8 Guidelines(ˈgīdˌlīn) for Choosing Effective(iˈfektiv) Beliefs(biˈlēf)

By Steve Pavlina

…

Effective beliefs are…

Accurate(ˈakyərit). Effective beliefs must be consistent(kənˈsistənt) with your observations(ˌäbzərˈvāSHən) of reality. Your beliefs cannot contradict(ˌkäntrəˈdikt) any facts you know to be true.

All-inclusive(inˈklo͞osiv). For your beliefs to be effective, they must collectively(kəˈlektiv) address your entire(enˈtīr) field(fēld) of experience(ikˈspi(ə)rēəns). If you experience things you cannot explain(ikˈsplān) from within your belief system, then your belief system is incomplete(ˌiNG-,ˌinkəmˈplēt). And an incomplete belief system can never be fully trusted(trəst).

Flexible(ˈfleksəbəl). Effective beliefs adapt(əˈdapt) well to new circumstances(-stəns,ˈsərkəmˌstans). They serve(sərv) you well regardless(riˈgärdləs) of your career(kəˈri(ə)r), income level, relationship situation, lifestyle, etc(et cetera).

Ethical(ˈeTHikəl). It is never effective to choose beliefs that lead you to harm yourself or others. Such beliefs are rooted in fear, and fear comes from ignorance(ˈignərəns). If your beliefs are true, then you can accept reality rather than fear it, which means there is no cause for violence(ˈvī(ə)ləns) or dishonesty(disˈänəstē).

Congruent(kənˈgro͞oənt,ˈkäNGgro͞oənt). Either your beliefs must be internally consistent with each other, or you must have a higher order meta(ˈmetə)-belief that tells you how to resolve(-ˈzôlv,riˈzälv) lower level incongruencies(kənˈgro͞oəns,ˈkäNGgro͞oəns).

Consciously(ˈkänCHəs) chosen(ˈCHōzən). You inherit(inˈherit) your initial(iˈniSHəl) set of beliefs from your upbringing(ˈəpˌbriNGiNG) and societal(səˈsīitl) conditioning. But as a fully awake adult(əˈdəlt,ˈadˌəlt), those beliefs should be identified, examined(igˈzamən), and then deliberately(diˈlibəritlē) altered(ˈôltər) or integrated(ˈintiˌgrātid). This is an ongoing process that can take years, if not your entire lifetime.

Pleasure(ˈpleZHər)-increasing and/or pain-reducing. Effective beliefs make you feel good, either by elevating(ˈeləˌvāt) your emotional(iˈmōSHənəl) state directly or as a side-effect of generating results you desire(dəˈzī(ə)r). Effective beliefs also reduce fear; when your beliefs are accurate(ˈakyərit), certainty(ˈsərtntē) replaces(riˈplās) fear.

Empowering(emˈpou(-ə)r). Your beliefs should allow you to experience whatever is technically(ˈteknik(ə)lē) possible; they should never mislabel(misˈlābəl) the possible as impossible. Subject of course to ethical/moral(ˈmär-,ˈmôrəl) considerations, your beliefs should not unduly(ˈd(y)o͞olē) limit your abilities. If you believe something is impossible for you, then it must truly be impossible regardless of your thinking. If a belief shift would change your abilities (like the placebo(pləˈsēbō) effect), then your belief is both disempowering and inaccurate.

…
https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/07/8-guidelines-for-choosing-effective-beliefs/

What beliefs do you have that weren’t consciously chosen?

Ingvar Kamprad, Founder of Ikea and Creator of a Global Empire(ˈemˌpī(ə)r), Dies at 91

By Robert D. McFadden

Ingvar Kamprad, a Swedish(ˈswēdiSH) entrepreneur(-ˈnər,ˌäntrəprəˈno͝or) who hid his fascist(ˈfaSHist) past and became one of the world’s richest men by turning simply-designed(dəˈzīn), low-cost furniture(ˈfərniCHər) into the global Ikea empire, died on Saturday(-dē,ˈsatərˌdā) at his home in Smaland, Sweden. He was 91.

His death was confirmed by the company in a statement on Sunday.

