“If I’d asked my customers what they wanted, they’d have said a faster horse”

Steve Jobs followed a relatively similar mantra:

“People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”

Functionally, it’s a lesson of first principles; that is, maintaining rigid focus on the known “ends” while detaching yourself from the “means” that get you there.

In the case of transportation, it’s not about what vehicle that’s used to get you there, it’s that you want to get there more efficiently—faster, cheaper, more comfortably, etc.,. That’s why the car—not a slightly faster breed of horse—ended up revolutionizing the travel industry. Similarly, it won’t be a slightly more efficient plane pushes humanity into the next age of global travel but perhaps completely new mode of transportation (Elon Musk’s Hyperloop?).

Brian Chesky (Founder of AirBnB) explained it perfectly through a drill analogy. Namely, that people who are going to buy a drill don’t actually want to buy a drill, they want to buy the hole that it’s going to create. The “means” (drill) is irrelevant, so long as it provides the best, quickest, most affordable “end” (hole) as possible.

The point is not that incremental changes aren’t important. They are.

In-fact, the frequency disparity between incremental changes and complete disruptions is to be expected, as major disruptions naturally occur less and actually require incremental improvement to reach the “tipping point” of improved capability.

The point is, that we are naturally predisposed to work within the confines of what others have done or are doing rather than question the foundations on which they operate.

While entrepreneurship and innovation do provide an easy example in which to understand this concept, it can just as easily be applied almost every other aspect of your life. For example:

Sending out resumes to get a job? What are you actually trying to do (i.e. First Principles?) Get the attention of the interviewer? Prove your worth and expertise to the CEO? With that established, is a resume really the best way to do this? If not (definitely not!), then how do you approach this problem—fundamentally one of naturally connecting with another human being? How many paths will get you to this same end and how can you approach this problem differently—without deducing from analogy?

We have almost unlimited access to information, communication, and creative power—more than any other time in human history—but more often than not, we simply fail to ask the simple questions that allow us to see beyond the shadow of the status quo.

Limiting Beliefs

Every day I hear people talking about how established giants like Amazon and Facebook have already won—that you can’t compete. Bullshit.

While you may not be able to “out Amazon, Amazon” they surely are not the last mover in commerce—nor Facebook in social. Anyone who has read even the slightest amount of history knows that seemingly invincible giants have, without exception, always met their end.

Especially while living through an era that continues to witness the fall of previously unassailable corporations across countless industries, this notion is ridiculous.

Yet, with a few notable exceptions, an increasing number of us have inadvertently removed ourselves from viewing the world from this perspective.

Instead we try to copy what works, to iterate on an established framework, to color between the lines.

Sure, sometimes you hit a home run, but more often than not small changes get you small results…It’s hard to be remarkable when you and your organization insist on not changing the status quo

-Seth Godin

While there are a few recent examples such as AirBnB and Thalmatic Labs—also among the most inspiring and revered companies (coincidence?)—they are far and away the exception.  Movements such as the X Prize foundation, led by Peter Diamandis, are also doing wonders to push this type of “clean slate” thinking forward, and only further provides credence to the fact I’ve (hopefully) begun to establish here.

The fact being, that each and every one of us has the potential to become that visionary—that person or organization that changes everything. All we need is to start viewing the world in the proper light and start building our understanding through the “ends”, not the “means”.

If nothing else, we must understand that the status quo (even the relatively new status quo) is often nothing more than the standard of how things were done in the past—a relic of a different time.

As technology and our understanding of the world continues its rapid expansion, it’s our job as creatives, entrepreneurs, and innovators within companies to challenge every “how” that we encounter and bring it to modernity using the tools and experiences at our disposal.

While, yes, the cycle of major disruption does occur at seemingly regular intervals, I can’t help but believe that it is turning much slower than it could (should).

If there was even a slight increase in the percentage of the individuals around the world who began to regularly challenge the status quo in this way, the results—and our lives—would undoubtedly be much different.

The bigger they are, the harder they fall:

Look at the world today. What has been around forever? What institutions, companies, methodologies are accepted as the only “reasonable” means to an end? Are they really?

Just because something has been done one way for hundreds, or even thousands of years doesn’t make it invulnerable. More often than not, these longstanding tenants are exactly the places that are most vulnerable to disruption.

For starters, take a quick look at some of the biggest institutions around: education, religion, government, and traditional commerce.

Many of these organizations have survived thousands of years and have resisted or adapted in the face of a quickly evolving world—especially throughout the past decade. But do you really think that they’re unassailable? Do you really believe that the methods and ideas they were founded and sustained on will never be irreproachable? I would assert not.

Furthermore, the evidence is mounting that each one of these examples is already crumbling and about to be thrown on their heads.

-Education is about to be radically transformed by technologies and new ways of  inspiring creativity and growth in our youth. Changes that are long overdue, but will fundamentally erase prior traditions and established methods of education.

-Religion is crumbling by the day. Attendance has never been lower, institutions have never been more desperate (or corrupt), and athiesm is the fastest growing minority around the world.

-Government has grown increasingly inefficient in just about everything it does. As individuals continue to gain power, I expect there to be widespread changes in how this institution is perceived and allowed to interrupt and influence the lives of a newly empowered populace.

-Commerce is almost entirely disconnected from modern consumers. Mass-market approaches to engaging and nurturing customer relationships (an oxymoron if I’ve ever heard one) are fading in effectiveness by the day. (Luckily, we’re solving this one at LeanMIll.)

Take each one of these (and every other industry or niche you’re familiar with) and apply first principles. What principles dominate (Not necessarily the ones they preach (puns!!))? Has maximum efficiency been reached? Have they been slowly outdated as the world has moved forward?

If today you were to establish the entire space from square one, where would you start? Would you get the same thing we have now?

Hopefully the answer is clear.

Which begs the question: Are you working within the confines of outdated assumptions or weak foundations?

There’s a lot of room at the top. A slight change in world view and a bit of courage may be all that is separating you from being there.

It’s up to us all to deny the established, topple the giants, and move humanity forward.

Let’s get started…

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The post Drills, Horses, and the Inclination to Improve—Not Replace. appeared first on Undeferred Living: The Blog of Graham Mumm.

Your journey is far and perilous. Few individuals put in the effort or make the sacrifices, even fewer actually reach their destination. You’re running on an unconventional path—the road less traveled.

Your mind is clear, your determination unflinching, your goals in sight.

However as with anything, starting out cold turkey or going from 0 to 100 is generally not a brilliant idea. What you need…is training.

And what is great for training? That’s right, treadmills.

(…or weights, education, job experience, blah, blah, blah…take your pick of a relevant metaphor)

Now of course, depending on your goal, the type of training needed widely differs, and at least metaphorically speaking, requires much less than you would think.

Want to win the Boston marathon? Probably not a good idea to just “wing it” and see what happens.

Walking a 5K for charity? Probably not necessary to put yourself through a year of SealFit just to be sure you’ll be able to cross the finish line when the day comes.

On the same note, running 5 miles every day for four years (here we go again) just so you can enter a powerlifting competition doesn’t make much, if any, sense. (See what I did there?)

However, as important as different types, lengths, and intensities of training are to eventually reach your ultimate goal, often the most dangerous obstacle is also the hardest one to spot.

That is, recognizing that you’re on a treadmill when you think you’re running the race.

Enter the treadmill paradox.

Imagine this:

You’re at the starting line, you’re ready to begin the race, to make things happen. You may not be completely ready (no one ever is) but at least you’re not starting from square zero.

You start running.

You’re putting in tremendous amounts of effort. Straining as you push yourself further and ever faster. The sweat, the exhaustion, the burning, the sacrifice; none of it matter, you’re going to push through, you’re going to make it.

After a while, you find your stride, it becomes easier (not necessarily “easy”) to maintain the pace you’ve attained. You put your head down and keep moving.

Then, finally exhausted, you throw in the towel, and stop. Only moments later to look down and realize you’ve been running on a treadmill the entire time.

So here you are, tired, sweaty, exhausted, and frustrated—just like those crossing the finish line—but without the medal, the experience, the beautiful scenery, and all the other unexpected challenges and breakthroughs that make such a race worth running.

Sure you’re probably in better shape than when you started, slightly better prepared for an actual race, but your most valuable assets—time and youth—can never replenished.

Full of movement, void of progress.

Training is important—there’s no doubt—but mistaking training for competing is deadly.

Staying busy, burning the midnight oil, checking off one more task as complete, staying extra for practice or working especially hard has become more of a badge of honor than ever before. After all, it proves that we’re hungry for it—that we’re willing to go the extra mile.

You constantly reassure yourself that you’re working harder than everyone around you (you probably are), that you’re ahead of the game, that you’re further than you’re supposed to be (Stop comparing yourself), that you’re making progress.

