Scott, Author at Scott's Thinking

Uncomfortable to Unstoppable

Posted on January 20, 2020

Frequently people stop because something is uncomfortable. People will often shy away from a challenge because it is socially uncomfortable (what people might think or say if you tried), physically uncomfortable (a challenging skill or strenuous) or mentally uncomfortable (trying to solve a difficult problem).

If only people remembered that you always have to get through that uncomfortable stage before you can get to the unstoppable stage.

If you can remember, you were usually uncomfortable when you started doing anything for the first time. It could have been putting your hand up in class, or speaking in a meeting (social), learning a new sports skill (physical) or learning your times tables (mental).

The trick to remember is that it always gets better and easier if you put in the effort and accept greater guidance from someone who knows how. Then if you keep trying, practicing and developing, you will start to be quite good at it (witness anyone progressing through times tables or solving a Rubik’s Cube).

Then if you practice even more, you can become unstoppable. What a great feeling that is. To know you are one of the best in a certain endeavour.

That period of being uncomfortable is the way the Universe checks to see who really is interested in progressing further.

To progress from Uncomfortable to Unstoppable, you need Action Not Words.

Go do it!

Reframe your thoughts Think About It

I Am Ready

Posted on January 19, 2020

Even when I’m not ready, these three little words, said out loud, whether softly to myself or announced with meaning, make me feel more ready than I would be.

Much has been written about the power of I Am. It has incredible power: Like a fundamental key to our natural programming.

When you say those two words, be careful which words you add after them.

For now though, get yourself in the right mindset. Start saying to yourself, “I am ready”. You’ll be surprised at how much sooner you will be ready.

Let the (mind) games begin!

Financial Think About It

Investment Returns v Time

Posted on January 18, 2020

I find it fascinating that there are so many different ways to calculate financial returns. Some people look at returns differently.

From gross yield to infinite returns, IRR, ROCE, ROE, ROI etc.

ROI, or Return On Investment, comes up often, especially in property conversations, which is something we spend a fair bit of time having.

But very few people discuss ROTI, or Return On Time Invested.

You might consider time when you start a new job and wonder, is this worth my time. Your salary and benefits would be your return on your time invested at a job. Though, if you were told the job would be 35 hours a week and you regularly work 70 hours, your ROTI would be half what you thought it would be.

If you are an entrepreneur, your ROTI can be a little discouraging in the first couple of years as you might work very long hours while planting the seeds for your business, and not getting much back in return.

As you don’t know how much time you’ll have in this life, before it’s all over, and you can’t get any more of it, you are best to allocate or spend every minute wisely.

By the way, your returns don’t have to be measured strictly in financial terms when measuring ROTI. The returns you get might be the joy of spending great moments with your family, spouse, kids, parents, friends, etc.

So when you consider your financial return on investment, also consider your ROTI. What you may have to give up in time, to achieve certain returns, may not make the investment worthwhile.

Reframe your thoughts Think About It

You Always Have A Choice

Posted on January 17, 2020

No matter what the situation, you always have a choice. Now the best choice, from your perspective, may be obvious, or the idea of one of the choices may be revolting or incomprehensible, but it doesn’t mean you don’t have a choice. It simply means you have a preference for one of the options and are not interested in the other option.

Sometimes we hear the words, “I don’t have a choice”, or, “I didn’t have a choice”. It may feel, or seem, like our choices are limited to one, but it isn’t actually true. It’s just a story you tell yourself, and others, to try to rationalise or justify your decision and action.

For people who don’t like to take personal responsibility, who are often looking for someone else to blame, these kind of comments are perfect. They feel they can be absolved, as they didn’t have a choice. “The devil made me do it”, is a classic excuse to try to escape personal responsibility.

If you find yourself challenging the above idea, that we always have a choice, you may find success, and joy, are more elusive than you had hoped.

Action Think About It

How Important Is This?

Posted on January 16, 2020

If I want to gauge how important something is to me or to someone else, I put it through the same filter I have since I was in my teens. This filter I use is the following: Is the person using the care, diligence and urgency that I imagine a heart or brain surgeon would use on the country’s leader or that a Marine or SAS operative would use on a special mission?

These scenarios are life and death. Mistakes can cost lives, including your own, if you were the patient or the operative.

