There are worse things than low-quality products and services.
Invalidity and death, for instance. On the other hand, if you think
about it, one thing often leads to the other. A deficient electrical
installation in the bathroom might electrocute you and do you in.
Long-term consumption of poor-quality food is likely to cause serious
damage to your body.
Low-cost ways to improve your life
A world of perfect quality does not exist,
not even in an industrial environment. This does not mean that we should
just give up, specially in our private life. During the last thirty
years, engineers have developed techniques to render mistakes impossible
in factories.
These systems are known as "poka-yokes." The Japanese
term "poka-yoke," which means "fail-safe," has been taken over in other
languages to identify these principles, since many of them have been
created by companies in Japan.
In our days, techniques for
preventing human mistakes are spreading to all kind of manufacturing
operations around the world. What is amazing is that, outside the
industrial environment, those techniques are seldom used: How do you
make sure that don't forget to take your car to the garage for the
annual maintenance? Do you ever run out of milk at home?
Making mistakes impossible
Sixty
years ago, it was relatively common that, when you bought a new car, you
expected the dealer to have it fine-tuned for you before delivery.
Vehicle assembly at factories in those days was fraught with random
mistakes.
How did engineers solve this problem? By designing each
mechanical part to be unique in size or form, they made sure that each
element could be mounted only one way: correctly. By making non-matching
parts impossible to fit together, engineers excluded the possibility of
error.
"Poka-yoke" techniques are one of the reasons behind the
relatively high quality of contemporary cars and washing machines. Is it
possible to apply fail-safe techniques to make also our private life
better? Yes, I do believe so. Let me put forward two examples:
A reminder you can't possibly miss
Write a reminder for yourself on a sheet of paper and use it to wrap up
your car keys before you go to bed. When you pick up your car keys the
following morning, there is no way that you are going to ignore the
reminder you wrote for yourself.
Keeping a buffer stock
Keep at home some extra
units of essential products, such as shampoo or tooth brushes. When your
stock becomes too low, lay an empty box of the product on the corridor
floor, next to the front door of your house. There is hardly a better
way to make sure that you'll remember to replenish your stock.
Once
you get used to thinking in terms of zero-mistakes, you will find many
ways to apply fail-safe principles in your daily life. Just imagine how
much time you could save if you never made the same mistake twice.
Developing
systems to ensure perfect quality in factories keeps engineers busy and
customers happy. It is not high time to start applying similar
principles in our private life? The result will be, if not quality, at
least peace of mind.
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 Aussigall under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us]
"Men should avoid the distractions of pretence and delusion," wrote
German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer in the year 1842. "Impossible
expectations disconnected from reality always result in disappointment
and sorrow."
Learning to see the truth
Learning to see the truth is seldom easy and never
without cost, but a sharp vision of the world and a clear mind bring man
unlimited rewards. Conformity is a bank from which you can borrow
short-term convenience after you have secured repayment by means of a
mortgage on your soul.
By willingly ignoring facts, we often
place ourselves in a fog of ignorance, increasing our likelihood of
making expensive mistakes and creating dangerous inconsistencies in our
actions. Consider these five examples:
- Unhealthy food: Despite being aware of long-term negative effects of some foods, we keep
on consuming them in the illusion that, somehow, we alone will be
immune to the consequences.
- A decaying work environment: We
close our eyes to signs of decline in the company we work for, often for
years, in order to avoid the nuisance of searching alternative
employment or the risk of starting our own business.
- Wrong
relationships: We ignore major character flaws and attribute
non-existent virtues to someone we find sexually attractive in order to
justify an unsustainable choice.
- Unreliable friends: We avoid
confronting breach of trust to avoid rocking the boat, preferring to
hang around people who do not deserve our friendship instead of making
the effort to seek further.
- Unsound investments: We trust
prodigious assurances of reckless money-managers and place our savings
at great risk without giving it another thought.
Everybody makes
mistakes and, when it comes to learning, there is no substitute for
experience. However, if we wish to minimize errors, few habits are as
effective as standing still from time to time, questioning aspects that
look too good to be true, and checking the consistency of our logic.
