Jim Brumm: Long-Term Thinking for a Short-Sighted World

Handbook for black sheep

How did they achieve such independence in their thinking? What are the keys behind their psychological stability? Do these people possess special genetic characteristics or does their behaviour denote a learned response? How can we protect our serenity against the negative bias of daily news? The following four ideas can help you preserve your peace of mind:

[1] Transform risks into numbers: Most reported threats refer to events that, most likely, will never happen. Every few years, newspapers discuss the possibility of an asteroid hitting the Earth and destroying millions of human lives.

Undoubtedly, such calamity would be terrible, but a wise man does not allow vague menaces to disrupt his tranquillity. Instead of losing sleep over risks, you should transform them into numbers or percentages. What are the actual chances of an asteroid hitting the town where you live? If the result of the calculation is one in a million, how much are you willing to worry?

[2] Set a limit on damages: Companies operating in consumer markets incur incessant risks of civil liability and litigation. If you deliver products to millions of people, an accident will occur sooner or later. At one point, electrical components may burn or mechanical systems fail.

To be continued in Part 4

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The media feed bad news to those who are thirsty to receive them. Individuals who believe that man can do little to improve his lot will find their view confirmed by depressing television images. People who are convinced that no one is to be trusted will feel themselves reasserted by acrimonious debates on talk-radio.

In this way, dispiriting messages attain their recipients with laser-like precision. No discouraging word is wasted before reaching its audience. No gloomy prediction remains ignored. The machine of saddening news works to perfection at destroying hope and inspiration.

Those who love dark forecasts won't have any difficulties finding information containing threatening predictions. Those who want to hear about poverty and dereliction have plenty of television stations to choose from. Those who believe that the next crisis is going to wipe out their savings won't have to search long for a talk-radio host that confirms their worst fears.

Nevertheless, despite the massive barrage of depressing messages, many individuals remain unaffected by anxiety and depression. Instead of seeking out alarming news, they read newspapers sparingly; instead of watching calamities on television, they focus their efforts on activities that can improve their lives.

To be continued in Part 3

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Choosing conformity is tantamount to wasting your life in the middle of a crowd after having rendered yourself unable to communicate anything of substance. The alternatives, however, are tough, since most of us have been brought up to view approval as a requisite of survival.

Proper human life is impossible without dissident behaviour. Whatever rules you are following, how can you be sure that there are no exceptions? Even if you are willing to entrust your life to the wisdom of a leader, how do you make sure that he or she is the right one? The answer is simple: you just can't.

No matter how much a person knows, the ideas in his head represent only a minimal part of the knowledge available in any market at any given time. That knowledge increases by the hour and, for every product or service, there are hundreds of geographical markets.

Individual courage to deviate from the norm is the essence of all progress and happiness. Opportunities are distributed without apparent order in the market and each of us possesses more knowledge than we are aware of. In many cases, we are at first unable to name the reasons behind our convictions, but then, after some reflection, we come up with amazing insights.

Individuals who think creatively are puzzled when they encounter someone who is psychologically immobilized. "Why don't you cut your losses and move on?” they ask him.

The determining factor is not intelligence. If we look around, we can observe self-defeating behaviour in all segments of the population. Paralysing conformity affects the ignorant and the educated, the experienced and the young.

The key element in the solution is that, before you can move forward, you have to get unstuck. Before you can focus your vision, you have to open your eyes. Before you can use your resources productively, you have to set your energies free. Here is how it works.

To be continued

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The average adult living in an industrialized country spends more than 500 hours per year watching news on television, listening to commentators on the radio, and reading reports in newspapers or on the internet. In most cases, that time exceeds what they spend reading books or acquiring useful knowledge in some other way.

What is even worse, 90% of the information that is absorbed during those 500 hours corresponds to natural catastrophes, man-made disasters, violence, poverty, divorce, vengeance, dishonesty, criminality of all sorts, incompetence, hostility, and decay.

In view of the messages that fill the airwaves, it is no wonder than an important segment of the population suffers from chronic anxiety or depression. A man will find exceedingly difficult to work at improving his life if he becomes convinced that the situation is rapidly deteriorating and that he is doomed no matter what he does.

However, should reporters be blamed for the negative bias given to daily news? Is it not true that those are precisely the kind of reports that people want to read? If television stations focus their programming on the dark side of the world, they are responding to an avid audience. If radio stations air harsh debates, it is because those attract more listeners than kind speeches.

