The term “crowdsourcing” was coined by tech writer, Jeff Howard, to describe the ever-growing popularity of getting information, ideas and public answers by accessing the “wisdom of crowds”. Whether it’s getting advice from those in your Network (Twitter, just when you were getting comfortable with Facebook!)), seeking knowledge (Wikipedia), or using open source programming (e.g. Wordpress), technology is moving us at rocket speed, enabling access to the talents and intelligence of a sophisticated “crowd”.

Rather than feeling overwhelmed by these fast-paced changes, consider yourself in the forefront of the tech “cognoscenti”, those using mass collaboration to outsource jobs and projects, design products, turn hobbies into income, find investors, improve customer relations and services, charity fund raising, (and just about anything you can think of), and what it all means:

· “Brain gangs” – the information, skills and talents of a group, which may be specific or random, generates content and/or offers solutions for a variety of questions or problems.

· New partnerships - customers/consumers join and assist in the development of products and services, where the contributors often become the buyers in this relationship-based marketplace.

· Decentralized diversity – leap-frogging committees, managers, and bosses, opinions can be obtained from a huge pool, often operating independently; decisions are then made by those that sought the information.

· No single opinion maker – participants are independent from one another to keep people from being swayed by a single opinion leader, constantly generating of fresh perspectives.

· “Many to many” communication – with a multitude of readers, writers, and commenters, traditional media no longer provides the only model; individuals and groups actively provide information and knowledge

· Corps of communities – these “help engines” are powered by ardent and dedicated individuals and groups that can provide feedback and support; businesses seek this large pool for focus groups, trend spotting, branding, marketing and product development.

· Caveat emptor - same as you were told about newspapers and magazines, don’t believe everything you read! Check your sources (online sites such as Snopes), reach out to those in your networks (and beyond), ask for suggestions, advice and additional information.

· In the spirit of crowdsourcing, what topics would you suggest for the weekly Tip?

And remember, taking action is the catalyst for change!

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• Essential Question#2: Are your best years ahead of or behind you? Is this really true? #

Essential Question#2: Are your best years ahead of or behind you? Is this really true?

Essential Question #1:What have you done this week/month/year to improve the life of another person?

Reaching Your Outer Limits

Change is often scary, while the familiar is comfy, but rarely exciting, inspiring or earth shaking. Do you find yourself talking about altering your life style, habits and patterns, but rarely taking the necessary steps to make it happen?

If you feel it’s time to budge a bit from your comfort zone, it may be easier than you think:

• Innovate – establish yourself as the source that others come to for suggestions, interesting ideas, and a purveyor of knowledge, willing to share your wisdom, information and expertise.

• Welcome change – whether it’s as mundane as trying a new restaurant or a bolder move like starting a new career.

• Weekly commitment – choose one thing that you’re usually stymied by, break it down into smaller, manageable tasks, and just do it!

• Mini retreats – take daily 5 minute mental vacations. Visualize a place you’ve visited, would like to visit, someone you love to be with, or something you enjoy doing and delight in imagining yourself in this situation.

• Read, read, read – knowledge is indeed power and information about a variety of subjects makes your opinions interesting, inspiring and sought after.

• Self limitation - what are the main things, in specific areas of your life, which are holding you back? Decide what concrete plans you can make to successfully tackle them.

• Rise at dawn – make a commitment to get up at sunrise one day a week and note how many additional things you can accomplish.

• The risk factor – when deciding about different courses of action to take, choose the more daring one. What was the outcome?

• A helping hand – extend yourself by volunteering, building a community (actual or virtual), nurturing diverse types of relationships and cultivating new associations (this is sure to be as beneficial to you as it is to others).

• Envisioning – try to visualize yourself as an explorer, finding out about the hidden treasures of your neighborhood, your family history, visiting foreign countries, etc.

And remember, taking action is the catalyst for change!

Couch potatoes of the world unite! Not to worry, they’re probably too busy zoning out in front of the tube to make an impact on much of anything.

