What you think is true

Communication theory has taught us a lot in our time. Yet what they reveal is in fact, human behavior that has gone on since the beginning of time. There is something about man that makes him want to project himself as “good” even when he knows very well that he is nowhere near anything that is beginning to even look like good. Tell him he is fallen and totally depraved and he will have your head for dinner. It is perhaps the Imago Dei that must necessarily seek to value good even when one has no standard definition of what it is.

For those of us who believe, this is a simple matter. But the unbelieving are laboring pointless to produce all kinds of theories to validate the place of good. You only have to juxtapose the theory of evolution and its natural outworking against the many attempts by the likes of Richard Dawkins to find an anchor for morality. I digress!

Imagine that in 1000 years from now; when our civilization has collapsed (I promise you it will), a new generation digs up the information we are producing today. It will include government, corporate and mainstream media propaganda, false claims that go unchallenged, falsified accounting, the half-truths of academic autocracy and of course your lies and fake news on social media. They would think it all true and go on to reconstruct what they will think represent our lives today. Let that guide your understanding of how we think about today as ancient text.

We are learning now that a lot of what we see on the walls of Egypt (for example) and other civilizations are not necessarily accurate representations of what was. They tell stories from their own perspectives. They carved perfect statues of people when in real life; they were pot-bellied deformed lunatics. It wasn't until the Ahkenaten revolution that we got some more accurate representations of the appearance of the rich and powerful. I believe it has something significant to do with his famous theophany (I shall tell that story another day). It was not pretty. Well, when you pay someone to paint a picture of you, you want it to look good. Especially when you want others to think you are a god or the son of one, you will ask the artist to throw in a halo around your head. I get it. Today, you are even photo-shopping your photographs so they look better than you really look. In this era of “image is everything”, we must have very little confidence in autobiographies and narratives crafted to influence us in some direction that favors some and demonizes others.

The Bible stands out in this regard. It is God's story and it is presented exactly as it is/was. David's dirt is presented along with his humility and godliness. Abraham' half-truth about his wife/sister is there with his faithfulness. Jesus and his table-kicking adventure in the temple are there along with his amazing love and salvation. The supposed genocide in Canaan is there for you to criticize and challenge a God you should have known is sovereign.

It is disturbing that we don’t seem to realize that when we say truth, it does not simply mean good things. As we have seen, the non-believing has little trouble falsifying information to satisfy their prideful self –centeredness. This can be said to be a product of his fallen-ess and its attendant lack of a moral anchor only found in Christ. He says;

 

“I am the way, the Truth and the life” - John 14:6

It might be troubling for some to accept that Truth begins with Christ. When we work our way from Him as a starting point, a completely different world begin to unfold. It is the true one. It is a key that solves all of the ancient puzzles with almost no effort. It has taken thousands of years of attempt for some to begin to realize that the answers already exist.

The next time you quote some ancient text to prove something, think again. You don’t know truth until you know Christ. He is the light that brightens all that is true and illuminates and reveals falsity. Start from Christ. See what happens.

K3 osumoo anukwale eh , osane y3h morbor ooo!

 

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THE 7 LAWS OF SHATTA WALE

By Bernard Kelvin Clive & Jeremiah Buabeng 

Shatta Wale is a household name. No debating that. Before you start a long argument about your position on his brand and influence, pause and read what these thinkers/professional speakers Bernard Kelvin Clive and Jeremiah Buabeng have to say about the phenomenon that is Shatta Wale. 

1. The Law of Controversy: if I can stir a controversy at every unique point in time, I can keep my name on the lips of the Ghanaian on the street and therefore sustain my name recognition and my relevance. That's it! The Shatta brand thrives on controversy. And he doesn't fail to deliver one every now and then for our entertainment and for his profit. 

2. The Law of Anti-Establishment: Wale is not unaware of growing public sentiment against institutions such as Charterhouse. He takes advantage of it by calling them out for a duel every now and then and posturing as the victim. Does it work? You bet! 