To be continued in Part 2

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"A wise man is not for or against anybody, truth is his only concern," wrote Confucius in the year 510 B.C. Learning consists of turning facts into principles for choosing the right course of action. For managers and entrepreneurs, whose success depends on making many decisions at great speed, principles are essential.

Unfortunately, during the last sixty years, ethics, the science of making choices, has progressively narrowed its ambitions. Instead of dealing with general concerns, discussions have turned to life-and-death situations, such as shipwreck survivors stranded on an island with limited food and too many mouths to feed.

No wonder that, in such intellectual environment, many have given up all attempts to establish universal rules. If you open a newspaper, you will see to what ethics has been reduced: on the one side, pragmatism, on the other, positive thinking. These days, the latter is also being called "neuro-linguistic programming" and "law of attraction."

These two doctrines epitomize the abdication of philosophy. Pragmatism represents reality without principles. Positive thinking prescribes principles without reality. I submit that both are equally unsuitable, but I won't deny that both possess high intellectual appeal and popularity, in particular when it comes to discussing life-and-death situations:

• YOUR PROFESSION: You lose your job during a recession. You cannot pay the mortgage and bills accumulate. There are no other jobs around and prospects are bleak.
  

• YOUR HEALTH: You become seriously sick and cannot work any longer. Medical costs sky-rocket. Then the worst is confirmed. You are declared terminally ill.
  

• YOUR BUSINESS: Competition makes you lower prices and your company begins to lose money. Negative cash flow leads to liquidity problems. You are then pushed into bankruptcy. The company that you have spent two decades building disappears.

• YOUR RELATIONSHIPS: Things at home go from bad to worse. The situation reaches a point where it cannot be saved. Your spouse files for divorce. Your standard of living and your social life are shattered.

Pragmatism will prompt you to pick up the pieces and build a new puzzle, but it won't give you a blueprint, nor tell you which pieces are relevant, nor how to choose them or weigh their relative importance. Positive thinking will disregard tragedy and assure you that a bright future lies ahead. Since positive thinkers considers details irrelevant, little explanation will be provided.

What sustains the popularity of pragmatism and positive thinking is that both work sporadically, like a broken clock who tells the right time twice a day. The alternative to them, rational philosophy, tends to paint less vivid pictures, but those are truthful and reliable. What about life-and-death situations? The rational view on those can be summarized in three points:

• PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE: Use rational principles to choose the right course of action long before any sign of trouble appears in the horizon. Sensible eating and exercise will reduce your health risks.Continuous learning will cut down your chances of becoming unemployed. Savings and frugality will get you through difficult periods.
  

• ASSESS PROBLEMS WITH A LONG-TERM VIEW: Unless you are suffering from terminal illness, you have time to rebuild your social life, business, or profession. Disregard unfeasible plans and avoid taking random decisions. Let your reason define your long-term goals and align your steps accordingly.

• ACCEPT MISFORTUNE STOICALLY: Catastrophe can hit people unexpectedly for no good reason. Even the most talented managers make mistakes from time to time. Nobody knows everything and many factors are outside our control. That's life and it is better to face it and accept it. Stoicism and serenity will allow you to make the best of what is left.

As Confucius put it, "a wise man is sound in thought and diligent in action." Ethics is not to be discarded, but rebuilt. What we need for our business and private life is a science that allows us to make the right choices. What we need are logical premises, solid arguments, consistency with reality, and predictable consequences. What we need is reason.

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Few are able to keep a cool head when facing insurmountable obstacles. Frustration derived from hardship leads many to despair. When misfortune and tragedy strike, empty promises won't help. What advice can be given to those who suffer from physical deficiencies or find themselves discriminated on the basis of their origin, background, or personal history?

Television and magazines are full of recommendations for disadvantaged individuals. "Be positive and have confidence," they are told. "Better times are coming." On many occasions, such bromides are dispensed by those who have never encountered serious problems in life or who have inherited most of what they possess.

No wonder that envy and discouragement are rampant in contemporary society, possibly more than in any previous era of humanity. Already in the year 326 B.C., Aristotle emphasized the importance of seeking virtue as a way to attain happiness. Unfortunately, the voice of the philosopher seems long forgotten.

Nowadays, many of those affected by personal deficiencies, instead of seeking out a rational response, turn to nihilism, obsession, or revenge. None of those approaches works, none of them has ever improved anything. What is the reason of their popularity? Why do people follow those paths?

