Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Inspiring Your Authentic Week

Inspiring Your Authentic Week


Outrage

Posted: 26 Jul 2010 01:31 AM PDT

"If you are not outraged you are not paying attention".

The most common reason people give for struggling to live authentically is money. Many of us find it hard to earn enough money while also being true to ourselves.

This is partly cultural and partly personal, but it also has a great deal to do with money itself. There is nothing inherently wrong with money, it is inherently neutral, but the way we create money is not.

The way we create money is inherently exploitative and destructive. If we want to stand any chance of creating a sustainable, peaceful and fulfilling society we HAVE to change the way that money is created.

It is rare for me to include guest contributors in my Monday mails, but this week I am including this message from Ben Dyson. I am outraged at the way that the banking system has turned most of us into debt slaves. I am outraged at the way that our children will be even more indebted than we are.

I want you to be outraged too and I want us to do something about it. Please read Ben's message below and support his project, it could make the biggest difference to our future.

"Here's how a simple reform to the banking system could save us £200 billion each year...

Every year up to £200 billion of new money is created and spent into the economy. Most of us would assume that this new money is created by the government, or at least an agent of the state. In reality, this new money is created by the private banking system as debt, and lent into the economy. Between 2000 and 2009, £1,225 billion of new debt has been created by the banks.
 
Read that again: in the last 10 years, the banks have created up to £200 billion per year, lent this into the economy as mortgages, personal loans and credit cards, and are now living off the interest. This is what laid the foundation for the debt crisis that is crippling government and society right now.
 
If you find this hard to believe, ask an economist. They'll call this process the 'money multiplier' or 'credit expansion' but they really mean the following: private companies (banks) create money, lend it into the economy, and collect interest on it. With the exception of the loose change in your pocket, this is where all our money comes from now - the creation of money as debt by private companies. Ever wondered why we are in so much debt?!
 
There is no good economic or practical reason why governments permit the banking sector to create new money while the government itself cannot fund adequate healthcare or education for its people. The banking system only works in this way because the law that makes it illegal to print your own £5 notes has not been updated to apply to the digital, electronic money that now makes up £97 in every £100. This loophole, in conjunction with a fundamental flaw in the design of the banking system, means that every single loan that is taken out actually creates brand new money. (In computing terms, making a loan is more like 'copy and paste' rather than 'drag and drop').
 
So when David Cameron says that 'there is no money', what he means is this: "we've handed the keys to the printing press to private corporations, and now we are dependent on the banking system to issue the nation's money supply". So to pay off the debt we need money, but we can only get money if we go into debt. Good luck solving that one Dave!
 
But there is a way to change this. There is a way to avoid the tax rises and spending cuts that currently seem inevitable. In fact, there's even a way to do the opposite - cut taxes and increase spending at the same time - and end the recession in one fell swoop...

...and here's how we make it happen:

Put simply:
Make a few small tweaks to the banking system to prevent commercial banks creating new money every time they make a loan.

In place of the banks, set up an independent agent of the state (such as the Royal Mint or the Bank of England) which would be responsible for creating the additional money that the economy needs each year to keep running smoothly.

Add the newly created money to total government revenue, where it can be used in the same way as tax revenue, or can be used in place of tax revenue to reduce the tax burden.

Doing this would open up a huge range of options. The money that was previously used to generate huge profits for the banks will now come first into the hands of the elected government. It can then be used to raise the income tax threshold, reduce regressive taxes that hurt the poor, increase investment in public services and infrastructure by up to 30%, fund interest-free lending for government bodies or local councils (saving 70% compared to PFI), or a combination of all of these.
 
