The Importance of Conscious Decision-Making: Three Activities that Define Our Lives- Productive, Maintenance and Self-Destructive

 

Every living being spends their life conducting three basic types of activities: productive activities, maintenance activities and self-destructive, or wasteful, activities. We conduct these activities at the conscious level, at least in the beginning. Over time however, we make these activities a matter of routine and they become a part of our subconscious self. This is important to understand because this is where we can begin to lose control over our lives or businesses. Therefore, it is the management of these activities that will determine the quality of one’s life, or businesses. We either manage the activities we do, or our activities will manage us.

Productive Activities

Productive activities are those activities that improve the quality of our lives or businesses. Sadly however, very few of us actually spend much time doing such activities. Productive activities can bring knowledge, wealth and meaning to our lives or businesses. Productive activities can be scalable, meaning such activities can shape future opportunities for further growth and/or profit.

One productive activity is investing money in opportunities that will grow and lead to new opportunities. One example is education, education that can be applied to real issues to obtain real gains such as project management or other leadership roles where pay, responsibility and growth are highest. Another related activity may be learning computer programming to create software to meet a variety of needs within industry. Better yet- begin with computer programming, but reinvest the profits to turn programming into a scalable business, thus making you an entrepreneur.

A productive activity promotes growth, sets the stage for long-term wealth and forms a foundation of a positive sense of well-being.

Maintenance Activities

Maintenance activities consist of actions we need to survive on a daily basis. Some of those activities are working for a living, Taking care of the home, raising crops, hunting, running a business, etc. etc. people spend approximately 8 to 12 hours a day on such activities. And, I'm only talking about the work aspect. I'm not talking about time one takes to drive, use the bathroom, brush their teeth, talk to the kids, and maintain relationships with their families. Understanding this is vitally important, because if you only spend your life maintaining basic functions then you have nothing ahead for the future. As you get older, you may come to realize you have not been able to save anything for yourself, or your family. You find yourself a slave, never able to stop and rest to enjoy your golden years. This too applies to businesses.

Self-Destructive/Wasteful Activities

Self-destructive activities are those sustained activities that are basically brainless and provide you no return. Sustained activities meaning, anything outside a normal vacation or needed short break.

Self-destructive activities could be watching TV on a routine basis, going out to party all the time; spending money, time and resources on activities that are short-lived, but require resources to support; playing videos games with no targeted gain outside of simple pleasure comes to mind.

Ultimately…

There are 24 hours in a day; 7-8 of which are used for sleep, while 8 are used for work…typically to profit someone other than yourself; where do you account for your remaining 8 hours?  The activities that dominate your day will determine your personal, or business, life; days become weeks, weeks become years, years become decades. Your actions may help determine if you will be rich or poor. Your actions may determine if you're going to be smart or not so smart, or educated or an uneducated. Though time is one of those few things life gives to us freely, we pay heavy price for misusing it. If we do not take our time and invest it wisely then we will find ourselves empty and unfulfilled.

Counterinsurgency Vignettes–Mexico

Cartel Threat Recognition & Mitigation - Mexico

Before anyone can consider how Mexico can rid itself of the current cartel/criminal insurgency plague, one has to try to understand the drivers feeding the conflict.  An obvious driver is the desire for drugs in the US and elsewhere, but feeding the US and other countries drugs requires a set of conditions to affect that ability. The information below leads people to understanding what some of those conditions are.
Assessing the Status of the Mexican Drug War – Observations and Considerations

These 2010 links are of value for multiple reasons.  One of them is that these 2010 video links provide observers of the Mexican Drug War a baseline/start point from which to make some judgments; one of those judgments is to try and assess if the situation has improved since then.

The Mexican Drug War is not something new.  The drug war actually began decades ago, in the 1980s.   The baseline infrastructure supporting today’s drug war began in the 1800s with the Chinese and La Nacha.  Those interested in really learning about the drug conflict should read Ioan Grillo’s work El Narco:  Inside Mexico’s Criminal Insurgency.

"Cold Revolutionary Warfare" Mexico Style Here is the political face one must watch for...indicating a greater threat to the established government...similar indicators may emerge in other parts of Mexico at the local level...these very activities pose a threat to the long term survival of a legal Mexican state.

• Video 1/7 Observations: Powerful Psychological Grip Over the Population
• Video 2/7 Observations: Drug Problem Ignored Is Now Endemic To Society - This Created an Atmosphere of Moral Relativism
• Video 3/7 Observations: More on Moral Relativism
• Video 4/7 Observations: Infiltration, Penetration and Subversion
• Video 5/7 Observations: “Psychological Dominance of the Battlespace”
• Video 6/7 Observations: Futility- Falling of a Nation State?
• Video 7/7 Observations: The Future of Mexico????

 

• Mexico’s Vigilantes – Six Important Considerations

• Vigilantes in Mexico? Why?

• How to Subvert the Mexican Drug Cartels Michoacán Style- Turning the Insurgent Center of Gravity into a Community Center of Gravity

“We Cannot ‘Kill Are Way Out’ Of War”

General Stanley McChrystal understood this…

Video regarding some of the key elements in counterinsurgency thinking, compliments of 60 Minutes

Counterinsurgency Cops–60 Minutes and Notes of a Counterinsurgent

Earlier this evening, 60 Minutes presented an excellent piece on the use of Counterinsurgency tactics against criminal and gang environments.  Those very familiar with the techniques and mindset associated with such actions should not be surprised. 

What made the 60 Minutes piece so good is that the policemen using these techniques are also experienced counterinsurgents…they applied the theory to action and achieved gains.