Yet, it’s this very work ethic—this crazy insanity and focus—that can blind us from the real prize and ultimately delay our efforts and waste what preciously little time we have.

It’s easy to feel movement, but it’s vital to measure progress.

Unfortunately the “treadmill of life” is a sneaky little bastard and will take every chance it can get to jump back into your life.

Trust me, I’ve lived it.

I’ve spent so many of the past few years in a perpetual cycle of preparation: Reading more than anyone I know, constantly researching and tweaking plans in the pursuit of perfection, and waiting for the perfect moment even when I know that no such thing exists.

Just a little closer…

Just a few more days

A couple more books…

One more training session…

Another blog article…

Then I’ll be ready to prove myself. Then I’ll be successful…

Only to realize I’ve waited far too long and spend way too many hours training when I should have been out running the race. Of course preparation is needed, but often much less than is apparent…or at least much less than you’ve convinced yourself is necessary.

How you measure this progress is subjective to your particular goal, but always comes down to being brutally honest with yourself.

Are you really in a better place or closer to your goals than you were a year ago? A month ago? A day ago? Or are you just spinning your wheels in an illusion of movement?

If you keep doing what you’re doing now, where will you be in a week? A month? A year?

Is that where you want to be?

Don’t stop training, don’t stop learning, but always be sure to measure. Look forward to where you need to be, determine out the milestones along the way, take action, and make it happen.

Whatever you do, don’t spend your life on a treadmill—spending all your heart, soul, time and effort, just to find out that you’re in exactly the same place you started…

(If you like this article, you can upvote on HackerNews (search for title) or Reddit (below). Of course, likes and tweets are also appreciated)

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The post Get off the Treadmill—Your Life Depends on it. appeared first on Undeferred Living: The Blog of Graham Mumm.

“How do you really know when you’re passionate about something?”

In other words, where should you concentrate your efforts when not guided by a clear vision of where you want to go, what you want to become, or what you want to achieve?

How do you get to a point of clarity in purpose and pursuit?

Now in the moment I probably could have answered better than I did, but until that point, I hadn’t really taken great pains to figure out exactly how one actually goes about approaching this problem.

Yet when looking over my own experiences in parallel to others doing something they love, it seems as though there is a common underlying strategy to discovering, pursuing, and eventually, living a life that both excites us and provides the sense of fulfillment that we crave.

No Decision is final

Now the easy answer is, that to a certain extent, you never really have to make any final decisions about the direction of your personal or professional life.

Let me reiterate. No decision is ever FINAL.

No matter if you just finished law school or have spent your entire life in any number of highly specialized fields, the option to change is omnipresent.

Yet almost all of us are brought up to believe that we must make the most important decisions of our lives before we ever even get to really experience the world.  Not only to make a decision, but to commit to it, whether we’re ready or not we’re really ready.

The inspiring and open-ended questions of our youth “What do you want to be when you grow up?” quickly turns into seemingly permanent life decisions…

“What is your major?”

“What career are you going to choose?”

AKA: “How are you going to fit in?”

In a society that expects, no, demands, that “concrete” decisions be made regardless of whether we , it’s no wonder why so many people work jobs they hate; lack passion and fulfillment in their lives; and more than anything else, fear taking back those decisions that were often made many years prior—those that they have already invested so much time and effort in.

Yet, nothing could be farther from the truth.

It is fear, and fear alone, that drives these insecurities and emotions that keep us rooted where we are–maintaining the gap between where we stand and where we really want to be.

Do not take this to mean that you don’t have to make decisions. Creating the life you envision requires not only decisions, but quick and persistent action after those decisions have been made.

Nor is this a suggestion to become one of those people who never commit to anything for any substantial amount of time. Whether from jumping from job to job, project to project, or person to person every few months, most of these people are either looking for shortcuts (there are none) or are extremely insecure. My advice: Don’t involve yourself with them. Their subtle manipulative tendencies will cause nothing but stress and turmoil.

Instead take the middle ground. Pivoting or changing paths even as much as every 3-5 years has become normal, and is probably even healthy for your overall progress. Once again, the lesson is simple:

You can always quit. You can always change paths. No decision is FINAL.

If you’re already well along a path–”committed”–, who gives a fuck? Think of all the time you’ve already wasted. Do you really want to waste even more?

Are you really passionate about your work/life? Or have you just made a prior decision, and feel “committed” to following it through to the end?

Quitting after careful deliberation and really getting a “taste” of the life that is to come doesn’t make you a quitter, it makes you intelligent. There is no obligation to past decisions like this.

For further reference, check out Albert Einstein’s definition of “insanity” and relate it to your current situation, if need be.

When we realize the reality of the world we now live–along with the convertible nature of almost every experience we encounter–we quickly realize that this fear is not only trivial, but easily defeated and almost certainly more perceived doom than actual risk.

The best time to quit was yesterday, the second best time is right now.

Tomorrow is almost certainly too late.

Experience: The convertible currency of Life

The near limitless nature of modern communication and infrastructure now allows for an unprecedented amount of versatility and movement between passions and professions.

Unless you’re on your death-bed, the chances for making almost any kind of transition (sure, some changes are nearly impossible after a certain point. Think astronauts or professional athlete)

Yet even in cases of large transitions—while it is inevitable that you will have to forgo some of your expertise or domain knowledge—the probability that you’ll have to start from square one is just about zero.

The essence of almost all we do is based around core social and behavioral interactions that are present in almost any industry or profession or endeavor.

If you absolutely can’t find a parallel, you’re most certainly asking the wrong questions, in which case, the only option is to just do it. Movement is key to discovery.

 Step One: Just do it

Don’t know what direction to take yet? What passion to pursue? Tired of the reality that is your life?

Then take action. Get involved. Learn more.

The compass of passion and purpose is developed from a combination of experience and knowledge—often coming hand-in-hand.

The more you get involved, the more you learn about different endeavors and immerse yourself in the world you envision, the more you can accurately gauge the direction you’re headed.

On the same note, waiting for the opportunity to find you is a fool’s errand. Wait long enough, and you’ll be looking back on your life with a permanent taste of regret. Each and every day a wasted opportunity to take that initial step that could have changed everything.

Instead, take action today.

Ramit Sethi defines this complacency even further in a recent article:

What you’re seeing is the difference between what’s IMPORTANT and what’s URGENT.

It’s always urgent to respond to that email, or to watch that TV show, or to do any of the 50 things we’re confronted with each day. But doing the important things is more difficult.

Cultivating a network, managing our finances, really discovering what we love — these are things that are more important than any email. Yet we don’t do them because we wait to “figure it out” later.

That’s why we put it off for one more day, then another and another. Pretty soon, 10 years have gone by and we’re in a similar job as yesterday. Or we’ve hopped from job to job, never really knowing what you want, how to find it, and how to connect it to a Dream Job.

Some of us are even making 6 figures, but still not where we want to be. So what do we do? Usually, nothing. We claim we need to “figure it out” some day.

For some of us, we get motivated like a sputtering engine — sending out 20 or 30 resumes in a month — but when we don’t hear back, we settle back down, resigned to our place in life.

Small, Quick Iterations

Now this doesn’t mean you should immediately go out and make huge commitments and dive blindly at anything that interests you.

Instead initially you should get involved with smaller, basic activities to “get your feet wet”, so to speak and really see if your “passion” is rooted in anything, or simply an aggrandized idea in your head. A Lean Startup approach to life, if you will.

How? There are more options than ever but here’s a few ideas to get you started

-Join a Meetup or group around your local area.

-Subscribe to blogs about the subject and industries that interest you.

-Start reaching out to thought leaders and communicating with peers, or professionals in the industry.

-Connect with those who are already in the positions you desire.

-Start a blog.

-Share your ideas with anyone and everyone

and countless others…

Your options in this regard are nearly endless. It doesn’t have to be complicated. People are often much more receptive than you could ever imagine. Even something as simple as sending out a few tweets or emails could be all you need to get started down the path towards your dreams and ultimate reality.

Moving isn’t the same as making progress

While these initial steps are surely important, don’t let these small steps become the final solution. Always be moving towards new experiences and more involvement. Just like the comforts of a steady paycheck from a job you hate, it is too easy to fall into the trap of false security that comes from these initial forms or action.

Which is why measuring your progress and being completely honest with yourself is vital to this entire process.

Where am I today?

Is my current state significantly different from where I was yesterday? Last week? Last year?

Am I actually progressing? Or simply treading water?

Am I rationalizing small actions or events to create an illusion of movement and hide the reality of irrelevance or lack of real achievement?

And finally, Where do I want to be tomorrow?

Pursuing progress and continued growth is the only way you’ll ultimately come to the realization that, yes, indeed, this is the correct life path for you or no, this isn’t the right path for me.

At that point you have a choice to make:

1- Pivot: Make a slight change of direction in the current field to better align with your vision or dream job.

