TypeCarl

Unconditioning the Past by Conditioning a Strong Identity

There is a crazy or not so crazy thing that happens to me when I return home. I will start reacting negatively against my family if they say something out of line and or annoying. Most of the time it is quite justified in today’s standard, but it isn’t ideal.

I need to learn how to be perfectly peaceful at all times even if people are attacking your character and intentions. It’s hard though. Oh so very hard.

Recently, I have become more and more calm in the way I handle things in life. For example, if someone dangerously cuts me off while driving, my emotional state isn’t affected at all. I just take as it is and realize there is nothing I could do. I could only make the situation worse by being angry.

However, going home and dealing with family just brings back so many years of experiences that it’s like a flood in my mind. I seem to return back to my self that would yell and act very rudely when threatened. The ideal thing to do would be to calmly and assertively say, “I don’t accept your behavior” and move on. In some situations, it is better to just look at the person and ignore the person all together without any reaction.

Some of the comments I get are extremely strong. My dad is the worst. You’d be surprised what comes out of his mouth sometimes. It’s hard not to say something. It’s kinda like when those professional athletes get into a fight after some initial words are exchanged.

It’s important to keep in mind that you can’t be weak. That usually will cause you to get picked on even more. You have to stand your ground firmly and be ready to back it up. Many young children get picked on by bullies because they don’t resist at all. The bullies will keep picking on them because they love the easy targets. The bullies usually don’t target people who are mentally strong despite being physically weak. It’s just too much of a hassle when there are easier prey to feed their insecurity.

The point is you have to stand your ground, but you don’t have to do it in a way that upsets you. You must not have your self dependent on external factors like how other people think of you. You must have a core confidence of who you are and what you are about. This means that when people put you down, you must naturally communicate that you are not reactive to their threats and you mean business. Ironically, they will actually respect you for it and treat you much better.

The worst thing you can do against a trouble maker is to react because that is exactly what they wanted. It means that the trouble maker has the ability to inflict emotional change on you. That is power.

To wrap this up, I need to condition my mind to react in a calm fashion. I need to clearly state to the offender that his or her actions are completely uncalled for without any emotional reaction. If their actions don’t affect me, but yet still bother me, I shouldn’t react at all. You should only be responsible for yourself unless you are personally asked for help.

Thanks for reading,

Carl Zetterlund

P.S. My Dad and Sister cause the most distress. My dad will accuse me of the most ridiculous things. He just jumps to conclusions on my intentions. He’s a very stressed out and negative person, which he won’t admit. My sister was here for a couple of weeks and most of her actions do not directly affect me. However, she is an incredibly lazy person and acts pretty dumb sometimes. Sometimes, I can just look at her and feel a sense of disgust. It’s bad, and I really need to cut it out.

P.S.S My Mom can get on my nerves too, but I won’t go into that. If she caught me sharing this, she’d probably kill me. Hey, I don’t care. I love my family and that’s all that really matters.

A Natural High Presented By Your Changing World

I just finished writing a short post over at Bytedu.com. It’s a motivational piece with an amazing video.

Ok, fine. I won’t make you go over there, but so here’s the video!

Enjoy!

YouTube Video - Did You Know 2.0

Carl Zetterlund

P.S. Warning: Watching this video may change your life.

Color will Change Your Life

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I just read this awesome post on how color can be a great guide to nutrition.

It’s something you should think about. There is a reason for everything, and there is a reason why fruits and some vegetables are so vibrant in color. It is communicating to us.

It is saying. Look at me! Pay attention! I might be good for you. It stands out in our mind because our minds make it so. It is something that is deep rooted in our survival.

The article is amazing because it lets us simplify our decisions. We are constantly being cluttered with news and advertisement telling us what to do. Most of this is incredibly biased. However, this is one of the few good ones. This generalization will lead to our better health.

My preferred meal, which I know eat everyday is a salad with mostly fruit. Keep in mind that fruit also consists of cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, and avacado. Everytime I make my salad, I admire the beauty of it. It is so vibrant in color. Each fruit or vegetable has it’s unique and subtle flavor. It’s so much more than the salty, oily, and peppery tastes we get in our SAD (Standard American Diet).

Eat more color. (the natural kind, not food coloring)

Beautifully,

Carl Zetterlund

P.S. Make it a game. Start with 1 piece of fruit a day.

How Polish Movie Posters Reflect Their Society

I was on Digg.com, and I saw this post on Polish movie posters.

My first reaction was how beautiful, but grim they are.

Then… I thought of how movies are just a reflection of society at the time. Poland has definitely gone through their share of hardships, and it is all communicated through the posters. It’s amazing how it still continues until the present day. I can only imagine what the popular mindset is over there.

You can even see this in America, but to a better degree. American has gone through a lot of ups and downs in the last 100 years. If you look at the Oscar winning movies. A scary or grim movie such as The Godfather always win the Oscars during a time of depression and hardship. During prosperous times however, the opposite is true.