• Nihilism will deprive your life of direction, replacing ambition by neglect and dereliction. Your vision will become blurred and you will be reduced to perceiving, from everything, the worst. Purpose will be buried by random decisions, convictions will turn into derision.

• Obsession will narrow your range to the minimum, pushing you to devote every hour to senseless goals, such as acquiring fame and power. History tells of many small men who became murderers to enhance their feeling of self-importance. This is not the way.

• Revenge will waste your life by focusing your attention on past misfortune. Getting even seldom solves problems and frequently results in additional harm. Revenge will consume your efforts and resources, leaving you empty-handed, sad, and mad at yourself.

The rational approach to dealing with personal deficiencies and bad luck starts and ends with reality. Cards are not evenly distributed in the game of life. Expecting others to compensate you for present or past trouble is unlikely to improve your situation. If anything, pity and compassion will paralyse you. What to do then? In my view, these four are the steps that one should follow:

1.- UNIQUENESS: You are unique in your genetic characteristics and personal circumstances. Do not compare yourself with others. It is irrational and brings nothing but misery.

2.- ACTION: Discard unrealistic expectations and decide to make the best of your situation. Look for practical solutions. Assess different alternatives. Make a plan and implement it.

3.-PERSISTENCE: Realize that, more often than not, focused long-term activity is able to counterbalance personal deficiencies, major obstacles, and even tragedy. Keep on advancing on your chosen path and don't look back.

4.- SERENITY: If you look around, you will find plenty of examples of people who have succeeded despite overwhelming burdens. Maintain your serenity and trust the principle of cause and effect. There is no guarantee of success, but intelligent persistence has proven many times to work.

"Wisdom is the most general of sciences," observed Aristotle, "since it requires man to know principles and to follow them. Prudence, on the other hand, is a virtue concerned with the particulars of human action. Prudent is the man who can tell, at the same time, what is the best and what is feasible for him."

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One summer morning, Krishna was meditating under a banyan tree near the river when he heard steps behind his back and the voice of Nadu interrupted his thoughts. "Long live the wise, Krishna," saluted Nadu.

Krishna opened his eyes and saw that Nadu was carrying a heavy black sheep in his arms. When Nadu set the sheep on the ground, the animal stared briefly at Krishna, found him uninteresting, turned around, and began to drink water from the river.

"My father is worried and has sent me to ask you for advice," explained Nadu, pointing at the black sheep. "We don't know how this has happened and we fear for the other sheep." Krishna looked at the animal, which had just started to taste the grass and looked perfectly healthy.

"One week ago, we walked out of the house in the morning and the black sheep was standing in the middle of our herd." Nadu shook his head, puzzled. "Of course, we had heard stories about black sheep, but we thought that they didn't exist."

Krishna stood up, walked up to the animal, and caressed its head. "At the beginning, we didn't give it much importance," Nadu went on, "but soon, strange things began to happen, like in the stories that we had heard."

The animal lifted its head and began to ruminate contentedly the grass that it had just eaten. "Does it bellow at dawn, while other sheep are asleep?" inquired Krishna. "Does it refuse to return home in the evening? Does it run away at the least opportunity and encourage others to join it?"

Surprised, Nadu confirmed all of Krishna's points. That was something unexpected. How come that Krishna knew so much about black sheep? "Will other sheep in our herd become black as well?" asked Nadu terrified.

"Tell me, Nadu," retorted Krishna, "is it not true that all sheep spend their lives in slumber? Is it not a fact that sheep never try to escape? That they always follow the herd without delay?" Nadu nodded, wondering where Krishna was headed with his questions.

At that moment, the black sheep turned to Nadu and stared at him impatiently. Why was it taking so long for Nadu to draw the obvious conclusion? A long silence ensued before Krishna spoke again. "The truth is, Nadu, that this animal is not a sheep," announced Krishna.

Nadu, instead of being shocked by the news, took the whole thing rather philosophically. He immediately accepted Krishna's offer to relieve him of the animal, ran back to his farmhouse, and informed his father that the problem was solved once and for all.

During the next hours, Krishna traversed the forest, followed closely by the animal. In the afternoon, they climbed a mountain and reached a green valley, where hundreds, if not thousands, of similar black creatures were placidly eating grass and having a great time.

When the newcomer joined the others, it was warmly welcomed. While the sun went down, Krishna observed the animals play. He didn't understand them and he didn't know where they came from, but of one thing he was sure. Those were not sheep.

