Greener grass proof

Why is it that:


The grass looks always greener on the other side of the fence?

Well, here's the final scientific proof.





Because you see the grass of your neighbor under a different angle (smaller) than your own grass (that's nearby), you relatively see more grass than the ground or irregularities between it.
So the grass of your neighbor is probably not greener at all.


It's the same with other things in your life. When you notice to many details or problems, you won't be able to enjoy or achieve things. Stick to the headlines and the important details, forget about the rest.


Enjoy looking under different angels at things in your life.
And don't forget to enjoy your own life-garden or that of your neighbor.

To enjoy things doesn't mean you have to own them.

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Only Thoughts

Ever heard about the famous philosopher and mathematician René Descartes?

He's the author of this worldchanging statement:




I think, therefore I exist

But what's the definition of "I"? In fact there is no sound definition of the real "I". The so called "I" is a kind of illusion (state of consciousness). At least when you agree on the 'No Ego Theory'.




A more logical correct statement would have been:


I think, therefore thoughts exist

Isn't it strange that just that one thing you can't grasp - Thoughts - is also just the only thing you're sure of that it exists !

On everything in life you can have different views, levels of consciousness or different forms of awareness. But thoughts are just thoughts. In fact thoughts are the one and only 'reality'.

Descartes' Error
Now it's argued that Descartes was not right because he separated mind and body in his thinking ( Descartes' Error ). In this line of thinking the original statement should be turned around ( I exist, therefore I think), because thoughts come from the mind and what the mind thinks comes from the body.


Much more likely is that our mind interprets what's coming in from the senses. This interpretation is done by the brain by means of 'universal thought-principles'. These principles are the same (universal) for all living beings. They also create the material world ( Genesis 1:2 ).

Dependent on the development of the brain and the degree of consciousness it achieves, 'universal thoughts' have more 'meaning' and are being recognized as 'thoughts'.

In fact all is created by 'only universal thoughts', on which I'll come back later.

Thought you would understand this !

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Commitment or Contribution?

People often say that they are 'committed' because they are truly convinced that they are delivering 'their part of the job', their contribution.

But there's a great difference between commitment and contribution, that can be simply explained by the fable of Bacon and eggs.

Bacon and Eggs Fable

A pig and a chicken were discussing the essence of a farmer’s breakfast.
The chicken said “That's obviously 'Eggs'” and the pig said “It must be Bacon”.

After a long discussion the pig finally concluded, “When it comes to breakfast, you merely provide a contribution. I, however, make a full commitment.”

What about your friends or partners, do they make a contribution, offering lip service or are they really committed?

Find out and find the difference between real friendship and acquaintanceship.

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Discover yourself

Discover yourself in a 1 minute test ! Is that possible? Yeah !

Your qualities all have a positive and a negative side. Moreover, when you give too much of your positive quality ("too much of a good thing"), it often turns out negative.


There's a very interesting method, developed by Daniel Ofman, called "Core Quadrant", that makes it possible to define not only your qualities, but also your pitfalls and challenges.

In his book Core Qualities, Ofman explains hoe to use your qualities better in life.

The Core Quadrant Method is not just a tool for discovering your own and others' core qualities and challenges, it also teaches you that you can learn most from the people you dislike most (you're allergic to).

His view can be summarized as:

• Giving too much of your core quality, leads to your pitfall
• The positive quality opposite of your pitfall, is your challenge
• That what asks too much of challenge, is your allergy
• Your core quality is the positive quality opposite of your allergy

Let's demonstrate this view in the next example:




Interested in discovering your own (or your friends) core qualities, challenges or pitfall?
Discover in about 1 minute what they are in the free online:

Core Quality Test
This test even helps if you're not able to see positive points in a (friends) relationship.

Just mention the negative points in the test and it will lead you to a interesting new view on your friend or yourself.


Read more details on Core Qualities at Kernconsult.

Develop yourself, keep developing your qualities.

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Word of Mouth

Are you aware of the effects of what you say? One of the oldest and most impacting ways of communication, is spreading your view by

Word of Mouth
Matthew 15:11
The words you speak are a projection of your deepest self. Your spoken words come back and you and may pollute or heal you.



Already in the bible (Matthew 15:11) Jesus states that instead of discussing whether unclean foods (entering the mouth) defile a person, the words that come out of a person's mouth (could) defile him more.
However, be good of heart, so that good words come out of your mouth (Luke 6:45) to generate good things in life.


WOM Marketing
Word of Mouth (WOM) is serious business. Be aware that your spoken words could effect or infect your environment.

Just like a viral infection, your words can become contagiousness (sticky) and are (in)directly widely spread around.

