Capitalogix

212° - The Extra Degree (a motivational video)

Too many times, a brainstorming session to figure-out how to do something turns into a discussion about how or why it can't be done.

Here's to getting it done anyway!

Sometimes a little extra is all it takes.

It's the extra degree of effort that often separates the good from the great.

For example, at 211°, water is hot. At 212°, it boils.

The one extra degree makes the difference. It's that extra degree that can power a locomotive.

This simple analogy reflects the ultimate definition of excellence. Because it's the one extra degree of effort, in business and life, that can separate the good from the great.

Here is a video.

 

212: The Extra Degree.

It is from Mac Anderson's Simple Truths. I'm a fan of their work, which takes a simple idea and presents it in a memorable way ... with lots of great quotes and stories to illustrate the concept even better.

Yes, they have an iPhone/iPad app.

It's your life ... You are responsible for your results. It's time to turn up the heat!  Are you content with just being pretty good? Or are you ready to go the extra degree?

Related articles

• Executive Coach's Tip: Problems ... What Problems? (careersuccess.typepad.com)
• TGIF ~ Another Superb Inspirational Movie (rainsoftottawa.wordpress.com)

Socrates' Triple Filter Test and the Modern World

Small distinctions separate wise men from fools.  Perhaps one of them has to do with what the wise man deems important.

 

Socrates' Triple Filter.

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem.  One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"

"Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before telling me anything, I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."

"Triple filter?"

"That's right," Socrates continued.  "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test.

The first filter is Truth.  Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"No," the man said, "Actually I just heard about it and..."

"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness.  Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"

"No, on the contrary..."

"So," Socrates continued, "You want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true.  You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left.  The third filter is Usefulness.  Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"

"No, not really."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "If what you want to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor even useful ... then why tell it to me at all?"

 

How Does That Apply to Me or Trading?

  The concept of Socrates' Triple Filter applies to trading as well.

As a technical trader, rather than looking at fundamental data and scouring the news daily, I focus on developing dynamic and adaptive systems and processes to look at the universe of trading algorithms to identify which are in-phase and likely to perform well in the current market environment.

One of the arguments in favor of technical analysis is that fundamental data, news, and sentiment are already built-in to the chart.

 

Filter Out What Isn't Good For You.

In contrast, there are too many ways that the media (meaning the techniques, graphics, music, etc.), the people reporting it, and even the news itself, appeals to the fear and greed of human nature.

This is the main reason that I don't watch CNBC during the trading day.  Even though I like it on several levels ... I don't think it helps me.  So I filter it and get the news in other ways.

Likewise, I don't watch TV news anymore either. It seems like story after story is about terrible things. For example during a recent visit with my mother, I listened to her watch the news.  There was a constant stream of "oh no," or "oh my," and "that's terrible". You don't even have to watch the news to know what it says.

 
Focus On What You Want.

Instead, I get the news I need a different way that is more efficient and productive for me. I subscribe to certain things via e-mail, and other things via RSS feeds.  Then I supplement those with a series of search services that alert me to items that match the criteria I set. An example would be Google Alerts.  Two other nice alert services are from the Financial Times and the New York Times.  Recently I've also been using two great iPad apps - one is called Flipboard, the other is called Zite.

Check them out.  It will save you a lot of time and effort.

Personally, I care about the source of my news. It helps me identify and account for potential bias. So using subscriptions, feed readers, and alert services help here too.

Another reason I like these tools is that I can use different filters for different purposes.

 

What's The Purpose Of News For You?

My purpose changes what I'm looking for and the amount of attention I pay to different types of information. Am I reading or watching the news for entertainment, to learn something new, or to find something relevant and actionable?

Getting back to Socrates' three filters and the business of trading, I ask might: is it important, does it affect our edge, or can I use it as a catalyst for innovation?

Here Are Some Interesting Links to Read This Weekend

An Undeniable Truth:  If You Do It -- It Will Be Done!

 

via Laura McCann-Ramsey
 

Not the only way ... but it works.

Here are some of the posts that caught my eye. Hope you find something interesting.