It’s just amazing to me.

Have a great Sunday and don’t look at the posters for too long.

Carl Zetterlund

P.S. It’s funny how my last 2 posts have dark pictures.

How being Unrealistic is Realistically Better

I apologize for not posting yesterday. I must stay committed to my 1 post a day goal.

What in the world am I talking about? Yeah… I’m trying to be clever with my title, but that’s because I read you need to grab people’s attention. Oh yeah, don’t be alarmed by the photo above. It’ll make better sense if you read the post. If you don’t, I just want to say that Hitler is a terrible man, but illustrates my point very well.

This post will be kind of rough and short (I’ll try), but here it is.

(Generalization Alert) There are two kinds of people in this world. One kind observes the masses. The other kind observes the masses as well as the individual.

Let’s start with the first one. The mass observer! The mass observer grows up like any other intelligent human being. He or she learns how the world works by creating large generalizations in their mind. They may not realize it, but it makes life easier. There are white people, black people, yellow people, orange people, blue people, and the list goes on. There are creepy blue people, nice blue people, angry blue people, and the list goes on.

By the time we are in our 20’s, we have a pretty good sense of the world. Unless something drastic happens, we commit to our model of the world. The same neurons in our brain become used over and over until they become very strong. In terms of survival, most people do very well for themselves until recently because the world has become a lot more complicated.

Look around you. Most likely you live in a big city with an increasing amount of stimulation. People from all walks of life come and go right in front of you. Some of these people confuse you, and some of these people amuse you.

And this is where the mass observers stop. They simply label everyone else as different and strange. It’s just much too complicated to break down people into even more categories. It’s just mentally overwhelming. The brain seeks to be solidified.

So what was missed? Many things I suppose. Everybody is so different that it’s just too complicated to label everything, but I’m interested in one of these labels.

The idea that being unrealistic is more realistic than being typically realistic. I apologize for using imprecise language, but I hope you understand what I am talking about.

The world is changed by the few. All the great achievements and advancements of civilization has been created by a few individuals. Some were ridiculed, and some were even killed for their ideas. The commonality of all of these individuals is that people initially resisted their ideas. They resisted change because it didn’t fit in their model of the world.

The point I am trying to make is that we need to stop being afraid to be different. I am guilty of this personally, as I spent much of my life trying to fit in with the masses. It’s not a bad thing because it’s good for your survival to fit in with a culture or tribe, but it has its limits if you are looking for more.

Once you realize this, you will become confident, and confidence is key. Confidence gives you a sense of certainty, which gives you that magical aura called charisma. The masses are constantly looking for someone who seems to know what they are doing. They are looking for someone to fill their need, their need for confidence. However, your confidence must be genuine or else you face certain risks.

What are these risks? Traditionally, it has been death even if the world is really round. Don’t be alarmed. In this day and age, you will always have a second chance unless you live in a country with a fascist dictator. If you think about it, you really don’t have any risks at all.

To wrap this up, think different and be bold. To be successful, you need both. People around the world are looking for you to guide them. Do something great for them. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. They will forgive you if you forgive yourself. If you understand what I am talking about, you are obligated to take action.

But be careful what you wish for.

Realistically,

Carl Zetterlund

P.S. Oh come on Carl! This P.S. crap is getting cheesy!

P.S.S. I used Hitler as an example because he did think differently. He did succeed because he was confident. However, no one stopped him in time. Keep in mind that confidence has no conscious. Be bold and take action. You have a lot more power than you think. The worst thing that can happen is death, and after all, it could be your greatest asset (that’s for another post).

The Mental Workout

I sit.

I sit…

I think…

I think so easily…

I dream so easily…
I think
Therefore I think
I create
I create so easily
so I think

I think therefore I create

I think.

so i create.

create

creating…

create.
 
 
 
P.S. Some of you are going to think way too much into this post. Some of you are going to think I’m still as crazy as I ever was. Some of you are going to think that I’m an pompous idealist. Why?

P.S.S Truth be told. I’m just very tired, and this came out my silly head. Your mind will try to create meaning out of this, but just observe it for what it is. Rubbish.

My First Post on Bytedu.com

I finally got my first blog post up on Bytedu.com. I’ve been doing a lot of work behind the scenes to get things setup. I think I may have just focused a little too much in having a perfect start. I should have focused more on generating content. However, you can’t change the past. You learn and move on.

The topic is about how I became so fanatical about educational technology. It’s definitely the driving force of my life right now, and it means a lot to me. It’s written like a story of my life.

You’ll see more posts throughout today. My goal is to write 6-7 articles before I start marketing it to the masses.

Thanks for reading,

Carl

P.S. I’m going change the look and layout of this blog. I’m not liking it too much. I think its too much for the eyes.

Update: I just added a second post, just visit www.bytedu.com

Why the Minimalist Lifestyle is my New Obsession

I have to admit that this is the third time I’ve rewritten this post. I keep jumping into generalizations about how messed up the American culture is… that’s for another day.

