Fausto Gurrea

A to Zen of Life~

2011-06-20T17:43:00.000-07:00

A- avoid negative sources, people, places, things and habits

B- believe in yourself and succeed

C- consider things from every angle

D- don’t give up and don’t give in

E- enjoy life today, yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come

F- friends and family are hidden treasures, seek them and enjoy their riches

G- give more than you planned to

H- have major league fun

I- ignore those who try to discourage you

J- just do it

K- keep trying no matter how hard it seems, it will get easier

L- love yourself first and most

M- make it happen

N- never lie, cheat or steal, always strike a fair deal

O- open your eyes and see things as they really are

P- practice makes perfect

Q- quitters never win and winners never quit

R- read study and learn about everything important in your life

S- stop procrastinating

T- take control of your own destiny

U- understand yourself in order to better understand others

V- visualize it and focus

W- want it more than anything

X- xcellerate your efforts

Y- you are unique in all God’s creations, nothing can replace you

Z- zero in on your target and go for it.

The Consultant and the Fisherman‬‪. ‬‪

2010-11-24T14:52:00.000-08:00

A management consultant, on holiday in a African fishing village, watched a little fishing boat dock at the quayside. Noting the quality of the fish, the consultant asked the fisherman how long it had taken to catch them.

"Not very long." answered the fisherman."

Then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the consultant.

The fisherman explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family. The consultant asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?" "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, have an afternoon's rest under a coconut tree. In the evenings, I go into the community hall to see my friends, have a few beers, play the drums, and sing a few songs..... I have a full and happy life." replied the fisherman.

The consultant ventured, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you...... You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have a large fleet.

Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to a city here or maybe even in the United Kingdom, from where you can direct your huge enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the fisherman.

"Oh, ten, maybe twenty years." replied the consultant."And after that?" asked the fisherman.

"After that? That's when it gets really interesting," answered the consultant, laughing, "When your business gets really big, you can start selling shares in your company and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" pressed the fisherman."After that you'll be able to retire, move out to a small village by the sea, sleep in late every day, spend time with your family, go fishing, take afternoon naps under a coconut tree, and spend relaxing evenings havings drinks with friends..."‬‪

Author unknown

A definition of fear.

2010-11-03T11:10:00.000-07:00

Today, the daily phrase of Yehuda Berg is denominated "Call the Bluff". I like the definition of fear provided. Worth sharing, i think.

Monday, November 1, 2010

One of my favorite definitions of fear is:

False
Evidence
Appearing
Real.

Today push through your anxiety, jump into the scary situations—this is where the real potential for growth is.

Yehuda Berg
Visit www.yehudaberg.com

Two wolves

2010-10-29T12:05:00.001-07:00

A metaphore worth sharing:

Inside each of us two wolves are fighting. One wolf represents anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, and resentment. The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, truth, and compassion. This same fight is going on inside of you, and me and every other person.
Which wolf will win?
The one you feed most.
Which wolf are you feeding today?

Yehuda Berg, in Kabbalah Tune Up, October 20, 2010.
www.yehudaberg.com

The importance of structural domestic-oriented reforms

2010-10-14T09:39:00.000-07:00

My friend Omar Serrano sent me this article to highlight possible shifts in global power. He is also thinking of starting a blog.

I read it and think of the importance of structural change in the Mexican economy. The importance of pushing reforms to increase the ability of the competition authorities to induce efficiency into goods markets, to bring flexibility to labor markets, and to improve the allocation of resources in the energy industry.

