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From a recent message on TWITTER: To what extent are you being influenced by subliminal and non-verbal messages? http://aboutDouglasCastle.b... #TNNW #IEP #Obama.
Note: If in excess of 80% of all interpersonal communication is non-verbal (or not consciously perceivable), its influence is pervasive. If you understood it better, you could very likely 1) recognize your own responses to it, and 2) use it as a tool to gain much better control of negotiations, presentations and every other type of social and business exchange. Would you like to learn more? Would you like to wield this power? It does not involve witchcraft, voodoo or the supernatural. It is simply a product of applied science...
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
http://aboutDouglasCastle.blogspot.com
http://TakingCommand.blogspot.com
http://TheNationalNetworkerWeblog.blogspot.com
A NOTE ABOUT HYPERLINKS:
In some of the short newsfeed postings (in particular, those from http://htxt.it/), the hyperlinks are not live. They are not dead -- no, they are merely sleeping. To awaken them, just copy them (Ctrl+C) and paste them (Ctrl+V) into your browser and press the "go" button...the sleeping link will immediately come to life and you'll be directed to the proper page so that you can read the referenced article or posting.
Miasma: Grouply, Yahoo, Google, MSN, command, control, leadership, decisionmaking, The National Networker, Internal Energy Plus, Humanitas Maximus, The Internal Energy Plus Forum, control, public service, inspiration, survival, uniting, dividing, conquest, growth, personal growth, self-improvement, personal development, networking, Mixx, Zimbio, Digg, Delicious, Technorati, Associated Press, LA Times, Fox News, Reuters, alpha, beta, theta, education, leadership crisis, personal power, humanitarianism, The Global Futurist, The Internationalist Page, Braintenance, Current Events, blogs, bloggers, news, news releases, Douglas Castle, intelligence, cognitive enhancement, advice, help, psychology, focus, technology, seduction, manipulation, debate, education, hypnosis, NLP, RET, articles, Linked In, Microsoft, SEO, fitness, longevity, creativity, meditation, media, YouTube, organizational engineering, winning, success, telepathy, trends, predictions, commentary, blogosphere, relationships, torture, victory, health, fitness, independence, mind, brain, thought, entrainment, Facebook, Naymz, downloads, CDs, tapes, instruction, competition, martial arts, politics, management, widget, blidget, social networking, nanotechnology, fitness, social Darwinism, humor, alternative energy, philanthropy, not-for-profit organizations, volunteering, interrogation, trade, commerce, personal dynamics, personal coaching, networking, leadership training, mind-body connection, nootropics, longevity, social groups, business groups, marketing, ecommerce, Feedburner, RSS, newsletters, writers, co-operative advertising, leverage, survivalism, viral marketing, public relations, advertising, promotion, image-development, videos, gaming, AI, social awareness, persuasion, theology, logic, alliances, reputation, ratings, polls, standing, positioning, self-help, metrics, design, interactivity, campaign, Wikis, chat rooms, interactive forums, mentoring, modeling, mind expansion, brainwaves, motivation, current events, press releases, keywords, adwords, economics, Wikipedia, Widgetbox, geopolitical economics, conflict resolution, activism, achievement, subconscious, collective mind, webinars, business services, self-growth, control, winning, fail-safe strategies, combat, strength, Internal Energy Plus, self-defense, winning strategies and tactics, improvisation, anti-terrorism, courage, victory, fear, psychological programming,...
Keywords for this post: subliminal messages, non-verbal communication, blogs by Douglas Castle, effective influence, Humanitas Maximus, manipulation, negotiation, seduction, persuasion, behavioral psychology, power, applied science.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
BURYING MISTAKES
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BURYING MISTAKES
BURYING MISTAKES
The notion of "Justice," albeit subjective, elusive and ephemeral, haunts me. It somehow hurts the child in me when the guilty are rewarded and the innocent are made to suffer. Or when the supposedly righteous stand idly by and permit it to continue...even if there is a possible solution within reach. I believe that we, as Human Beings, should strive to improve ourselves, and that an integral part of this process involves admitting and correcting mistakes and avoiding making these same mistakes in the future.
I believe in the sanctity of the rights of the individual. I believe, as my late father once quoted to me, that "It is better if a hundred guilty men shall be allowed to go free than if one innocent man shall be unjustly punished." Of note: Out of all of the industrialized nations of the entire world, the United States has the greatest percentage of its population incarcerated. And that percentage continues to grow.