A sharp vision of reality
"Only
an unclouded vision of reality allows man to perceive truth," observed
Schopenhauer. "Decisions based on facts render individuals
self-supporting, which is the key to happiness." History shows that
prejudice and conformity block progress more frequently than ignorance.
All
too often, we forget to which extent the acquisition of knowledge is
dependent on moral courage. Let us restate at every opportunity our
right to discard facts that don't match. Only by allowing reason to
thrive will we keep civilization alive.
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 Perrimoon under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us]
The Philosophy of Builders
by John Vespasian
The factors that lead to prosperity and happiness have changed little
through the ages. From the lives of accomplished men and women, we can
extract the three principles that they have used to build a better
future: self-reliance, tolerance and entrepreneurship.
This book
presents how individuals can use these principles to overcome adversity
and improve their lives. Through the analysis of situations in the areas
of relationships, career, health and investments, it shows how to
overcome pessimism and discouragement, walk the path of least
resistance, simplify your life and reduce costs, and focus on real
opportunities.
The ideas are illustrated with examples from the lives of
Paracelsus, Jane Austen, Thomas of Aquinas, Gutenberg, Jules Verne and
many other historical figures, showing how they overcame obstacles and
built a better future for themselves.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Achieve basic stability
Never underestimate what one man alone can do
Establish the foundation of long-term achievement
Attack problems one by one
Do not allow vanity to paralyse you
Pay attention to danger signals
Build on existing strengths
Learn to view problems in perspective
Wait only the strictly necessary
2. Overcome pessimism and discouragement
Assess risks rationally, not emotionally
Quantify what you can expect
Passive acceptance is not the way to go
Dispute negative thinking patterns
Embrace a philosophy that leads to happiness
Avoid inconsistent decisions
Read inspiring authors
3. Walk the path of least resistance
Discard unworkable plans
Use realism to avoid waste
Look at what people are actually buying
Adopt a lifestyle that suits your temperament
Use long-term goals to determine your direction
Stay out of hopeless ventures
Avoid relativism and scepticism
Find an outlet for your talents
4. Take measures to prevent problems
Be prepared to face misfortune
Concentrate on crucial factors
Pay attention only to quality information
Identify potential threats
Look for simple prescriptions
Protect yourself effectively
Increase your resilience against adversity
5. Simplify your life and reduce your costs
Don't fall in the trap of short-term thinking
Enjoy the benefits of the immigrant mentality
When should you be willing to overpay?
Choose inexpensive alternatives
You can learn the basics quickly
Being healthier by consuming less
The solution to stress: simplification
6. Start new projects with minimum resources
Gather support as you go
The danger of getting stuck in abstractions
Avoid inaccessible markets
Do not be intimidated by other people's achievements
Most barriers are psychological
Small but regular steps often lead to success
7. Focus on real opportunities
Select a low-risk approach
You can profit from troubled times
How to identify promising ideas
Should you worry about the state of the economy?
Use low-cost marketing techniques
Redefine what is essential
Value creation begins with observation
8. Adopt productivity as a way of life
Do not assign excessive weight to mistakes
In case of doubt, opt for a logical explanation
Steady work is preferable to occasional jobs
Choose stories that promote achievement
A change of speed might be all you need
Work only on one major project at a time
Let go of linear expectations
Never entrust your future to chance
Keep flexible and alert
9. Take relentless action
Fill your days with worthy activities
Experiment to find out what works
Adopt effective routines
In crucial matters, do not leave anything untried
Continuous action breeds opportunities
Rewrite your personal history
Can you turn adversity into an asset?
Action is the best way to overcome obstacles
The Philosophy of Builders
by John Vespasian
Change is great. We all love to see people try to improve things. Where
would we be without adventurers and risk-takers? If you are in search of
glory or wish to make a fortune, it obviously pays to be first.
Nevertheless, during an economic depression, it can happen that early
birds just get eaten first.
Prudence is crucially important
That does not mean that we should be
sceptical about innovation, but only that, when money is tight, it is
advisable to be extra careful. If you are running a business these days,
you are probably watching your cash-flow like a hawk. Well done. My
guess is that, right now, you need to make a major mistake like you need
a hole in your head.
