Few
would dispute that living to become 100 years old is a particularly
appealing sort of good fortune. Many would be ready to pay a
fortune for such privilege, but contemporary medicine still has major
difficulties to extend human life beyond the eighty-fifth birthday. In
the course of the last three decades, scientific studies on longevity
have outgrown the status of fringe curiosities.
"Luck is the result of previous actions," wrote Aristotle in his essay
Physics in the year 329 B.C. "In this respect, one can also say that
happiness and good fortune are the result of previous good actions."
Today, trying to
figure out how human beings could live longer occupies a central place
in medical research. When researching longevity, the approach taken by the great majority of
scientists has been based on the following five steps:
- Seek out very old people in different countries.
- Talk to them and to their families.
- Organize the information in four areas, namely, genetic characteristics, environment, lifestyle, and food.
- Compare the details in each area.
- Identify patterns that explain why those people live much longer than average.
In
the late seventies, a population survey in Okinawa, a group of islands
located between Japan and Taiwan, discovered an unusually large
population segment that had reached an age beyond ninety years old. The
scientific investigation conducted with Okinawan men and women led to
the same results as studies carried out in other areas of the world.
"Time is a measure of motion and change," observed
Aristotle. "Growing old shows the effect of time on living entities."
No
one can modify the genetic characteristics of human beings after their
birth, at least for the moment, but researchers agree that we are able
to influence the other three factors that determine longevity. These are
some of the ways of turning those factors in our favour:
- ENVIRONMENT: If possible, move to live in an unpolluted area, free of
smoke, industrial fallout, and with abundant green areas for relaxation.
- LIFESTYLE: Try to spend a good part of the day outside, cycling,
gardening, or simply walking. Live close to friends and see them often.
Pursue long-term interests in fields that require continuous learning,
skill development, and intellectual concentration. Follow your passions.
- FOOD: Eat moderately and seek to maintain a stable weight. Food affects
people in various ways and there is no universal formula for youth. In
general, it seems that legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and fish tend
to further essential biochemical processes at cellular level. Find out
which precise diet works best for you by observing how your metabolism
reacts to different foods.
"Virtues are actions that move us in the direction of happiness," defined Aristotle. "In order to find out the right direction to follow, a man should think of the likely effects of his actions." Let us learn how to live properly by learning from
reality. The more we learn, the longer and happier our life will be.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my book The 10 Principles of Rational Living
[Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com]
[Image by tiny_packages under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us]
Undoubtedly, we live in a short-term world. If you work for a company
that is listed in the stock market, you will feel the pressure to reach
monthly targets. Financial results have to be reported every quarter to
shareholders and rightly so. There is no escape.
How to think long term in a short-term world
If you are a
movie distributor, you watch the weekly box-office receipts like a hawk.
You want to know which kind of movies are doing well these days.
Historical romance? Vampire stories? Is there a trend that you can
follow? When a film goes into theatrical release, the first weekend is
decisive. There is no choice.
Are you opening a retail outlet?
You need a powerful campaign in order to make sure that shoppers come to
your store on day one. Cash-flow targets must be reached on a weekly
basis. If results fall short of expectations, the location might be
reconsidered. If the store does not become profitable quickly, it might
be shut down. There is no option.
Many jobs are short-term.
Products are conceived for maximum attractiveness and minimum
durability. Relationships are superficial. Companies sell their brands
overnight to total strangers. Clothes lose their colours after a few
washings. Books that don't sell within 18 months are shredded. Is there
no alternative?
Yes, luckily, there is a better way. It is called
long-term thinking and it wins hands-down in every field
Look at your
own life and your own preferences. Chances are that you have been
wearing the same brand of shoes for a long time. Most people's choices
are remarkable stable when it comes to their family doctor, their
favourite place to shop for clothes, or to buy groceries.
Do not constrain your thinking to the immediate
If you
list your greatest achievements in life, those you are most proud of,
you will detect in every case the thread of long-term plans. Learning to
speak a foreign language or to play piano are remarkable
accomplishments that require years of effort. Acquiring professional
qualifications and establishing a business on solid ground can demand a
decade of your life.
Although we cannot change the short-term
orientation of the world we live in, we do not need to constrain our
thinking in the same way. Each person is free to make his own decisions.
Causes can bring about effects that shape a man's life for years.
