Maximize!

Ever been in a position where your body wants to go one way and your instinct and intellect are urgently yanking you to safety in the other direction before you get in over your head, deep in the quagmire?

aaah being human. It is nothing short of war. Between the opposing forces of physical chemistry and the more evolved bright bits that KNOW that if you don't surrender you get to find Nirvana.. or at least get to have truly mindblowing um.. fun.

Wasn't joking about the Nirvana bit either:

The 4 Noble Truths of Buddhism (to real lifesize Buddhists please forgive my rough cut interpretation ) :

1. There is suffering in the world – straight up, not pessimistic.
2. There is a cause, & it is DESIRE (that gaping void).
3. There is a way out of seemingly inevitable suffering – whew!
4. Just follow Buddha's practical Eight Fold Path guide to success & you too can achieve enlightenment & freedom – Nirvana

[Little MARKETING aside: for all of us who think you can't be spiritual and a great salesman.. please cast your eyes over these four steps and see the elegance of a good sales pitch].

Giving in to what's easy or giving up on something that looks too hard is not the way to find glory in our human story. Because this is a blog on GENIUS.. I offer the paragon of stubborn determination whose genius for not giving in changed the course of history>> the marvellously curmugeonly Sir Winston Churchill




.."We shall never surrender.."




Such is the lesson of the marshmallow.


What?! Yes indeed, how the humble puffy marshmallow is a determinant of success:


Between 1968 and 1974 at Stanford University’s psychology department, Walter Mischel conducted some fascinating studies, with children and a few marshmallows.

They were groundbreaking and substantial in understanding the later success quotient differentiators in regard to delaying gratification.. in really young humans (4 to 5 yrs old). The difference was clear, between those little ones who just couldn’t bear it and had to wolf their marshmallows (instant gratification with smaller reward) or those kiddies who held on for more marshmallows after 15 / 20minutes (delayed gratification and HUGE reward).

The truly revealing results came years later in tracking the progress of these now grown-up marshmallow munchers.. and the effect on their IQ, attitude, confidence and success. Sure you can GUESS what the results were, but it's worth checking out this well-written follow-up from Time. It’s a good reminder that sometimes enduring a little discomfort can be oh so deliciously rewarding if you can stand the gaping void of desire.

what is your marshmallow?
 

“The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what we want most for what we want in the moment ”

or even better

"We should never confuse what makes us feel good, with what makes us great"

- Chin Ning Chu author of Thick Face Black Heart and mistress of sucking up your ego for strategic victory, she's one of the world's finest speakers on the Art of War, well worth paying attention to if you are doing biz with China.


Mandarin lessons anyone?