This word had cropped up a few times recently for me in different contexts and the coincidence is undeniable.
Resistance is the central feature of Steven Pressfield's book "The War of Art" and in this sense it's the manifestation of procrastination and all the other negative things we invent which allow us to delay or put off the accomplishment of those objectives that really and truly matter to us.
Resistance is greatest on those things we love doing and are most passionate about. It's sly and cunning. The writing of this blog for example is my own resistance at doing what I should be doing. See what I mean ? "The War of Art" was created with an artistic audience in mind but parts of it are applicable to anyone that needs to be creative in their roles/ their lives. While I can't say I agree with everything he says in the book, it was a passionate expose of the struggle those that have a gift to offer, go through. Resistance is a common enemy to all of us though, and the word has popped up in a few different contexts of late which is a little ironic to me. It resembles those situations when you learn something new, and look up only to discover that it has surrounded you the entire time and you'd just never seen it.
Resistance is one of the past year's favorite songs for me (by Muse) and it speaks rhythmically to overcoming great odds and persevering. Resistance is also how I have come to think of three days of every week - in an exercise regime that pushes me beyond my own comfort zone, and my inner voice begs me to quit. When I have mastered these days, I know I can do anything, and Pressfield touches exactly that nerve in the "The War of Art".
As a testament to how strongly he feels about making us each aware and empowered to overcome our own version of resistance, he's made the book a complimentary download on various e-Reader platforms out there.
I'd urge you to grab it and devour it - and start to see how we each manifest resistance and are standing in our own way.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Some Favourite Music and Lyrics
I live in a household with quite eclectic musical tastes.
Some of us enjoy rap, others like very traditional oldies and new pop, and some enjoy dance music and top 40 hits. I happen to enjoy some of each of the above, and also R&B, Classical, Jazz and some more rock-y bands from when I was younger.
The music I'm most interested in connecting to is probably rap - only because I really despised it when I first heard some, and wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt. My issue of late with rap is that the lyrics tend to be written by someone with a pre-school education - they're sophomoric, and I think if I hear "wich you" instead of "with you" one more time I'll cut my own ears off. Having said that though I'm told I tend to get exposed to more mainstream rap rather than than the 'better' intelligent stuff. I'm not sure about that, but I'll leave it be for now.
In thinking about music and lyrics, my favorite songs of this past year all have at least one killer line - that's the single element that jumps out to me when I think of the song, and it defines the song often for me. I wanted to offer an overview of some songs and their definitve lyrics, and invite you to think about your own favs the same way - I'll bet something similar come to mind. This is a personal list of course, and you'll no doubt disagree with some choices - but that's really the point...music is a way we express ourselves and in a way it's a celebration. We all celebrate a little differently - it's what makes the world a colorful mosaic.
Most Evocative - Eminem's - Love the way you Lie (part II) with Rihanna
Maybe our relationship isn't as crazy as it seems;
Maybe that's what happens when a tornado meets a volcano;
All I know is I love you too much to walk away though
A wonderfully deep and evocative story of a troubled relationship.
Most Honest - Marianas Trench - Beside You
I'm just trying to keep this together, because I could do worse, and you could do betterCohen is unquestionably a brilliant lyricist, and the song's pretty incredible too.
Look these up, they're all on Youtube and enjoy these killer lines in some great songs.
Some of us enjoy rap, others like very traditional oldies and new pop, and some enjoy dance music and top 40 hits. I happen to enjoy some of each of the above, and also R&B, Classical, Jazz and some more rock-y bands from when I was younger.
The music I'm most interested in connecting to is probably rap - only because I really despised it when I first heard some, and wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt. My issue of late with rap is that the lyrics tend to be written by someone with a pre-school education - they're sophomoric, and I think if I hear "wich you" instead of "with you" one more time I'll cut my own ears off. Having said that though I'm told I tend to get exposed to more mainstream rap rather than than the 'better' intelligent stuff. I'm not sure about that, but I'll leave it be for now.