CAMBRIDGE – In the early days of the global financial crisis, there was some optimism that developing countries would avoid the downturn that advanced industrial countries experienced. After all, this time it was not they that had engaged in financial excess, and their economic fundamentals looked strong. But these hopes were dashed as international lending dried up and trade collapsed, sending developing countries down the same spiral that industrial nations took.
But international trade and finance have both revived, and now we hear an even more ambitious version of the scenario. Developing countries, it is said, are headed for strong growth, regardless of the doom and gloom that has returned to Europe and the United States. More strikingly, many now expect the developing world to become the growth engine of the global economy. Otaviano Canuto, a World Bank vice president, and his collaborators have just produced a long report that makes the case for this optimistic prognosis.
There are many reasons why such optimism is not unreasonable. Most developing countries have cleaned up their financial and fiscal houses and do not carry high debt. Governance is generally improving along with the quality of policymaking. The possibilities of technology transfer through participation in international production networks are greater than ever.
Moreover, slow growth in the advanced economies need not exert a drag on developing countries’ performance. Long-term growth depends not on foreign demand, but on domestic supply. Sustained rapid growth is the result of poorer countries catching up to rich countries’ productivity levels – not of growth in the rich countries themselves. For most developing countries, this “convergence gap” is wider now than it has been at any time since the 1970’s. So the growth potential is correspondingly larger.
But the good news stops right about there. Sustained growth requires a growth strategy, and most developing countries do not yet have one that would put them irrevocably on the path of economic convergence.
For too many of these countries, economic growth in the last two decades relied on a combination of two factors: a natural rebound from previous financial crises (as in Latin America) or political conflicts and civil war (as in Africa), and high commodity prices. Neither can be relied on for the productive transformation that developing countries need.
Consider, for example, Latin America’s growth model of the last two decades. Global competition has whipped many of the region’s industries into shape and fostered significant productivity gains in advanced sectors, but these gains have remained limited to a narrow segment of the economy.
Worse still, labor has been displaced from more productive tradable activities (in manufacturing) to less productive informal activities (services). In most Latin American countries, structural change has served to reduce rather than promote economic growth.
Because Asian governments have tended to support their modern, tradable sectors to a greater extent, most Asian countries have managed to avoid this malady, and have done much better as a result. But even the Asian model may be reaching its limits.
China, in particular, needs to confront the fact that the rest of the world will not allow it to run a huge trade surplus forever. An undervalued currency, which serves to subsidize China’s manufacturing industries, has been a key driver of the country’s economic growth for the last decade. A significant appreciation of the renminbi will reduce or even eliminate that growth subsidy.
Regardless of developing countries’ growth prospects, there is a deeper question. Will a world economy in which developing countries have substantially greater weight foster the kind of global governance that sustains a hospitable economic environment? Emerging-market economies have not yet shown the kind of global leadership that suggests an affirmative answer to this question.
The global institutions of our day – the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization – are still largely the creation of American leadership at the end of World War II (though they have obviously undergone considerable change since then). These institutions reflected American interests, but they also codified certain norms of behavior – rule-based decision-making, non-discrimination, multilateralism, transparency – which eventually came to constrain American power as well.
Countries like Brazil, China, India, and South Africa, however, have so far shown little interest in contributing to the construction of global regimes, preferring to remain free riders. Jorge Castañeda, a former foreign minister of Mexico, goes further, arguing that these countries have systematically opposed global rules, in areas ranging from climate change to international trade.
Lest we be too harsh on developing countries, however, let us also remember that political scientists have long worried that greater diffusion of economic power would produce a less stable world economy. If the world economy’s center of gravity shifts substantially toward developing countries, this will not be a smooth – and possibly not even a benign – process.
We can be certain of two things: only those countries that adopt growth strategies based on stimulating domestic structural change will do well, and the conundrum of global governance – how to manage a world economy that has become unruly – will almost certainly get worse.

Dani Rodrik is Professor of Political Economy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and the author of One Economics, Many Recipes: Globalization, Institutions, and Economic Growth.

La pregunta de hoy

2010-09-23T16:58:00.001-07:00

¿Cuándo fue la última vez que rentaste una película en un video club?

Ana María Tellez

2010-07-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

Ana,

La mas hermosa, de las hermosas.

FG

Isabella Fuentes Gurrea

2009-12-25T14:16:00.000-08:00

A new child in the world. My niece Isabella.
She came the 17th of December of 2009, at 10.18 pm.
She is a Sagitarious, the most philosophical of all starsigns.

God bless Isabella,
FG

Moment of glory

2008-10-23T22:06:00.001-07:00

Boston Globe, June 2008

Wishing miracles to others around you...

2008-10-12T09:56:00.000-07:00

A beautiful meditation for today powered by the daily tune up of kabbalah.com:

We're always asking for one miracle or another. But how often do we ask for miracles to happen to others?
This is the difference between being a vessel and being a channel. A vessel can only hold as much Light as its capacity allows. A channel, if constantly drawing down Light for others, can remain full while at the same time contain an infinite amount of Light.
Which would you rather be?
Today, think about your lover/friend/boss/grandma/child/dry cleaner - what miracle do they need? Be specific. Send the light of miracles to that person and you yourself will be full of the light of miracles.

An idea worth sharing: "be a channel"

With love and joy,

FG

May your drams be real?
Your dreams are real.

Win $ 4,000

2008-10-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

It looks like the typical SPAM subject. But this is no SPAM. This is the opportunity to write about a Base of the Pyramid story in a 500-1000 word essay. If you have the fortune of writing the winning one, you will be making between $ 4-8 per word. Not a bad deal. More information at:

http://www.bopnetwork.org/node/217

Because "your dreams are real": WRITE!

With love and joy,

FG

Daily Kabbalah tune up

2008-10-09T09:13:00.000-07:00

One friend recommended me a newsletter that delivers enourmous wisdom to your inbox every morning. I have been receiving it for a few days, and I have to tell you: I love it. Pure wisdom filled with positivity and love. If you want to sign up for the newsletter go to: www.kabbalah.com. A sample of what they send is:

Students of the great kabbalist Rav Menachem of Kotzk once asked him, “Where is God?” “Wherever you let him in,” he answered.

One way we “let him in” is through our heart.

Today, open your heart WIDE OPEN. Compassion for others’ suffering. Understanding of others’ pain. And tolerance of your own frustrations and failings.

Let the love flow.

With love flowing,

FG

Lack of financial education in Mexico

2008-09-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

Today I saw a product in a Mexican Bank that I think describes pretty well the lack of financial education. The product offers you a pearls necklace and bracelet in exchange of an investment of 9,000 USD in one of their investment funds. A product like that suggests that there is something stinky somewhere. Potential hypothesis are:

1. The pearls are fake
2. The interest given by the fund is quite low
3. Very high commission are charged
4. They are doing the laundry (who is giving out the pearls!)
5. The risk faced by the fund is similar to the subprime mortgage backed securities that Bearn Stearns of Lehman Brothers owned.

