Richard Yong

You've got to find what you love.

Here are a few if's worth thinking about.

• If you were going to die in 15 years. Would you do anything different? What about 50?

• If you had a dream, are you still dreaming?

• If you  were going to be remarkable, what would you do?

• If you had the resources and the time to do anything... what would it be?

• If you could be a good person, who would you be?

• If you didn't have to please your parents/wife/children/friends/golf buddies, what would you do?

The power isn't in the if. It's in the question of the when.

I've got one more piece of advice from Steve.

Almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

Flickr credit: Voetmann

SMS and Mobile Calls. Kinda like Alcoholism.

There was a key message about my $50 a year mobile bill.

I had two bad habits that became normalised behaviour.

1. I called back any missed calls and made calls while walking between meetings or doing things I didn't need to concentrate on.

2. Replied by sms to any messages received, instantaneously.

The mobile phone companies thrive on because everyone thinks it's normal. Normal doesn't make it right. Or valuable.

The reality of communication is that almost nothing is required instantaneously. The world doesn't fall over because Bill in Accounts Receivable wanted to find out if you had the invoice for the taxi trip in your left pocket. Or your boss wants that budget sent to him ASAP.

So how do we stop normal but pointless expensive behaviour?

Habit change using filters.

Filters are quick rules to live by. Here are my filters for choosing to make a call from my mobile, and not when I reach a land line or PC.

• Can I personally do anything about it right at this very second? No? Then there is nothing to worry about.
• Even if a catastrophe has happened, could I do anything, or is it just more (useless) information?

The most powerful single change though was this question, if I'm using a mobile right now, and I've let myself be interrupted, is what I'm doing even that important? If it isn't important, why the heck am I wasting my attention, energy and ability.

These two filters mean that I don't react to missed information anymore. 99% of calls are made from home. I've had to fight the itch when I'm delayed 10 minutes by the pizza man to call my wife, because either way I'm late and if I make the mobile call, nothing changes (except i might as well have thrown some coins in the bin).

Mobile phones (and any bad habit) reminds me of the Alcoholics Anonymous Serenity Prayer.

God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change,
courage to change the things we can,
and wisdom to know the difference

Flickr cred: Kian Esquire