So this is how a simple reform to the banking system can avoid cuts in public services and save us up to £200 billion a year. If you're thinking that it's easier said than done, there's a 20,000 word manual on exactly how it can be done, plus a fully drafted model bill at:
 
>> The Proposed Bank of England Act <<
 
And if your head is now spinning and you need a plain-English explanation of how this monumental con-trick works, and why it's destroying the economy, you'll find it here:
 
www.BenDyson.com
 
The current financial system doesn't work - that should be obvious to everyone. But so far no-one is looking at the root of the problem. That needs to change. Head to one of the sites above, sign up for the newsletter and we'll keep you updated as the campaign picks up speed..."

Changing the way money is created would free many of us from debt slavery helping us to feel more free to be authentic in our lives and work.

One to one personal coaching summer offer: As usual I have a summer three for the price of two coaching offer for sessions completed before the end of August. In these sessions we will articulate your personal Purpose, Vision, Mission, Values and Strategy and get started on making it happen. Email me to book your sessions.

Authentic Leadership, find out what leadership is really all about through one to one coaching or a workshop for your team. I have the opportunity to run an open Authentic Leadership workshop in Mallorca in October, if you are interested please help me decide whether to run it by letting me know. More on Authentic Leadership at http://www.authenticleadership.me

Authentic Transformation is the process we use to help businesses benefit from their authenticity through a mixture of coaching and workshops. If you would like your organisation to be more successful by being more authentic take a look at http://www.authentictransformation.com

Feel free to forward this to friends, post to your networks and to republish on your website. Please include the link.

You can subscribe for free at www.neilcrofts.com

Become a fan on Facebook

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With love

nx


Neil Crofts
Neil Crofts
authentic business

+34 646391384
neil@neilcrofts.com
www.neilcrofts.com
Skype - neilcrofts

Monday, July 19, 2010

Inspiring Your Authentic Week

Inspiring Your Authentic Week


A Statement of Purpose

Posted: 18 Jul 2010 11:24 PM PDT

It is normal to slip through life just sliding from one thing to the next, not quite sure why we studied this, not quite sure why we took that job, no big reason for living where we do and so on.

This is normal.

Apart from normal there are those whose talents happen to coincide with something popular, perhaps in sports or entertainment.

There are also those who are passionate about an area, and are allowed to be, and end up pursuing it as a career.

Then there are those who are angry. We see something wrong and determine to make a career out of making it better.

Imagine if you were to combine all three, to take your talent and your passion to do something about whatever it is that makes you angry.

This is your life purpose.

If you can focus your work and your life in the space where you are both highly motivated, by anger and by passion and highly talented, then you are also likely to be successful and fulfilled

Life purpose has been the foundation of my work for six years now. I have developed an extremely powerful exercise in which people can articulate not just their life purpose, but their vision for how they will achieve it, their mission of required resources and their values; the ethical boundaries around their behaviour, in under an hour.

Not only that, but we can usually also start work on the plan for how to make it happen, all in an hour.

This exercise makes a huge difference to people. Articulating your purpose for the first time is, for many, like having a veil lifted. A view which has been blurry and indistinct their whole life comes into focus. It is like finding something you always knew existed, but could not quite see.

Our purpose is powerful for us, even before we articulate it, it is already attracting us. Because of this most people I work with only need to make minor adjustments to feel the benefit of being fully aligned with their purpose.

Most people I work with get on with their lives with a renewed sense of purpose, greater focus and greater clarity. This additional energy helps them to make positive changes, to adjust relationships, refocus their work and find greater success and fulfillment.

Some of the people I work with find that they had something amazing inside them, something they need to let out. One example is Line Hadsbjerg.

Line is a mixture of Danish and South African and lives in Mallorca. When I met Line she was already doing something pretty amazing as one of the founders of Betterplace. When we did the Life Purpose exercise Line experienced one of those breakthrough moments of clarity that so often come out of the process.

She realised that through her talent as a writer and communicator and her passion for people she could do something about her anger at the perception of South Africa.

And she did...

Line has written and produced a remarkable book. The title: Remarkable South Africans. It is a work of extraordinary power and beauty, I had chills and goose bumps just holding it. You can buy it here and join the project here.