In thinking about music and lyrics, my favorite songs of this past year all have at least one killer line - that's the single element that jumps out to me when I think of the song, and it defines the song often for me. I wanted to offer an overview of some songs and their definitve lyrics, and invite you to think about your own favs the same way - I'll bet something similar come to mind. This is a personal list of course, and you'll no doubt disagree with some choices - but that's really the point...music is a way we express ourselves and in a way it's a celebration. We all celebrate a little differently - it's what makes the world a colorful mosaic.
Most Evocative - Eminem's - Love the way you Lie (part II) with Rihanna
Maybe our relationship isn't as crazy as it seems;
Maybe that's what happens when a tornado meets a volcano;
All I know is I love you too much to walk away though
A wonderfully deep and evocative story of a troubled relationship.
Most Honest - Marianas Trench - Beside You
I'm just trying to keep this together, because I could do worse, and you could do betterCohen is unquestionably a brilliant lyricist, and the song's pretty incredible too.
Look these up, they're all on Youtube and enjoy these killer lines in some great songs.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Connecting
That family is not close, don't generally participate in each others daily lives and rarely assembles, but make an effort to do so at Christmas because connecting is that important.
Numerous friends spend the hours to write out Holiday cards by hand, recognizing that our relationships are significant enough to invest in like this, if only but once a year. They see connecting is that important.
We reach out to our far-away family members, and need a text, a mail, a FB update or best yet a Skype call every few days to help us get over the pain of separation, because connecting is that important.
One of my friends is sitting atop a roof, trying to get a cell signal, to touch the outside world. He's now directly in the line of fire as a result and risking his life, but connecting is that important.
It's a time of togetherness and for me that one idea carries the true meaning of the season - connecting really is that important for us all.
Numerous friends spend the hours to write out Holiday cards by hand, recognizing that our relationships are significant enough to invest in like this, if only but once a year. They see connecting is that important.
We reach out to our far-away family members, and need a text, a mail, a FB update or best yet a Skype call every few days to help us get over the pain of separation, because connecting is that important.
One of my friends is sitting atop a roof, trying to get a cell signal, to touch the outside world. He's now directly in the line of fire as a result and risking his life, but connecting is that important.
It's a time of togetherness and for me that one idea carries the true meaning of the season - connecting really is that important for us all.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
There's a Mole in our Protest Organization and It's Us
It's happening over and over, and it's very effectively debilitating the idea of organized protest.
You remember 'protest' don't you, from its glory days of the 60's ? People believed in a cause and due the emerging influence of the TV media, they got coverage and their message spread far and wide developing supporters in unlikely corners - supporters that were voters - and so governments listened. It was simpler times, and it represented with some hindsight, the peak of the ability to influence policy and direction through mass protests.
These days, you'd think organizers would have it easier. There's certainly no lack of causes - (insert your city here) G"x" protest, university fees, global warming, save the furry mammal, this war, that conflict, garbage dumps, changes to public transit...the list literally does go on and on and I haven't even mentioned the perennial favorites like poverty, abortion or homelessness or the cadre of social program changes out there. But - here's news - the anti-protest types are smarter at the moment, and they know how to effectively debilitate any protest out there...
You see the anti-protest types are using the eye of the media very effectively against demonstrators who've become complacent in their view of the publicity the generate. The "truth" it seems isn't enough anymore to create a rallying cry around their cause. That's because perception rules, and the 'anti' camps have begun to spin the story so that the truth is all but obscured. Instead you see masked protesters looting stores, flipping cars and causing damage, which all but eliminates the veracity for whatever cause it is. The TV pictures and print & online media stories and twitter updates are about how uncontrolled and unruly the protest is (we expected Gandhi perhaps?), which means we the external audience lose our sympathy for those protesting...and if we voters don't care, then the powers that be who are being protested against, don't care. Voter in this sense carries both a literal and financial meaning.
So, if you were being targeted by some fair-thinking group that didn't like your policies, would your organization hire some folks to don masks and pretend to play along with the protests, and then do the visible bad stuff ? All with the intent of swaying public opinion ? I bet you would. In fact there's a growing chorus of accusations of this from various public bodies that have held protests in recent times.
