Jeremie Averous's Blog, page 77
March 11, 2017
How We Need to Change Our Formula For Success: the Happiness Advantage
“If you can raise somebody’s level of positivity in the present, then their brain experiences what we now call a happiness advantage, which is your brain at positive performs significantly better than at negative, neutral or stressed. Your intelligence rises, your creativity rises, your energy levels rise.” says Shawn Achor in a lively TED talk.
The traditional success formula is broken. “Most companies and schools follow a formula for success, which is this: If I work harder, I’ll be more successful. And if I’m more successful, then I’ll be happier. That undergirds most of our parenting and managing styles, the way that we motivate our behavior. The problem is it’s scientifically broken and backwards”.
In particular, it does not work because “Every time your brain has a success, you just changed the goalpost of what success looked like.” And thus we never reach that success we are striving for.
How much better do we get if we have the happiness advantage? “In fact, we’ve found that every single business outcome improves. Your brain at positive is 31% more productive than your brain at negative, neutral or stressed. You’re 37% better at sales. Doctors are 19 percent faster, more accurate at coming up with the correct diagnosis when positive instead of negative, neutral or stressed“.
Let’s strive to get the happiness advantage and produce success rather than the other way around!
March 9, 2017
How Happiness Comes From Within and Not From External Factors
“Your external world can only predict 10% of your long-term happiness. 90 percent of your long-term happiness is predicted not by the external world, but by the way your brain processes the world.” says Shawn Achor in a lively TED talk.
External-generated happiness is only temporary and limited. Hardwiring ourselves to be happy relatively irrespective of the circumstances is what creates long term happiness.
It is a long way from the usual understanding of happiness associating happiness with wealth, idleness and the ownership of worldly things.
Let’s train and hardwire our brains to see the world in a more happy manner, and live happier lives!
March 7, 2017
How Having a Large Connected Fleet Is an Advantage for Artificial Intelligence
Most artificial intelligence (AI) today is based on machine learning. Hence the more data is available, the better it is to get machines to learn how to react to a wide array of situations.
Tesla seems to be leading this capability thanks to the fact that their cars are always connected by default. This paper ‘Tesla Tests Self-Driving Functions with Secret Updates to Its Customers’ Cars’ reveals the astonishing capabilities in terms of data retrieval as well as in terms of software update for the car. ““The ability to pull high-resolution data from these vehicles and to update the vehicles over the air is a significant part of what’s allowed us in 18 months to go from very behind the curve to what is today one of the more advanced autonomous or semi-autonomous driving features,” said Sterling Anderson, director of Tesla’s Autopilot program”.
Leadership on the market will thus be on those that will be able to connect the maximum widgets used in the widest conditions possible. And repatriate the data instantaneously.
March 4, 2017
Why, Intead of Staying Caterpillars, We Can All Become Butterflies
“There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly” – Buckminster Fuller, Author, Designer and Inventor
At the same time, unless there is an unfortunate accident, it is the inevitable destiny of the caterpillar to become a butterfly.
Many people are like caterpillars crawling around in life. Not many know they can become a butterfly. Many will stay caterpillars.
But when one knows it is possible to become a butterfly, unless of an unfortunate accident, they will become a butterfly. In their own way.
Let’s tell more people-caterpillars they have the capacity to become a butterfly.
March 2, 2017
How Artificial Intelligence Learning is Provided by Humans
This excellent article about ‘Inside Amazon’s clickworker platform: How half a million people are being paid pennies to train AI‘ gives a great insight into the workings of human teaching Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the issues of crowdsourcing these tasks.
We have already mentioned in this blog how humans are core to improving the quality of a number of products we are using on a daily basis: ‘How humans intervene in Internet’s workings‘, ‘The best digital maps are created by humans and crowd-sourced’.
Now this has become quite more systematic and oriented towards teaching AI how to recognize certain patterns and things. It is quite a sad paradox that these tasks by humans are designed for machine learning and to replace in the very near future those same humans. In addition the opportunities they provide are quite limited and constraining on those who participate. Yet they do provide opportunities for people in developing countries to benefit from new technologies.
February 28, 2017
How To Get One’s Creativity Unstuck
Your creative flow is stuck?