Incarceration, like war, is a very big, very profitable business. To keep the wheels turning and the cash register full, those in power in the United States have an historically demonstrated penchant for getting involved in wars (for example, the"Vietnam Conflict," or "Operation Desert Storm" to "liberate" Iraq). I suppose it is only logical that such fiascos as the "War on Drugs" must be prosecuted and prolonged in order to ensure that the prisons are filled to overflowing with those convicted.
Not only does this ensure that those dedicated and skilled individuals who operate and service the growing number of prisons will have respectable ongoing employment, but it also provides our military with a source of very inexpensive production, in that minimum wage laws do not apply to convicted felons (they can be paid as little as twelve cents an hour), and they are used in prison shops to manufacture military and industrial goods. Why these folks are an even cheaper labor source than illegal immigrants!
Whenever I read about some convicted murderer or rapist, locked away for 20 years or more (or perhaps sitting on death row), who is exonerated based upon DNA evidence which proves, conclusively, that he could not possibly have committed the crime for which he was originally convicted, it causes me outrage. To think that a person who is convicted and jailed as a result of a prosecutorial or judicial error might one day be found not guilty is frightening. How do you give back, or make appropriate recompense for a life destroyed? A reputation decimated? A family torn apart? I do not know. How do you "fix" the wrong done to a person who was wrongly imprisoned? I don't know.
The U.S. Supreme Court has found that there is no constitutional right applicable to convicted felons which entitles them to obtain or demand DNA tests in order to exonerate themselves. The Court seems to feel that the only time when this evidence would be available or applicable is during the actual trial process, and not afterwards, once the party found guilty has been imprisoned. This poses a Catch-22 situation for any person wrongfully convicted who wishes to have his sentence reversed or vacated.
It also means that the Court is interested (or perhaps, invested) in supporting the guilty decisions of the criminal courts, and of the prosecutorial process. After all, it is an embarrassing and expensive mess when a convicted person is found to be not guilty after the fact. It could even mean that the actual guilty party is still at large. Or that the prosecution violated the rules of evidence when pursuing the conviction. Or that the judge made (gasp!) an error.
By its decision, the U.S. Supreme Court went along with a time-honored tradition of supporting the rich and powerful in this country -- the tradition of burying mistakes.
I believe that the blood of buried mistakes cries up from the ground. If you listen for it, it is always there.
Read more about this court decision in The New York Times at Justices Rule Inmates Don’t Have Right to DNA Tests By DAVID STOUT Convicts do not have a right under the Constitution to obtain DNA testing to try to prove their innocence long after being found guilty, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
*Follow DOUGLAS CASTLE on TWITTER - http://twitter.com/douglascastle
*Follow DOUGLAS CASTLE on THE NATIONAL NETWORKER - http://twitter.com/TNNW_BUZZWORKS
*Follow DOUGLAS CASTLE on THE NATIONAL NETWORKER - http://twitter.com/TNNW_BUZZWORKS
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
QUICK SURVEY - LEADERSHIP
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What are the critical responsibilities of a True Leader? Be Heard! Quick survey http://twitlik.com/Leadership88 #TNNW #douglascastle
Miasma: Grouply, Yahoo, Google, MSN, command, control, leadership, decisionmaking, The National Networker, Internal Energy Plus, Humanitas Maximus, The Internal Energy Plus Forum, control, public service, inspiration, survival, uniting, dividing, conquest, growth, personal growth, self-improvement, personal development, networking, Mixx, Zimbio, Digg, Delicious, Technorati, Associated Press, LA Times, Fox News, Reuters, alpha, beta, theta, education, leadership crisis, personal power, humanitarianism, The Global Futurist, The Internationalist Page, Braintenance, Current Events, blogs, bloggers, news, news releases, Douglas Castle, intelligence, cognitive enhancement, advice, help, psychology, focus, technology, seduction, manipulation, debate, education, hypnosis, NLP, RET, articles, Linked In, Microsoft, SEO, fitness, longevity, creativity, meditation, media, YouTube, organizational engineering, winning, success, telepathy, trends, predictions, commentary, blogosphere, relationships, torture, victory, health, fitness, independence, mind, brain, thought, entrainment, Facebook, Naymz, downloads, CDs, tapes, instruction, competition, martial arts, politics, management, widget, blidget, social networking, nanotechnology, fitness, social Darwinism, humor, alternative energy, philanthropy, not-for-profit organizations, volunteering, interrogation, trade, commerce, personal dynamics, personal coaching, networking, leadership training, mind-body connection, nootropics, longevity, social groups, business groups, marketing, ecommerce, Feedburner, RSS, newsletters, writers, co-operative advertising, leverage, survivalism, viral marketing, public relations, advertising, promotion, image-development, videos, gaming, AI, social awareness, persuasion, theology, logic, alliances, reputation, ratings, polls, standing, positioning, self-help, metrics, design, interactivity, campaign, Wikis, chat rooms, interactive forums, mentoring, modeling, mind expansion, brainwaves, motivation, current events, press releases, keywords, adwords, economics, Wikipedia, Widgetbox, geopolitical economics, conflict resolution, activism, achievement, subconscious, collective mind, webinars, business services, self-growth, control, winning, fail-safe strategies, combat, strength, Internal Energy Plus, self-defense, winning strategies and tactics, improvisation, anti-terrorism, courage, victory, fear, psychological programming,...