2- Start down a new path: Drop uninspired pursuits and use your experiences to better define your next course of action.

Getting through the “Dip”

Now it’s important to get far enough down your chosen path to know almost for certain whether it’s the right path or not. In other words, getting through the dip, or the period of middle ground of hardship and struggle, is a fundamental part of any worthwhile endeavor.

For clarification, here’s Seth Godin (who also wrote a great book on the very subject)

Every new project (or job, or hobby, or company) starts out exciting and fun.

Then it gets harder and less fun, until it hits a low point-really hard, and not much fun at all. And then you find yourself asking if the goal is even worth the hassle. Maybe you’re in a Dip-a temporary setback that will get better if you keep pushing. But maybe it’s really a Cul-de-Sac, which will never get better, no matter how hard you try.

What really sets superstars apart from everyone else is the ability to escape dead ends quickly, while staying focused and motivated when it really counts. Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt-until they commit to beating the right Dip for the right reasons.

Are you quitting/changing course because it’s too much work or you aren’t an instant success? Or have you uncovered something about yourself or this particular path that changes your fundamental outlook on your “passion”?

Graham: Future Spec Ops Warrior…Or Not?

As an example: For the longest time I wanted to be a Navy Seal. I trained at an insane pace for many years of my life (training in sub-zero temps at 5am before school) and reading all I could about becoming one of the most relentless, elite warriors on the planet.

Yet, the more I immersed myself, the more people I talked with, and the more I aligned my life with this ultimate goal, the more I felt something was missing.

I found the passion that initially drove me towards this pursuit was slowly diminishing. It wasn’t the difficult work or the expected barriers, but rather, as the scope of my understanding and experiences increased, I found that following this path would ultimately leave me unfulfilled in other important aspects of my life.

Particularly, in the limited freedom of creativity and open expression that a military life entails.

So I pivoted. Taking the intense competitiveness and drive I had gained from this period of my life, and transferred it into the world of entrepreneurship. A world where the level of potential achievement and lifestyle was much better orientated towards what I truly passionate about: Unlimited level of personal achievement; extreme challenges; adventures and risk; the opportunity to go where no one has gone before; and the unlimited ability to create my own future as I saw fit.

Elon Musk – A personal hero of mine.

In this way, I see my change as more of a pivot than a complete change in direction. A parallel transfer of intensity and focus to a path that was better suited to my passions and life vision.

Moral of the Story: You’ll never know until you just get out there and do it.

Start with small steps. Test the water and begin moving in the direction of something that interests you. As you progress, it will become apparent whether the path you are on is the one that is meant for you.

The most important thing is being honest with yourself.

What is really driving you? Where do your passions and excitement for life really lie?

The second most important thing is to initiate.

Start new experiences. Just get out there and do it. Start, start, and start again.

Whether or not it turns out to be the right path, your experiences will almost certainly result in growth and greater clarity in one way or another.

So get out there and start already.

The undeferred life is waiting…

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The post How Do You Know? Reflections on Passion and Purpose appeared first on Undeferred Living: The Blog of Graham Mumm.

Without a doubt, there are a lot of shitty jobs out there.

Yet for the most part, we don’t recognize them as the shitty jobs they are.

They hide behind our all too familiar rationalizations and/or excuses of “paying my dues”, “working up the corporate ladder”, or—the most deceiving of all—being very well paid.

Unlike their traditional contemporaries—Washing dishes, cleaning toilets (literally “shitty”), mining, (insert others)…—these shitty jobs hide in plain sight under the facade of not just socially acceptable, but as “desirable” positions/careers.

Due to this covert nature, these  shitty jobs are often much more dangerous than their traditional counterparts simply for the fact that we don’t always outwardly recognize them as such.

The fundamental difference is simple.

If you’re working a “traditional shit-job”, it’s only a matter of time before someone asks you something along the lines of; “Hey what they hell you’re doing with your life?” Or “what else are you doing to ‘escape’?” In other words, they come with an outright assumption that you’re not happy, or at the very least, working below your potential.

However when shitty-jobs are hidden under the guise of a big brand or a respected/desirable position, they often invoke the exact opposite response.

Instead of getting questions about your well-being, you receive support and acknowledgement such as, ”oh, awesome! Glad you’re doing so well!”, or “Sounds great, I wish I could get into ____”, and on and on and on…

Haul trash and people want to help you. Walk out of an office building and people automatically assume you have everything you want or could ever need.

Definition

While shitty jobs have occupied just about every position and category—from entry-level to CEO—the definition is a very subjective one.

No one can tell you that your job sucks, except you (even traditionally speaking…I’m sure there are some passionate janitors out there somewhere). Therefore instead of an occupation or a title, it’s mostly a matter of your individual preferences, goals, and experience that matter most.

In essence, you know a shitty job when you cross one.

SYMPTOMS

Are you excited about your work?

Are you doing something that matters?

Are you growing and developing through your work? (As opposed to doing the same thing day after day)

No? Well then you may have a shitty job…

Is your paycheck the only reason you’re staying at your current job?

Are you stuck watching the clock day after day?

Do you constantly catch yourself wishing for the weekend?

Is escaping work for your short vacation the highlight of your year? The only thing that gets you through another week?

Is working your way up the corporate ladder really just an excuse to bide your time until fortune’s favors some how rain down upon you?

Yes? Well, then you may have a shitty job…

Getting Out

If you do have a shitty job, what are you doing to escape?

A major side project? Are you working on something that matters? Educating yourself? Building something? Creating? Reaching out? Making an impact? Are you taking every chance you can get to move one more step away from where you’re at and taking one more step closer to where you want to be?

Are you putting up with your shit job because you are actively building yourself in other ways?

Are you investing in your future?

Or trading your life for paychecks?

The Undeferred Cycle

Part of the reason shitty jobs so often turn into careers is that we end up convincing ourselves that our weekly misery will be worth it in the long-run—i.e. “Paying your dues”. We give up our todays for the promise of happiness in a much distant future (retirement, that raise, the promotion we deserve). We sit back and give control of our lives to the “inevitable” (mostly illusionary) gears of industry to slowly push us to the top.

We convince ourselves that our job is important, that it’s the correct time and place for us in our life, that we should be grateful that we even have a job, that it’s normal.

These thoughts inevitably turn shitty jobs into good jobs, dread into complacency, and eventually trade your dreams for “realities”.

Before we know it you’ve lived your entire life doing meaningless work in a shitty job you hate. What was once a decent job quickly turns into a lifelong struggle to rationalize your boring existence.

The longer you wait, the more comfortable you get, the deeper the illusion takes hold.

It Doesn’t Have to Be You

If you’re not crazy passionate about what you’re doing or where you’re going, what are you doing to get out? How are you taking the steps necessary to move yourself closer to your goals and the ultimate vision for your life?

Walking down the same path as everyone else just because everyone else is already doing it isn’t a good career path, it’s a chance to do something great that will never be replaced.

You always have the choice to stop. Maybe not today, but at the very least, you can—and should—start taking those first steps right now, this instant.

The reality is there will always be shit jobs and we will always need someone to do them.

But that doesn’t mean that you have to be the one who does it…

Always interest to meet exciting people. Feel free to shoot me an email or follow me through the links below.

Follow @GrahamMumm

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The post It Doesn’t Have to Be You—The Surprising Reality of Shitty Jobs appeared first on Undeferred Living: The Blog of Graham Mumm.

Entrepreneurs have long since held grandiose beliefs and aspirations about how they’re going to “revolutionize” the world. Constantly chattering about how they’re going to create, innovate, or are already building “the next big thing” (not including chronic wantrepreneurs). Putting up with the worst of hours, unimaginable workloads, and the most difficult of problems that have yet to be solved.

But why? What makes an entrepreneur tick? Why put up with so much risk and uncertainty?

Surprisingly it’s not that  frequent of a question—at least in my experience. As far as I can tell, most people take the answer to be so obvious they don’t even bother asking.

“To make a billion dollars, cash out, and spend the rest of your life on a yacht.”

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tetsumo/

While on the surface it may appear that there’s little more to it, I can’t help but smile whenever this stereotype makes an appearance. Sure there are many out there with solely this goal in mind, but they usually don’t last long in the naturally turbulent cycles of early stage ventures. For everyone else and—dare I say—pretty much every super successful person that has made it, there’s always a deeper dynamic at work.

That doesn’t mean that money isn’t important—it is—but simply demonstrates the fact that after Maslow’s basic requirements are met, money alone generally doesn’t drive people to the creativity and intensity that building a great company or product entails.

Plus—generally speaking, of course—the odds of “making it big” are pretty slim. Even if you can get a business up and running, chances are you’ll either become quickly irrelevant or simply won’t have the market or ability to scale into the next huge success. Average is much more likely for most businesses (also the biggest threat they face)— especially if money is the only thing motivating you.

