Huge companies have evolved from the social and connected frenzy we are all part of made possible by the Internet. Think Twitter, Facebook, Instagram….the list goes on and on. What is it about human nature that these companies are tapping into to make their owners billionaires? What is this insatiable need they are attempting (not so sure about ‘succeeding’ ) to address?
Well, I have to admit I have also got sucked into this vortex of social media and I participate freely. However, over time I have given a lot of thought to the sorts of messages and comments all my “links”, “friends” and “followers” make and have come to believe that the popularity of these social “experiments” is because we so desparetly seek validation (from anyone who supposedly cares) of our belief system by way of our comments on the popular billboards of the Internet. Isn’t this rather sad in a way because I think it reveals how insecure so many of us really are?
One of the great aspects of my job is to develop a professional engineering development programme for young graduates coming into our business. I love it and the interaction with young, aspiring minds certainly keeps me on my toes!
I was enjoying some time out with three of these young guns this week and we got chatting about some standout individuals in our business and who have had brilliant careers, when one of the graduates asked me ‘what does one do to get to these high echelons in the business”? The lull in the conversation was very noticeable as I sensed everyone was waiting for me to offer a response.
Well, how would you have answered this question? I offered a reply by saying that leaders have an intangible quality about them which is observed from a very early age. Something which makes them special and distinguishes them from the rest, and that this should be what they should strive to nurture and cultivate.
It reminded me of a line from the movie Dead Poets Society where Robin Williams is offering advice to his students on the poems they have created where he says (and I can’t remember the exact words) that whatever you do in life that you should do it with passion and that you should always strive to be extraordinary and not ordinary.
It is a great lesson, and one I also reinforce with my own children who are truly extraordinary human beings. Having the privilege of watching them originate in this fascinating world is an absolute joy!
It has been proved that green is the most pleasing colour to the human senses. This is because it is associated with calmness, generosity and good luck.
It is also the colour of peace.
All of which go a long way to explaining why I love playing golf !
Went for an enjoyable ride in fairly blustery conditions after work this evening.
I have a great bike. Its a Giant hybrid and perfect for my needs and for when I become adventurous enough to try a mini triathlon.
- DISTANCE 18.24 km
- DURATION 51m:39s
- AVG. SPEED 21.2 km/h
- MAX. SPEED 45.5 km/h
- CALORIES 663 kcal
- MIN. ALTITUDE -4 m
- MAX. ALTITUDE 41 m
- TOTAL ASCENT 53 m
- TOTAL DESCENT 66 m
- WEATHER Sunny
Although I cycle on a path shared with walkers, runners and ordinary pedestrians it always amazes me how oblivious people tend to be of cyclists. I suspect it’s the same attitude motorists have for motorbikes. Anyway I still enjoyed the ride despite a few close shaves and a very close one with a car that turned into a parking area right in front of me….it was close!!!!
Sunday is my day for LSD - Long Slow Distance – training.
It is an essential part of any ‘serious’ runners training schedule. But I haven’t always found it to be the easiest distance to calculate. This is because if my training week has not gone to plan, I may feel the need to make up for the lack of training by going on a longer run that I had originally planned, or I may just be feeling particularly good and buoyed by the run and so spontaneously want to just run further on the day.
My experience has been that what works best is to ensure your long run is no longer than 50% of the training distance you have done for the week (Monday – Friday) before you head out the door for your LSD fix. For me this has ensured I do not over train and breakdown to the point where I feel i have the ‘super plods” when I am running.
This little theory works equally well if you are training on time and not on distance i.e. 50% of your total training time during the working week.
It has served me well in all my training no matter what my training regime may be at any particular time. For example, at this stage I am just ticking over with my training and am only managing about 30-40 kays during the week, which means I rest on a Saturday ( I usually play golf – another passion of mine!) and then run 15- 20 kays as my LSD run on a Sunday.
My LSD runs are a great time to think and also to enjoy some good, inspiring music on my iPod. It sets me up for the day and the week ahead and over the years has become a major addiction!
Getting up to speed with concepts like social marketing, social media and all things social and collaborative on the internet is a mine field indeed. However, like just about all fields of interest it seems to have it’s fair share of gurus and sages.
I have listened to a few of the these people ( you know who they are) at all the usual and popular places on the Net and while I find their stories interesting I can’t really make up my mind if there is a double standard at play.
On the one hand these people talk about being able to engage a community by doing what you love and without any need to make any money from your endeavour. This is aligned with most self help advice on how to be happy. So I have no bone to pick here.
However, once the tipping point is reached and these individuals do become fabulously popular and rich as a result, their advice seems to change to now becoming a select group who hold all the wisdom and knowledge of how this is actually achieved. To add to this we feed on their every morsel of advice, book, blog, movie, etc
I think we need to keep it simple and keep true to our original passion and not be swept up by others and their ‘silver bullets’ and “how to’s” by believing more in ourselves.
Greatness lies within you….believe it!
This is a photograph I took of the sun setting on 31 December 2012. I took it after a lovely late afternoon swim at a little beach alcove where my family and I often go to cool down…..O’ and the Fat Yaks my wife and I enjoyed on the beach were also deliciously refreshing.
I love this picture…probably because I believe I live in the best and most beautiful country in the world!
