The value of rest and review

I remember a time when my days were less full of action and todos. One habit I had back then was to sit down for about an hour and review the day.

I miss that opportunity to learn each day everything that can be learned from that day. How you look at people when they are telling you something or how you respond; what decisions you take and even what you are ignoring - there is so much that can be improved. But without reflection the chance is so high to make the same mistake a hundred times before even getting aware of a problem.

More than a year of very intensive work has been passed by running at full power and I can't even recall most things that happened.

When running at full speed for too long a few things happen:

• Efficiency and productivity is reduced because
• You get slower
• You get easier distracted
• Getting back to focus gets more difficult
• Frustration about the reduced productivity drags you down even more
• Trying to compensate by drinking more coffee and the like after a while that will just make you nervous but not more productive or simply doesn't work any more.
• Interests drop down sleeping and eating
• Fallback to old well-established core habits
• Health problems
• Headache
• Pain in the back
• Muscle tensions
• Muscle convulsions
• ...

All this makes it quite impossible to grow and instead sooner or later you are exhausted and remain with the brain content of a street dog.

In extreme situations only the habits and philosophies remain that are very well established and implemented.

On the other hand if you have a lot of time and can do everything slowly, you have more control of fine-tuning in everything you do - ranging from your big life-plan (if you have one) to the dialog with the cashier at the local coffee shop. You will be more present and everything will be of better quality. And when you review your day, you can think about situations where you could not get the best out of it and elaborate better approaches. While having enough rest and enough sleep you can even elaborate topics in your dreams.

Related posts: Getting up early and quality, Distractions and sleep, Who cares?, Get focused with 3 questions.

Getting older

I was not sure if I should post about old-age, because I don't have experience in being old. But: I do see the problems that come along with getting older and I talked to several people who know how it feels to loose mobility, flexibility and tend to forget.

When I look at my recent family history, some members became over 100 years old, another one (even if not got that old) started learning Spanish and how to play the piano when he was already in his sixties). I think I am at risk not making it until 100 - but who knows.

I want to summarize a few essentials to keep in mind:

• Retain physical fitness and health
  Do some sports and movement (of course do not exaggerate). My father in law (over 70) does a lot walking and he is in good shape. He was used to walk into town center and back nearly every day (now less).
  
  A few years ago I read an article about interview that have been done with people above 100 and asked them what they do and what their behaviors are - to find out the secrets of staying healthy. Basically they found out that those people did not have much in common. A single thing was: Once a day they all where sweating...
  
  And then I saw an interview with the oldest Italian (also a few years ago). He was a shepherd - and basically sleeping a lot.
   
• Don't focus on yourself too much
  Many people, when getting old, focus on their sufferings, worry much about their health, worry about change, worry about how they will survive with the increasing amount of help they need and so on.
  
  I can see that those, who (still) focus on serving others, who are interested in (learning new) things, focus on doing (be it sports, literature or handicrafts) etc - stay better.
   
• Train your brain
  A big issue can be the memory that cannot hold (especially short-term) information very well any more - people can be physically healthy but the brain slowly gets inflexible and people forget faster.
  
  It is important to know that your brain is like a forest where you can throw in quite every information and it remains there. The problem is usually to find the information. You need to walk through that forest to create paths to the information stored in your brain. This means: You need to fetch the information. So, if you do much reading or go to the theater etc - basically just consuming - talk with your buddies, friends or even foreigners or make use of the know-how you have in any other form (giving talks or writing also helps).

The worst thing that can happen is to give up yourself. I have also asked friends about their grand-parents - how they become old and what they experienced etc. - even if it is just going out once a day - if you stop activity, you lose. Use it (yourself) or lose it! A rolling stone gathers no moss!

Related posts: One-way ticket, Dynamic activity, The state of mind matters, Take care of you, About drugs, Urging to forge at full speed.

Ice Age

When I heard Al Gore talking about the global warming a good while ago (therefore I can't find the link again of that particular talk), something that kept being on my mind since then is:

While he was explaining world history, melting of ice and the increase of temperature he also mentioned that a next step (talking in millions of years) after a global warming is an ice age.

So, if we do now have have to expect a global warming of a size and speed that never has happened before in world history - couldn't it be possible that the next step is following as fast?