Managing a company in recession mode
demands more of the ant than of the grasshopper in our souls. When the
market recovers, there will be plenty of time for taking bold risks. In
the meantime, a miser's frame of mind might be what you need to ensure
business survival. In my view, in difficult times, one should keep in
mind the following three principles:
Go for the easy catch
If you are running a specialist service
company in Minnesota, forget about the Chinese market for the moment.
Chances are that you'll be able to detect better opportunities if you
concentrate your attention on people next door. Transportation costs
money and communication takes time. In times of deep economic trouble, I
believe in focusing all efforts on the easiest markets and putting
aside, temporarily, risky expansion ideas.
Deliver high-quality work
If you are delivering services, such as painting houses,
what level of quality should you try to achieve? How often do you give
grounds of complaint to your customers? If your answer is never, you are
doing great. If not, that might be good news as well. Quality
improvements, as perceived by customers, often involve negligible costs
for business. Delivering impeccable quality saves you money. For this
reason, during an economic recession, I wouldn't recommend launching new
products with potential quality problems that might take you down
beyond hope of recovery.
Spend money wisely
An economic recession blurs the line between fixed and
variable costs, production and overhead. When money is tight, you need
to take immediate decisions about where your cash is going. Evaluating
every expenditure as an investment is a technique that brings about
outstanding results. Is your inventory going to make you a profit within
the next two months? Which steps of your process could be eliminated
without negative impact for customers? In periods of crisis, one should
eliminate investments in new technologies with long payback periods,
since they might eat up the cash that you need to survive right now.
When
you look around and see people going bankrupt, it is not unwise to
become risk-shy. Before you explore new countries, take a walk down the
street. Before you invest in new technology, make sure that you can
afford it. Before you take additional cargo, stabilize your ship. One
day, hopefully soon, the storm will be over and we will be able to go
back to plain sailing, bold innovation, and massive expansion.
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 robstephaustralia under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us]
"Love goes towards love, as schoolboys from their books," wrote
Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet. Since the 17th century, times have
changed to remain essentially the same. Is it not a force akin to love
that moves customers in the direction of their favourite product? Or
spectators to watch every game of their preferred team?
The two primary success factors
Luckily
for us, modern men and women, hundred of years of accumulated science
have identified the keys to success in romantic and business
undertakings. Is it not high time to proclaim that marketing wisdom has
rendered Shakespeare's plays obsolete for didactic purposes?
Theatre
might continue to exist as harmless entertainment for summer nights,
but when it comes to learning dating and salesmanship, you are much
better served by the teachings of hard science. Won't you agree with me
that only fools would refuse to adopt a proven formula that knows no
contrary views? Here is my condensed version of modern marketing truth:
1. A clear idea of what you want
An entrepreneur promoting
a new product or service would be ill advised to walk around blindly
trying to convince everybody he meets to make a purchase. Most likely,
in that way, he would just waste his resources and make no sales at all.
Like
in dating, efficient salesmen establish minimum requirements for their
prospects. If you identify your prerequisites in advance, you will be
able to discard quickly anybody who doesn't hit the mark. Draw a sharp
picture of your target and focus your marketing energy like a laser.
2. Thoughtful persistence
Investors know that the
best kind of assets are those who produce long-term compound growth
with little risk. What you want to avoid is a situation where you must
continuously shift your money from place to place. Even if you manage to
make a decent return on your investment, the need to reinvent the wheel
every day will leave you too exhausted to enjoy life.
Effective
start-up marketing is about acquiring a few enthusiastic customers who
tell their friends about the unique experience that you can provide. In
the case of dating, it is even more important that uniqueness in the
being goes along with consistency in the telling. From this perspective,
dating is a one-number game and marketing is the same.
Anyway,
should the scientific formula fail, you can always go back to classical
theatre for inspiration. Marketing is, in a way, distilled philosophy,
an almost exact discipline as you know, or as Shakespeare wrote in his
most famous play: "Hang up philosophy, unless philosophy can make a
Juliet!"
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 SearchNetMedia under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us]
Opportunities are created every minute that news report a further
deterioration of the economy. All sort of assets can now be bought at discounted prices.