What are the critical responsibilities of a True Leader? Be Heard! Quick survey http://twitlik.com/Leadership88 #TNNW #douglascastle
Miasma: Grouply, Yahoo, Google, MSN, command, control, leadership, decisionmaking, The National Networker, Internal Energy Plus, Humanitas Maximus, The Internal Energy Plus Forum, control, public service, inspiration, survival, uniting, dividing, conquest, growth, personal growth, self-improvement, personal development, networking, Mixx, Zimbio, Digg, Delicious, Technorati, Associated Press, LA Times, Fox News, Reuters, alpha, beta, theta, education, leadership crisis, personal power, humanitarianism, The Global Futurist, The Internationalist Page, Braintenance, Current Events, blogs, bloggers, news, news releases, Douglas Castle, intelligence, cognitive enhancement, advice, help, psychology, focus, technology, seduction, manipulation, debate, education, hypnosis, NLP, RET, articles, Linked In, Microsoft, SEO, fitness, longevity, creativity, meditation, media, YouTube, organizational engineering, winning, success, telepathy, trends, predictions, commentary, blogosphere, relationships, torture, victory, health, fitness, independence, mind, brain, thought, entrainment, Facebook, Naymz, downloads, CDs, tapes, instruction, competition, martial arts, politics, management, widget, blidget, social networking, nanotechnology, fitness, social Darwinism, humor, alternative energy, philanthropy, not-for-profit organizations, volunteering, interrogation, trade, commerce, personal dynamics, personal coaching, networking, leadership training, mind-body connection, nootropics, longevity, social groups, business groups, marketing, ecommerce, Feedburner, RSS, newsletters, writers, co-operative advertising, leverage, survivalism, viral marketing, public relations, advertising, promotion, image-development, videos, gaming, AI, social awareness, persuasion, theology, logic, alliances, reputation, ratings, polls, standing, positioning, self-help, metrics, design, interactivity, campaign, Wikis, chat rooms, interactive forums, mentoring, modeling, mind expansion, brainwaves, motivation, current events, press releases, keywords, adwords, economics, Wikipedia, Widgetbox, geopolitical economics, conflict resolution, activism, achievement, subconscious, collective mind, webinars, business services, self-growth, control, winning, fail-safe strategies, combat, strength, Internal Energy Plus, self-defense, winning strategies and tactics, improvisation, anti-terrorism, courage, victory, fear, psychological programming,...
Thursday, June 11, 2009
ORDER OUT OF CHAOS - A Socio-Economic and Behavioral Commentary
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ORDER OUT OF CHAOS - A SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND BEHAVIORAL COMMENTARY
Throughout the United States and the rest of the world that surrounds us (I sound a bit paranoic, don't I?), people are frightened. The economy is in a contractionary state; many formidable and once-credible "bedrock" institutions have failed amid allegations of major misjudgments and corruption -- and the distinctions between the public and private sectors are becoming increasingly unclear. People tend to be frightened by rapid change and general uncertainty.
Panic makes for some terrible decisionmaking, while maintaining a calm and analytic state of mind while those about us are in a state of irrationality can reveal some contrarian investment bargains. While fear has locked many investors and businesses into a paralytic holding pattern, a distinct minority, virtually a special social class, is quietly buying up controlling stakes and future monopolistic positions in a variety of industries, companies and commodities. This minority, for the most part, is comprised of very wealthy, privileged families...families who have prospered through generation after generation, almost regardless of the political or economic environment. We will refer to them (for the purposes or simplicity) as dynastic families. Their blueblooded names are familiar to many of the rest of us, and they have held tremendous power for quite some time -- centuries, in fact.
