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“Facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable.” - Mark Twain There is a solution for everything. It is the statistics you have to watch out for. Ha. Statistics: The discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. Note: In an ideal world the above definition would be wonderful. The Operative Word is Ideal. Unfortunately, it is oftentimes not the reality. This week’s Mindful Monday is dedicated to addressing this hiding-in-plain-sight problem. Thus dramatically influencing both business and personal lives collectively. Law of Large Numbers: In statistics and probabilities it states “As a sample size grows, its mean gets closer to the average of the whole population”. This is due to the sample being more representative of the population (and not the individual) as the sample becomes larger. Garbage In Garbage Out: The concept that flawed, biased or inaccurate information input produces the same relevant result output, garbage. Problem: An inability to achieve a pure solution caused by either an accidental or deliberate disregard for the sanctity of the information. Garbage In, Garbage Out. Solution: An action or process of solving a problem. -The Back Story- What is the point? What is the solution? There cannot be a void. In physics, nature abhors a vacuum. Statistics (and their representative charts, graphs, and such) were created for the purpose of helping humanity, but alas. Through misuse, ill-intent, disregard, and self-servingness the intended solution has now often become the problem. As humanity progresses and the complexity of technology increases, statistics now are easily and oftentimes a reflection of the human, the individual or the organization, becoming subordinate to the purity of the information. Facts have progressively become highly susceptible to manipulation and misuse through previously esteemed vehicles to include statistics, graphs, charts, and such, offering the tempting illusion of precision and certainty. Statistics-Graphs-Charts Destabilization of Information Sanctity Problems & Solutions Relevance Relevance is often assumed when a statistic or graph is introduced. Do not assume. Objectively confirm the relevance and sources. Cumulative Graphing Cumulative Reporting may often be subject to selected bias. Accurate Data gives way to optics and visual pleasure. If it appears (looks) too good to be true…. Visual Bias The brain loves a shortcut, and when given an image to explain numerical data, the visual bias kicks in. See Above. Representative Sample The Law of Large Numbers states “As a sample size grows, its mean gets closer to the average of the whole population." Determine the size and representativeness of the sample. Measurement Error Does a dimpled or hanging chad count? Assess the method of measurement for accuracy. Correlations vs Causation Correlation does not equate to causation. Two data points on a graph or chart, infers a causal relationship, which is not necessarily the case. Determine whether causation exists. The Mean and The Maverick Often, when a statistic calls for an average, it is in actuality reporting a mean (the total of the sample divided by the number sampled). If it is a small enough sample, and there is a large enough maverick (one of the samples is exceedingly large as compared to the others), it throws off the average to the point that it’s really not an average at all. Determine if a maverick is skewing the data. “Torture the data and it will confess anything.” - Ronald Harry Coase - Nobel Prize Laureate, Economics

“The atoms or elementary particles are not real; they form a world of potentialities of possibilities, rather than one of things or facts.” - Werner Heisenberg, Nobel Prize Winning Physicist Awareness: Knowing, perceiving and being cognizant of events. Double Slit Experiment:  The double-slit experiment demonstrates light and matter satisfies the classic definition for both waves and particles - Wavicles. This is evidence for the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics. The Law of Exponential Sensitivity to Initial Conditions of Chaotic Systems: Each point in a chaotic system is arbitrarily and closely approximated by other points. Each has a different Future path. Any arbitrarily change or perturbation of the current trajectory leads to different behavior. There are 170 Mindful Mondays written and published, most directly or indirectly, reference Awareness. Today’s Mindful Monday addresses clearly, and overtly, why Awareness Matters. Awareness, Choice, Free Will, Action - these are the universal collective forces (determinants) refracting into what is ultimately quality of life. It begins with Physics, and the Double Slit Experiment, Proving the nature of all things, You. Particles, which are the building blocks of all things, are in all possible places until observation causes them to choose a specific position. These building blocks exist in the form of a Wave of possibilities. They exist in two or more places simultaneously, Superposition. The introduction of Observation collapses the Particle to a Fixed Position, A Specific Reality. This mystical process occurs an incomprehensible number of times, each day. Awareness is a Choice, Choices are made. Awareness leads to the reduction of Possibilities, Probabilities, Reality. There is an infinite number of Realities, existing in Superposition. Awareness, Choice, Subconscious Mind, Conscious Mind You create all Realities. Thus in closing, “The Law of Exponential Sensitivity to Initial Conditions of Chaotic Systems” (see definition above). Small alterations become exponential with frequency and time. Awareness and Choices further and dramatically alter and compound the effect or result or reality. You truly are the creator of your reality. Awareness, the root of all, leads to Clarity and Choice. (NOT CHOOSING IS A CHOICE) “The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.” - Lao Tzu

