The Antimatter

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler” 

Albert Einstein

There are first-level thinkers and second-level thinkers.The latter is used to looking what’s behind common sense, they tend to be misunderstood by people in general. They are, sometimes, considered strange people by most of society. They are considered the antimatter.

There is an inner feeling of refusing the conventional. Maybe because it’s not enough for them. That first dimension where everybody lives is not completely satisfactory for second-level thinkers. They need more, to go deeper, to find what lays underneath the basic truth.

This physiological necessity to understand the not understandable is sometimes a blessing but most of the times a curse. A second-level thinker walks alone in his thoughts while his body is stuck inside of a casket.

You can not do the same things others do and expect to outperform whatever you might be thinking in outperforming. Be the antimatter if you want to "beat the market". Do what no one else is doing. Dig deeper where nobody wants to dig and you will find the second-level thinker dimension.

It's almost sure that you will never be the same again.

I Guess I Just Feel Like - John Mayer

John Mayer - iHheart Radio 10/24/18

I guess I just feel like
I guess I just fell like
Nobody's honest
Nobody's true
Everyone's lying
To make it on through
I guess I just fell like
I'm the same way too

I guess I just feel like
Good things are gone
And the weight of my worries
It's too much to take on
I think I remember
This dream that I had
That love's gonna save us
From a world that's going mad
I guess I just fell like
What happened to that

I guess I just feel like
The joke's getting old
And the future is fading
And the past is on hold
But I know I am open
And I know that I'm free
And I'll always let hope in
Wherever I'll be
And if I go blind
I will still find my way

I guess I just felt like
Giving up today

*This is my transcription, not the final version.

Paradise Valley - Montana

Pieces of Advice

I have been working with some ideas and I wish to share them with you.

The way I found to improve my life (personal and professional) is following these steps every day.

1) Wake up as early as you can. I wake up at 5 am most of the days. It's the best way to balance family and work.

2) Don't leave much room for insignificant people/things in your life. Avoid toxic people and toxic things. Work with green, yellow and sometimes red people/things, but never with toxic.

3) Work with your things. Be quiet. Be the last to speak, mainly about your plans, goals and objectives. Keep them with you.

4) Avoid foolish interactions. Don't waste your time walking out of your path. 

5) Study! Study as hard as you can. Study whenever is possible.

6) Find your way to go. There are those how can only see the things that prevent them to get their goals, and there are those who can see beyond. They see what they want. Be one of them!

Luck and peace to you all!

Crime and Punishment

The criminal law establishes crimes and the proper type of punishment for each of them. But what is the correlation between crime and punishment? And how those measures and penalties are seeing through the eyes of society?

When someone breaks a rule, so he/she got punished. That is the way things work, or at least how they should work. You can see this from a macro perspective (society), or from a micro-perspective (your own reality).

A few days ago, my wife grounded my 2 years old son because he wasn't having a good behavior. In other words, he broke the house rules. They had a conversation about what had happened and his punishment was to stay in his bedroom for 10 minutes alone. After that, it was the time for my wife and I have a talk. In my opinion, her measure was too harsh. So, in this case, we were talking about the same "crime" with different opinions about what would be the correct punishment to the "infractor".

The grounding was unpleasant, and she issued it purposefully to serve as his punishment.  However, it is not a law. It is not written in any place that the correct measure, in this case, is to ground him, but she decided based on what she believed that would be the best punishment for him.

In order to correct those discrepancies and to avoid that anyone would take their own measures based on their own beliefs, the laws were written as wells as the punishments for the violation of them. But it seems that are some different views about the application of the law. There are those who believe that, choosing to behave badly, you must, therefore, be blamed and held responsible for your bad behavior. In other words, it is the called "an eye for an eye" which means that the punishment should fit a crime.

On the other hand, there are those who believe in punishment as an example to the society. From a micro-perspective it was exactly what my wife did with my son. When she grounded him she was trying to give him an example and show the consequences if he would choose to break the house rules again. Analyzing from a macro perspective if we had siblings, we would be giving an example to the other son. He will notice the consequences and think twice before breaking the rules as his brother did.

The law is not perfect. It is opened for interpretations as well as the punishments are opened for controversies. Although we may not agree sometimes with the balances and counterbalances ruled by the system, they are the foundation of a well-structured society.

WOTD - Bailout

Word of the day - BAILOUT

- a rescue from financial crisis.

Example:

Greece has successfully completed a three-year eurozone emergency loan programme worth

€61.9bn  (£55bn; $70.8bn) to tackle its debt crisis.

It was part of the biggest bailout in global financial history.....

- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-45243088?ocid=global_bbccom_email_19082018_top+news+stories

Father’s Day

Repetition

What people like John Mayer, Aaron Sterling, Dave Grohl, Simon Sinek, Mark Knopfler, to not mention others, have in common?
Repetition! And they know - WHY - they do what they do. Their purpose in life is crystal clear in their minds.
What makes you improve? Be better in something?

#5

There are those who would say that you shouldn't care about your image and about what people think about you. On the other hand, there are those who say that you really need to be worried about what kind of image you are seeding in the world. But, shall we really start to analyze and understand how the world see us? Or shall we live being "ourselves", no matter the consequences that this belief could bring to us?

#4

To keep a good relationship don't try to do everything one likes, but avoid everything that one doesn't like.

See you!

WHY

I work for a company which is constantly analyzing what  "market rivals" are doing. Day by day, my company tries to beat, to overcome its rivals. The funny thing is that they are always one step further than my company. Even if in some moment my company is the #1 position, it doesn't last too long. So, this makes me think about what is happening there. 

After watching one of Simon's Sinek speech, I finally had a glimpse of what would be the problem. Simon said something about the differences between the way that Apple and Microsoft run their businesses. While, one is looking forward, trying to "beat" themselves, trying to be constantly better and in consequence overlap the competitors, the other is always trying to beat the first one.

The aftermath is that while Apple is moving forward and most important, beating itself, Microsoft is in second place, always one step behind.

Bringing this allusion to my reality, the company where I work is doing exactly what Microsoft is doing. Both are working with their WHAT, their HOW, instead of their WHY.

Only when you know exactly WHY you do what you do every single day, you find WHAT an HOW you do what you do. 

In other words, only finding your purpose (WHY) you will be the first, but the first to yourself, not for someone else.

Simon Sinek: CHANGE YOUR FUTURE - Life Changing Motivational Speech

Toy Story (1995) - Review

In 1995 Disney releases what would be considered a landmark for the animation's industry. Toy Story, a CGI (computer-generated imagery) movie, underlines Disney's greatest technological advance in decades. 

 

Toy Story brings a new world seen through the eyes of the toys of a six-year-old boy, Andy. Living in his bedroom the toys come to life when Andy is not there. Woody, an old-fashioned cowboy toy, and his friends have to deal with the arrival of a new toy, Buzz Lightyear, a space ranger. With a better design and technology, Buzz represents a threat for Woody who tries to keep his position of Andy's favorite toy. The plot hits its highlight when Andy's family decides to move. Woody and Buzz are left behind and are caught in Sid's bedroom, a terrible neighbor boy who likes to transform toys into nightmare creatures.

The animation succeeds mixing technology with a well-written script. Sometimes hilarious but original, it's almost impossible not to have the feeling that the characters are in fact real. This was only able by the excellent animation technology applied to the film. The result proves so breathtaking that the regular cartoons look like will never seem the same again.

Watching the film, I felt I was in at the beginning of a new era of movie animation, which draws on the best of cartoons and reality, creating a world somewhere in between them. It's improbable not to think that I will watch and rewatch Toy Story as many times as possible. Definitely, in the future, it will be remembered for all, adults and kids, as a classic, a turning point in what once was known as a cartoon.

Vision Board - Where I want to work.

Letter for a Friend

If I am right, I did like 3708 photos (so far) of your Instagram. People who live with me, use to say that I have some problems when I am speaking with someone else. It's like I consider that the other person involved in a conversation with me, would have access in advance to my mind. Actually, people have no idea of what I am speaking about. Thus, the best way that I've found to communicate effectively was writing. This is why I write so much, and I'm going to write about this amazing experience.

Around my 300º like I realized that my goal was even bigger than I'd first thought. There was a history behind every photo posted and it would be unfair to give a like without even knowing what the photo was trying to reveal. At that moment, I realized that I had already won the jackpot.

I will try in a simple way describe what I felt through this trip from 2010 to 2018.

Firstly,  I have to say that your professional evolution is clear, as well as the evolution of your photos and the way you work. The Japanese say that if you want to be outstanding in something you need to repeat that 1000 times. Indeed, repetition leads you to excellence, but it's impossible to reach that without discipline, without the willingness to become outstanding. I believe that you do your work with excellence, and the only reason you have reached success was throughout a lot of discipline, the desire to be always better and the desire to learn and find something new. Keep doing this buddy. Don't be afraid of the unpredictable, don't be afraid to take decisions, only the most prepared people are capable of leave their footprints on this planet. You are one of them.