They are playing with the fact that people is not rational. Exchanging their future interest and making the best financial decision for a immediate pearls necklace for someone you love. I think that investing in this funds due to the pearls instead of the best return describes something very clearly: "On average, Mexicans do not care about who offers the best financial product, they care about who has the best TV add, the most beautiful models, gives you a necklace or allow you to enter the raffle of a sports car". I found this pathetic. Hopefully there will be more efforts from the government and from the banking industry to educate the population.

It has been said,

Fausto.

Mountain Hare Krishna

2008-09-07T12:18:00.000-07:00

Place your attention in the air entering your nose and leaving it. Breathe in and breathe out. Feel all your muscles relaxing. Your body is a strong structure well placed in the Earth. Feel the connexion between your energy and the energy coming from the Earth. Inhale communion, exhale love...

Blessings to all beings,

Fausto.

The quote of the day

2008-09-03T14:42:00.000-07:00

Fernando Olea, a good friend that I used to work with, has developed an habit recently. The habit of sending a quote to his friends by email. He sends the quote with an amazing photograph, often times related to the quote. I particularly liked today´s quote and I am sharing it with you:

Watch your thoughts, they become words.

Watch your words, they become actions.

Watch your actions, they become habits.

Watch your habits, they become your character.

Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.

-Unknown

A great meditator, a great scientist

2008-09-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

It has come to my attention that one of the most renowned Western meditators based in the East is coming to Mexico. Being born and raised in France, a distinguished student of molecular Biology, Mattieu Ricard has written several books on the art and practice of Budddhist meditation. Enjoy the following talk at Monterrey, California:

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/matthieu_ricard_on_the_habits_of_happiness.html

A big idea worth spreading around,

With love and joy,

Fausto.

Your dreams are real

2008-06-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

For a few months, I have used the phrase "your dreams are real" under the signature of my outgoing emails. Just a few have been curious enough to ask about it. I have decided to switch from that quote to a different one. So, I decided to pay tribute and provide an explanation about such a beautiful combination of four words: "your dreams are real".

This phrase, "your dreams are real", comes from the combination of different events and phenomena experience in recent years. On the one hand, being exposed to the Tibetan Buddhist meditation practice and theory has made me realize the close connection between thought, word and action. Spend some time thinking about how everything you have done in the past has its roots in things thought or said. When we dream, we experiment thoughts. Our physical being rests, our senses are slept. Nevertheless our mind has the ability to construct a reality that is not very much different than when we are physically awake. On the other hand, my courses in Entrepreneurship had made me think about why is the determinants that allow certain persons to achieve great value by the creation of new enterprises. What makes some people to focus in the value creation for the less advantaged, for those at the bottom of the income pyramid, for the greatness of others, others that are currently much more than those that enjoy material abundance. My argument, in line with those phrases presented in the documentary "The Secret" involves the ability to realize that your dreams are real. The distance between thought, word and action is closer than we think. If we absorb this knowledge, this aha idea, then the ability to create great enterprises is suddenly there. This involves, logic, logic and nothing more than logic. If you think you can't, you can't. If you think you do, you do.

All this may sound like bullshit for some people. That is why I would like to end by saying that, "your dreams are real" involves another key ingredient: the ability to focus your attention in your dreams. The ability to connect the dots that will allow you to achieve greatness. Patience, respect for others, compassion and love. The ability to sacrifice short term pleasures for long term happiness. "Your dreams are real" is true for everyone. I think it is a great way to put some thought into a very powerful skill present in all sentient beings.

"your dreams are real"

A Zen recommendation

2008-05-19T22:30:00.001-07:00

For those of you looking for new interesting blogs to read, it has come to my attention the following site

I skeemed through and I think is just a bless. Enjoy it!

Una foto con Fox

2008-05-16T16:28:00.000-07:00

Vicente Fox, former president of Mexico, came to the Harvard Kennedy School to address the opening speech for the Ash Institute Conference on Governance. I had the honor to be part of the student organization team that also brought a couple of dozen Latin American Mayors to a preliminary conference about local governments. Here a picture with Mr. Fox during the cocktail.

Injury

2008-05-02T16:51:00.000-07:00

Severely sprained ankle. That is what happens when you play volley-ball at the HKS courtyard without noticing that there is a shoe waiting for your left foot before it lands. Painful, indeed.

Do you remember when we used to be greater than...

2008-04-21T22:52:00.001-07:00

An image is better than one thousand words.

The end of poverty

2008-04-17T07:15:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure to share time and space with my MPAID colleagues at Harvard Kennedy School and world-famous pop-star Jeffrey Sachs. Mr. Sachs gave a speech addressing world's most important issues to erradicate poverty. The ability to create sustainable energy fuels, the ability to keep food prices down, and the ability to break the poverty traps existing in dozens of countries around the world, particularly Africa. If you want to see him during a village trip in Africa (or simply, wanna see Angelina Jolie doing some good) check the following video.

I also got my picture taken with Mr. Sachs. Enjoy.

Interested in Social Entrepreneurship?