Refusing to see beyond immediacy leads to spiritual impoverishment.
Effort
devoted to connect current events to future consequences will be
compensated down the line. Great achievements come from consistency of
purpose sustained through decades. Make your own plans and carry them
through with serenity. Days can only be lived to the fullest if we think
and act with the perspective of a lifetime.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my book The 10 Principles of Rational Living
[Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com]
[Image by kyz under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us]
Aristotle was a great philosopher, but the one thing that he never
managed to understand was entrepreneurship. In the Nicomachean Ethics,
his essay on justice and morality, he saw society as a market where
human desires are stable and each product possesses a fair price.
A mistake Aristotle made that you don't need to repeat
One
does not need to look long at the world to realize that Aristotle's
view of work and commerce was highly unrealistic. The truth is that
prices vary incessantly and new products appear daily on the market.
Jobs are created by growing ventures and lost by dying industries.
Things change, markets move, and money circulates.
Start-up
entrepreneurs are deeply conscious of the fact that the driving factor
of business success is not money, but time. Any financial advisor will
tell you that, for a solid undertaking, money can always be raised or
borrowed. Bankers rarely refuse a loan to a company that produces
positive cash-flow.
What entrepreneurs do, essentially, is to
shift resources through time. They borrow from the slow at 6% interest
in order to invest with the fast at a 10% rate. If you learn how to do
that repeatedly, with growing sums of money, chances are that you will
become very wealthy.
What entrepreneurs really do: shifting time and resources
Since Aristotle never grasped the impact of
time on resources, he was never able to explain why people pay interest
when they borrow money. The different personal needs are what, already a
thousand years ago, prompted farmers to exchange cheese for meat and
wool for wheat.
Entrepreneurs trade present resources, which are
used slowly or not at all, for future results, which are to be produced
as fast and efficiently as possible. A company should encounter few
obstacles to issue bonds at 7% interest if it can achieve a 20% profit
margin in its operations.
A flow of money is, fundamentally, a
flow of time
The essence of business activity is to shift resources
from slowness to velocity. At school or during their apprenticeship,
entrepreneurial minds can be spotted by their extreme impatience and
disdain for slow motion. Speed is seen as a synonym of efficiency,
progress as a continuous forward movement.
How can one acquire
entrepreneurial reflexes? Is it wise to let our irritation run free when
we face slowness? Does annoyance automatically make us more alert to
opportunity? Here is some practical advice:
- THE WORLD IS
ASYMMETRIC. Commit to seeing the world as a playing ground of time and
resources that can be shifted by personal initiative.
- TARGETS MOVE. Realize that opportunities are continuously created and destroyed by markets.
- PERSPECTIVE CHANGES PERCEPTION. Your decision to enter a market or
profession will immediately affect your attitude towards that field.
- ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS WIDER THAN BUSINESS. As soon as you start to shift
time and resources, you have already become an entrepreneur. In this
sense, a medical student is one. The same goes for someone who takes up a
modest job in order to learn a trade that will allow him later to set
up his own company.
The ability to link present slowness to
future speed can be cultivated like any other skill. Taking notes and
asking questions are excellent methods to focus your thoughts on what
can be done, changed, or contested. At some point, when your impatience
begins to drive your imagination, you will be on your way
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my book The 10 Principles of Rational Living
[Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com]
[Image by Tim Pokorny under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us]
Newspapers and other media often paint a dark picture of contemporary
education. Studies that compare the knowledge of mathematics of children
in different countries add little to the discussion, since many
question if teaching algebra to seven-year-old kids makes any sense at
all.
The three elements of unshakable self-confidence
The modern school curriculum contains a wide range of
subjects and attempts to develop children's talents in all directions.
From music to History, from drawing to sports, everything is there to
fascinate and entertain the minds of the young.
Since the variety
of subjects that are addressed in today's classrooms is mind-boggling,
how does one explain that many youths experience boredom at school? Does
the number of subjects correspond to a real learning need or is it
rather a fashion? Do we really want such complexity? What are the
essential elements of a good education?
History gives perspective
and, in this particular case, it teaches us a precious lesson. You
might be surprised to learn that, for almost two thousand years, since
the times of Aristotle until the Renaissance, a good education consisted
only of three subjects.