Results of a 30 year survey investigating individuals’ happiness levels, which included 30,000 adult participants, noted that watching television may give immediate pleasure, but ultimately contributes to long-term dissatisfaction. Unhappy people, generally less connected to social supports and activities, watch 20% more TV, filling up their unwanted spare time (adding to the vicious circle of why they are unhappy).

On average, people (in the U.S., a bit less in Europe), spend 4-5 hours a day in front of the TV. By age 70, about fifteen years of life will be forfeited to channel surfing and watching the screen. What other things might be done or accomplished during that time?

• At the expense of REAL engagement - interacting with family and friends, sports, artistic endeavors, and intellectual pursuits stimulate and challenge the brain as opposed to an “activity” needing only passive “participation”.

• Instant gratification –watching the telly requires no skills or effort and makes no demands; an understandable choice at the end of a hard day, but is there any enduring benefit?

• Whose reality is it - would the pull of reality shows or celebrity gossip programs be so mesmerizing if you were creating adventures, engaging in fun activities and expanding your own horizons?

• Addiction friction-has your allegiance to television (or the computer, etc.) caused rancor within relationships, with significant others in your life feeling your first (and lasting) love is electronic in nature?

• Vegging out – it’s easy to eat (unhealthy) meals and snacks and drink in front of the TV, but the only exercise consists of lifting food from the hand to the mouth.

•Makes gratuitous violence acceptable and seemingly commonplace – additionally, those who watch a greater than average amount of television report feeling less safe and less trusting.

• Glorifies materialistic values – while being encouraged to want more, comparisons to inflated lifestyles portrayed on screen contribute to viewers’ lower levels of happiness.

• What’s the message – whether visitor or host, if Big Brother isn’t turned off while conversing with others, whose input is deemed more important and interesting?

• Stymies mental development – this is particularly true for children’s intellectual development; in seniors, incessant TV viewing hastens attention and memory problems.

• Create your own station break – try no TV for a week or two (or a month). At the end of that time, list the things you were able to accomplish (and enjoy), by not being a viewer. Did you really miss it?

And remember, taking action is the catalyst for change!

Psychological vampires don’t suddenly materialize out of the pages of an Anne Rice novel, “Twilight”, or an old Bela Lugosi flick. Masters (or mistresses), of the first five minutes, they often ooze charisma, displaying their charming, hypnotic side at will. These users may have a great deal of money, power, brains, beauty, or sexual allure (or a combination of these traits), but once caught in their enticing web, it’s not quite so easy to disengage. They are experts in using others’ foibles or insecurities to undermine and manipulate, establishing relationships by a facsimile of care, concern, cleverness and personal certitude.

A sub-title for this Tip could have been: “Narcissists I have known and (hopefully), not loved”. If it’s been your misfortune to be involved with these (thinly) veiled vampires, having an understanding of what’s going on will aid (when necessary) in dealing with them:

• Litmus test – do you feel enhanced or diminished after speaking/being with them? If an all too familiar refrain is, “It’s because I care”, and you truly believe this manipulation, get feedback from friends, seek professional help, or trust your gut and head for the hills!

• Like having a relationship with the Gestapo - overly intrusive (constantly calling and needing to know where you are and what you’re doing), suspicious, and (often) paranoid (quick to connect the conspiracy dots), and certain that everyone will take advantage of them.

• Friend of the week (or month)-few, if any, long-term friends, as this psychological terrorist changes the rules capriciously; quickly casting aside family or friends for insignificant infractions.

• Holier than thou – minor mistakes are seen as indicators of disrespect, contempt, or disloyalty, yet demanding absolute fealty from others; self-righteous assertions that their actions are based on “higher” principles.

• No slight is too slight - nurtures each injury (real or imagined) and insult, keeps constant score and expertly makes a mountain out of every minute molehill; since they see themselves as “special and unique”, anything less than adoration is unacceptable.

• Divide and conquer –professional isolators, who try to separate their victim from healthy relationships, minimizing contact in order to be “numero uno” in every sphere of the other’s life.

• Compassion is MIA (Missing In Action) - the hallmark of a narcissist is a lack of empathy toward others; examine deeds, not words, as they have little or no personal insight and are unlikely to change or learn from past mistakes.

