Action Archives - Page 115 of 121

Focus For The Next 4 Months

Posted on May 3, 2020

One third of the year has come and gone. If you’re like me, lots has happened and lots hasn’t. I have to focus for the next 4 months to catch up on a few things. Amazingly, four months have already zoomed past and it hardly feels like the year really got started.

We’ve had a bit of an interruption on our little planet, of course.

Now that things are settling down a little though, don’t let that interruption be your reason for not achieving your goals. You must take stock of the last four months. Celebrate your successes! Similarly, consider those items not completed.

Assess these incomplete goals and decide if you took on too much, they weren’t realistic or they’re not that important to you. Redouble you’re efforts and focus for the next 4 months, if those goals are still relevant. Be brutal and dismiss them if they are not. They must be a “Heck yes!” or a firm “No”.

I have a lot of interests. Of course, this can make it difficult to say no to various things. However, I must do it. I try to think ahead and consider whether the ‘distraction goals’ will be worth remembering in six or 12 months. Look back on your life and you’ll recognise what important goals look like.

Now is the time to focus for the next 4 months. Pounce on those goals!

Action Health & Fitness Think About It

Let Yourself Dream

Posted on May 2, 2020

We focus on our day and get the basics done. We plan, we schedule and we sort out admin. However, when do you let yourself dream?

Dreaming about how life could be is an essential part of life. If you don’t let yourself dream now and then, you could get stuck in the mundane aspects of life.

Dreaming allows you to use your creative muscles. It also gives you inspiration and hope. Dreaming is the starting line, visualisation is the race and success is the finish line.

Make sure you are following your dreams and not those of others. Living vicariously is useful now and then, but it is not the best strategy for your whole life.

If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.
Jim Rohn

People open their minds like a window to reach past obstacles to their dreams. Let yourself dream. — Open the window to your imagination and let your dreams soar

Exercise your dream muscles today. Set a timer for 5 minutes, or 15 minutes if you can. Get comfortable in a chair or on a sofa. Close your eyes and let your mind get curious and allow your imagination to take over.

What would your ideal life look like? Imagine whatever you like. Do not be restricted by your thoughts about how and when and possibility. Just start considering what your life could look like, if you let it be what you would like it to look like.

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.
Henry David Thoreau

Action Progress

Driven To Succeed

Posted on May 1, 2020

It’s always exciting to watch someone in action when they’re driven to succeed. The planning, the grit, the grind and the discipline make you realise how tough it is to succeed at things.

What you call success, and how you measure it, is important. Moreover, success means different things to different people at different moments in their life. That is to say, things change, perspectives change and priorities change. Encourage people when they are making these changes.

In addition, how I measure success is probably different to how you do. For example, I may want to learn to play the piano for fun at family gatherings. However, you might be practicing to become a concert pianist and get paid to tickle the ivories at The Royal Albert Hall.

Regardless of how you look at success, it is personal. It is your view of success. Simply be honest with yourself when deciding what you would like to achieve and to what level. This should make you happier at the end of your days.

Just don’t sell yourself short. You really should go mad for your dream once in a while. Likewise, think carefully before you sacrifice everything for your dream. It may not be worth the price.

Whichever way you look at success, I think the quote below is valuable for those who are driven to succeed.

Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can do what others can’t.
Jerry Rice

Remember to stick to the long term thinking about your dream. This will require commitment, focus and some sacrifice in the now. But how nice will it feel when you arrive at that moment of success? All that hard work, effort and those re-purposed moments will make it all worthwhile.

Enjoy the journey!

Action Time Video

Keeping Your Stories Alive

Posted on April 30, 2020

We all have stories. Stories of our youth and everything since then. For instance, we could recount how the world impacted us and how we impacted the world. Keeping your stories alive is a fun part of the process of re-living those halcyon days.

Before bed, I was telling the boys a few stories from my farming days in Canada. It struck me how few stories people probably know about others. It also made me think how the art of, and need for, storytelling are changing.

Imagine how many stories Captain Tom Moore has from his 100 year life. He was born in 1920. Consequently he would have had his formative years during the Great Depression. After that, he would have spent his early 20’s caught up in a World War.

His impression of the airplane, radio, tv, car, internet, medicine, political changes and mobile phones would be fascinating.

