bill

Updated Web-Site Coming Soon!

I originally created Bill’s World (billcraig.info) in early 2009. I would add posts on a very irregular basis. The site was really just another tool to express what I was thinking about at the time. It was more for my benefit, than anyone else.

Eleven years later, I figured it was time to dust it off and modernize the web site a little. Also over that time period I have completely changed my life and work focus. The last few years I slowed down a little and explored many new areas of interests that are surprisingly linked together in ways that I will explore on this site and other web sites directly related to the new areas. The home page for this site reflects the new areas of interest. As I update this site each of new areas will be detailed more and links to sites and social media related to new area will be included.

This web site will have two purposes – 1) write posts of interested to me and that may be of interest to others, and 2) act as a hub to all the interest areas I am proceeding to develop into movements, initiatives, not-for-profits and for profit enterprises.

I prefer to say that we are procrastinating on life, filling in the limited time we have with spoonful’s of cheap low value so called “entertainment” that robs us of the real joys of life obtained through doing, playing, experiencing and participating in a world full of opportunities. If you think that sounds a little harsh – you’re right, it is harsh! It needs to be harsh to snap us out of the “zombie” like state we are in.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m challenged every day! TV and un-focused internet browsing (“e-wandering”) is tempting and easy to fall into – however, every year I have been able to reduce the amount and gradually slow down the “procrastination on life” – or have I? Perhaps blogging with no guarantee of an audience or writing without a particular audience in mind is just another form of “e-wandering” which is helping me to “amuse myself to death”!

Originally published on billcraig.info December 13, 2009.

Additional comment I made on this post February 21, 2010 .

Every once in a while I revisit a few books in my library. Today I picked out “The Rules of Life” by Richard Templar. I quickly scanned the 100 rules laid out in the book and noticed one that related closely to this topic. Rule 87, on page 188 said it simply and most effectively – Get Involved!
The author starts off with – “take an interest in your world. Don’t watch it on television but go out there and interact with it. Too many people are living their lives through the lives of others seen on that little screen. Or even living their lives vicariously through the lives of others in the real world…” He continues with my favourite couple of sentences:
“There is a great big wide world out there full of life, vitality, energy, experience, drive, excitement. Get involved means get out there and be part of it.”
I think the author has said it best. I will being taking his words to heart in my remaining years so keep following this post to see how it goes!

We develop our inner “superhero” from a young age. For most of us we don’t even know we have super strengths.   In the book Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification by Christopher Peterson and Martin E. P. Seligman they identify several character strengths that are categorized under  six core moral virtues. These are the strengths that make each of us a “superhero”.  We just need to appreciate our strengths and use them to support our actions and our contributions to society and others.  I would like to think I have some of these all figured out but as you get older you realize that you have just begun to scratch the surface of these strengths.

I thought one mind-map (one picture) of the core moral virtues and the associated character strengths would be worth sharing.    

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Time is our most precious commodity. Too much time focusing on the past or thinking about the future, reduces our time to contribute and live for today.

I have tended to be someone who thinks little of the past, spends too much time planning for the future, and could do much more in the “now”. As I have gotten older I’ve started to appreciate that planning in both life and work is good, but can often be a great form of procrastination – always planning -but never really doing most of what gets planned. Another way to state this is – “A lot of thought and no action”.

As mentioned in the About page of this site – the site is a mechanism for turning ideas into actionable operational initiatives. The reason for this, is based on my need to focus on the now. The initiatives being created through this site, have been in the planning stages for many years. The time to act on them is now!

“Focusing on the now” will be a major theme as this site develops. Feel free to contribute through comments as we explore the details of this subject.

Originally published billcraig.info on June 2, 2013.

Well it’s been a few year’s since I read Daniel Pink’s  book – A Whole New Mind. I have never been one to read an entire book over the weekend – but this one I did!   I loved the book, and have purchased many copies for friends and recommended it to others.  Every gift book given or recommendation made led to nothing but wonderfully insightful feedback about the book and its ideas.

About a week after reading the book I came up with the idea of initiating a community for people that may have similar interests in developing the skills identified in the book. As with most  ideas I let them brew for a few months – or in this case a couple years.  Sometimes ideas come back to me or, like many ideas they disappear forever.  This one came back!  Then disappeared for a while, and now is back after many friends have motivated me to get it going again.

The community is for everyone interested in developing the skills to thrive in the new world!  The skill’s identified by Daniel Pink in A Whole New Mind:

• Design,
• Empathy,
• Meaning,
• Play,
• Storytelling, and
• Symphony

have been adopted along with many additional skills including:

• Experience Generation,
• Learning,
• Social Transaction,
• Being Genuine,
• Visual Communication,
• Community,
• Creativity,
• Innovation,
• Selling,
• “for the World”  thinking – Mundi,
• Writing,
• Awareness and Effective Use of Time

as the set of skills for thriving in the new world.  Daniel Pink’s subsequent books (Drive and To Sell is Human)  have helped validate some of the additional skills I have identified.

The purpose of the community is to share stories, thoughts, ideas, news, publications, tools and techniques related to developing and applying these skills to help us all thrive in the new world.  I’m reworking the community web site and will announce when it is ready to shine bright.

Originally published on billcraig.info September 8, 2013

Over the years I have recorded short directives that I try to follow on a daily basis. Many of the directives are ones that I have come up with, others have come from sources that are long forgotten. During the next two months I will be expanding on these to explain where they came from, what they mean and how they can be used.

As more come to mind over the coming years I’ll keep adding to them. The directives include:

• Be genuine
• Have influence and bring impact
• Do, live and be well
• Value others and provide value to others
• Communicate to collaborate
• Be a friend, to have friends
• Dream to inspire
• Seek and build flourishing lives and communities
• Explore and experience the world, be of the world, and be for the world
• Do instead of say or watch
• Listen, observe, and always learn
• Relax to accomplish
• Keep it short, simple and sweet
• Be in the moment to maximize the moment
• Know the past, to understand the present and shape the future
• Live on the edge – “If your not living on the edge your taking up too much space!”
• Analyze the problem as much as the solution
• Negate (definition: to nullify or cause to be ineffective) negative emotions – anger, jealousy, hate, envy and others
• Make history everyday – Howard Zinn

Originally posted on billcraig.info on August 25, 2013