How to catch a fly?

Recognize that feeling of the returning fly that keeps bothering and irritating you? You wave your hand, you 'swat' a bit, but mister fly keeps coming back. Even more serious swats don't help. Your fly is faster than your hand.


Fly catching methods
Flies have a very highly-evolved evasion reaction which helps to ensure their survival. On the internet you may find several methods for catching such a persistent fly. Of course you can use a fly swatter.
But flies don't usually appear when you're swatter is around. So you try with your both hands. Hoping you don't succeed. And in the end if you do - by accident - succeed, you'll have to get up anyway to wash your hands.





New fly catching method
Just by accident I found out a new way to catch a fly with a newspaper or (one) hand.
I noticed that if the fly was on the table and I blew softly (starting very soft, followed by increased blowing), it would not fly away. In fact the fly would secure his position by sticking his feet to the table. As "sticking his feet to the table" and 'flying away' are two opposite - not combinable - actions, you've got enough time to swat the fly with your hand or newspaper.


Background
This new technic of swatting flies finds his background in one of the many principles of the famous book The Art of War', written by the legendary Chinese general, military theorist and philosopher Sun Tze.

Attack when the enemy is not prepared and strike where he least expects it.

However keep in mind that Sun Tzu believed that the best strategy is to "win without fighting".
So fly, be a spider, make your web and find that new way in life....

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Stumble It!

Watch yourself

Sometimes, in a case of force majeur, it's simply not enough to rely on your natural reactions and verbal capabilities. They probably wont help you.

What to do in case your mother suddenly dies, you get fired unexpected, your best friend suddenly gives up on you or your surgeon tells you you're seriously ill?

Lesson one : in these cases, stay cool and try to relax.

Lesson two : Think yourself in the upper corner of the room, outside yourself, and watch yourself. Be your own spectator.



From this position steer yourself and try to see yourself from different angles in a different perspective.
This simple method will help you to overcome crisis situations and creates a situation where you are able to manage yourself from a distance.

In these situations it becomes clear that you are the boss of your physical body as well as your mind. So it's not your body or mind that's in the corner , it's the real you! Enjoy that you are your own 'puppet on a string'.

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Stumble It!

Reach the Top

We often think that, to reach the Top or to achieve a specific goal, we need that very special person, or a specific tool.
For simple goals in life, like 'repairing the water closet', that's true.

In case of more complicated or ambitious goals, it's not that simple.

Take the example of climbing one of the highest mountains in the world, e.g. the Himalaya.




To achieve an ambitious goal like that, it takes different instruments and help, depending on the phase you're in:

• Going to Tibet, your feet won't help you, you'll need an airplane


• Climbing to the sub top, the airplane isn't of any use, you'll need the help of sherpa's


• Climbing the last 100 meters to the top, you don't need sherpa's, you'll need oxygen masks

Beside this, it's clear that in these cases you'll need to develop a plan and divide the preparation tasks between the team members.


As you notice, just like climbing the K2, every new phase (in time or life) on the way to your (whatever) personal defined goal, urges a different kind of help.


Although this Himalaya example looks very simple, we often don't act up on this insight.

Some simple examples:

• We think the luxury car we bought will also help us in case we have to transport grass-patches.


• We try to break down the wall with the help of a nail hammer instead of buying a brick hammer.


• When filling in a vacancy, we keep searching for a candidate that is a 'sheep with five legs'.


• After happy holidays with a new person we met, we automatically assume that this person shall become your best friend


• You think that because your wife is a good mother, she will also have the skills to be your best business partner.


• You think that because your husband is good at fixing a bicycle, he will also fix your TV set


• We assume (implicit) that a successful manager in 'Greenfield operations', will also be successful in case of a grown business.
  

Possible reasons for this blind sight are:

• We like to stick to our positive experiences and translate or extrapolate the current developments linear to the future


• We like to be 'penny wise', but are (in fact) 'pound foolish'


• We don't want to disappoint our friends or family or we have unrealistic expectations about them

So don't get stuck in the old axiom that"

if the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to approach every problem in life as if it were a nail

Looking from another perspective. If circumstances, times or goals change and you no longer fit in an organizations' or a relationships' mission or goal, quitting, divorcing or getting fired is sometimes the best solution. These situations have in general nothing to do with worries like 'I wasn't good enough' or 'People don't appreciate me'. Pick up your hat and create new steps in life.


So stay awake to reach the top and dare to change people, instruments, your vision or yourself, if your goal urges you.

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Stumble It!

Purpose and meaning

Two powerful drivers in our live are 'Purpose' and 'Meaning'.

Don't mix them up or you'll get into trouble.


Team targets
When you set the right targets (Purposes) in life, it will inspire and encourage people in helping (you) to achieve them.

However, don't expect that everyone is behind that target for the same reason. People get inspired in many different ways. Don't disturb personal dreams of team members. Dreams give that essential 'meaning to life'. Create awareness within a team that it's inspiring and useful that individual members give meaning in different ways. This recognition will stabilize the team process and increase the team output.


Personal targets
When setting personal targets in life, ask yourself what this target means (reasons why you get enthusiastic) to you in life.
If you can't sum up easy several different sorts of meanings (motivators), it will be risky to go after the target. If, for example, you've got only one motivator, only a slight disturbance in your meaning (new insights) will result in doubt about wetter you are on the right track and behind the right target.



Some practical examples...

Play chess
Target : Checkmate other king
Meaning examples : Fun to play check, to be a winner, to learn to think strategically, etc.

Develop technological society
Target : Set First man on the moon
Meanings examples : Realize almost impossible things, integrate different sciences, fun, explore the universe, develop new materials, etc.


The difference between purpose and meaning is well illustrated in this parable by Massimo Pigliucci:

Difference Purpose & Meaning Suppose you enter a restaurant and are given a menu to pore over. The purpose of that menu is to make it possible for you to eat at the place. The meaning of the menu is to present you with a series of choices to fulfill that purpose. If you don't understand the language in which the menu is written, the menu has purpose but no meaning. If the menu is made of pictures of the food items available and you start to eat the menu, you are confusing purpose with meaning!

So to understand your friends better in life, listen well to them when they talk about their purpose in life and never forget to ask what that purpose means to them. Never mix up purpose and meaning again.

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Stumble It!