When we think of business, marketing tactics and strategy comes to mind, doesn't it?
Philosophy does exist but it may be a bit on the back burner. Yet, for us at Psychotactics, philosophy looms large. Here are just a few nuggets that you can ponder over and see how they apply to you—and how you can use them in your life and business.
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Re-release: The Crazy Philosophy Of Psychotactics (And Why It May Help You In Your Business) – Part 1
Original: The Crazy Philosophy Of Psychotactics (And Why It May Help You In Your Business) – Part 1
1) Why Reality Checks Kill Your Spirit (And Momentum)
I got to New Zealand in the year 2000
Did I do a background check of the place? Did I know whether I would love or detest this country? Would I find a job? So many questions pummel us, that we often end up doing a reality check. We try to minimise our downsides and research things to death.
And you know what? Reality checks are often a waste of time
That's because most of our lives depend on pure chance. And our ability to take that chance. Let's say you want to get yourself a coffee today. Did you call in advance to check if the cafe has enough coffee? What about milk? Soy milk, perhaps? Well, you didn't check did you?
Bad, disorganised person. You know you really should have checked.
Your business needs this level of crazy abandon as well
If you'd ask me today, if I would wake up at 3:30 am, and drive to give a speech to just three people who showed up to an event, I'd say no. If you asked me if I'd have bought a laptop that didn't work as well as it should have, I'd say no, I wouldn't. Given a chance to do a reality check, I'd go back and erase all those idiotic moves, and in the process my life would be better, right?
I'm not sure it would
And that's why I hurtle into attending a course without really knowing what the outcome might be; who I'd meet; or even if it would be a constructive use of my time. I'll learn a language like Portuguese when I run into zero Portuguese-speaking people in my life every day.
The lack of reality checks are what made me jump into marketing, when I should have stayed as a cartoonist. It's what causes us to announce a workshop in Canada, without knowing if Canadians are even slightly interested in our workshops.
But surely, reality checks matter
They do. If you don't have twenty dollars in your bank account, you should not be buying that new phone. If the person we're seeing is an axe-murderer, we should really be briskly walking in the opposite direction. Reality checks matter for many things, and they're important for our lives to have a semblance of sanity and order.
But what about planning?
At Psychotactics we plan like crazy. A plan for this, a plan for that, and Fridays are the plan to get back on plan. But as someone once said: planning is priceless, but plans are useless. Once the plan has a few sparks under it, it's time to build the fire. And will the fire burn? We don't know and really we can't care. We have to expect that it will and that things will go as planned. There's not much point in wondering.
And yet, most of us wonder…
We cook a meal and analyse it to death. Will we get it right? Will we get it wrong? Will be disinherited from the will as a result of this badly produced meal, painting, info-product, workshop—whatever project we're working on. The answer lies not in research but in preparedness. So bear with me while I tell a story (yes, another one about New Zealand).
A friend asked me to help him immigrate
Now I'm no immigration consultant, but he was keen that I do some research to set up things. He had the money, he wanted to set up a factory and wanted to have this smooth entry into New Zealand. Anything less than perfect wasn't to his liking. And my response to him was this: “Imagine we set up everything just as you want and need. Then the day you board the plane, there's an earthquake here in New Zealand. What then?”
I'm not what you'd call a risk taker
I like to win, more than lose. I have Plan B in mind. Possibly Plan C. But I won't let Plan B or C get in the way of Plan A. A reality check is an interesting exercise and often it kills the spirit.
I like to live in fantasy land. It's worked just fine for me so far. I'm headed to the cafe. And no, I haven't called in advance.
I'll take my chances.
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