#3. Four things are needed to implement a project: people, money, time, and thinking. The first three are utterly lacking in most cases. So, being good at thinking is crucial.

An example of what I mean is David Allen’s natural planning model. Asking “Why?” is so simple, and yet so often it is asked when it is too late.

Being smart isn’t an inborn quality. Thinking is a skill that needs training, and training requires some effort, however beautiful the results. And yet, 30 years after Edward de Bono introduced CoRT, a thinking course still isn’t included in most school’s curricula. Perhaps that’s why so many projects fail, even those with plenty of money, time and workforce.

#2. As your desire is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is, so is your destiny. (Upanishad, via Deepak Chopra’s Seven Spiritual Laws of Success).

In fact, it’s an entire program of personal development with four successive levels, starting from discerning desires and then proceeding to will (I think it’s about habits / perception patterns / attention management) to deeds (action management) to destiny. Very close to Ignatius Loyola’s idea of discernment of spirits as the first step of spiritual development.

Back to Chopra’s book — a wise and refreshing one. Deep books often have misleading names, looks rather like publisher’s advice. It’s also interesting how easily Chopra integrates some Christian concepts, like the expression “state of grace” he uses there. Looking forward to reading The Third Jesus.

Akousma (plural akousmata) is a Greek word Pythagoreans used for their maxims, it is translated as ‘things heard’ (the same root as in acoustic). It is also possible that akousmata were used as a sort of tokens/passwords. So I thought it would be a good name for a new kind of content I am introducing here — short phrases I heard somewhere or said myself — for example, in my twitter.

It’s always hard to explain an akousma, or at least it takes a lot of words, but you can quickly grasp them, if there are “passwords” inside them. I mean some words which are the keys to bigger patterns, just like a name of a resort we once visited easily arises an entire sea of memories.

So, let’s start right here.

#1. If you’re hyperactive like me, balance it with something complemplative and truly useless. Look at clouds half an hour a day and you’ll see the difference.

Dare you try? Or your time is too precious? :)