Now, walk the steps of the fair-thinking group's protest organizers who have a sizable task just getting people out, to show support for their cause. They don't control the crowd, or issue wristbands to those protesting for them. After they set it in motion, they are bystanders to the wave of enthusiasm they helped generate. They're powerless to do much other than complain after the fact that their efforts were hijacked if that turns out to be the case. And afterward...well it's too late. The very nature of what they try to do (organize strangers) means open communications as well, enabling easy infiltration. So, I put forth that today's model of mass protest is screwed.
But there is an answer I think, and it lays with the very piece of leverage that has moved the balance of power. Media attention. Once protests drank from it in an age of innocence, and now the anti-protest groups manipulate it more effectively.
Think about this.. what was the most effective large protest in very recent times ? The Daily Show's "The Rally To Restore Sanity/Restore Fear" which drew over 200,000 to Washington. It was masterminded by the left/right/left wing approach that Stewart and Colbert very successfully bring to TV. While it's causes are interesting, they aren't material to this argument - the point here I'd make is that they succeeded in bringing an unpopular sentiment to large scale attention because they are masters of media spin. They controlled and managed the message fully.
The lesson here therefore is that to succeed you need a media consultant - a professional who does positioning, and secures the message to be brought by the crowd to the media, almost without the need for the crowd itself. Imagine a virtual protest, or even a threat of large scale protest. Get celebrities endorsing it, get excitement building about it, and get it all done without the uncontrollable masses being your delivery mechanism for the message. Organize it, get people on message and put it in cells where just anyone isn't allowed to join. This is a 21st century protest, and it'll do away with the biggest single issue any protest faces - our open involvement. You see in the world of mass demonstrations, we're our own worst enemy.
You remember 'protest' don't you, from its glory days of the 60's ? People believed in a cause and due the emerging influence of the TV media, they got coverage and their message spread far and wide developing supporters in unlikely corners - supporters that were voters - and so governments listened. It was simpler times, and it represented with some hindsight, the peak of the ability to influence policy and direction through mass protests.
These days, you'd think organizers would have it easier. There's certainly no lack of causes - (insert your city here) G"x" protest, university fees, global warming, save the furry mammal, this war, that conflict, garbage dumps, changes to public transit...the list literally does go on and on and I haven't even mentioned the perennial favorites like poverty, abortion or homelessness or the cadre of social program changes out there. But - here's news - the anti-protest types are smarter at the moment, and they know how to effectively debilitate any protest out there...
You see the anti-protest types are using the eye of the media very effectively against demonstrators who've become complacent in their view of the publicity the generate. The "truth" it seems isn't enough anymore to create a rallying cry around their cause. That's because perception rules, and the 'anti' camps have begun to spin the story so that the truth is all but obscured. Instead you see masked protesters looting stores, flipping cars and causing damage, which all but eliminates the veracity for whatever cause it is. The TV pictures and print & online media stories and twitter updates are about how uncontrolled and unruly the protest is (we expected Gandhi perhaps?), which means we the external audience lose our sympathy for those protesting...and if we voters don't care, then the powers that be who are being protested against, don't care. Voter in this sense carries both a literal and financial meaning.
So, if you were being targeted by some fair-thinking group that didn't like your policies, would your organization hire some folks to don masks and pretend to play along with the protests, and then do the visible bad stuff ? All with the intent of swaying public opinion ? I bet you would. In fact there's a growing chorus of accusations of this from various public bodies that have held protests in recent times.
Now, walk the steps of the fair-thinking group's protest organizers who have a sizable task just getting people out, to show support for their cause. They don't control the crowd, or issue wristbands to those protesting for them. After they set it in motion, they are bystanders to the wave of enthusiasm they helped generate. They're powerless to do much other than complain after the fact that their efforts were hijacked if that turns out to be the case. And afterward...well it's too late. The very nature of what they try to do (organize strangers) means open communications as well, enabling easy infiltration. So, I put forth that today's model of mass protest is screwed.