3.  The Law of Disruptive marketing: he, unlike, other artistes always knows how to start top of mind and get the media to keep talking about him. In that way he thrives. He uses his cunning disrupting ways to break the news about his music and movements. Thinking about the fake Adidas move? Yeah! You have got the drift now! A savvy business man, he is! 

4. The Law of the Rebrand: When the first brand isn't working, rebrand! Wale strategically and successfully rebranded from the then 'Bandana' brand that failed to attract him the needed clout to the much widely revered brand “Shatta Wale".  His rebranding is arguably the most successful by any contemporary artist. It has worked wonders and still thriving. He didn't only secure a name rebrand, but also devised a strategy to annex his genre of music - dancehall. 

5.  The Law of the Tribe: he has built an enormous tribe - The Shatta Movement (SM), something most brands, his predecessors and even peers couldn't build or manage. He has a raving fan base that has become his core tool to push his brand to the masses and consequently to the top. A strategy emerging artistes must learn and adopt but of course one that takes genius to execute. 

6. The Law of Unconventional: it's the 21st century, folks, and you can't capture people's imagination if you are doing what everybody does. So Shatta's response to this is: be unconventional! Break the rules! Challenge everything the people are used to seeing and hearing. Some will hate you but that hate will still fuel your fame and keep you on top of your game! It's a formidable Shatta law and it works!!!

7.  The Law of the Ghetto: Shatta is popular for the same PRINCIPLE that made Peace FM worked; he reaches out to the masses, the people on the street, the ghetto. If you a Harvard-schooled prim and proper person, Shatta will likely not be your man. Unfortunately, for you, people like you are in the minority. The majority are on the street. He identifies with hustlers; people who have no strategy to succeed and are counting on their street smarts and aggressiveness to push them to the top. 

So there they are, the 7 laws of Shatta Wale. Now, let the controversy begin. 

"If you build a solid brand, even when you wear 'FAKE' it will be hot 'CAKE', because you have raving fans who will defend it to their death!" ¬ Bernard Kelvin Clive

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Leadership duality— Encourager vs Challenger

In my recent article on leadership in which I made a point about the difference between effective and efficient leadership, I pointed us to effective leadership as the better option if change was desired. This article is a necessary installment intended to deal with the next stage of leadership i.e. guiding others (or leading if you like) through the new territory. This is based the premise established in the previous article; that leaders set the pace or lead the way in a particular area—it is what makes a leader. It is in this realm that such matters as leadership styles become worthy of the microscope.

Any reader of Lee Roberson is familiar with the expression; everything rises and falls on leadership. It is also a well-accepted notion that Leadership is cause and everything else is effect. Whiles much has be written and taught about leadership styles with so many different theories being thrown about, I find two attitudes showing up in my own experiences and observation; challenging and encouraging. 

To most people it is always the nice guy who is the most attractive. In many success stories, there is always that leader who encouraged someone to do something and how lucky they were to have met that individual. The encourager is loved because of his seemingly calm and loving nature. He is accepting of people’s weaknesses and encourages them to do what they think they can. People want to be treated nicely, feel loved and respected—the encourager model serves this purpose perfectly.

In a recent attempt to teach a lady friend how to drive, I found myself failing woefully simply because, I was not using the encourager model. You see I am more the bad guy type. The kind of guy who will throw you a challenge and expect you to rise to the occasion after having sold you the idea that I wouldn’t ask you to do it if didn’t think you could. The challenger doesn’t want what you think you can do, he wants what he believes you can do. The challenger wants to work with people who have a will to do things (transcend themselves) not those who need to be convinced to do thing. That’s the challenger guy and he is not the most popular.

The challenger is usually (not always) quite low on socio-emotional competence. He is more performance oriented and less people sensitive. He is not concerned that you havn’t had lunch and that your child has a headache. Nobody likes people like that but the fact remains, it is results that make great people and for that reason alone a focus on performance instead of comfort may be the winning formula. The larger point however, is that leadership is not for everyone (don’t look so shocked).  A leader is a game changer—he charts a course —a new course and from all indications a majority of people do not do that. Those who change the game are constantly in the face of challenges. It is the ability to rise above a challenge that sets them apart putting them in the lead creating something that others will emulate. A person who has trouble with challenges can therefore only follow such persons with pain. Yet a leader cannot be a leader unless he has followers who he must guide on this path. People have needs and that includes comfort and love. We also know that people are their best when they are comfortable in what they are doing. So that it is clear that the two models have merits and demerits. The most versatile leader will know not only how to throw a challenge but also how to encourage followers to take them up without threatening their self-esteem.

