Observe Archives - Page 64 of 82

Dig Your Heels In

Posted on April 6, 2021

That can feel sooo good in the middle of an argument. It may not be good but the adrenaline rush and everything works. Dig your heels in deeper as the discussion / argument continues to gather apace.

Generally speaking, we people like to be right about things. The funny thing is we are already right about our perspective. The challenge comes when other people have a different perspective. We can get quite animated explaining to people how our perspective is right and their perspective is wrong.

At this point, you could just walk away. You know you are right from your perspective. In addition, you have little interest in the other persons perspective. You just know they are wrong. And you are frustrated that someone’s lived experience could have got them so far off the correct track (i.e. your current perspective).

Again, best to walk away and reassess your own view of the world. No need to dig your heels in to press the matter. Few people seem to crack with greater pressure applied. You just don’t see it very often or ever.

Sometimes you feel you must win the battle and so forget about the larger purpose of life – Joy.

Don’t dig your heels in.

Financial Observe Think About It Time

Feeling like Spring 2000

Posted on March 31, 2021

Anyone else got that deja-vu thing going on? Stock markets near all time highs and some stretched valuations. It’s feeling like spring 2000.

The Deliveroo IPO was not in line with City expectations. This immediately made me think of a similarly hyped IPO from March 2000. It was the IPO of Lastminute.com, the dot.com seller of discounted travel. Although it’s initial day was much better, it turned south very soon after. Things continued to unwind through April and into May. Actually it continued for a full year. From the 14th March 2000 IPO through to 14 March 2001.

The NASDAQ peaked in March 2000, coincidentally. It then went on to fall 78% over the ensuing 31 months. The descent ended in October 2002.

This all came on the back of a very unique year, which was the last year of the Millennium/Century/Decade. We’ve also had a very unique year in 2020. That seems more circumstantial, or not relevant at all. But I thought I would throw it in there.

Anyway, after the bull market in the 90’s, there was a shake out. Maybe we are seeing the start of a shake out now again. We have had about a decade of bull market activity, so theoretically markets are due a correction.

It may be just me, but it’s feeling like spring 2000.

Action Observe Progress Time

Getting Distracted

Posted on March 29, 2021

What do you do when you can’t seem to focus? What is your remedy from wandering, scrolling, staring or getting distracted in some way?

This evening has seemed to be one of those times. Despite getting some things done, I did not get as many done as I could have. There were a few things on my mind, for starters. Then I got caught in an interesting scroll on Instagram for 10 minutes.

Writing out my to do list for tomorrow kept taking longer as I remembered many things that have slipped by me over the last week. While it is productive to do the list, sometimes the time taken to do it feels like wasted effort. It feels like I could have done one of the things rather than write a bunch down.

Then there was the wandering around the house to find the children and remind them it is bedtime. The third time round the house was starting to seem more like an exercise session with a stair-master. And since each round involved passing through the kitchen, there was the compulsory look in the fridge and cupboard for more food I wasn’t even hungry for.

Don’t get me started on replying to international and local text messages. I know better. Though I am also trying to reply more quickly rather than forget and take 2-3 days. Oh, the precarious balance.

Uh-oh, I’m getting distracted.

Gratitude Observe Reframe your thoughts

People Are The Key

Posted on March 26, 2021

Have you ever walked into an empty building? Perhaps your office building on the weekend or school during summer holidays. People are the key. Otherwise those quiet, soulless locations just echo with memories past.

People create the buzz, the energy and the excitement. It is their being that breathes life into a situation or place. Although locations can conjure up strong memories, the strongest ones often involve people.

I recall walking into my secondary school, during the summer after graduation. My footsteps echoed in the halls. After 5 years there, it seemed like I would bump into someone. But there was nothing. Just the ghostly quiet and silent cacophony of days gone by.

There was a deep sense of melancholy and a yearning for those days again. The friendships and silliness. The final and laughter. The challenges, struggles, wins and memories. Those halls are filled with people who will live in your mind forever. They are frozen in time. Slow motion. Black and white. Fast forward, Colour. Echo.

Best friends or sworn enemies, there was a place for everyone. And without anyone, there was just a building. Empty rooms and hallways. The place had seen tens of thousands of student faces over the years. But ours were the only ones that lived in our minds. friendships for a lifetime.

People are the key.

Action Observe Reframe your thoughts

Make Up A Story

Posted on March 22, 2021

You do this anyway. Most people do. Something happens and then we decide why it happened. We make up a story that suits our belief system.

This always happens to me. Rich people are greedy. They are a real jerk.

Those are just some of the many common phrases people use to help fill in the blanks of the story. Some of the words, phrases and sentences we use are learned from others. However, sometimes they come from our inner critic.

Notice when you do this. Not only when you add more to your own stories about you or others, but also when other people do it. Get curious about word selection and order.

Become aware of how people around you speak. If you are not feeling empowered by their words, you might want to reduce your exposure to them. Distance yourself, or become just like them.

As for your inner commentator, give them a name and then tell them to go have a nap. You don’t need some random voice in your head berating you or creating drama by adding inaccurate comments to stories.

Create powerful stories in the place of the less helpful ones. Use ‘I am’ statements and let your spirit soar. Be delighted by the stories you hear and tell. If they are going to be fabricated anyway, make them empowering.

Go ahead, make up a story.