“The easiest person to deceive is one’s own self.” -Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton Heuristics: Mental shortcuts for solving problems. On average, an individual makes 35,000 decisions per day. From the menial to the important, the brain(you) makes choices, and since it is impossible to dedicate conscious thought to each and every decision, the brain is heavily equipped with mental shortcuts for determining, or often inferring information, and taking immediate action. Mental shortcuts reduce cognitive load, allowing individuals to make more decisions in less time. While this rapid process problem solving saves time, and is a vital life function, it comes at price. The tariff paid for these mental shortcuts include bias, compromise, and lack of awareness. Heuristics replace traditional logic, with the intent to arrive at the same conclusion as logic would have dictated. If it were only that easy. By noticing heuristics in everyday thought processing and decision making, one is equipped to reduce partiality and compromising decisions, opening the gateway to truth through awareness and thereby narrowing the rift between reality and perception. Six Common Mental Shortcuts Anchoring A psychological phenomenon in which an individual's judgements or decisions are influenced by a reference point or "anchor" which can be completely irrelevant. Anchoring bias allows one to rely too heavily on the first piece of information, which will subsequently affect all other decisions. Confirmation Bias A tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one's prior beliefs or values. Since the individual already “knows” what they know, they simply but unfortunately discard all contradictory information. Hyperbolic Discounting A psychological bias where individuals prioritize immediate rewards and satisfaction over future rewards and satisfaction. Sunk Costs This is where an individual uses rational past decisions to justify irrational current decisions. Fundamental Attribution Error The tendency individuals have to overemphasize personal characteristics and ignore situational factors in judging others' behavior. For example, assigning fixed characteristics to a person due to a singular event such as the conclusion that the appointment is not just late, he’s inconsiderate. Availability Bias Immediate examples that come to a given person's mind when evaluating a specific topic, concept, method, or decision. Fast, often incorrect, assessments are made based on recalling immediate information. Singular memorable moments have an outsized influence on decisions when compared to less memorable ones. “Rather than being your thoughts and emotions, be the awareness behind them.” - Eckhart Tolle

“When you are absolutely, positively sure you know all there is to know about anything, you’re as far from the truth as you will ever be.” -Bobby Hull Absolute: An idea or a principle that is Believed to be true or valid. Belief: A degree of certainty that something is true, whether it is or is not. Degree: A unit of measurement, describing the level or intensity of something. Relative: Considered in relation and proportion to something else. Lexicon: The vocabulary of a language. Subjectification: A language change process in which a linguistic expression acquires meanings that convey the speaker's attitude or viewpoint. All Things Are Relative, Absolutely Being almost absolutely positive, is as good as it gets. The Idiosyncrasies of The Absolute Degrees of Probability All, None, Must, Always, and Need, are all oftentimes misused and categorized as Absolutes.  In addition, each sole word is Independently Interpreted. This creates Relative States of Probabilities for both the Communicator and the Receiver. These words as adjectives, nouns, verbs, and pronouns represent Extreme Degrees of Probability. All is typically representative of Most None is typically representative of Very Little Must is typically representative of Should Always is typically representative of Most of the Time Need is typically representative of Want The Impossible The Lexicon giveth Absolutes their power, and also takes it away. Absolutely impossible? If the Word Impossible is an Absolute, as it represents, no qualifier would be needed. The established and accepted Lexicon empowers the word, simultaneously and paradoxically disempowering that same word, through Subjectification. Relativity All Things are Relative, Absolutely. Being almost absolutely positive, is as good as it gets. The only absolute is Relativeness. “Everything is Relative; and Only that is Absolute.” -Auguste Comte

