A God In Our Image

If we think of Gods as being perfect versions of ourselves then wouldn't it make sense for another specie, with intellect, to create Gods to be perfect versions of themselves for worship? How likely are the two Gods going to have similar qualities?

The human specie has created thousands of Gods for themselves which have always been extensions of the societies that they were created from. War fairing societies have created Gods of war, sun worshippers have created Sun Gods... Each God tied to a philosophy from that society.

I find the act of creating a God both fascinating and arrogant. Who are we, after all, to claim to know the business of a supreme being? Who are we to know what comes after death? 

We don't know anything...

Directed Thoughts

"Once you learn to read, you will be forever free."

-Frederick Douglass

The mind, when left to wonder, usually goes towards what's known to it - our memories. Through this process we either generate new ideas or reminisce. Either can be good (to reminisce about past negativity isn't) yet reading help us learn new things.

"By three methods we may learn wisdom. First, by reflection, which is the noblest, by imitation, which is easiest, and third, by experience, which is the bitterest."

-Confucius

There's some wisdom that we can gain simply by thinking but we're limited. It's no possible, for example, to think ourselves into understanding a new language. We need to be exposed to it in order to learn it.

If your boredom isn't beneficial then consider picking up a book.

Judge the Art Not The Artist's Ethnicity

"Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" is finally out! While it's fantastic, some people have deemed necessary to review bomb the series due to some characters being portrayed by people of color. I get it! We were brought to believe that Dwarves/Elves/Hobbits/Humans in the Tolkien universe were "white" but the problem is that most of the art created in the last century consist of Caucasians. We've purposely left out people of color and we're now trying to be more inclusive with our art which is beautiful albeit overdue.

If you're uncomfortable with seeing a person of color portraying Superman, Batman... or an Elf then, I say unto you, get comfortable and judge the actor not by the color of their skin but by their performance.

You're allowed to not have enjoyed this series but if your only source of hate is that a fictional character is of the wrong skin tone then I would encourage you to open your heart to the idea that imaginary worlds are meant to be places to bring people together. While the characters found within them may be Caucasians, in your mind, they may not be as such for the non-Caucasian consumers and they also deserve to be represented in story adaptations like these.

My hope is that the love for this series will trump the hate as I would very much like to see more of it. If you haven't seen, and you're a Tolkien fan, then you should check it out.

Want To Make Thoughtful Gifts?

A thoughtful gift doesn't have to be expensive but it does have to be bought/made with the absolute person in mind. This isn't something that you're buying for yourself, it's something that you're buying for someone that's important to you. Therefore it's possible that you would never get this particular item for yourself and that's okay because, again, it's not meant for you. 

There's nothing that shows you pay attention to someone quite like a thoughtful gift. I've been quite blessed in that sense as I've been told many times that I'm a good gift giver. 

Today, I'm going to share my secret with you. 

When thinking about a gift for someone in your life consider the following:

1. Know the person: Pretty straight forward. You need to spend time with the person in order to be able to know them and be able to provide a gift tailored to their wants/needs.
2. Plan ahead: Is Christmas coming up? Is there a birthday coming? I usually start planning my gifts 6 months in advance, which is a tad on the extreme side, but anything below 4 months is, in my opinion, too short notice. The reason why you want to start planning a gift long in advance is because your mind needs to be thinking about it when you are around that person. Was there a comment made at one point that could turn into a gift? Did that person share something with you that could turn into a gift? When you're on the lookout long ahead, you're more likely to pick up on the queues. Planning ahead also removes a lot of the last minute gift finding stress.
3. Do some research: Ask your friend's friends questions about the person you're trying to give gifts too. Ask them what your friend would like as a gift. With the person in mind, look for gifts in stores and online.
4. It's not about price: It's about thoughtfulness. 
5. It's not always an object: It could be you doing something for the other person. It could be inviting that person to an event or a gateway.

I hope that this "gift" of mind will stuck with me for my entire life as I love being able to make someone's day with a well received gift. Hope my tips have helped you!