But there is an answer I think, and it lays with the very piece of leverage that has moved the balance of power. Media attention. Once protests drank from it in an age of innocence, and now the anti-protest groups manipulate it more effectively.
Think about this.. what was the most effective large protest in very recent times ? The Daily Show's "The Rally To Restore Sanity/Restore Fear" which drew over 200,000 to Washington. It was masterminded by the left/right/left wing approach that Stewart and Colbert very successfully bring to TV. While it's causes are interesting, they aren't material to this argument - the point here I'd make is that they succeeded in bringing an unpopular sentiment to large scale attention because they are masters of media spin. They controlled and managed the message fully.
The lesson here therefore is that to succeed you need a media consultant - a professional who does positioning, and secures the message to be brought by the crowd to the media, almost without the need for the crowd itself. Imagine a virtual protest, or even a threat of large scale protest. Get celebrities endorsing it, get excitement building about it, and get it all done without the uncontrollable masses being your delivery mechanism for the message. Organize it, get people on message and put it in cells where just anyone isn't allowed to join. This is a 21st century protest, and it'll do away with the biggest single issue any protest faces - our open involvement. You see in the world of mass demonstrations, we're our own worst enemy.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
The Days when it Just Seems too Hard
Some days we struggle to maintain our focus, our purpose and our energy.
It's natural, and one of the phrases I heard a while back that has echoed a little for me was that in order to focus, you must de-focus. Think about that one for a second, as it does make lots of sense. The original intent of it was different, but it works nicely here too I think.
When there's too much noise and clutter and other debilitating things that vie for our attention (like wasting time reading some vacuous blog!) coursing around us, we need to step back at times and gather ourselves, regroup if you want to call it that. It may take a moment, an hour or a year depending on the circumstances. You've heard people talk about the wonders of the power nap at work ? Same idea.
One thing were rarely given within our work-time confines is the freedom (in a defined time sense) to think and be creative, and that's another form of re-grouping and one that often re-energizes us for our tasks and helps us develop new, fresh approaches to the things we do.
I happen to be one of those people that likes a to-do list (not on Saturday's thanks very much though, honey) and I find simply revising this to refine and break down the various deliverables I have, helps me to see the larger picture and allows me to step back into whatever I'm doing at full pace. No doubt each of us has some trick they know that works for themselves.
I'm writing this today to promote the idea of giving yourself a little break, as the ability to re-focus, re-energize and re-purpose your own efforts will mean you're able to freshly apply yourself. It parallels the idea of giving a muscle a short break between exercises to allow it to rest, knowing you'll be needing its full power again shortly.
So, step back from what you're doing if it's just too difficult today. Take a breather, and re-structure the task as if you're the boss and then go at it again full steam ahead. You'll more creative and committed to the result that way.
You see, sometimes to go faster, you need to go slower.
It's natural, and one of the phrases I heard a while back that has echoed a little for me was that in order to focus, you must de-focus. Think about that one for a second, as it does make lots of sense. The original intent of it was different, but it works nicely here too I think.
When there's too much noise and clutter and other debilitating things that vie for our attention (like wasting time reading some vacuous blog!) coursing around us, we need to step back at times and gather ourselves, regroup if you want to call it that. It may take a moment, an hour or a year depending on the circumstances. You've heard people talk about the wonders of the power nap at work ? Same idea.
One thing were rarely given within our work-time confines is the freedom (in a defined time sense) to think and be creative, and that's another form of re-grouping and one that often re-energizes us for our tasks and helps us develop new, fresh approaches to the things we do.
I happen to be one of those people that likes a to-do list (not on Saturday's thanks very much though, honey) and I find simply revising this to refine and break down the various deliverables I have, helps me to see the larger picture and allows me to step back into whatever I'm doing at full pace. No doubt each of us has some trick they know that works for themselves.
I'm writing this today to promote the idea of giving yourself a little break, as the ability to re-focus, re-energize and re-purpose your own efforts will mean you're able to freshly apply yourself. It parallels the idea of giving a muscle a short break between exercises to allow it to rest, knowing you'll be needing its full power again shortly.
