Be Sure About One Thing...

MAKE IT YOUR WORD

Mean what you do and do what you say. Give the message that you have integrity. If you are true to what you believe and stick to these beliefs, you have more substance than the vast majority of people who cannot stand by their core ideals, let alone morals.

It's tricky staying true to your word. Even without trying, we tend to slip up and unconsciously vocalise something we mean but have no real intention of keeping to. And if we could just listen to ourselves more often, to really think about what we are putting out into the universe, we would take more time to consider the value of what we're talking about. How many times have we spoken up in the spur of the moment, gotten excited or swayed into saying something to others that we cannot stick to? Countless times. All that can be forgiven, but if we can't look someone in the eyes, shake their hand and commit to an agreement, then we have nothing of any true value.

Why Compromise?

TAKING HALF MEASURES

There's many times when a compromise will be the best scenario for keeping the peace/balance. However, we can't please everyone all the time by finding a middle ground and why should we if nobody gets what they really want? There's no point living by half measures!

My partner and I are pretty well aligned in our goals and have a level of ambition that benefits both in our decisions for achieving results. However, even those in the most harmonious partnerships will have their individual preferences and objectives that don't perfectly align - as will those making collaborations with friends, colleagues and other circles we move in. The fact of the matter is - we can't live meaningful existences if we're always making compromises. We have to play out our lives with integrity, which means being true to ourselves and others about what we want. In a relationship, this can be something as fundamental as making a decision whether or not to have children. It can also be taken down to a micro-level. ie. making decisions on food/drink, sleep, social & time spent doing essential tasks or the things that entertain or benefit us physically/mentally. And, providing we accept that each needs to allow the other to have what makes them happy, we can still be together, aligned to our paths and mutually happy.

Collaboration
Considering the needs of others is essential for success, even for those who act with extreme single-mindedness. Goal seekers/winners and high achievers can alienate themselves by ignoring the needs of others. It can be a lonely place. And without understanding that there are alternative viewpoints, there can be no measure of success. Because, working towards goals needs a reference point to start from. Connecting with others to establish a footing on progress - works either as a springboard for reinforcing one's own resolve, or as a way to present and learn a different and at times equally beneficial or better way for achieving what we all want. So collaboration is essential - as long as the result ensures both have a winning solution at the end.

Security

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU

Living in a digital age, we're using technology much more to better enrich our lives. We are all spending an increasing amount of time using software and equipment that has the power to track our preferences, movements and other private information. The vast majority of us are now carrying a personal computer around in our pocket that has all of this power. Smartphones give us a direct link to the worldwide web, enabling us to easily connect/communicate with the rest of the world. The Internet provides access to a wealth of information - right at our fingertips from our phones. It also gives power to corporations and governments to track/monitor and spy on us. To stop our civil liberties from being eroded away any further, we all need to take measures to ensure our personal information stays private and stop organisations from abusing their power.

I'm half way through watching a documentary called: Inside the Dark Web - which talks about criminal activity and the increased surveillance being put in place by governments to watch it's citizens. It is frightening to know that the British are being monitored by very sophisticated computers at GCHQ and the US government have been tracking pretty much everybody since even before 2001. Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the Internet, appears in this documentary and discusses the issues facing us all as we naively move towards a future where our whole lives will be tracked through modern technology. 

The battle for defending our civil rights has been underway for some time. Thankfully, there are some clever people out there creating encryption software and Tor networks which aids anonymity through using untraceable currencies like Bitcoin - whereby monetary controls are removed from central banks/government. There are lots of new networks and tools currently being developed and we now have access to free Chrome extensions like Zenmate, which can safely encrypt information. The more people learn about how our information is being sold on, our identities copied, our data tracked for illicit means, the more people want to know about encryption. I'm attending a geeks weekly meet-up on Tuesday, to try and find out more myself and will pass on any new helpful insights.

