Dance vs. powerpoint, a modest proposal: John Bohannon on TED.com

Use dancers instead of powerpoint. That’s science writer John Bohannon’s “modest proposal.” In this spellbinding choreographed talk from TEDxBrussels he makes his case by example, aided by dancers from Black Label Movement. (Recorded at TEDxBrussels 2011, November 2011, in Brussels, Belgium. Duration: 11:08.)

Watch John Bohannon’s talk on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 1,000+ TEDTalks.
Learn how John Bohannon created this talk >>

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The 12 Days of Thanksgiving

Photo credit: jdolenga (CC BY 2.0)

Nordstom’s is getting a lot of publicity this year for their stance on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Namely, they are going against the decorations trend and are choosing to wait on Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving is over. People everywhere are enjoying this and re-posting their signs.

This past year, I saw Christmas decorations in WalMart before Halloween was over! It seems the New Deal stimulus idea of extending the Christmas buying season has worked all too well, and like many others, I feel it is time to fight back.

But how will we fight back?

With gratitude, thanks and remembering why Thanksgiving comes before Christmas:

Starting on Thanksgiving, post on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc. something you are thankful for. For the next twelve days, continue to do this every day!

Every Thanksgiving families give thanks and show gratitude for something in their lives. There are many families who will even go around the table and have everyone name something. Then the day after Thanksgiving, they wait in long lines for those black Friday deals. They clamor to buy. They spend time worrying about costs, decorations and tinsel; they forget what they did at the start of the holiday season – give thanks.

I believe people see the nonsense in this insanity. I believe people truly are grateful that they can even stand in line for an hour for a gift. I think people are even more grateful when they don’t stand in line, and instead make hot chocolate with their families and loved ones at home. Let us all work together to remind each other of the small things in life and the big things. By spending 12 of the holiday season days giving thanks, we may find it is a habit to continue well past the 12 days of Christmas. We may find it isn’t the gifts, the lines, the perfection that matters. We may find it is OK to smile, and let someone go before you or maybe hold open a door for someone else. We may find the truly great thing about the holidays is the reminder of gratitude and love all humans are capable of showing.

Here are some ideas of what to look for and post about in your feeds. They are all things I am thankful for, though not in any particular order.

I thank the farmers and ranchers who work to provide food for our nation. #12daysofthanksgivingI thank my wonderful family for putting up with me. #12daysofthanksgivingI am thankful for the roof over my head. #12daysofthanksgivingI thank the person who smiled back and said thank you. #12daysofthanksgivingI thank the teachers who teach my children. #12daysofthanksgivingI thank the bagger who bags my food at the store. #12daysofthanksgivingI am thankful for the air I breathe. #12daysofthanksgivingI am thankful for the sun at my back. #12daysofthanksgivingI am thankful for a cheerful smile. #12daysofthanksgivingI am thankful for the ability to share these gratitudes. #12daysofthanksgiving

Needless to say, there are many things in the world to be thankful over, and I encourage us all to find one thing – every day – for twelve days.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Albert Lionelle is a renaissance man. He is involved in the school board, writes, acts, directs, programs, teaches, has a Master degree in computer science, and is currently working on his Master of Divinity at Regent University. For work, he speaks for sustainable agriculture groups believing sustainability, stewardship and real food should be common sense. As such, he has recently cofounded with his wife Real Food and Health digital magazine. Available at their website or on Amazon.com for the kindle.

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Reaction formation in New York City

My latest Beyond Boundaries column is about psychodynamic revolutionaries in New York and is in the December edition of The Psychologist.

Jonathan Shedler is recounting an anecdote. ‘So when the patient says “I’m frustrated”, you say “Tell me more about that” and then you shut up!’ We’ve just bustled in from a crisp Manhattan evening and the story gets an appreciative laugh. City University of New York is home to one of the most psychodynamically oriented clinical psychology courses in the US, and Shedler is here to fire up the audience. He’s presenting his research on the effectiveness of psychodynamic therapy, but the underlying message heralds a fight back. His data is mixed with tales of naive cognitive therapy trainees and disdain for ‘manualised CBT’ (there is, it seems, no other sort) and the audience are firmly behind him.