But every once in a while there comes along a person or a company that changes everything. A creation that ignites a movement or unleashes a new technology that literally shakes the foundations of global industry and directly impacts how we see the world and go about our day-to-day lives.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/scobleizer/

At some level, we all want to contribute to this ultimate form of disruption. It’s the things that dreams are made of: the fuel to get us through the dips we inevitably will face; a performance at a level of inventiveness and execution that’s few and far between; the masterpieces of creation reserved for the best and the brightest—the legends of our field.

Yet even with the knowledge that most attempts will never get that far, the movement grows, the ideas continue to multiply, and the dreams remain unrelenting in their advance—all in the pursuit of creation.

Because in essence, that is what we are: Creators and visionaries. We build businesses not only because they could potentially make us a nice sum of money, but because we are passionate about the process that one must follow to get there.

We do it because we love the actual act of bringing something into existence—of building something great. We do it because it’s a damn good time. We do it because we realize that there is nothing more valuable than the freedom creativity brings. We do it because moving from point 0 to 1 is an innately addicting activity.

We do it because no one else will.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/krikit/

At the end of the day creation on any level takes an absurd amount of commitment and perseverance that few are able to hack (Hello, pun). For those who can, there are even fewer able to push the limits even further and scale their creation onto the world stage. Fewer still that are fast and powerful enough to take over industry titans.

Yet this is—at least on some level—what we all aspire to.

To set the new paradigm, to inspire the next generation, to move the world in the right direction.

And even then, the cycle will repeat.

There will always be another group of dreamers working in their garages, dorm rooms, or homes. There will always be the next level of innovation waiting to be discovered. There will always be the leaders of tomorrow constantly hacking away at the foundations of the establishments and the status quo of today.

Not for the money, not for the fame, but simply because we can.

Because that’s who we are…

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“I Wish…”

“I wish I had a better job…”

“I wish I ‘hit it big’/won the lottery…”

“I wish I didn’t have to go to work anymore…”

“I wish I wasn’t so fat…”

“I wish I could travel the world…”

“I wish I was the one who made Facebook.com”

“I wish I was as lucky as (fill-in any successful person here)…”

“I wish, I wish, I wish…”

…..

There’s just one thing…

We live in a world where virtually any accomplishment is within our reach…

Where “I wish” really means “I could, but I’m just too lazy to do anything about it.”

Stop Wishing and Go Do it Already

There is no such thing as limitation by circumstance…

There is no such thing as pure luck…

There are no more excuses…

You have all the tools you need…

Technology has given everyone the potential to be heard…

To influence…

To be taught…

To connect…

To teach…

To spread ideas

To lead

…

It’s not going to happen overnight, it’s not going to be easy, but it will be worth it…

Your work will be recognized, your efforts will be rewarded, but only if you lay the foundation by taking action…

Start now…

Stop Wishing, Stop Whining, Start Doing…

The choice is up to you…

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Did I Mention LeanMill was hiring?

Join the Most disruptive (according to us) Commerce Company Since Amazon.com. If You’ve Ever Wanted the Chance to Get in on the next big thing and take on industry giants, now’s your chance!

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Not too many years ago, I graduated from a well-known private university in the Midwest with degrees in Mathematics and International Business. My parents were proud, and—at least from popular society’s perspective—I was well on my way to getting a decent job and living “the dream” in the “real world.” After all, I had firmly in my grasp a degree that “proved” I deserved—or at the very least demonstrated that I had the basic capabilities required for—one of those highly sought after ground-level gigs. What more could a young man want?

And so lived Graham happily ever after…

Well not quite.

As you know (unless this is your first time at Undeferred Living), my passions has long since lived within the entrepreneurial realm, and furthermore, my view on higher education’s relation to business (among others) is not positive—to say the least (America’s biggest problem, 4 Years to Nowhere).  So while I wasn’t searching for a post-graduate job, at least I had the documents to “prove” I was properly prepared for a position in case employment became my only option to survive.

But wait…What does “prepared” really mean? What had I really achieved? Was I actually any different on my graduation day then when I first set foot on campus? What did this absurdly expensive and time-consuming degree really signify? Was I really ready to enter the world as my university had continuously promised (just like every other university on the planet, I might add) for the past four years (five or even six years if you include recruitment efforts)?

THE FALLACY

Well to be honest, I was far more than ready, but I am certain it had nothing to do with passing all my classes or getting decent scores on my tests. Perhaps I am a bit bias on this point, but I honestly cannot name one significant thing I learned from either of my degrees that I have ever applied to great success in any of my personal business ventures, strategic advising positions, or even in my employed years.  Nor can I name one “AHA!” moment of sheer and utter clarity (I have these moments quite often in my personal studies) that was the result of my formal education.

The real kicker is that this isn’t even something I’ve concluded in hindsight. You see, I already was an entrepreneur and active in the professional world while I was getting my degrees: Running my own internet businesses and flying around North America on the weekends as part of a fortune 500 marketing team. So not only was I open to and interested in my classes, but my overall success and day-to-day life was literally dependent upon what I was learning and how could take that knowledge into the real world. In other words, I was deeply involved in the business community and actively looking to learn and apply any lesson I could.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mysza/

Yet, even while being in possibly the best environment a student could have to immediately benefit from higher education, I walked away with little more than the memory of one too many multiple choice tests; over shit that wasn’t relevant then and isn’t relevant now.

THE SYSTEM OR THE STUDENT?

At times I felt like I was the only one missing out on what was happening during class. I often wondered if my Hypomanic mind had finally gotten the best of me. I worried that my inability to apply classroom lessons to the real world was some fault of my own. But then just as these thoughts would enter my head, I would look up and see myself surrounded by nothing but “human drones”: Eager to follow directions to a “T”, but unable to do much beyond recite overly formalized textbook definitions—even when a highly unique conversation or inquiry was brought to the table (annoying me to no end, might I add).

These students reminded me exactly of that guy in the bar from Good Will Hunting who thinks he’s smart because he memorized a quote from a textbook word-for-word. He sounds smart because he knows how to come off that way, but in reality, is quite incompetent when it comes to real world challenges (i.e. He can’t argue a point, defend his position, or do much of anything besides recite text from a book). Apply this situation to your industry, business, or life, and you’ll quickly see what I mean.

(yes, it’s a simplification…but you get the point)

I’m talking about the kind of knowledge that is basically worthless if any sort of worthwhile feedback or unique perspective is needed in a given situation (i.e. The only kind relevant in the “real world”)

Unfortunately, I’m not Will Hunting. I have, however, come to believe that this obvious separation of perception between the vast majority of my former classmates and I (and many of you like me) had far more to do with my self-education and how I applied it than anything I had experienced in the classroom setting.

We’re All F’ing Brilliant

Now to be clear, I’m no genius—or even on the higher end of the “smart scale” for that matter. I certainly know many people who have a far greater intellectual capacity than me. Yet even so, I feel as though in many, if not most ways, I’ve quickly out-paced these individuals in spite of my lower predisposition for intelligence.

The difference, I believe, lies in how we channel the brilliance that, at least to some degree, is innate within each one of us. A person with limited potential for intelligence (genetically speaking) that is cultivated in the proper way is almost always drastically better prepared for success than a genius directing all their energy at a useless endeavor, in a meaningless pursuit, or through inefficient channels. This is exactly how I feel about the standard educational system we have in place around our country and the world: A huge amount of wasted brilliance.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sfjalar/

When it comes down to it, it’s about the underlying process and mentality gap that often exists between letting yourself be “dragged” through your education and by taking personal responsibility to command the direction of your own learning. It’s not about knowing facts as it is about learning how to learn; that is—learning how to nimbly maneuver around unique situations and unforeseen circumstances.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/daly3d/

Facts are important, but not as much as you would think, and just about useless without a proper mentality to interpret and act off of them. This is the underlying reason that separates an encyclopedia stuffed full of facts from a well-educated person who knows exactly how, why, when, and where to act based on the situations and environments that are presented to them.

It’s also the reason why someone with 20 years experience in the real world is worth 180k while a student fresh out of school is worth 30K. Do you really think the professional with 2 years experience has been keeping up with the latest textbook releases? No? Then what the f**k?!? If it’s experience and insight that we value, shouldn’t that be where your priorities lie?

Who wants to hire an encyclopedia when we’ve got Wikipedia and Google just milliseconds away? Even better, who wants to do work that an encyclopedia or Wikipedia has already done? Exactly! (Note: If you answered “Me!” to this last question then get off my blog)

Lesson #1: Don’t be an encyclopedia.

Ryan Holiday summed it up perfectly in a blog post mentioning Richard Feynmen’s experiences teaching in Brazil (also a great book). In the article, Holiday writes:

“When he taught in Brazil, he realized that although the students often studied physics, they rarely understood it. To him, this was like reading Socrates in Greek but missing the philosophy. What people forget, he felt, was that the words themselves are relatively worthless. Their meaning is what has value.”

