Chalkboard Thoughts — April 26, 2021 — Episode 16 — Conditioning
Chalkboard Thoughts — Mar 09, 2021 — Episode 15 — Clubhouse
I have been on Clubhouse since 16 February 2021. I’m grateful for the invitation to join the party but having regularly listened to maybe a dozen or so shows/clubs one thing’s is very clear to me. You do need a MASSIVE ego to participate as a host/moderator making it very difficult for those that are more humble and introverted to jump in with your own show.
Chalkboard Thoughts — February 15, 2021 — Episode 14 — Right Mindfulness
Right Mindfulness traditionally is the seventh part of the Eightfold Path of Buddhism, but that doesn’t mean it is seventh in importance. Each part of the path supports the other seven parts, and so they should be thought of as connected in a circle or woven into a web rather than stacked in an order of progression.
I first became aware of the Eightfold Path by listening to an episode of the Ten Percent Happier Podcast with Dan Harris. His guest way Brother Pháp Dung who explained more about this.
https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/brother-phap-dung-320
I started with Right Mindfulness as although this is number 7 in the list. Don’t ask me why I am starting with that one, I guess it’s the one I am most familiar with!
Chalkboard Thoughts — Jan 17, 2021 — Episode 13 — NHS
To get the stats, you will have to play the video below. I was watching an episode of Andrew Marr — a news programme in the UK on a Sunday morning. Actually I had to watch it on replay, as I was late getting up. The mornings are just too damn cold for getting up!
The CEO of the UK NHS (UK National Health Service) — Simon Stevens was being interviewed about the current state of the pandemic and the impact on the NHS and it’s staff.
Chalkboard Thoughts — Jan 13, 2021 — Episode 12 — Experiment
There’s always a price for wanting to be famous. But this time he price isn’t what you were hoping for. Today you are starring in your own disaster movie, but there really is imminent danger of death and with the stats in many countries stacked against us, we really do have to run for our lives. Run away from other people, who may infect us, which may mean we could get ill and worse still we carry the infection and share it with our elderly or vulnerable relatives.
Chalkboard Thoughts — Jan 11, 2021 — Episode 11 — Reality
Reality is in our minds. If you’ve ever studied or heard about Quantum Physics (Mechanics) then you will appreciate that nothing we witness is actually real. In the world of the atom everything is but orderly, in fact it’s total chaos and what we think to be order is actually disorder. It’s therefore very logical for things to be very unrealistic and not in order at all.
However our human minds want things to be orderly, that’s what we’ve all been told at school and what our parents have taught us when we grow up. In the animal kingdom nothing is orderly at all and remember we are just animals.
Chalkboard Thoughts — Jan 11, 2021 — Episode 10 — Predictions
During 2020 I made several predictions, albeit not publicly, and they pretty much all came true. Of course they were mainly about Covid-19, about vaccines, lockdowns and the timing of our perilous journey on planet earth.
This time I’m going to make some of my predictions public. Now, these predictions are only about the U.K., if they occur in any other country, it will be purely coincidental. Already one of the predictions will be exceeded and that’s the one about the number of Covid deaths. I predicted 100,000 deaths, but I think it will be much higher than that, more like 150,000 by the time we’re out of this. This is purely down to how the U.K. government has handled this pandemic.
Chalkboard Thoughts — Dec 31, 2020 — Episode 9 — The Present
We will have exchanged presents during December 2020, but we will also have been either locked down and prevented from meeting with loved ones. I have compassion for all of you who have been affected by the loss of family members during December too. Unfortunately you will remember this event every single year for the rest of your lives.
Our human drama on this planet is driven by our thoughts of the past and the future.
Chalkboard Thoughts — Dec 23, 2020 — Episode 8 — Socialise Sensibly
Image by Wordswag - words by Michael de Groot
In the U.K. we’re about to be told that other areas across England will be going in the highest Tier (4) of lockdown from Boxing Day, 26 December, 2020. Why is the virus spreading so fast? Okay, so we have a ‘mutant’ variant of the virus, which is causing it to spread faster. But, what we are forgetting, the only reason it is spreading faster is that the population is too close to each other, we’re not taking the rules seriously enough, in fact folks have forgotten the rules, forgotten which Tier they are in and crossing Tiers as they please. Many stories circulating of people going to other counties to drink in Pubs that are in a lower Tier. The virus can only spread when we are too close to each other and that’s been the main issue with the U.K. ever since we came out of lockdown 1.0.
The possible other reason is kids. See the image below that unfortunately confirms a rise in positive cases in kids.