I am looking for other stories from people who have made changes after doing a life purpose session. With my great friend Dawn Waldron, we are producing an e-book that gives a detailed step by step guide to doing the Life Purpose exercise. We are looking to include some examples of how the exercise has influenced people and would love to hear your stories.

I offer this exercise both to individuals and to organisations as the start of a process of personal and organisation transformation.

One to one personal coaching summer offer: As usual I have a summer three for the price of two coaching offer for sessions completed before the end of August. In these sessions we will articulate your personal Purpose, Vision, Mission, Values and Strategy and get started on making it happen. Email me to book your sessions.

Authentic Leadership, find out what leadership is really all about through one to one coaching or a workshop for your team. I have the opportunity to run an open Authentic Leadership workshop in Mallorca in October, if you are interested please help me decide whether to run it by letting me know. More on Authentic Leadership at http://www.authenticleadership.me

Authentic Transformation is the process we use to help businesses benefit from their authenticity through a mixture of coaching and workshops. If you would like your organisation to be more successful by being more authentic take a look at http://www.authentictransformation.com

Feel free to forward this to friends, post to your networks and to republish on your website. Please include the link.

You can subscribe for free at www.neilcrofts.com

Become a fan on Facebook

Follow on Twitter

With love

nx


Neil Crofts
Neil Crofts
authentic business

+34 646391384
neil@neilcrofts.com
www.neilcrofts.com
Skype - neilcrofts

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Inspiring Your Authentic Week

Inspiring Your Authentic Week


Counting what counts

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 12:17 AM PDT

It is fair to say that in most organisations what gets measured, gets's managed. However it is equally fair to say, as Oscar Wilde did, that a cynic is one who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Following this logic, an organisation that excessively prioritises the measurement of money will end up being cynical.

I think that the evidence for the truth of this is all around us. Businesses and governments focussing so hard on measuring money that they loose sight of the bigger picture.

As Einstein eloquently put it "Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."

The frustrating thing about this focus on money is that it is artificial. Money is not governed by the laws of physics or nature, it is governed by human laws. Laws that we have made up, laws that we can change, if we want to.

There are remarkable things happening in Detroit at the moment. People are making use of derelict land and buildings to grow food and to give it away. Sadly this experiment in community living will end as soon as it becomes successful. Inevitably success will lead to measurement, measurement will lead to pricing, pricing will lead to cost and as soon as the land and labour are priced it will prove uneconomic.

How could we have created a system where it is uneconomic for people to grow food to feed themselves?????????

The problem is that we have largely lost sight of what matters and as a result we fail to prioritise it. Ironically we all know what matters intrinsically, we just don't attribute the importance to it that it deserves.

Perhaps, if we were to measure the things that are really important we might begin to make some progress. Bhutan is a world leader in this area having measured Gross National Happiness (GNH) since 1972. GDP, the more normal measure, measures all commerce so natural disasters, war, terrorist attacks, pandemics can all increase GDP making a country more successful - right!!! For more on this see Chip Conley's inspiring TED talk.

So - what is really important? What might we measure that will help us to manage what really matters and get where we really want to go?

To work out what we need to measure the first thing we need to agree on is, where do we want to go? This is our Vision - what is it that we are going to create. Our Vision is made up of our Purpose, and our Mission, which is the resources we need to make it happen.

A small digression: Who defined the vision for our society? A vision of perpetual conflict and polarisation between rich and poor? What would it take to change this vision? Where are the examples of places, like Bhutan, that take a different approach?

When you articulate your Vision and your Mission, it is vitally important that you avoid limiting them by what you imagine to be realistic. The reality is you have no idea what is or is not realistic, so let it go.

It is your Strategy for delivering on your Vision and Mission that needs to be realistic and that is what comes next. Strategy is simply how you will get from where you are to where you want to get to, your Vision and Mission.

Once you have articulated your Purpose, Vision, Mission and Strategy, what you need to measure will become obvious and it is not just the money.