If you are an encourager, then encourage more while recognizing the need for throwing a challenge. On the other hand a challenger must challenge while encouraging where it is needed. As is always the case; one may be stronger in one area than the other, this is fine and decides what kind of followers he assembles. If John C. Maxwell is right, then a leader must aim to raise other leaders. What kind of a leader will you train, how will you do it and why? Go lead with high performance!

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Effective and Efficient —An unclear dichotomy?

It is very easy to confuse efficiency as the same as effectiveness. There is nothing farther from the truth. The two can quite easily be opposites if we take a closer look. In everyday language, we can easily say a person is efficient and actually mean they are effective.  Hopefully your view will be well-formed by the end of this article and you will begin to look for effectiveness and not efficiency.

Efficient actually means you are good at keeping things the way they are—you meet the standard. There is a system and a standard in place, you follow it very well enough not to upset it. So that most people are in fact efficient (normal or average performers) and form the 80% of the population that keep things the way they are. As long as we remain efficient in what we do, we will get good results but nothing will change. There will be no breaking of new grounds. This is detrimental to human progress as by nature, the world itself is in a perpetual state of growth and nothing stays the same. The mobile phone in your hand has not always been the way it is. It has been continuously changed by effective people who consistently sought to improve.  It is normal for people to be born into the world, live and die. That is normal and a person can get very good at living life efficiently without making any real difference. Efficient leadership therefore, actually keeps us where we are— maintaining the status quo.

Effective on the other hand is another matter altogether. There are certain individuals who’s very presence challenges everyone and everything around them. They know not another way to live but to change things for the better. Such persons are responsible for the progress mankind enjoys. As soon as they become a part of something, that thing must change. It is the reason they are referred to as game changers. These are the effective people— the 10% responsible for raising the bar for everyone else to catch up. They are peak performers.

So that we can easily see what can be described as an effective leader and efficient leader. It is the difference between a person who got into a position and a person who actually lead the way with something they did. Effectiveness is what Jesus meant when he said “you are the salt of the earth”. Salt by nature is an effective change agent. You know immediately when the food is missing salt just as you know when Barcelona is missing Messi. When a person is born into the world, he must leave it improved—something about the world must be better or something of great benefit must come into existence because of his presence.

This then is the difference between being efficient and being effective. Most importantly it is imperative for every one of us to evaluate ourselves regarding our effectiveness. And if we are in a leadership position, ensure that we are true leaders and not position occupiers. What is the nature of your influence on the organization you are part of? How has that group changed for the better since you became part of it? May you receive grace to be the salt of any group you are a part of. May things begin to move because of you.
#spidup #hopemanexhortations

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Capability the engine

If you are not new to my ramblings about performance, then you probably already know what role occupation plays in the quest for maximization of existence or peak performance for that matter. In uptimetrics, we describe it as the vehicle that must transport the agent to the set destination. From a practical viewpoint, destination is the goal a person sets for their existence (it is the ultimate determinant of a maximized existence). It answers the question; what one thing must you achieve for you to say you have given your best in life.

The description of occupation as a vehicle automatically proposes the need for an engine; a vehicle cannot move without a source of energy. That engine is capability. Capability for our purposes can be said to have four main cylinders—Talent, Skill, Interest and Traits. It is when these cylinders are well aligned and are all firing at their full capacities that the vehicle moves at full power. The importance of firing at full power is based on the premise that time is the only known unit for measuring existence and maximization of existence relies heavily on its optimum use.  

