Avatar and other things

Avatar

I sat transfixed for nearly 3 hours watching this movie. I sent silent prayers into the universe that all the nasty old humans would be crushed and sent packing back to earth – or even just annihilated, never to be heard from again. I loved the blue beings of Pandora, their swishing tails knocked my little socks off and their tree house appealed to all my girlhood dreams of doing a Swiss Family Robinson for the rest of my life. The creatures and plants of Pandora are simply splendid, stunning and the floating islands just incredible. So why is everyone getting their knickers in a knot about this movie….. it is a science fiction movie with a simple message and story line. It has incredible movie technology that makes everything look really life-like. It is believable science fiction – I think that is an oxymoron. You cant compare the movie to Titanic…it is so totally different, in fact there is not much you can compare Avatar to. Even if this “sort of thing” is not your “sort of thing” do yourself a favour and go and see it. It is a feast for the eyes and you don’t have to angst over plots, sub-plots, counter-plots or Cameron’s infantile potting training dramas and rejection by his mother. It is entertainment folks, with a nice feel good message.

Aliens

They (whoever they are) have just done a survey of people in SA they didn’t ask me if they believe in extraterrestrial life. Well it would appear that at least 30% of the adults people surveyed believe there is life out there. I am not sure if they believe in 3 headed monsters, blue beings or a lonesome amoeba like creature. But just the same it is quite interesting. I have always been seriously interested in life on other planets and have been acutely disappointed, that given my interest, I have never been chosen as an abductee. And I have driven on many a lonely road at night, with the window down, yelling “come and get me” – but so far not a sausage….Some things really suck.

Exploration to Mars

The little tractor/robot goodie they sent to the surface of Mars has finally stopped moving. It was supposed to “live” on the surface for a few months and 6 years later it has been going strong, tootling around sending all sorts of data back to mother earth. Well nearly strong….it had lost a wheel and had some other mechanical impairments, sort of bravely limping around these past few months; and finally, the other day, came to a grinding halt – but it is still transmitting data, albeit one directional. Brave little fellow.

And on this subject….. I read the trilogy Red Mars, Green Mars and Blue Mars a few years ago. Now this is really honest to goodness believable science fiction. In fact, so much so, that I wonder why NASA even bothers to send unmanned spacecraft to Mars. They should just read the books…all the stuff they are finding out now from years of analysis and astronomical amounts of money is contained in the books. It also details how to go about colonizing other planets. Amazing stuff.

The Moon Station

Wow – this is so exciting. I will definitely apply for a job there. They will need sweepers, cleaners and bottle washers. Would you go? Bearing in mind there might be no coming back.

Global Warming

Is Global Warming becoming the new Christianity? There are believers and non-believers. There are passionate crusaders. There are passionate non-believers. But the bottom line is that when there are bucks to made, egos to placate, power to be held onto then there will enough people and scientists around to fuel the fires of disbelief.

Just do it and be happy

You thought I was going to talk about sex, didn’t you?…… not today, but actually, I have just written a thought provoking, highly academic article on “how to totally mess up your sex life with your partner in 12 easy steps” which I will put this out on the blog soon…

But on a more serious note, today I was hugely inspired by Seth Godin (yes, him again) and something Michael Graz wrote to me.

This is the guest blog Seth wrote today in Zen Habits (http://zenhabits.net/): (very powerful stuff)

Why is it so difficult to ship?

Ship as in get it out the door. Ship as in make a difference at work. Ship as in contribute your art and vision and expertise and passion to the project you’re working on.

Regular readers of this blog (and of Leo’s life-changing book) have seen first hand what happens when you force the distractions out of your life and focus on what needs to be completed instead. What he has taught us is that when you focus your efforts and energies on things that matter and cut out the stalling and distractions, amazing things happen. It’s absolutely astonishing how much we can accomplish (and insanely disappointing how few people do).

What separates the few who ship from the masses who stumble, stall and ultimately surrender?

The resistance.

Steven Pressfield first wrote about the resistance a few years ago. The resistance is that little voice in the back of your head, the one that tells you that it will never work, the one that insists you check your email one last time, the one that worries that people will laugh at you.

The resistance loves committees and it hates a mission. The resistance creates fear and uncertainty, and it will do almost anything to keep you from being noticed. There’s a biological underpinning to the resistance–your amygdala. The amygdala is the pre-historic portion of your brain, located near the brain stem. It’s responsible for fear and anger and revenge and sex and survival. When the amygdala is aroused, when it feels threatened, when there’s a sense that people might actually laugh at you, it takes over. It rises up in rage and fear and shuts you down.

And so the resistance kicks in. The resistance goes to meetings and plays devil’s advocate (I didn’t know the devil needed an advocate.)

