How do you get good advice for the New Year?

With all the noise out there in the digital space (including this blog 😄) it's easy to become overwhelmed. In fact it's a bit worse than that because if we listen to all the advice out there about how to proceed with our lives we can end up being confused at best, a bit crazy at worst. In addition, if you're like me, you may have taken advice that turns out to be costly in terms of time and money and which doesn't get you the results you expected.

If you have reached this point, and I know that I've been there more than once, it is helpful to distinguish between information and intelligence. Although people can offer valuable information, the reality is that 99% of what's out there in the digital space is basically just information.

Intelligence can be seen differently. Intelligence is what you apply to your own special circumstances and as a response to whatever situation in which you find yourself.

Osho talks about the 'creative response to now' to describe this kind of intelligence.This is a kind of wisdom, something innate beyond the noise and all the information 'out there'.

Try following yourself and your own wisdom. This doesn't mean of course that you never listen to anyone or seek support. Someone may use their own innate wisdom to support you in response to your special situation for example, as in the case of a guide, therapist or coach.

Beware of people offering specific advice to everyone, because while the advice isn't necessarily bad, it just may not be the right fit for your circumstances. (I am aware of course, that by writing this blog I am setting a trap for myself, but I think you can get my point here!).

Most of the people giving advice of one kind or another in the digital space want you to keep coming back for more. Think about this: if they solved all your problems you wouldn't need to come back for more and they wouldn't be able to sell you any more courses or products!

I am not saying they are con artists (although some of them may be!) or that they do not genuinely want to help. I am just pointing out that what worked for them is unlikely to work in the same way (or at all) for you.

Inside you there IS an innate intelligence and it is possible to cultivate that. This means learning to unplug and switch off. It means learning to listen to the universe which is everywhere, both inside and outside of you.It means going beyond information into something deeper.

See this as a long term project. It will take time.

The 'You're New Here' Syndrome

By Michael Brooman

Have you ever changed your job and started at a new company? Personally I have done this many many times. If you have you are probably familiar with the 'you're new here' syndrome.
This is how it works:
You get a new job and show up at a new place of work. Some or perhaps most of the new colleagues are nice to your face and appear to welcome you. After a few days though you notice that other colleagues are not treating you.......well....as a human being. In effect what they are saying is this:
Because you haven't worked here long you are not worthy of my respect. You are basically an inferior being.
Unfortunately it doesn't end there with a few negative individuals being a bit (or very) unpleasant. It may extend into your professional status and career where you find that your skills, ideas and contribution are not valued as much as the more established staff members that have had plenty of time to cosy-up to the management. You might be the most skilled person in the world in your field, but this won't make any difference if the organisation is running a 'You're New Here' kind of racket.
You may find that your opinion is undervalued and your work is not recognised too, which is a very undermining and uncomfortable feeling if you are a serious player.

In any case you should NEVER, NEVER accept this kind of attitude or behaviour from colleagues. If people are treating you in this way they are deluded and scared and should be recognised as such. They are exploiting the distorted power relationships of the microcosm in which they are working to defend themselves from the truth that they are corrupted and frightened individuals, living fearfully in a very limited reality. Do NOT under any circumstances accept their behaviour or attitude towards your work! Nor do they deserve your sympathy or understanding. They are not helping anyone, including themselves with their behaviour.

What should you do under these circumstances? Almost impossible to confront people and 'out' them. it's unlikely they'll accept the truth of the situation and if one of them is your boss, you definitely risk losing your job. Probably the only option you have is to make your work even better so at least you can be sure that you are not going insane. One day, sooner or later you will benefit from giving more value and being an even better professional. Ultimately you will either move on or no longer be the 'New Around Here' employee and who knows, you may even win the respect of the ones that treated you badly, for what it's worth!

Corruption of which this is just one example, is an insidious and damaging virus because it so often lurks unacknowledged, kept hidden by a conspiracy of silence. It is the type of human behaviour that caused the 2008 global economic meltdown and worse throughout history. It will cause many companies to go out of business, and many worthy people to be unhappy in one way or another.

The first thing you can do is to recognise corruption and cronyism when you see it. Look around for allies. Probably you are not the only one that has noticed the glaringly obvious. If you break the silence you are a courageous person but understand that you'll be the first in the firing line when you do.