What is this minimalistic lifestyle? It is about getting rid of all material possessions until you are left with just the bare essentials.

I believe that most of our purchases are the equivalent of doing crack. It gives you a short high that eventually goes away. We then return to our normal mental state. We only truly use and need very few items in our lives.

Why should you embrace the minimalistic way of thinking?

1. It’s one less thing to worry about

When you buy something expensive, you have to worry about it. For example, I heard of a guy who was into buying homes around the world. He was asked of how he feels owning such beautiful properties around the world. He replied with something of the lines, “it’s a huge headache to keep track of them and maintain each one”. Another example is buying a Ferrari and being paranoid of driving it in public.

 
2. It makes it easier to pursue your true passion

Most people are unhappy because they spend most of their waking hours in a job they dislike or even hate. The reason they don’t quit is that they feel like they have a lot to lose. They convinced themselves that they can’t live without something even though it’s purely psychological. Get over it (not as easy as it sounds for most). Once you do get over it, you can actually manage to go through the times of being at rock bottom. This is exactly what I am doing now.

 
3. You are now free to fly (complements of Southwest airlines)

This has a lot of value for me. You can just get up and leave at any moment. You can be a nomad again! (this will be explained in another post) It’s hard to just get up and move somewhere when you are attached to large possessions.

 
4. Less clutter for your mind

This ties in #1, but clutter is distracting. For example, minimalistic interior design is much more pleasing to the mind.

 
5. You will become more mentally flexible

We obsess with material possessions on a psychological level. We tend to want to fit in with what society says, or we get a surge of happiness from our possessions. If you become aware of this and break free, you have flexed your brain muscles and made a significant change in the way you view reality. The ability to change is becoming more and more valuable in a world that seems to be barreling into who knows where.

 
6. You will save the planet from waste

Unless your obsession is collecting cucumbers, you are probably harming the environment. It’s hard to see this at an individual level, but a lot of possessions take a lot of energy to produce while leaving many nasty and toxic byproducts. Come on, bring that tree hugger out of ya!

 
It’s my new obsession because it will enable me to live anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice. I no longer have to worry about producing an immense amount of income just to sustain an expensive lifestyle. I can focus on what I care about the most.

Now… how?

1. Find your passion (cliche eh?)

Once you find your true calling in life, you can actually see if this way of living will work for you. Otherwise, you’re just spinning your wheels. If your passion is buying things, then this obviously won’t work for you too well.

 
2. Understand Your Mind

This is essentially breaking free from your existing view of the world. You can do this by studying how our minds operate. Learning simple ideas such as the law of association allows us to understand why we do the things we do. We then can begin to free ourselves from unnecessary habits and thinking.

 
I hope this helps to understand what I am talking about. I will venture in this further later, but I think it’s an amazing way to live. Keep in mind that this is nothing new. This is a central piece in eastern philosophy where some go to the extremes of having absolutely no possessions.

I finally feel free from my mind. I no longer have this ego driven obsession with material wealth. It’s nice.

Minimalistically,

Carl

P.S. There is no right or wrong way to live. Do what works for you. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is just plain insanity.

P.S.S. I know I left a lot of details out. It will only hit home to people who are already on the path. I will definitely revisit this topic.

I’m Making Some Goals!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ok… I need my goals written down, so I decided to put them on my blog. I can’t think of better motivation than the threat of being humiliated by not achieving what I set out to do. It shouldn’t be my main motivator, but hey, I’m still human. I would like to also add that I am not starving even though sometimes I wish I was, so I would work harder and faster.

So… here we go!

I’m going to break them down into short and long term goals. Short term goals will be within 1 month, and Long term goals will be within 5 months. This would translate into deadlines of August 25th and December 25th (the winter holiday formerly known as Christmas).

Short Term (Aug 25th):

• Consistent 100 unique visitors a day for Bytedu.com
• Consistent 500 unique visitors a day for EasyAwakening.com
• Consistent 100 unique visitors a day for HardSuccess.com
• Consistent 100 unique visitors a day for KimZet.com (flower power blog!)
• Achieve posting frequency of one post a day for every blog at minimum
• Generate $300 in revenue.

 
Long Term (Dec 25th):

• Generate $4000 a month in revenue from blogs
• Work out a system where I spent half my time on my blogs and half on creating education software tools
• Pack my bags and live in different places around the world

 
Like all goals, life happens and circumstances may change. The only circumstance I can think of is my friend pulling through with an amazing opportunity to pursue my true passion of changing the way we learn with technology. I’m still heading there, but this would be a much faster route. However, that is still much up in the air, so I will not think about this until it happens. I need to focus on becoming self sufficient and productive in the sense I am continually getting closer to my goals.

Here I go!

Carl

P.S. Yeah, I know I like these P.S. things, but they work because it may be the only thing you read. Anyway, I will update you every week on my progress or changes to my goals.