And therein lies all the difference. Knowing facts vs. knowing how to use and adapt your knowledge based on the unique situations you find yourself in. It’s all about actions and what you can actually do with the knowledge, not just simply having it.

Knowledge is simply a support mechanism for making better choices. If you don’t know how to act in the first place, it does little good what facts surrounding the circumstance you do have. It’s about the critical point where street smarts meet book smarts.

A HOUSE OF KNOWLEDGE

Think of it this way, factual knowledge is like the frame of a house. Applicable knowledge on the other hand is all the other stuff that fills in the gaps and makes the house suitable for living: the drywall, roof, shingles, windows, wiring, etc. Yes, while it’s true that it may be difficult to make a building without the frame (basic facts and knowledge), without knowledge of how to use the frame to make a home, you’re still just stuck with a bunch of sticks nailed together—not good for much of anything and definitely not something people are going to pay top dollar for. And this is where the illusion lies.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/syverson/

Formal schooling claims that all you need is the frame. That once you have that base knowledge of a few facts, you’re ready for the world. They paint it as the full picture when in reality, it’s only a small, easily accessible part. Especially with the rise of modern communication (i.e. the internet), the ability to build this “frame’ of knowledge is freely available to everyone on the planet.

The problem is that this is exactly the product the education system sells. A product that has been quickly reduced to a commodity in the last decade.  Instead of changing their strategy and methods towards applicable knowledge—and in doing so fully accept the fact that things have changed—the antiquated system is still pushing the old products while claiming they’re better than ever! The reality is, what they sell is largely a commodity available freely to everyone. Even more, what they sell keeps you in a state of helplessness and dependence on their classroom and/or someone constantly telling you what and how you should be acting and thinking. What they sell are nothing more than shackles for your mind.

Free yourself from this dependence. Learn how to learn and the world will be yours.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/colinsd40/

The New Reality

This seemingly small change in perspective makes all the difference in the world. Nearly all the value resides in the latter, while little to none in the prior (Unless you’re going to be on Jeopardy anytime soon). While this difference should be quite obvious, it all too often it is overlooked or completely ignored.

After all, it is far easier to memorize facts than it is to completely rearrange your mentality and outlook on the world.  It is far easier to shut up and listen to your professor, do your homework, or follow your boss’s instructions, than it is to go out on a limb and attempt to carve your own trail.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenhampshire/

By definition, this type of knowledge isn’t about following directions from any playbook, as it is about having the versatility to work in the unknown. Applicable knowledge is about creating a new path with what you have at your disposal; it’s about adapting and countering the blows thrown your way; it’s about rising up stronger, better, and faster than your opponents; and it’s about building long-term success into the future, despite what the world throws at your professional or personal life.

Henry Miller had it exactly right in The Books in My Life when he stated that,

Our whole theory of education is based on the absurd notion that we must learn to swim on land before tackling the water. It applies to the pursuit of the arts as well as to the pursuit of knowledge.

You see, there’s increasingly no manual to follow or cookie cutter solutions for the problems you’ll face.  There will be no textbook for reference and no guide for how anything “should” be done. Anyone can do that, and increasingly “anyone” is doing it— quicker and better than ever, I might add.

HOW DO YOU WANT TO SPEND YOUR LIFE?

But this goes so much deeper than just what I demand of my employees. Ultimately, this is about how you spend your life and what you do in your work.

Jobs worth having don’t require you to sit around and follow direction all day. No, they require you to unleash your creativity and insights by applying your skill or knowledge to unique problems in an interesting (and intelligent) way. No one ever enjoyed their job or life by following rote protocol all day, yet, so many of us (especially my peers in entry-level positions) put up with this on a day-to-day basis because we were never taught to think any other way.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenhampshire/

Applicable knowledge is everything while textbook (theoretical) knowledge has become nothing more than a commodity.

WHY IT MATTERS ( A MESSAGE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE EVERYWHERE)

For the past century the only people who really needed applicable knowledge were the top executives and entrepreneurs in the world. The barriers to entry for these positions were immense. Now anyone can launch a company in an afternoon, change the world in a week, or become a renown expert in a month.

You have an opportunity like never before: To get out of that job you hate, to live life the way you want to live it, to break free from the corporate traditions of the past, and for each one of us to create a better world through our individual choices and actions. This can only come about if we break free from the knowledge restraints that are binding us and the century old institutions that are doing little more than shackling us to their antiquated systems.

One of my many makeshift offices–Pottenstein, Germany

We have an immense opportunity—no, responsibility—to attain our potential and actively contribute to the world in whatever way we can. You won’t do it as a cog in the industrial machine, and you sure as hell won’t do it laying around and whining about how unfair the system is or by blaming some larger entity. Take some fucking responsibility for your own life already and make it happen. Be the change you want to see.

ATTAINING APPLICABLE KNOWLEDGE (A BEGINNER’S GUIDELINE–TWEET/FACEBOOK ME IF YOU WANT A DETAILED MANIFESTO)

While there surely are many approaches, I’ve found that the easiest way to start is through perspective learning, networking, and most importantly, experimentation.

-Perspective learning (books, blogs, etc…) allows you an inside look at the experiences of leaders and people on the front lines of your desired field. While not as good as actually getting out there and doing it yourself, they do provide the invaluable insight into the experiences, situations, and events that are often above and beyond your immediate capacity—potentially saving you much time, effort, and expensive mistakes in your own endeavors.  Perspective Learning is essentially a method of gaining experience and learning from people who are ahead of you in the game. View yourself in their shoes. Transition their mistakes, successes, or conflicts into your own life and business. Take a break from your learning to sketch out and immediately apply the lessons to your own life or business as they are presented to you. Immediate application is key!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ilovemypit/

As Abraham Lincoln once said:

-”A capacity, and taste, for reading, gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others. It is the key, or one of the keys, to the already solved problems. And not only so. It gives a relish, and facility, for successfully pursuing the [yet] unsolved ones.”

Now don’t take this to mean that all resources are good for applicable learning. There are plenty of books out there that deliver ideas without insight and that are no better than textbooks. That being said, there’s certainly no guarantee for applicable knowledge in any medium until you dive-in. In-fact, the only way to ensure you are learning actionable skills is to apply them immediately to what you are doing. Read about a new idea, apply it immediately, and repeat. Not only will you recall it better in future encounters, but you’ll see how it works in the real world and how it can ultimately be improved the next time around. Plus if the idea is a load of bullshit that doesn’t happen to work, you can discard it immediately (be sure…test, test, test).

-Networking allows you to increase your intellectual resources and reach throughout the world. We can’t do it all but usually there’s someone who can lend us a helping hand or provide guiding insight along the way. By building a network of real relationships, you expand beyond your own mind to the wealth of the knowledge that lies in your community.

For beginners, make sure you give much more than you ask or receive. It’s not about trying to get a favor out of someone, it’s about building a real relationship around common goals. This starts by giving freely to everyone you can. Social media makes it easier than ever, so get started today.

-Action creates the surest and most valuable form of education in existence. You’ll certainly fail much more than you succeed, but even so, you’ll always walk away with the invaluable knowledge that comes with failure. And once the successes do come, it will all have been well worth the struggle. So get out there and do it already.

THE QUESTION

When it comes down to it, applicable knowledge is about action and taking charge of your own learning experience. Once we decided we are in charge of our learning we free ourselves from all our limitations.

Do you want to struggle or do you want to thrive?

Do you want to learn or memorize?

The choice is up to you.

(for more related material on a daily basis, subscribe to my personal Facebook and follow me on Twitter)

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“Everything can be taken from a man or a woman but one thing: the last of human freedoms to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” -Viktor E. Frankl

Hurricane Sandy. The Japanese and South Asian Tsunamis. Tornadoes in the Midwest. Conflict in the Middle East. Massive floods, earthquakes, and countless other tragedies that fail to make headlines.

Wherever we look it seems as though disasters, both natural and man-made, are occurring more frequently and closer to home than ever before. Slowly but surely everyone on the planet is gradually coming closer to the realization that the next disaster could very well be in their own backyard; directly impacting loved ones, friends, property, livelihood, and future achievements.

From the poorest of nations to world super powers such as Japan and the United States, disaster, death, loss, and complete destruction ignore all boundaries of culture, economy, and location. Yet despite these often stark local differences, the people involved, as well as the world community as a whole, are found asking themselves the very same questions. Questions that we often fail to ask in the comfort of day-to-day life. Questions that speak to the very essence of what it is to be human. What it is to prosper, live happily, and be ever prepared for losses of all kinds—most of which are a mere fortune’s roll away.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/usnavy/

The reality of death and pain of losing everything have become more than just nightmares, they become our reality. And just like the torrential forces of nature that leave so many years of infrastructure and growth undone, the strain on the human mind also leaves one in a place of utter disarray and confusion.