Shares of excellent companies are on sale and
pay a high dividend. Rental properties are on sale and it is still
possible to get a mortgage at a reasonable rate. A two-week holiday to
Greece has not been cheaper for a long time. Hundreds of small
businesses are now also for sale.
Looking for a job? It is the
ideal time to accept a package of shares (or other incentives) instead
of a cash salary. Want to buy something and do not have money? Try
bartering other items or services. There are plenty of opportunities
around. Don't be afraid of the economic crisis. Relentless initiative,
good sense, and a thick skin against pessimism will get you through bad
times with flying colours.
Passion requires resilience
Starting a new business? The passion
to turn a product or service into a commercial success is the essential
factor that determines the future of a new enterprise. Mistakes are
inevitable, no matter how old and experienced the entrepreneur. This is
why passion requires flexibility and resilience.
Is the selling
price too high or too low? Are the distribution channels adequate for
the product? Should the packaging be improved? What happens if we run
out of money? To all these and other questions, the relentless passion
of the entrepreneur is already weighing alternative answers.
Ideas
are precious and constitute the basis of civilization. Without the
concepts of free trade, freedom of speech, and human rights, our
standard of living would rapidly collapse to medieval levels. Product
development, production, distribution, and marketing are based on ideas.
Entrepreneurship is nothing but a sustained vision driving the
transformation of existing resources into more valuable products of
services.
Lack of capital won't stop the dream
It is only new ideas that will take you forward,
personally or professionally. Closed doors reflect fear of change. Keep
you door open to new concepts and ideas. Some of them will be wrong and
others will be annoying, but a few will bring about breakthrough
improvements.
Lack of capital won't stop the dream, nor lack of
contacts, nor massive ridicule. History shows the same story again and
again. Scepticism does not need to turn to discouragement. Resistance
and difficulties do not need to hit the ship under the waterline.
Determination is the essential factor. Let it carry the day.
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 L. Marie under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us]
The 10 Principles of Rational Living
by John Vespasian
In order to improve your life, you don't need to place your hopes on a
lottery ticket or wait for the world to grant you the perfect
opportunity. There is a better way and it is condensed in the principles
of rational living, principles such as “think like an entrepreneur, not
like a crusader,” “ignore the noise and focus on results,” “stay away
from high-risk situations,” “find people who share your values,” and
“develop strong long-term passions.”
This book presents the principles
of rational living in great detail, with numerous examples of people who
have applied them successfully. The principles of rational living are
sound ideas that can dramatically improve your life. Learn all about
them and start applying them today.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Think like an entrepreneur, not like a crusader
A recipe for getting ahead in good and bad times
Debating and arguing are a waste of time
The true believer is the one who preaches by example
Entrepreneurs thrive on trouble and inconvenience
Unlike resources, opportunities are infinite
2. Ignore the noise and focus on results
If one road is blocked, take another
How to keep calm when you are surrounded by nonsense
The effective way to handle work overload
Learning from people who never feel discouraged
A proven strategy against career stagnation
3. Live inexpensively and invest for future income
Why the stock market offers the best opportunities
Common traits of great businessmen and investors
What kind of companies should you invest in?
A simple strategy is all you need
Adopt a realistic and practical approach
4. Choose a simple and healthy lifestyle
Don't just eat well, eat wonderfully
What is healthy, tasty, and easy to cook?
How to reduce everyday risks to your health
Eating healthily when you are travelling
Is it possible to slow down ageing?
Why it is so difficult to lead a simple life
5. Find people who share your values
Why you should ignore most of what you hear
The ugly duckling story repeats itself every day
Overcoming the resistance to changing jobs and relocating
Don't be original, be unique
Proven strategies for building great relationships
Would you recognize yourself in the crowd?
6. Listen to your emotions, but check the facts
Beware of exaggerated romantic tales
In dating and cooking, choose natural ingredients
How far are you willing to go for happiness?
Conflicting values lead to contradictory behaviour
The short distance between infatuation and obfuscation
Do not waste your best years pursuing unworkable ideals
7. Accept the inevitable hassles of life
Putting an end to exaggerated fears
Extreme reactions are foolish and wasteful
In praise of caution and circumspection
Can you remain self-confident in times of trouble?
