Scott, Author at Scott's Thinking

Undoing History

Posted on May 17, 2021

The desire to undo things done must be as old as civilisation itself. People say and do things they wish they could take back. Undoing history would be lovely in some respects. However, there is no giant red rewind button to facilitate this.

Wouldn’t it be nice if such and such had happened or hadn’t happened. The musings of those not wanting to accept the brutal facts of reality. Things are as they are today. They are like this precisely because billions of people did trillions of things and they can’t all be undone.

By constantly living in the hope of the past being different, we can drive ourself to madness.

It may give us some comfort to hope that we will be young again. Or even that wars will not have been fought and past transgressions never occurred. Spending time on trying to right the past uses up energy we could use to improve the present and the future.

Sure it would be better if certain things were a certain way today. Anyone whose family has had a difficult past would probably agree. However, it has happened a certain way and we must make the best of it now.

Rewriting history might make you feel better about the story but the results are in.

Undoing history is still not possible. Best to focus on what is.

Observe Reframe your thoughts

Who Is Famous To You?

Posted on May 16, 2021

This test will help you to understand what is important in your life. You can more easily see where you are headed. Who is famous to you? Why do you know them? Why do they matter to you?

If you can name most of the players in English rugby, then you have a rugby focus. Some people will know all the names of the Prime Minister’s cabinet. That will tell you something about them.

If you know all the names of the journalists at a certain newspaper, it may indicate where you get your news from.

Now, just because these people are famous in your eyes, does not mean that other people will know them or even should know them. Other people will follow a different group and not know a thing about those that you follow.

What is important here is that where you spend time and energy, is the direction you are moving. So if the people you follow are in country music, you will move toward that culture. If it is mafia bosses that you follow, you might find your life being absorbed by organised crime.

Be aware of all the influences on your life. Then assess whether that is truly an important direction to be moving in. And also why it is so important in the context of your 90 year life.

Who is famous to you?

Gratitude Observe Reframe your thoughts

The Work Of Others

Posted on May 15, 2021

Look around you. Everything in your home, office or neighbourhood was the thought or effort of someone else. The work of others surrounds us.

Look around your living room. Perhaps you have a sofa, rug, fireplace, TV, chair, ceiling, light fixture and many other things. You may see several books, pictures in frames, tissue boxes or potted plants. All of these things were thought up by one person or a group of people. Then some people did the manufacturing of it.

It is amazing. All of those people you never met, but whose creative handiwork surrounds you. Then there are the things you can’t really see like electrical wires, plumbing and WiFi.

Out in the streets you have roads, sidewalks, pavement, cars, trucks, sewers, bridges, trains, traffic lights, buildings and buses. People imagined life with these things and there they are! Isn’t it a wonder? It is amazing beyond belief.

Someone conceived the idea. Another person organised it into existence. And you get the benefit of it. Things were dug out of the ground for you. Or they were chopped down. Either way, they are in your world and you get the benefit of their beauty or utility.

Be grateful and appreciate the miracle and wonder that is our modern world.

The work of others is mostly a blessing. Treat it that way.

Goals, Results & New Thinking Reframe your thoughts Think About It

Expect To Win!

Posted on May 14, 2021

You need to begin with the end in mind. And the end result you should be aiming for is a winning one. Expect to win! You’ll feel better for it.

Life is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you expect something to happen, it is more likely to. If you don’t expect it, it’s quite possible it won’t.

Part of the expectation is to see yourself in that final moment. If you can visualise yourself as successful or victorious, you will have won half the battle. You will feel more capable and confident. The sense of achievement will run through you. You may even straighten up a little and walk taller. Perhaps you will speak with more authority and determination.

Certainly the taste of the win will help to motivate you. In addition, you can run the plan backwards to see what you need to do to reach that moment. Then you can work harder, train harder, prepare better and feel like it is going toward something useful.

Seeing the result can be quite motivating. Think about it often and play with the finer details of the moment in your mind. The more real you can make it, the more real it should become.

The opposite is also true though, so guard those thoughts closely.

Expect to win!

Gratitude Reframe your thoughts Think About It

A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney

Posted on May 13, 2021

Who had an impact on your life? What do you remember of them? I fondly recall watching, “A few minutes with Andy Rooney” every week on TV.

From the age of eight until probably 14, I looked forward to those three minutes with Andy every Sunday night. My parents would watch 60 minutes and I quite enjoyed it too. But the bit I relished the most was that time with Andy.

He was grandfatherly and spoke his mind. A lot of it made sense to me. He was easy to understand. Occasionally he would come on and correct himself or apologise for something he said the previous week. I liked him more for having considered it and then mentioning the point.

He spoke from his perspective, as all of us do. It’s a little difficult to speak from someone else’s perspective. And as such, you can only say it one way. Odds are very high though, that other people listening will have a different perspective. That’s ok. If they politely note that difference, it can be mentioned. Although, you don’t have to reference or note all the different perspectives that you didn’t have or became aware of after.

Andy’s whimsical commentary of everyday life, amongst other things, intrigued me. I liked his delivery. He made people reflect and think a little. I enjoyed that.

