What's Really Important GNP or GNH?

This is a great TED talk in which hotelier Chip Conley went in search of a business model based on happiness. In an old friendship with an employee and in the wisdom of a Buddhist king, he learned that success comes from what you count.   As part of this he explores what is more important:   Having what you want, or wanting what you have.     Good question.

This is another little 10 minute talk well worth watching.

To what do you attribute happiness in your life?    Love to hear your comments.
StJohn

Is Money the real Motivator in what people do?

Here's a wonderful video that does two things...
First it questions money as the primary motivator for people doing meaningful work.    It points out there are a number of things that are much stronger motivators, (and you'll have to watch the video to see what they are).
Second, it uses cartooning as a wonderful vehicle for communication and bringing ideas alive.

So if you're interested in Mastery and a sense of Purpose in your life, grab a cuppa and invest 10 minutes in watching this.. it will give you plenty to think about.


And once you've seen it, we'd love to hear what you think.   Why not make a comment below.
All the best
StJohn

StJohn Miall: Introducing Circumference

Hi everyone,

Here's the video we made to introduce Circumference to the world...   this time without the spelling mistake!

Chocolate

A rather wonderful woman by the name of Thea was a keynote speaker in a recent conference I attended. She talked about chocolate. Well, she talked about many things, but at one stage she arrived at the true purpose and cornerstone of her presentation.

Chocolate. Glorious, sweet, soothing satisfying, calorie-laden chocolate. I’ve seen people go all glassy eyed at the very mention of the word.

It must be said that I have never considered myself a fanatic. My obsessions with chocolate pale in comparison to the certified devotee. But I have had my dalliances with the chocolate God. Cadbury’s plain milk is my chocolate of choice. And I’m rather fond of chocolate fudge. I reckon you can tell a lot about a person by what constitutes their favourite.

Now, the wonderful Thea was passing out platefuls of chocolate, which were being passed around the rows as each attendee picked a piece. Rather like the collection plate in church. But much, much better.

I picked an apricot liqueur-filled dark chocolate mound, and patiently waited for everyone else to bloody hurry up and pick their piece so we could all hoe in together. It was to be a collective chocolate experience. And the point, of course, was not to gobble down the chocolate but to be absolutely mindful and conscious of the act of chocolate consumption. Like the Japanese Tea Service. Only much, much better.

I felt the weight of the chocolate in my hand. I felt the edges melting slightly to run like velvet blankets over my palm. I smelt the chocolate (I like the bitter sharpness of the smell of dark chocolate….so much more satisfying than the cloying sweetness of it’s lighter cousin.) I imagined how delicious the chocolate would be. I thought about the splendid relief when chocolate crumbles in the mouth. About how stress melts away. About being only in that moment- no past (to have regrets about), no future (to create anxiety about)…just the chocolate covered present.

And then I bit.

And it was the most divine chocolate experience in living memory.

Interesting. It was just a piece of chocolate after all. What made it such an historic event was the amount of attention I brought to it. I'm reminded to do that more often - to stop multi-tasking and just sip in life experiences.

Delicious.

Jo Flynn

How to Get a Laugh on a Regular Basis

It’s easier than you think.

All you need to do is grab your togs and a towel and head down to the closest aquarobics class. I swear I have not laughed so hard for months.

There is a plethora of motivations for a good giggle. There is the fact that the class is filled with predominantly middle aged women who have predominantly been eating too many cream buns for a few years. So every one's a lovely round shape. A lovely round floaty, hard-to-submerge shape. Every time you try to sink yourself to do some underwater calisthenic thingummy movement - you end up exploding back up to the surface and bobbing around looking surprised.

Then you add the indignity of a noodle. For the uninitiated, a noodle is a flotation device shaped exactly like a gigantic bit of spaghetti. And only slighty less difficult to wield in a large body of water.

If you're very lucky you get to stick it between your legs and breastroke backwards for the length of the pool. If you not having such a good day the damn thing will find it's way into the inside leg of your boardshorts and tickle your fancy.

Maybe its just me but the whole experience is like giggle therapy. Fantastic fun, apparently gives your core a good workout in the process and cheap as chips at $10 an hour.

Heaven...



Don't forget to check out Jo's ongoing adventures with self improvement at the Evolution or Bust! blog. You can simply indulge your voyeuristic tendencies and watch as she courageously lurches from one developmental opportunity to the next, or better still, take the ride with her and compare notes as you both evolve together.

Check it out: http://evolutionorbust.blogspot.com/