Defenders of Truth

I'm also reminded of another insightful documentary watched recently about Aaron Swartz, who became the face of the digital revolution a few years ago when he stood up to the U.S. Government's heavy-handed legal policing of copyright on the internet. He got caught-up in a messy cyber-terrorism case that he paid the ultimate price for fighting against. Just like Socrates, Aaron was a deep thinker that only wanted to make the world a better place. He was a purveyor of truth - and died defending it under very suspicious circumstances. 

Thankfully, there are other brave souls willing to stand up for the good of humanity. Whistle blower, Ed Snowdon, would have had some very tough moments - likely restless moments in the middle of the night, having internal discussions with his moral self. He would have used this reasoning time to come to his final conclusion to speak up. He's been very brave standing up for what is right - regretfully placing himself in the direct line of the US intelligence agency and he's now held accountable by the rest of the world too. 

There are troubling times ahead and we need to be thankful that people like Ed Snowdon, Wiliam Binney, Aaron Schwarz & Wiki-leaks founder Julian Assange - are willing to put themselves in the firing line to put the truth out there. 

Unpopularity

STANDING UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE

Every day, I'm looking critically at myself - physically, mentally and spiritually. I look to others for new teachings, learnings and affirmations that I'm on the right path. In the last 6 weeks, I've already made some significant changes to my habits and improved my output. I've identified areas for improvement and I know that it's going to be a daily, ongoing challenge for me to fight back the urges, stop the old habits creeping back in and stay true to my new lifestyle.

It takes courage to face up to our shortcomings, inadequacies and failings. The small tweaks can be achieved in a short time frame but, to evaluate ourselves properly, we need some quality time to address and deal with any deep rooted issues we may have. Firstly, we need to identify the traits and parts of ourselves that could benefit from some attention in order for us to improve - and as we can be blind to our ways, identification of these facets to our personalities often comes from those closest to us. It can be hurtful when criticism comes from others and we have to assess if it's constructive and a benefit to follow it. We're all affected by what other people say and think - and in the quiet pre-dawn hours (and some middle of the night hours), I've been playing conversations over in my mind and analysing what, why and how to respond and act accordingly to criticism. I've looked at different viewpoints and reasoned. I've chided myself, then countered, assessed and set what must be done. The outcome from all this thinking is, when I can see something is right based on sound judgement and logical reasoning - I must stand up for what I believe in - even if it goes against what others believe in and consequently, makes me unpopular.

Boethius wrote a book entitled The Consolation of Philosophy, which was written in a time when he'd lost his wealth, social standing/power and was condemned to prison, awaiting what he knew to be a violent death. He was in this situation because he'd stood up for what he believed was right. He came to terms with his fate and his writings from that time about 'The wheel of Fortune' were considered to be one of the most important texts to be studied from the middle ages right up to the renaissance period - references to his work can be found in lots of important works including modern day books and films too. Although Boethius had fallen out with the powerful while defending his principles. Even with his possessions and freedom taken from him, he still faced his executioners with the one and most important thing remaining in tact - his integrity.

There is another even earlier example of someone famously falling foul to the powers that be. Socrates was an early classical philosopher who stood up for what he thought was right. He also came to a grizzly end because he refused to give in and compromise what he truly believed in. This guy is another great source of inspiration to me - because he questioned assumptions, rhetorical ideas and the establishment, using philosophical reasoning & deeper logical thinking to find truths. 

I've been reading more of Alain De Botton's books lately - and this one entitled: 'The consolations of Philosophy is a great source for learning about the fates of both Boethius and Socrates. There is a six part series of short documentaries based on this book called: Philosophy: A Guide to Happiness, which can be found on Channel 4 - also written and narrated by Alain - they can also be found on Youtube along with Alain's other great short docs like 'Status Anxiety' but you may need a VPN or Zenmate to watch if you are based in the UK due to copyright issues.

Setting Social Standards

TAKING THE PLUNGE

Today, I'm taking some bold steps out into the world. I'm opening myself up - sharing my content and baring all to see. This is not something I've felt comfortable with before.