So, step back from what you're doing if it's just too difficult today. Take a breather, and re-structure the task as if you're the boss and then go at it again full steam ahead. You'll more creative and committed to the result that way.
You see, sometimes to go faster, you need to go slower.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Our Message in a Bottle
Is actually a gold plated record, made of copper. It contains greetings in 55 languages (I can't help but think the recipient will try to speak the 'earth' language and only be able to say Hello, Hello, Hello etc...) and it's currently 17,409,695,485 Km's from Earth. It's moving away from us at a mind-bending 18kms per second. (London-New York in 5 mins anyone ?).
It's Voyager 1, and it's the farthest object from the rest of us that our race as ever created. It's pushing well beyond the edge of the known solar system, having been in space since September 1977. It reflects our values, our message and our technology from that time.
If it were to be sent today, would we have included a DVD instead ? (or perhaps an iPod). How would our core messages have changed in 35 years..? Think now 50, 75 or even 250 years out...our message in a bottle will be a quaint antique reflecting how things were in an emerging technical society that less than 10 years earlier had made it's first footprints upon another stellar body. How different will we be, assuming we're still here..
Voyager 1 represents both the best of us in our reach towards expanding our own horizons, and the most myopic of us at the same time. It reflects a moment in time, captured immortal as if it was the most important. I pray whoever finds Voyager 1 (and happens to own a record player of the same vintage) takes pity on us and sees our impertinence as a virtue of youth.
It's Voyager 1, and it's the farthest object from the rest of us that our race as ever created. It's pushing well beyond the edge of the known solar system, having been in space since September 1977. It reflects our values, our message and our technology from that time.
If it were to be sent today, would we have included a DVD instead ? (or perhaps an iPod). How would our core messages have changed in 35 years..? Think now 50, 75 or even 250 years out...our message in a bottle will be a quaint antique reflecting how things were in an emerging technical society that less than 10 years earlier had made it's first footprints upon another stellar body. How different will we be, assuming we're still here..
Voyager 1 represents both the best of us in our reach towards expanding our own horizons, and the most myopic of us at the same time. It reflects a moment in time, captured immortal as if it was the most important. I pray whoever finds Voyager 1 (and happens to own a record player of the same vintage) takes pity on us and sees our impertinence as a virtue of youth.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
I Wish for Less
It's a common feature of any evolving product or service that over time it becomes 'bigger' or more complete. Features are added to please and attract more people and a by-product of that growth and depth is that it can lose it's initial attractiveness. It also invariably gets slower - that is the interface we have into it requires a few more choice and buttons that are placed there to give us options.
Rarely is anything ever trimmed to make it faster. In our commercial world, cares are probably the only commodity that actually offer this, but these 'versions' aren't designed for the masses, they are the limited edition racing-esque models for those that can afford to take their fancy car to the track and blitz around it. Back seats are removed, as is the stereo, all for extra money and some go-faster paint job.
In a software or application sense, rarely is the goal to make it simpler, and less onerous...more true to it's core purpose. And that's a shame as good applications or fine products that do exactly as promised are few and far between. Items such as an abacus, a compass, barbed wire or zippers have remained largely the same for hundreds or even thousands of years. Should it be necessary to upgrade to the latest version only to be slowed down in it's actual purpose ?
I don't think so, this is a case of less is more.
Rarely is anything ever trimmed to make it faster. In our commercial world, cares are probably the only commodity that actually offer this, but these 'versions' aren't designed for the masses, they are the limited edition racing-esque models for those that can afford to take their fancy car to the track and blitz around it. Back seats are removed, as is the stereo, all for extra money and some go-faster paint job.
In a software or application sense, rarely is the goal to make it simpler, and less onerous...more true to it's core purpose. And that's a shame as good applications or fine products that do exactly as promised are few and far between. Items such as an abacus, a compass, barbed wire or zippers have remained largely the same for hundreds or even thousands of years. Should it be necessary to upgrade to the latest version only to be slowed down in it's actual purpose ?
I don't think so, this is a case of less is more.
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