Be Like Children

Here's a lifestyle tip from presentation guru Garr Reynolds. If you ever give presentations and wish you knew how to do the right, Garr Reynolds through his book and blog Presentation Zen are a good place to start.

But that's not why I'm thinking of him today. His latest blog post reminds me of a teaching of Jesus who told us to become like little children. Adults debate what he meant even today. But Reynolds watches kids, and has summarized "13 communication and life tips that children teach us."

Read his post to get the entire message, but here are some thoughts I find especially relevant.

• Be completely present in the moment
• Allow for spontaneity
• Move your body
• Play and be playful
• Do not concern yourself with impressing people
• Show your enthusiasm
• Be insanely curious
• Smile, laugh, enjoy
• Slow down

Catching up on a lot of good tips

I went to Chicago last week and that destroyed my productivity. We're busy getting out the February issue of Automation World. Saved a whole bunch of useful sites to suggest. Next is a bunch of automation news I've saved in my @blog folder in Entourage (Outlook for Mac).

Guy Kawasaki talks about Twelves Resolutions on How to be a Mensch. These are excellent ideas for incorporating into your life. Couple of them are be a talent hunter, give something you don't pay for (no, that doesn't mean steal it), spend more time in the "beginners mind," and be happy for others.

Michael Hyatt gives Eight Leadership Lessons from Martin Luther King Jr (OK, his day was last week, but I'm behind). These are also good thoughts.

Marketing thinker Seth Godin had a couple of really good posts lately. Here's one on competition that should get you thinking. This one is especially timely give the recent bitter school levy fight in Sidney not to mention the bitterness of our current American national politics, The False Solace of Vilification.

The Emerson bloggers have been busy. Here's Jim Cahill with advanced valve diagnostics. And Greg McMillan with an essay on Virtual Plants.

Garr Reynolds talks about the presentation, but the content is also worthwhile--how to live better longer happier.

And to complete my reading for the week--a couple of items from my favorite Lean blog, Evolving Excellence. The Lesson of Teddy Bears and The Culmination is ... Poof.

Well, not exactly. Check out these pictures from Mars. Way cool. And--PackML has a wiki.

I'm driving to Chicago again tomorrow for a big internal meeting plus a meeting with Yokogawa that was changed from face-to-face to a Web/telephone conference. Followed by a meeting with Beckhoff Automation on Wednesday where they want to discuss a new initiative.

Offline Productivity

Hope all of you in the US had a great Thanksgiving weekend. I spent some time online, got a little work done, but then I also spent the better part of two days offline. You can do a lot of thinking that way. Sometimes we're so distracted by the constant Twitter stream, emails, phone calls and so on that we don't take time out in the day to think. Glen writing the LifeDev blog experienced this on his recent honeymoon. Something to consider putting into your calendar--time to think.

6 Things To Help Your Kids

Here's a post in the "living" category. Another Leo Babauta Zen (Family) Habits post on developing your kids. Read the entire post, but here is the short list:

• Read
• Talk
• Snuggle
• Remove your shield
• Get them excited
• Trust

Looking back after a lot of years, looks like we did most of that. And it worked. They grew up well.

More rules for life

In the two weeks I was essentially off the grid, I was saving some good Zen Habits posts. Always good thoughts on how to live.

How Giving Changes Everything

Two Questions to Help You Gain Perspective

And a bonus guest post:
7 Essential Rules to Optimum Health and Weight Loss