This week thousands of young people around the UK received their A level results and as usual the papers have been out in full patrol sharing stories about the A grade prodigies who will now go on to the worlds best universities, find their dream job and have the perfect life. On the other hand, there will also be thousands … Read More
Identifying And Repairing Your Internal Broken Windows
In 1982, Criminologist James Q. Wilson and George Kelling came up with the Broken Window Theory. The Broken Window Theory suggests that a broken window left unrepaired will make a building look uncared for or abandoned and so is likely to attract more vandals to break all the other windows and may even escalate into a more serious crime. If … Read More
Idea Anxiety and Momentum Moments
When it comes to starting a business, writing a book or anything that challenges you creatively, sustaining momentum is vital. Everybody enjoys that ‘Ah-ha’ moment when you conjure up a new idea but the initial buzz quickly fades when the lizard brain reminds you of just how much leg work it’s going to take to see it through. “Genius is … Read More
Stop Creating Insecurity Work
Humans have a great capacity for avoidance. Whether it’s signing up for the gym or finding the time to write that novel you’ve been thinking about for the past four years, whenever the possibility of failure is present so is our ability to create insecurity work. Insecurity work is the kind of stuff that feels productive but in fact has … Read More
From Read Only To Rewritable
For a long time scientists believed that human beings were at the mercy of their genetic make up and that the outcomes of a person’s life were enhanced or hindered through natural selection. Luckily, in the 21st century smarter scientists using more complex equipment are beginning to unlock the power of the mind and its plastic nature capable of self-inducing … Read More
Start Investing In Your Estate of Mind
Our minds are a fertile land waiting to be built upon, yet without the books and mortarboards the value of our lives can depreciate greatly and our capacity for growth and understanding can become extremely under utilised. Humans are composed of a series of “states of minds,” a cluster of neural firing patterns that create a persons behaviours, feelings and … Read More
The Curse Of Being Cushty
Most people go to work every day in denial. A recent survey revealed that 19% of employees said they were satisfied with their jobs, meaning a staggering 81% of people willingly accept a state of dissatisfaction. Last year, a friend of mine took the whole year off travelling after he was made redundant. He returned home with wide eyed optimism … Read More
What Marketers Can Learn From BGT Winners, Attraction
Shadow dancing act Attraction last night won the Britain’s Got Talent final. I’m not usually a fan of these reality TV talent-scouting shows but I have to say I was rather impressed by Attraction’s performance but even more so by the way they managed to win over the British public. Having recently read ‘Made to Stick’ by Chip and Dan … Read More
Calculating Scarcity – What Do You Stand To Lose?
Whenever the news announces heavy snow in London everybody goes into panic mode. The local supermarket shelves are quickly emptied, petrol stations run dry and suddenly everybody gets super productive before the white blanket arrives. Psychologist refer to this phenomenon as the “Romeo and Juliet Effect,” when we know something is going to be unavailable it suddenly becomes more attractive, … Read More
The “Screw That” Attitude
As we grow older, we each collect a list of things we believe we could never do. It’s not that we have any real evidence for these assumptions but instead we’ve fallen into the inferiority trap of believing the opinions of others. Whether it was an old teacher, a parent or even a close friend, when we’re told we’re not … Read More