Words are wonderful constructs. They allow us to swap and communicate our thoughts either verbally, in song or by the written (or typed) word.
They can educate, entertain and illuminate or, if wrongly chosen, annoy, anger or sadden. The construction of an individual word can hold intrinsic additional content or its root meaning might be corrupted or hidden by years of ‘chinese whispers’.
For example, the word inspiration both conveys the concept of ideas but also alludes to the oft-missed connection between the breath and thought itself.
Conversely the word palindrome, although a brilliant word, kind of lets itself down somewhat. It describes a word, or phrase, which is spelt the same when written forwards or backwards like ‘kayak’ or “Madam I’m Adam”. So why isn’t it a palindrome itself? That would linguistically brilliant. Come to thing of it, when applied to language especially shouldn’t that be ‘forewords’ and ‘backwords’.
Similarly, the lovely word onomatopoeia isn’t onomatopoeic like ‘cuckoo’ or ‘crack’.
The word understanding, although well meaning, also is a bit of a disappointment when you think about it. The reason being is that it implies that when you comprehend something that that thing is somehow above you and you under it.
A much better word would be ‘overstanding’ which implicitly means you are above the very thing that you are supposed to ’understand’. It is one of the many plays on words common in the Rastafari Language.
Here it is ‘overstood’ that the idea cannot be superior to its creator.The Rastafari philosophy asserts that every man woman and child are equal – this is the concept behind the term ’I-n-I’. The individual who is receiving the information is equal to the communicator of the information and superior to the idea being communicated. So we should not ’understand’ or stand under an idea; when you absorb and correctly perceive an idea, you ‘overstand’ it.
Rastafari is full of much more linguistic richness. For example, the movement is always mind-full of a continual (I-tinual) remembrance of the struggle for emancipation. Similarly a concept is called an ‘I-cept’.
The language is also rich in humour with ’politricks’ replacing the word ’politics’. ’Everliving’ replaces ’everlasting’ implying and conveying the immortality of the soul. It is most commonly used in the phrase “I and I is Everliving, Everfaithful, Eversure. Ras Tafari.”
‘I man’ is the inner person within each Rastafari believer. ‘Irator’ replaces ‘creator’, and ‘Iration’ replaces ‘creation’. These are subtle yet deep concepts that science, and some religions, are only just getting their heads around. Implicit in these words is the description of how consciousness creates reality and not the other way around. Once this is fully embraced as a concept, the so-called Laws of Physics will add up and all that missing Dark Energy will appear from behind and under our noses.
When we take the time to analyse and think about what words really mean, we can make huge leaps in our ‘overstanding’.
Each year the Concise Oxford English Dictionary brings in a set of new words – and gets rid of some others. Just last month the rather trivial ‘mankini’ as popularised by Borat made it in, as did the ‘retweet’. Perhaps it is time both scholars and speakers of the dynamic and rich language we call English under-took a more comprehensive over-haul.
August has been quite a month for the Moments of Light Radio show on The Barefoot Broadcast.
You can’t plan this sort of thing, it just happened but my three guests are all wonderful artists with three different takes on art and spirituality that touches the soul at a fundamental level.
In case you missed them, you can listen to the shows again here … your comments, thoughts and social media shares much appreciated.
Note that the show will be off air now until the end of September as I have a much needed break and it will be returning in a new guise when I’m back … more on that soon. In the meantime, enjoy.
They need no introduction as the recordings speak for themselves 😉
Something rather magical happened over the last few months as this amazing force of nature called The English Sisters came into my world …
These amazing ladies are somewhat difficult to describe and encapsulate in words so, to get a handle on their insight, wisdom and erudition, have a watch and a listen to one of what I hope is the first of many chats below.
And to hear and watch more, subscribe to their hypnotic ramblings either on YouTube or on their Hypnotic Rambling site – www.hypnoramblings.com
Sometimes you can have a great idea and do nothing with it – only to see it successfully copied by someone else who you unwittingly inspired.
Sometimes your initial idea doesn’t quite live up to your hopes for it.
The solution to both these woes, lies in the Spin Off and here’s 12 ways to generate them!!
Think about your idea in these context …
1. Industry – could it be applied in new sectors?
2. International – could you change it so it works in new markets?
3. Inter-operable – could it be made to work with more ‘things’?
4. Demographic – can it be sold to a new target market?
5. Duplicity – can you replicate its essence, say with a minor change, but in such a way that it becomes something entirely new?
6. Down-size – can it be made smaller, cheaper or with a sub-set of features?
7. Education – how can it be made so that it can used to teach or be taught?
8. Entertainment – how can you make it more fun?
9. Extension – how can you add more features so it does something entirely new?
10. Augment – how can you add more features so it’s better value for money?
11. Amortise – how can you spread the cost of production to improve cash flow or spread the cost for the client
12. Agreements – who could you partner with to get to new markets or so that 1+1 > 2
Now if all this sounds wonderful but you have no idea how to introduce these practices into your business, get in touch. I am passionate about bringing these simple and freely available techniques into business – see Light Bulb Moments on Demand for more info
I am so thrilled to announce that, less than a year since I wrote the original book, Flavours of Thought is now in its Second Edition.
The second edition of course includes all the ancient wisdom in the same contemporary context as the first but now there are some added juicy bits such as:
– Seven brand new Chef’s Special Recipes (as requested by Facebook Fans)
– a brand new section on Practical Floughtology which includes
– how to concoct your own recipes
– how to use the flavours in business with five new recipes
– three special recipes on how to create abundance
The Second Edition is available straight away in the Amazon Kindle Store
Amazon DE – but in English, any publishers who would like to republish and translate, get in touch
The second edition print version is also available directly for orders placed on CompletelyNovel but will take a few weeks to ripple through the online publishing world – get the print version here
AMAZING DEAL OF THE DAY
If you already have a copy of the first edition and want the new parts of the book, I will email them to you as an ebook absolutely free – yep, for nothing, nada.