I'm a private person and never been a big fan of social sharing platforms - ie. Facebook. There, I've said it. Yes, I confess there's a bit of a mistrust issue at the heart of this statement. I'm sure there's a lot of us out there. I couldn't really see the point of it other than for filling time while waiting for a bus. I also just don't trust it - or myself to use it. I have more productive ways to use my time! Maybe it says something about the type of person I am - or likely this is more of a global phenomena. See the links at the end to get a perspective from younger and older social media perspectives...

I have a handful of close friends that I regularly see and speak to directly and none of these were my friends on Facebook. I realised that my relationship with Facebook was feeding a paranoia I was holding against social media in general and it was stopping me from using it and any of the other alternatives properly. I believe this mistrust underlies something else that I'm masking, which I intend to find out over time.

The internet is a bit of a mess. Let's face it, there's so much going on out there - it's amazing and overwhelming at the same time. There's stuff to make you joyful, struggle to fight back tears or just plain angry - all in the space of minutes! It has the power to move us in many ways. It can make or break your mood/day. So, we need to set limits for its time & usage – I found this nice article this morning on the subject.

Praise where it's due
How many people spend their valuable hours preparing insights into learned life-lessons and blindly sharing them with the world - never receiving any praise for what they've given us? A lot of people I reckon. I'm a big fan of the unsung, faceless hero. I like doing things this way too - giving anonymously. But it's also such a lift, when someone tells you you're amazing - when you've unknowingly helped or done something to inspire others - performed a selfless act or just been doing what you normally do. Your mum is one of those people. When was the last time you contacted her to say how amazing she is? Watch her face light up when you tell her from the heart. Selfless givers or grateful receivers - we can all be be those people.

The web is a place where everyone has a chance to give & teach & inspire others. We're all connected and our actions affect everything and everybody around us. So, name calling, blaming and belittling - it all impacts on us. Every time I read a negative comment/review on someone else's website - whatever it is they've done, good or bad, I'm left feeling for the person that's been hit-up with negativity. It's not even my product, service, story etc. yet I'm affected by it - I feel it. If people were more accountable and took some time to think about the consequences of their words/actions - we'd have a much better society. We know this. We just need to remind ourselves more often.

I'm discovering cool, informative, inspiring stuff and learning so much, every day. I focus on the positive and turn away from the negative. I've made a list of the people that have inspired me - and I'm in the process now of thanking each one of them individually, for passing on their story. I believe there's a moral duty to pass this information on too, hence why I'm overcoming my Facebook and social media phobia.

Moral integrity
The web has a collective of good and bad out there. Everything and anything you could want to find - is there. Diving in and swimming around in the ever-changing virtual world, is like joining a school of fish. It's exciting being a part of this phenomena. I found myself on Reddit for a bit of time yesterday - another place to get lost in for hours at a time, but another great tool for an inspiration fix. I discovered this article about a pizza delivery guy getting a payout, which highlights what can happen when the web gets up on it's moral high ground. Possibly a bit extreme donating $20k but I'd really like to see more of this kind of integrity. People standing up for what they believe in - big brothers/sisters, looking out for the little guy and being able to stop all this unnecessary spiteful and negative abuse (that's exactly what it is).

Be accountable
Be genuine, honest and decent. Give back. Be charitable and good things will come back to you.
I've taken the plunge and come what may, I'll roll with the punches if they come. I also stumbled upon this guy today - James Clear: he's posting some great content for free! And this particular article touches on today's subject - being in the public forum and dealing with haters & critics.
I'll refrain from being negative in posts and strive to maintain my moral integrity going forward.

For any of my bloggs, posts, pages, comments, pictures etc. I can be found at #ffc #ffc2015 #focusforchange @focusforchange On twitter, facebook, google+, tumblr and medium

Heres what the kids and the old fogeys are saying - great articles.