New York City was famous for its Freudian émigrés and became a leading centre for psychoanalysis during the 20th century, but the rising influence of drug treatment began to erode both the popularity of the couch and the therapeutic eminence of the Big Apple. Shorter therapies, validated using the techniques of academic research, have pressured both psychodynamic therapy, the younger relation of psychoanalysis, and its community of practice, who traditionally eschewed the systematic collection of data for the introspective gaze.

Psychoanalysis never gripped the UK’s psychology and psychiatry departments as it did in the US, and so the division between clinicians and researchers has traditionally been much less acute. In the New York lecture hall, this divide is reflected in the post-presentation discussion, driven by the split rhetoric of ‘practitioners’ and ‘researchers’ and how the latter don’t understand the former, despite the fact that we’re here to discuss research evidence. But most striking is the sense of revolt against the perceived oppression towards the psychodynamic approach, which, in the US, is additionally fuelled by the insurance companies desire for the most evidence-based bang for their buck.

The audience speak out. Person after person stands up, vociferously thanking the speaker, decrying the lack of respect afforded to psychodynamic treatment and promising to spread the word about this new evidence to colleagues, managers and patients. But beyond the fight back, there is a distinct culture change in the air. In an area famously divided by internecine feuding and bitter theoretical differences there is unity. And perhaps more significantly, the tools of clinical trials, systematic data collection and evidence-based practice are now being taken up as essential allies. New York City may yet be home to psychodynamic revolutionaries once more.

Many thanks to @Zleeoga for inviting me along to see the New York psychoanalytic scene in action. Greatly appreciated!

And many thanks to Jon Sutton, editor of The Psychologist, who has kindly agreed for me to publish my column on Mind Hacks as long as I include the following text:

The Psychologist is sent free to all members of the British Psychological Society (you can join here), or you can subscribe as a non-member by going here.

Link to December’s Beyond Boundaries column.

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The No New Gifts Holiday Challenge

Are you ready to participate in the mad shopping frenzy that we partake in every year, not only on Black Friday but all holiday season long?

Are you ready for an incredible burst of spending, for racking up credit card debt, for the stress of buying things for everyone on your list?

Are you ready to consume an insane amount of resources, to have a huge impact on the environment, to work long hours to pay for all that?

Yep, it’s the holiday season again, and with it comes the worst season for consumerism ever.

I say, let’s opt out.

My family and I are issuing a challenge to all my wonderful readers, to the world: The No New Gifts Holiday Challenge.

What is this crazy challenge? It’s simple — follow all these rules:

Buy no new gifts during the holidays.

Wait, whaaat? Don’t fret, there are alternatives:

Make gifts, like crafts or construction type gifts.Bake or cook consumable gifts like cookies.Give the gift of your service — wash cars, give a massage, babysit, clean a house, mow lawns, etc.Buy used gifts at thrift stores.Donate to charity, as a group.Volunteer at a charity together.Have a shared experience together.Create something, together, instead of consuming.Give to others things you don’t need (a good sewing machine, etc.).Find gratitude for what we already have.

Are you in? Take the challenge! It’ll be fun, you’ll save a ton of money, and your family will get creative. Read on.

Many people will scoff, and say they love giving gifts. It’s a tradition, after all!

Well, sure. But new traditions can be made if the old ones aren’t working out. And I’d argue the tradition of buying gifts is broken. Read: The Case Against Buying Gifts.

Do we really want to teach our children that giving is really all about buying? Do we want to teach them that to show love, you must buy something? Do we want to set an example of consumerism instead of creativity? Are we saying that the only way a family or friends can get together is if we spend a crapload of needless money?

No. Let’s be more creative. Let’s create new traditions.

What kind of traditions? What if families got together and played games? Built things? Went outdoors to hike, play games, swim, play in the snow, camp out? What if families taught each other how to make things?

