rule number 6

Two prime ministers are sitting in a room discussing affairs of state.

Suddenly a man bursts in, apoplectic with fury, shouting and stamping and banging his fist on the desk. The resident prime minister admonishes him: "Peter," he says, "kindly remember Rule Number 6," whereupon Peter is instantly restored to complete calm, apologises, and withdraws.

The politicians return to their conversations, only to be interrupted yet again twenty minutes later by an hysterical woman gesticulating wildly, her hair flying. Again the intruder is greeted with the words: "Marie, please remember Rule Number 6." Complete calm descends once more, and she too withdraws with a bow and an apology.

When the scene is repeated for a third time, the visiting prime minister addresses his colleague: "My dear friend, I've seen many things in my life, but never anything as remarkable as this. Would you be willing to share with me the secret of Rule Number 6?"

"Very simple," replies the resident prime minister. "Rule Number 6 is 'Don't take yourself so fucking seriously'".

"Ah," says his visitor, "that is a fine rule." After a moment of pondering he enquires, "And what, may I ask, are the other rules?"

"There aren't any" replied the resident prime minister.



-- extract from The Art Of Possibility by Zander

the fool in YOU

learn to love the fool in you

the one who feels too much

the one who talks too much

the one who takes too many chances

the one who lacks self control

the one who loves and hates

the one who hurts and gets hurt

the one who promises and breaks promises

the one who laughs and cries

the fool in you

protects you from being a masterful tyrant

a control freak

and an arrogant prick

the fool in you

brings out your humility

keeps you real

and makes you alive

RUOK?

RUOK Day was this week.

Started by Gavin Larkin after his father committed suicide, RUOK Day is a reminder to all of us to ask someone we know who might be struggling with life, if they are OK?

While RUOK Day is a once a year event, asking someone if they are OK is not -- it's something we can and should do every day.

To me RUOK speaks to the power in each of us. When you understand that what most people really, really want is simply to feel good about themselves, and when you realize that with just a few well-chosen words [e.g. RUOK?] you can help virtually anyone on the planet instantly achieve this, you begin to realize just how simple life is, and how powerful you are.

Thanks Gavin, and thanks to all of you who show your care by asking the question 'RUOK?'

a brand called 'Charlie'

Now I know that everyone is not a Charlie Sheen fan, he can be a bit of a dick head from time to time, and he is quite 'blokey'. He does, however, have the most awesome brand = himself.

Charlie is the unequivocal, in your face, bad-ass kid who every other kid hates to love. His Linked In profile lists his job title as Winner At Life. His specialities = Tiger Blood Producer. Warlock Master. His Experience [1965-present] = Team Sheen [Entertainment Industry].

This is Charlie's appeal -- his magnetism -- his brand. And it 'works' because deep down inside every one of us there is a Charlie Sheen [a sleeping tiger within, as we vicariously live out our lives through Charlie's bravado].

That doesn't mean we all want to do the things Charlie Sheen does. It just means we all want to be a little more like 'Charlie'. Like Charlie, we all want to be own person, who does his own thing, in his own way. And if you don't like it, sucks to you! [and fuck you too]

There's a tweet going around that says "when I die I want Charlie's life to flash before my eyes".

My response to that tweet is "when I die I don't want Charlie's life to flash before my eyes". And I reckon that's what Charlie would want too.

the game of life

There is a game we play called Monopoly.

Monopoly is a game about winning and losing; about making and breaking; about success and failure.

More than a board game made by Hasbro, Monopoly is the game of our lives. Monopoly is the game that causes shit to happen -- like 9/11.

Please look carefully at the cover of the box. And if the rules don't light up YOUR life, put it away, take out another game you like better, and play the new game.

the universe of possibility

Michelangelo is often quoted as having said that inside every block of stone or marble dwells a beautiful statue; one need only remove the excess material to reveal the work of art within.

Imagine if we were to apply this concept to the education system. It would be pointless to compare one child to another. Instead, all our energy would be focused on chipping away at the stone, getting rid of whatever is in the way of each child's potential skills, mastery and self-expression.

Every child thus becomes an A-grade student. After all, the ABCDEF system of grading is a game that's been invented by humans, so we might as well choose to invent something that brightens the lives of our children = A-grade.

The practice of giving an A to every student allows the teacher to focus on producing a great outcome - to focus on what's fully possible; their full potential - and to not compare one against the other in the process.

And what if we now give an ongoing A to all people, in all of our relationships. The free granting of an A to everyone takes them off the success/failure ladder, removes them from the pleased/disappointed list, and spirits you away from the world of measurement and judgement into the universe of possibility.

Rock on!

to see or not to see

A frog's eye is capable of perceiving 4 types of phenomena:

1. clear lines of contrast

2. sudden changes in illumination

3. outlines in motion

4. curves of outlines of small, dark objects

A frog does not 'see' it's mother's face, it cannot appreciate a sunset, not even the nuances of colour. It sees only what it needs to see in order to eat and to avoid being eaten.

In the same way, human eyes are selective too. We think we can see 'everything', until we remember that bees make out patterns written in ultraviolet light on flowers, and owls see in the dark.

The senses of every species are fine-tuned to perceive information critical to their survival, and we perceive only the sensations we are programmed to receive. You and me see a map of the world, not the world itself.

Which begs the question, "so what then is your reality?"

spring has sprung

Today is the first day of Spring; the season of new life, colour, and change.

Change [of the spring type, as of all types] is not a disruption, but an eruption. It is life erupting into full bloom.

Change is not a break in the flow, it is the flow. Change is not a break in direction, it is the direction itself in which all life moves.