2008-04-08T12:09:00.000-07:00

I have just taken a four session study group workshop with Susanne Goldsmith about Social Entrepreneurship. We covered cases from how Boston's mayor, Thomas M. Menino, became a green mayor, how to help Paul Kagame to boost entrepreneurship in Rwanda and the creation of Common Impact, an NGO that connects volunteers from highly profitable firms with NGO needing their services.

If you want to know more about Social Entrepreneurship take a look at the following document published by Ashoka's Global Academy for Social Entrepreneurship. Social Entrepreneurship: Teaching Resources Handbook.

My face in a manual

2008-04-02T21:52:00.001-07:00

Shall I say it?

2008-03-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

Today, I received an email discussing if an action with merciful intentions that cause harm generates merit. The discussion ended in 6 key suggestions on the Right Speech:

If it’s not true, not beneficial, and disagreeable, don’t say it.

If it’s not true, not beneficial, and agreeable, don’t say it.

If it’s true, not beneficial, and disagreeable, don’t say it.

If it’s true, not beneficial, and agreeable, don’t say it.

If it’s true, beneficial, and disagreeable, know when to say it.

If it’s true, beneficial, and agreeable, know when to say.

I guess the tricky part comes from having the wisdom of knowing when to say it. Smile.

He showed me the brightest of the world

2008-03-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

I just read a writing called 'Life Isn't Just Suffering'by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. I think he crafts in a very delicate way, the meaning of the four noble truths. A quote is included here:

You've probably heard the rumor that "Life is suffering" is Buddhism's first principle, the Buddha's first noble truth. It's a rumor with good credentials, spread by well-respected academics and Dharma teachers alike, but a rumor nonetheless. The truth about the noble truths is far more interesting. The Buddha taught four truths — not one — about life: There is suffering, there is a cause for suffering, there is an end of suffering, and there is a path of practice that puts an end to suffering. These truths, taken as a whole, are far from pessimistic. They're a practical, problem-solving approach — the way a doctor approaches an illness, or a mechanic a faulty engine. You identify a problem and look for its cause. You then put an end to the problem by eliminating the cause.

The whole thing can be found at: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/lifeisnt.html

The Kennedy School has a new website, with new image

2008-03-12T07:36:00.000-07:00

The JFK has become the HKS. From being widely known as the John F. Kennedy School of Government, a group of management leaders has developed a new image for the school that will help it relate to other Harvard professional schools such as HLS or HBS. HKS, Harvard Kennedy School, breaks the pattern. It should be HGS, since it could stand for Harvard Government School. However, we didn't want to lose the Kennedy symbol from our denomination. With the name comes a new tag line: "As what you can do". I love this tag line, it definitely pushes people to move from demanding to supplying. From complaining to working towards the desired change. I am including the speech from the speech delivered by JFK (or HKS?), on January 20th, 1961:

Vice President Johnson, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, President Eisenhower, Vice President Nixon, President Truman, reverend clergy, fellow citizens, we observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom - symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning - signifying renewal, as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three quarters ago.

The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe - the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.

We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans - born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage - and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.

This much we pledge - and more.

To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do - for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.

To those new States whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom - and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.

To those peoples in the huts and villages across the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required - not because the Communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.

To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge - to convert our good words into good deeds - in a new alliance for progress - to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers. Let all our neighbours know that we shall join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know that this Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.

To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support - to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective - to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak - and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run.

Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction.

We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed.

But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present course - both sides overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that stays the hand of mankind's final war.

So let us begin anew - remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.

Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belabouring those problems which divide us.

Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms - and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations.

Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce.

Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah - to "undo the heavy burdens -. and to let the oppressed go free."

And if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavour, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved.

All this will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it be finished in the first 1,000 days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.

In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than in mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.

Now the trumpet summons us again - not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are - but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation" - a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.

Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shank from this responsibility - I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavour will light our country and all who serve it -- and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.

My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.

Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.

I leave the analysis to yourself. How much the world has changed?

You have an impact in the world around you... every minute, every second

2008-03-11T19:45:00.000-07:00

This is something important to keep in mind:

Executive's emotional intelligence—their selfawareness, empathy, rapport with others—has clear links to their own performance. But new research shows that a leader’s emotional style also drives everyone else’s moods and behaviors—through a neurological process called mood contagion. It’s akin to “Smile and the world smiles with you."

Emotional intelligence travels through an organization like electricity over telephone wires. Depressed, ruthless bosses create toxic organizations filled with negative underachievers. But if you’re an upbeat, inspirational leader, you cultivate positive employees who embrace and surmount even the toughest challenges. Emotional leadership isn’t just putting on a game face every day. It means understanding your impact on others—then adjusting your style accordingly. A difficult process of self-discovery— but essential before you can tackle your leadership responsibilities. And few people have the guts to tell you the truth about your emotional impact, so you must discover it for yourself.

Excerpt from
Primal Leadership: The Hidden Driver of Great Performance, Harvard Business Review, December 2001.

Then, start smiling now!

The worst enemy

2008-03-11T18:51:00.000-07:00

"Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts... You will always be getting praise and blame, but do not let either affect the poise of mind. Follow the calmness and the absence of pride." Sutta Nipata

How different are we?

2008-03-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

The following article depicts different risk behaviors of entrepreneurs in Brazil, Russia in China... what does it take to make doing business easy for all?