The Matrix of Belief The environment in which thinking, processing, and beliefs are occurring. "The desire to be right and the desire to have been right are two separate desires, and the sooner we separate them the better off we are. The desire to be right is the thirst for truth. On all counts, both practical and theoretical, there is nothing but good to be said for it. The desire to have been right, on the other hand, is the pride that goeth before a fall. It stands in the way of our seeing we were wrong, and thus blocks the progress of our knowledge.” - J.S. Ullian Matrix: An environment within which something develops. Critical Thinking: The type of analysis that uses reasoning and facts to reach an unbiased pure conclusion. Bias: Unfounded, manipulated, and disproportionate weight in favor of or against an idea or thing. Unbiased: Showing no prejudice or favor for or against something. Being impartial. Confirmation Bias: The tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one's prior beliefs or values. Vehicles & Mechanisms Feedback Loop vs Research & Data Feedback Loop: Outputs routed back as inputs, part of the chain of cause-and-effect, forming a circuit or loop. Warning, this can be biased or unbiased. Use caution with this form of analysis. Research & Data: On the other hand research and data is informed, verified, pure of intent information which is collected, stored, and processed to produce and validate original research results. Note: This reduces greatly the liability of incorrect or skewed information in the analysis process. Pure Intuition: An ability to understand or know something without needing to think about it or use reason to discover it. English Novelist Samuel Butler once said, “Life is the art of drawing sufficient conclusions from insufficient premises." Such Conclusions are drawn as the result of Feedback Loops, Research & Data, or Pure Intuition. Feedback Loops often confirm what one already believes, most often based on nothing more than what they think they know. Where input is contaminated so is the output. As it is well said, Garbage In, Garbage Out. The problem being that many are unaware that they are wedged into a never-ending, corrupted feedback loop. Pure Intuition is a subconscious personal truth that is often ignored for it is believed to lack the engagement of one’s critical thinking. It is difficult to put such trust in something that cannot be reasoned with. Research & Data is the only true path to Awareness (Truth). While this reduces the liability of incorrect information, its interpretation is ultimately left to the beholder. True data cannot be skewed, but prideful and conspiring believers can reframe it. Good Intent and Great Energy are necessary to overcome pride and ego in order to unfurl evidence which disconfirms what one already believes. Life is the art of noticing, then exiting Feedback Loops, unbelieving that which cannot be supported with Research & Data, and believing that which is unconsciously known but consciously unknown, Pure Intuition. You are in The Matrix You are The Matrix Your Beliefs are in The Matrix Your Beliefs are the Matrix “You Are Your Beliefs” “Truth will always be truth, regardless of lack of understanding, disbelief or understanding.” -W. Clement Stone

“Life has meaning only in the struggle. Life and death are in the hands of God. So let us celebrate the struggle.” - Swahili Proverb Victory: Overcoming or Winning. Success: A state or condition of meeting a range of expectations. There is an existing common belief, victory is synonymous with success. Equally, there is an existing belief that victory is synonymous with victory. The word representations, victory/success, are not synonymous, neither are the actions. There may be success without victory. Similarly, there may be victory without success. Success is the well-achieved progression to the desired outcome. Victory is the ultimate outcome. There are multiple levels (degrees) of success, while victory is to a greater degree, more defined, finite and absolute. Although there are caveats. Three Caveats of Victory Take Your Victory Winning is often a collectively recognized benchmark suggesting to the Conscious Mind that they are improving or prevailing. The Subconscious Mind is fully aware, predominance of growth, learning and the need for adaptation presents in the face of obstacles. Having overcome the challenges, Victory is Achieved, take your victory. Victory is Relative There are endless categories relative to victory; personal, societal, cultural, economic, noting just a few. The sheer volume of categories does not allow a narrow interpretation for victory. Although paradoxically oftentimes it is. Victory Truly is Relative. Beware - The Price of Victory Pyrrhic Victory - A victory inflicting such devastation to all, even the victor, it is tantamount to defeat. Such a victory negates any true sense of achievement. This ancient wisdom originated from Pyrrhus of Epirus, whose noted triumph against the Romans in the Battle of Asculum in 279 BC destroyed much of his own forces. Second and third order effects, collateral damage, at what price. Beware - The Price of Victory. “Victory is not an event, but a process.” - Svetlana Alexievich “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” - Winston Churchill - Choose Wisely -