What if families got together to help others? Volunteer at a soup kitchen, help others build houses, clean up a neighborhood? Show that giving can be amazing, but it doesn’t have to involve consumerism.

Get creative. Get healthy. Get constructive. Get compassionate.

I think you know this already, but it’s worth reminding ourselves that when you shop during a sale, you aren’t saving money. You are spending it.

The best way to save money is by not buying at all.

Sure, there are some necessities that we need, but holiday sales are not about necessities. They’re about convincing you that all these TVs, iPads, Kindle Fires, iPods, video game systems, clothes, power tools and more are necessities. You can’t escape buying all this stuff, because it’s Christmas dammit! So come down and save some money, and sign up for store credit while you’re at it.

When retailers offer you a major sale, this is a good time to run in the other direction. They’re trying to trick you into buying something you don’t need. When you see an advertisement for something, anything, it’s a good time to shut off whatever you’re watching, or go to another website. You don’t need it. Opt out of Black Friday, at the very least. (We’ll talk about next year later.)

First, your whole family doesn’t have to do this. Just you. You’ll be an oddball, and some people won’t understand, but you’ll be leading by example. Send them a link to this post, and tell them Leo made you do it. Just because everyone else is doing massive consumerism, doesn’t mean you have to.

Second, don’t be fatalist. Your family might be willing to change, if you at least start the discussion. Again, send a link to this post. Ask them what they think. Challenge them to get creative.

This could save your family thousands of dollars, and be incredibly gratifying in the process. Instead of spending hours of shopping apart from each other, you could be spending hours together, doing things. Celebrate the holidays simply.

Talk about the benefits of changing, and the problems with the way things have been done.

These holidays weren’t always about massive shopping. What did people do before department stores and malls and online retailers? How did they ever survive? Let’s try to remember.

Some friends or family members absolutely won’t join you. That’s OK. You don’t need to force this on anyone.

Remember that everyone will change at their own pace, and not everyone will embrace changes like this. They’ll feel threatened, or criticized. You need to try not to come off as critical of others, but more positive.

Tell them that they are not required to join you, but that you want to do this for your own sanity. You are trying to save money, but mostly you want to move away from consumerism. Ask only that they respect this.

Others might insist on getting you presents. Politely ask that they don’t, but if they do, don’t be ungrateful. It can be awkward — for years I’ve asked family not to buy me presents, only to have some of them buy me stuff anyway. I don’t buy them anything, so it’s weird. But these days I just smile, and say thank you, and appreciate the effort. It’s a long education process, trust me.

In the meantime, you can still suggest starting other traditions, like playing games or going outside or volunteering.

Be patient. Others don’t like to be forced into change, so just be the change you want to see in the world.

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Do You Have the Will To Succeed?

Photo credit: JD Hancock (CC BY 2.0)

Earlier this summer, I was watching a bit of the NHL (National Hockey League) entry draft on TV and one of the young hockey players drafted this year by the Florida Panthers team was a young man named Rocco Grimaldi.

Grimaldi actually made sports history as he became the shortest player at five feet, six inches tall to be selected in the NHL entry draft. This is really something given that professional hockey players these days are hovering at about six feet in height on average. But Grimaldi’s lack of height has certainly not stopped him from playing well enough in the minor leagues to get the attention of NHL scouts.

Grimaldi’s example echoes a very famous and profound quote by legendary football coach Vince Lombardi (from North American-style football, not soccer). This particular quote, which is on a motivational poster I have on my home gym wall, should be part of standard study in personal development.

Here’s the actual quote for your reference:

“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather is a lack of will.”

Coach Lombardi noticed throughout his years of coaching football that the champions are not always those who are the biggest and strongest players. We also see something similar in the business world, as those with the most education are not always the most successful either. In fact, the most successful people in many different fields are not always the most gifted in terms of size or knowledge. But what they do have is the will to succeed, which more than makes up for their lack of natural assets.