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Wild salmon, whose consumption is known to be particularly beneficial, is neither part of the traditional diet of Sardinia nor widely available across the world. Luckily, in most countries, you can find at least one or two types of fish that are affordable. Eating fish is a habit that you can easily take up and which can bring substantial advantages to your health.

[5] Drink moderately and mainly red wine: The red wine produced in Sardinia, in particular the type known as “vino nero” due to its dark colour, contains high doses of polyphenol. This element, which comes from grape skins, has been proven to have a positive effect on the human cardiovascular system.

The consumption of red wine might explain why extraordinary longevity in Sardinia is mostly a male characteristic. Octogenarian and nonagenarian women are also present in the island, but their number does not reach the unusual proportion of healthy elderly men.

Red wines produced in other countries may contain less polyphenol, but a moderate consumption should also produce a beneficial outcome for your health unless there are specific reasons that advise against your consuming any alcohol at all. Quality red wine is available around the world at reasonable price and most people love its taste.

If you want to improve your overall health, forget about complicated rules. In the field of business, successful entrepreneurs know that the best results are obtained by concentrating energies on essential areas. Similarly, when it comes to enhancing our vitality, we will be better off if we acquire a few effective and pleasurable habits.

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Fresh oranges and lemons are available in most regions of the world at reasonable price, depending on the season. Grapefruit, papaya, strawberries, and mango are good substitutes for oranges and lemons.

Amongst the vegetables, vitamin C is also abundant in spinach and broccoli. Irrespective of your place of residence, eating citrus or similar fruits is an affordable habit that you should acquire.

[4] Eat fish often and, occasionally, lean meat: The reason behind this recommendation lies in the beneficial type of fat that is present in fish. Fish, in particular oily fish such as mackerel and sardines, is rich in a type of fat known as “omega-3.” This element has proven to reduce dangerous cholesterol in human beings.

Fresh fish is a major component of the traditional Greek, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese diets. Unfortunately, this dietary habit has declined in the last decades, leading to an overall deterioration of the health level of the population.

To be continued in Part 6

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[2] Use olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil is consumed widely in Mediterranean countries. Italian, Greek, and Spanish cooking include olive oil as necessary ingredient in many dishes, as well in salads, marinades, and sauces. The use of butter and margarine for cooking is considered an inferior choice for your health.

The retail price of olive oil has diminished in the last decade due to changes in packaging. The traditional dark green glass bottle has been replaced by a hard plastic bottle of the same colour, which seems to preserve the characteristics of olive oil equally well.

If you don't live in a region where olive oil is in abundant supply, you might have to pay a few additional dollars per bottle. All in all, the decision to incorporate extra virgin olive oil in your diet might increase your food budget by a couple of hundred dollars per year, which is a modest investment if you consider the advantages for your health.

[3] Lemons and oranges: Citrus fruits contain high doses of vitamin C, which reinforces our immune system and helps combat cardiovascular disease. Vitamin C is also known to protect human cells against the accumulation of noxious substances.

To be continued in Part 5

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What are the few factors behind the excellent health of the elderly living in Sardinia? The conclusions of the research can be presented in five rules that are logical and easy to remember. These recommendations can be practised inexpensively by individuals in most countries of the world.

[1] Eat fresh food, above all, vegetables and fruit: This truth may seem deceptively self-evident. In reality, few people make the effort to select fresh ingredients for their meals. The great majority of packaged food, whether intended for breakfast or dinner, does not contain fresh vegetables or fruit.

If you eat out frequently, you might go a long time without tasting fresh ingredients, except for the occasional salad. Can you figure out alternatives so that you consume more vegetables and fruit? What can you do to reduce your dependence on packaged food?

The reason why few people consume fresh food has to do more with inconvenience than expense. Eating fresh fruit and produce requires frequent visits to the supermarket, to the detriment of more pleasurable activities. Are you willing to make the necessary effort to protect your health?

To be continued in Part 4

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The island of Sardinia, located in the Mediterranean Sea, is a favourite vacation destination for many Europeans. Its weather and landscape, however beautiful and pleasant, are not much different from other locations around the world. This factor alone renders the study of longevity in Sardinia particularly interesting.

Lessons drawn from the diet in Sardinia can be applied in other regions of the globe. This aspect is crucially important, since studies conducted in other areas of the world often link the enviable physical condition of youthful nonagenarians to herbs and plants that are unavailable to the populations of other countries.