Unfortunately, many people’s stories will have faded into the fabric of the universe. The challenge was that there weren’t many ways to record them, keep them safe and pass them along.

Quite the opposite is happening now. Teens and tweens of today are able to capture so much on video, audio and by written word given the technology available at the moment. In the meantime, people are becoming more forthcoming with content. In addition, the ability to capture it has become easier and cheaper.

Consequently, more people are adding more content to the universe. As a result, their children could spend their lifetime immersed in video, and other medium, learning about their family history.

Keeping your stories alive may no longer be the challenge it once was. The new challenge may become that people won’t have or take the time, or have the inclination, to hear many of them.

Stories may no longer fade into the fabric of the universe but rather they might fade into the fabric of The Cloud.

Action Reframe your thoughts

How I Built A Habit In 1 Moment And You Can Too

Posted on April 28, 2020

I’ve done it a couple of times in the last 12 months so I know it works. Some might say this is backed by science and critics will criticise. Either way, this is how I built a habit in 1 moment and you can too.

To build a habit you must commit to it and make it a ‘must’ in your life. It is that simple.

Here are my proof points.

From the moment I moved house last summer, I committed to going to my wonderful new home every time I left it. I did not go to my old house every day for two months, even though it was only 700 meters away.
At New Year 2018, I decided to train and run two marathons in the spring of 2019. I trained daily and completed both in decent times.
Writing this daily blog. I committed, made it a must, and this is my 110th daily blog in a row. It was automatic from the moment I decided it was a must in my life and I had committed to it.

In James Clear‘s blog post, “How long does it actually take to form a new habit”, he notes two key things of extra interest to me. The first is when he references a study of 96 people which finds it takes exactly 66 days before a new behaviour becomes automatic. The second item of interest was the following quote.

“You have to embrace the process. You have to commit to the system.”
James Clear, Author of Atomic Habits

To me, his quote is more powerful than the small study and countless other studies like it.

I believe habits develop as quickly as you want them to. The more you make it a must, the more likely it will be automatic from day one. For example, how often did you turn up to your old job, or classroom, after the first day at the new one?

Tony Robbins sums it up quite nicely in his quote below.

“The difference between ‘must’ and ‘should’ is the life you want and the life you have.” When something is a must, you find a way.
Tony Robbins

I think people are amazing and can create new habits pretty quickly when determined to do so. Decide it is a must and commit.

This is how I built a habit in 1 moment and you can too.

[NB: This is dedicated to my Nana who was told in her 40’s to quit smoking or never see her grandchildren grow up. She never touched another one and, gratefully, I was almost 30 when she passed.]

Action Goals, Results & New Thinking

How You Train, You Remain

Posted on April 22, 2020

From the time you are born until the time you pass, you are training your mind and body. For this reason, be mindful, because how you train, you remain.

There is a very good reason your parents remind you to shut off the light when leaving a room, use good manners and sit up straight. Additionally, there is a reasonable correlation, if only in my mind, that developing good study habits will aid in your future success.

Your mind is like ‘the cloud’ in that you can store incredible amounts of data in it. Above all, it records everything that you see, hear, smell, taste, feel and sense. Similarly, your body has ‘muscle memory’ and it remembers everything it has done, seen be done or the mind has visualised for it.

Therefore, it is so important that you train your mind and body in the most efficient and empowering ways possible. Set yourself up for success. Train your mind and body for success and life will continue to get easier. Develop good, strong and supporting mental and physical habits to help you through the tougher moments in life. Focus on positive words, people and events.

Ensure that your self talk is positive and empowering. Remember to use good posture as it signals to your brain how you are feeling. Just sitting up staight and in a strong position can highly influence how you feel. Force yourself to smile and and your brain will relax. Try both of these now.

My favourite trick to shift my mood from dull, flat or negative is to wriggle my nose like a bunny. It moves my face, and I think it’s a bit silly, so within about two seconds I can transform my mood.

Remember, you are continually shifting closer to positive or negative, the light or dark, good or bad, so be mindful of what you are thinking and doing. Even when you don’t think you are in training, you are.

Action Progress

Focus On Your Opportunity

Posted on April 21, 2020

The entire world seems to be on an edge with unprecedented events happening weekly. You must search for your opportunity and then focus on it. Make this your moment. Ignore the distractions because this could be your time. Focus on your opportunity.