My purpose in life is to help individuals and organisations work all of this stuff out so that they can succeed by being authentic.

Here is what I can offer to help you or your organisation to flourish and achieve what matters to you.

One to one personal coaching summer offer: As usual I have a summer three for the price of two coaching offer for sessions completed before the end of August. In these sessions we will articulate your personal Purpose, Vision, Mission, Values and Strategy and get started on making it happen. Email me to book your sessions.

Authentic Leadership, find out what leadership is really all about through one to one coaching or a workshop for your team. I have the opportunity to run an open Authentic Leadership workshop in Mallorca in October, if you are interested please help me decide whether to run it by letting me know. More on Authentic Leadership at http://www.authenticleadership.me

Authentic Transformation is the process we use to help businesses benefit from their authenticity through a mixture of coaching and workshops. If you would like your organisation to be more successful by being more authentic take a look at http://www.authentictransformation.com

Feel free to forward this to friends, post to your networks and to republish on your website. Please include the link.

You can subscribe for free at www.neilcrofts.com

Become a fan on Facebook

Follow on Twitter

With love

nx


Neil Crofts
Neil Crofts
authentic business

+34 646391384
neil@neilcrofts.com
www.neilcrofts.com
Skype - neilcrofts

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Inspiring Your Authentic Week

Inspiring Your Authentic Week


To be honest

Posted: 05 Jul 2010 12:12 AM PDT

Honesty and truth are slippery concepts. Honesty is subjective, whereas "the truth" seems more objective, like "facts".

"The truth" can be established, more or less, by an examination of the facts, whether someone is being honest or not is often much harder to tell.

When we prefix "to be honest" to a sentence, is there an implication that we are less honest when we do not?

There is a trend towards higher standards of honesty. More and more of us are prepared to think hard about what we say and do in order to hold ourselves to a "painfully honest" standard of personal integrity.

More and more we avoid the lazy convenience of saying what we think others want to hear or of saying the socially acceptable norm.

Through challenging ourselves to be honest in all things we learn and develop. Lazy dishonesty is the enemy of evolution.

On the world stage the internet enforces a previously unknown level of transparency that requires far greater honesty of institutions, businesses and individuals. The casual coverup is a far less realistic option in most cases.

As scientists involved in the "climategate" scandal have discovered the truth is liberating, empowering and, more and more often, inevitable.

How would it be if everyone had the courage and the skill to be fully honest?

There is a myth that honesty is "brutal" but this is where the skill comes in. Careless and unskillful honesty may appear brutal, but is dishonesty really less brutal?

We learn to lie as children, our immature brains are unable to comprehend the bigger picture and our cognitive and language skills inadequate for the challenge. Dishonesty in adults is immature and intellectually lazy.

The great skill of honesty is to tell the truth, however painful it may appear, in a loving, supportive and caring way. It is fear based thinking that generates dishonesty and love based thinking that creates honesty.

The first step on the journey of honesty is learning to be honest with yourself. Starting by coming clean with yourself about your past and then allowing some objectivity to challenge your beliefs and the stories you tell about yourself.

The second step is to take the time and the care to tell the truth to others.

At this time of supreme challenge our ability to tell the truth and to move beyond fear, is one of the key determinants of our future. If we can find the skill and the courage to be honest, we can also find peace and sustainability. It is our choice.

Are you prepared to be an honest leader? To bring truth and integrity to your organisation. To create whole hearted alignment and to create a positive and sustainable future for your family, your business or your society?

If you would like to find out more about authentic leadership please visit the dedicated Authentic Leadership microsite and lets have a chat.

Feel free to forward this to friends, post to your networks and to republish on your website. Please include the link.

You can subscribe for free at www.neilcrofts.com

Become a fan on Facebook

Follow on Twitter

With love

nx


Neil Crofts
Neil Crofts
authentic business

+34 646391384
neil@neilcrofts.com
www.neilcrofts.com
Skype - neilcrofts