Society's Pressure on Kids

A few years back, I had bought a Disney princess painting kit for my friend’s 4 year old daughter. When I gave it to her, we took the paint out and started using it on the picture of the princesses. The mom soon interjected and was criticizing her daughter's painting and giving tips - telling her that she should be painting within the lines and such.

I was shocked. What I saw was society telling a little girl how to be creative. Let me tell you something, kids don’t need anyone to tell them how to create. It comes instinctively for them. Give them something and they’ll make something else out of it. Art is not about coloring within some predefined lines, it’s about making your own rules.

This is, of course, only one area where society pushes its preconceived notions on the next generation.

Sure, there are important principles to follow for some disciplines in order to achieve anything worthwhile. If we think about fitness goals, for example, we know that we must follow a specific set of rules in order to attain a specific set of results. If we don’t, then who knows where we’ll end up.

Don’t touch the arts though. Let kids do what the heck they want with the pen and paper. Maybe the only rule they should have is not to draw on the walls?

The AI Revolution

Some see the future as a bleak, dark, place where robots will dominate the workplace leaving many without jobs while others, like myself, see it as an opportunity for humans to achieve greater intellectual heights.

I have a test automation background and the entire field's philosophy is "if you have to do it more than once - then automate it so you don't have to do it again". The time I saved from my automated script is spent on something else that's just as productive and beneficial. To me, the same type of approach can be used when (not if) the AI revolution occurs.
Most of us are asleep, we run our lives with our eyes closed. We wake up, go to work, go to sleep & repeat. When the job is manual/tedious in nature then it should be done by a machine so that the person doing the work can do something that will use his mind more.
The brain is the most complex part of our body - it can and should be challenged rather than be stuck in a routine.

Will some be forced into this future? Of course but I also believe that it is for the greater good of the specie. We will need time to adjust. Let's not fear it but look forward to it. Lets not have any one of our individual brain power go to waste. Lets learn every day.

How do you see the future?

Average

"When you're average, you are as close to the bottom as you are to the top." -John Wooden

Average, Middle-class, Normal... call it what you want but what it really means is being controlled by a system and not being good nor bad at it.

"When I thought I was learning to live, I was learning to die." -Leonardo Da Vinci

What is the system?
The system is a set of beliefs they influence you to follow - so much so that you loose your individuality to become a carbon copy of what is considered appropriate for the system in place.

Can I beat the system?
No, you can't beat the system but you don't really want that anyway. What you really want to do is either master it or create your own.

Ok... so how do I do that?

"The brain simply believes what you tell it the most." -Shad Helmstetter

The person you listen to the most is in control of your thoughts. If you want to master, or create a system, what you'll first need is creativity. Creativity comes from within - how can you think creatively, or have original ideas, if you're a carbon copy of somebody else? Your ideas are not your own until you stop people from dictating your thoughts and start listening to yourself.

Finding yourself, your individuality, your own ideas, will help you figure out ways to succeed within a system or create a successful system of your own. Given that, of course, you have the courage to follow through on your ideas but that's another topic for another day.

*This post can also be found on Men 2.0

What Is Creativity?

"You don't get more creative ideas by trying to think more creatively, you get them by acting more creatively." -Roy Spence

Creativity is like a forest fire in the mind - some people wait until lighting hits a tree for the fire to start while others light up a branch with a lighter until it burns.

Creative Persistence

"I have come to realize that persistence simply for the sake of persistence is lunacy. Creative persistence is genius." -Daniel R. Castro

To push through just for the sake of pushing through is not as effective as taking a step back to look for others ways to do it. There are more than one way to bring a bolder up a hill. Have you found the most effective way to persist through your though time?

Create Something

Our bodies goes through periods of stress and this stress has to be brought out in some way. Some people use fitness to do so but did you know you can also create something?

Drawing, writing, building a back deck, playing with Legos... are all good ways to release stress.

Pay attention to the activities that releases the most stress for you and do those more!

Big Eyes

This upcoming film is based on a true story about a female artist, named Margaret Keane, who was abused by her husband (Walter Keane) and forced to paint for hours. Her husband would then take the paintings, sell them under his name and keep the money for himself.

Thankfully, his charade was brought to an halt and Justice was eventually served! Check the trailer out here:

For more information, check out this Gawker article!

