Wise Guy Kawasaki – Swiss army life knife

Featured - Wise Guy by Guy Kawasaki.

Wise Guy is not just another book, it”™s a Swiss army knife for your life. Guy Kawasaki shares his wisdom about life, love, Apple, tech, startups, Jackie Chan, surfing and so much more. Steve Jobs”™ quote about “denting the universe” will forever float through our universe and Wise Guy could be the manual for it ”” the “how-to dent lives with value”.

Yes, one person can make a difference and Guy definitely is one of them. I did not expect to learn so many personal things about him through Wise Guy. We travel with him on a journey from his ancestors changing home from Japan to Hawaii, funny, sad and inspiring stories about his youth, education and the Silicon Valley. Change was ”” and still is ”” a constant element in his life. I mean ”” who starts surfing in his sixties? Respect!

“When you surf Mavericks with a grin, it”™s time to give back” from Wise Guy.

Book cover of Wise Guy by Guy Kawasaki.

While reading Wise Guy, I slowly got the picture, what Guy Kawasaki wants to share with us in his new book. It”™s the love for life and being brave enough to shape Yourself until you surf the tides of life in balance ”” with a smile. You”™ll need a lot of training, be curious, listen to advice, the right tools and invest in your education. But it does not stop there.

Create opportunities for others, help people, be generous and stay humble. Of course we can find out most things on our own but why not use compressed and proven wisdom to shorten our learning curve? Think more data is better than less and embrace people who want to help you. Think Yin and Yang ””  the world isn”™t black and white only ”” giving and getting help is the engine to keep the circle moving.

It”™s hard to believe Guy Kawasaki made it already to his v.6.x ”” his eyes still have this Bruce Lee “laser-like focus”. “Never consider yourself a victim because then you”™ll start acting like a victim.” ”” an insight Guy got from Condoleezza Rice. What do you think if you hear “victim”? What about all those emails, meetings and packing of tasks we must cope with at work these days?

“So what?”

… is one of the numerous tools Guy provides in his Swiss army knife-book Wise Guy. The question creates a gap in your mind to reflect and put the “crisis” into perspective. For the email dilemma, Guy developed a (morbid) pattern which saves him lots of (surfing) time. How? Read chapter #06 ”” Values.

Talking about values ”” one of my favourite wisdom in Wise Guy is

Thank the people who helped you achieve results before they are gone.

Guy Kawasaki

I have seen way too many people pass away too early, family, friends, teachers, advisors, colleagues. Eat when served, thank when due.

Finally ”” do what”™s right ”” and remember: making everyone happy is impossible.

Namaste

Digital Mystique or how to be a Superhero

The Digital Mystique by Sarah Granger

The Digital Mystique, a book by Sarah Granger. Picture by Chris Remspecher in 2015.Living in 2015 can be a real digital mystique.

Keeping all your devices, iPhone, iPad, MacBook, etc. up to date can be a real challenge. On the next level, you worry about the kids getting lost in the World Wide Web, while losing your mind explaining your mom that WiFi really does not need a cable!

You have to be a Superhero today.

Sarah Granger (@sarahgranger) wrote a great manual to tackle the daily challenges in our brave new world. The Digital Mystique is a journey through life, love, hope and fears. Sarah will share many stories from her own life and remind you several times, about the importance of friends and community support.

Friends don’t let friends do stupid things – alone.” Unknown

Since this blog is about stress, yes, the digital mystique can be a real relief. Reading how Sarah started her digital career in 1982 and knowing, how gracefully she challenged her brand new iPhone 6 to compete against gravity, makes her a real Superhero of the Digital Mystique. Thank you for the awesome book and letter, Sarah!

Tree of Life

Picture for the blog post "Tree of Life"

The Tree of Life.

Yesterday I’ve watched the movie The Tree of Life. Maybe I wouldn’t call it a movie – it’s more like a journey. It might even unlock some unconscious stress in you. It’s a voyage through your hopes and dreams in slow motion.

Besides some stunning visuals there’s one quote engraved into my brain:

“You make yourself what you are and you have control of your own destiny. You can”™t say I can”™t. You say, ”˜I”™m havin”™ trouble, but I”™m not done yet. You can”™t say I can”™t.” Mr. O’Brien

Go, plant a tree! Even if it’s only your very personal one inside your mind.

What the Plus by Guy Kawasaki

book cover of What the Plus! by Guy KawasakiWhat the Plus by Guy Kawasaki

What the Plus! is the new book by Guy Kawasaki about the social network Google+. Why?

“I hate when people don”™t use the best tool. [”¦] My goals are to help you to derive as much joy and value from Google+ as I do and that we can make Google+ tip.” Guy Kawasaki

Do you still drive your first car or live in your very first own room? Once in a while it”™s time to move on or at least shift your focus. When Google+ was unveiled in summer 2011 I got an early beta invitation. I logged in, looked around and logged out. TMI, too much information – the days still only have 24h a day.

In the last few months I was looking around for a new way to handle my social media activities. Yes I know Tweetdeck and have a Hootsuite premium account ”“ but still”¦ I don”™t know how Guy picks the release dates for his books, but What the Plus! came just in time for me.

After reading What the Plus! I decided to move over to Google+ and cross post from there to Facebook and Twitter. Hop to page #131 to see how to do that the Guy-Kawasaki-way. See you on G+!