Key concepts revealed in the mesh with exactly Notes of a Counterinsurgent addresses by empowering a local population to take care of themselves, combined with a relationship of trust with local authorities to purposes of rapport, intelligence information sharing and community development all while disrupting insurgent, criminal and gang freedom of movement and freedom of action.

Who can benefit from this video:  Community Watches, countries like Mexico and Brazil who are also fighting their own forms of counterinsurgency.

Here’s the link to Notes of a Counterinsurgent and the video clip :

http://www.swothunter.com/p/notes-of-counterinsurgent-33-posts.html

 

References/Recommended Key Reads–Notes of a Counterinsurgent

References/Recommended Key Reads

Most of the authors referenced talk across all three levels of war (tactical, operational and strategic). All provide pragmatic insights that are actionable; they go beyond long-winded history lessons.

Cann, John

Counterinsurgency in Africa: The Portuguese Way of War, 1961-1974

This book talks about how a nation restructured and successfully engaged multiple counterinsurgency operations in Africa at tactical, operational and strategic levels…excellent succinct read.

Forrest, Vaughn

“Unheeded Warnings: The Lost Reports of the Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare” is about the work of Vaughn S. Forrest and Yossef Bodansky

“Unheeded Warnings” is one of the best documented publications regarding modern 20^th/21^st century tactics, techniques and procedures revolving around infiltration, subversion, political warfare and religious extremism.

These reports are prescient. The roots regarding many of the problems the US has today are found in many of the pieces that make up this series of 5 publications, of which only 2 in the series have been printed so far. The publication can be found via lulu.com and is edited by Richard and Peter Leitner.

Galula, David

Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory and Practice

This is the book of books on COIN. People will argue it’s outdated. That may be true in terminology, but not in techniques and procedures used by insurgents. The concepts addressed are timeless.

Hammes, TX

The Sling and the Stone: On War in the 21st Century

Colonel Hammes identifies the nature and complexity of today’s chaotic environment. Although the term 4^th Generation Warfare turns a lot of people off, the concepts of the enemy threat, his nature, and constant evolvement are solid and unquestioned. Hamme’s book is a pioneering effort to create a picture that many academics have failed to due prior to 2003.

Hammes also pioneered a concept few give him credit for, 5^th Generation Warfare where he highlights that future threats/attacks will be wage by single actors/loners via global communications.

Handel, Michael I.

Sun Tzu and Clausewitz: The Art of War and On War Compared

The late Handel produced an excellent piece that compares and contrasts key tenants of Art of War and On War that are useful for the counterinsurgent.

Hoffman, Frank

Conflict in the 21st Century: The Rise of Hybrid Wars

Hoffman coincidentally expands the research of Colonel Hammes and a number of others into concepts more understandable to most people today. This piece can be found on the Small Wars Journal, another outstanding online resource.

Howard, Michael and Peter Paret

On War by Carl von Clausewitz

Teaches the key components of armed conflict, friction, center of gravity, stroke of the eye (coup d’oeil) , and other useful concepts.

Kilcullen, David

The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One

Read anything you can by this gent. He is the modern day David Galula; type his name in Google and you will find a number of his writings on the internet. There so much to say about his work that it’s too much for me to cover here other than his works are must reads.

Lind, William S., Colonel Keith Nightengale (USA), 

Captain John F. Schmitt (USMC), Colonel Joseph W. Sutton (USA), 

and Lieutenant Colonel Gary I. Wilson (USMCR)

The Changing Face of War: Into the Fourth Generation

This is one of the most forward thinking analytical pieces written in 1989. Although the concept of 4^th Generation Warfare has taken a severe beating over the years, the concepts regarding the nature and future threat environments were prescient at the time until they finally became realized over a decade later in places like Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan and a number of other places. This piece has impacted both friend and foe thinking alike, this reportedly includes al Qaeda.

One can find this using Google by typing the title.

Poole, John H.

Poole has a number of books that can be purchased via http://www.posteritypress.org.

• Poole’s latest book is Homeland Seige as of 1 July 09.
• Dragon Days: Time for “Unconventional” Tactics (October 2007)
• Terrorist Trail: Backtracking the Foreign Fighter (October 2006)
• Militant Tricks: Battlefield Ruses of the Islamic Insurgent (October 2005)
• Tactics of the Crescent Moon: Militant Muslim Combat Methods (November 2004)
• The Tiger's Way: A U.S. Private's Best Chance for Survival (October 2003)
• Phantom Soldier: The Enemy's Answer to U.S. Firepower (August 2001)
• One More Bridge to Cross: Lowering the Cost of War (September 1999)
• The Last Hundred Yards: The NCO's Contribution to Warfare (February 1997)
• Poole’s forte is in light infantry tactics; the tactics counterinsurgents need to understand and practice.

Rand Corporation

Counterinsurgency: A Symposium, April 16-20, 1962

Buy this publication via the RAND website or download a free copy from their site

This publication is a hidden, virtually unknown gem. It was put together by Dr Stephen Hosmer and his crew at RAND. The insights contained in this book derived from multiple experienced COIN commanders with both academic and operational credentials.

Special Operations Research Office (SORO)

Human Factors Considerations of Undergrounds in Insurgencies

There were a number of studies that were put together by SORO in the 1960s, but this is the must read primer. Once completed, type “Special Operations Research Office” in Amazon and it will lead you to some of the best researched COIN publications put together.

Sun Tzu

Art of War

Teaches one to understand the nature and essence of warfare, the flow of energy, displacing energy, infiltration and war as a system.