What's the difference between a genius and an idiot?

“A genius is someone who takes a complex thing and makes it look simple. An academic does the opposite.” ― Robert Fanney

If you want someone to take a decision, make the information easy to understand. If it's complicated, he will feel like it's a bigger decision to make. In sales, simplicity is key!

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Revision Wednesday
Blog post originally created on June 24, 2008 and can be found here.

Adobe Creative Suite - Free Or Cheap Alternative

If you use a computer to create/edit images or videos then you probably already know about Adobe. Did you know that most of what you can do with Adobe Creative Suite can now be done with other, free or cheaper, software? Granted, they don't work as good but they're definitely a good choice for people on a budget. Check them out on LifeHacker!

Link:
http://lifehacker.com/5976725/build-your-own-adobe-creative-suite-with-free-and-cheap-software

Buy Experiences Not Things

It is better to buy experiences than to buy things. The experiences we have is what help shape the person we are and things like electronics, furniture, clothes (...) don't have the same emotional impact as climbing a mountain or going to watch a hockey at the arena.
It is more exciting to talk to a friend about our water park adventure than it is to talk about our latest gadget we bought. The excitement of that new gadget will eventually die out but not the excitement we felt during our adventures.

It's what we go through that defines who we are, not what we buy. So if you're one of those who can't decide between going to Hawaii or a new T.V. set - go to Hawaii! You will grow from the experience and remember it for the rest of your life!

Every Phone Wants To Be An Apple Iphone

The phone market as grown stale. The Apple Iphone was the first of the genre and every other company have tried to mimic it ever since it first came out. They all are using Apple's original designs but with irrelevant twists, innovation wise, like "Bigger screens", "Better Specs" or gimmicks like "shake the phone to bring the photo app" - YAWN!

Every phone company is competing against the Apple Iphone - Even Apple. They're the only company out there that creates products in a direction that I want to go in. They don't have the biggest screens or best specs but they do have the type of innovation that makes sense. They haven't implemented anything just for the sake of getting more people to buy their phones.

I'm not an Apple fan just for the sake of being one; I'm an Apple fan because they're the only ones who, I feel, put thinking behind their products. They don't release a phone every 3 months with irrelevant changes. They only have one, per year, and they do it right.

The Magic of Life

When we're younger, everything is new and magical. Our days are full of adventures and discoveries.
That inner fire, or magic, goes away when we're older and the routine of life sets in. We seem to forget (or loose interest) in the discoveries of life.

Life as a lot to offer and we must always be on the lookout for it.

Have a minute?

In a minute you could...

Polish your shoes. It will polish your image.

Open the car door for your significant other. Little gestures can speak volumes

Collect the trash in your car. Throw it out (recycle!) and drive away in the clear.

Look away from your computer. Give your eyes a break from the glare of the monitor.

Jot a note to a long-ago mentor. Let him or her know what you are up to and thank them for their wise counsel.

-Page 17 of "Success Magazine: November 2009"

How you share is more Important than what you know

"when facts become so widely available and instantly accessible, each one [person] is less valuable. What begins to matter more is the ability to place these facts in context and to deliver them with emotional impact."
-P. 103 of "A Whole new Mind" book by Daniel H. Pink

Everybody knows everything. The only thing that's different is how it's shared with other people.
Make it interesting and you're further ahead than most.

I want to draw but I don't know what to draw...

If, like me, you have a goal to get better drawing skills, you'll need to practice on a regular basis but what do you do when inspiration is lacking?

I created a little game for when I don't have inspiration, or don't know what to draw, using a dictionary. See the rules below:

-Open the dictionary at a random page
-Draw something related to the first word you see on the page in 1 minute or less
-Repeat as desired

Do this until you feel either ready to start real work or until you want to do something else. Remember that it doesn't have to be pretty, it's just to get the wheels turning and get your training in.

Hope it helps!

Confidence Boost when we Create

When we create something, we are proving to ourselves that we can do something which also boost our confidence in the process.

Obviously, if we're not good at it, not much will come out in terms of confidence. I only started to feel more confident when I saw that I was getting better.

Create to boost your confidence!