Action Archives - Page 94 of 121

Be For Rather Than Against

Posted on May 28, 2021

Deciding what you are for is better for everyone. It is positive and can be equally as powerful. Be for rather than against something. You will feel better and look for good reasons to support your cause.

Google used to use “Don’t be evil” as a motto. On the surface, it is a good sentiment. Most people could agree that being evil is not a great focus for your life. However, every time you say it, you bring up the word evil. Then your mind conjures up a few evil thoughts, feelings and pictures in a millisecond.

Since re-structuring the company, the parent company Alphabet, selected “Do the right thing” as its motto. This feels inherently better. It seems better to have the word ‘right’ repeating in your head rather than the word ‘evil’.

Strangely, those two phrases have a very similar meaning or intent. However, it is important to note the more positive, upbeat feel of the ‘right’ phrase.

We should strive to use these positive types of phrases in our personal and business life.

Anyone using anti-something should rethink what they are trying to do. Being anti seems to lead to anger. And from pop culture we know anger leads to hate and then to the dark side. Presumably this defeats the purpose of trying to eradicate something. You might replace it with another form of anger or evil.

Be for rather than against.

Action Financial

Set Specific Metrics

Posted on May 27, 2021

We all would like to have more money. But how much more? You need to be clear with the universe. Set specific metrics so that you know whether you met the target or not.

I know it seems a little odd to be so precise with future outcomes. In addition, it is hard to feel confident with numbers that don’t have a solid basis.

But that is why you must do the numbers. You need to put in a few minutes with a calculator and pencil. Better still would be to use a spreadsheet so that you can quickly process changes in your assumptions. Also, a spreadsheet is a clean and easy way to see the numbers. You can also show others when things are neat, tidy and legible.

So decide on the numbers. For example, if you would love to achieve a £200,000 income before taxes this year, what has to happen? Do you need a new job, another job or a side hustle? If you sell dining tables at £2,000 each, you need to sell 100 tables. But what if each table costs £700 and your admin costs per table are 300? With only a £1,000 net, you will need to sell twice as many tables, or 200, to hit your target.

Set specific metrics so you know what you are aiming at and if you hit it.

Action Health & Fitness Reframe your thoughts

Get Your Frustrations Out

Posted on May 21, 2021

Frustrations, disappointments and missed expectations can lead to a negative energy inside. You need to get your frustrations out somehow.

Different people do it in different ways at different times in their lives. Some people like to box, some prefer gardening but even a simple walk can help. Others fancy meditation while I enjoy a good, long run.

Something physical is best. It helps to get that negative energy out. It can also tire you out, which can be quite useful too. Getting a good night’s sleep can be difficult with negative energy and things on your mind. So expelling that energy and getting tired can greatly help you to get the sleep you should have.

In addition, you will often wake up with a better perspective in the morning. A fresh, new day often brings with it a greater sense of the possible.

If you don’t do something physical, it is possible you will build up the negative energy in your body. This can manifest into aches, pains, discomfort and other ailments including headaches.

Meditation or similar mind exercises can also be quite helpful. Together with exercise, good sleep, plenty of water and a positive attitude, and life should be very good.

Get your frustrations out in a positive, harmless way. It’s healthy!

Action Progress Reframe your thoughts

Study Hack

Posted on May 20, 2021

There are shortcuts in life. Many shortcuts are legal and moral. However, you do need to be aware of them. Today I’ll explore a life study hack.

If you are trying to gain knowledge on a topic, you need to study it. I’ve found it does not matter whether you are studying business, entertainment, travel, a language, a sport or any other topic. The actual act of studying it is critical.

In addition, if you really want to excel in this subject, you are best to immerse yourself in it. Study the latest books on it as well as the classics. Watch movies and videos on the subject, listen to podcasts and get involved doing it yourself.

However, one of the best shortcuts to knowledge is having an interactive conversation with someone who already knows the subject inside out.

A single conversation across the table with a wise man is worth a month’s study of books.
Chinese Proverb

The amazing thing about speaking to someone knowledgeable is their immediacy of feedback. They can understand your relative position and the question you have. Then they can provide specific advice for you in your situation.

This method can save you hours, weeks or even months of independent, linear study. Having someone jump in with relevant insight and guidance can be priceless.

That’s a study hack to try out.

Action Health & Fitness Reframe your thoughts Weight Weight loss

Losing Weight

Posted on May 18, 2021

As we exit lockdown, I hear people talking about the weight they gained, which they now would like to lose. However, losing weight needs a rebrand.

It is a common phrase and quick to the tongue. The trouble I find is the use of the word reflecting loss. Losing and loss are usually associated with sad or frustrating things.

There are only a few times where losing someone or something is a good thing. The two that come to mind are when someone is chasing you and when trying to have greater fitness.

Most of the time, loss is not good. We are rarely happy saying things like I lost the race, the match or the series. Nor do we enjoy losing our keys, health, friends, jobs or minds (though we may not notice the last one so much).

Our minds also work overtime to resolve the loss. So even if you lose weight, your mind sets off to find it again. This is rarely ideal if you’ve been making the effort to be slimmer or more fit.

So while we wait for the world to stop combining those two words, try using others. Perhaps, “I am getting to my best weight” or ”my ideal size“. “I am getting fitter every day.”

Stop losing weight and start finding your ideal you.

Action Gratitude Reframe your thoughts Time

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.

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?

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

Action Time

The Right Time Is Now

Posted on May 7, 2021

You’ve been holding back on something. You want to move forward but the timing doesn’t feel right. Well, the right time is now.

The lights may never be green at every intersection from here to your destination. You may have to slow down or stop once in a while. But another green light will appear and you will be able to continue on your way.

However, getting off your bottom, getting in the correct attire and getting in your car is the start of the journey. You can’t be part done until you start. And yes, you may not have all the information you think you need. Few people ever do. Perhaps you’ve waited too long if that is the case.

Make those phone calls and speak to the people you need to. Read what is critical and do what is required, but at least get going. 90% of life is just showing up. If you show up, they may pick you. If you are the only one there at the right time, you may be in luck.

And you never know what the right moment will be, so you best keep showing up. This reminds me of a time I was walking down a street in Sydney, Australia. A police officer stopped me and asked if I could join a police lineup. But that is another story…

The right time is now. Get out there.