He grew up on a farm in the lake-dotted province(ˈprävins) of Smaland, in southern Sweden, a dyslexic boy who milked cows(kou) and found it hard to concentrate(ˈkänsənˌtrāt) in school. His family was poor, and he earned money selling matches and pencils(ˈpensəl) in villages(ˈvilij). At 17, he registered(ˈrejəstər) his mail-order business in household goods, calling it Ikea, formed of his initials(iˈniSHəl) and those of his farm, Elmtaryd, and village, Agunnaryd.

Over the next seven decades(ˈdekād), Mr. Kamprad built Ikea into the world’s largest furniture retailer(ˈrēˌtāl) — an archipelago(ˌärkəˈpeləˌgō) of more than 350 stores in 29 countries across Europe, North America, the Caribbean(kəˈribēən,ˌkarəˈbēən), the Middle East(ēst) and Asia, with sales of 38.3 billion euros ($47.6(sent) billion), more than 930 million store visits and 210 million recipients(riˈsipēənt) of catalogs(-ˌäg,ˈkatlˌôg) in 32 languages.

It made him wealthy(ˈwelTHē) beyond imagining(iˈmajən). Bloomberg Billionaires(ˈbilyəˌne(ə)r) Index listed him as the world’s eighth-richest person, worth $58.7 billion. But his driving ambition(amˈbiSHən) led to alcoholism(-hä-,ˈalkəhôˌlizəm), years of fascination(ˌfasəˈnāSHən) with fascism(ˈfaSHˌizəm) and, trying to lead his employees by example, into a life of almost monastic(məˈnastik) frugalities(fro͞oˈgalətē).

All his life, Mr. Kamprad practiced thrift(THrift) and diligence(ˈdiləjəns), and he portrayed(pôrˈtrā) those traits(trāt) as the basis(ˈbāsis) for Ikea’s success. He lived in Switzerland(ˈswitsərlənd) to avoid Sweden’s high taxes, drove(drōv) an old Volvo, flew only economy class, stayed in budget(ˈbəjit) hotels, ate cheap meals, shopped for bargains(ˈbärgən) and insisted that his home was modest(ˈmädəst), that he had no real fortune(ˈfôrCHən) and that Ikea was held by a charitable(ˈCHaritəbəl) trust.

…
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/28/obituaries/ingvar-kamprad-dies.html

Stories about the future(ˈfyo͞oCHər)

By John Gordon

Whenever we invest(inˈvest) in something, we’re trying to predict(priˈdikt) the future. We’re telling ourselves a story that we think or hope will come true.

If I put money in a US Treasury(ˈtreZHərē) bond(bond), one story I might be telling myself is that the US government will pay me back with interest(ˈint(ə)rist) when the bond is due(d(y)o͞o), and that they US dollar is likely to remain(riˈmān) relatively(ˈrelətivlē) stable through the maturity(məˈCHo͝oritē,məˈt(y)o͝or-) of the bond.

If I put money in bitcoin(ˈbitˌkoin), one story I might be telling myself is that I think bitcoin is becoming “digital(ˈdijitl) gold”, and has a lot of room to appreciate(əˈprēSHēˌāt). Another story I might be telling myself is that bitcoin is likely to become a world reserve(riˈzərv) currency(ˈkə-rənsē,ˈkərənsē). Another story might be that I don’t know enough(iˈnəf), but I feel that there is enough of a chance that one of the above might happen that I want to allocate(ˈaləˌkāt) a small percentage(pərˈsentij) of my assets(ˈaset) to bitcoin.

So our investment decisions are often based on our assessments(əˈsesmənt) of the probabilities(ˌpräbəˈbilətē) of different futures.

But it’s hard to predict(priˈdikt) the future.

I have a very clear memory from the late fall of 1999, when I was a freshman(ˈfreSHmən) in college(ˈkälij), of realizing(ˈrē(ə)ˌlīz) that all of my friends were buying Christmas presents(priˈzent,ˈprezənt) on Amazon(-zən,ˈaməˌzän). Hmm… I thought, this is so clearly the future. I should buy some Amazon stock(stäk).