Get the ebook at Amazon or iTunes

traveling to Cap Ferret without moving

Travel with me to Cap Ferret. We take a short stop in Vichy with its magical waters. One spring is named Celestines, like a book by James Redfield. At the beach, relax your soul, fly up high with the birds and rethink your day-by-day routine and let go when the sun goes to sleep.

Le Canon is a lovely village near Cap Ferret with many passageways to new goals in your life. The Canon though is a fine book by Natalie Angier. Follow the kids to embrace the sun and the ocean, play some beach ball, touch the sand with your feet.

The Great Dune of Pyla is really great! Take the stairway to heaven or enjoy a fitness exercise and walk up barefoot. On top you are surrounded by a green and blue ocean. Wonderful…

Jaron Lanier – Gadget

You are not a Gadget. A Manifesto by Jaron LanierYou are not a Gadget. A book by Jaron Lanier. Maybe it’s even a medical pill.

If you wonder why 500+ million people use facebook, why cloud computing (or even klout) is such a hype and why we still need intelligent individuals, then this pill is for you.

You have to be someone, before you can share something relevant.

Jaron made me think a lot about the “login effects” of life. The amount of data and information is increasing everyday. New network ports formerly known as human beings have to handle the fragmentation of _flat_ relationships; it’s never been easier to friend/ unfriend with a single mouse click.

You are not a Gadget. A Manifesto makes you reflect and re-think the patterns and networks around you. Be a real person, with your real character because your content is still king!

Thanks for the journey, Jaron!

Amazon.com You Are Not a Gadget: A Manifesto (Vintage)

Amazon.de Gadget: Warum die Zukunft uns noch braucht

Guy Kawasaki – Enchantment

Cover of EnchantmentDo you know those rare books – you read the last page, close the cover and think: YES!

Enchantment by Guy Kawasaki is not a book, its more like a manual, an action plan, a reminder to humanity and a guiding light for Web X.0.

In short, its about Win – Win. Which is work, wisdom and love. If you love what you do, your work, your product, if wisdom drives your car, negotiations and thoughts – enchantment is near.

In a network-economy the key for economic and personal success lies in creating win-win-situations and positive feed-backs. Guy Kawasaki´s “Enchantment” offers an inspiring road-map for successful navigation in our evolving digital society. This book is not only a must read, it´s a must share!
Prof. Dr. Stefan Stoll, author of the book “IT-Management”

Set your default to Yes, be a Mensch, create like a god, Just do it the ZEN style and be the pilot of your (business) life! Enchantment is also about telling compelling stories, intelligent interaction with people and understanding that a long journey starts with the first tiny step.

Nature (and Guy Kawasaki) teaches us, that Give and Take has to be in balance to build a healthy ecosystem. Digital natives grow up with facebook, twitter and YouTube but at the end, its a human handshake which is still unique and not downloadable.

Your blog, brain, business, heart and character – content is still king. Guy provides detailed and clear workflows to master push and pull web technologies. If you ever wondered what makes twitter so different to facebook, Enchantment is your friend!

Bring more Kanso into your life, celebrate Seijaku and your life gets Shizen. Read Enchantment and reduce stress. Enchant your employees, your boss and even your wife or husband!

You may think you see the “big picture,” but you don’t see her big picture. This advice alone justifies buying Enchantment. Guy Kawasaki

Update: this review is now officially listed on Guy Kawasaki’s website:
http://www.guykawasaki.com/enchantment/reviews/

Xmas Stress 2010

Christmas man with treeChristmas is near and again, it looks like the end of the road. Opening the door for the new year could be great, if there wasn’t your crazy monkey mind reminding you of all the gifts you did not buy yet, your missed goals of 2010, the quality of relations these days and suddenly – you are real down. Xmas, sounds like X-Men to me, you have to be a superhero to break through the stress window in December!

So what about the quality of sleep, your dreams, your hopes and fears? If you had a manual for your life, like the book of not knowing, would that change a thing? Can we learn, that happiness cannot be found (at least not with our regular approach…)?

In 2010, did you have enough energy for the good life? For me, forest bathing and the words of my perfect teacher were great tools to refill my battery. Next year, will you make (only) a sequel of the movie of your life or will you breathe to relax?

Stress and Sadness often go hand in hand and the relativity of time might teach you the value of emptiness. Try to enjoy a mini break here and there and remember that your blood type drives your stress type!

Let it sync, take a Power-Nap by ZEN-MEN, write more postcards, have a perfect tea time and stop waiting for a better offer. I have made 2512-Christmas to help you to relax in the Xmas harvest time – hopefully it is useful for you.

For the new year, I wish you all good health, much love and FUN to chop (the) wood! 🙂

Opening the Door

a special heartOpening the door of your heart:

Grant yourself a moment of peace,
and you will understand
how foolishly you have scurried about.

Learn to be silent
and you will notice that
you have talked too much.

Be kind,
and you will realize that
your judgment of others was too severe.

– Ancient Chinese proverb

Ajahn Brahm wrote a lovely book. In 108 short stories you will find practical wisdom for the ups and downs in our everyday life.

For me, this book is outstanding in various ways but most important: it makes you laugh! 🙂

Amazon.com Opening the Door of your Heart/ Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung?: Inspiring Stories for Welcoming Life’s Difficulties

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