Entrepreneurs in Brazil
Betting the fazenda

Mar 6th 2008 | SÃO PAULO
From The Economist print edition
A different kind of risk-taking

SETTLE down at one of São Paulo's sushi bars and before long you will overhear a discussion about a start-up business making energy from obscure weeds, or some other bright idea for relieving members of the country's growing middle class of their disposable income. A field study of this kind displays a strong sample bias, but the point is clear: Brazil does not lack go-getters. Yet according to a more thorough survey backed by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a sister organisation of the World Bank, Brazilian entrepreneurs are a strikingly different breed to their peers in Russia and China.

Overall, some 82% of entrepreneurs in all three countries came from families with at least one other entrepreneur. They also tended to be taller than the average. But there the similarities end. In particular, Brazilian entrepreneurs seem to have a much lower appetite for risk.

The researchers measured this by offering interviewees hypothetical bets of varying risk and reward, and offering a choice between cash now or more money at a later date. The entrepreneurs in the sample were no more risk-taking than other Brazilians, and were also more likely to retire if offered a windfall than their peers elsewhere.

Perhaps this lack of staying power is because there are many more pleasant things to do in Brazil than work. But why should Brazilians be so risk-averse? Simeon Djankov, one of the study's authors, hypothesises that in real life Brazilian entrepreneurs run bigger risks than those elsewhere. Starting a business takes 152 days and requires 18 different procedures, according to the IFC's annual worldwide “Doing Business” study. It takes 2,600 hours for a medium-sized business to keep up with its taxes each year. The same hypothetical business would pay 69% of its second-year profits in tax, if it played by the rules and did not receive special tax breaks.

Brazilian entrepreneurs show an unsurprising willingness to bend the law. “Essentially what determines good entrepreneurship in Brazil is the ability to navigate around the bureaucracy,” suggests Mr Djankov. Eduardo Giannetti da Fonseca, an economist, concurs: “If Bill Gates had started Microsoft in a garage in Brazil, it would still be in the garage.” Harder to explain than why Brazil's entrepreneurs are as they are is why they exist at all.

As such, lack of incentives for business creation is one of the most important constraints for prosperity.

Mapping the map

2008-03-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

An abstract of "On Rigor in science" of Mr. Jose Luis Borges:

"... In that empire, the art of cartography reached such perfection that the map of one
province alone covered up the whole of a city, and the map of the empire, the whole of a province. In time, those unconscionable maps did not satisfy, and the colleges of
cartographers set up a map of the empire which had the size of the empire itself and
coincided with it point by point. Less addicted to the study of cartography, succeeding
generations understood that this widespread map was useless and not without impiety they abandoned it to the inclemency of the sun and of the winters. In the deserts of the westsome mangled ruins of the map lasted on, inhabited by animals and beggars; in the whole country there are no other relics of the disciplines of geography."
Suarez Miranda, Viajes de varones prudentes, Book IV, Chapter XLV, Urida, 1658.

I like the way in which Borges describes why by using maps or models (i.e. game theory, Hamiltonians, propensity scores or any other approximation that allow for having an understanding of the non-understandable) we can get a sense of the world. Another approach can be to look within. Perhaps, the answers already exists in our own unique, limitless and indestructible mind.

The nature of mind

2008-03-07T15:42:00.000-08:00

I highly recommend the talk of Mathieu Ricard at Monterrey, California on February 2004. The video is available at TED at:

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/191

Don't miss it. Listen with your heart and try to be aware of this ideas as much as possible in your every day life.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

2008-03-05T21:04:00.000-08:00

The three words for today... : )

What if I was lucky enought to know that I am about to die

2008-03-05T06:02:00.000-08:00

Check this out.

I think this may well apply for those of us that don't have certainty of dying in the following months. Why? Who in this world is 100% certain that they will be here next week?

The purpose

2008-03-03T19:30:00.000-08:00

Today's blog is brought to you by the Harvard Buddhist Community thought of the day email, featuring Chang Tzu:

"The purpose of a fish trap is to catch fish, and when the fish are caught, the trap is forgotten. The purpose of a rabbit snare is to catch rabbits. When the rabbits are caught, the snare is forgotten. The purpose of words is to convey ideas. When the ideas are grasped, the words are forgotten. Where can I find a man who has forgotten words? He is the one I would like to talk to."

Today, I was able to go to a very interesting forum event at the Kennedy about Social Entrepreneurship. I met a couple of very cool dudes which made me think about the importance of:

1. Socialization. By wearing a name tag for two years.
go to: www.nametagproject.com

2. Reducing waste production. By using a mug instead of paper cups!
go to: www.mugproject.com

Good day!

Google.org agrees with Katalitica

2008-02-27T19:27:00.000-08:00

Recently, a US$ 17 million fund was announced to support SMEs in India. The leaders of this initiative are Google.org, the Soros Economic Development Fund and the Omidyar Network. I hope that the next announcement will be something like this:

"Katalitica, Google.org and the Slim Economic Development Fund create a 100 million fund to invest in Latin American SMEs".

To see more about his initiative see:

http://blog.google.org/2008/02/investing-in-missing-middle.html

To know more about Katalitica, a brilliant social enterprise idea developed at the MIT-Media Lab Development Entrepreneurship Seminar, go to www.katalitica.com

And don't forget: "Your dreams will come true".