 

Lighter Links:

• For the 3rd Time, Facebook is Poised to Build a Phone. (Newser)
• Major Movements in Philosophy as Minimalist Geometric Graphics. (Brainpickings)
• Bloomberg Plans a Ban on Large Sugared Drinks. (NYTimes)
• Wide Screen. All baby boomers should get tested for hepatitis C, CDC says (TheDaily)
• Chart Detailing How Many iTunes Downloads, Spotify Streams, and So Forth It Takes For a Musician To Make Minimum Wage. (VillageVoice)

 

Trading Links:

• Too Many Seed Investment Choices. A good sign for economy ... (Feld)
• Amazon.com Has Altered the VC Business as We Know It. (Geekwire)
• Why Investors Should Take a Long, Hard Look at Southeast Asia. (SGEntrepreneurs)
• A Rich Backlash. An influx of the super-wealthy begins to annoy Singaporeans. (Daily)
• Eurozone Equities Panic Sale Warning. Private investors have been warned not to panic-sell their shareholdings in the deepening crisis in Europe. (FT)

Alone Together - Instant Gratification & Shortening Attention Spans

Instant Gratification & Shortening Attention Spans.

I was showing my son a web video -- and in less than a minute he was texting someone. 

Let me make that more clear ... it was Less-Than-A-Minute! ... while he was standing with me ... and he did it without hesitation, apology, or sense that shifting his attention to the phone was in any way a bad thing.

I know "get over it".  He was probably texting before we spoke, anyway; right?

You're probably seeing similar behavior more often too.
  

 

It is scary to realize how easy it is to focus on a phone, iPad or e-mail rather than a person.

Upon reflection, we spend a lot of time alone together.

There is a difference between physical presence and being present.

 

 

Focus can be pretty fragile if it isn't a conscious choice.

To demonstrate this, here is a seemingly easy challenge ... simply listen to a favorite song.

The challenge is how you can truly do that without losing focus and having other thoughts intrude (for example, without thinking about your to-do list or other songs that you like, or who you're going to meet with later in the day, etc.)?  For me, the answer was not that long.

Sometimes it feels like modern life causes attention deficit disorder.

Attention Deficit Can Be Dangerous If You Aren't Aware of It.

Yet, losing focus while trading, in business, or even during a simple conversation - can have serious consequences.

When you are not aware of your focus, I bet it wanders.  Mine does; I get distracted easily. 

It didn't take long for me to realize that this happened to me while talking to my wife, while listening to a telephone call, even when ordering food at a restaurant. How can I lose focus on the waitress while I was ordering? Apparently, quite easily.

How about you?  When you're listening to someone talk to you, are you really listening to them - or are you checking e-mail, texting, browsing a website, watching TV, playing a game, or thinking about what you're going to say? 

Be honest with yourself; how often are you fully present?  For me, the answer was not nearly enough.

 

Related articles

• Harvard Business: The Discipline of Listening (blogs.hbr.org)
• The Need for Speed - How Impatient Are We Becoming? (capitalogix.typepad.com)
• The Twitter Generation: Teaching Deferred Gratification to College Students (hollymccracken.wordpress.com)
• What Captures Your Attention Controls Your Life (blogs.hbr.org)

Links for Your Weekend Reading

As we get older, life makes more sense.

 

 

 

Here are some of the posts that caught my eye. Hope you find something interesting.

Lighter Links:

• The Simplicity Thesis. Delivering Low Complexity & Maximum Value. (FastCompany)
• Why People Remember Negative Events More Than Positive Ones. (NYTimes)
• Google Explains How It Searches the Internet In Under Half a Second. (Engadget)
• How Little Can We Do and Still Benefit? The 20-Minute Workout Video. (Well)
• The "Sitting Is Killing You" Infographic Shows Just How Bad Prolonged Sitting Is. (Lifehacker)

 

Trading Links:

• Does the Facebook IPO Flop Signal Bad News for Global Economy? (Time)
• David Einhorn: The Fed's Jelly Donut Policy. (HuffingtonPost)
• Nikkei Just Had Its Longest Weekly Losing Run in 20 Years. (CNBC)
• Anatole Kaletsky on A New Capitalism. (FiveBooks)
• The Six Billion Dollar Bet. PBS video about the disastrous gamble that brought down MF Global (PBS)

Some Links for Your Weekend Reading

Interesting Thought: The new illiterate will be those who cannot learn, unlearn, and re-learn ....