I didn’t, of course(kôrs), and periodically(ˌpi(ə)rēˈädikəl) over the last 20 years I’ve looked back and thought that that was a time that I missed a good investment because I didn’t act on my intuition(ˌint(y)o͞oˈiSHən) (or even my “special knowledge” as a college student in 1998).

But then the other day I looked at Amazon’s price chart, and I realized that I could have bought Amazon in 2008 for about the same price that I could have bought it for in 1998. So, even though my story was right, I would likely have had to have been very patient to get a good return.

In some ways more interesting than the question of whether I should have bought Amazon in 1998 is whether I would have been able to hold it through 10 years of middling performance. While I could see pretty(ˈpritē) clearly in 1998 that we were going to be buying a lot more things online, I certainly(ˈsərtnlē) couldn’t have predicted that Amazon would become what it has become today, and I don’t know if I would have had the patience to wait.

For many of us who are bullish(ˈbo͝oliSH) on bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies(ˈkriptō ˈkə-rənsē,ˈkərənsē), we see a future in which value is transferred using blockchains(CHān) (or similar(ˈsimələr) applications of cryptography(kripˈtägrəfē)). Just like it seemed clear to college students in 1998 that it made sense(sens) to buy books online, it seems clear to many who have transacted(-ˈzakt,tranˈsakt) in cryptocurrency that this method(ˈmeTHəd) of transacting, and this method of storing value, is the future.

What’s less clear, and much more difficult to predict, is exactly how that future will play out, and how long it will take. What does it mean that bitcoin was first? How will cryptocurrency and blockchain applications interact with existing institutions and infrastructure(ˈinfrəˌstrəkCHər)?

The truth is, no one knows for sure the answers to these questions (and many others). All we can do is make the best judgements we can about the probabilities(ˌpräbəˈbilətē) of different futures, continually(kənˈtinyo͞oəlē) adjust our judgments based on new information and learning, and make investment decisions accordingly.

https://medium.com/@jagordon/stories-about-the-future-a01d5502e130

ä

possiblity [ˌpäsəˈbilətē]
overarching(ˌōvərˈärCHiNG)
conscious(ˈkänCHəs)
operate(ˈäpəˌrāt)
chaos(ˈkāˌäs)
squad(skwäd)
politics(ˈpäləˌtiks)
darkness(ˈdärknis)
Heart(härt)
doctor(ˈdäktər)
inbox(ˈinˌbäks)
solitude(ˈsäləˌt(y)o͞od)
polynomial(ˌpäləˈnōmēəl)
quadratic(kwäˈdratik)
profit(ˈpräfit)
consequences(-ˌkwens,ˈkänsikwəns)
constant(ˈkänstənt)
conference(ˈkänf(ə)rəns)
context(ˈkänˌtekst)
loss(läs,lôs)
John(jän)
alarm(əˈlärm)

a

Amazon [-zən,ˈaməˌzän]
acknowledge(akˈnälij)
Palace(ˈpalis)
absence(ˈabsəns)
example(igˈzampəl)
natural(ˈnaCHərəl)
national(ˈnaSHənəl)
automatic(ˌôtəˈmatik)
mathematician(ˌmaTH(ə)məˈtiSHən)
algebra(ˈaljəbrə)
invalid(inˈvalid,ˈinvəlid)
analysis(əˈnaləsis)
comparison(kəmˈparəsən)

ā

making(ˈmākiNG)
innovation(ˌinəˈvāSHən)
gradient(ˈgrādēənt) decade(ˈdekād)
claim(klām)
cases(kās)
aimed(ām)
sacred(ˈsākrid)
nation(ˈnāSHən)
nature(ˈnāCHər)
scale(skāl)
available(əˈvāləbəl)
brain(brān)
airplanes(ˈe(ə)rˌplān)
matrix(ˈmātriks)
equation(iˈkwāZHən)
confidently(-fəˌdent,ˈkänfədənt)
conversation(ˌkänvərˈsāSHən)
racing(rās)
raise(rāz)
race(rās)
fail(fāl)
break(brāk)