I am betting that amongst the pedestrian, "common" population, fear is a far superior motivating force than the promise of an opportunity for gain. I believe that we travel long, circuitous routes in order to avoid confrontation, pain and loss, while we seldom leave the living room couch for an opportunity, which might require effort on our part. Inertia, indolence and a lack of ambition combine to work against the potential efficacy of positive reinforcement, while fear actually creates a physiological reaction (i.e., the secretion of adrenalin, cortisol, etcetera) which actually produces the means for rapid movement in a "fight or flight" response.
The endorphin "rush" produced by the mind's complex neurochemical apparatus is, in contrast, usually much slower to gain a foothold and much weaker in terms of its sway over our responses to the environment and circumstances. It is interesting to note that fear is regarded by many as a visceral reflex, while ambition, and the excitement that accompanies it, is seen to be more of a cerebral, learned action.
Is it possible that the actual physiology of the members of these dynastic families has changed, through some sort of evolutionary genetic mechanism, over the generations? Is it possible that the progenitors who spawned these imperial families started out with an anomalous physiological/ psychological makeup which permitted them to seize ever-increasing stakes of wealth and power while others panicked and fled? Is there a "contrarian gene" that makes these people different, or is it a function of a learned response which is handed down from each generation to its successor?
These few have triumphed through virtually every tragic chapter in the course of Humanity's erratic, ungainly evolution. I am fascinated by the fact that such a small group of persons can continually control the bulk of the world's resources.
These dynastic families all have one thing in common -- they are not motivated by fear.
I am equally fascinated by my almost dull, ho-hum, all-too-calm expectation, in my dual roles as a Strategic Planner and a Futurist, that these dynastic families will become even wealthier and more powerful as a result of the severe economic recession that has befallen us; and that they will emerge, as they always have, with an even greater percentage of the world's wealth when the current crisis has ended. The irony is that these families always benefit by their uncanny ability to maintain their cool in the midst of the confusion -- to make order (and money) out of chaos. This observation has made conspiracy theorists out of many of us. We are indeed, by and large, a fearful group of primitives running from the lightning, while these others are out flying their kites.
__________________________________
Labels: Christine West, fear, The Castle Consultancy, reinforcement, behavioral psychology, blogs by Douglas Castle, THE NATIONAL NETWORKER (TNNW), Humanitas Maximus, The Global Futurist, The Internationalist Page, Links 4 Life, Internal Energy Plus, relationships, Twitter, Linked In, social media, Facebook, INTERNAL ENERGY PLUS, Buzzworks, TNNW_BUZZWORKS, SrMeetUp!, Braintenance, Taking Command!, Strategic Planning, Stress, SEO, Procrastinertia, Omnigadget, Douglas Castle, Wikipedia, Google Alerts, Better Blogs, Yahoo! Alerts, Artificial Intelligence (AI),
Miasma: Grouply, Yahoo, Google, MSN, command, control, leadership, decisionmaking, The National Networker, Internal Energy Plus, Humanitas Maximus, The Internal Energy Plus Forum, control, public service, inspiration, survival, uniting, dividing, conquest, growth, personal growth, self-improvement, personal development, networking, Mixx, Zimbio, Digg, Delicious, Technorati, Associated Press, LA Times, Fox News, Reuters, alpha, beta, theta, education, leadership crisis, personal power, humanitarianism, The Global Futurist, The Internationalist Page, Braintenance, Current Events, blogs, bloggers, news, news releases, Douglas Castle, intelligence, cognitive enhancement, advice, help, psychology, focus, technology, seduction, manipulation, debate, education, hypnosis, NLP, RET, articles, Linked In, Microsoft, SEO, fitness, longevity, creativity, meditation, media, YouTube, organizational engineering, winning, success, telepathy, trends, predictions, commentary, blogosphere, relationships, torture, victory, health, fitness, independence, mind, brain, thought, entrainment, Facebook, Naymz, downloads, CDs, tapes, instruction, competition, martial arts, politics, management, widget, blidget, social networking, nanotechnology, fitness, social Darwinism, humor, alternative energy, philanthropy, not-for-profit organizations, volunteering, interrogation, trade, commerce, personal dynamics, personal coaching, networking, leadership training, mind-body connection, nootropics, longevity, social groups, business groups, marketing, ecommerce, Feedburner, RSS, newsletters, writers, co-operative advertising, leverage, survivalism, viral marketing, public relations, advertising, promotion, image-development, videos, gaming, AI, social awareness, persuasion, theology, logic, alliances, reputation, ratings, polls, standing, positioning, self-help, metrics, design, interactivity, campaign, Wikis, chat rooms, interactive forums, mentoring, modeling, mind expansion, brainwaves, motivation, current events, press releases, keywords, adwords, economics, Wikipedia, Widgetbox, geopolitical economics, conflict resolution, activism, achievement, subconscious, collective mind, webinars, business services, self-growth, control, winning, fail-safe strategies, combat, strength, Internal Energy Plus, self-defense, winning strategies and tactics, improvisation, anti-terrorism, courage, victory, fear, psychological programming,...