So how does live with to the real threat of death at a moments notice? What is death and how do you live your life knowing that this could very well be your last day? How do you recover or prepare to lose everything you’ve worked so hard for, sometimes even an entire life’s worth of achievement and struggle in just a few short moments?

What is it to live?

How can we use the time we have to reinforce the meaning in our life? To truly live in the moment instead of taking it for granted, assuming we’ll have another day? To not lose sight of what really matters? To make sure that our lives—whether rich or poor, short or long—have the quality and intensity worthy of another day?

Just like a city after a disaster or the prairie after a fire, we all have the chance, not only to regain what we have lost, but to grow stronger as individuals, as a community, and as a world.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/irenewn/

While I certainly don’t claim to possess all the insight needed to solve such monumental questions, with the help of some of history’s greatest thinkers, I believe I can take you at least a few steps closer to understanding and enjoying the often turbulent reality we live in.

(This is part one of a three article post on the above questions. Like, Follow, or Subscribe for updates on the follow-up articles)

The Fear of Death

The inevitability of our death is a constant preoccupation of the human, or should I say conscious, mind. After all, we are the only creatures on the planet who are not only aware, but certain of, our eventual demise. It is our inescapable fate, yet despite it’s permanent place in our reality, most of us fail to approach a true understanding of what it really means to die.

Instead, we live our lives (either actively or passively) in fear of an end we cannot escape. We fear old age, the slowing of our lives, the changes that the years bring, and the unknown difficulties that await. We push back against this fear by constantly battling the mental and physical signs of death on a daily, sometimes even hourly, basis.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinksherbet/

We cover our aging physique with the latest “longevity” products, undergo treatments, and sometimes even dangerous surgeries, simply to look and feel younger. We take every measure possible to prolong our lives and secure a future for the slowdown we know is just over the horizon. We live vicariously through the younger generations, knowing they often take for granted the years in which they live. We attach ourselves to religious dogmas —to ideas that promise eternal life and the comfort of the illusion that you’ll never really have to die. We embrace the notion that we will live on, that there is no such thing as an end, that the consciousness we hold now will survive forever.

Most people in this world seek reassurance to life’s biggest problem – not by living – but by denying it exists.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/trekkingrinjani/

Despite differing beliefs about what will happen after we die, it is the fear of complete loss and the vast unknown that ultimately terrifies us the most. Perhaps this is because our minds can’t quite grasp the notion of “non-reality”, or perhaps because no one really knows what happens when the synapses in our brain cease to communicate. This fear of drastic change; the removal of all we know to be “real” and “true” is what fuels this primal emotion.

We know deep down, that whether we go to heaven, are reincarnated, or simply dissolve into nothingness, we must partake in a massive transformation away from all that is real. And that is what scares us the most…

A Different View of Death

“It [stoicism] doesn’t concern itself with complicated theories about the world, but with helping us overcome destructive emotions and act on what can be acted upon.”- Ryan Holiday - (Article)

Just like many Buddhist mantras, practitioners of stoicism view death as just the natural outcome of having a body. Stoicism recognized thousands of years ago that much of our reality is rooted in our reactions to things, and not the actual event itself. By removing our own layer of emotional baggage, that is, by viewing the what happens in the world as not necessarily good or bad, but simply as something that happened (or will happen), we can slowly start to see how so many of our problems and worries are nothing more than the emotions we attach to these events.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/featheredtar/

The Stoic Epictetus puts this very idea into context for us in a passage of Discourses of Epictetus, found in Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations (a must read for anyone with further interests in these subjects). In it, Epictetus provides examples of the inner discourse, or the soul’s dialogue with itself, on the subject of representations of events.

“His ship sank.”
“What happened?”
“His ship sank.”

 

“He was sent to prison.” But if you add the proposition “a terrible thing happened to him,” then that is coming from you.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/crocieristi/

It is only when we seek to interpret events as explicitly good or bad that we end up suffering or spinning our “emotional wheels” in angst. That’s not to say we should be indifferent or careless to what happens to us, but simply that when we are faced with extreme circumstances, we must view those events for what they really are, instead of listening to the stories that our emotions are eager to tell.  This applies not just to death, but pretty much anything that happens to us in our lives.

Please note the distinction made here. I’m not saying we should completely remove ourselves from all emotion and just not give a shit about anything. What I’m saying is that the more we can remove ourselves from the emotions of the events that have happened, the things that are beyond our control, and the inevitable events of our future, the better we can focus on the moment, the better we can see what is truly important now, the better we can plan the steps we need to take, and the better we can execute these plans towards happiness in our own lives and of those around us.

In essence, do not dread death, pain, or things beyond your control – but rather dread the fear of these things. Our abilities do not extend to the control of the external happenings, but rather how we choose to respond to these circumstances of life.

While will never be able to completely divorce ourselves from these emotions—nor would we want to—but by developing the ability to see events from an outside perspective—from a neutral standpoint, from a place of complete objectivity —we gain the power to reframe the context in which we view these events and reduce the destructive power they have over us.

Author Robert Greene builds on this idea of complete objectivity in a recent interview,

Nothing is good or bad, it simply is. It simply is an event that happens to you. And so when you alter your way of thinking like that, and simply see events as completely neutral, it becomes really powerful because you’re not afraid of bad things happening to you. And bad thing are actually inevitable…

To put it in more familiar terms,

“Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere.”

Death is an event in which every one of us must partake. When we make it more that simply another part of the human experience, we end creating a monster from the resulting fear and emotion that inevitably arise. With the ability to view things as events instead of good or bad, we can not only remove much of the emotional toil and suffering, but turn these seemingly terrible events around into an opportunity to grow, learn, rebuild, or live better and grow stronger.

Conquering Death

http://www.flickr.com/photos/diloz/

It’s an innate part of our nature to be afraid death and the unknown. However once we realize that it is the subjective inner dialogue which instigates this fear, we are free to remove ourselves from this discourse and begin to view our world objectively—free from the reactions caused by destructive emotions live fear, anger, and hopelessness.

When we treat death as a tragedy, we look at it as an ending of good times. Think instead of death as part of nature, part of the physical change and transformation - beyond our power to alter and thus must be accepted. Look at it directly instead of averting our eyes and minds and turning away in fear and denial. Realize that what one does with the body while one is alive is much more important than the fact of the body’s demise.

When death comes, die. Until then, live – in reality, not fantasy.

The final result of an objective view of events and our world is the ability to clearly see and spend time on what really matter. To live life to the fullest extent possible and enhance our ability to achieve true wealth and stability in our lives.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eflon/

I want to end this first section (a follow-up is coming–follow me to know when) with a quote from Lucius Seneca about death and the life worth living.

“The man, though, whom you should admire and imitate is the one who finds it a joy to live and in spite of that is not reluctant to die. For where’s the virtue in going out when you’re really being thrown out? And yet there is this virtue about my case: I’m in the process of being thrown out, certainly, but the manner of it is as if I were going out. And the reason why it never happens to a wise man is that being thrown out signifies expulsion from a place one is reluctant to depart from, and there is nothing a wise man does reluctantly. He escapes necessity because he wills what necessity is going to force on him.”

 

We can either let the emotions of the past and the fear of an unavoidable death control our lives, or we can learn to see death and loss as simply an unavoidable and inevitable part of life, freeing us to live in joy, grow, and truly appreciate every fleeting moment we do have on this earth.

The choice is up to you…

Part Two –When All Is Lost: Turning Misfortune Into Opportunity.

Part Three –Free to Live: How to Appreciate Every Moment.

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“It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.”-Albert Einstein

America isn’t Good at Testing

Whenever a debate comes up regarding the massive problems with the current educational system it seems that there’s always someone who deviates from the core problem (fundamentally how we are taught and the institutions themselves) and states the overly used statistic that America ranks among the worst in standardized test scores around the world.

For example:

Besides further reinforcing the notion that

‘Grades = Success’

the argument ultimately circumvents the real problems underlying the education system in America and around the world; primarily, the way students are taught, their expected output, and the ways in which they are judged to be competent.

Supporting the point of view that “we simply need to increase test scores” can hardly result in anything worthwhile, as it will only end in a “solution” composed of ”better” standards, more tests, and stricter curriculums in order to “catch-up” with the rest of the world. (All of which, speaking as a recent graduate, we hardly need more of.)

This traditional point of view, along with the educational system we’ve been reinforcing for more than a century, fundamentally rests on the foundation that we treat each and every student as an interchangeable part.

We force our youth into taking virtually all the same classes, subject them to the same standardized tests, and judge their future worth and potential off an average. In doing so, we bring smart students down to an average level, ignore average students, make under-achieving students feel absolutely hopeless, and leave brilliant students unchallenged and completely unmotivated. By destroying this natural variation we suppress the best parts of our human condition; the unique strengths and individualistic tendencies that lie within all of us.

