Observe Archives - Page 61 of 69

Learning To Chill

Posted on November 2, 2020

People can get very wound up and full of angst. It’s not good for them. There are so many reasons for it too. Learning to chill should be a full term course when you are 12 years old with some sort of reminder course at 16, 20 and every five years thereafter.

I can understand the angst and tension for liberal-leaning citizens. For example, in the UK, the Conservatives swept to power, Brexit will be done in two months, Trump won in 2016 and may win a second term and climate change issues are not getting much better. I’m not sure if there is much bothering the right-leaning citizens.

I suppose they both share a dislike of Covid as well.

One of my favourite techniques for relaxing is to sit quietly for a few minutes and remind myself how tough other generations have had it. Remember those that lived through WWI, the 1918 Pandemic, the Great Depression, WWII and the Cold War. They endured decades of uncertainty without the modern conveniences we have today. If they could do that, then we can get through whatever lies ahead for us.

Another way to relax is to turn off the news. Since when do you need to know about a German river bursting its banks? Or an Australian farmer’s cattle challenges? Tragic? Perhaps. Required knowledge? Doubtful.

Learning to chill is an art. Get artistic.

Observe Think About It

Trump Versus Biden

Posted on November 1, 2020

Around the world, many people seem to be interested in the outcome of the upcoming presidential election in the USA. Trump versus Biden. Or as the ticket shows in the voting booths, Trump/Pence and Biden/Harris. So what is the difference and who is going to win?

If this was a boxing match, you might highlight their key attributes, such as:

They seem to both want a free, fair country with a strong economy. In addition, both candidates seem to have good support from many in their respective political parties.

As for time in political office, Trump has had almost 4 years as President. Biden has spent 37 years in the Senate for Delaware and 8 years as Vice President. While Mr. Biden was in politics, the President was a billionaire property developer, investor and television personality.

Donald Trump is 74 years old and Joe Biden will be 78 in three weeks. President Trump graduated from Wharton with a BS in Economics while Joe Biden received a BA from the University of Delaware and a JD from Syracuse University.

If you search for positive hashtags for the candidates on Instagram you will find 28.4 million for #trump and 2.3 million for #biden.

So the crunch is here. Who will people vote for? As in, ”I want him to lead my country”, rather than, ”I don’t want the other guy to lead the country.”

The Trump versus Biden outcome is imminent.

Action Observe Think About It

Look In The Comments

Posted on October 30, 2020

Wow! There are a lot of different perspectives in the world. It can be frightening and fascinating. Look in the comments section on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, etc.

One of the things I am doing these days is reading a lot of comments. Many of them are similar in general thrust though sometimes with different reasons. I do love seeing things with a fresh perspective, whether I agree with it or not. It makes me think more and consider how different everyone’s life experience is.

I often find myself commenting these days too. Sometimes I just go for the like button. Other times I cheer or congratulate. Occasionally I ask for clarification or provide some for people who might not be using the same stats.

You get a very broad view of what people are thinking and what their concerns or prioritise are. I think it can be more informative than a media piece where they interview 3 people. In that 5 minutes I can see what 30 or more actual people think.

For me to like a comment it must be positive and all good points. My comments must be positive, encouraging or best facts I can find. My experience has been that many people, when presented with the best facts I have, are pretty receptive and appreciative.

If you want to learn about the world, look in the comments.

Gratitude Health & Fitness Observe Progress Reframe your thoughts

So Much In Common

Posted on October 27, 2020

Divisive is a common word these days. Though I find it a strange word to use. People have so much in common and things will continue to get better.

Most people have the following in common: They would like peace, prosperity, kindness, low or no crime and even good and effective political policies.

Would you like to live in a calm and safe neighbourhood? I think most people would aspire to that. Should children be able to go to school to learn? Hard to imagine too much resistance to that in normal times.

Listening to people on most issues and concerns, they seem to want a similar destination for each topic. There may be some differences as to how best to get there or exactly what the final destination looks like. But there seems to be so much less to argue about. And certainly most of those things are superficial in their nature. Or they require only a minor tweak.

No matter how much some people want to focus on the high drama of negative, angry or inflammatory news reports, I am confident we are in a much better position than any previously seen.

One example of this is that the global average life expectancy in 1900 was 31 and in 2017 it was 72.2. Additionally it is very peaceful and many people’s standards of living are much higher than in 1900.

We have so much in common. Let’s focus on what those things are.

Observe Progress Think About It

Progress, Change Or Improve

Posted on October 26, 2020

People want to change the world. That doesn’t necessarily mean they will improve it. Given the chance to make progress, change or improve yourself, or anything else, which word would you choose?

I used to be an adherent to change. Change was good. It was different to whatever is now. But that may mean worse as well as better, from your perspective or from that of others.

Then I became an ardent fan of progress. Progress was better than change. It sounded like it was at least going in the best direction.

However, I am not sure things that seem like progress always are. Like change, it can seem good to some but can be at the expense of many others.

Knowing what we know now, many things that seemed like progress at the time, may not have turned out like that in the longer run.

Was the machine gun progress over a pistol? Was nuclear power progress? Industrialisation – was that progress? Ask people interested in the planet’s future.

We should aim to improve. Improving suggests making things better, for many. It encapsulates change and progress but also a broad reach that helps most people that are impacted by it. It’s not about a select few, or one political, religious or tribal view.