Another remarkable outcome of the research carried out in Sardinia lies in the apparent simplicity of the formula. In contrast, if you have read any modern book on nutrition, you will have noted the extreme complexity of the advice it presents. Page after page are filled with long lists of recommendations and tables showing the specific dosage of each ingredient. Who can remember all that?

Like in business, success in health matters tends to depend on just a few factors. Minute instructions telling salesmen how to close a deal are useless in a commercial environment. Life is too fast for knowledge that cannot be summarized in a small number of consistent principles. The human mind is constructed to reduce knowledge to the essential and forget cumbersome details.

To be continued in Part 3

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Studies in different areas of the world have tried to identify the common causes of extraordinary longevity. In Europe and Asia, certain villages, valleys, and islands are home to a large proportion of healthy octogenarians and nonagenarians. This is the case of Sardinia in Italy and Okinawa in Japan.

Medical research has identified the elements in local diet that help residents maintain an excellent health at an advanced age. Some factors, such as landscape and climate, are linked to specific areas; other determinants, those of a more general nature, can contribute positively to human vitality irrespective of geography.

It stands to reason that the driving factors of extraordinary longevity must correspond to those of excellent health. The issue is to identify elements that we can take up in our daily life without incurring disproportionate effort and expense.

Even if we possessed evidence that some exotic herb is the key to excellent health, such knowledge would be of little help to people who cannot afford to purchase that plant on a regular basis. What we need are ideas that are, at the same time, beneficial and workable.

To be continued in Part 2

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Is there a universal method for avoiding mistakes? Some people favour the use of check-lists, while others place their trust on higher education. One may wonder however if a simpler system would not do just as well. Let me tell you a story to illustrate my point.

Although every philosopher has disciples, Krishna would have preferred not to have any. "Life is barely long enough to learn what is what," he often told himself. "Days are too short to try to teach those who cannot be taught."

Nevertheless, out of kindness and love for humanity, Krishna did talk to Nadu from time to time. Have other philosophers been luckier in their choice of disciples? Would Krishna have become wiser if he had avoided Nadu? All this, we don't know, but it is difficult to say no.

One summer day, Krishna woke up at dawn, walked out of his castle, crossed the forest, arrived at the river, and sat down under a banyan tree to meditate. Five hours later, when the sun was already high in the sky, Krishna felt Nadu's shadow at his side.

"Long live the wise, Krishna," saluted Nadu with a smile. "I have a question for you." Krishna opened his eyes and took in a deep breath. "You know what I have told you, Nadu," he replied. "Those curious enough to ask questions are always able to figure out answers for themselves."

If we trust tradition, Nadu was not stupid and his vices were those of an average man. Don't we all wish to learn without effort and know without understanding? Nadu pointed at the stones by the river and asked "How come that every stone is different? Why are they not all the same?"

Krishna looked at the stones and shook his head. What a silly question, he thought, the answer is so obvious that even a child would know. "Each stone is different in order to avoid mistakes," he explained calmly. The response seemed to puzzle Nadu, who stared at the river, totally confused.

Mistakes? What mistakes was Krishna talking about? After a long while, Nadu turned again to Krishna. "I cannot see what you mean," Nadu confessed timidly. "How can stones err if they never make decisions? Doesn't the river alone determine the place of every stone?"

Lesser philosophers would have been exasperated by Nadu's inability to grasp simple truths, but not Krishna. With infinite patience, he stood up, walked up to Nadu, and pointed at the stones. "Tell me, Nadu, what would happen if all stones were the same?" inquired Krishna.

"Then those wouldn't be stones," reasoned Nadu. "Those would be bricks." Krishna nodded encouragingly, but Nadu was unable to finish the chain of thought on his own. "Tell me, Nadu," Krishna went on, "what would happen if you found bricks in the river?"

Perplexed, Nadu looked again at the stones, wondering where Krishna's questions were leading to. "That would be a mistake," Nadu acknowledged hesitatingly. "Bricks are meant for building houses and no sane man throws his bricks into the river." Krishna bent over, picked up a stone, weighed it in his hand, turned to Nadu, and said "if things possess different shape, colour, and weight, is it not to prevent men from making mistakes?"

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Starting anything new entails risks and demands dedication. Whether you decide to take up playing piano, learning French, or building model aeroplanes, it is going to cost you money, time, and a fair amount of frustration due to inevitable beginner's mistakes.

Irrespective of the technical difficulties of your chosen endeavour, nothing can be compared to the level of commitment required to get a new business off the ground. The sheer number of different tasks that entrepreneurs must perform, from product development to marketing, is overwhelming.