i

eliminate [iˈliməˌnāt]
innovation(ˌinəˈvāSHən)
immersed(iˈmərs)
inescapable(ˌiniˈskāpəbəl)
District(ˈdistrikt)
images(ˈimij)
situations(ˌsiCHo͞oˈāSHən)
ikˈspi(ə)rēəns
express(ikˈspres)
empowered(imˈpou(-ə)r)
examine(igˈzamən)
descent(diˈsent)
symbol(ˈsimbəl)
analytical(ˌanlˈitikəl)
analystics(ˌanlˈitiks)
sympathy(ˈsimpəTHē)
synonym(ˈsinəˌnim)
interpret(inˈtərprit)
expire(ikˈspīr)
exist(igˈzist)
excited(ikˈsītid)
represent(ˌrepriˈzent)
bit(bit)
period(ˈpi(ə)rēəd)

e

decade[ˈdekād]
directly(diˈrektlē)
evidence(ˈevədəns)
effort(ˈefərt)
meditation(ˌmedəˈtāSHən)
exercise(ˈeksərˌsīz)
empathy(ˈempəTHē)
vary(ˈve(ə)rē)
very(ˈverē)
etc.(et ˈsetərə,ˈsetrə)
breath(breTH)
breakfast(ˈbrekfəst)
regression(riˈgreSHən)
variable(ˈve(ə)rēəbəl)
vector(ˈvektər)
threshold(ˈTHreSHˌ(h)ōld)
exit(ˈegzit,ˈeksit)
representation(-zən-,ˌrepriˌzenˈtāSHən)
areas(ˈe(ə)rēə)
separate(ˈsɛp(ə)rət)
expert(ˈekˌspərt)
incredibly(inˈkredəblē)
excellent(ˈeksələnt)
president(ˈprez(ə)dənt,ˈprezəˌdent)

ē

possiblity [ˌpäsəˈbilətē]
convenient(kənˈvēnyənt)
directly(diˈrektlē)
generally(ˈjenərəlē)
perceive(pərˈsēv)
meaning(ˈmēniNG)
vitriolic(ˌvitrēˈälik)
secret(ˈsēkrit)
breathe(brēT͟H)
increase(ē)
deviation(ˌdēvēˈāSHən)
roughly(ˈrəflē)
machinery(məˈSHēn(ə)rē)
discrete(disˈkrēt)
either(ˈēT͟Hər,ˈīT͟Hər)
release(rəˈlēs)

ī

primary(ˈprīm(ə)rē,ˈprīˌmerē)
surprising(sə(r)ˈprīziNG)
exercise(ˈeksərˌsīz)
eye(ī)
applied(əˈplīd)
wife(wīf)
isolation(ˌīsəˈlāSHən)
sign(sīn)
arrive(əˈrīv)
hypothesis(hīˈpäTHəsis)
normalize(ˈnôrməˌlīz)
summarize(ˈsəməˌrīz)
quite(kwīt)
rise(rīz)
optimize(ˈäptəˌmīz)
minimize(ˈminəˌmīz)
analyze(ˈanlˌīz)
bite(bīt)
byte(bīt)
unite(yo͞oˈnīt)

T͟H

Thus(T͟Həs)
teething(ˈtēT͟HiNG)
month(mənTH)
theta(ˈTHātə,ˈTHē-)
width(widTH,witTH)
depth(depTH)

ō

social(ˈsōSHəl)
goal(gōl)
rolls(rōl)
growth(grōTH)
lower(ˈlou(ə)r,ˈlōər)
antidote(ˈantiˌdōt)
forcus(ˈfōkəs)

ə

recipes(ˈresəˌpē)
come(kəm)
efficiently(əˈfiSHənt)
universe(ˈyo͞onəˌvərs)
originally(əˈrijənl-ē)
multiple(ˈməltəpəl)
assumption(əˈsəm(p)SHən)
implementation(ˌimpləmənˈtāSHən)
multiplication(ˌməltəpliˈkāSHən)
ultimately(ˈəltəmitlē)
derivative(diˈrivətiv)
parameter(pəˈramitər)
assignment(əˈsīnmənt)
original(əˈrijənl)
particular(pə(r)ˈtikyələr)
part(pärt)
method(ˈmeTHəd)
verify(ˈverəˌfī)
correctly(kəˈrektlē)
unit(ˈyo͞onət)
unity(ˈyo͞onədē)
economy(əˈkänəmē)
confession(kənˈfeSHən)
complete(kəmˈplēt)
alert(əˈlərt)