“Learn to say “Fuck You” to the world once in a while. You have every right to. Just stop thinking, worrying, looking over your shoulder, wondering, doubting, fearing, hurting, hoping for some easy way out, struggling, grasping, confusing, itching, scratching, mumbling, bumbling, grumbling, humbling, stumbling, numbling, rambling, gambling, tumbling, scumbling, scrambling, hitching, hatching, bitching, moaning, groaning, honing, boning, horse-shitting, hair-splitting, nit-picking, piss-trickling, nose sticking, ass-gouging, eyeball-poking, finger-pointing, alleyway-sneaking, long waiting, small stepping, evil-eyeing, back-scratching, searching, perching, besmirching, grinding, grinding, grinding away at yourself. Stop it and just…
DO“
I can’t say it better than the creative advice given by Sol LeWitt to Eva Hesse. The MUST-READ full story is in ‘Do: Sol LeWitt’s Electrifying Letter of Advice on Self-Doubt, Overcoming Creative Block, and Being an Artist‘.
Just DO.
February 25, 2017
What are the purposes of us to be in business – my own 10 purposes
Dear entrepreneurs, why on earth are we developing businesses?
Let’s start with 8 purposes to be in business (video) given out by Robin Sharma:
Fulfill client dreams (market – 3 top dreams of customers)
Remove Client Frustrations
Refuel their joy
Distribute Value (10x value obsession)
Total Craft Mastery (TCM) (seeing work as your craft)
Build a team of Picassos
Scale a beautiful life for you and your loved ones
To serve humanity and create a legacy
Most of these are worthy and I do certainly adhere to most although they might be a bit influenced by Robin Sharma’s coaching a focus. There seem to be some missing, in particular:
regarding the ability to choose one’s path (freedom) and to discover and explore new things and interests that come up as a result of my activity
the fact that the team is not only a team of gifted individuals, but also can deliver something great as a team
So, here’s my personal take on the 10 purposes to be in business:
Fulfill client dreams and refuel their joy
Remove Client Frustrations
Distribute Value (10x value obsession)
Personal Total Craft Mastery (seeing work as your craft)
Build a team of worthwhile individuals that can express their talents (Picassos)
Build a team that can achieve incredible things working as a team and expand one’s capabilities with that support
Be free to choose your development path
Be able to explore new untrodden avenues
Scale a beautiful life for you and your loved ones
To serve humanity and create a legacy
Any other purpose to be in business?
February 23, 2017
How the Industrial Age World Wants to Suck Us Back Into Conformism
I am always astonished at how the Industrial Age conformism is trying to pull us back in its wake, in particular for that that have somewhat escaped.
I have been on my own as a consultant and entrepreneur for a full 5 years now. In particular since I have come back to France, I have had a lot of comments along the lines of (I simplify): “poor thing scratching your life on your own and having such a difficult life, I hope you’ll manage to get a decent position in a large company soon“. That was in particular a key component of new year’s wishes this year.
Funny how people at the core of the system can only consider success as being successful in the system with all the bells and whistles and external signs of power that go with it. Funny how people consider that being on one’s own is probably so scary and unbearable. Yes, it is probably much less secure, but it is overall so much more fun.
The Industrial Age institutions and corporations are desperate to bring back in their ranks those escapees that live a different life. Let’s resist!
February 21, 2017
How to Deal With Life’s Key Decision
“Even the most career driven and ambitious among us eventually come to a decision point, do we follow the norm and risk living lives filled with decisions made by others, or do we take responsibility for ourselves, to become fully engaged with the process of defining what matters and focusing on what’s in our control?” writes Valeria Maltoni in her blog.
This powerful question is at the core of our lives. Some of us take this decision early, some late, but we always take it. Most of us star their adult life on the path more or less chosen for them by their family, and then by the organization that has welcomed us, but at some stage we all ask ourselves the question and resolve it. It might be at retirement only, but the question is always there lurking in the dark.
This is life’s key decision point and it is a critical question to consider (and not to escape from). The way to deal with it is to face this question, because escaping from it may lead to depression, sadness and fear. This crisis will happen sooner or later so better anticipate it as much as possible.
Look at the question in the eye: “Do I want to keep following the norm and a life filled with decisions from others, or do I want to choose my own and take responsibility for myself?”. Scary, and necessary.
February 18, 2017
Why Benevolence is So Important in Today’s World
Benevolence means being well meaning and showing kindness. It is an older word that became a bit disused. The concept however, I believe, is becoming very important in today’s world.
We are always wondering what are the motives behind the actions of people. In particular in the daily office world, this question is always lurking behind in our minds. And this is becoming increasingly so.
However we know that some people, and some actions, are only motivated by goodwill and kindness that does not seek anything specific in return. We struggle sometimes to recognize this fact in particular in today’s fast paced environment full of unknown motives.
Showing and recognizing benevolence is an essential element of goodwill and credibility. It is important sometimes to do some actions without seeking any advantage, just for the pleasure of helping, supporting, creating stuff.
How much benevolence do you demonstrate on a day-to-day basis?