• Divas, prima donas, drama queens (or kings) – histrionic vampires (an especially exhausting bunch), mutate every situation into melodrama, sucking the life out of those close to them, or those in their thrall.

• Rages running rampant – impossible to second-guess what will make them angry, but their tantrums or verbal assaults are often successful in getting others to submit to their whims and desires.

• Do fence them in – boundaries are particularly essential with extreme egotists, as they will readily try to draw you into their disputes and crises; being knowledgeable and clear-sighted about their behavior helps in remaining calm, cool and collected when interacting with them.

• Professional pitfalls - when at work, limit contact as much as humanly possible, using a tone of voice, body language and conversation that is polite, but clearly conveys that it’s information, not a friendship, that’s needed. When the vampire variety is a boss, carefully choose your “battles”, strategizing how best to accomplish goals.

• Just say “No” to shtick - choose not to reinforce their behavior or feel guilty over their hurt feelings. Once you are seen as someone who can’t be easily manipulated, they will move on to their next victim.

And remember, taking action is the catalyst for change!

It’s time to rehabilitate guilt, not the excessive, all-encompassing kind, but “healthy” guilt that provides a failsafe device against wrongdoing. We all feel guilty at times, , which is not necessarily a bad thing, as it prevents inappropriate conduct, or spurs us on to correct mistakes and unacceptable behavior. Sometimes, guilt can also provide a needed emotional jolt, signaling that a change has to be made in actions, lifestyle choices, or routines.

Distinguishing between ever-present guilt (feeling terrible about what you have or haven’t done) and shame (feeling awful about who we are) is essential, but it is a clear-sighted moral compass that signals when something hurtful, neglectful, or thoughtless has been done and gives us the nudge to alter the situation(s).

What would it be like to “unshrug Atlas”, so that the weight of the world is not on your personal shoulders? Where do you rate on your internal “guiltometer”?

• Flexible vs. guilty conscience – substituting forgiveness for self-deprecation by accepting mistakes and imperfection (yours or those of others), and taking the responsibility for rectifying those errors.

• Toxic guilt – evaluate those situations and relationships that engender an all-pervasive feeling of self-judgment or wrongdoing, even when no actual wrong has been committed; healthy guilt is internal, not the result of manipulation.

• You should stop “shoulding” on yourself – rather than enumerating the things you didn’t do, keep the things you like about yourself in the forefront of your mind; challenge your irrational beliefs so that your assessments are based upon rational thinking.

• Give up agonizing over “What if ___________”, and substitute the more productive, “What will I do now?” You can’t change the past, but you CAN positively impact the present and the future.

• Make amends – we’ve all made thoughtless comments or done things of which we’re not particularly proud. An apology, regardless of the amount of time that has elapsed, can prove to be very cathartic (whether done in person, the phone, or in a letter), for both the offender and the “offendee”.

• Unresolved issues – tend to crop up again and again. A realistic understanding is needed to comprehend and then remedy these underlying apprehensions, prioritizing the steps necessary to mitigate them.

• Feeling beholden – debts, whether financial, social, professional or as favors owed, often go hand in hand with feeling guilty about their attendant obligations. What actions can you take which will relieve and remedy those feelings of discomfort and indebtedness?

• Saying “yes” when you want to say “no” - others WILL survive if you politely decline a request and set clear boundaries about which things you are willing to do. Why give others the power to determine what behavior is legitimate for you?

• The “Blame Game” - feeling compelled to hold yourself (or others) responsible for all that goes wrong and “knowing” you’re culpable when it cannot be remedied. An attitude adjustment toward viewing mistakes as learning opportunities and ceding your role as the ultimate “fixer” is definitely liberating and less stressful.

• Overly responsible, conscientious and sensitive – sure that you are THE one to set things right, and when this doesn’t work out, left with an over-arching sense of guilt. A high price is paid by confusing a sense of omnipotence with reality.

• Guilt-free zones – whether in particular areas of your house, office, or outdoors, set aside those spaces (and times), in which no guilty thoughts are allowed to take up residence in your mind.

And remember, taking action is the catalyst for change!