25 Dec Butterfly mind and eclectic influences

Welcome to this post. I’m looking forward to hearing what I have to say.

‘Hearing what I have to say’?

That may sound a bit odd, surely I already know what I have to say but maybe not in this case. Let’s see. I’m winging it.

One thing is for sure, I would like to entertain you a little, to make you smile a bit perhaps, expose you to something different BUT no homework this time. I promise there will be no exhortation for you to ‘strive harder’ or ‘do more with less’ or be mindful of the differences between ‘management’ and ‘leadership’. Let’s save that for another day. But if my plan is to entertain you, I’d better get on with it quickly or you’ll click onto something else and be gone in a trice.

Our world is reinforcing that kind of mechanical click-on behaviour, don’t you find?

“Pay attention to the ‘dope’ in dopamine”, I say. Tsk tsk, there I go ‘exhorting’ again.

What do you make of the photograph?

Interesting, isn’t it?

You don’t see one of those every day now, do you?

Any idea what it is?

It is a picture of a fish trap. My father photographed it on our way to Seletar from Pulau Ubin, Singapore, way back in 1958.

Back in those days, a fisherman and his family would construct this feat of engineering in the sticky Straits of Jahore mud, using local timber, then hang nets from the poles and, as the tide went in and out, would catch fish and so feed the family.

Fascinating, isn’t it, especially when you first see one in person.

I bet it’s not there any more. Things move on, they are always changing, evolving. I was lucky to see it.

Philosophising is not Exhortation, by the way.

I suppose the old fish trap exemplifies the influences I have been lucky enough to experience through life so far. Because, you see, my time in Singapore as a young boy helped me discover that I LOVE different cultures.

I love what you can learn from each one, their strengths, their weaknesses, their food, their customs, the languages, the sounds and the smells.

My mind is a bit like that fish trap too, patiently waiting for interesting varied tidbits to float by.

Those of you who know me know that I have a ‘varied background’ – engineering, psychology, cybernetics, performing arts, humour ….

Some of my critics point out that this is a sign of a ‘butterfly mind’, flitting [or clicking] from one discipline to another, but I prefer to think of my learnings as ‘a collection of eclectic influences’. It sounds better.

In posts to come I will explain more about Applied Neuroplasticity, why I think it is important, and how brain plasticity can be harnessed.

OK, just a little exhorting to wrap up.

The ability of the brain to rapidly rewire itself can be applied at all levels, from the individual through to the whole organisation and it would help me write my next post if you let me know what aspects of this science most interest you.

Leave me a note.

Well, I told you I didn’t know what I was going to say but I hope you have enjoyed this little bit of rambling.

Have a significantly above average day and be better than well.