In fairness it was a Sunday night and there was nothing else on Netflix we wanted to watch.
Christopher Walken is in the movie we thought we would give it a go.
Whats the worst that could happen right?
In the end although its not either actors crowning glory, it did provide us with some thoughts to take away and reflect on and some life lessons.
Not too often you get them in a 1hr 20 family comedy
Can you control life???
In the movie the basic premise is that with a magic remote control for your life, that this is possiblle to a certain extent.
So while there are no do-overs, you can fast forward on auto pilot through the bits of life you don’t like.
We see the main character hit the fast forward button through arguments, meetings, illness, work days.
The lesson: Live in the present, hit the fast forward button and all too soon life is over. Huge chunks of time can go by without you noticing.
Skip the small stuff and miss the big changes
As our character moves forward through life missing all the small “unimportant” stuff as he goes, more of his life is spent in fast forward.
By not living in the present he starts to miss the big changes and milestones in life.
Years pass by in a blur, loved ones die and family grows up and changes.
The lesson: Make time for the small stuff, and learn to enjoy it, it all adds up and adds color and context to the big changes in life as we experiance them.
Where’s the rewind button???
While we can spend too much time in fast forward mode, unfortunately for us in real life just like our lead character found in the movie their is no rewind button.
The lesson: We don’t get the chance for a do-over in life, its what we make of it the first and only time around.
What about a replay button then???
Luckily for us, we don’t need to be in a movie to have the advantage of a replay button.
That’s provided for us by the remote control that we have the ability to click in our brain.
The lesson: While we can’t go back and relive events we can replay them in our mind and learn from them.
Learning from our mistakes is surely one of the most powerful lessons we learn as children.
The power of that lesson should not be reduced as we grow older.
Takeaways
Life isn’t always simple, and of course there are times when we just wish we could hit the fast forward button.
However the joy of life is its many up’s, downs and challenges.
The things we enjoy, the things we learn to love, along with those parts of life we would rather not deal with, they all shape us amd make life what it is.
When things dont go so well, we don’t have a fast forward or rewind button.
What we have instead is a set of lessons we can learn and pass onto the next generation.
Watching them grow and being present for the small things that up to the big steps and changes in life is what counts.
The joy of life and of living is in the small stuff…
This for me is a game changer for a number of reasons and a lesson in what real business leadership should be in the 21st century.
Open and honest communication
Sharing the true detail of the situation
Giving bad news early
Transparancy on job losses
Tools for those leaving the company
All of these details were provided in this simple communication to the workforce.
Is their new CEO raising the bar in terms of how leaders treat their employees?
Too often we are kept in the dark, change comes fast and it’s often unexpected.
In this case, a whole bunch of changes, some positive, a lot more negative are going to hit BP employee’s.
The difference here is they know about them and can prepare.
That’s leadership and guidance in action.
We are all in this together….
Like all industries the energy industry is being hammered right now and BP are no different to any other company in this sector.
The difference here is that their leader, is making very clear in a simple and concise way the situation, the costs and what is going to be done.
Change is coming but its coming to us all and here is the timeframe for that change.
I can’t help but find this such a refreshing and different communication style that I really want to engage with it and share it.
Financial Direction
The energy industry typically pays bonuses and shares as part of the full financial package they offer to employees.
Being humans, most who receive the bonus spend it long before its in their pocket.
At the end of the year when despite making the targets those perks don’t come, the disappointment and sometimes the personal implications of that are very real.
Again the message was simple and concise, the bonus wont be paid so don’t figure it into your financial plans.
The disappointment may be real now, but there is time for employee’s to prepare themselves emotionally and in the real world for the fact its not coming.
That honesty to me is refreshing and powerful.
Not everyone will be sticking around
This wont be news to any of the employees in BP, they will know that job losses have to happen in order for that business to start making money again.
Too often though there is very little communication on these type of changes.
Here the organization has been told, what’s happening and why, the numbers affected and the timeline.
The news also extends to the help that those affected will get directly from the company as they make the transition into what will be an uncertain future.
Again very clear and concisely shared information with everyone.
