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Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

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About Energy

by Rick Baker
On Mar 9, 2012

Over the years, I have written about energy:

Today, my thoughts are about the major role energy serves in our lives.
 
A century ago, another of my heroes, Albert Einstein, showed the world E=mc2...that is, energy and mass are directly linked and proportional. [and Einstein said more] Perhaps this is true? Perhaps, in the future, another great mind will prove there are nuances not captured in that fascinatingly-straightforward Einstein equation?
 
Regardless, for life, energy is necessary. For human life, energy is necessary.
 
Here's how Brad Sugars expressed this a few years ago, when I attended his session in Las Vegas:
  • People can live about 3 weeks without food
  • People can live about 3 days without water
  • People can live about 3 minutes without oxygen
  • People can live, perhaps, 3 seconds without electricity
Brad's point: without electricity the neurons in our brains would not fire...and life would cease. 
 
Energy cannot be created or destroyed. That's the Law of Conservation of Energy we were taught in physics and engineering classes. 
 
So, we know our bodies consume energy and we process it without destroying it.
 
In fact, we use energy to fuel everything we think, feel, and do...our muscles, our internal processes, etc.
 
Our brains consume energy as our neurons fire.
 
Scientists have measured the voltage and the current over neuronal synapses. While it would be rather intrusive work, scientists could insert a bunch of probes and do a pretty good job of figuring out just how much energy is required to fuel the parts of our brains that do our thinking work. Yes, it would be an intrusive and tedious exercise...and dangerous. So, let's not spend more time on that extreme approach.
 
Let's accept the fact our brains use quite a bit of energy to fuel our thoughts.
 
On a micro scale, all those billions of bits and pieces of our brains do work when we think.
 
There is a limited amount of energy available to the parts of our brains that do our thinking. 
 
As we try to do with oil and coal and other non-renewable sources of energy, we ought to consume the energy in our brains as prudently as possible.
 
 

Tags:

Beyond Business | Brain: about the Human Brain | Hero Worship

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Thought Tweet #425

by Rick Baker
On Mar 2, 2012

Thought Tweet #425 "Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future."


The Thinking Behind The Tweet

That's a quote from the Danish Physicist, Niels Bohr (1885-1962). Bohr had a terrific personality and sense of humour. And, of course, he was a deep thinker. Here is another example: “The opposite of a fact is falsehood, but the opposite of one profound truth may very well be another profound truth.”

 

Tags:

Hero Worship | Humour | Thought Tweets

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Thought Tweet #419

by Rick Baker
On Feb 23, 2012

Thought Tweet #419  "Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it." #ReneDescartes 

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Descartes: what an interesting man! He started a philosophical revolution when he said, "I think; therefore I am." He also said, "I am accustomed to sleep and in my dreams to imagine the same things that lunatics imagine when awake." [And, from what I've read, he might not have felt dogs are 'Man's Best Friend'.]

Tags:

Delegation & Decisions | Hero Worship | Thought Tweets | Wisdom: Surviving the Test of Time

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About Napoleon Bonaparte and the 'thought-force'

by Rick Baker
On Feb 23, 2012

About Napoleon and the thought-force

"Napoleon's army is in the East. The plague is beginning to make inroads into its ranks. Long lines of men are lying in cots and on the ground in an open space adjoining the army. Fear has taken a vital hold of all, and the men are continually being stricken. Look yonder: contrary to the earnest entreaties of his officers, who tell him that such exposure will mean sure death, Napoleon with a calm and dauntless look upon his face, with a firm and defiant step, is coming through these plague-stricken ranks. He is going up to, talking with, touching the men: and, as they see him, there goes up a mighty shout, - The Emperor! the Emperor! and from that hour the plague in its inroads is stopped. A marvelous example of the power of a man who, by his own dauntless courage, absolute fearlessness, and power of mind, could send out such forces that they in turn awakened kindred forces in the minds of thousands of others, which in turn dominate their very bodies, so that the plague, and even death itself, is driven from the field. One of the grandest examples of a man of the most mighty and tremendous mind and will power, and at the same time an example of one of the grandest failures, taking life in its totality, the world has ever seen."

 

From Ralph Waldo Trine’s ‘This Mystical Life of Ours’ (1919 edition)

Tags:

Attitude: Creating Positive Attitude | Hero Worship

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Thought Tweet #416

by Rick Baker
On Feb 20, 2012

Thought Tweet #416 “He has a right to criticize who has a heart to help.” #AbrahamLincoln 

 

The Thinking Behind The Tweet

Abraham Lincoln is one of my heroes. So is Winston Churchill, who, on the same topic, said, “Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.”

Tags:

Criticism: Constructive Criticism is an Oxymoron | Hero Worship | Thought Tweets

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How to Build Self-Confidence - #1

by Rick Baker
On Feb 1, 2012

This is the first in a series of Thought Posts about building self-confidence.

To get started, here is our definition of self-confidence:

Confidence is what you feel when you believe you have what it takes to excel, do well, or at least handle the task and situation at hand

Now, here are some facts about Confidence:

  • each of us has Confidence, at least some of the time
  • our Confidence levels ebbs and flows
  • many factors influence our Confidence: situations, other people's actions, amount of sleep
And, of course, a healthy level of Confidence is a very good thing.
 
So, how might we build Confidence? 
 
First, let's check out some advice from experts.
 
Today, we will start that process with Jack Canfield's Six Confidence-Building Strategies 
  1. Every day remind yourself that you did some things well. Give yourself a mental pep talk at the beginning and the end of the day.
  2. Read inspiring biographies and autobiographies: build a file of the stories that inspire you most.
  3. Be thankful. Focus on the benefits you enjoy.
  4. Build excellent support around you. Excellent relationships will boost you.
  5. Push yourself to accomplish short-term goals. Get things done.
  6. Do something for yourself every week. Celebrate your accomplishments.
What about Jack Canfield's 2nd recommendation: read inspiring biographies and read stories that inspire you?
 
Do you do that?
 
There is no question, Spirited Leaders do that. I imagine Spirited Leaders have always done that...from sitting around campfires listening to the elders and chiefs tell their stories to reading about Mahatma Gandhi or Alexander the Great to watching inspiring movies.
 
Great Leaders study the lives, the successes, and the defeats, of other great Leaders. They do this for several reasons. They do this to inspire themselves. They also do this to learn. Knowledge is a key to Strength and Strength is a key to Self-Knowledge and Self-Confidence.
 
 
 
 

Tags:

Attitude: Creating Positive Attitude | Entrepreneur Thinking | Hero Worship | INSPIRE PEOPLE - GROW PROFITS! | Values: Personal Values | Wisdom: Surviving the Test of Time

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