Wayne Gretzky

Another great example from sports is Wayne Gretzky, often acknowledged as the greatest hockey player ever. He was nowhere near the most imposing player on the ice in terms of size, but his intense will to excel in the game since early childhood enabled him to make up for his lack of bulk. The skills he developed — including his skating style — made him a very difficult player for the bigger guys on the ice to bodycheck. In fact, they often referred to him as a very ‘slippery’ skater with a unique way to dodge bigger players. Add on his incredible scoring abilities and it’s no wonder why he was called ‘The Great One’.

Bill Gates

One of the best examples from the world of business to demonstrate Coach Lombardi’s quote is Bill Gates. He dropped out of college to eventually start Microsoft. He didn’t have the most acquired knowledge but had enough computer skills plus his enormous will and foresight to change the tech world. He made up for his lack of business knowledge by recruiting people who did have expertise in other areas needed to build a successful company. The rest as they say, is history.

Terry Fox

After having a leg amputated due to cancer, Terry Fox was not exactly the most likely person to be a long distance runner. But because of his incredible will to raise awareness for cancer, his ‘Marathon of Hope’, which was a brave attempt to run across Canada, is now legendary. Terry Fox started his journey from the east coast and never made it across Canada. He got as far as northern Ontario when his cancer finally defeated him. However, his inspiration resulted in annual events worldwide that have raised millions of dollars for cancer research ever since.

When looking at your own life and goals, don’t be disheartened if you are lacking in a few qualities such as strength or knowledge. Countless people like Wayne Gretzky, Bill Gates and Terry Fox have achieved great success, leaving lasting impressions in society despite having some shortcomings. Natural ability (and even acquired knowledge) can only take somebody so far. Without the additional willpower to do whatever it takes to become successful, these assets can’t be utilized to their potential. This is why many gifted or well-educated individuals still fall short of their goals.

You can apply Coach Lombardi’s wisdom by developing the will to work hard and be fully committed towards your goals. This will compensate for any perceived shortcomings that you may have. Strong willpower enables you to endure and persevere the rougher parts of your journey.

This is what Rocco Grimaldi did as he kept working on his hockey skills — even though he was probably told by many naysayers that he was too small to be a professional hockey player.

The will to succeed can make all the difference. Don’t suffer from a lack of it if you want to achieve success in what you do.

Clint Cora is a motivational speaker, author & Karate World Champion based near Toronto, Canada. Get his FREE 3-part Personal Development Video Series on how to expand your comfort zone and finally conquer even your most daunting goals in life.

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7 Ways to Clear the Clutter and Find your Life

Photo credit: oneonethreefour (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Is clutter taking over your life?

Maybe it is and you don’t even realize it. As a personal productivity coach I work with clients helping them organize their lives to work more efficiently and achieve more of what they want from life.

On one occasion I was working with a business owner who was experiencing a lot of stress and feeling very overwhelmed. We started by clearing her office of clutter. While we sifted through the mountains of paperwork and the many notebooks on her desk, she found a check for 1,800 euro that she had forgotten to cash. Her life was so disorganized and out of control that she did not miss that check.

If you can relate to my client and have had a similar experience, it may be time to take back the control. Clearing the clutter can be a clever place to start.

1. Start small

Just like creating new habits the trick is to start small. Don’t try to tackle too much all at once; it usually ends in frustration, dissatisfaction and ultimate abandon. Choose a small area or one drawer to get started and schedule time to complete the task. It usually works better to schedule time rather than have a physical plan because often the de-cluttering takes longer than expected. If you spend hours trying to de-clutter a space to not achieve it can turn the expedition into a negative experience.

2. Make sure everything has a place

One of the reasons we allow clutter to accumulate is because we don’t know where to put it. We move things around from surface to surface not quite knowing what to do with them. Create a place for everything and if necessary go out and buy more storage containers. But be careful, the more storage containers you have the more you will fill.