Knowing What You Don't Know - But You Really Do Know- “To shift your life in a desired direction you must powerfully shift your subconscious.” - Kevin Michel Conscious Mind: The section of the brain that allows for awareness of one's own thoughts, actions, sensations and surroundings. The opposite of the Subconscious Mind. Subconscious Mind: The section of the brain which is inaccessible to the Conscious Mind, and strongly influencing behavior and emotions. Explicit Memory: Memories that are able to be Consciously recalled from the Conscious Mind. Implicit Memory: The Automatic Memory. This is where all Conscious and Subconscious information is automatically, involuntarily, and naturally stored. Note: The Subconscious Mind stores both Conscious and Subconscious Memories. The Conscious Mind stores only Conscious Memories. Behavior: The response to external and/or internal stimuli. Behavior is a result of Conscious and Subconscious processes. Awareness: Cognizance. Enlightenment: A state of higher interpretation and understanding. Quandary: A state of perplexity or uncertainty over what to do in a difficult situation. Conundrum: A logical postulation that evades resolution. A question without an answer. As is often and unfortunately professed, “What you don’t know can’t hurt you.” This seemingly innocent and lighthearted utterance has proven to be at best incorrect, running the full spectrum of outcomes, too dangerous. The quandary remains, How Do You Know What You Don’t Know? In the Brain, Memory is where all information is stored. Recalled Consciously are the Explicit Memories. Stored in the Subconscious are Implicit Memories. Functional Daily Enlightenment is achieved as you become more acquainted and truly honest internally with yourself, and with pure intent and objective interpretation of your environment, circumstances, and actions. Of greatest importance are the reconciliation and truthful accountabilities of all people and associative relationships. The Subconscious Knows. What Is Your Subconscious Telling You? Behavior Behavior reveals what is stored in the vast Subconscious Mind. It is indicative of held Subconscious Beliefs. Thought Patterns Patterns of thinking revealing the Subconscious Mind: Overgeneralization - negativity/positivity - conclusion jumping - personalization. -There are a plethora of revealing thought patterns- Feelings Emotions are the messengers of the Subconscious Mind. The Subconscious Mind gathers Akashic dimensional levels of information supplied through the five (six) senses. Clarity Harmony of the Subconscious and Conscious Mind is the true key to success. Mind - Body - Soul. “The Subconscious Mind manifests wisdom over time, ahead of the Conscious Mind, leading to one’s destiny.” -Nathaniel Branden

“Be. Don’t try to become. Within these two words, be and becoming, your whole life is contained.” – Osho To Be: A state of. Become: Begin to be. Paradox (paradoxical): Anything that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. Purpose: A reason for which something is done. Having as one's intention or objective. Purposelessness: Having no purpose, aim or intention. Do something for no reason, engage in activity for its own delightful sake. In these moments, one experiences freeness, where limitation and self-consciousness disappear. There is a profound dichotomy between the act of achieving and the act of being. Warning. If you think the entire (only) purpose is to win, you have missed an important part of the lesson, as this perspective robs the moment of its purity. Recognize the value of seeking and achieving purposelessness. It will be difficult. The Ancient Greek word for scholar was skholḗ which meant spare time, leisure, later, conversations with the knowledge gained during free time. Scholars were those who purposelessly, simultaneously mindfully participated in the moments. (Aristotle, Plato, Socrates) Paradoxically, through Purposelessness, Purpose is Born. “The Way to Do is to Be.” -Lao Tzu

“Be an artist of consciousness. Your picture of reality is your most important creation.” -Alex Grey Consciousness: The having of perceptions, thoughts, and feelings; awareness. Subconscious: Concerning the part of the mind of which one is not fully aware but which influences one's actions and feelings. Awareness: Factual and validated knowledge of a situation. Individuation: The manner in which something is identified as distinct from other things. The pursuit of the understanding of the nature of consciousness has led to millennia of analyses, debate, and explanations by philosophers, theologians, scientists, and humankind. Opinions differ about what precisely consciousness is, beyond awareness, and where it exists. Five Of The Levels of Consciousness A Simple Road Map to Introspectiveness I Am An individual’s natural state of consciousness. It is the basis from which all personal conclusions  about oneself and their surroundings are derived from. It is pure individuation. Perspective Ah, the all too familiar. These are the vantage points from which ones I-Am Consciousness experiences life. The individual’s selected perspective (point of view) is a vibrational energy. There are an infinite number of possible perspectives, thus outcomes, all manifesting simultaneously. The chosen point of view begins to crystalize into belief, then behavior and action. Belief Beliefs are the culmination and manifestation of a Point of View. Belief(s) generate (cause) an individual’s environment and they are the core of one’s physical experience. Emotion The emotional state of living is profoundly influenced by belief systems, societal norms, values and ethics and personal interpretation. Thus, the perception of reality is so often subjective. Reality is relative. Or is it. Thought - Thinking A thought is a reflective mechanism. Thought is the individual’s and the collective’s vehicle (particle, wave, a wavicle) propagating realities. Perspective to Belief to Emotion to Thought to Reality. There is no end and no beginning. It is part of the circle of life.