It was amazing to see how your "models" were changing during this time. For necessity, to fill the gap or to supply the absence of someone. Or, to supply the need of the one who did not even exist. I loved when Frankie was your main model and he was your son and you were his daddy. Also, I could see all you love with your nephews and all your happiness. Although I could see your sadness when they stopped appearing in your photos. Fortunately, as this universe is wise, soon another model started to show up in your photos. Your son was born and with him, all that happiness were back, your photos were more vivid, the light was different. In some way, they were reflecting all of your love and joy for your paternity. I couldn't forget to mention, your model number one, your wife. Always supporting you, she has a paramount role in the achievement of that excellence that I mentioned before.

Congratulations to value your mother and by the dozens of kisses and hugs that I could see through your photos. Be aware that when everything is falling apart and there is only hopeless, she will be there, ready to have you and help you in some way, here in this world or in any other place in this universe. Be a son is wonderful, and I am glad to know that you are a really good son. Only when we are good sons for our parents we are capable of being good fathers for our sons.

I thought amazing that you, a world-class photographer, also used to put "boards" in your photos on Instagram. I believed that I was the only one who liked to do that. I loved to know that I was on the right path. Also, I loved to testify your celebrations when your heart's team, Avai, did win games. I don't know where is your bike anymore, there were only two photos of it. I am so sad that there is no more Orkut because your mother can't look after her "farm" anymore. Fortunately, Candy Crush is over, so you can have your "wife back" ( but today there is the “train city”).

It's amazing how the success is not capable of changing the essence of certain people. You are one of them. There are people who didn't travel half of you have done, who don't know half of the people that you know, who didn't achieve 1/10 of your success but has no education enough to say one simple "good morning" to you.

The reason for those achievements is that you are humble, just, with untouched values, and I am very proud to call you as my friend. A person who embraces and kisses my son as if he were his own son,  will never be tempted to change, no matter how much success he has achieved in life.

It's a privilege for me to say to everyone that I know you. It's a privilege for me to call you my friend. I want to say thank you for had given me this prize in advance. Have the chance to follow your history was one of the good things that happened to me. I feel like a winner.

May God continue to bless you and your family. May the clicks of your camera continue to accompany the beating of your heart forever and ever.

See you my friend.

Instant Gratification

There were 6 people waiting for the Pet shop opening on Sunday morning. They had to wait for 15 minutes until the opening. Three of them without mobiles and the others with mobiles in their hands. Guess who interacted each other?

Without mobiles were a little girl, an old lady and I. 

With the mobile were the little girl daddy, a guy, and a woman. 

We are losing our interaction ability. Nobody cares about each other anymore.

To sum up, we (the three free hands) talked for 15 minutes about many subjects. Real people in a real world. And I have a clear recollection of their faces.

The other three? Hmmm, let me think? No, I can't. Were they really real?

'Cambridge Analytica planted fake news' - BBC News

Human life

If you think god enough, human life has all the odds to not occur. Nevertheless, we keep challenging the universe every time we breathe.  

Going deeper, the world as it is was not shaped to have us. But, we insist on thinking that we are the supremacist race in this gigantic collection of atoms made up of smaller particles like protons and neutrons.

Even with all this complexity we still think that the universe's purpose is to serve us. We should be humble as the water. Actually, water is far more important than us in this equivalence. At least it can live without us.

So, when you think that you are the center of the universe, re-think. You are not. Grab yourself to this weak line called life and respect how easy is to lose it.

Turning point

When you reach the end of the line. When you are on the edge of a cliff, there is no turning back. You got there. You are there. You feel the pain.

Its one fear that freezes your soul, you know that you made it and you have to decide. Be there for to rest of your life watching and re-watching all the mistakes that had taken you, or you jump the cliff.

Close your eyes and believe. Believe that there must be some kind of way outta there. All that confusion that was consuming your soul now is a relief.

Identity - Co-creator of Knowledge

TED Talks

Who is she?

It was in 2006 when a first met her. I was working for a company as a finance manager and my assistant resigned. The firm started a selective process for the position and one of the candidates was her.

My first thought about her was that she would be too young for the position. I needed someone well organized, disciplined and responsible. In the interview, I couldn't see any of these characteristics. She could be a headache for me.

However, the company's owner selected her. I told him that maybe this could be a mistake but he asked me the be a little patient and to coach her.

I had a pleasant surprise when she began to work. She was intelligent with a fast pace of learning new things and better, she was extremely responsible. All that I had to do was ask her for some work and a few minutes later it had been done. When she had some doubt about something, she was always open to learning and listening.

One of the things that I took from this experience was to never judge someone just by their age or lack of experience or something that could indicate some kind of prejudice.

I learned that our first thought must be always to believe in people, and bet that if we provide a little push, they can do whatever they wish.

PS: Who is she?

Wale - Letter ft. John Mayer

# 3

I am not feeling comfortable here.

