The 7 Characteristics of a Positive Deviant

1) Passion
Passion is the fuel behind your vision; It is the element that transforms selling into enrolling. Positive Deviants don’t quit because their passion drives them to find solutions to tough situations

2) High Moral or Social Purpose
Positive deviants have a “meta” perspective on their role or mission in life. This mission includes something greater than themselves, something that propels their behavior.

3) Seeing Holes vs. the Net
Positive deviants see the fishnet as an opportunity to break the traditional conceptual pattern; they are convinced that there is more than one right answer. To optimize the number of possible solutions, they intentionally change their perspective.

4) Moving Towards, Not Away
Positive Deviants focus on what is possible, what is desired. All acts are held in the context of moving toward success; they hold every activity as a step toward actualizing their vision.

5) Rapid Cognition
In almost any situation the positive deviant is able to move from “micro” to “macro” rapidly. The Positive Deviant intentionally perturbs their system knowing that it will increase the likelihood of a breakthrough.

6) Checking the Edges
Positive Deviants are passionately refining their techniques by exploring (learning) what is happening on the fringe. They do their best to anticipate the future rather than react to it.

7) Low Regard for Social Convention
For the Positive Deviant, following the rules creates ruts. They follow an internal compass that is not easily swayed by traditional convention; They tap into energies which heighten their consciousness.

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Daisy World [andy ford]

Consider the Daisy World parable invented by James Lovelock and Andrew Watson to illustrate the “Gaia Hypothesis.” 

The Gaia idea is that the living and nonliving parts of the world interact in a way to be condusive to life on the planet.  Laurince Levine writes of the Gaia idea as in effect, the whole earth following the homeostatic principles first put forth by the physiologist Walter Cannon (in his wonderfull book on The Wisdom of the Body) – “according to Gaia, the rocks, grass, birds, oceans and atmosphere all pull together, act like a huge organism to regulate conditions.”

This type of thinking sounded too much like teleology to mainstream biologists who argued that “nature does not think ahead or behave in any kind of purpseful manner”  These critics, in turn, were attacked by others as being too narrow minded to see that “life on Earth could create and regulate the conditions for its own existence without being conscious and purposefull.” 
 
Daisy World was invented to sort through these views with a concrete example.  It is a make believe planet occupied by only two types of plants – white daisies and black daisies.  The white daisies have high albedo and reflect a lot of the incoming solar luminosity;  the black daisies absorb much more of the incoming luminosity.  The spread of the Daisies across the surface of the world influences the temperature of the planet, and the growth of the daisies is dependent on temperature. The world exhibits a remarkable property of controlling temperature in the face of massive changes in the incoming solar luminosity.  

Clearly, we would all agree that there are feedback loops in this system.   But, would we agree that there is “purpose” behind the change?  After all, the parable of Daisy World was created to counter the view of mainstream biologists who argue that nature does not act in a purposefull manner.
 
Andy Ford, Professor
Program in Environmental Science
Washington State University
Pullman, WA 99164

ONE percent that really counts [bono]

"Mr. President, Congress, people of faith, people of America:
I want to suggest to you today that you see the flow of effective foreign assistance as tithing…. Which, to be truly meaningful, will mean an additional one percent of the federal budget tithed to the poor.

What is one percent?

One percent is not merely a number on a balance sheet.

One percent is the girl in Africa who gets to go to school, thanks to you. One percent is the AIDS patient who gets her medicine, thanks to you. One percent is the African entrepreneur who can start a small family business thanks to you. One percent is not redecorating presidential palaces or money flowing down a rat hole. This one percent is digging waterholes to provide clean water.

One percent is a new partnership with Africa, not paternalism towards Africa, where increased assistance flows toward improved governance and initiatives with proven track records and away from boondoggles and white elephants of every description.

America gives less than one percent now. Were asking for an extra one percent to change the world. to transform millions of lives—but not just that and I say this to the military men now – to transform the way that they see us.

One percent is national security, enlightened economic self interest, and a better safer world rolled into one. Sounds to me that in this town of deals and compromises, one percent is the best bargain around.

These goals—clean water for all; school for every child; medicine for the afflicted, an end to extreme and senseless poverty—these are not just any goals; they are the Millennium Development goals, which this country supports. And they are more than that. They are the Beatitudes for a Globalised World.

Now, I’m very lucky. I don’t have to sit on any budget committees. And I certainly don’t have to sit where you do, Mr. President. I don’t have to make the tough choices.

But I can tell you this:
To give one percent more is right. It’s smart. And it’s blessed.

There is a continent—Africa—being consumed by flames.

I truly believe that when the history books are written, our age will be remembered for three things: the war on terror, the digital revolution, and what we did—or did not to—to put the fire out in Africa.

History, like God, is watching what we do. Thank you, America, and God bless you all."

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Definition of Leadership & Love [lance secretan]

Leadership
"A serving relationship with others that inspires their growth and makes the world a better place."
Love
"The place where my heart touches your heart and adds to who you are as a person."