Action Gratitude Observe

It Takes Just One

Posted on March 20, 2021

A person, an idea or an experience can change your whole life. However, they don’t actually do the change. You will do this later. It takes just one encounter, word or situation to see something differently and shift your whole perspective.

The perception shift makes all the difference. You can begin your journey from hate, disappointment and depression to more positive vibrations and outcomes. Of course, this whole thing can go the other way too. You can be knocked off the top of your tree and spiral downwards out of control.

We want you to be spiralling upwards and continue on that trajectory. Additionally, I don’t want you to ever experience the opposite.

With that said, I am confident you have seen this idea play out in your own life and in that of others around you. It’s exciting that you can have that one conversation and the aha button is hit. In addition, a whole new world has been opened up to you. And you can decide to jump into it, all anxious and excited, or just let it slip away.

Finally, search out these life changing moments. They are not as rare as you think. And, every time you have one, you could end up on a completely different trajectory. And, with a bit of luck, I hope it is a better one each time.

It takes just one. Watch out for it and others!

Financial Gratitude Observe Reframe your thoughts Time Video

Life Is Like A Movie

Posted on March 19, 2021

Have you noticed how things in certain movies become things in life? Remember the swish swish of doors in Star Trek? Life is like a movie, though only certain ones at certain times.

So when I was growing up, the swish swish of the doors on the Starship Enterprise seemed so futuristic. However, now most metro centres have thousands of these doors.

Then things started to unfold like the Schwarzenegger film Total Recall. The whole idea of virtual reality. We are getting there with Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence. We certainly have driverless cars on the near term radar. And trips to Mars being scheduled.

Then we have seen some elements of Tom Cruise’s Minority Report. People are being condemned for even thinking of an activity with a criminal element. It doesn’t matter if a crime has happened. The fact that it could have happened is enough for you to be removed from society.

Now things are moving on with skins in Fortnite and a virtual world in Clubhouse. This and the VR makes me think that the Ready Player One reality is not that far off from our current life.

Finally, we have Terminator. Well, that melting man business and pulling yourself back together is quite impressive. But happy for it to be a few more years before that.

Life is like a movie. Go get the popcorn ?.

Action Observe Think About It Time Video

Recorded History Obsession

Posted on March 18, 2021

There is something wonderful about keepsakes from our past. Equally it is nice to keep tapes and videos. Although a recorded history obsession seems to be getting a foothold in modern culture.

I suppose it started with chiselling into some clay tablets. Then things moved to the printing press and recorded music. That was a nice time. Not too many newspapers, books, or musicians traipsed about. So not much was recorded.

Then we moved to making films. And then tv shows. Some started live. Then some shows did pre-recordings.

After that came VHS, Mixed tapes, CD’s, DVD’s, digital photography, books, ebooks, audio books, box sets, etc. Things were further complicated by CCTV, social media and email. Everything we did was being recorded. Even our ring doorbell footage needed to be stored in the cloud.

I have so many photo and video clips, that I am not sure I would ever look at them all again. It would take days if not weeks. We are so awfully busy capturing moments of our life, that we lose our life reliving those moments.

Memories are wonderful. But do we need to remember everything via recordings? Will we ever have enough time to watch it all? Or only when we are very old and the information no longer useful.

This recorded history obsession may need to slow down to preserve mental health.

Action Gratitude Observe Reframe your thoughts

Perceived Value

Posted on March 17, 2021

Most people stay at a hotel so that they can get a night’s sleep in a bed. So other than the bed, does anything else matter? The perceived value is different for different people.

Some people would like more than the bed. They may wish to have a private shower, toilet and washbasin too. Lots of people require a specific level of cleanliness also. Others still, need a large room and blackout blinds.

But all of this may be irrelevant if the customer does not get a good night’s sleep. There are so many factors that affect perceived value. There are too many to list out in this short blog. However, it does seem to prove the point that beauty or value is in the eye of the beholder.

Think of all the factors that go into selecting your milk from a shop. It might be brand, taste, price, size or position on the shelf. That is from a product that is quite basic too. Imagine if there were lots of other factors like when considering a degree course.

A course is quite personal to you. You need to like the brand, the teacher or instructor, the topic, the location and the timings, to name a few key elements. Some people will pay $10,000 for a course with a specific outcome from a specific teacher.

Others will attribute little or no perceived value.

Gratitude Observe Reframe your thoughts

Life Before Electricity

Posted on March 16, 2021

What was that like? Imagine how many things in your life would be quite different right now. It’s staggering. Imagine life before electricity.

So you would not be able to use your lights at your house. There would be no television, radio or mobile phones. Yes, it is starting to look a little bleak.

You wouldn’t have a battery in your car. And there would be no batteries in your game. Street lamps would not exist. Nor would integrated fire alarms. Driving on unfamiliar roads would require a physical paper map. No Tom Tom would be there to help you.

Electric cars would not be a thing. They wouldn’t run. Maybe a car made with a water based power source would exist. So many endless possibilities.

Could you live in a time without electricity? What would you miss the most? What would you miss the least?

Electricity is so fun to have around. It’s the life of a party. It would be shocking without it.

Spend one day without using electricity and see how you get on. You might realise how truly valuable this commodity is. Sometimes we only come to this conclusion after we’ve tried the hardship exercise.

It’s hard to imagine life before electricity.