If I think of control engineering and if I would be able to control the world, what would I do NOW? - Knowing that people created massive reasons for global warming, I would do everything to cool down the world. - Al Gore mentioned that after global warming the typical way weather happens then change and all the ice is rebuilt (not only on the poles). So if I would be mother nature I would already in advance do some change to advance too much of global warming.

When people talk about global warming I often get the impression that people believe that world reacts very slowly to all changes and is always behind. I don't think that changes in the world are always just lacking behind.

What, if the triggers for the next ice age already have been initiated? What if our massive contribution to causes of global warming are already also triggering the next ice age in the same speed?

About drugs

In the last days there were a lot of articles in the news talking about doping or about the tremendous drug usage all over the world.
I did not talk about drugs so far because it is so natural for me to not even think of drugs. Other happens to the drug user: Often he/she can't think of anything else than the next dose.
Why do people start with that? I can't believe that most new users try it just for fun. The more I think of it the more I get to the conclusion that it must be stress, pressure, fear and similar reasons that drive people to do that.
I don't want to talk a lot about the huge amount of disadvantages, I prefer pointing out just one fact: Using drugs is making dept. You gain a short boost and later you pay for it. For a little too much in alcohol you pay with a headache on the next day, for "real" drugs the price is much higher (also - but not only - from the financial point of view.
In reality there are a lot of possibilities in making dept from the health point of view - smoking, eating junk food, too few movement, working too much or lack of sleep and so on. - But I think the rule applies that the harder the drug, the higher the dept.
As it applies for your financial situation, it also applies for your health: Don't make dept!
Related post: Reduce the stress factors, Getting older.

Urging to forge at full speed

The problem: You feel pressure to get things done and be successful.
In our civilization speed is a fast growing hype. Either people are producing pressure on their own or get pressure from outside - or both. Speed is fun, speed is sexy, time is money - use it or loose it. Being on speed is the default mode for many people. Speed is everywhere in our life, from speed reading to speed dating.

The reason: Fear of going to rack and ruin, fear of (personal) economical crash.
Our anxiety to fall behind, being not interesting any more, being not attractive any more for the job market or for social groups and friends, drives us to full speed.

The solution: Slow down and either stop to get a distant and detached - more realistic - view.
Just stop, step back and look around to get a more complete view of the situation and world (as a painter steps back to see his painting from the distance checking the general impression the painting offers).

Take a serious look at the whole. Try living on full speed for a while and then remember your days when you were younger and had plenty of time to build a Lego house for instance. And try retreating for something you want to do with a bigger piece of time (writing a nice computer program, self development, ...). You will experience that

• it is not enough doing things right, it is also important to do the right things,
• there is a big difference in quality of output if you had enough time achieving it,
• you feel healthier and feel more being an integrated part of the world (hence being happier),
• others feel more comfortable and relaxed, staying with you,
• you notice more details of the world around you which can be the source of creativity.

Being at full speed all the time inexorably leads to a crash. It narrows your view and your options. You will react in panic and do aimless quick shots rather than taking coordinated and target-oriented decisions and actions. This will create a spiral producing more fear and panic and more quick shots.

For many, being on full speed for many is a distraction from dealing with major questions or problems in life. So the paradox situation can be that one who is on full speed is a procrastinator in reality.

Here are some related videos:

• Carl Honore: Slowing down in a world built for speed (19:14)
  
• Eckhart Tolle - “Can I be the Space for this?” - Part I (03:15)
• Eckhart Tolle - “Can I be the Space for this?” - Part II (05:53)

Unfortunately being slow is tagged with being stupid and unmotivated. Slow is not always good, but slow can be good. Discover the tortoise mode - don't be on speed as a default mode!

When will I learn to slow down...

Related posts: The state of mind matters, In the present moment, You can't urge the river flowing, Why investing enough time rules, Parkinson's law and quality, Reduce the stress factors, Productivity spiral, Dynamic activity, Hurry home ... no more running, How to be happy, Slowing down, Minimum effort, Getting older.

Hunger and poverty

The problem: Hunger and poverty in the world
Poverty.com and Wikipedia show the dimension of this really big problem in our world. Not mentioning the videos showing bare and naked poverty. I think I do not have to talk more about the problem...