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.
Albert Einstein

Action Progress Weight loss

The Formula To Make It Happen

Posted on April 20, 2020

I was struck by a post on LinkedIn about how our focus can bring different results. In essence, it was the formula to make it happen, using the topic of weight loss.

It resonated with me as it is in line with one of my chief beliefs about how we can achieve anything. Although humans are quite good at having ideas and starting projects, the difficult bit is usually in the follow through and results.

After all, “Results are the name of the game”, as Jim Rohn would say. However, results can be tricky to get if you are not aware of the pitfalls and distractions.

If you can keep the following key ideas at the top your mind, you are far more likely to achieve anything you need in your life:

Restart at ‘failure’. Don’t wait for Monday to start again if you fall off track. Every minute of every day is a new opportunity to restart. If you ate too many calories at lunch, then eat far fewer at dinner. If you didn’t make enough sales calls in the morning, make more in the afternoon.
Focus on the one essential thing. Keep it simple. Figure out what the one essential thing is for you, like calorie intake, and stay focused on it.
Track/measure. Count the calories and weigh in daily.
Try more than one thing at a time. Eat less and exercise.
Reassess by facing harsh reality. Re-check your focus, measurements and concurrent efforts on a daily basis.

That is the formula to make it happen, regardless of whatever your ‘it’ is. Yes, it takes some effort. Yes, you have to do your own pushups. Yes, you have to want it bad enough.

I know you can do it, though. Attack the day and do whatever it takes.

Action Reframe your thoughts

Whatever It Takes

Posted on April 19, 2020

When was the last time you had your back to the wall? Did you come out fighting? Would you do whatever it takes? I think we are seeing more of this way of thinking every day during our lockdown.

Front line and essential workers are doing it. Manufacturers are too, by switching to make essential items. Massive shifts are happening everywhere for individuals at home and at work.

Two great and inspiring rallying cries are, ‘Whatever it takes’ and ‘Bring it on’. Keep these phrases in your mind as you decide you need to overcome the difficult situations ahead of you. Scrunching up your face and clenching a fist in a bit of a rebel yell pose helps when you utter these phrases.

Like many sports, our U13s rugby season, where I am one of the coaches, was cut short. However, the London Scottish club suggested we host our End of Season Awards online. So we did that today.

Everyone had a bit of a, ‘whatever it takes’ few days as final arrangements were organised, links were checked and sent out, operational discussions had, awards shortlists were developed, discussed and decided and then call structure and full content were created.

Use these phrases in the days, weeks and months, or even years, ahead. It is always good to have some raw power words at your disposal.

We were certainly in ‘whatever it takes mode’ as we raced against the clock ensuring all the final pieces of the puzzle came together, including getting the players on the call. It turned out really well from my perspective, and from the feedback of others. Which is great for all the boys. We wanted them to have a good end of season, or the best we could, given the circumstances.

Action Gratitude Reframe your thoughts

Waste Not, Want Not

Posted on April 17, 2020

I eat what is on my plate, so I don’t take more than I’ll comfortably eat. Waste not, want not is a phrase that I reflect on frequently. I really don’t like to waste resources, whether it’s food, financial, energy or products.

Having grown up on a farm, I am clear how much energy and resource is used to create milk and then get it to your fridge. The amount of tractor fuel required to cut, rake, bale and transport hay to a barn for storage is significant. There is also an amount of energy consumed in running a barn, such as lights, milkers and gutter cleaner.

We would then have a milk truck collect the milk and bring it to the factory. Here it would be processed and packaged and shipped to a store near you. You can then simply pick the milk off the shelf, take it home and pop it in the fridge.

I have seen people then drink some but not all of it. If it then sits out and gets a bit warm, some people will throw it down the sink. I find that tragic, as I know how much has gone into getting that milk there in the first place. It seems like a complete waste of our earth’s resources. I would rather drink it, chill it in the fridge again before consuming it or use it some other way.

I think like this for all resources. Whether it is using all the toothpaste in a tube or all the ink in a pen, it makes good environmental sense.

Waste not, want not, is a proverbial saying that was first noted in 1772.

Perhaps these unusual times will encourage us to be more appreciative of each resource we have and use it more efficiently.