Charles Dickens - Great Expectations - Chapter fourteen

As the time passes, Pip becomes an adolescent. He hates having to work with Joe and is always worried about what Estella would think if he was caught working on Joe's forge.

"What I dreaded was, that in some unlucky hour I, being at my grimiest and commonest, should lift up my eyes and see Estella looking in at one of the wooden windows of the forge. I was haunted by the fear that she would, sooner or later, find me out, with a black face and hands, doing the coarsest part of my work, and would exult over me and despise me."

However, he never said anything about this feeling for Joe.

"I am glad to know that I never breathed a murmur to Joe while my indentures lasted. It is about the only thing I am glad to know of myself in that connection."

Chapter 14 confirms that all of his past beliefs are falling apart.

"Home had never been a very pleasant place to me, because of my sister’s temper. But, Joe had sanctified it, and I had believed in it. I had believed in the best parlor as a most elegant saloon; I had believed in the front door, as a mysterious portal of the Temple of State whose solemn opening was attended with a sacrifice of roast fowls; I had believed in the kitchen as a chaste though not magnificent apartment; I had believed in the forge as the glowing road to manhood and independence. Within a single year, all this was changed. Now, it was all coarse and common, and I would not have had Miss Havisham and Estella see it on any account"

See you on chapter fifteen.

Charles Dickens - Great Expectations - Chapter thirteen

As she had demanded in chapter 12, Joe goes with Pip meet Ms. Havisham. It's the first time, since the beginning of the book, that Pip starts mocking and diminishing Joe. So far, Joe was some kind of role model for him, his best friend, and someone that he could always consider. During all the chapter, Pip speaks about Joe's clothes, his manners, his life, and perspectives with disdain.

With Joe and Pip, Ms. Joe heads to the town. There, she stays at Mr. Pumblechook's house, awaiting they come back from the meeting.
Estella welcomes Joe and Pip at the gate and leads them to Ms. Havisham. All them, in the end, agree with the new function for Pip, apprenticeship.

Pip is worried about what Estella would be thinking about him and Joe. He seems ashamed of his family and his background. Joe and Pip leave Ms. Havisham's house and go back to Ms. Joe.
Arriving there, Pip shows your deeply bad feelings about Mr. Pumblechook and his actions. Also, Pip is surly and angry, keenly disappointed by this turn in his life.

"Finally, I remember that when I got into my little bedroom I was truly wretched, and had a strong conviction on me that I should never like Joe’s trade. I had liked it once, but once was not now"

See you on chapter fourteen.

#2

You are on the bus and you see an ant “walking” on somebody’s shoulder. What should you do? 

#1

It seems that everything is falling apart. 

My 40's and JM

John Mayer - Curitiba October 2017

April 7th, 2017, I turned a 40 years old man. I thought that I was ready for it, but in fact, I wasn't. I had imagined that becoming 40, all the theater's curtains would open. The sea would open for my walk. It didn't happen. It was like some sort of fog had blinded me. Things became unclear. The doubt started to be my best friend.

As I am the kind of person who is always questioning myself and everything that surrounds me, I set as being my goal, find a way to get rid of that situation. Every single day I spent hours wondering about it.

Six months later, I was quite better but far from entirely well. Thus, my wife invited me to a John Mayer's concert in another city. That involved a lot of planning because our baby was going to travel with us. One of our relatives who lived in the city, would provide everything necessary for the baby well being. Nevertheless, a dozen of doubts were surrounding my mind.

I must say that I wasn't in the mood to attend the concert. Whereas, my wife was super excited. She always loved John Mayer. When John Mayer opened the show I began to think how much time I'd wasted since April. Music after music, things started to becoming clear to me. What was the trigger?

I believe that was the fact that we are the same age, 40. He turned 40 in the beginning of October. Also, both of us admire good music (he produces it) and guitars. We have the same influences (Eric Clapton, BB King, blues, etc). Finally, we have a bunch of people who love us, but in the same way a bunch of people who hate us, just by the fact that we are idealistic.

Okay, but the turning point was that maybe the concert would be his 50th in 2017, not considering his entire career, but he was playing it as if it was his first. I could feel that! He was delivering his soul, all of his heart to the crowd. Why?

Because he was doing what he loves, what he was born for. He was being a professional, but more than that, he was being him, natural, unique. He wasn't there just by the "paycheck" or just to follow the agenda. He was using the gift that God gave to him.

Another "Me" left the concert. Apart from the great music that I listened there, I got something that have been helping me since then.

Some lessons that I learned

• Find the balance between fighting every day and living;

• Do your job with excellence; 

• If God gave you a gift, use it with mastery; 

• Enjoy the path.

Thanks JM!