The reason: Overpopulation, insufficient resources and unbalanced distribution of resources.
I think these are three reasons:

1. Overpopulation
   Let's imagine for a moment that there are only 1000 people living on the planet - let's say in a single group. They could produce a big amount of garbage and just move when the resources got used up. There will be many years passing along until the people get back to the same place and the nature will have recovered completely.
   The only thing I do assume here is that people know how to make fire, how to get fed up, how to make clothes and how to build houses - so some primary skills are required. But that's it - no real further problem and a stress free living.
   
   
2. Insufficient resources
   Let's imagine for a moment that people in general have the resources to leave the planet and find other planets like our earth to settle down. I can't avoid thinking of Star Trek here. It may be more complicated and more effort required - but either can be more interesting - something for adventurers. In relation with this solution is the more efficient usage of the existing resources so that everybody consumes less energy and products.
   
   
3. Unbalanced distribution of resources
   At poverty.com they write, that "Almost all of the deaths from hunger and disease that you see on this site can be stopped. The cost to do this is about $195 billion a year, according to the United Nations".

The solution: Stop population growth, reveal more resources and balance distribution
Well, the solution attempts are basically removing the causes. However, to solve the problem sustained and lasting in any case each single person has to take the responsibility for the own contribution. Everyone has to contribute to the solution.

Some additional thoughts on the different solutions:

1. Stop/reduce increase of population
   I think, this is the cheapest and most easy (if we could speak of "cheap" and "easy" here) solution to implement. If not done by taken responsibility it could be forced with operations or by finding a once-to-take medicine. Biggest problem: Some people must be kept fully "intact" to avoid extinction. Which people should that be? And who should decide that?
   
   
2. Explore new resources
   When using up the resources we could find new and other resources that can be used to produce energy or we could explore new planets to gain additional resources. Problems with this solution: Exploring new earth-like planets can be expensive because they are probably very far away. Bringing resources from other "dead" planets to the earth I do consider short-term-thinking because then the garbage on our earth will increase and population also. So this is the way also the economy in general wants to go: Grow, grow, grow - But there can't be infinite growth.
   
   
3. Balance distribution of resources
   As written on poverty.com $195 billion a year is enough to stop this suffering and "Twenty-two developed countries below have pledged to work towards each giving 0.7% (a little less than 1%) of their national income in international aid, which would raise the $195 billion".
   This is very good news and I hope it's true. My doubt is that the price will increase with the years passing by. And the paradox thing is: The "developed" countries do exploit poorer countries and then they should pay it back. Why not stopping the exploitation? Fortunately there are attempts to solve this at the root.

Related posts: Finding the proper priorities, Crash course, The resource problem.

Dynamic activity

You can't drive your body and your mind continuously at full speed in the long term. Full speed is not always really movement (whether physically in motion or just thoughts are occupying you). Being continuously in the common alert state or having to fully concentrate on a particular thing is ruining you in the long term.

A few days ago when taking a hot shower I remembered the animal kings - the lions. I often wondered in the past why in particular the lions are called the king of animals and not for instance the elefants or mosquitos.

Inspired by the lions I think in the daily life there must be a continuous dynamic change between state like the following:

• Return to the present moment
  As mentioned earlier in "In the present moment" or "There is suffering".
  
• Relax
  Just forget every To-Do's, every problem, concentrate on your body, feel your body - let your body and your mind rest.
  
• Re-align
  Review the situation, remember your goals, reorder your priorities to fit in with your life plan or just the direction you want to go. Set your next actions.
  
• Ramble
  Animals check their claim, you can check your to-do-lists and do some of your routine actions. Then you can check your working fields, the roles you are playing and get some organization into it and work on your long term projects.
  
• Speedup
  There might be a goal in sight or some problem that may want some extra action to get accomplished. This is your power-hour to get something extraordinary done.
  
• Strike
  The right aimed action in the right moment can bring you a big success.
  
• Stock
  Fill your experience pool. Refill your tanks - pull energy from your success and get fed.
  
• Stretch
  Prepare for regeneration. Stretch your body and stretch your mind by giving it free time to flow.

These steps can either be remembered easily by remembering 4R4S. And maybe the lions follow those rules and therefore are called animal kings. ;-) - However the lions inspired me to get to these steps.

