the dream is not big enough.

Make sure that whatever you decide are your true dreams pull you towards their accomplishment.  If someone has to make you do a task towards your goal then it is not truly your goal.

Today's question is:
"What are your true dreams and goals?"

365QOD- Day945

Think

"1. How You Think is Everything: Always be positive.  Think success, not failure. Beware of a negative environment"-IBD first of ten secrets to success

Investor's Business Daily is a daily newspaper that I used to subscribe to in the past.  In the next ten posts I will give my opinions and stories on the ten traits that IBD spent years analyzing leaders and successful people in all walks of life to collect. IBD believes that these traits can turn dreams into reality.

Many books on success focus on psychology of thought.  If a person is against themselves then there is no need for negative outside forces to keep the person down.  However, a positive person will always come out better off than someone who thinks that the world conspires against them.

As Henry Ford used to say, "If you think you can, or you think you can't, you are right."  This positive belief that you can is the seed needed to succeed.  It however had to be nurtured.

Nurturing provides the nutrients that accelerates the growth.  If the environment is full of people pulling you down, it will be harder for you to rise above.  In an old psst I told the story if five monkeys.  It is a wise parable that teaches us how powerful environments are in tapping us into believing anything, no matter how wrong it is.

So learn to think for yourself.  Surround yourself with positive purple and environments that nurture and support you in your dreams.

In my opinion, 20% of your time should be spent thinking about what you should be executing in the present and the future.

Today's question is:
"Do you spend 20% of your time thinking quality thoughts?

365QOD- Day944

Back to the Classroom

"The move to the classroom setting has been critical for MOOC(massive online open courses ) for two reasons.  For one thing, there is very little money to be made giving a college education away for free.  By finding ways to generate revenue from universities, companies like Coursera, might be able to supplement the courses they give away for free. Second of all, universities that have implemented the flipped classroom are seeing impressive results"-Inc. magazine story The future of online education is on campus

The internet has completely changed the way we work and learn.  Can you imagine a workday during which you do not use the internet?  I would argue that probably most of internet use is for personal reasons and I'd work gets done then that is a side benefit.

Now education is also changing.  I write about how I thought that in the near future the students would listen to prerecorded lectures from authors/experts and work on quizzes at home.  This would enable homework to be done in the classroom.  In addition,  application of the material can be done with the teacher.

I also previously wrote how I was surprised to learn that enormous number of students that sign up for MOOC drop out.  Even though the courses are free the effort is great. They might be interested in the material but not very committed to finish.

So a blended education of free online content with a mix of flipped content might be the answer.  It looks like universities are willing to play along and pay for expert lectures while providing a setting for learning to take place.

Today's question is:
"Would a flipped classroom model with free online education work for you?"

365QOD- Day943

Go Go Speed Racer...go NeuroRacer

" In a groundbreaking new study at the University of California, San Francisco, scientists found that older adults improved cognitive controls such as multitasking and the ability to sustain attention by playing a specially designed video game — and that the effects can be long lasting.

The study, to be published in the scientific journal Nature on Thursday, is part of a broader effort to understand whether specially designed video games can help treat neurological disorders, such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and even depression.

There is growing evidence, researchers say, that videogames could eventually become therapies on par, or used in tandem, with ingestible medications. "- Wall Street Journal

I read this story and immediately smiled.  Something, video games, that had often been thought of as wasteful and harmful to the brain is now beneficial.  If used strategically this could be a game changer.

In the story elderly folks who played the game did better than twenty year olds for six months after the training.  This was after the training stopped. 

So if we could play a game specially designed for us we could attack mental issues.  Imagine a game that could attack attention deficit disorders or Alzheimer.  Or the simple middle age short term memory failure.

The potential is endless.

Today's question is:
"What would a game designed for you help with?"

365QOD- Day942

Start Small
"Self control is not genetic or fixed, but rather a skill one can develop and improve with practice."- Roy Baumeister

Our lives tend to be very chaotic.  Because of this, we require a significant amount of self control to work and thrive in this type of environment.  Instead of worrying about negative distractions we should focus on activities that are our intended goal.

But how do we build our focus?

Baumeister suggests that we start small.  Add a new small habit.  Examples of small tasks are improving your posture, saying yes instead of yeah, our flossing your teeth before going to bed.  These small tasks seem silly but after a while they become ingrained habits that can be done without requiring thoughts. Once this happens then you can start of another challenge.

Today's question is
"How do you build a small unrelated habit?"

365QOD- Day941

I Don't Need It

"The Ph.D. taught me to be a fast learner and to have self discipline.  Northrup Grumman taught me to be a good collaborator and how to settle disputes between competing interests.  The sales job, obviously, helped me develop relationship skills.  It was a process of building an entrepreneur who not only could start a business but could also run a business long term ."- Patrick Mish

I recently read an article in Inc. magazine called Why I wasted a Perfectly Good Doctorate. The quote is from the article and to me it paints a different picture.

Patrick might not be using his degree in an engineering firm but the skills that he learned are transferable to his new business.  It is not uncommon for engineers to never work in engineering but work in other fields.  Why? Because if you can figure out engineering courses you can learn anything else.

The one thing that I believe he did not learn is that life is a learning process.  He learned enough from school to succeed as an engineer.  He also had to learn the skills needed to be a great salesmen.  And lastly learn how to be an entrepreneur.  As Patrick in the end realizes, it was a process of becoming an entrepreneur.

I do not think education is a waste if you learn how to learn.  If you just get good grades but do not learn how to learn then you are just getting a piece a paper.  As Patrick eventually learned, but if you learn how to learn you can figure anything out.

Today's question is:
"Have you learned how to learn?"

365QOD- Day940

Shift Happens...did you catch it?

"Shift happens- profit from it"-sector rotational journal slogan

What a great slogan! We tend to think of change as bad.  If we are a bit more flexible we might even welcome some level of change.

But accepting change is one thing.  Benefiting from the change is a whole different level.  You have to be aware that the shift, the change, is starting to take place. 

Once aware, then plan your strategy. But that is not enough.  Up to this point it is all mental.  You must now execute your plan while looking for opportunities to improve it. No plan is prefect but believe in yourself enough to get the best result possible.

An example of a shift I am watching is the new smartwatch movement.  I believe that many sensors will integrate with it.  I am looking for shifts which I can exploit.

Today's question is:
"Do you profit from shifts?"

365QOD- Day939

Knowledge is NOT Power

"Certainty, knowledge is the lock and the key is the question."- Saf El Sadiq

The expression that knowledge is power is very dangerous. It is not the learning of new that gives us power. The power comes from the application of that knowledge.

Interesting thing about the quote is that in order to get the knowledge we must continue to ask questions.  But an interesting thing happens on the way to the question. We don't ask it.

The sad reality is that when we just start learning we are afraid to ask questions so that we do not look foolish. Not looking foolish is more important to us than gaining the knowledge.

On the other extreme is when we are informed and gained some knowledge and we start to believe that we know it all.  At this point we do not dare ask a question because we do not want to admit that we still got more to learn.

So the sweet spot is between these two stages.  It is the plateau whew we tend to not feel the improvements we are making and feel the need to continue learning.

Today's question is:
"How do you prolong your questioning plateau?"