And that’s why I published my latest Chalkboard Thoughts episode below.
Chalkboard Thoughts — Dec 21, 2020 — Episode 6 — Competence Hierarchy
Image by Wordswag - words by
It was the week before Christmas and the U.K. Government delivered a major U-Turn on national television telling millions of people to stay at home with a new Tier 4, which in effect means a total lockdown. Basically the same as in March 2020, but this time the country has been carved up, meaning only people in London and the Southeast of England are affected.
It was during hearing this news briefing, that the the four stages of competence or the ‘Competence Hierarchy’ came to mind. It occurred to me that the U.K. Government are still in stage 1. Watch my Chalkboard thoughts video below to see what I mean.
Chalkboard Thoughts — Dec 17, 2020 — Episode 5 — Christmas Baubles
Image by Wordswag
As we were coming out of an imposed 2nd lockdown here in the U.K., the government had the foresight to announce that we would have relaxed rules between 23rd and 27th December to celebrate Christmas with family, allowing us to travel and mix with 3 other households. The guidance can be found here, please study it carefully. Since then infection rates, which had been going down have steadily been going up, so much so that many areas in the Southeast of England have had to go into Tier 3. You can learn about your own area restrictions, by going here and entering your post code.
These relaxed few days over Christmas are called ‘bubbles’and nobody in the press or so far in comedy programs has renamed these ‘bubbles’ as Christmas ‘baubles’, which would be a natural thing to do of course?
Thanks to my dear wife Clair, she came up with this other term and we rolled around the kitchen in fits of laughter!
Chalkboard Thoughts — Dec 15, 2020 — Episode 4 —Fear & Doubt
Image by Wordswag
I’ve written often about ‘Fear & Doubt’. Those two words came to me, when I was listening to an audible book during 2019, titled, ‘The Art of Happiness’ by The Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler. For me it’s in this place, the place of ‘Fear & Doubt’ where all suffering in our conditioned human minds starts. If we were only able to master this mental feat then we would be saved from those demons (see picture above) that roam around in our minds.
Chalkboard Thoughts — Dec 12, 2020 — Episode 3 — Brexit!
Image by Wordswag
The U.K. is on the verge of leaving the EU without any kind of trade deal, it’ called WTO Rules, or World Trade Organisation Rules. Nice considering we were all told that by Boris Johnson the deal was ‘oven ready’. Some of you will remember Theresa May who frequently used the phrase ‘Brexit means Brexit’. But actually that’s not what it means at all. Brexit means something different for many people, for some it’s their job they will lose, for others, their business turnover will suffer, for others it means holidays will not be as convenient. I’m Dutchman and have been in the UK for over 40+ years, still have my Dutch Passport and yes I applied and received approval to stay in the UK indefinitely and I’ve never been a big fan of Brussels, however I do believe the whole Brexit matter has been unbelievably badly dealt with. So what does Brexit mean for you?
Chalkboard Thoughts — Dec 11, 2020 — Episode 2 — The Vaccine!
Image by Wordswag
I’ve been observing people’s enthusiasm for the vaccine, celebrating Margaret Keenan and William Shakespeare (real name) for being the first people in the world to receive the Pfizer/BionTech vaccine. As a consequence there’s this massive optimism of being able to get back to normal, whatever that might look like, whilst many nations including us in the UK, are still witnessing very high number of infections and only last night (13th March), I heard about Germany closing down, basically for Christmas and the New Year to keep infections in check. Germany was held up as a model nation for having controlled the virus, but unfortunately they also have succumbed to this dreadful pandemic.
We All Have the Same Story!
We all have a story!
We all have the same story!
People, things, places, spaces and times may vary
We all have the same story
The story started on a different date
And we’ve met different people and yet
We all have the same story
It’s why we are all human, we’re all the same
We all have the same story
We’re born, we meet our Mum, our Dad, our siblings
Our neighbours, our teacher and our bosses
We all have the same story
We’re loved, we’re hated, we love and we hate
We all have the same story
We suffer through fear and doubt just like everyone else
We all have the same story
We have moments of joy at certain times of our lives, but they are usually short-lived
We all have the same story
We seek wealth and happiness at almost every turn of the day
We all have the same story
We rarely stay in the moment as our minds are filled with wishes
We all have the same story
We use substances to dull our minds and get highs that are always short-lived
We all have the same story
We seek fame and fortune, through our practice of some work
We all have the same story
We get to know that our work is eventually worthless as we prepare to leave this earth
We all have the same story
Our bodies break down, regardless of our efforts
We all have the same story
We crossover to wherever, based on whatever we believe
We all have the same story
It’s a sobering thought this
Knowing that we ALL have the same story
Comparing Trump with an 8 year old
Following, from a distance, the behaviour of THE most powerful man on the planet, Donald Trump, made me think of how an 8 year old would behave.
