<![CDATA[Jean Fahmy - Blog]]>Tue, 22 Jun 2010 02:44:41 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[To live a life of Grace]]>Fri, 09 Apr 2010 10:47:59 -0800http://www.jeanfahmy.com/1/post/2010/04/to-live-a-life-of-grace.htmlAnyway
by Mother Teresa

People are often unreasonable
Illogical and self-centered. 
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, 
People may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, 
You will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, 
People may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, 
They may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, 
People will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, 
And it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, 
It is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.]]><![CDATA[The Entrepreneurship RollerCoaster]]>Fri, 09 Apr 2010 10:40:42 -0800http://www.jeanfahmy.com/1/post/2010/04/the-entrepreneurship-rollercoaster.htmlWhen a doe-eyed entrepreneur comes to see me for advice, I tell them 4 things:
  • You will NOT be your own boss
  • You will be stretched to your financial, emotional, psychological, physical and sometimes spiritual limits
  • You will most likely fail
  • You will attain levels of personal satisfaction you have never dreamed of
If they're still standing, we go into their idea and business model. It's so important for me for future entrepreneurs to understand the difficulties that lie ahead. I didn't know them 13 years ago and I wished I did. I most probably would have taken the same decisions, but I would have been less naive about it all.


This video, from GetOnTheRollercoaster.com, amazingly describes what I've been through... 3 times.


]]><![CDATA[The real questions in life]]>Fri, 09 Apr 2010 10:06:30 -0800http://www.jeanfahmy.com/1/post/2010/04/the-real-questions-in-life.htmlIn the last year, I've reflected on life's big issues, following my wife's cancer and chemotherapy treatments. I have found it healthy to ask myself these profound questions while reviewing the validity of my automated answers. This list comes from Sam Keen. 

Enjoy the introspection.
  • What do I really want?
  • What brings me joy?
  • Who am I when I dream?
  • Why do I feel the way I do?
  • What do I fear?
  • Who has wounded me?
  • Whom have I injured?
  • How do I deal with guilt?
  • Do I need to have enemies?
  • How do I forgive?
  • Whom and what will I love?
  • How will I express my sexuality?
  • Who are my people? My family?
  • Where is my place?
  • What is the source of my power? My self esteem?
  • What is sacred? Worthy of respect? Inviolable?
  • For what or whom would I sacrifice my time, my energy, my health, my life?
  • What can I do to lessen the quantity of evil in this world?
  • What are my gifts? What is my vocation?
  • What must I do to die with a sense of completeness?
  • What myth have I been unconsciously living?
  • In what measures are my “values” mere prejudices, my duties blind commitments to unexamined norms?
  • What have I sacrificed to win the approval of others? 
  • What have I sacrificed to become successful?
  • In what ways have I blinded myself, disowned my power, denied my potential?
]]><![CDATA[The (Geek, Nerd, Dweeb, Dork) Venn Diagram]]>Fri, 09 Apr 2010 09:49:56 -0800http://www.jeanfahmy.com/1/post/2010/04/the-geek-nerd-dweeb-dork-venn-diagram.htmlFollowing some comments on my previous post on the wildly popular Geeks, I was made aware of the Venn Diagram explaining the difference between the oft-confused terms of Geek, Nerd, Dweeb and Dork. Even I was confused, since I was called each of these names at various occasions in my life (don't feel sorry for me, I fully embrace my state).

So following this diagram, I am a Geek. Yes, I know that means I don't consider myself socially inept...


There, now I feel better.
Picture
]]><![CDATA[The New Geek]]>Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:01:29 -0800http://www.jeanfahmy.com/1/post/2010/03/the-new-geek.htmlI have never hidden the fact that I am a geek, a dork or a nerd. I embrace that side of myself quite happily. I subscribe to and demonstrate most stereotypes associated with these 'special' people without issue. The geeks, the dorks and the nerds are my people. 

I also teach to (and see business plans from) a bunch of nerds who want to become internet billionaires: 'This is the next Facebook, Google, Twitter' has become all to frequent. As a side effect to this, the 'social-media-anything-is-possible' craze has somewhat redefined the geek persona and lowered the barrier to entry into Geekdom.

That is why this new video from the Pantless Knights is so accurate, well written and à propos.

Geekdom, enjoy. This is the new us.
]]><![CDATA[What can they really steal ?]]>Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:50:24 -0800http://www.jeanfahmy.com/1/post/2010/01/what-can-they-really-steal.htmlI pondered this question, sitting in the depressing oncology department as my wife was getting her 8th out of 12 chemotherapy treatments back in August 2009. Conversations with other cancer patients and their significant others often turned around what was lost with cancer and how their priorities changed.  And then, to insert hope in the discussion, we would talk about what we had left that we cherished.

It felt cliché at the time - you only know what's important once you lose it. But it's true. When I (and they) got stripped of what I we made life 'life', this question had to be answered. And the soul-searching did me some good. 

In the blink of an eye, with one phone call, or with one sentence uttered from the doctor's mouth, the following things can disappear (in no particular order ;) )

- my stuff
- my health
- my loved ones health
- my achievements and distinctions
- my reputation
- my plans
- my social involvement
- my affiliations
- my stuff - bis (I know I already said it, but it's so important sometimes, it bears repeating)

So what's left ? What can I grab on when I feel like Job ?

