“If you’re bored, it’s you,” is too simplistic.

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Some people say “If you’re bored, it’s you.” This thinking is too simplistic.

Why? You being bored is about the proximity of your situation. There are many different elements and relationships in the proximity of your situation. Follow the links in the last sentence to decode it.

So, a better way to say “If you’re bored, it’s you,” would be “If you’re bored, change elements, relationships and the proximity to better relate to each other.” This is an alternate formulation of the Core Idea of ProxThink.

Join ProxThink here.

Proxri Deal: As you find our relationship rewarding, proxri with the proximity in mind.

Brief Biographical Sketch

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[Note: Here is a brief biographical sketch I’m working on, for some upcoming press and marketing projects. – David]

Innovation, new ideas and creativity often come from integrating and connecting diverse experiences, knowledge and people. In “bullet-point” language, I draw upon the following: Studies at both top private and large public universities. Diverse work experiences in small businesses, medium-sized companies, large corporations, a cooperative and non-profits. Started and owned a number of small businesses. Both formal and self-directed studies in the arts, sciences, engineering, design and business. More than trivial experiences and knowledge in music, art, design, graphics, inventing, architecture, skiing, sales, marketing, mathematics, fundraising, finance, philosophy, creativity, fashion, construction, computers and innovation. Follow and explore current events, culture, larger trends and future-oriented ideas and endeavors. Earned a BA in mathematics and an MBA with a double emphasis in marketing and finance. Travels in the US, Canada and Europe. Lived in a western state capital, two college towns, a mountain resort and three major American cities.

Proxri Deal: As you find our relationship rewarding, proxri with the proximity in mind.

Networks offer possibilities for greater variety, vitality and liveliness?

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Networks and technology can leverage the efforts of a few. This can create a lot of value. I’m not the first to say this, of course.

Wikipedia is created and maintained by a tiny fraction of the people who use it.

In freemium-supported websites, the whole site is supported by a tiny portion of users who pay.

Further, the people who create and maintain Wikipedia like doing it. And, the people who pay on a freemium site see the value of paying. In both cases, networks and technology leverage the efforts of a few, and create much value for other people in the process.

How many more things can we apply this approach to, in the process freeing up more time and resources, and improving the quality of life?

Part of the secret is technology allows people to leverage their time so much. Even among the small number of people contributing to Wikipedia and other group-created efforts, it usually doesn’t take all their time. It’s not like a full-time job.

Maybe networks and technology make, or can make, the notion of specialized work dominating your life less common. And being bored less common.

This is related to another thing about Wikipedia. How many worldwide, free, online encyclopedias do we need? One may be enough.

So what if we didn’t focus on making money so much as creating vibrant contexts, environments and proximities within which to live? Proximities in which the focus could be more on variety, vitality and liveliness? Isn’t that a big part of why people want money anyway? They want to be able to do a variety of different things. Maybe technology and networks offer new ways to create contexts and proximities within which people have that.

What is holding us back? Perhaps we need a new framework to think about this problem, and to structure new approaches. That’s what the ProxThink framework offers, I believe.

Proxri Deal: As you find our relationship rewarding, proxri with the proximity in mind.

Networks Transfer Information Better than Markets in Some Cases

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Networks can transfer some information that markets and money used to transfer.

One thing markets do is transfer information. Greater demand tells producers to make more. Lower demand tells producers to make less. Higher prices tell buyers to consider shifting to alternatives. Higher prices also tell new producers to enter the market.

Markets were invented before technological networks existed. Markets are a kind of network themselves.

It makes sense that networks may now be able to transfer information better, in some instances, than markets.

So, we should be doing that. Yet, the inertia of markets may prevent it sometimes.

Part of the problem may be that we need new mental models, and practical systems, for utilizing the potential of networks.

I believe that is where ProxThink, the ProxThink growth model, and a sustainable proximities approach based on the ProxThink growth model come into play.

For more, see sustainable proximities.

Proxri Deal: As you find our relationship rewarding, proxri with the proximity in mind.

Bored or Engaged

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Probably any ProxSet can become boring if you are not engaged with it.

The more diverse the ProxSet, the more engaging it can probably be.

ProxPatterns provide some clues for ways to stay engaged with ProxSets.

For more about ProxSets and ProxPatterns, join ProxThink.

Proxri Deal: As you find our relationship rewarding, proxri with the proximity in mind.

Flow of Life

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Ultimately, perhaps there is no reason to get up in the morning, or to start, stop or continue doing anything, or to enjoy anything, other than this reason: to be in the flow of life.

Being in the flow of life is another way of saying being related to life. Being is about relating, which is one of the foundations of ProxThink.

Many organizations, systems and processes, or parts thereof, from philosophy, religion and books, to businesses, markets and governments, to friends, networks, associations and family relationships, exist at least in part to keep us in the flow of life, or encourage us in the flow of life.

Proxri Deal: As you find our relationship rewarding, proxri with the proximity in mind.