Superman was created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. In the beginning, he could move cars, trains, and even ships. He could run faster than a locomotive. He could leap over a tall building in a single bound. As he developed over the next four decades, however, Superman's powers began to expand. By the late sixties, he could fly faster than light. He had super-hearing and XRay vision. He could blast heat-rays from his eyes. He could freeze objects and generate hurricanes with his breath. He could move entire planets. Nuclear blasts didn't faze him. And if he did get hurt, somehow, he would immediately heal.  Superman became invulnerable. Then a strange thing happened. He got boring. The more amazing his abilities became, the harder it was to think up interesting things for him to do.  And, as the story goes, Superman waned in popularity because he was too boring because nothing stopped him.  Of course, the comic series did later introduce Kryptonite, when they realized that what made Superman so awesome was the struggle.  Readers didn't want a Superman who could avoid struggle, they wanted a Superman that could overcome the struggle despite all odds. "A superhero who can do anything turns out to be no hero at all. He's nothing specific, so he's nothing. He has nothing to strive against, so he cannot be admirable." - Jordan Peterson in The 12 Rules For Life Think about this story in the context of your own life. I am sure that there are days where you wish you had been born extremely wealthy, or amazingly healthy and fit, or prone to agreeable relationships and interactions. Everyone wishes for that easier life at times. But what would life be without a struggle?  Because it's that struggle that makes life worth living. The fact that you got that incredibly hard deal to closing, is what makes you, you.  The fact that you had cancer and beat it is what makes you, you.  The fact that you came from a life of poverty and now you have a nice home and a comfortable life is what makes you, you.  The fact that your teachers told you that you had learning disabilities and you ignored them and went on to get three advanced degrees is what makes you, you.  Your struggle is what makes you, you. You are a superhero. What makes you so unbelievably special is that you go up against the kryptonite every day and you win. Where there is no kryptonite there is no life. Where there is no life, there is no you. Thank God for all that kryptonite in the world, because it makes you you.

What if you thought something different?  As humans, we are a byproduct of our beliefs. We think, act, do, and be based on beliefs. Our beliefs are the lenses through which we interpret everything in life; our thoughts, our interactions, our fears, our desires, our friendships, and ourselves. Where did these beliefs come from? What if they are wrong? Beliefs are like seeds. Seeds that someone else planted in you. Many of those seeds were planted when you were very young. Those beliefs take root and live within you for so long that they simply become a part of you. You don't even realize where many of your beliefs came from or that the beliefs even exist at all because they are simply part of your internal root structure. This week, we challenge you to ask yourself, "What if I thought something different?" This is the first step to digging up those internal roots that may be holding you back from greatness. People think they think, but it’s not true. It’s mostly self-criticism that passes for thinking. True thinking is rare - just like true listening. Thinking is listening to yourself. It’s difficult. To think you have to be at least two people at the same time. Then you have to let those people disagree. Thinking is an internal dialogue between two or more different views of the world. Viewpoint One is an avatar in a simulated world. It has its own representations of past, present, and future, it’s own ideas about how to act. So do Viewpoints Two, and Three, and Four. Thinking is the process by which these internal avatars imagine and articulate their worlds to one another.

"Say what you are thinking, not what you think you should say." - Author Unknown Clarity is Kindness. When writing your emails, communicating with friends and clients, and going about your business this week, concentrate on clarity. Clarity is when you speak your expectations to those you communicate with, rather than thinking expectations internally, hoping the other side knows your thoughts. Clarity is taking a moment to reflect on the best possible way to communicate a clear message and then responding via a quick video, an email, or a phone call, depending on which creates the least amount of chaos in the mind and life of the receiver. Clarity is telling a customer, their home smells like cat urine and it will affect the value, rather than holding back for fear of losing a listing. Clarity is telling a friend they have toothpaste on their face, rather than holding back out of embarrassment.  The world is full of chaos. Real estate is full of chaos. The way humans interact and communicate is often rife with chaos. We challenge you, this week, to be the chaos killer by speaking, acting, and being part of our LAER mantra, "Clarity is Kindness."