On the other hand, entrepreneurship possesses three characteristics that render it uniquely inviting and reassuring. No other human activity offers these advantages to its practitioners. It is regrettable that many men and women graduate from their studies without knowledge of these facts:

1.- UNLIMITED POSSIBILITIES: If you spend some time doing research, you will find areas of enterprise that require little or no formal education and negligible start-up investment. By combining elements of your background, knowledge, and personal circumstances, you can come up with innovative business models. In today's global market, you can subcontract most routine tasks and concentrate on what you do best.

2.- UNLIMITED SCOPE: While many areas of human action impose strict rules to be followed, entrepreneurs remain free to choose their path. North or south, right or left, the business owner can follow his intuition without need to ask for permission. His only arbiters are his cash flow and his customers' satisfaction. Each entrepreneur determines his own speed and how he will break the barriers to his growth.

3.- UNLIMITED LEARNING: Business is the ideal field for the active mind. No discipline is foreign to the committed entrepreneur. The man who manages his own enterprise is a practical philosopher and a street intellectual. Entrepreneurs' tolerance of mistakes comes from their experience of dealing with all kinds of people. Creativity and resiliency are skills that entrepreneurs develop by facing daily challenges.

If the great potential of entrepreneurship is so well established, what explains that it is only able to attract a small part of the population? There is one reason, one major obstacle that prevents many from crossing the line. You can name it marketing, distribution, income generation, or simply sales.

The fear of being unable to achieve enough sales is what blocks 99% of those who entertain the idea of becoming entrepreneurs. Other obstacles pale in comparison to this one. If you succeed in getting over this initial hurdle, chances are that your business will be able to face whatever problems might come your way.

Compared with previous centuries, our digital era has not essentially changed the answer to the sales question. In the field of commerce, like in any other area of life, action is the best antidote against paralysing fear. Start small, try different things, see what works and what doesn't. Learn from mistakes, don't be discouraged, and ignore malevolent criticism. Take limited risks, follow market signals, be persistent, and you will eventually get it right.

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Studies have identified many factors that contribute to career success, but so far, nobody has been able to build a convincing model to predict an individual's future or how much happiness a certain profession will bring him. This is why you will seldom hear career counsellors recommend risky or artistic professions that may lead to unemployment.

This sort of advice aims at achieving social insertion. Risk is identified as a problem, safety as the solution. Career recommendations based on conventional truth never inspire daring adventurers. In times when the market requires creativity at all levels, this fearful approach might be fundamentally wrong or, perhaps, it has been wrong at all times in History.

In the year 1820, Bertel Thorvaldsen, an acclaimed romantic sculptor, travelled back from Rome to his native Denmark. Thorvaldsen was then 50 years old and at the pinnacle of his fame. During his stay in Copenhagen, he talked to many aspiring artists, giving them generous advice and encouragement.

One night, when Thorvaldsen returned to his hotel after a reception in his honour, he was told that a boy had been waiting for him all day. Intrigued, Thorvaldsen looked around the hotel hall and found a poorly dressed kid asleep on a chair.

He walked up to the boy, shook his arm gently, and whispered to him "It is late, kid, go home." Startled, the boy opened his eyes and jumped to his feet. "I was waiting for you, Herr Thorvaldsen, I have been waiting for you all day."

That must true, thought Thorvaldsen, since the boy looked so exhausted and hungry that he was pitiful to see. "I wanted to ask you for advice on my career," the kid went on. "I cannot decide whether I should become a novelist or a poet."

Out of compassion, Thorvaldsen ordered a glass of warm milk for the boy and listened to his story. It was a heartbreaking tale. With adolescence, the kid had lost the striking voice that had gained him some praise and donations in his home town and had turned into one more unemployed youth on the streets.

"This is why I have thought of becoming a writer," the boy explained shyly, taking three ruffled pages out of his pocket and handing them over to Thorvaldsen. Strange enough, the idea of asking a sculptor for literary advice seemed to fit the kid's whole pathetic situation.

Thorvaldsen devoted a few minutes to reading the text and was appalled to see innumerable grammar and spelling mistakes. It was obvious that the boy had no chance of becoming a writer. Even if it was cruel, it was better to tell him the truth, so that he could at least learn a trade.

"What is your name?" he asked, returning the pages. "Hans-Christian," replied the boy full of hope. "Hans-Christian Andersen." A silence ensued, as Thorvaldsen searched for the least hurtful way to express his judgement.

