Now that we have investigated in depth the Fourth Revolution and how it will change the world, we can now focus on what will make individuals successful. Find out four keys to personal success in the Collaborative world in part 7 of the Fourth Revolution Manifesto – now online.
Don’t hesitate to comment and bring in suggestions in the comments to this blog post!
Can’t wait to see the conclusion? Next week, in the final part of the Fourth Revolution Manifesto we’ll finally discuss your choice – and why you are important for the Fourth Revolution.
A fundamental assumption of the Industrial Age is determinism. The fact we can’t change our character and our intelligence. The fact that our destiny is determined by some our characteristics at birth.
The shape of our face would determine our character (luckily, that particular theory was dropped at the end of the 19th century). Our genes would determine our destiny – leadership capability would be inherited (that particular theory lasted longer – until the second half of the 20th century).
Our capabilities were supposed to be fixed at birth, and we could not do anything about it – a great example is the IQ (invented at the beginning of the 20th century). The one who is born dumb stays dumb. The one lucky to be born intelligent stays intelligent. And their social destiny would be fixed by the measure of IQ.
Now since a very few decades we know that does not work. Multiple intelligences, amongst which emotional intelligence, are better predictors of social success than IQ. Chaos theory shows that we can shape our destiny.
But, more forcefully, we now know we can change our intelligence. Like training the body, it takes hard work and long practice, but it is possible to significantly alter our brains, to change their wiring. In summary, to change our intelligence (and, if we don’t maintain enough exercise, that might even lead to diminishing it).
changes to the brain due to meditation
Thanks to the recent ability to measure brain activity in living people (using tools based on Quantum Physics), studies have shown that people with a long practice in meditation (more than 10,000 hours) have a significantly different brain activity compared to people with low experience.
So, what can we take from this? Exercising the brain needs to be done, and enhancing the capabilities of the brain can be done. Like for the body, it takes time and effort, consistent and regular practice, but the change can be substantial. Like for the body, there are multiple types of exercise and schools of practice, but the overall result is very similar. Typical exercises revolve around mastering our internal spontaneous chatter, overcoming the mental patterns that alter our perception of reality, mastering emotions and enhancing our creativity.
So, when do you start exercising your brain for a few minutes every day?
He is a great example to show that one’s purpose in life is often concealed and revealed only later. And also, that one must make real choices to reveal one’s purpose.
If you haven’t heard about him, you might want to take a few minutes to discover this personality. It’s a person worthwhile listening to with great insights for modern life.
One particularly interesting thing is that, being a young scientific researcher, son of a prominent philosopher, fully embedded in modern society’s elite, he decided as a young man to leave everything and seek spirituality as a Tibetan Buddhist monk. He left the comfort of Europe to join a spiritual quest. He became the disciple of great spiritual leaders there. He became prominent in the Tibetan Buddhist community.
Then around the year 2000 he somehow managed to reconcile his scientific mindset and his Buddhist monk experience, by being a key driver into the investigation of the brain activity of experienced meditators. Mind exercise is shown to change significantly the brain!
He is now a bestseller author, writing marvelous books about happiness and a number of other issues, gives talks worldwide.
Matthieu Ricard made a tremendous choice to leave modern society, living for 20 years with very little resources in remote places in Asia. He is finally contributing much more powerfully to the world and our understanding of ourselves than if he had stayed a PhD student and became a researcher like many others in a research institute. He probably could not anticipate this when he made his initial choice.
What a better example than this one to show that one’s purpose in life is often concealed and revealed only later? To show that one must make real choices to reveal one’s purpose? That otherwise it may stay forever latent?.
What REAL choice will you make in 2011?
Do you want to know more about Matthieu Ricard?
There are a lot of resources by him on internet – videos, pictures. You can visit for example Matthieu Ricard’s website or watch one of his videos on Youtube. For example, his video on “changing your mind – changing your brain” is a great insight into brain modification induced by training.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?”
by Marianne Williamson, American Author and Peace activist, in “A return to love”, 1992
At the time of the new year when we are thinking about the year ahead and possibly forging some new year’s resolutions or writing down our objectives for the year, what could be a better inspirational quote?
Happy new year and I wish you great, meaningful undertakings in 2011.
“[…] And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others”
Let your light shine. Contribute to the world. And help us get free.
