I have some big ideas I’d like to share
with you
I think big ideas start by asking big
questions and I happen to be a fan of
big questions any other fans of big
questions here excellent I think the
best big questions start with these
words why what and how why are we here
that’s a great example of a big question
what is my purpose or how can I find my
true path in life big questions let’s
have some big answers okay why are we
here what is my purpose here’s my big
answer I don’t know I’m not you but this
question how can I find my true path in
life I think that’s a good question
we’re all on a path of some kind and we
can see a certain distance down that
path we have a sense of where we’re
heading
but sometimes the path is different
sometimes it’s a path others have been
on before sometimes it’s a sheltered
path sometimes it’s an open path
sometimes it curves we can’t see the
destination what’s around the corner but
we can see the path itself
other times we can very clearly see the
destination but we have no idea what the
path is that gets us there so I think
when we ask how well we’re really
talking about is how do I decide how do
I make decisions on the path on the
destination of where I need to go I
think that is the key to being a
productive human now productive I think
is a loaded term what do we talk about
when we actually talk about productivity
I think if you were to do an image
search say for productive you end up
with things like this people doing
things having multiple screens in front
of them multiple devices we’ve probably
all been kind of this person who’s got
lots of things going on once and we feel
busy we feel productive because I’m
doing things right so
Bizzy is not necessarily the same as
productive in fact I think being
productive really comes down to how we
think about three major things goals the
tools we use to achieve those goals and
then the habits we develop to combine
those goals and tools so how do we make
decisions about the combination of the
goals and tools and habits we need rules
right
a basic sense of how we’re going to do
these things that combine the goals
tools and habits with our resources of
time and attention which are limited
everyday so these rules for making
decisions are effectively our operating
system right if you think about your
your Mac operating system your Windows
PC they have this basic thing that
underlines all the other stuff you do on
top of it so we have an operating system
as well I call mine my OS you can come
up with your name for yours I want to
share how I came up with my operating
system and really helped myself feel
more productive and answer a lot more of
these how questions and basically just
learned how to be a better human so
these are my five roles for productive
humans now I want you to picture these
roles as kind of a snowball each builds
off of the central core of the one
before it and it’s really important to
think about the central core at the
heart of everything everything if you
don’t remember anything else from this
talk please just remember this first
rule for being productive for being a
better human is to be honest you have to
start with real honesty when you’re
making decisions when you’re making the
smallest decision to the grandest
decision and there’s two ways to think
about honesty there’s objective honesty
which can be oh I sold five paintings
there’s a quantity and it’s very clear
to see I I did this thing and I have
this number there’s also the subjective
honesty and this is where things get
for humans we have a lot of inner gut
feelings that may not match the
objective things that we’re seeing in
the world or the things that we’re
hearing from others we may not like the
way these two come together but it’s the
meshing of the objective and subjective
honesty that we really have to look at
together that’s the only way to be
honest with yourself when you’re honest
with yourself about how you feel about
your time and attention about the
resources you have available then you
can be more honest with others for being
honest with others is often tricky in
itself which brings us to the second
rule be unafraid we have trouble being
honest with people if we’re afraid of
what it might mean or what it might
cause them what it might cause us what
we might lose we have a lot of these but
what if questions that pop into our
minds about the consequences of being
honest and trying to follow what we
really feel or wants or the goals we
decided on often these are just
irrational and you have to be unafraid
and be comfortable with the possibility
that something might go wrong that you
might fail that you might have to have a
difficult conversation but that failure
makes you stronger you will learn more
from the ways that you fall down then
you do by walking successfully which
takes us to number three be mindful once
you’re more aware of your honest
feelings and you’re unafraid
be mindful then of how you implement
those feelings and those decisions in
the actions that you take when you work
with intent and think about how you’re
using your tools how you’re using your
time and attention you’ll make better
use of both the tool and of yourself
tools get in the way though because
sometimes the tools will use us we get
so caught up in the features that
somebody else has created from some app
that we
he’s gonna solve our problem but really
we just end up getting caught up in
trying to optimize our work our
workspace or trying to get this other
new tool that’s gonna solve the problem
that the first tool created so don’t let
your tools use you often the simplest
tools are all you need to achieve great
things you could practically build a
house with some of the tools on that
slide which then takes us to the fourth
rule be active once you’ve got this
understanding of your relationship with
your honesty
you’re unafraid to be mindful about and
take your time then you can be active in
how you use your time and attention
successfully sometimes if we’re not
mindful and we’re not active we find
ourselves on a path that ends up right
back just a little bit further from
where we started I’ve often felt like
this on a Monday maybe that’s just me
but that doesn’t mean that we can’t
recover if poss tells to be possible to
stop and be still and still be active be
active and mindful in that stillness and
take that opportunity to remember that
you are your best tool and I mean this
in the kindest way you have to take care
of that tool though right if the tool it
doesn’t suit the need then you find a
better tool or you improve the tool you
have and if that tool is you how do you
improve yourself active growth seek out
new challenges learn from them and then
be sure to implement them and test be
honest if it’s working and reject it if
it’s not working move on to something
else once you learn that takes us to the
fifth and final rule of being nice be
nice to your fellow humans even if you
don’t like them but making the most of
what you’ve learned for yourself putting
your skills to the best use you have and
then remember that they’re why what and
how questions may be very different from
yours they may be asking why am i sad
what am I going to eat tonight how am I
going to find a job be sympathetic and
understanding and when you get help from
somebody else don’t take that from
granted be nice when you receive as well
as when you give and then of course
don’t forget to be nice to yourself
treat yourself be good to the tool the
mind the body of the life you have and
treat yourself and others and the planet
the way you would like to be treated
it’s the golden rule right so here you
go five rules be honest unafraid mindful
active and nice and if you’re really
savvy you may have noticed is it pretty
easy to remember be a hundred percent
human it’s that simple
so there’s a whole question for you
maybe that’s an answer you can use let’s
come back to why why bother going to
trying to be the best person you can be
why bother trying to be productive one
word sharing I believe that sharing is
the reason we are here on this planet we
all have part of us inside a primal
thing that wants to let the world know
we were here we want to leave a mark
this is a cave painting that’s ten
thousand years old Indonesia people have
been needing to leave a sense of their
presence here for thousands of years how
is that any different from this we still
have this need to leave our mark in the
world and say I was here or I feel this
way again another cave this is the
Lascaux caves in France also about
10,000 years old
Paleolithic people describing the world
sharing stories how is that any
different from this I don’t know what
that story might be but others do it
speaks to people and it expresses a
human need just like this as I
here how’s that any different from this
the passion the expression the memory
the point of being here and being human
is to share so why not go out and start
shared the art you see share friendship
shared love share your path share your
adventure share what you discover around
the corner down the street share what
you find beyond the unknown what lies
behind this what lies before us are tiny
matters compared to what lies within us
famous quote remember what lies within
you and share your journey along your
path so the big question remaining what
are you going to share as long as you
share honestly you’re unafraid you’re
mindful you’re active and you’re nice
you share human start now be human
Sheraton thank you [Applause]