The luck factor

May 15, 2012

Professor Richard Wiseman has spent many years trying to understand why some people seem to enjoy more good fortune than others. Were they born under a lucky star or sprinkled with some sort of magic dust?

Of course not. After many years of experimentation Wiseman boiled it down to four simple things that lucky people tend to do that unlucky people don’t. It’s all about attitude, behaviour and beliefs. Here’s what lucky people do….

1. They make chance opportunities – you have to be in it to win it. If you don’t make attempts to get what you want, you are unlikely to get it.
2. They listen to lucky hunches – There’s a lot going on in our subconscious. Some people have tuned it out and stopped listening to their intuition.
3. They believe in good fortune – because they create a compelling and positive picture of the future they become more persistent and tenacious when it comes to making things happen.
4. They turn bad luck to good – everybody will have some ill fortune in their lives. Lucky people tend to look at the positive things that would not have happened without their misfortune.

The great thing is that these are all really easy to do. Now there’s a stroke of luck.

I have no special talent

May 14, 2012

“I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious”

Albert Einstein

Think like an eight year old

May 11, 2012

Remember when you were eight years old and anything seemed possible? It was a time of boldness, magic and genius. The trouble is, our teachers get hold of us and they drill us and test us and compare us. They start to fit us up with adult world blinkers and tie us up in mental locks, until many people feel stifled, locked in and trapped.

It’s convenient for teachers to have a right answer. In life there are many right answers. If you’re locked up in an adult world that’s not making you happy, try looking at your problem through the eyes of an eight year old. Here’s how they are able to be naturally creative…

1. They don’t get fixated on looking for one right answer
2. They don’t try to enforce logical thinking
3. They dream
4. They forget ‘the rules’
5. They think about things that are not practical
6. They play
7. They explore
8. They don’t mind looking foolish
9. They don’t worry too much about making mistakes
10. They BELIEVE that they are creative

There are many right answers and anything is possible. Just try to remember to think like an eight year old.

Coffeehouse Culture Club

May 10, 2012

Coffeehouses are having something of a revival. In the 1800’s they were everywhere. They were place where the great thinkers and polymaths met to share ideas and test out theories. Before iPad’s and laptops, people like Darwin and Brunel set down their thoughts in Commonplace Books. These were note books which acted as a ‘common place’ for ideas of all kinds. What’s really interesting, especially in a world where we seem to know more and more about less and less, is the breadth of thought in these old commonplace books. Brunel might have a design for a bridge next to a poem, underneath a sketch for a new kind of table lamp alongside some thoughts on cognitive development.

Thinking about many different things and sharing thoughts and ideas is one of the ways that good ideas happen.

Whether you’re an accountant, banker or doctor don’t get stuck in your professional rut today. Design a lamp and write a poem.

Ping a Pong

May 9, 2012

My friend Norman has just begun a new job at Chess plc. As he was becoming acquainted with his new surroundings he noticed a large funnel shaped vessel in the corner of the office containing ping pong balls with names like ‘Brian’, ‘Linda’ and ‘Phil’ written on them in felt pen.

Curious, he asked a colleague what this was all about. It seems that each senior manager is given a box of ping pong balls. When they notice any member of staff doing a small act that goes above and beyond the call of duty, they award them a ball and write their name on it. Once a month, one ball is drawn out of the funnel at random and the lucky staff member is awarded a significant prize such as a holiday for two.

Imagine the power of 150 people trying to do small extra things for their customers every day. All of those pings mount up.

Do something nice for someone today and ping yourself a pong.

Money CAN buy you happiness….just give it away

May 8, 2012

This goes against everything that we have been led to believe. Surely it cant be right. Yet researchers at Harvard University have proven that there is a way that money can make you happy……you just have to give it away.

Students were given envelopes containing cash, between $5 and $15, along with a note about what they should do with it. Half were told to spend it on themselves, the other half were told to spend it on somebody else. They all rated their happiness levels before and after the experience.

Those who indulged themselves showed no change in happiness, whilst the people who did something for others, even it was a small thing, showed significant increases in how happy they felt afterwards.

Feeling a bit down today? Do something small for somebody else.

See Michael Norton’s TED talk on this here

Seeing the Blossom

April 26, 2012

English playwright Dennis Potter was prolific and had an eccentric style of writing. He saw the world in unusual ways and then added music of the lip sync variety giving rise to plays like The Singing Detective and Pennies from Heaven.

Potter died of cancer in 1994, and knowing that he was about to die, gave an interview with Sir Melvyn Bragg. In it he said “Below my window in Ross, the blossom is out in full now….it’s a plum tree, it looks like apple blossom but it’s white, and looking at it through the window when I’m writing, I SEE it is the whitest, frothiest, blossomest blossom that there ever could be, and I can see it…..the fact is, if you see the present tense, boy do you see it! And boy can you celebrate it.”

The blossom is out today. You can ruminate on the past or worry about the future. Why not live in the present tense for a moment and SEE the blossom?

Formula Fun

April 25, 2012

Doing business doesn’t have to be dull. I meet every so often with a couple of women and we try to help each other get to where we are trying to get to. Marina wanted to create an animation series that tapped into the passion that her son and husband have for motor racing. So she sold her house, used the money to make a thirty second trailer, won an award at The Cannes Film Festival and then raised several million pounds to make the series…well you do don’t you? I saw her yesterday and she reminded me that the business is called Formula Fun and that the ‘fun’ is the crucial ingredient of her business. The other lady is Dawn, who wants to get business and public places to adopt the principles of Feng Shui, but it seemed a bit too serious for a lot of people so she has repackaged the principles in a programme called Fun Shui. So, I thought why shouldn’t I put a bit of fun in my life? I wanted to take The School of Curiosity on the road, so on Sunday night, I went on Ebay and purchased ‘Clementine’ a forty year old V Dub Campervan.

Fun and business can go together. Any thoughts?

Happy Tuesdays

April 24, 2012

The Greek philosopher Epicurus dedicated his life to trying to understand what it is that makes us happy. Often it is the things that we regard as small and simple rather than securing our place in The Rich List. All credit to The Independent on Sunday who this week published their fifth annual Happy List, comprising 100 people who are doing things that contribute to the happiness of others http://bit.ly/qo8pK7. Maybe we can’t all get onto The Rich List, but we have all got the chance to make it onto next years Happy List.

Start today. Be happy.

Love it into greatness

April 23, 2012

Monday mornings can be hard, especially when its wet and grey like today. Sometimes we just need a lift. We need to remember what we are about. This from Norman Vincent Peale always gets me going…..

“Think enthusiastically about everything: but especially about your job. If you do, you’ll put a touch of glory in your life. If you love your job with enthusiasm, you’ll shake it to pieces. You’ll love it into greatness”

Here’s to loving it into greatness, this exciting Monday morning.