- my values and my faith
- my resolve
- my REAL friends

Here's one man very touching and eloquent take on it. 
]]><![CDATA[It's all a matter of perspective]]>Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:25:50 -0800http://www.jeanfahmy.com/1/post/2010/01/its-all-a-matter-of-perspective.htmlMy friend Reg Athwal, a world reknown expert on Human Resources, posted this story which I think demonstrates the power of perspective. It's something that struck me in the last year that I needed, and something I think all entrepreneurs who get sucked into their businesses need more of.

One day, a very rich man decided to teach his son about life, and took him on a trip to a very poor village and they spent a couple of days with a very poor family. When they returned home, the father asked his son:
 
- Did you like our trip?- Yes dad. - Did you see how these people live?
- Yes dad. - Tell me then, what did you learn from this trip? The son replied:
- I saw that we've got 2 dogs, they've got 4. We have a pool in the middle of the garden, they have a huge lake. We've got imported lamps for the patio, they have the stars. We live on a small lot, they live on a big farm surrounded by meadows. We have maids to serve us, they help each other with everything. We buy our food, they grow it. We have a wall surrounding our house to protect us, they have friends to rely on. 

The father was speechless.

And the son added:- Thank you for showing me how much we still lack daddy!!]]><![CDATA[Benjamin Franklin's quotes]]>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:37:12 -0800http://www.jeanfahmy.com/1/post/2009/11/benjamin-franklins-quotes.htmlBenjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was an amazingly talented Renaissance man: author, inventor, printer, politician, satirist, scientist, civic activist, statesman, diplomat, and one of the founding fathers of America.

Part of his considerable legacy was to leave us with brilliant thoughts, inspired by his Puritan background. Most of them have found their way to our common sense, but we forget they came from a man who believed in doing good every day:

- A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle.
- Beware of small expenses. A small leak can sink a great ship.
- An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.
- Anger is never without a reason but seldom with a good one.
- By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
- Do good to your friends to keep them, to your enemies to win them.
- Half a truth is often a great lie.
- He that lives upon hope will die fasting.
- He that's secure is not safe.
- If you would be loved, love and be lovable.
- Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.]]><![CDATA[Change, the one constant]]>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:11:17 -0800http://www.jeanfahmy.com/1/post/2009/11/change-the-one-constant.htmlIt has always astonished me that in the Web and the IT world, one of the biggest hurdles remains some people's strong aversion to change.


Ariane de Bonvoisin wrote a book about personal change and established 9 principles to help modify our view of it. These 9 can be applied on a personal level and on a corporate level as well. They are here, but can be read below.

Principle 1: People who successfully navigate change have positive beliefs. 


Your biggest need right now is to develop new beliefs: about yourself, about this change, and about life in general. Nothing will have a bigger impact on the way you move through change.


Principle 2: People who successfully navigate change know that change always brings something positive into their lives. 


Every change has a gift associated with it. While it’s natural to find change hard it’s important to remember that there are two sides to every coin and that something positive will always come. This is by far the most important belief to have during the first thirty days of change.


Principle 3: People who successfully navigate change know they are resilient, strong, and capable of getting through anything.

You are much stronger, much smarter, and much more intuitive than you have ever been told. You are more resilient and more powerful. Once you truly know and believe this, you will be able to get through any change- even the hardest one you can imagine.


Principle 4: People who successfully navigate change know that every challenging emotion they feel is not going to stop them and will guide them to positive emotions that help them feel better.

Negative emotions can stall us, making change harder, while the positive ones can help us move through a change in a simpler, quicker, and more conscious way.


Principle 5: People who successfully navigate change know that the quicker they accept the change, the less pain and hardship they will feel.

Let go of the idea of how life should be.


Principle 6: People who successfully navigate change use empowering questions and words, think better thoughts, and express their feelings.

At your most stuck point, if you can speak with different words, think a slightly better thought, and get in touch with how you are feeling, you can become unstuck in a matter of minutes.


Principle 7: People who successfully navigate change know they are connected to something bigger than themselves.

When everything around you is changing, look for the part of you that doesn't change. The part that is calm, centered and always there.


Principle 8: People who successfully navigate change are not alone; they surround themselves with people who can help, who have the right beliefs and skills. And they create an environment that supports their change.

One of our biggest flaws as human beings is that we keep thinking we are alone. Whatever the situation, there is always, always someone who can help.


Principle 9: People who successfully navigate change take action. They have a plan and know how to take care of themselves.

Actions come in many forms. Some are big and obvious; some are so small you may think they are irrelevant. But any good action you take is a choice to move forward.
]]><![CDATA[The Charter for Compassion]]>Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:29:01 -0800http://www.jeanfahmy.com/1/post/2009/11/the-charter-for-compassion.htmlOne of my 4 core values is compassion. I believe it is the one value that truly differentiates us from being self-loving, egoistical people. Our caring and grace for others is the one key to make sure our collective future becomes a livable one.

Last year, Karen Armstrong, a reknown religious scholar, made a plea at TED for a Charter for Compassion: an initiative to 'to restore the Golden Rule as the central global religious doctrine.'

One year later, with the help of TED and 150 000 contributors like you and me from 180 different countries and 4 different languages, Karen's dream is finally becoming a reality.

How different would our businesses be if we applied this charter in our commercial transactions ? in our interpersonal relationships ? with people very different from us ? Here are inspiring examples and a way for us to act on it.

Enjoy the Charter for Compassion.
The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.

We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.

We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensible to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.
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