ORDER OUT OF CHAOS - A SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND BEHAVIORAL COMMENTARY
Throughout the United States and the rest of the world that surrounds us (I sound a bit paranoic, don't I?), people are frightened. The economy is in a contractionary state; many formidable and once-credible "bedrock" institutions have failed amid allegations of major misjudgments and corruption -- and the distinctions between the public and private sectors are becoming increasingly unclear. People tend to be frightened by rapid change and general uncertainty.
Panic makes for some terrible decisionmaking, while maintaining a calm and analytic state of mind while those about us are in a state of irrationality can reveal some contrarian investment bargains. While fear has locked many investors and businesses into a paralytic holding pattern, a distinct minority, virtually a special social class, is quietly buying up controlling stakes and future monopolistic positions in a variety of industries, companies and commodities. This minority, for the most part, is comprised of very wealthy, privileged families...families who have prospered through generation after generation, almost regardless of the political or economic environment. We will refer to them (for the purposes or simplicity) as dynastic families. Their blueblooded names are familiar to many of the rest of us, and they have held tremendous power for quite some time -- centuries, in fact.
I am betting that amongst the pedestrian, "common" population, fear is a far superior motivating force than the promise of an opportunity for gain. I believe that we travel long, circuitous routes in order to avoid confrontation, pain and loss, while we seldom leave the living room couch for an opportunity, which might require effort on our part. Inertia, indolence and a lack of ambition combine to work against the potential efficacy of positive reinforcement, while fear actually creates a physiological reaction (i.e., the secretion of adrenalin, cortisol, etcetera) which actually produces the means for rapid movement in a "fight or flight" response.
The endorphin "rush" produced by the mind's complex neurochemical apparatus is, in contrast, usually much slower to gain a foothold and much weaker in terms of its sway over our responses to the environment and circumstances. It is interesting to note that fear is regarded by many as a visceral reflex, while ambition, and the excitement that accompanies it, is seen to be more of a cerebral, learned action.
Is it possible that the actual physiology of the members of these dynastic families has changed, through some sort of evolutionary genetic mechanism, over the generations? Is it possible that the progenitors who spawned these imperial families started out with an anomalous physiological/ psychological makeup which permitted them to seize ever-increasing stakes of wealth and power while others panicked and fled? Is there a "contrarian gene" that makes these people different, or is it a function of a learned response which is handed down from each generation to its successor?
These few have triumphed through virtually every tragic chapter in the course of Humanity's erratic, ungainly evolution. I am fascinated by the fact that such a small group of persons can continually control the bulk of the world's resources.
These dynastic families all have one thing in common -- they are not motivated by fear.
I am equally fascinated by my almost dull, ho-hum, all-too-calm expectation, in my dual roles as a Strategic Planner and a Futurist, that these dynastic families will become even wealthier and more powerful as a result of the severe economic recession that has befallen us; and that they will emerge, as they always have, with an even greater percentage of the world's wealth when the current crisis has ended. The irony is that these families always benefit by their uncanny ability to maintain their cool in the midst of the confusion -- to make order (and money) out of chaos. This observation has made conspiracy theorists out of many of us. We are indeed, by and large, a fearful group of primitives running from the lightning, while these others are out flying their kites.