The resistance finds excuses, it makes tasks needlessly complex (or oversimplifies so much that you fail). The resistance uses phrases like, “see, I told you it would never work.” The resistance demands that you study the issue more, or grab a Diet Coke, or go visit those friends who are in from out of town and you won’t be able to see them unless you go right now. The resistance invented yak shaving. The resistance is also responsible for giving you an even better idea just before you finish this one… in fact, the resistance will do anything it can to prevent you from shipping.

Why do little companies get so much more out the door than big ones? Because big companies have committees, groups of people designed to protect the status quo, to prevent failure, to avoid catastrophe. The committee is made up of humans, each of whom is battling her own version of the resistance. “If this ships, my boss will see it, and I might get fired.” “If this ships, a kid might use it, cut of his finger and I might get in trouble.” “If this ships, people are going to think it was my idea, and there’s a chance, just a chance, they might hate it.” Most of all, “if this ships, people might laugh at me.” And so the committee shoots for the lowest common denominator of safety, a product or service or idea that arouses no one’s lizard brain. Which means mediocre. Or late. Or both.

The iPod came from two people, Steve and Jonathan. The Zune came from 250. Which product would you rather own?

The resistance sabotaged my work for years. It pushed me to focus on average topics, delivered in a blameless way, because that felt safer.

So, when others were starting search engines or revolutionizing the online world, I was busy creating sort of ordinary books for sort of ordinary editors who were looking for the next small thing. And no one scolded me for doing this. No one looked at my sort of average work and called me out on it, because they were fighting the very same resistance as I was. It’s surprisingly easy to get through life and make a career out of being average… the resistance would prefer it if you did.

The resistance is powerful, so powerful that all the shortcuts, time savers and focusing tools are powerless in its path. Now you know its name. Now you know how it sneaks in under the radar and sounds quite sensible as it undermines your work and compromises your vision. When the resistance appears, you must call it out. Call it by name. Recognize it for what it is and then defeat it. You will defeat it not by rationalization or even a calm discussion. You will defeat it with single-minded effort, effort so deep and dedicated that it might exhaust you.

Unfortunately, the web is filled with tips and tricks and lists that appear to help you in your quest to shut up the lizard, to defeat the resistance. I say unfortunately because these lists are calm, practical and ultimately ineffective. They are polite in the face of a nefarious enemy, they are rational in the face of screaming insecurity. None of them are working for you because you may not be serious about actually defeating the resistance. It’s fun to procrastinate and comforting to dissemble, because not shipping doesn’t arouse the lizard brain. It’s safe.

The challenge then, the missing link in the Zen Habits is this: you must quiet the lizard brain. You must defeat the resistance. You must find something SO IMPORTANT that it is worth enraging your prehistoric fears, SO IMPORTANT that you can’t sleep until it ships, SO IMPORTANT that yes, you are willing to go through all the hoops Leo lays out for you in order to ship.

Either that, or you could be mediocre instead.

******************************

And what did Michael Graz say: I asked Michael who is a science/technical consultant and has clients all over the world what he thought about the general state of affairs in business and if people were doing things or planning to do things differently now. This is what he said: “Business is still very concerned about the recession here in the UK (Michael lives in Wales). Still a lot of focus on cost cutting, down sizing and there are daily reports of businesses closing, including big factories like Bosch. The SMME industry is booming though, if you have a good niche. People are mainly focusing on the old tried and trusted processes like LEAN. There is no real innovation in business processes that I can see as yet.”

What got me excited is Michaels’ comment about the SMME industry. I am quite sure this booming industry is a result of many, many people finding themselves out of a “safe, secure” job and have pushed that lizard brain right out of their heads and just done it……. They have fought the resistance and are surviving.

With my business analyst hat on though: I would love to see business process innovation! Now is the perfect time to apply a bit of creativity and ingenuity.

Being Grown Up

I had a friend, well very much an ex-friend actually, who often felt he should comment on what a person of my age (37 *grin*) should or shouldn’t do – most particularly shouldn’t do. I would grit my teeth and wonder where on earth this list of do’s and don’ts existed. Needless to say, it existed wholly in his mind.

But I must confess that every now and again when I get a really strong urge to apply for that job in the Antarctic, I do wonder about what being mature or adult really means. Being mature is not just about the things you do eg. Things I was told by my ex-friend that was too old to do (Me?…too old?…never) - but I believe is more about how you behave and how you deal with stuff.

There are lots of definitions for emotional maturity but basically it can be defined as: being able to be in control of your emotional state, to understand the people and social situations around you, knowing how to behave in a given environment or situation, to deal with the ups and downs of life without having and giving way to extreme feelings.