All you have to do to keep everything in karmic balance is write a review on Amazon (or any other online book store or site), let me know when it’s up and I will wing it over to you. Can’t say fairer than that !!!
What People Are Saying About It
“It’s brilliant! I love the idea of thinking about thoughts in a way that encourages my intuition, without embroiling me in my intellect.”
“This book is intrinsically simple. Simple to read; simple to understand; simple to apply. Its simplicity is what makes it genius.”
“This book takes personal development it to a different level. No stuffy 50 year old theories that people still hang their hats on. Refreshing, thought provoking and inspirational.”
“I find it absolutely fascinating and I read parts of it every day. It inspires me and is already enabling me to make adjustments and to fine tune areas of my life that are in need.”
“Oh my, you are brilliant with your wit and insight.”
“This is a delightfully simple journey into self development that can be used to build a much larger and more powerful framework. I believe it hints at an even greater innovation for the personal development industry. I thoroughly recommend you read it and judge for yourself.”
“Through gaining an understanding of the flavours in my thought process and applying the recipes, I am now positively dealing with being hurt and rejected and using them to remove frustration and to find my soul path.”
“I have applied recipes to my business, to my writing and to the way I chose to live. I can now see that in every situation, I have a glass half full mentality where before there may have been despair.”
“I am completely blown away by the concept of just 21 flavours creating zillions of recipes to enrich your life. You take our basic thought processes simplify them, map them and then suggest ways recipes to open up new thought process.”
“This is one inspirational, magical and thought changing book that has the power to change your very being.”
“This is a unique, insightful and thoroughly enjoyable read. If there is a more accessible way of accessing and understanding these issues then I have not, as yet, come across it. Tom has opened up a perspective to our thoughts, emotions and behaviour that is insightful and compelling. Thoroughly unique and enjoyable I will certainly be using this book time and again to follow the recipes as given and to create some of my own.”
“Tom’s a master at taking a concept and pushing it … he’s done it simply and accessibly. Readers have no option but to wake up and taste differences in their lives in all manner of ways. My feeling it is a turning point for many readers.”
“Flavours of Thought is so easy to read I hardly knew I was reading it. I ‘woke up’ from it feeling refreshed, calm and ready to embrace my fulfilment.”
“This is a delicious recipe book, filled with fresh ideas for thinking outside of the box. On first pass, I bookmarked several ‘recipes’ that resonated with me quite deeply and on my second read I discovered the richness that comes from combining deceptively simple ideas! If you are looking for a new way to think about your goals, challenges and emotions in light-hearted yet effective way then Flavours of Thought will certainly whet your appetite!”
Before we explore how to generate light bulb moments and make them happen in your business, it is worth finding out what stops them from occurring in the first place.
In my experience, it is the culture of a business that is the key enabler here. Get it right and then creativity flows in all aspects of the business. Get it wrong and you end up with disaffected employees, staff churn, unhappy customers and a problem with the bottom line.
These are seven ways to run a business such light bulb moments are stopped in their tracks. I am sure you will have experienced one or more of these mechanisms somewhere you have worked. They are often the tactics used by inexperienced or naive managers with the aim of controlling a work force.
1. Instil a lack of security
Nobody whose job is under threat feels like being creative. This is a bit of shame as when a company’s back is against the financial wall, innovative thinking is often just what is needed.
2. Breed a climate of fear
Fear of failure and fear of ridicule are an anathema to creativity.If you come into work and are afraid of suggesting new ideas or, god forbid, that something is less than perfect, any light bulb moments you receive will never materialise.
3. Take love out of the equation
People love to love and love to be loved. We like it when someone likes us and likes what we do. Love is a word that somehow doesn’t get mentioned in business. When you love the work you though, you will never ‘work’ again.
4. Fail to communicate
Communication works two ways in successful businesses. There is a flow from the top down and the bottom up. It is the responsibility of management to get the conversations going. People like to talk and if you don’t give them something positive to talk about, the conversations will turn to gossip and back-biting.
5. Lack of vision
You would never think of driving a car blindfolded, or blindfold your passengers, yet many businesses don’t see where they are going. We need visibility to function and this vision gives perspective. We can watch for pot holes ahead and also learn from looking at where we’ve been. With this clarity, we can be inventive of about planning the route ahead.
6. Quash free thinking
As human beings, we are only able to hold one thought at any one instant. If that thought is spent rehearsing a conversation yet to be had or replaying one that didn’t go so well, our brains are tied up with internal dialogue. A still and quiet mind is a creative one and thrives when given a challenge and an opportunity in a supportive and appreciative environment.
7. Be a killjoy
This is not about dress down Fridays or Paint Ball days. It is obvious that a happy worker is a productive worker. Apparently it takes less muscular effort to smile than it does to frown. Fun places to work become sought after and hard to leave. So simply start the day with a smile …
In summary, if you build a business based on these principles, you will always struggle. Do the opposite and you will create the climate for ideas to flow freely which, in turn, lays down the foundations for success
Words are wonderful constructs. They allow us to swap and communicate our thoughts either verbally, in song or by the written (or typed) word.
Definitions from the Urban Dictionary
August has been quite a month for the Moments of Light Radio show on The Barefoot Broadcast.
I am so thrilled to announce that, less than a year since I wrote the original book, Flavours of Thought is now in its Second Edition.