__________________________________
Labels: Christine West, fear, The Castle Consultancy, reinforcement, behavioral psychology, blogs by Douglas Castle, THE NATIONAL NETWORKER (TNNW), Humanitas Maximus, The Global Futurist, The Internationalist Page, Links 4 Life, Internal Energy Plus, relationships, Twitter, Linked In, social media, Facebook, INTERNAL ENERGY PLUS, Buzzworks, TNNW_BUZZWORKS, SrMeetUp!, Braintenance, Taking Command!, Strategic Planning, Stress, SEO, Procrastinertia, Omnigadget, Douglas Castle, Wikipedia, Google Alerts, Better Blogs, Yahoo! Alerts, Artificial Intelligence (AI),
Miasma: Grouply, Yahoo, Google, MSN, command, control, leadership, decisionmaking, The National Networker, Internal Energy Plus, Humanitas Maximus, The Internal Energy Plus Forum, control, public service, inspiration, survival, uniting, dividing, conquest, growth, personal growth, self-improvement, personal development, networking, Mixx, Zimbio, Digg, Delicious, Technorati, Associated Press, LA Times, Fox News, Reuters, alpha, beta, theta, education, leadership crisis, personal power, humanitarianism, The Global Futurist, The Internationalist Page, Braintenance, Current Events, blogs, bloggers, news, news releases, Douglas Castle, intelligence, cognitive enhancement, advice, help, psychology, focus, technology, seduction, manipulation, debate, education, hypnosis, NLP, RET, articles, Linked In, Microsoft, SEO, fitness, longevity, creativity, meditation, media, YouTube, organizational engineering, winning, success, telepathy, trends, predictions, commentary, blogosphere, relationships, torture, victory, health, fitness, independence, mind, brain, thought, entrainment, Facebook, Naymz, downloads, CDs, tapes, instruction, competition, martial arts, politics, management, widget, blidget, social networking, nanotechnology, fitness, social Darwinism, humor, alternative energy, philanthropy, not-for-profit organizations, volunteering, interrogation, trade, commerce, personal dynamics, personal coaching, networking, leadership training, mind-body connection, nootropics, longevity, social groups, business groups, marketing, ecommerce, Feedburner, RSS, newsletters, writers, co-operative advertising, leverage, survivalism, viral marketing, public relations, advertising, promotion, image-development, videos, gaming, AI, social awareness, persuasion, theology, logic, alliances, reputation, ratings, polls, standing, positioning, self-help, metrics, design, interactivity, campaign, Wikis, chat rooms, interactive forums, mentoring, modeling, mind expansion, brainwaves, motivation, current events, press releases, keywords, adwords, economics, Wikipedia, Widgetbox, geopolitical economics, conflict resolution, activism, achievement, subconscious, collective mind, webinars, business services, self-growth, control, winning, fail-safe strategies, combat, strength, Internal Energy Plus, self-defense, winning strategies and tactics, improvisation, anti-terrorism, courage, victory, fear, psychological programming,...
Saturday, June 06, 2009
THE MORE YOU GIVE...
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Dear Friends:
Dear Friends:We were taught, as children, that you have to give to others in order to receive from them. It seemed to follow that "the more that you give, the more that you will get." Pundits, success coaches and pop psychologists still cite the mantra that "you will acquire great wealth by helping others, and by fulfilling their needs."
I hesitate to point out to them such contrarian examples as Jesus Christ, Mother Theresa, and other great givers. Perhaps my mistake is in the timing of cause and effect -- perhaps I could be more comfortable with this generosity mantra if someone were to say to me instead that, "the more that you give in this life, the more you will receive (karmically, or through some other hermetic mechanism) in the next life." Of course, I would need certain guarantees regarding the hereafter in order to fully buy in.
The truth, at least during this life: The more you give, the more people will take. The more you give, the more people will demand. The more you give, the more people will feel that they are entitled to from you. The more you give, the less valuable will be the perception of your contribution, which will be taken for granted after a time. The more you give, the more depleted you will be. And if you continue to give beyond your means, or without adequate reward, the more embittered and impoverished you will become.
A solution: Give just enough to demonstrate good faith and competence. Thereafter, request reasonable compensation in exchange for what you provide. Conduct yourself on the assumption that Human Nature is such that you will not be paid, compensated or truly appreciated unless you demand of the recipients the respect that compensation affords. Uncompensated work tends to go unvalued, and speaks of either too much idle time or low self-esteem, neither of which makes you look particularly good. You can only afford to give to charity if you basic needs are met. Further, you cannot be a great philanthropist unless you are rich.
If you wish to be charitable and philanthropic, focus on getting adequately compensated firstly, and not secondly. Always be clear on the cause and effect. This is not an endorsement of selfishness or excessive greed -- this is merely a statement of priorities.
If you are a good-natured and talented or skilled soul, you will find your greatest challenge to be in creating and maintaining boundaries to enforce this directive. Taking Command is sometimes painful, but the rewards are great.
As a financial planning consultant once said to me..."Douglas, I can get all the clients I want if I don't charge fees." Thirty years later, I say, belatedly, "Amen!"
Don't sell yourself short. Ever.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
p.s. Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/douglascastle, and at http://twitter.com/TNNW_BUZZWORKS . You can join Twitter (it's free) by going to http://twitter.com and opening an account.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
My Shameless Coup at TWITTER.
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Dear Friends (and I know that your numbers are dwindling):
I have nothing to post at this moment. So... At ease, soldiers.
While we make camp, I would like to share (with you...that's right...you, over there!) what I feel is the ultimate 140 character Twitter Post. Twitter, the internet's most highly-acclaimed social media [i.e., noisemaking] apparatus, only gives you 140 characters within which to answer the age-old philosophical conundrum: What are you doing now?