In ancient times and during the Middle
Ages, there was no radio, no television, and no internet. Books were
expensive and difficult to reproduce. The thoughts of the past were
carefully compiled and copied by hand. Education represented a
considerable investment and was held in high regard.
The three essential ingredients of personal development
Pupils
traveled hundreds of kilometres in order to enroll in schools that
featured famous speakers. The subjects that students were taught
equipped them with the most crucial skills that a man needs in life,
whatever his later choice of profession. If you mastered those three
subjects, chances were that you would do well in life:
1.- LEARN TO THINK LOGICALLY.
Even during periods of intense religiosity, such as medieval times, the
study of Aristotle's essays on logic was considered indispensable. The
mark of an educated man was his ability to think consistently, find
patterns, and draw conclusions from events. Even though this subject has
disappeared from the school curriculum in many countries, anyone can
afford to buy a copy of Aristotle's works. When it comes to learning
logic, the only barriers to acquiring knowledge are self-inflicted.
2.-
DEVELOP YOUR LANGUAGE SKILLS. Communicating your thoughts orally and in writing is the basis
of most commercial activities. Without proper syntax, men cannot make
themselves understood. Language allows individuals to formulate complex
connections between facts. Creativity without grammar frequently turns
out to be meaningless. The simple practice of reading good authors will
boost your ability to communicate in any field. Access to public
libraries is free in most countries. Are you using that possibility to
your full advantage?
3.- MAINTAIN HIGH ETHICAL STANDARDS. The science of human choices
played a central role in education since the times of the Ancient
Greeks. Aristotle himself recognized the importance of learning moral
values as milestones in the path to individual happiness. Another
benefit of studying ethics is learning from other people's mistakes.
Making your own errors will teach you unforgettable lessons, but
learning from publications and good speakers is less expensive. In our
days, books are cheap and internet access is widespread. If you want to
learn, you will find many doors open.
The three pillars of personal growth
Do not pay attention to
those who criticize schools and teachers. Complaining is not going to
solve any problem. Realize that you are responsible for your own
education, self-confidence, and personal development. Identify which knowledge you are missing and go for it. The
world is full of opportunities for those who want to learn. Make sure
that you have the three basic ingredients well covered, move on, and pursue your
growth.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my book The 10 Principles of Rational Living
[Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com]
[Image by Gilles Gonthier under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us]
You cannot drive a car without traffic signs, a map, or at the very
least, knowing where you want to go. A sense of direction allows man to
make decisions, assess costs, and trade off alternatives. Most people
are aware of the importance of setting goals in life, but in order to
avoid losing motivation, it is crucial to keep your objectives visible
to yourself. There are four reasons for that:
Long-term
thinking requires sustained effort
Without reflection and
concentration, human life tends to decay into a succession of events
without order nor enjoyment. Using your days wisely and making the best
of your life is impossible without long-term thinking. Keeping your
major objectives in front of your eyes enables you to steer out of
time-wasters.
The most scarce resource is invisible
Time
continues to flow whether we have a great life or not. In the end, our
days will be gone anyway. The question is how to live them in the best
possible way. Happiness is never automatic. It requires thinking, goals,
action, and progress. Keeping your dreams visible makes you aware of
the passage of time and prompts you to move in your chosen direction.
A strong sense of direction wins over random noise
Daily events are meaningless
without perspective. In addition, the random noise of nihilism and
nonsense tends to discourage clear thinking. Maintaining a list of your
goals in a visible place helps you ignore the noise of the world.
Knowing where you are going is a fundamental element of self-confidence.
It allows you to discard what cannot work and persist in what will.
Only by ignoring noise can we put our energies to good use.
Steady progress, even if slow, is a major achievement in itself
The term success is frequently
attributed only to spectacular victories. On the other hand, one should
never forget that, behind every major achievement, there are years of
preparation and relentless action. Place your long-term goals where you
can see them everyday. That is the best manner to remind yourself that
something needs to be done right now in order to keep advancing towards
your objectives.
You cannot reach your destination without a
plan, a list of actions, and the will to correct mistakes as they
happen. Long-term goals allow man to evaluate alternatives, discard
wasteful undertakings, and learn from experience. Setting goals in life
is essential, but without constant action, little will be achieved. Keeping objectives present in our mind is what enables us to align present reality with future achievement.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my book The 10 Principles of Rational Living
[Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com]
[Image by Koshyk under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us]