In the world of (viral) marketing this is what in the book named "The Tipping Point", Gladwell calls:

The Stickiness Factor
Marketing research on products and brands, showed that (product or brand) success is closely related to a handful of 'stickiness' key drivers:

• Excellence: perceived as best of breed
• Uniqueness: clear one-of-a-kind differentiation
• Aesthetics: perceived aesthetic appeal
• Association: generates positive associations
• Engagement: fosters emotional involvement
• Functional value: addresses functional needs
• Nostalgic value: evokes sentimental linkages
• Personification: has character, personality
• Cost: perceived value for money

Whether you like to successful transfer a message, sell a product or "sell" yourself (like a brand), rate your message, product or yourself to the above list of 'sticky key drivers' and see how you can do better.

The more key drivers qualities are fulfilled, the more success you'll have.


WOM Formula
There's even a WOM formula that states that (the success of) WOM is a function of originality (O) and usefulness (U).

WOM = O x U

This formula has been extended by Alain Thys to:

WOM = O x U x S^C

With:

• O = Originality
• U = Usefulness
• S = Seed, covers the amount of initial locations you can seed your message(i.e. the number of customers, bloggers, etc.)
• C = Credibility, determines the relative value of these seed locations.

WOM HR in the office
Another WOM application can be given in the Human Resource (HR) field (Authentic Word of Mouth Marketing Innovations)
The way employees in a company respond and translate 'messages' and 'information' in the organization to other employees, depends on their 'Social Abilities' and their positive or negative 'Work Experiences'.

When making cultural changes in companies we may distinguish between these several kind of employees:

• Quadrant A
  Employees in Quadrant A do not feel positive or engaged at work. This group also tends to not have a large social circle, which means that even if they are complaining about the workplace, it will have limited effect. However, do not underestimate these people as many of them many not be extremely social in person but are social on the internet, where they can have an enormous impact. Especially if this group has tech skills, work hard to make them feel engaged and frequently ask them what they like about the job.
• Quadrant B
  Employees in Quadrant B generally like the job and have a positive opinion of it, but do not care to share that fact with a wide circle. This group should be encouraged to speak about the job more. If they are not comfortable with engaging more people in person, you can make them an online advocate of the company and train them in blogging, social networks and other online social tools where they can meet more people without feeling uncomfortable. They can also be mentored to go to more public events.
• Quadrant C
  Employees in Quadrant C are dangerous to your company. These highly social but negative people will spread negative stories, talk about company weaknesses and flaws in management. In the best of situations, you should try to move these employees to a more positive feeling for the company. Care must be taken that these people do not get left unchecked until they have severely damaged the company image, which as a social insider, is not difficult to do.
• Quadrant D
  Employees in Quadrant D should get paid double. These are the people that add energy and excitement to the company and they act as a latent but effective salesperson whenever they encounter someone. These are the people that, even years after they have left your business, will still be talking about it to new people.
  The key with employees in D is to recognize them, encourage them and challenge them to do even more. Give them the stories and access to information that will make it even easier for them. Turn up their volume.

Realize the power of WOM, use it!

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Cut the Knot !

Sometimes it's hard to take decisions.
However, problems in life can be looked upon as knots.



Just like real problems in life

• the stuck knots are sometimes hard to undo.
• there are a lot of different knot types

Now what can we learn from knots to solve problems in real life?

Stage 1 Analyze
First of all, before undoing (= solving) a knot (= problem), try to analyze it before just starting to pull (= attack) on the knot.
Pulling without analyzing might work, but often makes things worse. So always analyze first.

Stage 2 Work out action plan
Make an action plan and work this out.
Often you can undo knots in more than one way.
In general there are five different forms of (sequential) action plans


Action Plan 1 : Analytical Approach
Think on how the rope got into a knot anyway.
Undo the knot in small steps (don't force) by slightly loosen up the knot (rope) and 'working backwards".
Decide on which end of the rope to start. Sub-analyze after each step and go on

Action Plan 2 : Trial and Error
Without a direct plan, by trial and error, but still with firmness, strength, gentleness and infinite perseverance, loosen up the knot and try to to shake the knot repeatedly.

Action Plan 3 : Make things worse
When analytic approach and trail and error fail, and nothing helps, just take the risk of making things worse. Pull both ends of the rope at the same time in order to find out if the knot undoes itself!
Just like with knots in ropes, our problems often disappear by (the risk of) making them larger.
Even knots that you can undo in this way, may seem stuck at first. Simply loosen up the knot a bit. This diminishes the resistance of the rope. After that just pull.

Action Plan 4: Wait
Do nothing and wait a limited amount of time to see if the circumstances change or you might get other ideas or help.
Often when there's no tension on the knot, it loosens up itself so you can undo it.

Action Plan 5: Cut the knot
When every action plan until now has failed use the method Alexander the Great used by slicing the Gordian Knot with his sword.
So in these cases simply Cut the Knot.
This means that when patience and perseverance have failed, end the problem in a rigorous way.

When all the above methods have failed and you still got this problem, the only way to fight it is to recognize the problem is within yourself.

The famous philosopher Wittgenstein suggested that some problems are in fact knots in our head, often created by asking ourselves the wrong sorts of questions.

Now in the end it all comes down to you. You must decide to


Cut the knot or not

Wetter it is the knot outside or in your head (or both), don't let it drive you nuts.

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