How impatient people become stoic philosophers
Never grant problems more weight than they deserve
8. Stay away from high-risk situations
Death statistics make great bedtime reading
Tranquillity seldom comes cheap
Do not make an obsession of the perfect profession
Three situations that you should avoid like the pest
Every archer needs more than one arrow
The jungle never sleeps
9. Acquire effective habits
An hour has sixty minutes, a day twenty-four hours
In praise of staying behind
How a proactive attitude helps you overcome difficulties
Let go of the dead weight of prejudice
Smooth operators get more out of life
Personal effectiveness depends on patterns
10. Develop strong long-term passions
Comparing yourself with other people makes no sense
Don't drink the poison of contradiction
What heroes are made of
The myths of the single skill and the unique opportunity
Become tolerant of mistakes, since you will make so many
The link between integrity and passion
The 10 Principles of Rational Living
by John Vespasian
There is a Portuguese riddle that asks you to guess which being grows
rapidly during its youth, takes 18 years to reach adulthood, usually
lives to celebrate its 70th birthday, is able to survive adverse
conditions, and produces sufficient wealth to feed a family.
In
Portugal, a school kid who already knows the answer will smile at you
and point his finger at a poster of an oak tree on the wall of his
classroom. On the other hand, if you ask the same question during an
evening course at a business school in Lisbon, students are likely to
give you a different response. "What you mean is an entrepreneur," they
will tell you.
Inherited behaviour models are crumbling in our
midst. Old morality is taking the blame for current problems, although
often through spurious argumentation. Never mind. Ethical decay has
reached such an extent that many parents have given up all attempts to
provide moral guidelines to their offspring.
Where are we headed?
Should we just continue to chant the old incantations of our culture
even after it has become clear that the melody is broken? I don't think
so. I submit that an ethical model for the 21st century is brewing in
old pots and casseroles: the sovereign entrepreneur.
Like the oak
tree in the Portuguese riddle, the new species will reproduce and
spread worldwide. It will survive a thousand years and open the door to a
new era of tolerance and prosperity. What are the characteristics of
this ethical standard?
The capacity to withstand adversity
Through the ages, oak trees have taken root in most areas of
the world, from California to Italy, from Argentina to South Africa.
Even in unfavourable environments, these plants have grown stronger with
each generation.
The willingness to learn
The internet is compressing more and more the time needed to acquire
professional or business training. Forget about dragging along six-years
at an expensive University. Instead, turn on your mp3 player and listen
to lectures in your field of interest. How long will it take for
sovereign entrepreneurs to learn their trade? Possibly, less than two
years, which, by the way, is the average lifespan of oak tree leaves.
Adherence to universal ethics
Virtues such as flexibility,
openness, tolerance, and honesty will render entrepreneurs sovereign of
their fate and unconstrained in their business approach. In many cases,
adherence to universal values will be preferred to identification with a
specific country or culture. Oak trees have spread around the world on
the basis of the essential characteristics of their species,
irrespective of local accidents and fashions.
Despite massive
efforts to foretell the future, nobody can predict accurately what is to
come during the next years. Will we witness currencies collapse? Will
major shifts in world economic flows take place?
No matter how difficult
the situation becomes, sovereign entrepreneurs constitute the species
best fit to survive. When everything is said and done, wherever you
live, you will always need to call up an expert to fix your toilet when
it breaks down. That expert, you see, that's the person you want to 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 neiljs under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us]
A child must be able to stand on his feet before he can walk. A student
must learn grammar before he is able to build complex sentences in a
foreign language. In house construction, steady progress presupposes
structural stability. Vehicles can ride only when their essential
systems function properly.
Are you doing enough to protect yourself?
Manufacturers know that catastrophic
failure will make their machines stand still and this is why they carry
out preventive maintenance at regular intervals. For the same reason,
individuals adopt measures against hazards that could seriously disrupt
their lives.