The creator of IDE releases a new book

2008-02-26T22:45:00.000-08:00

Out of Poverty is the name of the book written by Paul Polack, creator of International Development Enterprises. Having spent my last summer working with IDE | Myanmar, I can ratify the experience of this wise man. You can know more about IDE's impact on:

On of the most powerful tools distributed by IDE is the treadle pump. You can watch me using it in the rural areas of Burma at:

Photographs taken by Kennedy School Students

2008-02-25T08:26:00.000-08:00

Last year, a group of students of the Kennedy School organized an exposition of photographs taken by students in their summer internships or travel around the globe. One of my photographs of Myanmar was selected. It is the following:

I called it simply "Boy Behind Wall". I took this picture during one of the focus group interviews conducted working with International Development Enterprises in central Burma. The look of this boy to the presence of a foreigner astonished me. It was like if a Extra Terrestrial would have land from the outer space.

If you want to see the other photographs selected go to:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23219138@N04/

They are awesome!

Obama's momentum relies on the Mariachi effect

2008-02-22T11:21:00.000-08:00

Priceless. Just enjoy it:

Y hasta con plan de saluuuuuuud.

Thanks to Dani Rodrik for bringing this to my attention.

Roy Family Award

2008-02-22T11:05:00.001-08:00

Last summer I traveled to Myanmar (Burma) to work with Jim and Debbie Taylor from International Development Enterprises | Myanmar (IDE|M). I was able to go there thanks to many people and thanks to many organizations. This small post is to thank the Roy Family Award administered by the Belfer Center, in the Harvard Kennedy School.

Here is a picture with Henry Lee, the director of the Environment and Natural Resources program of the Belfer Center.

This opportunity was a life-changing experience to observe how modest technology transfers can make a huge difference using market based approach to improve the lives of small plot farmers. They do account for the majority of the world's population.

Sumiko Ito

2008-02-19T12:28:00.001-08:00

I read a HBS case (David A. Thomas and Debra A. Woog) regarding Sumiko Ito, the first Japanesse woman to become an investment banker. Her story is inspiring. He pushed the limits of her professional and personal career while keeping the respect for her traditions.

In an interview for an article in the Baltimore Sun, Sumiko, said: "I have more ideas than I have time, but I don't want to be a workaholic because it stifles good ideas to spend all your time in the office". (Rose Ragsdale).

She described her life as having an 'amoeba-like' shape: "This shape is always changing, although there is a nucleus here. It is going forward. Not moving along a line but twisting upward. Probably there are opportunities or obstacles, or these things you have left behind or you spit out. So you never know where you go. But you have instincts and you go upward and probably you become bigger and stronger".

What do you think?

Calderon speech at Harvard

2008-02-17T17:26:00.000-08:00

Last Monday, 11th February 2008, President Calderon came to the Kennedy School of Government to deliver a speech. I had the chance to ask him a question. My girlfriend too! If you want to watch the speech go to:

http://ksgaccman.harvard.edu/iop/events_forum_video.asp?ID=3170

You will need real player installed in your computers. You will be able to see me speaking in that video.

The best two things that Mr. Calderon said in his deliver, from my viewpoint are:

1. Dream and dream big.
2. Be coherent in your thought, your acts and your say.

Hope you can enjoy it!

Photo by Martha Stewart, Harvard JFK Forum.

Trusting in Mind

2008-02-01T22:51:00.000-08:00

Today I read a very nice poem called Trusting In Mind. Enjoy it!

'A New Translation of the Hsin Hsin Ming, the classic poem by the Third Patriarch of Zen, Seng T'san
Zen Master Hae Kwang'

The Great Way is not difficult,
Just don't pick and choose.
If you cut off all likes or dislikes
Everything is clear like space.

Make the slightest distinction
And heaven and earth are set apart.
If you wish to see the truth,
Don't think for or against.

Likes and dislikes
Are the mind's disease.
Without understanding the deep meaning
You cannot still your thoughts.

It is clear like space,
Nothing missing, nothing extra.
If you want something
You cannot see things as they are.

Outside, don't get tangled in things.
Inside, don't get lost in emptiness.
Be still and become One
And all opposites disappear.

If you stop moving to become still,
This stillness always moves.
If you hold on to opposites,
How can you know One?

If you don't understand One,
This and that cannot function.
Denied, the world asserts itself.
Pursued, emptiness is lost.

The more you think and talk,
The more you lose the Way.
Cut off all thinking
And pass freely anywhere.

Return to the root and understand.
Chase appearances and lose the source.
One moment of enlightenment
Illuminates the emptiness before you.

Emptiness changing into things
Is only our deluded view.
Do not seek the truth.
Only put down your opinions.

Do not live in the world of opposites.
Be careful! Never go that way.
If you make right and wrong,
Your mind is lost in confusion.

Two comes from One,
But do not cling even to this One.
When your mind is undisturbed
The ten thousand things are without fault.

No fault, no ten thousand things,
No disturbance, no mind.
No world, no one to see it.
No one to see it, no world.

This becomes this because of that.
That becomes that because of this.
If you wish to understand both,
See them as originally one emptiness.