The hardship will end…
Annual pay rise, promotions, flexibility these all will come back and more this year.
Timelines are shared, giving those that remain the comfort that while things are tough now, that will end and things will get better.
Takeaways?
This for me is a big change in how information is shared openly and honestly from the top down.
Employees have of course always known that they could be trusted with this kind of information, it breeds loyalty to the company and a true sense that we are all in this mess together and will come out the other side all the stronger for the shared experiance.
The type of leadership emerging in 2020 feel different, more engaging and with an honestly and open ness that’s not been there before.
That’s true in business with this type of emerging leadership style and also in politics I think with Jacinda Ardern in New Zealand for example (Although please see free to correct me on that if im wrong).
This is more than leading by example, its leading with a transparent set of actions and priorities that the public as well as your employees can hold you accountable to.
Whether it lasts or grows in momentum who knows?
What I do know how ever is that this is something new, we haven’t seen before, im both impressed and ready to see where this goes.
Success or failure its very much management and leadership in the public eye.
I have to start this piece by saying that I ‘am a huge fan of Tattoo’s as a form of individual expression and as an artform.
Yesterday I was watching a documentary from 40 years ago about Tattooing becoming more popular and accepted in culture.
It struck me that with this particular form of self expression the story just repeats itself.
Tattooing comes into and out of fashion, styles of Tattoo come and go, but one thing remains the same.
It’s the one form of self expression that remains Taboo.
Where does the Taboo come from???
Self expression has been around as long as we have, in the early days this self expression was often markings such as piercing’s, tattoo’s or scaring even that firstly marked out the tribe and then specific roles within the tribe.
As we started to live together in towns and cities and those tribes broke up in Western and some Asian cultures, the need for that self expression to identify ourselves went away.
The desire however for some people to be tattooed did not.
As society changed and we moved to what are the more modern religions followed today, modification of our bodies was seen as a sin and therefore moved out of popular culture.
Then as now Tattooing was practicised by sailors.
During the 15th, 16th, 17th Centuries and the so called golden age of piracy, tattoo’s gained further notoriety as something that identified pirates and so of course that social stigma of the tattoo got stronger.
In Japan they were even illegal for the best part of 150 years.
The outlook today???
During the last 20 years, this form of self expression has been going through a revival, after falling out of popularity in the 90’s.
Styles are changing as they always do and the scene seems to be going from big art works like full arm ‘sleeves’ to smaller and more visible tattoo’s, but its still here and it doesnt look like going away anytime soon.
There is also a growing trend in people getting their first tattoos in their later years as something that they tick off their ‘bucket list’.
At work those with tattoo’s are also gaining more acceptance, and they are no longer a career blocker, although large visible tattoo’s are still frowned upon.
What does the future hold???
Will the taboo around art work proudly displayed on skin ever go away?
Probably not, its such an ingrained part of thinking throughout society that there will always remain some reservations about tattooing and therefore those who are tattooed.
What is for sure though, is that neither the culture of self expression in humans that leads us to getting tattooed nor the cultural taboo’s that surround this very personal art work are going away any time soon…
Actually its pretty good, the first 7 days have been much easier than I thought, although they have not been without their challenges.
To go back to that start of the story, I decided last week as another experiment in personal growth to try vegetarianism.
This isn’t a radical shift in lifestyle, rather something I want to try just to see if I have the resolve to manage such a big change. Its also an opportunity to change gears with my weight loss efforts.
Its not a permanent change at least at the moment anyway.
But its not been a horrendous experiance, and im going to keep going for another two weeks.
I know that I need to stick with this for at least one month to see any results, but compartmentalizing it into smaller makes it easier to keep going, when you can always see the end of the tunnel.
That’s my insurance policy incase times get really tough to make sure I can keep going.
The positives???
On the postive side of the equation in this experiment there have been quite a few benefits in the first week:
I’m actually getting a better quality of sleep and at least 8 hours a night
My weight loss accelerated slightly
I have more energy in the mornings
I feel lighter…
I’m getting to try more vegetables and cook them in more ways, than I ever would otherwise
As you can see in 7 days alone im getting some benefits from this little experiment which is great and I’m also somewhat surprisingly enjoying myself.