Personal risk-prevention is a subject that is,
unfortunately, rarely addressed at school. Pick up a newspaper any day
and count the reports on men and women who have seen their future
destroyed by factors that can be easily avoided. The following steps can
help reduce three essential personal risks:
Keep your personal details private
Bad experience
have taught many of us to think twice before giving our credit card
details to unfamiliar merchants. In this digital age, we should actually
take the same precautions before disclosing any sensitive details that
might enable identity theft. It is also recommended to avoid using, for
your internet accounts, obvious passwords such as your birth date.
Stay away from dangerous places
Never place yourself in a situation of physical danger by walking into a
high-risk area. If you keep your eyes open, you will find more than
enough signals of danger as you approach unsafe streets. In those cases,
choose the best option: turn around and get away as fast as you can.
The same principle applies to your choice of business associates or
employees. Learn to detect violence-prone individuals in advance and
avoid them like the pest. Chances are that you will live healthier and
longer.
Spread your risks
In addition to diversifying between, for instance, real
estate and stocks, you should aim at holding shares of companies in
different industries. Have you considered investing in precious metals
and multi-currency mutual funds? Whatever your taste, make sure that you
get plenty of spices from various countries around the world. Farmers
know that growing complementary crops is less risky that planting a
single type of seed.
You can take similar actions to protect all
key areas of your life from catastrophic failure. How do you reduce your
risk of becoming unemployed? By constantly increasing your knowledge
and skills. In which way can you reduce health hazards? Learn about
nutrition and make good choices when it comes to food.
Avoid
paralysis in any situation
The
greatest risk in life is, however, the most difficult to see:
immobility. Human well-being goes along with growth, which is a direct
consequence of purposeful action. Ideas dissociated from reality are as
useless as engaging in random action.
Make a vow to avoid
paralysis in any situation. The most effective way to reduce risks in
any area is taking your future in your own hands, which is, by the way, a
definition of entrepreneurship.
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 mape_s under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us]
Here is a summary of some additional questions that I have answered this week:
Focused and constructive action
QUESTION: Due to my personal and cultural background, I have had to endure substantial discrimination through the years. As a result, I have become demotivated and discouraged, reluctant to undertake any new initiatives.
ANSWER: Some people grow discouraged because, due to their personal and cultural characteristics, they feel unappreciated, or in any case, insufficiently appreciated in their current social environment. In some cases, it is true that those individuals can become very discouraged because they don't know how to overcome the problems they are facing. The solution to discouragement is to take focused and constructive action. I am talking only about undertaking the type of action that can really improve your situation on practical terms. Do not waste your time debating with people who don't appreciate you, and who never will. It is much more productive if you invest your energies in finding a better environment where you can deploy your talents, and get to know the kind of persons who will know how to value and appreciate you for what you are. Taking focused, constructive action is one of the principles of rational living.
Making consistent decisions
QUESTION: I have to take an important decision whether to accept a job in the Middle East or not, but I cannot make up my mind. On the one hand, the job offers a high salary and attractive benefits, but on the other hand, I pretty certain that I am not going to feel at ease in that relatively closed environment. Which should my driving criterion to make such a decision?
ANSWER: It is indeed surprising to see that people will often make critical decisions in a rather frivolous and uncritical manner. Years later, when the damage is already visible and mostly irreparable, these people are going to complain that they could not have known the consequences of their choices. Yet, this statement is seldom true. The primary reason why individuals make momentous mistakes is because they fail to apply rational principles in their thinking, not because they could not foresee the outcome of their actions, which is rarely the case. The best way to make decisions with self-assurance and accuracy is to weigh the advantages and disadvantages on the basis of rational values. For instance, if you are offered a job in a foreign country for a very high salary, but you are not enthusiastic about the prospect, you should probably drop the idea altogether and look for something better. The need to take consistent decisions, and make choices that take your long-term goals into account, is one of the main tenets of rational living.
The right path for long-term happiness
QUESTION: In our school, conformity is praised as a fundamental virtue, and pressure is exerted on the students to conform to the school traditions, both formally and materially. Since I have never been very good at dissimulating my opinions, my scepticism about such conformity is sometimes bringing me into trouble. How important is conformity for success and happiness?