In emptiness the two are the same,
And each holds the ten thousand things.
If you no longer see them as different,
How can you prefer one to another?

The Way is calm and wide,
Not easy, not difficult.
But small minds get lost.
Hurrying, they fall behind.

Clinging, they go too far,
Sure to take a wrong turn,
Just let it be! In the end,
Nothing goes, nothing stays.

Follow nature and become one with the Way,
Free and easy and undisturbed.
Tied by your thoughts, you lose the truth,
Become heavy, dull, and unwell.

Not well, the mind is troubled.
Then why hold or reject anything?
If you want to get the One Vehicle
Do not despise the world of the senses.

When you do not despise the six senses,
That is already enlightenment.
The wise do not act.
The ignorant bind themselves.

In true Dharma there is no this or that,
So why blindly chase your desires?
Using mind to stir up the mind
Is the original mistake.

Peaceful and troubled are only thinking.
Enlightenment has no likes or dislikes.
All opposites arise
From faulty views.

Illusions, flowers in the air --
Why try to grasp them?
Win, lose, right, wrong --
Put it all down!

If the eye never sleeps,
Dreams disappear by themselves.
If the mind makes no distinctions,
The ten thousand things are one essence.

Understand this dark essence
And be free from entanglements.
See the ten thousand things as equal
And you return to your original nature

Enlightened beings everywhere
All enter this source.
This source is beyond time and space.
One moment is ten thousand years.

Even if you cannot see it,
The whole universe is before your eyes.

Infinitely small is infinitely large:
No boundaries, no differences.
Infinitely large is infinitely small:
Measurements do not matter here.

What is is the same as what is not.
What is not is the same as what is.
Where it is not like this,
Don't bother staying.

One is all,
All is one.
When you see things like this,
You do not worry about being incomplete.

Trust and Mind are not two.
Not-two is trusting the Mind.

Words and speech don't cut it,
Can't now, never could, won't ever.

Receive the New Year with Peace

2007-12-31T09:21:00.001-08:00

This year has come with lots of stuff:

- Started dancing with Paula at the Villasenor's annual party
- My first nephew, Emiliano, was born.
- Sweet holidays in Huatulco
- One full year studying the MPAID
- Beautiful spring break at Playa del Carmen
- An intense summer experience in South East Asia
- One year together with Paula
- Started many entrepreneurial ideas
- Ran the NYC marathon and specially I ran along the Charles River quite a few times
- Realize (again) the precious time we have to live a life full of meaning, full of energy, full of oneself
- Visited some rural experts in Michoacan

Now, looking back I have met so many people, so many places. I'd been stressed, busy, happy, excited, sad, romantic, passionated, wise and fool.

Life's short, life's long, life's whatever you want it to be.

Starsailor

2007-12-30T11:24:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to another song that has captured my attention for a long time. With you Starsailor with Four to the floor... ver video

How do you feel?

2007-12-29T12:45:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite songs. While living in London (2005-2006) I used to played it every morning, right before practicing some Pranayama. I think it captures the blessing of living the present moment and being thankful of what life offers. Feeling good feels good, don't you think?

Feeling Good See video
Nina Simone

"Birds flying high you know how I feel
Sun in the sky you know how I feel
Breeze drifting on by you know how I feel
Its a new dawn, its a new day, its a new life for me
Ad I'm feeling good

Fish in the sea, you know how I feel
River running free you know how I feel
Blossom on the tree you know how I feel
Its a new dawn, its a new day, its a new life for me
And I'm feeling good

Dragonfly out in the sun you know what i mean don't you know
Butterflies all having fun you know what I mean
Sleep in peace when day is done that's what I mean
And this old world is a new world and a bold world for me

Stars when you shine you know how I feel
Scent of the pine you know how I feel
Yeah, Freedom is mine, and I know how I feel
Its a new dawn, its a new day, its a new life for me
Oh I'm feeling good."

Oh yeah!

OM MANI PADME HUM

2007-12-28T10:05:00.000-08:00

Hoy recorde un mantra extensamente utilizado en mi practica de meditacion. Este mantra lo encontre escrito en muchisimas piedras a lo largo de mi recorrido alrededor de los Himalayas, a traves del circuito de los Anapurnas. En esta publicacion incluyo una foto de dichas piedras conteniendo el mantra: OM MANI PADME HUM asi como una descripcion del mantra provista por su S.S. el XIV Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. Disfruenlo.

Una explicación del mantra de Avalokiteshvara, el Buda de la Compasión.

Por S.S. el XIV Dalai Lama.

"Es muy bueno recitar el mantra Om Mani Padme Hum, pero mientras lo haces debes estar pensando en su significado, porque el significado de las seis sílabas es grande y vasto. La primera está compuesta por tres letras A, U, y M. Estas simbolizan el cuerpo, el habla y la mente impura del practicante; también simbolizan el cuerpo, el habla y la mente puros y exaltados de un buda.

¿Pueden el cuerpo, el habla y la mente impura transformarse en el cuerpo, el habla y la mente pura? ¿O están completamente separadas? En todos los casos, los budas fueron seres como nosotros y, entonces, gracias al camino se iluminaron. El budismo no afirma que alguien desde el principio estuviera libre de faltas y poseyera todas las buenas cualidades. La purificación del cuerpo, el habla y la mente llega a través del abandono gradual de los estados impuros y su transformación en lo puro.