ô

porters(ˈpôrtər)
zoning(zōn)
tutorial(t(y)o͞oˈtôrēəl)
pause(pôz)

o͝o

look(lo͝ok)

SH

partial(ˈpärSHəl)

z

wise(wīz)

ou

browser(ˈbrouzər)
couch(kouCH)

k

control(kənˈtrōl)
complete(kəmˈplēt)
compete(kəmˈpēt)
concept(ˈkänˌsept)
construction(kənˈstrəkSHən)
congregate(ˈkäNGɡrəˌɡāt)
comfort(ˈkəmfərt)
content(ˈkänˌtent)
comment(ˈkämˌent)
combat(ˈkämˌbat)

Turn Off Messenger(ˈmesənjər) Kids, Health Experts Plead(plēd) to Facebook

By Cecilia Kang

At the age of 6, a child is full of imagination(iˌmajəˈnāSHən) and may not distinguish reality(rēˈalətē) from fantasy(ˈfantəsē). She is beginning to read and can’t grasp(grasp) nuances(ˈn(y)o͞oˌäns) in written communication. She also doesn’t understand privacy(ˈprīvəsē).

Citing(sīt) those reasons and more, dozens(ˈdəzən) of pediatric(ˌpidiˈætrɪk) and mental(ˈmentl) health experts are calling on Facebook to kill a messaging service the company introduced last month for children as young as 6.

In a letter(ˈletər) to the company, they said the service, Messenger Kids, which pushes the company’s user base well below its previous(ˈprēvēəs) minimum(ˈminəməm) age of 13, preys(prā) on a vulnerable(ˈvəln(ə)rəbəl) group developmentally unprepared(ˌənpriˈpe(ə)rd) to be on the social network.

The letter was organized(ˈôrgəˌnīzd) by the Campaign(kamˈpān) for a Commercial-Free Childhood, an advocacy(ˈadvəkəsē) group that has successfully pushed companies to abandon(əˈbandən) marketing like a Pokemon(ˈpōkiˌmän) Go app that sent children to fast food and other stores, and McDonald’s advertising(ˈadvərˌtīziNG) on the envelopes(ˈenvəˌlōp,ˈänvə-) of report cards in Florida(ˈflär-,ˈflôridə).

Facebook’s new app for young children opens greater concerns(kənˈsərn), the group said.

“Younger children are simply not ready to have social media accounts,” the experts said in the letter. “A growing body of research demonstrates(ˈdemənˌstrāt) that excessive(ikˈsesiv) use of digital(ˈdijitl) devices(diˈvīs) and social media is harmful to children and teens, making it very likely this new app will undermine(ˈəndərˌmīn,ˌəndərˈmīn) children’s healthy development.”

…
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/30/technology/messenger-kids-facebook-letter.html

RESIGNATION

INT: A SMALL HOME
Peter enters, looking utterly(ˈətərlē) exhausted(igˈzôstid) and beaten(ˈbētn)-down. He is speaking to his wife.

PETER

(bracingly(ˈbrāsiNG))

Helen(ˈhelən), you might want to sit down for this.

(He sits down and stares(ste(ə)r) at his hands, hesitating(ˈheziˌtāt) and fidgeting(ˈfijit))

I, um(əm), well, I resigned(riˈzīnd) today. I know, I know it wasn’t what we talked about, but I can’t be a whistleblower(ˈ(h)wisəl ˈblōər), Helen, it’s just not in me.

Every day I watch that man lie(lī) to people. I watch him pay off inspectors(inˈspektər) and falsify(ˈfôlsəˌfī) safety reports and he shouldn’t get away with it, I know that. I know it.