ANSWER: While each individual is responsible for his own life, it is clear that some environments exert pressure on people to follow a certain career path, or to make some particular personal choices. This should not be regarded negatively in itself, since it is perfectly logical that parents want the best for their children, and try to steer them into a direction that, as far as the parents can see, offers good possibilities of success. The same can be said of choices in other areas of life. However, the essential question is not whether someone should or not follow the well-intended advice from his parents, or conform to someone else's benevolent directions. When it comes to determining whether you have taken the right path for long-term success and happiness, the essential question is whether that path is rational, consistent, and sustainable. The need to get those critical decisions right is one of the pillars of rational living.
Prudence and determination
QUESTION: Since a long time ago, I have adopted the habit of avoiding conflicts, opting as much as possible for doing my own thing without making a big fuss if someone disagrees with me, and systematically ignoring those who criticize me negatively. Am I doing the right thing? Should I instead show more assertiveness and engage in confrontation when my views are not respected?
ANSWER: Conflict, in particular of the psychological type, possibly generates more stress in the world than all financial and health problems combined. People who fight verbally with their neighbours, co-workers, and family members will frequently experience sleep difficulties, and other disturbances related to stress. Conversely, individuals who opt for doing their own thing, and pretty much ignore those who dislike them, tend to do very well in the long term. Psychological conflict is a bad business altogether, since it produces anxiety and stress that are difficult to heal. As the ancient Roman author Cicero put it so well: "Incerti sunt exitus belli," which means that, once you start a conflict, you can never be sure of how it will end. Irrespective of the correctness of your views, overheated emotions can undermined your health and peace of mind. As a general rule, the inexpensive approach to serenity is the most effective. Go after your dreams quietly but relentlessly. Pursue your long-term goals prudently but determinedly. The avoidance of unnecessary conflicts is one of the principles of rational living.
Reduce your worry, reduce your stress
QUESTION: Due to bad experiences in the past, I have become an overly preoccupied individual. Day and night, I tend to worry about my problems, which are numerous, and can never find the peace of mind that I would like to have. How can I minimize my fears and become more confident about the future?
ANSWER: You might not know this, but 33% of the population view themselves as overly stressed. They consider themselves psychologically vulnerable, and spend hours every week passing review to their problems, without ever finding good solutions. Indeed, these people would love to be able to look at the future with confidence, but their desire will only be fulfilled if they adopt a rational philosophy. The ancient Roman philosopher Seneca used to say that "nulla dies maerore caret," which means that, in human life, there is never a day without trouble. The key to maintaining your serenity and surmounting the obstacles on your way is to embrace rational living, adopt rational values, and establish your lifetime goals accordingly. If you want to regain your peace of mind and look at the future with confidence, you have to start by discarding all false ideas that promote nervousness and confusion. The adoption of consistent goals and values is one of the principles of rational living.
Are you wasting your resources?
QUESTION: I have difficulty concentrating myself on my long-term goals, and this is not a new problem for me. I am the type of person who massively enjoys socializing, participating in events, and doing sports, but I feel that I am not making the best of my life. How can you strike the right balance between productiveness and enjoyment?
ANSWER: When you observe high-achievers in any area of human endeavour, you are going to see people who do one thing exceedingly well. Those are individuals who have decided at a certain point to focus their energies on one particular area, and develop one particular skill to a level of perfection. In contrast, such levels of achievement are rare amongst people whose goal in life is simply to enjoy themselves. If you employ your time in random socializing, attending pleasant but unexciting social events, and doing sports for fun, chances are that you will lead an enjoyable life, but will not make the best of your talents. Yet, it is likely that one day you will utter the same lamentation as the ancient Roman author Plautus: "oleum et operam perdidi," which means that he considered that he had wasted his resources (his oil) and efforts without getting much in return. More often than not, people who pursue difficult long-term goals with passion tend to be happier than those who spread their time amongst many unconnected activities. Consistency of action is one of the principles of rational living.
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]
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by beggs under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license
terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us]
Here is a summary of the questions that I have answered this week:
Too many problems
QUESTION: Someone feels paralysed by the fact that he has too many problems, and he doesn't know where to start in order to improve his life.