What you do + Quality(quality+quantity) of what you do / the length of Time in which you do it =Performance

Ok don’t let the math frighten you. I am not good at it ether. This simply means you have given it your best possible shot. The extension of this formula is the comparison to the best in the field but I shall desist from exploring that since that discussion is beyond the scope of this article. I am actually avoiding the Ecclesiastes 9:11 fanatics…for now. ;)

As a general rule however, the faster the vehicle the more likely it is for the goal to be reached and the less the time this is likely to be done in. Since one does not have the luxury of eternity, at least in this existence as we know it, it counts that you take the time factor into consideration and this depends directly on the power of your engine—capability. What can you do in a day? Not many of us have answered that question but a careful analysis will reveal that it is that simple answer, too often very hard to produce that will shape your whole existence.

Anyway, as you may already know, a well-oiled, well-functioning engine is critical for overall performance. Yet it is not the only determinant. It must be steered in the right direction and stopped when necessary. These two elements ensure that the capability engine remains an asset. A high performance vehicle is a death-trap without a good breaking and control system. There is an axiom for this; Great power must come with great responsibility. But that’s not the end of the story; there are also matters regarding weights or baggage (how much you are carrying along) which must be shed so the power of the engine is allowed to be what it really is. 

For a deeper understanding you need to read my theoretical foundation of peak performance which unfortunately is being rewritten at the moment—sorry. Stick around long enough and I might just give you a copy. In the meantime, spend some time thinking about your engine and how it is influencing your vehicle towards the possibility of maximizing your existence. #spidup

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Understanding the Tri-Benefit Principle

In Uptimetrics© it is postulated that self-preservation is a key driving force behind all human behavior. Given that man is the dominant force on the planet this drive and its attendant thoughts and actions influence our environment in a miscellany of ways. And also because of the integrated nature of the universe itself, all things have an influence on other things in one way or another—NO! I won’t explain that; not in this article.

The tri-benefit principle is the next generation tool for self-preservation. Although the idea itself is not new, it is the understanding of it that has eluded the run of people.  It is the next big thing after the famous win-win idea. In fact the term Tri-benefit is simply a $20 world for win-win-win (notice the third win).

Prior to the win-win idea the majority of our specie functioned on the I-win-you-loose principle. It was thought then that the best way for one to perpetuate their own existence is to take from others and accumulate for one’s self. If necessary, the opponent must be eliminated. The place of others was not that important beyond serving our needs. Nietzsche and his cohorts might find this enchanting. It is the survival of the fittest idea and it is not sustainable as it is self-destructive. This is because in the long term when the one superman has eliminated everyone, he will be on his own. And since he cannot take from himself beyond what he has accumulated, he will bring the existence of the specie to an end. Sadly, many still practice this as it appears to have been wired as the first method for survival in all species-- instinct.

The next stage of human development saw the win-win idea brought to the front as the better method for self-preservation. With this thought system it was necessary to ensure that one’s opponent didn’t walk away with nothing as the deprivation of all opponents will ultimately mean (ceteris paribus) their demise which will in turn mean we are on our own. Because of the fact that the strength of any specie is directly dependent on the ability to collaborate, it is clear that we need the existence of others in order to perpetuate our own. And that our own existence is guaranteed by the continuous existence and strength of our entire specie. This works very well and it is evident that species who know how to collaborate are among the most thriving. 

The most advance idea of all is the tri-benefit principle which translates into win-win-win. The idea insists that there is a third (often silent) party to any transaction. This third party is the larger system that holds the two main parties together and makes the transaction possible in the first place. For this reason the two parties must not only think about themselves but also about the third party. Our classic example will be a business transaction between two businesses within a locality. They must pay taxes and levies to ensure that they both have a place to continue doing business.

In recent times, we have seen businesses taking an interest in the communities they work in. They are interested in matters to do with climatic changes and energy saving green solutions. They want their products and process to be not only customer friendly but also environmentally friendly. The reason is simple; in a matter of time they won’t have a place to operate anymore unless they are conscious of the environment enough to put some of their resources towards its maintenance. So now they research into safer production process in order to sustain the environment that makes them possible in the first place. They will continue to exist if the environment remains conducive.