A few minutes with Andy Rooney will always have a home in my heart and my mind.

Action Observe Think About It

Who Are You Studying?

Posted on May 12, 2021

Where does your attention flow? Who are you following closely? It is important to know the answers. Who are you studying?

If you study Warren Buffett, you may become a great investor. If you study Aristotle, you may become a great philosopher. However, like anything involving success, it helps to be precise.

Be clear what you are studying about a person. And at what point in their life. If you study The Beatles, be aware of what stage they were at. Were they in their growth phase or about to disband? Their music and behaviours may have been greatly influenced by their situation.

When you get to the nitty gritty of someone, it is helpful to know what was shaping them. However, in the big scheme of things, be clear which type of person you spend your time on. Consider whether it is a musician, actor, author, business person, politician, teacher, scientist, explorer or some other category.

It is also good to understand why you have chosen them. Some people study an actor because they look cool and they want that look. Other people study rich people to learn how to spend, rather than how to earn it.

Who are you studying?

Gratitude Health & Fitness Observe Time

The Calming Effect Of Clouds

Posted on May 11, 2021

Have you ever sat back and just watched the sky change? There is something therapeutic about it. The calming effect of clouds is one of natures truly simple pleasures.

Lie down on your back, on your deck, in your garden or at the local park. Get comfy on a blanket or nestled in the grass. Allow yourself some time to relax and enjoy it. Maybe 15 minutes or half an hour will work for you. In addition, bring your child or children.

Lie down with your heads near each others. A circle may be the best formation. This way you can speak to one another and all hear what is being said. Just try to not to get too chatty. Stay focused on the clouds and their ever-changing formations.

My favourite time to do this in the park is in the summer on a warm day with a little cloud and light breeze. The warm air is relaxing. The blue sky punctuated with the puffs of clouds being moved around by the gentle breeze is lovely.

If you have a glass ceiling in the house, this can be a great year round activity. It can be especially enjoyable on stormy days and windy days. If you haven’t done this for a while, do it today. You’ll get up feeling 10 years younger.

Enjoy the calming effect of clouds.

Observe Time

You Have My Attention

Posted on May 10, 2021

Possibly the most valuable thing in the modern world. People act up to get it and also pay vast sums for it. You have my attention now so what are going to do with it?

In person, you can lure my conscious thought by a touch. At a distance, it is usually audio or visual that attracts me to what you are up to.

Think about how much time, effort and money is spent on trying to bring you along. In addition, they want to keep you on the ride for a bit or get in your head and stay forever.

Sometimes it will be to try to help you with useful information or medical assistance. Other times it is to sell you toys, ideas and food. There really is an endless supply of reasons for which people will try to attract your mind to them.

However, you do not have to get involved. You can leave the room when a commercial is on, not answer the door when it’s knocked on or leave the phone unanswered when it is an unknown number. Although you may get caught out by a friend, family member or your work colleague. They may contact you and borrow some of your precious time. Make sure it is worth it.

You have my attention. Please treat it well.

Action Observe Reframe your thoughts

Look Where You Are

Posted on May 9, 2021

Hey! Look at you! I am sure that you have had to do quite a bit to get yourself here. Look where you are! If you really look carefully, you may find plenty of opportunities just waiting on your doorstep.

They may not look like opportunities but they could be. Sometimes we see work or struggle or challenge rather than opportunity. However, they can often be the same thing if you are willing to look at it slightly differently.

Going to university may seem like work to some but if you put in the work, great opportunities may arise. Getting an apprentice job may seem less exciting if you see it as taking your time for a wage. However, if you see it as learning a skill that could later be traded for a higher income, you might be more enthusiastic about it.

Your big opportunity may be right where you are now.
Napoleon Hill

You must be curious and observant as opportunities abound if you are open to different types. If you are good at sports, you may be paid to play. But you also may get a sponsorship, branding deal, or licensing agreement. Although if you are not looking for these alternative ideas, you may only have one stream of income from playing.

Look where you are! There’s gold on the floor.

Action Observe Reframe your thoughts

Progress Involves Risk

Posted on May 8, 2021

Trying something new, even if incremental, requires some courage. Adjusting the norms in your group is rarely easy. Progress involves risk, though it doesn’t need to be risky.

Not all progress is good progress. And progress for one person or group may feel regressive to another person or group. For example, my Secondary School Geography Project was about the Aswan High Dam in Egypt. Although the dam was hailed as wonderful progress for the nation, it was not necessarily great for those people displaced by the new Lake Nassar.

Getting a new haircut, wearing different clothes or starting a new career may all feel like progress. It may even feel like a natural evolution to you. However, there is some risk that you may feel uncomfortable with your new direction. In addition, others may feel like you are moving away from them. This can cause additional challenges.

And this happens all the time with perceived progress. If you stop smoking, you risk losing friends you once had. The same thing happens with drinking, moving to a new company, switching from being single to being in a relationship and just about any change in your life you can imagine.

Too many times we don’t allow progress in our future life because of the risk to our current life.

Progress involves risk. So just go for it.

Progress always involves risk; you can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first.
Frederick Wilcox