 

 

Here are some of the posts that caught my eye. Hope you find something interesting.

Lighter Links:

• Cultivating Genius. (Wired)
• Thinking vs. Knowing: When Facts Get in the Way. (PS)
• How Old Are You, Really? New Test Determines Biological Age. (TheDaily)
• Can London Afford the $14.5B Summer Olympic Games’ Price Tag? (VanityFair)
• Data Harvesting at Google Not a Mistake or a Rogue Act, F.C.C. Report Reveals. (NYTimes)

 

Trading Links:

• Is High Frequency Trading Progress of Piracy? What do you think? (IMG)
• Whose Recovery? The Recession is Over … for the Wealthy. (Economonitor)
• At CME, an Uproar Over Trading Hours. Effects of Round-the-Clock Trading. (WSJ)
• The Kauffman Report on Venture Capital. Interesting. (FD)
• Nothing Ventured. U.S. entrepreneurship drops as many abandon self-employment for salaried jobs (TheDaily)

Great Visual Metaphor for a Bigger Future

"Interestingly, koi, when put in a fish bowl, will only grow up to three inches.

When this same fish is placed in a large tank, it will grow to about nine inches long.

 

 

In a pond koi can reach lengths of eighteen inches. Amazingly, when placed in a lake, koi can grow to three feet long.

 

 
The metaphor is obvious. You are limited by how you see the world."

--via Vince Poscente

A Little Monday Morning Motivation - The Power of Pause

I spent part of this week at the First Rate Performance Conference. It was held at the Four Seasons resort in Las Colinas, Texas (which is a pretty nice place for a retreat).

In addition to hearing industry experts and company representatives talking about equations, risk management, and regulatory compliance, the conference featured Terry Hershey, who wrote a book called The Power of Pause (Becoming More by Doing Less).

In the book, Terry counters the modern cultural decree of More-Bigger-Faster.  His message was simple (and perhaps even easy). 

One of the takeaways was that some things are tactical, some things are strategic, and some things are transformational. All of these things can be good ... but the quality of your life and the results results you get change as you spend less time with the tactical and move towards the transformational.

Hershey is a story-teller.  Here is one of them:

 

A teacher gave her class an assignment to name the seven wonders of the world.

Each student came up with a list and shared with the class. As you might guess, students called out entries like the Pyramids, the Amazon River, the Grand Canyon, or the Taj Mahal. The teacher cheered them on and told them what a great job they were doing.

But one girl stayed silent. The teacher asked her about her list, and the girl answered, "I don't think I understand the assignment."

"Why?"

"I don't have any of the right answers."

"Well, why don't you tell us which you wrote on your paper, and we'll help you."

"Okay," said the girl, "I think the seven wonders of the world are ... to see, to hear, to touch, to smell, to feel, to love, and to belong."

 

Somewhere along the way, we tend to forget what we used to know.

How much of our daily experience is defined by what we shoot for and what we measure?

Life can be so "daily". That's a problem, isn't it?  No wonder we're easily tempted by things that are urgent, rather than important. But it doesn't have to be that way ... and the first step is recognizing that it doesn't have to be that way. The second step is figuring out how you want it to be instead.

To see some of his messages in video format, click this link.

Related articles

• Harvard Business: The Power of Pause (blogs.hbr.org)

A Little Monday Morning Motivation

Wow, how time flies!

 

via someecards.com

 

The 1st Quarter of the year is almost in the books.  How are things going?

Spring is an excellent reminder that I was supposed to get in shape before spring.

At the End of Pain, You'll Often Find Success

Do you know why you find your keys in the last place you look?  It is because it doesn't make sense to keep looking for them after you find them.

 

Ultimately, the key is to focus on the goal (not how you got to where you are), and to keep moving forward.

 

 

   hat tip to Cliff Michaels

Here is a video from Eric Thomas, otherwise known as the HipHop Preacher ... It is called "Pain Is Temporary", and has a great message worth hearing.

 

 

 

For more of Eric Thomas, here is a link to his YouTube page & here is a link to his website.

Finally, here is a small reminder:

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last.  Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.”  ~Zig Ziglar