Cut The Leash

Do something that scares you

EVERY day.

If you do, you'll go farther in life than you ever imagined.

Happy Halloween!

And, thanks to Tabitha for being the inspiration for this post.

Kriek on!

Your friend,

Jim Caruso

Absolutely Free M.I.T. Education

The only real education is self-education. 

Train yourself to observe, to see the world as it is, and to think and make decisions.  And to read and to study.  The resources available to any one of us are unlimited.

College as we know it is about to experience a meltdown more dramatic than the dot-com bust.

One of the most prestigious universities in the world, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, now offers 2,000 courses FREE online through their OpenCourseWare program.  That´s virtually every course MIT offers complete with the syllabus, links to purchase the textbooks, and exams.   Many of the courses are actual classroom videos.  It´s all there from "Reading Poetry" to "The Aerodynamics of Viscous Fluids" for anyone with access to a computer regardless of whether they are in South Africa or Madrid, Spain.  No strings attached.

Sparkle!  Be brilliant! 

Your friend,

Jim Caruso

Be unusual

While there are a few creative geniuses as a result of their DNA (Einstein, J.S. Bach, Michelangelo, and others of their ilk), all of us ordinary people were born creative enough.

Some people had the good fortune to be reared in artistic environments that encouraged and nurtured that creativity.

Most of us, however, without that encouragement, had their creativity crushed by the school system early on.  Unless, that is, they were one of the fortunate few who attended a progressive school such as the one that George Stranahan founded and that just celebrated its 40th anniversary.  Then, after being taught compliance by the school system, many went on to the corporate world where any remaining creativity was extinguished by policy and procedure manuals and the norm that everyone dressed alike, used the same jargon, and closely imitated the boss because that´s how you got promoted.

But the new scarcity in the post-industrial world is creativity and you can reclaim your creativity.   While a few rare individuals are genetically gifted, creativity is more of a characteristic than a gift and we all possess it, thought the minority express it.

It´s never too late to stop being Ms. or Mr. Average and to develop your creativity.

The secret to doing so?

Let go of the fear of being unusual.  That´s a completely baseless fear. 

Express yourself.  Today.  Right now.

Your friend,

Jim Caruso

 

 

Beer & The Beat Generation Reading

If you´re looking for some Fall reading, here are two books to consider.

The Typewriter is Holy: The Complete Uncensored History of the Beat Generation chronicles the Beat Generation that changed the world.  Hunter S. Thompson  was an avid reader of the Beat Generation and he befriended Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs, two of the Beat authors that feature prominently in Tim Morgan´s book.

Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition is the fascinating story of 14 years (1919 - 1933) of Prohibition in America.  Progressives, suffragists, and the Ku Klux Klan banded together to make it law, and it effectively created organized crime.  Prohibition also destroyed America´s beer industry.

Quoting Seth Godin: "Until further notice books remain your #1 entertainment and learning value."

And Dave Masterson, Attitude Adjustment Consultant at Hunterdon Brewing Co., our NJ wholesaler partner, has a great voice mail message: ¨Hi this is Dave.  Please read a book."

Have a great day!

Jim Caruso

 

 

Knowledge, Experience, Hard Work, and

Creativity.   

Knowledge and experience are valuable, but not rare commodities. 

Hard work is essential, but not sufficient.

Creativity is where all the value is.

We´re all capable of being creative.  Every one of us.  Ordinary people can be extraordinarily creative. 

We´ve just had the creativity pounded out of us over the years by a society that wants us to fit in.

But that´s where all the value is these days.  In being creative. 

I recommend 30 minutes of solitude per day if you want to discover just how creative you are.  You can focus on a particular problem that you want to work out a solution to (directed solitude) or you can let your mind wander and let your subconscious take over (undirected solitude).   After 30 days, you´ll be amazed at what a superpower of a brain you have.

Your friend,

Jim Caruso