The choice between opinions & objectives

Our experiences shape our views. Maybe even define us as a person.

We have opinions.

Occasionally these opinions might hold us back from the ‘discovery process’. The process which leads us to our objectives being achieved.

When our opinions conflict with our objectives we must choose. Choose which of the two is more important to us. Do we want to hold onto our opinions, or achieve our objectives?

It’s rarely a simple choice. Often one of ethics. Sometimes one of admitting fault, changing direction, making mistakes, or possibly stepping on others. There is no right answer, just an internal choice.

A starting point may be taking the course that will help us sleep at night when we’re 84.

As seen on (TV) Google

As seen on TV Google… 

Back in the halcyon days of the TV industrial complex, an oft used selling point was the fact that something was actually on TV.

The thinking went something like this: 

  1. TV advertising is expensive
  2. They (brand X) are advertising on TV
  3. They have the money to make this investment
  4. So people must be buying this product
  5. This product must be good
  6. I will buy this product

as-seen-on-tv.jpg 

It built a sense of trust. Trust that evolved from assumed scale.  

Guess what? It’s back! Only this time it’s ‘as seen on front page of Google’. 

The new thinking isn’t too different:

  1. Google knows everything on the web
  2. It’s on the front page of Google
  3. Google has done the sorting for me
  4. Lots of people must be using this site
  5. Lots of sites must be linked to it
  6. I can buy from (trust) this website

The cool thing about this for start ups, is that it really only takes an investment in time and thinking to get there. Not a big media buy.

Mind RAM

Our brains are computers. Just like computers we have both RAM and hard drive… even a bit of cache.

Everything humans build is a subconscious replication of organic machines. Which is why Articial Intelligence is moving in its current direction. It’s evolution baby.

So we need to command our brains the same way we do any computer. Hence, best practice is to only keep a few projects (programs) open at a time. If we don’t we’ll lose focus, get confused, freeze and have to be shut down! Just like all our PC’s do from time to time.

Every now again we need to assess our Mind RAM and just make sure we aren’t over stretching its resources. If we have to we should shut down some projects and focus. Just like our PC we’ll work faster – more efficiently.

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If we have stuff open in our minds (old projects, tax returns, a mental diary) then we have to shift this stuff to a hard drive – whether it’s a notepad or PC doesn’t matter, just get it out of the RAM. Anything we shouldn’t be thinking about is RAM baggage. A mental cleanout is a must for high performance.

The difference between ‘Innovation & Different’

While watching entrepreneurs pitch their business earlier this week at the Pitch Club in Melbourne Australia, and colleague and I were disappointed at what some people believe to be innovation.

   

Shannon from Shannon says and I agreed that what many people call innovation is simply – different.

Here’s a clear delineation of the two which is a startup blog mashup of multiple dictionary definitions.

Different: unlike in form, quality, amount, or nature. Distinct or separate. Unusual or differing from others.

  

Innovation: a creation, new device or process. The result of study and or experimentation which improves the desired outcome / usage of said device, process or creation.

 butter-stick.jpg 

Sometimes we only need to understand the true meaning of our words to determine if we are ‘on track’.

Quote – Larry Page

larry-page.pnglarry-page.pngLarry Page said:

 

There is a phrase I learned in College called ‘having a healthy disregard for the impossible’. That is a really good phrase. You should try and do things that most people would not.

larry-page.png          ….squint to see Larry….

     

Chances are we’ll still fail to do the impossible most times.

If we don’t try we are certain to fail every time.