These people will be highly trained, well drilled, and focused on a successful outcome. They will confidently take action to achieve their desired result.

They probably don’t use phrases like, “I kinda feel like I can give it a try and then we will just see what happens.” Certainly words you do not want to hear from your heart surgeon as they are putting you under…

Action

Action Not Words

Posted on January 15, 2020

I read with interest, an article about the 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees. Congratulations to all of them. Hard working and action oriented people. It’s usually the way to success. Grind. Discipline. Focus. Battle.

I was reminded about a band that was inducted last year, which was one of my favourites in my teens: Def Leppard. They had a song on their massively successful breakthrough album, Pyromania, called Action Not Words. I’ve often thought about that phrase. It’s short, clear and exactly what is required to move things forward.

You need more action in your life. More action moving you toward the outcome you are looking for. Results not reasons. Execution not excuses. So if you want to be more successful in anything, remind yourself of this simple phrase: Action Not Words.

Go get it done.

Goals, Results & New Thinking

Habit Forming

Posted on January 14, 2020

Constant repetition is required until you reprogram your mind and body with the desired habit (remember your times tables). There are no set number of days to create a habit. It can take some people 15 years to say goodby to cigarettes and only a few days to start going to a new place of work.

If you want to create a new habit, do the thing you should do, but maybe don’t want to do, everyday, until it’s a habit. You’ll know it’s a habit when you no longer think about doing it, it just happens.

Be focused, make it important enough (like a new place of work) and it will be a habit very quickly.

You’ll soon start doing the thought or activity out of habit and start to realise, and focus on, the benefits you are getting. That’s when you will want to really make this new habit stick and not fall back into that old habit.

Call it ‘crossing the threshold’.

It gets easier from there to make this growing habit into a permanent one.

Go try it.

Think About It

You’re being brainwashed

Posted on January 13, 2020

Call it brainwashing or programming. Even influencing, education, training or encouraging.

We all choose to allow others to fill our minds with thoughts and ideas which lead to our basic, individual philosophy, which then leads to plans and actions.

We choose to tune in or tune out, to something or someone, at every second of the day. You’re listening to, or tuned into, your friends, radio, spouse, news outlet, social media feeds, your own mind and thoughts, children, parents, journalists, entertainers and tv.

Hence, we are all being brainwashed by others if we don’t stop and think about what we are letting our minds consume. Just as with food, our consumption habits will catch up with us and it will be obvious to others and eventually ourselves.

We tend to adopt the message and philosophy of the content creator, or we move on to something that appeals to us more in that moment. We will return to the content, and the content creator, that we enjoy, agree with, or that makes us feel comfortable, thereby reinforcing their message and adopting it within ourselves.

Of course if we don’t like certain content or the creator, or if we stop, think and recognise that it is not good for us, we can choose to simply ignore it. That’s right: it’s a choice.

Is all of your mental consumption making you a better, happier person, or should you consider switching out some content creators?

Progress

A Life In Progress

Posted on January 12, 2020

There are only two situations were your life is not in progress: When you are regressing and when you are dead.

Dead seems to be forever. Try to make sure that if you ever regress, that it isn’t similarly long.

I love progress. People generally seem to love progress too. We love to see our family and friends doing well and improving. We love to see our favourite teams get better, win more and move up in the standings. We love to see our own lives getting better, whether it’s in our relationships, financially, health and fitness or work/career.

But sometimes we stagnant. Or worse. We regress. If you see that happening, in your life or others, focus on what you can do to make a positive change. This can be a little uncomfortable. But pain is temporary.

Take one thing in your life right now and make it better. And work on it every day. From making your bed when you get up, to eating better, to sending a letter to that client you’re after. And then follow up.

You’ll feel great.

Go do it now.

Think About It

Mind Power – Take Back Control

Posted on January 11, 2020

Many people tend to live on autopilot. It’s simple and easy. Consistent and comfortable. But it’s not ideal when you want to change something in your life.

You need to stop and think. Yes, think. You’ve got to switch off the autopilot and switch on the manual control.

You will have to puzzle over the item. See it from different perspectives, not just your usual one. And, it’s hard work if you are not in the habit of doing this. But it does get easier the more you do it and train your brain.

Relax. Try to see how things could be different if your thoughts shifted a little.

You’re in control.

Enjoy that feeling.