Members of families must recognize that it is the family that makes them possible and that no matter how much progress they make by and for themselves, they are only as strong as the family they are a part of. It makes sense then that a fraction of their earning must find its way into the family’s well-being. Families who know how to manage its constituents well are among the most powerful. By this principle therefore people must be interested in contributing to all entities they are part off even in the smallest ways. From schools, to halls, to teams and tribes etc. we are all responsible in our own small ways for the groups we belong to.

Anyone who practices the tri-benefit principle understands that they must give something towards the welfare of the larger entity that holds everything together. If you are in church it will be your tithes and offering. If you are a citizen of a country it will be your taxes and CSR activities. If you trade in a foreign land, pay what is required of you. In a family it is your simple contributions towards its welfare. Modern businesses recognize this and make an effort in this new direction. When you are in a boat, it wise to ensure its safety as your own life and that of others depend on it. The tri-benefit principle is the future as it does not only ensure your own existence but that of others and the environment you are both part of. Man who hunted other species indiscriminately now thinks about preserving them. He is wiser and knows now that his true source of power and influence is not dependent on what he can take from others but instead what he can give.

What you do for yourself benefits only you and barely attracts appreciation from others. What you do for another person might attract their appreciation. What you do for the community is likely to attract the appreciation of the whole community. For peak performers, this is often the goal. The more people who benefit from our existence, the more useful we are. Driven by this idea, even the products we create must meet the needs of many people in an environmentally friendly manner for us to be truly wealthy. The maximization of any existence will be challenged in an insensitive environment and the environment is only as sensitive as we make it.

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Introducing Configure© V1.0

About Configure© V1.0

At the end of every year, millions of people set goals and develop resolutions for the coming New Year. 90% of these goals and resolutions are never attained. Configure was created to make that a thing of the past. The problem is largely due to the narrow view most people have about resolutions, goals and success in general. They do not realize that the attainment of their beautiful goals is directly dependent on their performance. New actions bring new results and in that manner the new focus on performance as the means by which one will obtain success is bound to bring new results. Configure ensures this.

Configure is a collection of materials (i.e. information and attached exercises) ad activities that together make a seminar designed to transform the individual into a high performing person over a set period of time-- referred to in the program as a time block. The program first and foremost treats a year as a time block and breaks it into its four quarters helping the participant to set strategic goals and developing performance strategies to ensure their goals are achieved. 

The seminar is delivered at the beginning of the year and repeated at the beginning of every quarter providing participants with guidance for the use of materials and an opportunity for quarterly evaluation and realignment. Ultimately you will achieve a better performance in your occupation as the means by which you will influence your existence. Your occupation takes most of your time and hence it is the key influencer of your larger existence and provides the only opportunity to be successful in life. There is no success without first treating performance in the one vehicle that makes success possible in the first place. In this regard configure is different from other similar programs that promises success without treating what makes it possible.

It is performance enhancement tool in short and guarantees success because success is only possible when there is high performance.

Learn how it works

Download configure now

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Your eight or so intelligence systems

Your eight or so intelligence systems

In this post I attempt to address the Howard Gardner multiple intelligence system developed by the Harvard professor of developmental psychology. In his 1983 book, "Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligence," Gardner distinguishes seven kinds of human intelligence: linguistic, musical, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, and two types of personal intelligence. He proposed that people who exhibit intelligence in one domain do not necessarily exhibit it in another. Each person's unique blend of competences produces an individual cognitive profile. This means that one may have a variety of levels on the testing matrix and this can be used to determine which field they can naturally excel in. It is a simple understanding of where you are strongest so you can put your best foot forward.

In my work as a performance coach, I have encountered many an individual who really have no idea where their strengths lie. Some are partially aware but are not sure if its worth following. This is matter that needs more attention than is often given. In the self-knowledge section of this blog, we treat other test systems that help to identify strengths to help guide you to a good choice. If one’s life enterprise is the only thing they live for then what they use to undertake this enterprise must be handled with utmost care.

