Author: Bengt (Page 6 of 18)

The Mental Leap

January 2, 2014 /

I had four core websites, two in English and two in Swedish. One in each language is for business, the other ones are for myself. It turned out that there was a larger overlap in topics relevant for my business and personal sites. At times I had (created) problems with where to post.

In October 2013 a new project popped up. It resulted in a new website, The Mental Leap, which is about change, growth and related topics. In addition to what The Mental leap project itself will result in over time it solved my problem with overlapping topics. From now on they will end up on the Leap site. I will also move older posts there, when I have some spare time.

You find links to all my sites and social media at My sites and profiles.

There are many more hills to climb

December 8, 2013 /

Here is a great quote from Nelson Mandela

I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.
Nelson Mandela

This is a description that fits well on personal development. There’s always another hill to climb. An important lesson in life is that we shall enjoy and celebrate what we have achieved. Nelson Mandela put it well, “I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come.”

Boost Your Creative Productivity

June 8, 2013 /

I found The Real Reason Coffee Shops Boost Productivity through Twitter.

Coffee Shops have been known to boost creative productivity. But it’s not the caffeine that does it.

The blog post refers to a study in the Journal of Consumer Research that explored the effects of various levels of background noise on individual creative thinking. What’s really interesting is this:

the researchers found that those in the moderate-noise condition outperformed those in all the other conditions, hence moderate-noise was amplifying their creative output

Drink whatever you want at the coffee shop (I drink hot chocolate), it’s the background noise that makes you creative.

Get The Coffee Shop Noise At Home

In one of the comments on the blog post above is a link to Coffitivity. They describe the site as “Ambient sounds to boost your workday creativity! ” I have Coffitivity on right now and really like the sound.

Is there an app for that?

There’s Ambiance thats described as an “environment enhancer” designed to help you create the perfect ambient atmosphere to relax, focus or reminisce on the go.

You ARE more beautiful than you think

April 18, 2013 /

I came across the Real Beauty Sketches video on Facebook, it’s an amazing video that clearly shows how hard we often are on ourselves.

Mail Online describes the project in You ARE more beautiful than you think.

Dove hires FBI-trained forensic artist to prove women judge their appearance more harshly than strangers.

Artist could not see the women, so he sketched pictures based on their descriptions of themselves.

He then created a second drawing based on a stranger’s description of the women. In all cases, the pictures created with stranger’s input were much more attractive.

Watch the video and check out the drawings at Dove Real Beauty Sketches.

Peace and battles

March 5, 2013 /

An image with the text “Be selective in your battles, sometimes peace is better than being right” was shared on Facebook.

My comment to that is:

Battles means you’re trying to force your own right upon others.
Peace is living with the differences.

Motivation, Drive and Dan Pink

March 14, 2012 /

Dan pink talks about three kinds of motivation:
1.0 biological (thirst, hunger).
2.0 external (carrot and stick).
3.0 internal (engagement).

Daniel Pink then focuses on Motivation 3.0 and explains more about what it is, when it works and why it works.

Video: RSA Animate – Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us

This is an imated video that nicely summarizes the book and concept.

If you can’t see the video above then go to RSA Animate – Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us.

Video: Daniel Pink: What Really Motivates Workers (CBS interview

This is an interview on CBS about intrinsic motivation, motivation 3.0.

If you can’t see the video above then go to Daniel Pink: What Really Motivates Workers.

Video: Daniel Pink on the surprising science of motivation – TED Talk

This video is a presentation Daniel Pink did on TED.

If you can’t see the video above then go to Daniel Pink on the surprising science of motivation.

Book:

The book is Drive – The surprising thruth about what motivates us which contains more information about the concept in the videos above. I’ve read the book and like it.

The book at The Book Depository: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (Paperback)

The Book Depository has free delivery worldwide on all their books.

Change and Freedom

October 3, 2011 /

I came across a photo of Freedom by Zenos Frudakis. It’s an amazing statue about breaking free. Zenos writes that:

I wanted to create a sculpture almost anyone, regardless of their background, could look at and instantly recognize that it is about the idea of struggling to break free. This sculpture is about the struggle for achievement of freedom through the creative process.

Although for me, this feeling sprang from a particular personal situation, I was conscious that it was a universal desire with almost everyone; that need to escape from some situation – be it an internal struggle or an adversarial circumstance, and to be free from it.

Coaching is about change, this statue shows the phases in the process from being stuck to being free.

Decide Who To Please

September 9, 2011 /

Over at Leadership Freak is The People You Try to Please Control You. It’s an interesting post.

Drucker said, “The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer.”

You are all about pleasing customers. Pleasing others, however, presents problems for you.

You can not please everyone, not even every customer. Be selective.

Key to Failure

The post at Leadership Freak brought this quote to my mind:

I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. – Bill Cosby

Key to Success

Instead of trying to please everybody – decide who matters and who you shall please.

Who matters to you? Who shall you please?

The Art Of Small Talk

September 8, 2011 /

Over at Look Far, the blog of Amanda Linehan, is Discover The Art Of Small Talk. Introverts or INFPs (like I am) often feel uneasy about small talk.

Amanda has great advice in her post:

  • Small talk is about connection, not content.
  • Talk about the most obvious things.
  • When all else fails, ask questions.

The last one, asking questions, comes natural for me.

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