¿Cómo se logra esto? El camino se indica en las siguientes cuatro sílabas. Mani significa joya y simboliza los factores del método: la intención altruista de iluminarse, la compasión, y el amor. Así como una joya es capaz de eliminar la pobreza, la mente altruista de la iluminación es capaz de eliminar la pobreza o las dificultades de la existencia cíclica y de la paz solitaria. De igual forma, así como una joya cumple los deseos de los seres sintientes, también la intención altruista de llegar a la iluminación satisface los deseos de los seres sintientes.

Las dos sílabas, Padme, que significan loto, simbolizan la sabiduría. Así como un loto crece en el lodo sin ensuciarse con las faltas de éste, la sabiduría es capaz de ponerte en una situación sin contradicciones, donde de cualquier otra forma habría contradicción si no tuvieses sabiduría. Existe la sabiduría que comprende la impermanencia, la sabiduría que comprende que las personas están vacías de autosuficiencia o existencia sustancial, la sabiduría que comprende el vacío de la dualidad –esto es, la diferencia de entidades entre sujeto y objeto– y la sabiduría que comprende el vacío de la existencia inherente. Aunque hay diferentes tipos de sabiduría, la principal de todas estas es la sabiduría que comprende el vacío.

La pureza debe lograrse mediante la unión indivisible entre el método y la sabiduría; dicha unión está simbolizada por la última sílaba, Hum, que indica indivisibilidad. De acuerdo con el sistema del sutra, esta indivisibilidad del método y la sabiduría se refiere a la sabiduría afectada por el método, y al método afectado por la sabiduría. En el vehículo del mantra, o tantra, se refiere a una conciencia donde existen en forma completa ambas, la sabiduría y el método como una entidad indiferenciable. En términos de las sílabas semilla de los Cinco Budas Conquistadores, Hum es la sílaba semilla de Akshobya, el inamovible, el no fluctuante, aquel que no puede ser perturbado por nada.

Así, las seis sílabas, Om Mani Padme Hum, significan que a partir de la práctica de un camino, que es la unión indivisible del método y la sabiduría, puedes transformar tu cuerpo, tu habla y tu mente impuras en el cuerpo, el habla y la mente puras y exaltadas de un buda. Se dice que no debes buscar la budeidad fuera de ti, las sustancias para el logro de la budeidad están dentro de ti. Como dice Maitreya, en el Sublime Continuo del Gran Vehículo (Uttaratantra), todos los seres tienen intrínsecamente la naturaleza búdica en su continuo mental. Tenemos dentro de nosotros la semilla de la pureza, “la esencia de aquellos que han ido” (Tathaghatagarbha), que debe ser transformada y desarrollada completamente en la budeidad."

Eat the White Christmas

2007-12-24T08:32:00.000-08:00

This season I had the chance to see a couple of snow storms in Cambridge, just before coming to Mexico for Christmas. The first storm was the best. Everything was white and even if it was slightly more difficult to walk around town, the beauty of the white view was definitely worth it.

The picture was taken at Harvard Square. I was trying the snow. I have to accept that the flavor was pretty good - but it could be nicer with some fruity syrup. I hope it was not acid snow!

I wish a merry Christmas to all my friends around the globe. Let love be the message and enjoy the break!

NYC Marathon

2007-12-08T22:00:00.000-08:00

One month ago! Yes one month ago I ran the NYC Marathon. This was an amazing experience. I ran along Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Harlem, the Bronx and Manhattan for 5 hours. Yes, 5!

Shall I do it again? Who knows. It was painful, challenging, but definitely worth it.

Here am I, crossing the line with the Mexican flag, yeah!

Running the Boston Half Marathon, yeah!

2007-10-09T20:08:00.001-07:00

In this chapter of my blog, I would like to share with you a beautiful experience. As part of my training for the New York City Marathon, I enrolled in the Boston Athletic Association Half Marathon, which took place in the Emerald Necklace of the gorgeous city of Boston. I did the amazing time of 2:05 hrs. To be the first time I have been in a running race, I think it was freaking awesome.

I participated in this race with three great friends: Federico Ortega, Tomas Recart and Fernanda Rodriguez. This blog is dedicated to them and here is a couple of photographs with them after we finished the race.

Run Forest Run!

Martha and Chavo got married!

2007-09-25T21:35:00.000-07:00

Fine. Writing two posts in the new blog the same day. I have to tell that I've tried hard to be constant publishing posts in my previous blogs, but I have failed to do it. However, I am starting well this one, since I will be done with two posts in less than one day.

This post is dedicated to Salvador Leal and Martha Zorilla, the recently married happy couple. The very best for you two! It was great to be present in this amazing event, celebrating the magic with very close friends. The picture was taken completely casual before they left the church going towards the party.

With love,

Fausto.

Welcoming Fausto Gurrea's blog

2007-09-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

It is great to find out that the domain http://faustogurrea.blogspot.com was free. Then I can start a blog in which I will talk about myself, what I like, what I do, what I dream. I also will start this blog with one picture of myself that was modified by Antonio Rada. I have to tell that he has talent.

I welcome all your comments and suggestions.

With love,

Fausto.