While this process may work great for manufacturing parts in a factory, it is a death sentence to a future generation that will be dependent on innovation and adaptive thinking to stay competitive in the world.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tallkev/

We have a system that ultimately does little else but create masses of average, uniform, subservient, order following drones, that are afraid of doing anything unique or different because the desire to stand out or “break the rules” has been slowly beat out of them through decades of formalized schooling.

Sir Ken Robinson says it all in this video:

The Value of Obedience

What’s worse, is that the “education race” has turned into nothing more than a race to the bottom. Looking around us, it is all too easy to see this “race to the bottom,” as overseas workers, who are willing to work for a tenth of the price, obtain jobs formerly held by degree holding Americans. These jobs, it should be noted, are exaclty the kind formalized schooling and standardization train their students for; primarily, composed of following orders, obeying protocol, and doing what they’re told.

Year after year this outsourcing is getting cheaper and cheaper as access to education and technology expands throughout developing countries. Just as we witnessed many of our manufacturing plants migrate overseas, we are already feeling another massive shift; but this time, of white-collar workers to cheaper, yet, just as competent and capable areas of the globe (more here). Sure, some “emerging” countries may appear to be closing the gap in average income (due to decades of hyper growth), but even if the countries we depend on now do lose their wage advantages, there will always be somewhere cheaper to go; especially as communication and infrastructure continue to improve around the developing world. This ultimately means that the value of this type of work (degree included) will continue to decrease for the foreseeable future.

Back to the main point…

If we truly are in a race to the bottom, should we really be trying to win? If getting better grades and memorizing more stuff isn’t producing value then what should we be striving for?

To be clear, I am not proposing that unfocused, under-achieving students are a good thing. After all, students of this nature (i.e. students who feel disconnected and who lack passion or meaning with anything they are supposed to be learning.) are essentially the result of the overbearing, standardized system we currently have in place. (of course there are always a few individuals who are just plain lazy)

We obviously need to fix this but not by doing more of the same thing; that will just make our situation even more dire. Nor am I proposing that we avoid challenging our students to reach the height of their potential; in-fact, that is exactly the opposite of what I propose and exactly what the current system often keeps its subjects from doing.

On the contrary, what I am saying is that our system can and should find better ways of fostering and developing our youth so that school isn’t a burden, but rather, an exciting time to develop passions and critical life skills.

What we need is to redefine our definition of what being “educated” truly means.

The point being, that improving something that doesn’t matter (higher grades in and of themselves) isn’t an improvement, it’s a waste.

So then what?

Back to Basics

I think the answer is fairly obvious and even today is the primary reason why America remains the leading economy on the planet; that being, the tradition of innovation and entrepreneurship that have defined the American spirit since our beginnings many years ago.

Looking back on our history, do we see our successes on the shoulders of those who followed the rules all day and did what they were told? Of course not, we owe our much of our successes and opportunities to the entrepreneurs and creative types who had the nerve and the vision to change the world around them.

From the revolutionary leaders and founders of this country to the industrial innovators of the 18th and 19th centuries, the current tech leaders of the modern age, and the small business owners throughout, we have thrived not because of our inherited systems and standards, but because of our overwhelming propensity to break the status quo and create our vision of the future today.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/siliconprairienews/

Sure, the majority of the population supported and provided the skill and workers necessary to build up these systems, but when it comes down to it, the successes of our past and present rest on the shoulders of the ones who were free minded enough to strike out on their own accord. With the oncoming age of communication and technology, the free thinking entrepreneurial spirit is becoming more and more necessary for workers of every type, not just the few people at the top of large corporations. We are moving into a future where entrepreneurial minded people will be the only kind of worker that have Real Value.

Lessons from the Valley

Creation involves pouring your entire self into your project. It requires flexibility, perseverance, innovation, and the willingness to fail (among others). What it doesn’t call for is strict adherence to established processes, standardization, or the status quo.

Isn’t this the very reason Silicon Valley and Startup incubators across our country have been so successful? Isn’t it because their culture dictates that they deviate from the norm and do what works instead of continuing to follow an inefficient system?

America is dominating the online and digital environment, yet, this has hardly anything to do with formal education and almost everything to do with the creative spirit and the entrepreneurial initiative I have been speaking of.

Why aren’t so many other countries that do so much better academically not even remotely as influential when comparing this new and quickly growing environment?

Perhaps it is because the traditional approach to standardized schooling stamps out the very mindset needed to succeed in the new world of technology and business.

Perhaps coloring in the lines isn’t as beneficial (or beautiful) as it once was.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdhancock/

Startup Lessons Learned

What we should be doing is emulating the culture of the tech startup and Silicon Valley. What we should be doing is taking lessons from this new frontier and applying them to outdated ones (i.e. “education”).  I see no reason to remain stuck in past thinking and rhetoric when we already have already developed new systems that are capable of being applied to other, older systems.

Eric Ries and the Lean Startup movement he has created is a perfect example of the type of system I am proposing. A new, highly adaptive process that when applied to the broader systems of government and education, could ultimately transform each and every one of our lives and bring us into the next era swinging. (Actually, the Government has already shown an interest in this methodology)

Sure the transition wouldn’t be without its fair share of difficulties, but the end result would be a system that fosters the growth and development of each student instead of promoting mass conformity. It would be an education system that quickly adapts to the interests and strengths of each student instead of trying to fit them into a mold. It would create graduates who are extremely passionate about what they have learned, and extremely capable and confident in their abilities.

Isn’t that something worth working towards?

Can you imagine throngs of passionate, highly capable professionals graduating from universities every year? Each on a mission to create the future with their own hands rather than drearily waking up every morning and half-assing their day job until they get to go home?

I can, and it makes me excited just thinking about it.

It is this type of freethinking and passionate individual that will lead us to the next great age of American leadership. It is this, the American dream at its very core, that will allow us to retain the freedoms and the privilege so many of us have begun to take for granted.

Or it will be another nation’s ticket to the top.

We don’t have a right to be the most powerful nation on earth; it is something we must work for and nurture every day of our lives.

It starts by changing our approach towards educating and developing the next generation of Americans. It starts by accepting that the world is a quickly changing pace, that things aren’t always going to be the way they have been, and that, with a little push, America can hold onto the great spirit of freedom, commerce, and innovation that we have all worked so hard to obtain.

Who gives a shit if China is better at taking tests. Let’s instead focus our efforts on preparing our future generations to be the next leaders and innovators in the world. Let’s focus on the battle that’s worth winning.

Which leaves a choice to be made…

Should we rise to the challenge and redefine our educational methods to exponentially increase the creative energy and output of the next generation?

Or should we continue trying to shovel water out of a ship that is destined for the depths of history?

The choice is up to you…

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The post America’s Problem: How the World is “Beating Us” in a Battle We Don’t Necessarily Want to Win appeared first on Undeferred Living: The Blog of Graham Mumm.

(translation) Fatigue Kills, Have a Break
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chadfennell  –  Cover photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/popculturegeek/

“Exercise doesn’t make us lose weight, it just makes us hungry.” -Gary Taubes 

Good TV, Shitty Advice.

NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” is great TV.

I certainly don’t mean to be cruel when I say it, but no matter what your health or predisposition you can’t help but feel a sense of Schadenfreude as you watch each of the contestants struggle, complain, and mostly fail; whether it be with workouts, challenges, weigh-ins, or mental breakdowns.

After all, “I’d never give up that easily,” you calmly reassure yourself as you sit on your couch in the comfort of your home. “If it were me, I’d make it to the very end every time. I’d at least push myself further than THESE people. It isn’t so bad, why are they giving up so easy?”

Of course this automatic self-reflexive comparison and the subsequent ego-boost one inevitably receives is at the underlying core (and success) of nearly every reality TV show in existence.

We are presented with “average” people (so we can relate to them) who are forced to compete in events designed to reduce their numbers or at the very least put them in challenging/compromising situations. The end result is TV that simply screams for the kind of mental exercises just mentioned and the self-glorification we all so enjoy (whether or not we like to admit it); TV that not only invites this condescending inner-dialogue but attempts to elicit this very response throughout every second of every episode.

Ego boosted, mission accomplished. I’m coming back for more next episode.

The Facade of “Good Intentions”

It’s simply too easy for the Biggest Loser to hide behind the all too common rationalization that “they’re inspiring people” or “changing lives” or “promoting healthy living.”

Complete Bullshit.

Plain and simple, they’re in it for the money. Nothing more, nothing less. Dedicating a reality show to the debilitating problems of the vast majority of Americans isn’t a nice gesture or out of a desire to make a difference; it’s a brilliant business move. The sooner you accept this fact, the sooner you’ll be able to realize that the show simply doesn’t support any of your best health interests (except in the most menial ways possible. After all, it can’t be all bullshit, as the “sheeple” might notice and stop watching).

