CategoriesActionObserveThink About It

What We Say About Others

We tell people what is important for us about the other person. We do not describe the other person in an unbiased way. We describe them based on our bias and what we want to convey.

So when news reports come out, be sceptical about why the reporter is using those words and in that order. What picture are they painting and why?

When a friend describes another friend, where are they positioning them in your mind?

If you liked Margaret Thatcher, you might describe her as a strong woman, the Iron Lady, who rose from humble beginnings, with a common background, to the halls of power. If you were less of a fan you might just say she was anti-union and destroyed coal mining in the UK.

Both are descriptions that people could use about the same person. So we don’t simply describe the other person, we describe the characteristics that we want to highlight about the other person. So why did we choose those specific highlights?

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CategoriesActionFinancialReframe your thoughtsThink About ItTime

Tidy Up Your Financial Affairs

Have you got anything outstanding? Is there an invoice you should have sent? Or perhaps some taxes that are due to be filed? Maybe you have an insurance claim or credit cards to attend to.

Whatever it is, it will take longer than you think to do and won’t get done until you sit there for several hours and sort it out. Don’t let it keep drifting along. Complete the work today!

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CategoriesActionProgressReframe your thoughtsTime

Stick To Your Daily Plan

Write out your timed plan for the day ahead. Allow 30 min in the morning and 30 min in the afternoon to accommodate overruns and unexpected calls and diversions.

Otherwise, stick to your daily plan. You may have to say no a lot and work quicker, but don’t let things slide.

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CategoriesActionObserveProgressReframe your thoughtsThink About It

Define The Question

Do you want the world to be a better place or do you simply want it to be run the way you currently feel it should be? These can be wildly different.

Wanting the world to continue to get better is next level politics. Unfortunately, most people would rather trash every opposing or slightly different (could we say diverse) viewpoint, just so they could lead and be in charge.

Most people (maybe 80%) would probably agree with great policies, if they didn’t know which side had suggested them. Unfortunately, our tribal instincts and cultures have us preferring the tribe over the policy.

This happens in global and country politics but also in garden variety conversations with neighbours, family and friends.

Find common ground and notice the nuance. Give and take a little. The world could be a much better place if we noticed that the vast majority of people, deep down, want very similar things.

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