Being mature or adult doesn’t mean you can’t be silly, light-hearted, have fun, try new things, go back to school, lean new stuff, climb a mountain if you feel like it. You also don’t have to be dead serious – but you do need to know when to be serious.

I began this “what being grown-up means” list…or at least the things that make being an adult a happy experience: add to it as much as you like.

You don’t have to keep finding yourself – again and again

You don’t mind if people find your consistent behavior boring

You know a lot of stuff

You don’t have to do a whole lot of digging for information and you can even ask for help

You are able to put your life in perspective

You’re happy with your current situation (doesn’t mean you can’t change it though)

You know you don’t know everything

You can say no without being afraid you have hurt someone’s feelings

You can say yes

You are happy that you don’t have to like things other people like

You can be yourself and know that doesn’t offend others

You know that people don’t think you are too fat, too thin, have funny hair…

You don’t have to impress other people – all the time

You can deal with other people having different opinions to yours

You get a real kick out simplifying your life, things, and environment

You don’t have to be perfect all the time

You don’t have to always have the last word

You can try something new - and if it doesn’t fit/work, you can try something else

You know that having a flashy car doesn’t make you a flashy person

You don’t mind being responsible for yourself and others

You like being a constructive, creative member of society

You know when to do the right thing even if you don’t want to

You don’t have to take out your frustrations on the waiter/carguard/begger

You can and do, turn the other cheek

And finally:

You're only young once, but you can be immature forever. - Germaine Greer

Real Love

Valentine Day is just around the corner.

This is a time for romance, love, passion, happiness and dare I say it….. Letting Cupid’s arrows find your heart and flinging a few arrows around yourself.

One of the most important aspects of love is that it cannot be one sided…you cant expect to be loved if you don’t love in return and it really doesn’t work unless it is mutual. Love flourishes when it is reciprocated, when it is returned with passion, affection, fun, respect and intensity.

My cousin Barbara hit the nail on the head when she recently wrote about her relationship with Bruce (I do have Barbara’s permission to reproduce this!):

“Another blessing in my life is my wonderful partnership with my heartner Bruce…we are very happily unmarried! Since we started our relationship 6½ years ago, my experience of life has intensified in countless interesting and learningfilled ways. I have reached the conclusion that it is a rare thing to be appreciated and loved as much as he does me. I am constantly in awe of the power of a love that is given and received freely without conditions attached. Long may it last!”

Doesn’t that give you goosebumps.

Please don’t kill Cupid. Don’t attach terms & conditions to your love. You cant resent love if it’s not returned or has conditions; don’t squander and waste your love on someone who can’t or won’t return it.…..

I am reminded again of this extract from: The Reason of Things, Living with Philosophy by A C Grayling (I have published it before on Happiness Soup)

“… if one is frugal with one’s emotions – limiting love in order to avoid its pains, stifling appetites and desires in order to escape the price of their fulfillment – one lives a stunted, muffled, bland life only. It is practically tantamount to a partial death in order to minimize the electric character of existence – its pleasures, its ecstasies, its richness and colour, matched by its agonies, its wretchedness, its disasters and grief. To take life in armfuls, to embrace and accept it, to leap into it with energy and relish, is of course to invite trouble of all familiar kinds. But the cost of avoiding trouble is a terrible one: it is the cost of having trodden the planet for humanity’s brief allotment of less than a thousand months, without really having lived.”

Feedback on the HS Diet

Well, I wish I could say I have been swamped with requests for the Happiness Diet….but that really would be a big fat lie. There has been a ghastly deathly hush – so I guess Seth Godin was right…wow does that man rock! I will always listen to him. I did however get an email from my friend Hazel who has this to say about the diet:

“I have got Elizabeth’s Happiness Soup Diet and personally I think it is a complete cheat! I was expecting something along the lines of five brilliant easy to make recipes, which taste divine, but do not add any weight, e.g. zero calorie home made chocolate ice cream, zero calorie fried chicken and chips etc. A complete cop out with being told to eat less!!!”

What can I say except that I am not the only one saying the only way to lose weight is to consume fewer calories. This is a little picture by a local lad Dr. Ross Tucker which describes perfectly what one can of coke can do to you if you haven’t been on the treadmill for half an hour….

Ross has just written a few really good articles about Exercise and Weight Loss – you can read them in full at: http://www.sportsscientists.com/2010/01/exercise-and-weight-loss.html

Word Epiphany

I have never had any formal instruction on how to use Word – I merrily pound away on the keyboard, use Word like it has primitive typewriter functionality and get really screaming, frothing mad annoyed when I have to copy a whole document into Notepad to remove my lousy formatting, copy it back into word and start again…. I also have never been able to figure out why Word just would not just do stuff that seems quite logical.