Progress, change or improve? Aim at improve.

Action Observe Property

A Distracted 6 Year Old

Posted on October 25, 2020

Have you ever been distracted or lost your focus? Of course you have. People can easily go off track like a distracted 6 year old. A phone rings, a note reminds you of something, or you just walk into the kitchen and you forget what you were going to do.

This happens to everyone at some point in their life. I know this can happen to me severely times per day. Sometimes it is funny and I laugh at it. At other times, it is a little frustrating to forget something, maybe have to backtrack, or lose 15 minutes and you can’t remember how that happened.

People have good intentions to stay focused. Though there are so many things going on in our days, it can present a reasonable challenge. Remember this any time you hire someone or ask a person to get something done. Assume they are well intentioned but follow up with them. And do that more frequently than you think you should.

This is particularly true when buying a property. It is very easy for people to get distracted with other work or activities and unnecessarily shift things to tomorrow or next week. A friendly call to ensure things are on track is very useful in between milestones. It’s better than an unpleasant surprise at the end.

But maybe don’t tell your friend about a distracted 6 year old theory just before they board a plane. Especially if they’re not a keen flyer…

Observe Time

What An Unusual Year

Posted on October 24, 2020

2020 has almost come and gone. Life has been a little weird at times. And there are still two months to go. What an unusual year.

It feels like the months have dragged on since the beginning of the year. Though, in contrast, it feels like the year has flown past. Can you remember what you were thinking or doing in late February or early March?

Part of what makes this year stand out, obviously, is the coronavirus. It has impacted much of the planet in some way. Though it may have impacted some countries or states more than others. Policies such as lockdowns or closing shops and restaurants are being relaxed or tightened depending on the unique situations and who is actually in charge.

The British exit from the European Union is due to happen in just over 60 days as well. Although Brexit has impacted fewer people so far, it will start to have some impact on Brits, and many Europeans, in 2021.

The weather in Britain has been unusually pleasant to brilliant from March until now, which I hugely appreciate. Lots of sunshine and warm days. With enough rain to keep things fresh and green but not so frequent as to diminish our spirits.

Hopefully the year has allowed you to reflect on many things, as it has for me.

Two months remain. Make good use of them.

What an unusual year.

Observe Time

Advice For A 14 Year Old

Posted on October 22, 2020

The world has changed. It does that. Sometimes it tilts to good and sometimes it tilts to bad. However, advice for a 14 year old should probably look quite similar regardless of society, technology or wealth.

One idea for a 14 year old would be to take actions to get better at something, Aim to be in the top 5% within 12 months. The action required could be more revision to improve school test scores. It could also involve learning a sport, hobby or instrument. It is amazing what 20 minutes a day can do over 3 months.

Getting better at something increases confidence, helps people understand how learning, goals and discipline work. In addition, you learn about the compound effect of building skill upon skill, how habits help and also the key elements of time, effort and patience.

Learning to seek and find is another key piece of advice. Don’t wait for the coach to select you or a job to fall in your lap. Ask your parents, teachers or a search engine how you can improve. Decide what you want to try now and look into it. This may involve joining a club, watching YouTube highlights or how to clips. It could even mean getting a book from the library. Speak to several people to give you different perspectives.

This is advice for a 14 year old. It’s also good advice for a 41 year old.

Observe Progress Reframe your thoughts

What Is Your Superpower?

Posted on October 20, 2020

Everyone has one. If you don’t know yours, you should have a little think about it. What is your superpower? How do you use it?

Kids tend to know their own superpower and that of the other kids. They know if the are brilliant and lightning quick at solving a Rubik’s Cube, like my son. He knew it because he could time himself. It became more obvious to him as children he didn’t even know would come up to him at school, hand him their cube and ask him to fix it for them. He always did. This was proof that others knew his super power too.

Remember, you can have more than one superpower. For example, Superman had incredible strength, heat vision and flight, to name a few. In contrast, you may not know of any power yet. Sometimes these are revealed at different times in life. It may be more about ‘when the student is ready, the teacher appears’. Or perhaps it is a matter of ‘seek and ye shall find’.

One other thing about this, is that your power may be underdeveloped. You will need to work at it, test it and experiment. It will grow stronger and you will be better able to control it as you work at it. You will need to have focus, discipline and persistence.

What is your superpower?

Action Financial Gratitude Health & Fitness Observe Reframe your thoughts Think About It Time

Looking Back At 80

Posted on October 19, 2020

How will you look back on your life? What will be in it? What will have been worth the price you paid? Looking back at 80 is an important exercise to do many times when you are younger.

Imagine you are 80 years old. Can you look back over the span of 80 years and be filled with joy and contentment? There are a lot of tough questions in there. You will have to face your expectations versus reality gap and hope there is positive gap (reality ended up better) rather than a negative one.

It raises some helpful thoughts that should be considered throughout our lives. You might ask yourself the following questions. Am I living a good life? Should I spend more time and energy on family, career, finances, mental health, physical fitness or my community? How can I do more for others or myself? What will I accept or be happy with?

Its going to be harder to achieve anything once you reach your 80’s. There are many that keep going like Warren Buffett. However, you’ll have to have good genes, stay healthy and have a little luck on your side.

You may wish you had worked harder, studied more, saved more money or maintained better fitness. There is still time to change the outcome but you’ll have to put the effort in.

Looking back at 80 should be a delightful experience.