Here's the post, which is a thinly-veiled solicitation for business networkers and relationship-builders throughout the known universe to follow THE NATIONAL NETWORKER's announcement page on Twitter. My gift for subtlety will immediately become apparent:
Follow us and get somewhere! http://twitter.com/TNNW_BUZZWORKS. Newsletter. Services. Relationships. And longer urls! #TNNW (Really.)
How about it, folks? In less than 140 characters, where even your s p a c e s are counted as characters, I perpetrated a "stealth advertisement insertion."
Do I deserve the day off?
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle*
*The "e" in my last name is silent, like the "p" in "swimming".
Dear Friends (and I know that your numbers are dwindling):
I have nothing to post at this moment. So... At ease, soldiers.
While we make camp, I would like to share (with you...that's right...you, over there!) what I feel is the ultimate 140 character Twitter Post. Twitter, the internet's most highly-acclaimed social media [i.e., noisemaking] apparatus, only gives you 140 characters within which to answer the age-old philosophical conundrum: What are you doing now?
Here's the post, which is a thinly-veiled solicitation for business networkers and relationship-builders throughout the known universe to follow THE NATIONAL NETWORKER's announcement page on Twitter. My gift for subtlety will immediately become apparent:
Follow us and get somewhere! http://twitter.com/TNNW_BUZZWORKS. Newsletter. Services. Relationships. And longer urls! #TNNW (Really.)
How about it, folks? In less than 140 characters, where even your s p a c e s are counted as characters, I perpetrated a "stealth advertisement insertion."
Do I deserve the day off?
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle*
*The "e" in my last name is silent, like the "p" in "swimming".
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Douglas Castle Apologizes for Loitering and Littering.
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Douglas Castle Apologizes for Loitering and Littering.
Miasma: Grouply, Yahoo, Google, MSN, command, control, leadership, decisionmaking, The National Networker, Internal Energy Plus, Humanitas Maximus, The Internal Energy Plus Forum, control, public service, inspiration, survival, uniting, dividing, conquest, growth, personal growth, self-improvement, personal development, networking, Mixx, Zimbio, Digg, Delicious, Technorati, Associated Press, LA Times, Fox News, Reuters, alpha, beta, theta, education, leadership crisis, personal power, humanitarianism, The Global Futurist, The Internationalist Page, Braintenance, Current Events, blogs, bloggers, news, news releases, Douglas Castle, intelligence, cognitive enhancement, advice, help, psychology, focus, technology, seduction, manipulation, debate, education, hypnosis, NLP, RET, articles, Linked In, Microsoft, SEO, fitness, longevity, creativity, meditation, media, YouTube, organizational engineering, winning, success, telepathy, trends, predictions, commentary, blogosphere, relationships, torture, victory, health, fitness, independence, mind, brain, thought, entrainment, Facebook, Naymz, downloads, CDs, tapes, instruction, competition, martial arts, politics, management, widget, blidget, social networking, nanotechnology, fitness, social Darwinism, humor, alternative energy, philanthropy, not-for-profit organizations, volunteering, interrogation, trade, commerce, personal dynamics, personal coaching, networking, leadership training, mind-body connection, nootropics, longevity, social groups, business groups, marketing, ecommerce, Feedburner, RSS, newsletters, writers, co-operative advertising, leverage, survivalism, viral marketing, public relations, advertising, promotion, image-development, videos, gaming, AI, social awareness, persuasion, theology, logic, alliances, reputation, ratings, polls, standing, positioning, self-help, metrics, design, interactivity, campaign, Wikis, chat rooms, interactive forums, mentoring, modeling, mind expansion, brainwaves, motivation, current events, press releases, keywords, adwords, economics, Wikipedia, Widgetbox, geopolitical economics, conflict resolution, activism, achievement, subconscious, collective mind, webinars, business services, self-growth, control, winning, fail-safe strategies, combat, strength, Internal Energy Plus, self-defense, winning strategies and tactics, improvisation, anti-terrorism, courage, victory, fear, psychological programming,...
Douglas Castle Apologizes for Loitering and Littering.Dear Friends:
As a man born with an irresistible propensity for apologies (I have actually apologized to neighbors about the weather), I had to take this moment to apologize to all of my readers. Please read on.