The Negatives???
Ok so on the other side of the equation, yes there have been a few negatives, but to be fair some of those are caused by me just jumping in and doing no research….
My iron levels are down from what they were a week ago
My blood sugar is raised slightly
I have a constant headache
Im done for the day by 8pm
I’m back to eating small meals throughout the day, intermittent fasting is not working for me in this situation
Almost all of those negatives are being caused by low iron levels, which im working my way around now.
If I had done my homework, I would changed my diet at the beginning a little more and included more nuts and greens to compensate for that, as it is I can do that now and take a supplement.
On the blood sugar, that’s kinda expected with such a big change that the body is adjusting to, and ill continue to monitor that over the next 2 weeks.
The biggest surprise was just not being able to fast, but again with some more experimentation in my diet and eating a combination of the right things that I haven’t found quite yet, ill get back on track with that as well.
Final Thoughts
This week hasn’t been the absolute hell I thought it would be, in fact im already seeing the benefits of this experiment play out for me.
I have some issues to overcome in terms of refining the diet to make sure I get enough Iron and to get me back to intermittent fasting, but neither of those are big issues, Ill get there.
Ill continue for another 2 weeks and then at that point look at the medium term, at the moment im feeling like this could be the summer diet for me, but again we will see how things go.
What I would say to anyone thinking of making the change?
Go for it!
While it is certainly different not eating meat, its been good fun so far, I actually feel better about myself and my health, and im learning to cook all over again.
Tips and Tricks I have learned from my 2 year old Niece
When it comes to languages, kids are kind of amazing really….
Last weekend is the first time in about 3 months we have really been able to connect in person with family, and so while it was great to meet up and actually socialize (remember when we used to do that). It was also a learning opportunity as it gives me a chance to practice my terrible Russian.
The real surprise though was our Niece, who at nearly 2 years old seems to be having no issues learning Russian, English and Kazakh.
The ease with which she could go between all 3 kind of amazed me as an English only speaker.
It was at this point the family all just laughed and told me this is normal progress for kids coming from bi or tri lingual families and cultures, but it did get me thinking…
What can I learn from her???
Quite a lot actually as it turns out, which I wasn’t at all expecting as we sat down for Sunday lunch, but hey that’s the way life goes.
No room for self doubt, learning a new language is just part of life for her, nothing special and as a result there is no over thinking or over complicating the process and no self doubt
Sing, I heard songs and nursery rhymes I knew as a kid, being sung in 2 or 3 languages. Having something fun and familiar to practice with makes sense, tying back into the self doubt observation. Who has time for self doubt when your having fun?
Counting, I actually written about this before, but counting to 10 in your chosen language helps as an exercise to give you confidence before you start learning. It also helps us to start thinking in our chosen language which is about the most important language skill to develop
Just have fun, loosen up we won’t learn properly when we are not in the right mind frame, learning should be fun. If it isn’t chances are we won’t be taking advantage of the full potential of the lesson.
Final Thoughts
Every day is a school day and to learn from Kids can be really quite enlightening.
Its also a good way to challenge one’s self to improve, like come on I should know more than a 2 year old!
Of course its never that easy but kids can provide some good incentives to learn and of course they are great fun to learn with!
Learning languages as an adult can be tough and intimidating, learning with kids might just make it much more fun and accessible…
Could the digital nomad dream be about to open up to us all???
Is this is new normal???
Well if you are remote working right now, then yes this might be an option.
I’m not suggesting that everyone is going to be able to chase the 4 hour work week dream, but the new normal for many is going to be increased flexibility in terms of how and where we work.
We are returning to work, but not to the office
This is something that companies are really switching themselves onto.
Employees can start working again, but don’t need to be in the office environment.
The cost benefits for business are huge, albeit there is a crash coming for the commercial real estate sector.
As employees its also good news, we are not going to be limited to living and working in one place.
There might be some limitations on us to be working in a certain country or time zone for periods of time but the biggest change to working conditions in living memory, maybe even since the beginning of the industrial revolution 250 years ago is coming our way.
What can we expect???
