1. TIME TO CELEBRATE
In a recent special issue of Time magazine, Yves Pepin, the man who staged
the New Year’s Eve fireworks at the Eiffel Tower, says:
"We live in an age in which celebration and the collective sharing of
sentiments are becoming less frequent and farther removed from our personal
lives. Before, celebrations and sensations and experiences that went with
them may have arisen from births, a neighbor finishing a barn, the harvest
of the last crop, or a rite of passage for a family member. Today, they are
more distant and therefore more generalized -— to the detriment of intimacy."
QUESTIONS: Do you have enough rituals and celebrations in your personal and
business life? If not. why not invent some? Traditionally, rituals involve
music, lights, movement, and acts of ‘magic.’ What rituals do you already
enjoy, or do you want to add to your life and the lives of those around you?
(If you’ll send yours to BstormUK@aol.com, we’ll share them in a future
issue).
2. THE RICHEST MAN TELLS ALL (WELL, SOME)
The Feb. 4 Sunday Telegraph featured Dominic Lawson’s exclusive interview
with multi-billionaire Hans Rausing, one of the people behind the packaging
wonder, Tetra Pak. Rausing, at the age of 74, is launching a new packaging
product called EcoLean, which, he says, is cheaper and more biodegradable
than paper. In the interview, he revealed some of the secrets of his success:
RISK: "There is no way you can succeed in business by playing safe. It’s
always less risky to take risks. I had this saying: risk minimisation through
risk maximisation."
SIMPLICITY: "Never do things which are complicated."
LISTENING: "You must talk and listen to everybody in your company."
SUPPLY SOMETHING VALUABLE: "If you don’t have a moral imperative behind your
company, then that company will have no drive. People must realize that what
they are doing is important: that not only are they making money, but they
are contributing something towards society."
QUESTIONS: These four ideas sound like common sense, but to what degree are
you applying them to your work?
3. MAKE A LITTLE LIST…
In his short book, The Max Strategy, Dale Dauten suggests making a list of
all the mistakes you have ever made in your career. It may not be easy
because, as Dauten says, "Your inclination will be to cover up your mistakes.
You have to have the discipline to hold them up and examine them. You can’t
be embarrassed or resentful. … When you befriend your problems, they are no
longer problems. Go far enough into a problem and you come out on the other
side, the anti-problem. …Go far enough into failure, and you come out the
other side, the anti-failure." When you look over the list, Dauten says, you
may find what the universe has been whispering to you.
QUESTIONS: What’s on your list? Does an overall pattern or message emerge?
Are you in danger of making the same kind of mistake in your current or next
project? How can you be sure to avoid it? (One definition of success is
"making different mistakes.")
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Workshop Alert! The following workshops led by Jurgen Wolff will be held in
Central London:
Wed. evening, 18 April, 6:30pm – 9pm: DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT! Learn how to
turbo-charge you marketing of yourself and your product or service. £15.
Sat & Sun, 11 & 12 May, 9.30am-5.30pm: WRITING IN THE CREATIVE FLOW. Learn
how to use the power of your subconscious mind to write great scripts,
novels, or short stories. £160 early registration, otherwise £175.
Sat & Sun, 7 & 8 July, 9.30am-5.30pm: SUCCESSFUL SITCOM WRITING. Learn how to
create and write fresh, funny sitcoms. £160 early registration, otherwise
£175.
To register or for more information, ring Sheridan Bolger on 020 7580 4997,
or email BstormUK@aol.com
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4; THE AIKIDO STRATEGY
In the above-mentioned issue of Time, there is also an article about Kalle
Lasn, who practices "culture jamming" in order to fight what he considers
negative aspects of our consumer culture. His main tool is a magazine called
Adbusters, which features essays and spoofs. Example: cigarette mascot Joe
Camel becomes Joe Chemo, in a hospital bed with an IV drip.
What is interesting is that he is using a principle of Aikido and most of the
other martial arts—that is, not opposing the enemy’s force directly, but
flowing with it and deflecting it. The spoof works only because the "enemy"
has spent millions on the ads that are being parodied.
Another way to do this is to anticipate the biggest objection someone might
have to what you are offering—and address that concern first.
Or, in an argument, agree with as many of the other person’s points as you
can, or at least be neutral about them ("You may be right" or "I understand
how you see it"). You will deflate the attack and save your energy for the
most important points.
IDEAL: Consider who or what is opposing you at the moment. How could you
apply the Aikido strategy?
5. AND, FINALLY…
This is Friendship Week (who decides these things?…) and here’s a nice
summary of the idea way to live, sent by a friend:
Work like you don’t need the money.
Love like you’ve never been hurt.
Dance like nobody’s watching.
Sing like nobody’s listening.
Live like it’s Heaven on Earth.
Worthwhile goals – and while we’re talking about friends, why not forward
this bulletin to a few of your friends who might enjoy it? ‘Til next time,
Jurgen
(ps: check out our website, www.BrainstormNet.com )
Requests to subscribe (or, for that matter, unsubscribe) should be sent to
BstormUK@aol.com. We also welcome your comments and suggestions and we do
not sell or share our mailing lists. (Contents copyright 2001, Jurgen Wolff).