Well, lo and behold…. I recently installed Office 2007 and decided to ask my friend Judy (who just happens to be a certified Office – all versions – expert) to give me some handy hints on how to use Word 2007 properly. Actually I had to ask her because there was some stuff that I just couldn’t find and like most people, I find it very difficult to refer to the manual *grin*

Crikey…… what an epiphany. And guess what – all those things that you feel/know/believe should be there – are there…… and it so easy to use once you know how.

Judy sat next to me for about an hour and a half and took me through all the tabs and made me practice various things until I was au fait with the functions. And wow….some of the fancy shortcuts she showed me knocked my little socks off.

The moral to this story: It is amazing how much easier your life will be when you know how to use this software properly.

I am going to book her for Excel lessons next…

The Happiness Diet

Seth Godin said that you can never ever, not in your wildest dreams, expect to be successful if you publish a diet book that just plainly tells people to eat less. No one will buy it and I think he is right.

I know I wouldn’t be happy to spend my money on a book like that – but I do have an extensive library of just about every popular diet book ever sold. I am shamelessly seduced by the flagrant promises of speedy weight loss and having Zero body fat on only 5 minutes of exercise a day and a diet that is so complicated that you give up reading after chapter 2. In fact, in some instances I can’t even figure out where the diet is actually laid out eg: for breakfast eat this, for lunch eat that….

Needless to say there are probably a multitude of very rich writers / dieticians around.

Lots of people have heard me banging on for quite a while now about the Happiness Diet. And, as I took heed of Seth’s advice, a while ago I gave up writing the book that would cover all aspects of food and dieting, the way you would be turned into a slim trim person, rippling with muscles, six packs and good health. Firstly it has all been done before and secondly no-one would buy it!

After my blog posting about my NYR’s, especially the one where I mentioned diet and food, some people contacted me to ask what had happened to the Happiness Diet as they were keen to do it…. So here is a bit about it – if you want more please let me know and I will send info to you.

The Happiness Diet:

After that grotty little intro you may well ask what is the Happiness Diet? Well, this is the diet that will never sell a million books…. It’s the one that says EAT anything you like, but EAT MUCH LESS food and eat the RIGHT STUFF.

Depending on your age, gender, height, build, activity level you only need so much food to keep going – and we all (well at least 90% of us) eat far too much. Think huge steaks weighing in at 400 – 500 grams, giant muffins which I am told are equivalent to 7 slices of bread, huge portions of chips, bread and potatoes at the same meal, enormous breakfasts with lashings of bacon, sausage, toast, tomatoes, eggs…..you get the picture! We seriously eat too much. If you were to work out the amount of calories in just one meal in a restaurant, you are probably eating your whole daily calorie allowance.

And how do you lose weight….well if you typically eat one lemon meringue pie (like the one from Mugg & Bean) every week, and then only eat half a LMP per week, you will lose weight. Similarly, if you eat 5kgs of potatoes each week and cut this down to 2.5kgs, you will lose weight. Why….because you are eating less.

Remember that cutesy little saying: “A moment on the lips is a lifetime on the hips” – well, that really nice feeling you get when you are eating something nice really does only last a moment. And here’s another one for you: “lots of nice little white rolls (as in bread) makes lots of nice little pink rolls” *grin*

The Happiness Diet says you can still eat just about anything and everything but you must just eat less…. Buy yourself a smaller plate, actually eyeball the size of how much a recommended serving of cornflakes actually is, don’t go back for seconds, only have one potato, cut the fat off the meat, and get used to eating nice fresh bread without butter…. Cut down the amount you eat – EAT LESS FOOD. And then try, as much as possible, to eat food that is GOOD FOR YOU. Eat the stuff that is packed with vitamins and minerals, all the goodies you need to stay healthy and watch the size of the portions.

So, that’s the Happiness diet – good luck. There are no quick fixes or magic potions I am afraid.

If you would like more information on portions sizes, calorie requirements, how to work out foods choices, how much of what you should be eating every day, Happiness treats (this is a new take on snacking) and if you can drink alcohol and so on, then drop me an email.

How to avoid pneumonia

How to avoid pneumonia - by Lisa de Speville

Posted on: http://adventurelisa.blogspot.com/ 1 Jan 2010

In a posting, writer Kurt Vonnegut, offers 8 rules for writing short stories. The one caught my eye because it is applicable to so many things in our lives. And in lieu of bundles of NYRs (New Year's Resolutions), this may be something to be mindful of.

Kurt says, "Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia."

All too often the things we do are aimed at pleasing many. I see this 'one person' as being yourself.

So, this year, look at your activities with a focus on pleasing yourself whether from just getting out and doing things, learning new skills (for your own growth) or accomplishing goals.