(Looks up at her)

But then I was reading about Deep Throat(THrōt) and Edward(ˈedwərd) Snowden and I just…I have you and the kids to think about, don’t I? I mean, what is my main(mān) priority(prīˈôrətē) supposed to be? A man can’t be thinking about the safety of-of sweatshop(ˈswetˌSHäp) kids in Asia(ˈāZHə) if it means he can’t feed his own family, right? I mean, do you want to lose(lo͞oz) the house? Do you want to have to move? To-to Switzerland(ˈswitsərlənd) or something?

(Dropping his head into his hands)

Please don’t look at me like that. I am trying. I’ll find a new job that won’t make me choose between a paycheck(ˈpāˌCHek) and my conscience(ˈkänCHəns). I’m sorry.

(She stands and walks away and he gets up abruptly(əˈbrəpt),

kicking(ˈkikiNG) back the chair and making a half-hearted step toward her)

Don’t, please. I did everything I could. I know I didn’t have the courage(ˈkə-rij,ˈkərij) to blow(blō) the whistle(ˈ(h)wisəl) or the moral(ˈmär-,ˈmôrəl) blindness(blīnd) to stay and keep my head down, but I did what I could! I gave what I could.

(She’s gone. He drops his hand and speaks to himself.)

All I had left was my resignation(ˌrezigˈnāSHən).

https://www.instantmonologues.com/preview/Resignation

How to declutter(ˈdēklətər) your life as we hoard(hôrd) goods we never use

We hoard £10(pound) billion worth(wərTH) of clothes(klō(T͟H)z) we never wear and with £2.6(pence) bn(billion) spent on unwanted Christmas(ˈkrisməs) gifts(gift), January(ˈjanyo͞oˌerē) is peak time for stuffiness(stəf)

By Fiona Duffy

It’s a modern-day epidemic(ˌepiˈdemik) triggering(ˈtrigər) stress(stres), panic(ˈpanik), depression(diˈpreSHən), guilt(gilt), indecision(ˌindiˈsiZHən), despair(diˈspe(ə)r) and a sheer(SHi(ə)r) inability(ˌinəˈbilitē) to cope(kōp). And the cause? Stuffiness.

No, not being bunged(bəNG) up with a cold, but being surrounded by more things than we can ever use.

We hoard £10 billion worth of clothes we never wear and with £2.6 bn spent on unwanted Christmas gifts, January is peak time for stuffiness.

“When we’re swamped(swämp) with things, the good stuff gets lost among the dross(dräs,drôs),” says organisational(ˌôrgəniˈzāSHən) expert(ˈekˌspərt) Jamie(jāmi) Novak, author of Keep This Toss(täs,tôs) That.

“The fewer things you keep, the more special they become to you.”

A new book called The Gentle(ˈjentl) Art of Swedish(ˈswēdiSH) Death(deTH) Cleaning is set to change all of that.

Author Margareta Magnusson insists(inˈsist) it’s not a sad or morbid(ˈmôrbəd) subject.

Death cleaning simply means removing unnecessary items(ˈītəm) to make life nice, orderly(ˈôrdərlē) and enjoyable(enˈjoi-əbəl) again.

Here is our essential(iˈsenCHəl) guide(gīd)…

Start large (for example, with furniture(ˈfərniCHər)) and work towards small, emotionally(iˈmōSHənəl) laden(ˈlādn) items. “Never make photos, personal letters(ˈletər) or baby clothes your first task,” says Margareta.

Make a rule to toss(täs,tôs) one item a day, says Jamie. See it through. Once you’ve decided you’re chucking(CHək) it – get it out of the house!

…
https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/how-declutter-your-life-hoard-11909570

How to be The Startup Hero

By Tim Draper(ˈdrāpər)

Don’t do it!

Stop! Take Elon(i’lon) Musk’s advice(ədˈvīs). “Don’t do it!”

Most people are not cut out for being an entrepreneur(-ˈnər,ˌäntrəprəˈno͝or). They are content living out their lives not making waves(wāv), drawing inside the lines, obsessing(əbˈses) about rules(ro͞ol), and staying inside the box(bäks). But you bought this book, or at least you are reading it, so it is possible that you are different. With a little training(ˈtrāniNG), you might become an entrepreneur, a revolutionary(ˌrevəˈlo͞oSHəˌnerē), a Startup Hero. So read on and you might be the one making the waves, drawing the lines, making the rules, and asking, “What box?”