He stared at Hans-Christian Andersen for a long while as he remembered his own artistic ambitions as a young man, many years ago, but of course, his own situation had been completely different. Thorvaldsen took in a deep breath and shook his head. "Look, Hans-Christian," he began, "I don't know how to tell you this."

At that moment, Andersen nodded and gave the sculptor a crazy smile. That was what he had been waiting for. He was about to hear the words of encouragement that he needed so badly. He was sure that an artist of the calibre of Thorvaldsen would be immediately able to recognize his talent and point him in the right direction.

"What do you think, Herr Thorvaldsen, should I become a novelist or a poet?" he asked again, this time full of confidence. Fascinated, Thorvaldsen looked at the kid straight in the eye and realized how foolish he had been. "I have no doubt, Hans-Christian," he answered softly, "that you can become both."

[Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com]

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"This will never work," is a piece of advice that you will hear too many times. In all your ventures, personal or professional, you will face moments of discouragement. You will wonder why on earth you are attempting to improve anything. You will question if progress, however small, is possible at all.

This is not foolish thinking. Doubts are justified. The proof that achievement is impossible lies perennially all around. It is something that, if you had looked before, you would have found. You can bury your dreams as deep as you wish.

You will not miss reasons for renouncing your soul: (a) Ninety-two per cent of new businesses shut down within five years. In some countries, the failure rate goes as high as ninety-five out of a hundred. (b) Two out of five marriages end up in divorce. (c) Major companies reject more than a hundred candidates for every new hire. (d) Some people need to date for ten years before they meet someone who is a good match.

Misery and self-pity are well grounded on reality. On the other hand, so are serenity and confidence. Pick up a biography of anyone remarkable and you will read how many horrendous mistakes he made. Talk to someone who is successful and hear him recount the formidable obstacles that he had to surmount.

Are both positions correct, optimistic and depressed? The facts are the same, the difference lies in the inner flame. Fearful views are restrained, upbeat visions enjoy a wider range. The right perspective enhances self-reliance. Philosophy is the foundation of resilience. These are my three recommendations for turning low spirits into confidence:

1.- IGNORE COMMENTS THAT DON'T MAKE SENSE. When people make remarks outside their field of expertise, they usually don't know what they are talking about. Don't get angry at those who try to discourage you or describe your situation as hopeless. Even friendly judgements are often passed without knowing all the facts. If you hear advice that makes sense, use it. If criticism becomes virulent, shrug your shoulders and keep calm.

2.- SEE BAD LUCK AND MISTAKES AS PART OF THE COST OF LIVING. In most fields of human endeavour, demands for immediate perfect results are unrealistic. Each person possesses unique natural endowments and disadvantages. Individuals are dealt different cards in terms of talent, looks, material resources, and family connections. Comparing your opportunities with someone else's is a meaningless exercise. Accept your misfortunes and errors as part of the cost of living. Make new plans and move on.

3.- UNDERSTAND WHY REASON AND PERSISTENCE WIN IN THE LONG TERM. Life offers no one a guarantee of success, but intelligent persistence works. Action and ambition always bring about problems and mistakes. Through reason, we can learn from a setback, remedy a lack, and change our track. Errors are not isolated strains, but links in a learning chain. A long-term perspective makes you deserve as many chances are you may wish to claim.

"So far, this has not worked, but the game is not over yet," is the sensible reaction to problems and mistakes. Taking a long-term perspective will help you climb the next steps also in periods of stress. Your boat has still a long way to go. Adjust your course and continue to row.

[Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com]

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The effect of hundreds of books, magazine articles, and television programmes on nutrition has been negligible. In our days, the great majority of the population continues to eat in ways that sharply increase their risk of major illness and shorten their lifespan. Social scientists have come up with three explanations for this fact, but are still discussing which one is exact. To make things worse, these three theories leave us little margin to react:

1.- IT IS COMPLICATED. Nutrition advice, some argue, is so abstruse that will always remain dry and unappealing to most men and women. Recondite knowledge is destined, by its very nature, to the chosen few. In other words, this is how it is and there is no way around that.

2.- IT IS IMPRACTICAL. After reading a nutrition or weight-loss book, motivation lasts only for a couple of weeks, others sustain. The whole advice is so impractical that cannot be implemented by anyone leading a normal life. It is as though you expected everybody to be interested in growing tomatoes on his windowsill. Who on earth can spare the time and energy to do that?