I believe that it is very important to have such a dynamic change of activity - sticking to any particular phase for too long will become unhealthy.

Related post: Urging to forge at full speed, Reduce the stress factors, In the present moment, How to be happy, Slowing down, Know better and act on it, The productivity trap, Getting older.

Distractions and sleep

What distractions have to do with sleep?

You are more vulnerable to distractions if you did not get enough sleep!

It does not make a difference to the number of phone calls arriving but if you didn't get enough sleep then

• Other things you are usually able to ignore (e.g. collegue talks in the background) drag you away from your current thoughts.
• It is far more difficult to get back to focus.
• You are suffering because of the higher impact of distractions.

So sleeping enough is not only healthy but also a productivity boost.

Related posts: Take care of you, The value of rest and review.

Take care of you

While trying to develop peace in mind and further peace in relationships, at work and so on, there are those situations where we are loosing patience and get wild.

I have read a related post a few days ago: Are 'Difficult' People Really Difficult?

Are they pushing your buttons — or are you doing it to yourself?

There’s no question that in most every organization (plus home and anywhere else we spend time), we come face to face with folks who push our buttons, antagonize, frustrate, or otherwise annoy us. People who behave in ways that make us want to scream. They’re commonly referred to as ‘difficult’. Some we simply label irritating; some we label rude and some we label “impossible to work or be with”.

This evening I have experienced a set of cases where I honestly cannot put the blame neither on somebody else nor on me. Our power is limited and sometimes we have not any more left, to deal properly with a situation that is difficult for us. - I am talking about difficult situations and not about difficult people! The Dalai Lama says - forces should never be used against a creature in general, only against violent actions - see "An eye for an eye".

When we are balanced and in good mood we have extra energy to absorb bad mood of others or we can develop compassion to support others while they are suffering.

When our power is exhausting then we are the ones others must absorb.

Difficult people are not difficult themselves in their being. They are just full of sufferings and they need help to get out. Depending on our own sufferings and the power left other people's sufferings can cause excessive demand exceeding our capacities.

And it is not limited to particular people - there are several situations which can cause the same effects described at the beginning.

So you should not think of finding somebody guilty for what happens to you - not you and not others. What you should do: Take care of you!

When you get exhausted because of too much work, few sleep, too many interrupts and so on you will get aggressive (apart from the fact that you will get also ill in the long run)!

Only a rested and fresh person can tackle problems and get things done efficiently!

Saying that I can see being late another time... :-(

Related post: An eye for an eye, Getting older.

How to eat less

Additional kilos are often collected especially (but not only) with the evening meals. In many cases getting additional kilos is done by simply eating too much.

I discovered a way to eat less (maybe I could have read it already somewhere ;-) ): Get a very comfortable and stress free environment when taking meals. You will eat less, when you are relaxed!

For example:

• Eat outside on the balcony or in your garden.
• Put flowers around and turn on candles.
• Avoid TV or other "activities" while taking your meal.
• Meditate on your eating.
• Drink water in between then the next bite will be fresh flavour.

It is very important to eat slowly! - It is another time I cannot resist linking to www.slowdownnow.org. :)

Remember that in a lot of cases eating is a substitute action to get satisfied! Try to be satisfied in your life in general and you will eat less.

Related posts: How to be happy, Urging to forge at full speed, Slowing down.

Personal hygiene

The problem: Transmission of diseases.

The reason: Too less hygiene.
There are the following ways how diseases are transmitted:

• Drinking contaminated water.
  
• Eating contaminated food.
• Breathing contaminated air (max. approx. 3 m distance from contaminated person).
  
• Touching contaminated surface.
• Through contaminated body fluids (saliva, blood, ...).

The solution: Adequate personal hygiene
There are several quite easy methods to reduce the transmition of bacteria and viruses:

• Wash your hands.
• Wash your food.
• Avoid public transports at rush hour especially in the seasons of flu.
• Avoid giving hands.
  
• Wear gloves when working in places with higher risk of contaminations.

Unfortunately I do recognize that a lot of people don't wash their hands after been on the toilet. By not washing their hands they distribute bacteria either through all the door handles they touch and when giving their hands for greeting. A minimum hygiene that everybody should do automatically.