I took a Draper University group of students (who we call “heroes in training” or “HITS”— we dropped the “Super” or “Startup” “S” part of the acronym(ˈakrəˌnim) for obvious(ˈäbvēəs) reasons) down to the Tesla factory in Fremont(ˈfrēˌmänt), California(-nēə,ˌkaləˈfôrnyə) to watch as Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO and one of the most extraordinary(ikˈstrôrdnˌerē,ˌekstrəˈôrdn-) and successful entrepreneurs in history launched the Model(ˈmädl) S. The plant is enormous(iˈnôrməs). It seems to go for miles(mīl) in all directions. Robots as big as elephants(ˈeləfənt) move around connecting car parts, fastening(ˈfasəniNG) attachments(əˈtaCHmənt), and painting(ˈpāntiNG) the body(ˈbädē).

The launch was to great fanfare(ˈfanˌfer). The Governor(ˈgəvə(r)nər) of California came and cut the ribbon(ˈribən), the first ten cars were rolled off the assembly(əˈsemblē) line for us lucky early “Founder Series(ˈsi(ə)rēz)” buyers, and all 1000 Tesla employees shared a proud(proud) moment as they watched as all their amazing labor(ˈlābər) and efforts came to life.

Elon made some time for us before his big event and answered a few questions. The first question was from one of the Draper University heroes in training. She said, “Mr. Musk, what would you recommend to an entrepreneur who is just starting up who wants to become a successful Startup Hero like you?” Elon hesitated(ˈheziˌtāt). He looked exhausted(igˈzôstid), his hair a little disheveled(diˈSHevəld) and his demeanor(diˈmēnər) exhausted. After all, he had just orchestrated(ˈôrkiˌstrāt) one of the most amazing launches(länCH,lônCH) of one of the most revolutionary vehicles(ˈvēəkəl,ˈvēˌhikəl) the world had ever seen. So, after a deep breath(breTH) and an uncomfortably long pause(pôz), finally he said, “Don’t do it!”

He went on to say that that was the best advice he could give to an aspiring(əˈspī(ə)riNG) entrepreneur, because if you accepted the advice you really aren’t really ready to be an entrepreneur and he would have just saved you from going through a brutal(ˈbro͞otl), extraordinary effort when your heart isn’t really in it. And if you didn’t, well then… send me a business plan.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Startup-Hero-Textbook-Entrepreneurs-ebook/dp/B078HWH29T/

Relaxing(riˈlaks) Into the Feeling of Being Alive

By Leo Babauta

There’s a practice(ˈpraktəs) so simple that many people will discount it as not worthy(ˈwərT͟Hē) of trying(trī).

They’ll miss out on the transformative power of that very simplicity(simˈplisitē).

The practice is this: Sit still for a moment, and just feel what it feels like to be alive. Then relax into that feeling.

Yes, I know, sitting still for a moment isn’t something we want to do right now. We got things to do, man! But just try it, for a minute. Sit still and feel what it feels like to be alive, for you, right this moment. There’s never been another moment like this particular(pə(r)ˈtikyələr) one, and never will be again.

Let me repeat(riˈpēt) that: There’s never been another moment like this particular one, and never will be again.

That means that at this moment, we have the opportunity(ˌäpərˈt(y)o͞onitē) to fully(ˈfo͝olē) appreciate(əˈprēSHēˌāt) the miracle(ˈmirikəl) of this moment, and how it came to be from the infinite(ˈinfənit) number of causes that created it from preceding(priˈsēd) moments. We are alive in this moment because of millions of other people who have supported us, because of everything on this planet(ˈplanit), which just happened to be the perfect conditions for creating the person we are right this moment. What a freakin’ miracle!

So tune(t(y)o͞on) in, and notice(ˈnōtis) what it feels like to be alive right now:

What sensations(senˈsāSHən) do you notice in your body?

What is the energy(ˈenərjē) of those sensations? Does the energy change, or move?