I must warn however that whiles articles like this might provide a good idea of the system, it is not a good enough substitute for reading the work of its creator and Wikipedia is a good starting point. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Gardner

You must however find the book itself and read it. For those who attend our workshops however, you will receive a guidance on how to use the testing system and receive analysis and recommendations by experts. So it is prudent to attend the next SPiD-UP workshop. But if you do read the book or attend the workshop, here is a taste of what you might learn:

# 1 Musical–rhythmic and harmonic

While we all love music not all of us have the gift to create or perform it. In fact, some friends of mine are completely tone deaf. They can’t sing one song right- they just don’t have it. This area of intelligence has to do with sensitivity to sounds, rhythms, tones, and music in general. Such people are able to sing, play musical instruments, and compose music. They generally excel in music and related fields.

# 2 Visual–spatial

This area deals with spatial judgment and the ability to visualize with the mind's eye. People who are visual-spatial learners excel in the arts and sciences. They are also leaders and strategic planners who are intuitive and have the ability to see the big picture.

# 3 Verbal–linguistic
People with high verbal-linguistic intelligence display a facility with words and languages. They are typically good at reading, writing, telling stories and memorizing words along with dates. They excel is careers related to words, speaking etc as they have a natural flair for it

# 4 Logical–mathematical: This area has to do with logic, abstractions, reasoning, numbers and critical thinking. This also has to do with having the capacity to understand the underlying principles of some kind of causal system. People with this kind of intelligence excel in math and related fields. They are good at strategy games, have a mind "like a computer", enjoy science experiments, organizing things by category, Abstract thinking, looks for a rational explanations, Wonder how things work. I think I might know somebody who is heavy in this area of intelligence except the math part. They make good Scientist, Mathematician, Lawyer, Doctor, Accountant, Bookkeeper, Computer Programmer, Researcher, Financial Planner etc.

# 5 Bodily–kinesthetic

The core elements of the bodily-kinesthetic intelligence are control of one's bodily motions and the capacity to handle objects skillfully. Gardner elaborates to say that this also includes a sense of timing, a clear sense of the goal of a physical action, along with the ability to train responses. People with high bodily-kinesthetic intelligence excels in athletics, dancing,  acting. They also make good builders, police officers, and soldiers etc.

# 6 Interpersonal

This type of intelligence is characterized by a high presence of Social skills. This area has to do with interaction with others. In theory, individuals who have high interpersonal intelligence are characterized by their sensitivity to others' moods, feelings, temperaments and motivations, and their ability to cooperate in order to work as part of a group. They make good sales persons, politicians, managers, teachers, counselors and social workers.

# 7 Intrapersonal

This area has to do with introspective and self-reflective capacities. This refers to having a deep understanding of the self; what one's strengths/ weaknesses are, what makes one unique, being able to predict one's own reactions/emotions. Having this kind of intelligence as it helps one to have a deep understanding of themselves.

# 8 Naturalistic

This area has to do with nurturing and relating information to one’s natural surroundings. Examples include classifying natural forms such as animal and plant species and rocks and mountain types. This ability was clearly of value in our evolutionary past as hunters, gatherers, and farmers; it continues to be central in such roles as botanist or chef. This sort of ecological receptiveness is deeply rooted in a "sensitive, ethical, and holistic understanding" of the world and its complexities–including the role of humanity within the greater ecosphere.

Of recent times there has been discussions concerning what some refer to as spiritual intelligence. Whiles Howard Gardner himself has not committed to the idea, he has proposed an existential intelligence as a more acceptable construct. Personally, I subscribe to the idea of spiritual intelligence idea. In the the x-Gen component of the SPiD-UP® workshops we treat spiritual awareness as a full topic as we are aware of how much influence it can have on a person’s output. In Christianity it is thought to take the post of the most important intelligence system available to man.

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Meet Peak Performance PT III | The Emergence of Structure

This is the final part of a three part presentation. It will be useful to read the previous parts first for better understand.