May as Well Stay on the Couch

Although The Biggest Loser can potentially serve as a source of encouragement, it does so in a way that prevents almost everyone from reaching that final goal. It promotes the exact wrong approach for millions of people who desperately need and want to take control of their health and life.

The Biggest Loser presents a regimen of physical routines that in 99% of cases is impossible to emulate. The show focuses almost purely on the extremities of physical solution to weight-loss while almost completely ignoring and/or outright denying good eating habits and modern science (more on this later).

It presents viewers with the illusion that what you have to do to is go fucking crazy in the gym every day to get the results that you want. A perspective that, ultimately, teaches that the only way to achieve a healthy lifestyle is to live in a way that is ultimately unhealthy (and you know how much I hate bad teachers).

Overtraining and participating in debilitating exercise day in, day out isn’t what our bodies want, need, or can sustain for long periods.

After all, that SHOULD be the ultimate goal; to promote long-term health and well-being, not a short-lived surge of fad health practices that almost inevitably leads to exhaustion, lack of motivation, and a subsequent relapse into former lifestyles… that’s if you make it through this burst without sustaining potentially serious injury.

Mentally speaking, this type of thinking nurtures the helpless mentality of so many overweight individuals in the form of the ”I tried and it just didn’t work” mindset that I’ve heard time and time again.

It’s not that you can’t, it’s that you are looking towards the wrong sources of inspiration and guidance to fuel your quest for a better life and health.

It’s no wonder that obesity is reaching such an epidemic. Any long-term or lifestyle change has to be centered on manageable, long-term lifestyle changes, not a quick fix approach or any “extreme makeover” style scenarios.

Simply put, the Biggest Loser provides viewers with a completely inaccurate picture of what you must do to lose weight and live healthy. It takes an overly extreme course of action on an important, but far less effective and achievable way to attain good form and better health.

Indeed, it is yet another victory for the TV industrial complex at the price of our well-being and health.

Which brings me to my next point.

Selling Your Soul for Advertising Revenue

You SHOULD NOT be eating loads of Subway if you want to lose weight.

Sure, it’s better than plenty of other, more obvious alternatives (as there will always be something worse), but stuffing your face with a huge loaf of bread (which makes up the majority of the meal, and with HFCS as a primary ingredient, might I add) doesn’t help you lose weight. On the contrary, it keeps the pounds on.

I couldn’t help but laugh at an episode last season where contestants had to refrain from eating candy and then as a reward got free reign on a plate of subs.

While the differences may seem to be day and night, bread as highly processed as the stuff at Subway may as well be pure sugar. The moment it touches your gut it almost immediately instigates an inferno of insulin-igniting processes, not to mention the other side-effects brought on by consuming large amounts of refined grains (gut damage, inflammation, etc.).

Oh it’s whole wheat???

Whoopdeefuckingdoo!!!

The trace amounts of vitamins you do gain from eating most mass-produced “whole wheat” breads can scarcely make up for the damages it sews among your physical systems. It’s still super processed, still needs a high dose of “enrichment” to meet even the barest of nutritional standards, and is still terrible for anyone wanting to lose weight, despite the fact that it’s aggressively being pitched as healthy and effective for weight-loss.

Jared was paid to sell sandwiches – not make you healthy. End of story.

I realize that a carb-free diet isn’t for everyone, and that in reality carb cycling is healthy and can be beneficial to weight loss, but the fact is that eating an entire loaf of highly processed bread isn’t going to get you any closer to losing weight than stealing your kid’s Halloween candy and going to town.

Fat doesn’t make you fat

In another episode, each contestant was given a budget and told to create their own meal. In a way, the Biggest Loser can take on any popular chef/cooking show.

Two extremely successful TV shows combined in one? Clever, clever, NBC.

Yet even while many of the contestants made fantastic weight-loss centered meals (high protein, low/zero carb, moderate/high fat meals), the parameters on which they were judged threw almost all of the good nutritional advice out the window.

Once again the show relied on appeasing the masses and pushed a bunch of pseudo-science towards the contestants and unassuming viewers.

Namely that fat is bad, and carbs (oh sorry, “whole grains”) are good (we’re in agreement on the protein… the more the merrier).

The thing is that fats (excluding the man-made trans-fats category) do not on their own accord make you fat; on the contrary, fats of all types have consistently been shown as a weight-loss aid, as they suppress appetite and promote satiety, as could only be dreamed of by their counterparts in the grain categories.

Sure they contain more calories per gram than carbs or protein, but the thing is that they are super-efficient at what they do and you have to eat far less of them to feel full. With protein as a sidekick, they keep you feeling fuller for longer and nourish your body far in excess to that of carbohydrates.

Modern carbs do exactly the opposite.

They are far less “dense” than fats but the insulin response that will inevitably follow their consumption leads to huge swings in appetite and urges for even more carbs and calories. Essentially, they cause a domino effect of relentless appetite and the consumption of an unprecedented amount of calories and carbs.

I’m not sure about you, but I’d much rather be full after I eat my caloric quota for the day than be constantly longing for one more bite.

The Real Enemy

What’s more is that carbs, through the insulin response they directly invoke, are the primary instigator of unnecessary fat storage in the human body.

Bread, Chips, and Soda–>Low Fat, Very High Carbs = Terrible Idea for Weight Loss/Management.

Different foods = different bodily responses.

The takeaway….Calories are not Calories.

Gary Taubes drives my points home by making three of his own after almost 6 years of research into the subject and two best-selling books:

• “Obesity and being overweight are not caused by eating too much and certainly not by eating food with “too much” fat.”
• “Carbohydrates, not fat, are the cause of excess weight, just as our grandparents’ generation always knew. Eating carbohydrates triggers a hormonal response — insulin secretion — that signals our bodies to accumulate fat. This is why the fewer carbohydrates we consume, the leaner we will be. Sugar, flour and other refined carbohydrates produce an exaggerated version of this response, and so are particularly fattening.”
• “Exercise doesn’t make us lose weight, it just makes us hungry.”[Graham: I do believe that a low to moderate amount of exercise and resistance training is beneficial to achieving optimal health]

Once we realize that the consumption of fat (yes, even saturated fats) is an essential part of a fat-loss diet, the sooner we can kick the whole-grain/carb approach which is plaguing our society with obesity and chronic diseases of every type.

What does TBL have to say on the matter? Well, the current weight-loss nutrition guide for the show, also known as the “BL weight-loss pyramid,” suggests that nearly half of your daily calories should come from carbs.

It’s as if they just don’t care (I could be on to something here).

Can you imagine how much weight-loss the contestants, and the millions watching at home, would achieve with solid nutritional advice instead of the bullshit, sponsor-backed “nutrition” that is pushed on the show?

A ton more in far less time, I dare say, which unfortunately would have the side effect of compressing much of their drawn-out season as well as make the show exponentially more lame (any viewer on earth would rather watch someone being pushed to their physical limit and collapse in exhaustion than eat a chicken breast and some veggies day-in day-out… it’s that dramatic intensity which viewers crave. TV execs know this, which is why ratings are so damn high.

A lesson in Logic

Convincing an addict (directly or indirectly) that recovery is damn near impossible isn’t doing them a favor; it is sentencing them to an agonizing death through a hopeless existence. Likewise, once an obese person is convinced that the only way to fix their bodies is to maintain an impossible regiment of fitness while stuffing their face with glorified fast food (yes Subway, I’m talking about you among others), the battle is already lost.

Being overweight certainly doesn’t make you unable to comprehend basic logic (although insulin is purported to decrease frontal cortex function) and it doesn’t take much to figure out that working out at a pace akin to Pheidippides (the one who died in exhaustion after running from Marathon) isn’t only completely unsustainable, but a completely moronic idea in itself.

Lack of Science + Bad Logic + Long Action Sequences = Profitable TV!!!

In and of itself, I have no problem with anyone making a ton of money off of TV (good for them). I do have a problem when such TV shows compromise the health and well-being of the vast majority of our population just to make a quick buck. For that, I’m raising a huge middle finger right to NBC’s face.

Yes, it’s TV, I get it, but for so many people it’s so much more.

With this in mind we are left with a final choice.

Eat more protein and fats, exercise a few days a week, cut the grains and sugars, and embrace true science and learning in your health.

-Or-

Embrace the old comforts of the next new quick fix, biased government science and mainstream TV, and remain exactly where you are.

The choice is up to you…

(If you know anyone who is a fan of the show or is struggling with their own weight-loss goals I would highly suggest forwarding them this article (use links below) and checking out my reading list on the subject)

(For more related material on a daily basis, subscribe to my personal Facebook and follow me on Twitter)

Follow @GrahamMumm

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The post The Biggest Loser: Making Weight-Loss an Unreachable Goal for Millions appeared first on Undeferred Living: The Blog of Graham Mumm.