What is the texture(ˈteksCHər) of your breath?

Do you notice pain, discomfort(disˈkəmfərt), tenderness(ˈtendərnis), tightness(tīt)?

Get curious(ˈkyo͝orēəs) and explore(ikˈsplôr), investigate(inˈvestiˌgāt), look even closer.

Take in the totality(tōˈtalitē) of your sensory(ˈsensərē) input, all at once, holding it in your awareness(əˈwe(ə)rnis).

Stay with this feeling, instead of moving on. Then stay a little more.

…
https://zenhabits.net/alive/

Connecting From the Heart

By Steve Pavlina

How do you create a heart(härt)-centered(ˈsentərd) connection with someone close to you?

I think the best way to do it is to let the other person see you naked(ˈnākid).

I don’t mean this in the physical(ˈfizikəl) sense(sens), but in the emotional(iˈmōSHənəl)-spiritual(ˈspiriCHo͞oəl) sense.

As you converse(ˈkänˌvərs) with the other person, talk about your career(kəˈri(ə)r); then let it go. Talk about your past; then let it go. Talk about your other relationships; then let those go as well.

Keep talking and connecting without re-hashing the same subjects. Eventually(iˈvenCHo͞oəlē) you’ll come upon(əˈpän,əˈpôn) a thought that’s uncomfortable(-ˈkəmftərbəl,ˌənˈkəmfərtəbəl) for you to explore(ikˈsplôr). This is where you must summon(ˈsəmən) the courage(ˈkə-rij,ˈkərij) to delve(delv) in and share.

If there’s an end goal here, it’s to reach the point where you feel so safe with each other, that you can ask absolutely(ˌabsəˈlo͞otlē) anything and get an emotionally deep and honest(ˈänist) answer in response, no matter how embarrassing(emˈbarəsiNG) the questions may seem or how painful the inner wounds(wo͞ond) are. You become completely(kəmˈplētlē) naked(ˈnākid) to each other with nothing left to hide.

In practice this involves a bit of a dance. Sometimes you’ll come upon new truths(tro͞oTH) that are too intense(inˈtens) or too difficult to face right away. Sometimes you won’t feel very connected to your inner truth, so you won’t be sure what to say. When that happens you can back off a bit and discuss(disˈkəs) something easier and more mundane(ˌmənˈdān) for a while, or simply(ˈsimplē) take a break(brāk). Then later when you feel ready, you can return to exploring the deeper levels of yourselves once again.

As the other person shares herself with you, let her know that she’s unconditionally(-ˈdiSHnəl,ˌənkənˈdiSHənl) loved and accepted by you. Don’t judge(jəj) her or invalidate(inˈvaliˌdāt) her experience. Just keep your heart open, and quietly(ˈkwīət) observe(əbˈzərv).

Making yourself vulnerable(ˈvəln(ə)rəbəl) by sharing truths about yourself in turn makes it easier for the other person to feel accepted(akˈseptid) by you because you’re giving her the chance to accept you first.

Don’t wait(wāt) — initiate(ɪˈnɪʃiˌeɪt). When in doubt(dout) about who should take the next step to reveal(riˈvēl) something deeply personal, you go first. Prove(pro͞ov) to life, the universe(ˈyo͞onəˌvərs), and your partner that you’re willing to take a risk(risk) and that you’re willing to trust. Magical things will happen when you do that.

Emotional risk-taking creates emotional depth. When you open your heart to someone and share the deepest truths about yourself, and they do the same, you gradually(ˈgrajo͞oəlē) strip(strip) away layers(ˈlāər) of falsehood(ˈfôlsˌho͝od) and self-deception(diˈsepSHən), aligning(əˈlīn) yourself with ever deeper truths. Doing this with someone else creates an amazing sense of connectedness.

It’s a life-changing experience to see another human being as she really is and to allow her to see the real(rāˈäl,ˈrē(ə)l) you — to see your inner beauty(ˈbyo͞otē) and magnificence(magˈnifəsəns) reflected back to you in the eyes of another… and to see so much of yourself in her.

You are loved(ləv). 🙂

https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2010/11/connecting-from-the-heart/