The trouble is he’s an adult, supposedly, but actually does behave like an 8 year old.
Just incredible to witness.
[embed]https://youtu.be/2fScoWfeCm8[/embed]
Share Your Story’ Whiteboard Animation Productions — Update
How are you feeling?…
How are you dealing with this Pandemic? I read a line on LinkedIn by someone who’s suffered with mental health in the past. He suggested that during these weird times we must avoid asking how are you and instead ask, how are you feeling? Personally, my answer would be; ‘It’s different that’s for sure’, and avoid answering the ‘feeling’ bit altogether and this might be the same for most?
Now that Winter is nearly upon us in the Western Hemisphere, we’re retreating more into our caves, don’t you think? Human nature as it is, is always wishing for better times, good news, miracle cures and to get back to the good (or bad) old days, but of course it never turns out that way. Usually there are potholes in the road, diversions on the route and inevitably many many mistakes by government officials along the way. Above all it will never go back to how it was, society has changed forever and beyond recognition. Then we have the; ‘To vaccine or Not to vaccine — what a massive question!’ — so many believing it will work, when they haven’t even published the data properly. After all, commercial companies need their stock value to go up during the pandemic, so of course they will make an announcement that will guarantee that, even the rest of the stock market responded favourably. Call me cynical, yes of course I am. Early on in the Pandemic I kept a daily Journal on Medium, (to help my own mental wellbeing), which I then changed to weekly and then I stopped it altogether a few weeks ago, it was exhausting to do in the end but at least I have something to look back at in years to come. 🥴
And now to business…
As a storyteller, I’m always thinking of better ways to tell stories for our customers. In the past couple of years, we’ve experimented more frequently with a tiny bit of 2D-Animation within our Whiteboard Animations, for example giving characters a little bit of movement in their faces, blinking eyes for example, making them come to life more. It has worked, our customers have been genuinely pleased with the results. Of course it takes more time to produce and time is money, unfortunately. Is business currently kind to you and your teams, well I hope it is? I bet it has been tough, it certainly has been a struggle in our studio, not many projects flowing in during the past 8 months and my small business qualifies for exactly zero handouts from the government. That’s why I’m reaching out really. Whiteboard Animations could be a great vehicle for delivering training, education and explainers. Explaining how things have to change for the future or how business has to be done differently, whether it is to educate customers and colleagues. It could be to get a mental health message out. If you can think of any opportunities at all, either in your organisation or you spot something elsewhere please do keep us in mind. So much appreciated.
Cartoons…
Did you know that we did cartoons? We created this one, showing Boris Johnson (The UK PM) on a mountain of toilet rolls, at the time that rumours spread about something called ‘lockdown’. We thought people got over hoarding and panic buying after (UK) lockdown 1.0, but exactly the same happened during lockdown 2.0. I don’t get it, why toilet rolls? Anyway, these cartoons can be animated too if needed, if you click on the image it will play on YouTube. A 20-seconds cartoon can be even more effective compared to a longer 90 or 120 seconds animation and of course much cheaper too.
[embed]https://youtu.be/3SUPgZcLjC4[/embed]
Showreel…
I’m slightly embarrassed to say that I didn’t have a showreel to demonstrate a few of our productions. Seems fairly basic I know!. Anyway we’ve done one now and you can watch it in all it’s glory below, just click on the play button. Feel free to share it widely, every bit of promotion helps during these dark days.
[embed]https://youtu.be/VhjUTy-CLyE[/embed]
That’s all folks…
This email ended up much longer than I had intended, so apologies for that. If we’re not already connected on LinkedIn, let’s do so, just click the icon below and feel free to explore the other icons to connect on Twitter, follow us on YouTube and maybe have a read on Medium, my blogging platform of choice.
Thanks for taking the time to read this far, I know there are a lot of distractions around and I don’t know about you, I’ve been inundated with emails about Covid PPE. Anyway, stay focussed, stay well, stay realistic and above all stay safe please.
I sincerely appreciated your past business or past interest and maybe one day we can either repeat or create some business together. Always happy to Zoom — link below to schedule one.