At the moment that is still a little unclear, what we can say is that there will like every other change we go through, a period of adjustment along with positives and negatives.
The negatives are likely to be around:
Pay structures being flattened out as employees no longer need to live and work in expensive areas (We already see face book being brutal here and others will follow)
Expat assignments ending — Unless you have a critical role that needs to be face to face in country, the days of expat assignments and the advantages that come with them are going to end
Tying in essentially a whole office and everything that this contains to your home at your expense.
Like any big change with the negatives comes the positives, which in this case are likely to be around:
Flexible work schedule
No or much less commuting
Greater flexibility to travel
More than 1 career at anytime
It will be different for everyone, but one thing is for sure change is coming, and fast.
Making the most of the opportunity
As usual the folks who are most comfortable with change, who are optimistic and see the opportunities to be grabbed will make a succesful transition.
If you have been happy working from home and/or if its always been the dream to pursue life as a digital nomad, now might just be a good time to start working up the plans for how you would do that.
Final thoughts
The early bird catches the worm as they say.
Change is coming fast, for some of us it is already here, I know of at least 12 companies allowing their employees to travel (restricted today of course) and work today, albeit for trade off in pay or benefits.
This is not going to go away, and as businesses look to save costs in order to recover from the disaster that has been 2020 so far.
If you really want to be a digital nomad but need the security of a salary, your time may well have come.
There is a school of thought that says you can both break an existing habit or form a new habit in 90 days.
As humans we are of course creatures of habit as they say and a habit is an incredibly powerful thing for us.
So does this 90 day rule exist???
Yes & No
Can you effect change in your life in 90 days? Absolutely
Is it possible to make or break a habit in 90 days? Yes
Is that always the case? No
As with anything in life, the result is determined by the effort you put into it.
Rinse and Repeat
Whether it takes 90 days or 900 days, following through every day or rinse and repeat daily is the key.
Consistency is the key to making it, that’s the only things that works.
Final Thoughts
The truth is that anything is possible in life even changing or forming habits.
Our only limitation is our own thoughts. Turning up each and every day is what makes the seemingly impossible possible.
Does this 90 day rule hold up? Well if you are committed and work hard enough then yes it is, anything is possible if we show up and work hard enough to make the goal happen.
Habits are powerful things for us Humans, whether they are good or bad.
The possibility to break out of them, or to form new ones is there, it just takes hard work and dedication.
The answer will be different for us all, but for me right now, I have to say starting the day with exercise make’s a huge difference to me.
It gives me motivation to get up and start the day with something enjoyable.
At the moment that for me is a cycle of around 1 hour.
The positive action
I’m used to starting my day jumping straight into work and eating the frogs first, that is to say, tackling the hardest jobs first.
There are a couple of issues with that approach that I had actually never thought about until I started working from home:
I’m not motivated in the mornings at all, I know im going to face difficulty and so I end up getting more motivated as the day goes on and I end up too switched on and ready to work at the end of the day.
I don’t have a plan for the day, I just have a to-do list that I jump into head first.
Exercising first is a positive action that motivates me for the rest of the day:
Exercise makes me feel good, this alone motivates me to get up in the morning
I still have a to eat a frog — my 1 hour cycle, but its a physical challenge and that motivates me
I have 1 hour to myself on my bike and during that time, my mind wanders and I actually strategize my day
Those frogs in the shape of tasks are still their to be eaten, but I have a plan for them and im mentally prepared for the day.
The fact that Im prepared for my work day, and also I have the motivation from the exercise, my mornings are much more productive and I actually feel tired at the end of the day.
I also have a routine which helps me feel grounded.
The negatives
The negatives for me exist only on the days I decide not to exercise in the morning.
On those days I have less energy, im less motivated and I get less done.
Final Thoughts
Everyone is different and what works for you, wont work me and vice versa.
What I have found is a routine that is working for me, that im getting alot of motivation from.
The days I decide to stay in bed, I feel worse than the days I get up and at em.
My days are happier and more productive, which is a fantastic reason to keep going and to embrace a healthy lifestyle.
Writing for thought - expanding creativity through the joy of writing 