3.- IT IS CONTRADICTORY. The advice you read in one book is quickly contradicted by the next publication or television programme. Was nutrition not supposed to be an empirical science? How come that experts cannot agree on whether you should ban chocolate from your diet?

Who has the patience to navigate through thousands of pages of conflicting prescriptions? A third group of commentators concludes that, if specialists are still discussing the pros and cons of orange juice, the whole thing might not be worth the effort.

Which hypothesis is right? All three are correct in part, but none of them draws conclusions worthy to impart. The blindingly obvious has been left unsaid, as it often happens when truth is uncomfortable to spread. This is the most likely and, in my view, most accurate explanation: The health formulas proposed in those programmes are simply too expensive. No individual will prolong a diet that he can barely afford.

Organic vegetables, exotic fish, esoteric spices, and the like are easier to recommend than to obtain. The health challenge of our time does not consist of finding new theories to preach. What we need is to bring good nutrition within everybody's reach.

[Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com]

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The question of how to deal effectively with insurmountable problems is absent from most management books. Even in advanced business courses, the study of ethics is reduced to little more than avoiding conflicts of interests and ensuring compliance with stock market regulations.

However, the truth is that people must sometimes deal with extreme difficulties. If you doubt this statement, open the business pages of today's newspaper and take a look. In the worst companies, abuse, lying, and stealing are the order of the day. Even corporations that devote massive efforts to recruiting the best people will inevitably find themselves with 1% corruption in the factory floor and in the boardroom.

Chances are that, sooner or later, you will have to confront insurmountable obstacles and make a difficult decision. In extreme situations, the right answer never comes easy. What will you do when factors outside your control constrain your choices? How will you decide when all alternatives carry negative consequences?

The story of Boethius and Cassiodorus provides a forceful illustration of two strategies for facing extreme difficulties. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Italy was taken over by Ostrogoth tribes. In the year 494 C.E., Theodoric became king and ruled the country for the next 30 years.

Boethius was only 25 years old when he moved from Greece to Italy in order to work for Theodoric, the barbarian king. Boethius' own writings reveal that he was conscious of the dangers of accepting the job, but he believed that, somehow, he would be able to survive and prosper.

The initial five years of Boethius in Italy were a resounding success. His intellect and readiness to ethical compromise allowed him to rise quickly through the ranks. On the eve of his 30th birthday, he was promoted to the leading position in Theodoric's bureaucracy.

That was exactly what Boethius had been looking for. The dark aspects of his job were unmistakable, since it involved passing many an arbitrary death sentence. At the same time, the post provided him ample resources to devote to his life's passion: translating Aristotle's work from Greek into Latin.

The tide turned in the year 525 C.E., when Theodoric, on the basis of rumours, had Boethius arrested and charged with treason. Did the sudden loss of freedom and possessions take Boethius by surprise? Had he not witnessed himself many times that, at the court, intrigue often weighs heavier than truth?

After Boethius was put to death, Theodoric appointed Cassiodorus to head his administration. The new job-holder had been a friend of Boethius and knew that, in the barbarian court, success was transient, enemies many, reversals of fortune frequent, and consequences brutal.

Like Boethius, Cassiodorus loved books and had joined Theodoric's bureaucracy in order to be able to study and write. On his first day on the job, Cassiodorus decided that he would not make the same mistake as his predecessor. He would not compromise his principles and give way to evil.

For a while, everything went fine. In trials, Cassiodorus passed mild sentences. In correspondence, he softened the words dictated by the king. In religious disputes, he kept silent and out of trouble. Nevertheless, the time came when he found himself enmeshed in a life-or-death conflict.

After Athalaric succeeded Theodoric, the Ostrogoth court split into factions, each possessing equal forces. When Cassiodorus was put to choose between the camps, he did something that no one had done until that time. Instead of deciding for the lesser evil, he quit.

Seen in retrospective, it is obvious that Cassiodorus had spent years preparing himself for that moment. Within weeks, he sold everything he had with exception of his 600 books. He said farewell to the court, loaded his volumes on a ship, and vanished.

The ship circumvented Italy, traversed the Adriatic Sea, and headed to a secluded Greek province. There, Cassiodorus purchased a modest farm, founded a monastery, and devoted the next decades to studying and writing, as he had planned from the very beginning.

Had Cassiodorus stayed longer in Italy, he might have accumulated immense riches. His decision to leave danger behind led him to a life of relative poverty. We don't know if Cassiodorus lived happily ever after, but records show that he became 100 years old.

[Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com]

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