Best, M ツ
Michael de Groot
Chief Storyteller at Staying Alive UK
Zoom with me
Episode 1 — The ‘Share Your Story’ Comic Strip
[embed]https://youtu.be/050fZ9Lvb28[/embed]
A move on from our ‘Weekly Cartoon’, experimenting for our clients with this approach a 3 panel comic strip, which can have multiple use. Use a panel independently, as a animated GIF and release it weekly, creating anticipation and tension in your audience or create a new strip each week, moving the story forward step by step. I see very few people doing this and for sure you’d stand out from the crowd.
Tap on the box below to learn more about our creativity:
[embed]https://stayingaliveuk.com/michaelandjosh[/embed]
Online Storytelling Workshop
I am running Online Storytelling Workshops to reach more businesses and make it accessible for more start-ups, small businesses and students.
I’ve been curious about business for over 40 years. The main reason? Well, money of course! My father worked for the Bank of America in Amsterdam and he was the most frugal spender I have ever come across. Whenever we as kids and there were four of us, asked for money he used to point to his back and ask if we could see any money growing on it.
A very strange saying but it has stuck with me for all my life.
So my desire to make my own money came at a very early age. I started work at the age of 16 and got the taste of money whilst working for a family friend’s business in Amsterdam. When we moved to the United Kingdom and after having had the first taste of my own money there was no way I wanted to continue with my education, I wanted to work in London and become independent. So at the age of 17 my employment in business had begun. I’ve worked for several large organisations in the Textile Industry and have come across hundreds of managers, several CEO’s and Managing Directors and there was just one thing that separated the good ones from the really bad ones and that was Storytelling.
Those that could tell a great story, stood out for me and got my respect, those that couldn’t didn’t.
Storytelling applies to people in business just as much as those that are running their own business, it makes no difference. Let me explain why.
All communication is Storytelling. Just pay attention to your next conversation with anyone, a friend, a family member, a colleague or a complete stranger. I am 99.9% confident that the dialogue you engage in contains many many short stories. Well, if all communication is Storytelling, we should be paying more attention to it don’t you think?
[embed]https://www.linkedin.com/events/shareyourstory-onlinestorytellingworkshop/[/embed]
I come across many business people and listen intently to how they introduce themselves, whether its at networking events, during public speaking, presentations etc. I am astounded and quite frankly shocked on how little Storytelling is used by business people. You may not appreciate how programmed you are for Storytelling. You started listening to stories, potentially before you could even talk properly. In those early years you listened to words uttered by your parents and grandparents, those sounds you had to convert into pictures in your brain and that’s how your cortex started its development to comprehend stories and the start of all communication.
In the decades that you have been walking on this planet you have been exposed to stories through the medium of TV, Radio, Cinema, Books, Podcasts, Music, Theatre, The Internet, Social Media and many other media channels.
[embed]https://www.linkedin.com/events/shareyourstory-onlinestorytellingworkshop/[/embed]
Your exposure to Storytelling means it is already second nature to you. All you have to do is understand the mechanics, the framework and the structure to get started in crafting your own story and your business story. I’m not asking you to become an author, a script writer or an amazing orator, I’m asking you to become better at doing something, you’ve already been doing all your life.
When you join the Online Storytelling Workshop, you will leave with a storytelling blueprint for your own business by recording your own story using the Share Your Story canvas. This online workshop is only the beginning of your journey. Afterwards there are 2 optional paid for (£24) follow-up coaching calls to keep you on track and finalise your own ‘Share Your Story’ Blueprint. That’s not all, read on and you’ll be pleasantly surprised with all the additional online support and free resources included in your initial workshop!
INCREASE YOUR SKILL TO SHARE MEANINGFUL STORIES:
- In digital and online
- In your branding and off line
- In your speaking
- In your networking
- In your conversations
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
- Small businesses (typically with less than 9 employees)
- Freelancers
- Solopreneurs
- Start-up businesses (Discounts provided, please ask!)
- Speakers — Presenters
- Trainers
- Coaches
- Unemployed (Concessions available, please ask!)
WHAT IS INCLUDED FOR EVERYONE WHO ATTENDS THE ONLINE SESSION:
- Free access to LinkedIn Lectures course with 13-hours of on-line video training. Value — £90
- Membership of a private LinkedIn mastermind group for all workshop attendees. This group will support you to follow-through with your actions, share best practices, progress and allow constructive and supportive feedback. Value — Immeasurable!
- Opportunity to be a guest on the ‘Share Your Story’ Podcast and share your story with thousands of podcast listeners. Value — Priceless!
I really look forward to welcoming you at a forthcoming Online Storytelling Workshop