ANSWER: It often happens that people feel paralysed by the fact that they have too many problems, and they don't know where to start in order to improve their lives. More often than not, the best way to proceed is to stop working on anything that does not require immediate attention, to drop all activities that are not conductive to immediate dramatic improvements. The most difficult problems can be easily identified by elimination. Those problems are usually the ones that can wipe you out if you don't take immediate action to avert the danger. The second step is to identify the correct course of action, the solution to solve those problems. This can be easily accomplished by applying the principles of rational living. Once you have completed those two steps, you will see your hesitations vanish all by themselves, and being replaced by a strong motivation.
Choosing the right path
QUESTION: How can I know if I am choosing the right path at the right time?
ANSWER: For those who want to turn around their lives, those who want to make radical improvements in their daily experience, it is critical to make correct strategies choices. If you fail to look beyond the horizon, if you fail to ask yourself where you want to be in twenty years from now, chances are that all your time will be taken up by mindless routines. Without a strong sense of purpose, human beings cannot maintain a course of action to achieve long-term goals. Without a clear vision of the future, you will easily will be swayed, distracted, and delayed. The only way to make sure that you make the right choices is to adopt a rational philosophy, rational values, and rational goals.
When no solution is in sight
QUESTION: What is the best approach for dealing with severe problems when you cannot easily find a solution, or when you suspect that no good solution can be found?
ANSWER: Sooner or later, everybody has to face severe problems that cannot be easily solved, or that seem impossible to solve at a reasonable cost. Take heart. Millions of people in history have overcome life-threatening sickness, bankruptcy, poverty, unfairness, unemployment, and a myriad of other problems. First, take a deep breath and assess what the real chances are of those problems being lethal. Can they wipe you out definitively? Can they destroy your life completely and irreversibly? If the answer is negative, as it will typically be the case, you are already on your way to finding a solution. Rational thinking is the most effective method for improving your life, the most effective method to surmount obstacles and circumvent problems, should they prove unsolvable.
How to overcome failure
QUESTION: My life is a mess and I feel that I have failed at everything. When I compare myself to other people, I feel that I have not achieved anything important.
ANSWER: A good percentage of the population describe their lives as a mess, and experience strong feelings of having failed at everything. The negative emotions are reinforced when those people compare themselves to individuals who have achieved important goals. Yet, those negative emotions are the result of a dangerous logical fallacy. For starters, it does not make any sense to judge your own value by comparing yourself with someone else. What should you compare the results attained by individuals whose circumstances, background, and opportunities are totally different? If you want to achieve more in your life, which is a perfectly healthy ambition to have, you should first reject the temptation of judging yourself subjectively. Then your next task should be to acquire a rational philosophy, embrace objective values, and establish rational goals.
Dealing with stress and worry
QUESTION: I have tried everything to reduce my levels of stress, but nothing works. My stress situation has become so bad that I often experience concentration difficulties and make a lot of mistakes as a result.
ANSWER: If you have tried everything to reduce your levels of stress, and come the conclusion that nothing works, I must tell you that you are wrong. Even if your stress prevents you from concentrating your mind on your work, the problem can be addressed and the situation improved. The number one obstacle that prevents people from finding peace of mind is that they are looking for a short cut, a magical solution to their problems. Let me tell you that this approach is unlikely to work. More often than not, stress can be substantially reduced, and people can learn better patterns of thought, but such a transformation is going to take some time and effort. An effective approach for reducing stress is to embrace a rational philosophy, and practise its tenets every day.
Regain your peace of mind
QUESTION: How can I regain my peace of mind? In the last two years, there have been many changes in my life, some of them for the worse, and I feel that I have lost my serenity forever.
ANSWER: The idea that people lose their peace of mind because of some recent event has happened, or because they have been going through a tough period during the last two years, is difficult to believe. Similarly, I have difficulties to give credence to people who claim that they have lost their serenity due to the problems they are facing. Self-confidence and peace of mind constitute fundamental character traits that a person might take years to shape, but that offer the advantage of protecting that person from discouragement in the next decades. Let us not delude themselves by focusing on irrelevant details, by assuming that problems are more complex than they are. Serenity is typically the result of embracing a rational philosophy. Peace of mind is the natural companion of rational living.
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 TeeF86 under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license
terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us]