I spend a great deal of time railing and carrying on about being heard and being noticed in this noise-filled, e-media world. It is nothing short of magic to hear, and to be heard amidst the constant full-sensorial assault on the senses imposed upon on us in a promotion-obsessed high-technology society. It seems, too much of the time, that everyone is promoting and no one is producing...that everyone is selling, even if no one is buying. Ironically, if you truly want to purchase something, it's almost unimaginally difficult to get service -- "All of our representatives are currently assisting other callers..."
Two days ago, I tried to contact a domain registration service by telephone. I called the number for "Immediate Customer Assistance." The first time I phoned, I held for 15 minutes. The second time, 20 minutes. The third time, I started yelling into the telephone (at no one) after hearing a musical tape loop of Dave Brubeck's immortal "Take Five," which was, until very recently, one of my favorite songs. While I waited on the telephone, I went through in excess of one hundred emails which had accumulated in my computer inbox in the space of two hours.
Approximately one in every ten messages was spam. Ironically, in going through my spam filter's collected entries, I have generally found that approximately one in every twenty five spam messages is a miscategorized legitimate email. My computer can no longer effectively differentiate between them - the machine is as overworked and confused as I am (Note: I plan to publish the results of my study in the International Journal Of Useless, Unsponsored Research, August Edition. Adam J. Kovitz, of THE NATIONAL NETWORKER refused to finance this endeavor when I offered him a right of first refusal, citing it as "crap," or some variant thereof). Anyway:
Several days ago I started featuring several different newsfeeds on a number of the blogs which I administer, co-author or write. While International News is very important, the feeds have been posting to these blogs many times each day. Enough is enough. To make matters worse, the hyperlinks to the top news stories are not live [by the way, if you want to bring any of the links on these posts to life so that you can read the entire story, all you need to do is paste them into your browser].
I have been quite a hypocrite...filling my readers' blogs, widgets, RSS feeds and email with this avalanche of sobering and saddening news, instead of heartfelt, informative and stimulating content. I have been loitering and littering, and I am deeply sorry.
Starting tomorrow (because nobody ever starts today, whenever today may be - we Humans are prone to procrastination and indecision, which I should probably write about if and when I can get around to making up my mind about it), I will decrease the frequency of these feeds to once daily for each. The feeds in question are from Associated Press (AP), The Financial Times (FT) and Digg.
Please stay with me. I will make it up to you.
I am deeply in debt to those people who read what I write, and I will not abuse the privilege and honor of your interest and loyalty.
Faithfully,
Douglas Castle
Miasma: Grouply, Yahoo, Google, MSN, command, control, leadership, decisionmaking, The National Networker, Internal Energy Plus, Humanitas Maximus, The Internal Energy Plus Forum, control, public service, inspiration, survival, uniting, dividing, conquest, growth, personal growth, self-improvement, personal development, networking, Mixx, Zimbio, Digg, Delicious, Technorati, Associated Press, LA Times, Fox News, Reuters, alpha, beta, theta, education, leadership crisis, personal power, humanitarianism, The Global Futurist, The Internationalist Page, Braintenance, Current Events, blogs, bloggers, news, news releases, Douglas Castle, intelligence, cognitive enhancement, advice, help, psychology, focus, technology, seduction, manipulation, debate, education, hypnosis, NLP, RET, articles, Linked In, Microsoft, SEO, fitness, longevity, creativity, meditation, media, YouTube, organizational engineering, winning, success, telepathy, trends, predictions, commentary, blogosphere, relationships, torture, victory, health, fitness, independence, mind, brain, thought, entrainment, Facebook, Naymz, downloads, CDs, tapes, instruction, competition, martial arts, politics, management, widget, blidget, social networking, nanotechnology, fitness, social Darwinism, humor, alternative energy, philanthropy, not-for-profit organizations, volunteering, interrogation, trade, commerce, personal dynamics, personal coaching, networking, leadership training, mind-body connection, nootropics, longevity, social groups, business groups, marketing, ecommerce, Feedburner, RSS, newsletters, writers, co-operative advertising, leverage, survivalism, viral marketing, public relations, advertising, promotion, image-development, videos, gaming, AI, social awareness, persuasion, theology, logic, alliances, reputation, ratings, polls, standing, positioning, self-help, metrics, design, interactivity, campaign, Wikis, chat rooms, interactive forums, mentoring, modeling, mind expansion, brainwaves, motivation, current events, press releases, keywords, adwords, economics, Wikipedia, Widgetbox, geopolitical economics, conflict resolution, activism, achievement, subconscious, collective mind, webinars, business services, self-growth, control, winning, fail-safe strategies, combat, strength, Internal Energy Plus, self-defense, winning strategies and tactics, improvisation, anti-terrorism, courage, victory, fear, psychological programming,...
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