The Splash of Wisdom

Do you serve a customer to make money? Or do you serve a customer to serve a customer? Do you wash dishes to get them clean? Or do you wash the dishes to wash the dishes?  Here's a story from Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, about 'washing the dishes to wash the dishes' and the difference between mindful and mindless: "In the United States, I have a close friend named Jim Forest... Last winter, Jim came to visit. I usually wash the dishes after we've finished the evening meal, before sitting down and drinking tea with everyone else.  One night, Jim asked if he might do the dishes. I said, "Go ahead, but  if you wash the dishes you must know the way to wash them." Jim replied, "Come on, you think I don't know how to wash the dishes?" I answered, "There are two ways to wash the dishes. The first is to wash the dishes in order to have clean dishes and the second is to wash the dishes  in order to wash the dishes."  Jim was delighted an...

Diabetes is horrible for 347 million reasons. But it doesn’t have to be a death sentence—or even daily insulin shots. It starts by knowing the warning signs. Here are 16 of the most subtle yet vital warning signs to know that could save your life. 1. Excessive Thirst When glucose levels in the blood are high, it ultimately leads to water being absorbed out of the bloodstream. This brings on thirst, which in itself, might seem like a minor nuisance. However, the underlying reason for the dehydration can be very serious. The immediate effects of untreated diabetes-related severe dehydration can include headaches, nausea, dizziness, fainting, coma, organ failure or even death. 2. Frequent Urination The average person urinates about seven times in 24 hours. People with diabetes go more frequently. The reason is the increased glucose (sugar) in the blood. Glucose is meant to be absorbed into the body’s cells, but in diabetics this absorption does not happen, leaving the sugar to build up in...

Why we do what we do is a fascinating science. The brain has interesting ways to interpret the world around us and spur us into action. Knowing the brain drives our behavior, you would think those with high intelligence would have the upper hand in making good decisions. Studies have shown, however, this is not the case. In many ways, intelligence can lead smart people to make dumb decisions, creating problems due to their self pride. Three Dangers of Working with Smart People: A recent article on the Big Think brought up some interesting points about why this is true for smart people, which include the following: Intelligence breeds hubris: Smart people can make dumb decisions because they develop excessive pride or self-confidence  (hubris) in their decision-making as a result of their intelligence. They tend to develop a superiority complex: Not only do they have a high opinion of their intelligence, but also they develop a low opinion of those around them. Because of these fee...

Cash flow is not the same as profitability. A profitable business can still be unable to pay its bills. Similarly, just because a business is meeting all of its financial obligations, doesn't mean it's profitable. Profit is an accounting term, which really only exists on paper. Measuring profit is a very specific way of looking at a business. It doesn't tell you a whole lot about how the business is getting by day-to-day.  Improving cash flow is a smart move for any business. It doesn’t matter how great your business model is, how profitable you are, or how many investors you have lined up. You won’t survive if you can't manage your company's cash. In fact, one study found that 82% of businesses fail due to poor cash flow management skills. If you're looking for one area to focus on that will have a dramatic impact on your business, this is it. Getting good at managing cash flow is one of the best things you can do for your business. Not only that, it's a sk...

Whether you’re building a business, a network, or friendships, you always want to look for people who are genuine. After all, nobody wants to work or hang out with a phony. On the flipside, that goes for you, as well. Bet you never considered that.  Image credit: Eli DeFaria | StockSnap.io In case you're wondering, genuine means actual, real, sincere, honest. Genuine people are more or less the same on the inside as their behavior is on the outside. Unfortunately, it's a tough quality to discern. The problem is that all human interactions are relative. They’re all a function of how we perceive each other through our own subjective lenses.  Being genuine is also a rare quality. In a world full of phony fads, media hype, virtual personas, positive thinkers, and personal brands – where everyone wants what they don’t have, nobody’s content to be who they are, and, more importantly, nobody’s willing to admit to any of that – it’s becoming more and more rare all the time.   To ...

T here was a farmer who sold a pound of butter to the baker. One day the baker decided to weigh the butter to see if he was getting a pound and he found that he was not. This angered him and he took the farmer to court. The judge asked the farmer if he was using any measure. The farmer replied, Your Honor, I am primitive. I don't have a proper measure, but I do have a scale." The judge asked, "Then how do you weigh the butter?" The farmer replied "Your Honor, long before the baker started buying butter from me, I have been buying a pound loaf of bread from him. Every day when the baker brings the bread, I put it on the scale and give him the same weight in butter. If anyone is to be blamed, it is the baker." Moral of the story: We get back in life what we give to others. Honesty and dishonesty becomes a habit. Choice of words and tact are important.

You know that phrase, "Ignorance is bliss"? There's a reason it's stuck around all these years. Because having the upper hand in intelligence might give you an advantage in some areas, like crossword puzzle solving and quantum physics-ing, but it also might just screw up your life forever.  For instance, if you're smart ... 5. You're Probably a Night Owl -- And That's a Bad Thing Recently, scientists discovered a quirky side effect to having a high 'IQ' You tend to stay up until later hours and get up later in the morning. That's right -- the more intelligent are also much more likely to be night owls. Which isn't such a surprise when you consider that intelligent people are infamous for burning the midnight oil to cram for tests, write papers, touch up those earnings reports, etc. And spending reports. It appears to just be evolution -- the more intelligent members of a species are, in general, the first to change habits (their big brains ...