In the previous parts, we saw the emergence of the two levels of performance and how the micro influences the macro. This must prompt the invocation of one of the laws of nature (a major topic of discussion in Uptimetrics®), what C.S Lewis refers to as the moral laws. Among which is the “as above, so below law” made famous by the esoteric fraternity. It is in fact the very nature of God’s creation which is no secret at all to the observing eye. By this law then, the peak experience in the moment; what I have termed occupational orgasm is only but the micro and therefore life maximization is a giant orgasm as it is the accumulation of occupational orgasms experienced on a daily basis. This is what many speakers will refer to as fulfillment or success in life or being at peace with one’s self or in our case the maximization of existence. This then must be the life goal of any entity. The postulating of a goal will require a way to reach it; for it is also the nature of things (laws of nature) that a destination will need a path. So we see that a vision will need a mission as a business objective will require a business model. The what needs a the how to be possible. This is the realm of structure which we will come to see as the master key to any possible maximization of existence.

The objective and the path to reach it form the structure that allows the process of reaching a goal to be possible in the first place. The entity then that makes use of this structure can be referred to as the content. Structure is the arrangement and order of things. Whiles it’s benefits are endless, it primarily breeds order and clarity which makes easy the identification of things. Indeed the very arrangement of the micro and the macro levels of things represent structure. Structure is present everywhere in nature. Its primary purpose is to enable the workings of content by providing a path and allowing its effort. This is why water as content needs pipes as structure to travel to a destination. Electricity will needs cables for transportation and a destination. Even radio waves needs specific frequencies on which they must travel. Cars will need roads and trains will need their tracks. The business goal will need a strategy. Thoughts will need a book to manifest.

By the forgone we see that the very nature of the structure will determine the final outcome of everything. For if the pipe leaks, pressure will be low and not enough water will reach the intended destination. It is this same pipe that determines the destination which must be reached and therefore if it changes direction, it breaks the order and water does not get to the right place. Whiles this is negative, the presence of structure makes it easy to trouble shoot one’s way to a solution. So that a broken pipe is identifiable and fixable.

Information which is what humans function on must also succumb to structure as it is the order of things (moral law). Whether man is a victim of the Tabula Rasa phenomenon or not, he must learn as he progresses along life’s journey. By observation he gains information about his environment as the structure and of himself as its primary content. He sees that the more he unites with structure the more progress he makes. By another law however, the nature of things are the same above and below, within and without. With this understanding then, the information he acquires is of two kinds; Structure information and content information.

By structure information he understands the arrangement of life itself dealing with such things as objectives and the means by which he must get there and why. The second information then is what he gains as a trade—the means by which he can engage and be of use. By this we understand then that a lawyer is lawyer only because he is in possession of information that makes one a lawyer (that could be anybody), that’s content. However what determines whether he is a good lawyer or not is dependent on how he applies this information. He needs information on how to live life effectively towards a maximization of his existence applying his legal knowledge. In fact it is structure that determines what his profession must be for it is also the nature of things that a person must follow a specific purpose to a specific end and structure information is how he comes into this understanding.

In his formal education however, he loses the balance born out of the unity of structure and content. He gains only content education (what he must engage with) at the expense of structure (how he must engage). He is not complete and this shows in his lack of understanding of his environment, himself and how the two fit together. By this lack of understanding he goes about his business conflicting with the flow of life; breaking the very moral laws that was made for his advantage. His true potential is never reached because of this conflict with structure and he never experiences the occupational orgasm we are concerned with. His performance is challenged on all levels and this affects his self-esteem.

I have used the word entity several times in this series for the convenience of easy identification; the moral laws apply to persons just as it applies to organizations. So that the methods used to gain peak performance by individuals are not that different for organizations and nations. I have demonstrated that an individual needs a goal and a path to get to it just like organizations. We have also seen that the individual is the micro component of the organization and therefore the performance of the organization is directly dependent on the individual.

It is of primary importance for organizations and nations to recognize the fact that, high performing individuals are guaranteed to make a high performing organization and ultimately successful nations. For this reason a well-informed population will have great influence on a nations output.  High performance begins with awareness and this is why the SPiD-UP® book series begins with performance awareness. Gaining information affects perception and results in a change of behavior. CSD Africa was created to provide the other (Structure) education that makes one complete resulting in a high performing personality who will influence the ultimate output of any group they find themselves in. To do this, the right structure is needed as we have seen. Project SPiD-UP® is one of CSD Africa’s main vehicles to achieve this. SPiD-UP® and its three gates of training and exercises as well as books were designed to develop high performance mindset  

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