3. One in two out

You have probably heard of this tactic before. Every time you buy something new, throw out or give away two things, this will ensure the quantity of items you own decreases over time rather than the gradual creep of belongings. It also prevents you from buying unnecessary things as you know you will have to throw out some possessions when you get home.

4. Become a charity King or Queen

Know that every time you donate clothes, books or toys to a charity shop you are helping people. Rather than let things clutter up your drawers they could be doing good in the world. Separating yourself from your belongings becomes easier if you are doing it for a purpose.

5. Remember objects don’t define the person

For years I kept a snowboard in the corner of my sitting room as it represented the person I wanted to be — bold and carefree. I live in a country that doesn’t have mountains with snow. I wasn’t very good at the sport and at best I could go snowboarding once a year. Sounds ridiculous when you look at it objectively, but for me it represented a part of my life I didn’t want to let go of. Selling my snowboarding gear was a liberating experience. I felt the moment I let it go out the door I matured. I am who I am and don’t need an object to express my personality.

6. Create rituals to prevent clutter creep

If you manage to de-clutter and get things under control, how are you going to prevent the clutter from coming back into your life?

Create rituals. Do the washing up straight after dinner, get the children to tidy their toys before bed, tidy up time comes before lunch every day. By creating rituals for certain events they become so much a part of your everyday life they don’t feel like a hassle. These little rituals just like brushing your teeth before bed become semi-automated and help to keep your life under control.

7. Music and celebration

Turn on your favorite music and get started. Music can uplift and inspire, it can turn the most mundane task into something enjoyable. When you have finished acknowledge your achievements and reward yourself, something you should do with all areas of your life. Great things deserve recognition and celebration. Treat yourself and admire your hard work.

If you have any more de-clutter tips I would love to hear them

Ciara Conlon is a Personal Productivity Coach and author. Her mission is to help people achieve their best through working efficiently and being positive and present. “Through Productivity and Positivity I believe there is little we can’t achieve” go to Productivity & Positivity and get Free eBook called Clear the Clutter; Find Your Life

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TED App comes to the iPhone

We’re thrilled to announce that TED’s official app is now available for iPhone, optimized for a small screen and introducing several much-requested features!

Adapted from our award-winning iPad app, the new TED iPhone app allows users to browse and watch TEDTalks, videos ranging from 3 minutes to 18 minutes in length. TEDTalks feature great ideas from speakers on everything from genetics and geopolitics to sculpture and creativity.

The TED iPhone app experience is tailored to mobile phone users who use their devices when on the move. For instance, users at the gym or out walking the dog now have the option to simply listen to TEDTalks audio. With the iPhone app, TED introduces TED Radio, which streams curated audio TEDTalks 24/7 – click the button and start listening immediately. The app plays audio in the background, allowing listeners to multitask, using other apps like Safari or Mail simultaneously.

Also new to the iPhone app is Bookmarks, a user-requested feature, which allows users to flag and save talks they don’t have time to watch at the moment. They simply tap the Bookmark button, then access talks later from the My Talks tab – with no obligation to wait for a video download.

Many popular features of the TED iPad app can be found in the new iPhone version:

Browse + share: Users can see the latest TEDTalks videos as soon as they’re published. Browse the TED library by theme, tag or rating. Search for a talk or speaker by name, topic or popularity. Share a talk over Facebook, Twitter or email. And download videos directly to the device for offline viewing.

Discover new ideas: Using the “Inspire Me” feature, users can tell the app what kind of talks they want to see (Inspiring? Funny? Jaw-dropping?), dial in how much time they have, and let the TED app build a custom playlist to fit their schedule — for viewing immediately or watching later.

AirPlay: Built-in AirPlay support on the iPhone app allows users to play TEDTalks on any Apple TV-enabled television.

TED’s official app requires an iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 4.3 or later. The iPad app requires an iPad with iOS 4.3 or later. Audio works great over 3G and WiFi. Video streaming works over 3G, and still better over WiFi. Downloads require WiFi. The apps are available today for free in the App Store. Like the iPad version, the iPhone app was created with support from Rolex.

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