Dr. Gabor Maté expounds eloquently on the four alienation’s in culture and provides a sentiment of hope to stay in touch with our true nature.
Our gut feeling tells us a lot. But how do we “hear” it and differentiate it from the ruminations of the mind? According to Dr. Gabor Maté we need to connect back in to ourself, and we are hard wired for love, compassion and more. He gives a beautiful speech on human nature and the implications culture has on our ability to maintain it. In this segment of the speech, he discusses four different categories of self-alienation, and provides a sentiment of hope to stay in touch with our true nature as we move forward through the challenging times of modern culture.
He quotes Karl Marx, and expounds eloquently on the four alienation’s in culture:
“Marcus Aurelius was a man of habit (as all stoics are). Like Aristotle, he knew, that we are what we repeatedly do and excellence is a habit”
These were the habits of Marcus Aurelius
“Meditations” was a journal written in Greek (without any intention of publication) by the only Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius who was also a philosopher. The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius offer a remarkable series of challenging spiritual reflections and exercises developed as the emperor struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe.
The video for today says, “Marcus Aurelius was a man of habit (as all stoics are). Like Aristotle, he knew, that we are what we repeatedly do and excellence is a habit”. How do we apply this? What are our daily habits? Do we concentrate on what is in front of us or do distractions take over? Marcus wrote “Do what is in front of you, like it is the last and most important thing in your life”. This video outlines the daily habits of Marcus Aurelius and makes for a delightful listen. Please have a lovely Thursday.
It can be difficult to know where to start when a crisis hits and we don’t blame anyone for feeling confused. But the fact of the matter is, you’ve got to stand up and take charge. So, here’s presenting 5 tips on how to deal with a PR crisis.
Let’s be honest, at some point in our lives, whether as individuals or businesses, we’ve all faced some sort of a problem or crises which may have had an impact on our reputation and standing. Admittedly some people choose to deal with these problems by ignoring them and pretending that they don’t exist, but in our experience, this never goes down very well.
5 ways to deal with a PR crises
It can be difficult to know where to start when a crisis hits and we don’t blame anyone for feeling confused. But the fact of the matter is, you’ve got to stand up and take charge. So, here’s presenting 5 tips on how to deal with a PR crisis.
Don’t be afraid to admit when you’re wrong If you’ve done something wrong then say so. You can’t shy away or hide forever and quite frankly, people will respect you for telling the truth. You need to take responsibility for what you’ve done and apologise.
Talk to the media A lot of people think it’s better to avoid the media, but in actual fact you need to get in there before your competitors do, or before the whole thing gets blown out of proportion. Have a statement prepared in writing if you’re not confident enough to give interviews in person or over the phone.
Do something about it! Show the public that you are committed to getting to the root of the problem. Show them how you plan on rectifying the issue and make it clear that you’re taking some sort of action.
Make sure it doesn’t happen again So you’ve shown that you’re taking measures to deal with the problem and you’re working on right-ing the wrong. But you also need to ensure that the mistake is never repeated and need to put strict measures in place to ensure this.
Sort out your game plan In the event of a future crisis who is going to be your go to person? Who will address your clients, staff and/or media? Have a plan in place so everyone knows what their role will be in such a situation so that they’re fully prepared.
What constitutes and differentiates a true professional from a worker mentality? A lot has been written about this, but for me, it is always the simpler attributes that make a difference.
A worker may get the work done, but a professional provides solutions. Professionals create a map and then have the ability to make others work together with that map.
Workers think in terms of time put in only, professionals think in terms of reaching the end goal and focus on outcomes, going above the call of duty to delight stakeholders.
Professionals lead an integrated life, merging easily between personal and official, in fact, they do not segment life into make believe categories of “work” and “personal” but strive to make their lives an integrated expression of who they are. Workers insist on “now I will work”, “now I will not” and strongly segment their “work time” from “other time”, almost as if “work” is something they dislike but have to do.
For professionals, work is an extension of who they are & bring all the characteristics of their personality and character to the table. They feel fulfilled at a deeper level executing the job, taking part wholeheartedly in their career. For workers, there is a dichotomy in their minds between what they see as work, and what they see as themselves.
The question is, which one are you? A worker or a true professional!
In daily life, it is very easy to fall into the trap of becoming just a worker – in attitude, and execution, often falling prey to “group think” (…another topic to explore -:)). Instead, reach for your higher self and become a true professional.
Dennis Taraporewala 