Reframe your thoughts Archives - Page 142 of 162

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.

Action Gratitude Health & Fitness Observe Progress Reframe your thoughts

Choose Discipline Or Disaster

Posted on March 14, 2021

Discipline sounds so strict. It has echoes of an unwavering sergeant major accepting nothing but your best. She asks you to choose discipline or disaster.

I have seen this in my personal life. If I am not disciplined about something, it can turn into a disaster. Now disaster is a relative term here as there are many stops on the road to disaster, but I think you understand what I mean.

Take the early morning alarm scenario. If you are disciplined, you can wake up on the first go. Then you can get ready as planned and and be where you should be on time. Alternatively, you can hit the snooze button a few times and then find yourself late for the rest of the day. This is sometimes the beginning of many disasters.

If your sports team is not good about their discipline, they may not build up sufficient strength and stamina before a match. This lack of discipline could result in a disaster. This could be a terrible score or perhaps some unnecessary injuries.

Of course, with a bit of discipline, you can find some amazing results. You don’t have to be perfect, but consistency helps.

Choose discipline or disaster. The former has more upsides.

Gratitude Observe Reframe your thoughts Time

Keeping Life Simple

Posted on March 11, 2021

Do you have the secret? Is there any way to do it? Everyday there is a new deluge of information and items to address. Keeping life simple is no easy feat.

Each day you will have to deal with more things. Today I received some Council Tax bills for some of our properties, a home insurance renewal notice and some yummy looking food pamphlets. (I imagined the food to be tasty, not the actual pamphlets themselves.)

So recycle one pamphlet but keep another. Where to put it though? We put it on the fridge as we intend to use it this week. The other envelopes I opened and made some notes on them. They then found themselves in our Tickler file. This is a filing system we learned from David Allen, who wrote the book Getting Things Done.

When used correctly, it is an awesome and powerful filing and tidying system. When it isn’t, it is the equivalent of the stationary bike as clothes horse.

We also received a delivery of a shower system. Life is a continual in-tray of things to sort, sift and solve. The quicker you can systematise or delegate, the happier you will be.

Look, those items come in the same time every year. Like Christmas, Easter and July 1st, they come around every year. Plan for them,

Keeping life simple will make you smile.

Gratitude Observe Progress Reframe your thoughts Think About It

How Much Is Enough?

Posted on March 9, 2021

We all start out looking for more. More air, food, water, sleep, stuff, etc. But we don’t always say what enough is. How much is enough?

Take, sleep, for example. How much sleep does one need? Many experts say 6-9 hours of sleep per night on average. But you might be chasing some amazing opportunities. Then your sleep time might go down to 2 or 3 hours per day. After a week like that, you might need a few days with 10 hours of sleep to catch up back to a normal equilibrium.

Money is a topic we discussed in a Clubhouse room on Monday. Often people will set a specific goal to achieve. But once achieved, people don’t always stop. People can get caught up in the chase and forget what they are even chasing.

If your goal is to earn $3 million, could you make $5 million? And if you can make that much, why not use those learned skills to earn more. Soon you could be on the treadmill of more more more and not stop to smell those roses.

It is a good idea to note, at the start, how much of something will be enough. Then you will know when you can let up on the chase and maybe broaden your focus.

How much is enough?

Action Gratitude Observe Reframe your thoughts

Defining Yourself

Posted on March 8, 2021

This can be a little tricky. Though it does not have to be. We all carry around a view of ourselves. It may be accurate or not. Defining yourself, however, is happening by you and everyone else.

You define yourself as you think you are or how you wish to be. To make significant and long term changes, one usually needs to redefine who they are. It is one thing to stop smoking. It is another thing to think of yourself as a non-smoker. Without redefining who you are, the likelihood of this change remaining diminishes greatly.

You can practice ‘I am’ statements which help you reconfirm your thoughts. Like learning our times tables, we are creating a more powerful neural pathway that serves us better.

You should certainly try to improve your self image and your self esteem. Consider the amazing, confident you and all of your incredible success to date. Be bold with your praise and be clear with your affirmations. You need to hear this more than anything else in the spoken language.

No matter what you do, defining yourself based on someone else’s standards, starting point or success is not clever or helpful. Just be the best version of yourself every single day.

Observe Reframe your thoughts Think About It

Generalisations Hurt

Posted on March 7, 2021

Generalising can be useful. However, it can also be quite unhelpful. When someone uses them too liberally, generalisations hurt.

Positive references are fine to be generalised, such as “These children all look thirsty”. However, try to steer clear of using any general comment if there is a negative connotation to it.

Some people like to use sweeping statements as a shortcut. For example, “Americans are X”, “Children aren’t capable of Y” and “This city is a disaster” are too broad in their scope. When you identify something you aren’t happy with, please try to single out the specific person or situation. Otherwise, this is where a lot of isms and ists are born.

A whole movement can be created when a couple of dozen or a few hundred people act in a certain way but it is extrapolated across 50 million. I do believe that most people have a hard time knowing what their Mom, spouse, kid or boss thinks. So how do people feel they can accurately group thousands or millions of people in any meaningful way?

I know it feels better to have a large group of people with you. And it is easier to comment on whole groups of people. But, expediency and magnitude will exacerbate the problem. Unfortunately, one needs to take time and get specific to identify the actual issue that needs attention.

Generalisations hurt. Generally speaking.

Action Gratitude Observe Reframe your thoughts Time

Saying Goodbye To Covid

Posted on March 5, 2021

So kids are heading back to school on Monday. Vaccine’s are rolling out. There is a plan to open back up. Saying goodbye to Covid is starting to feel more real today.

And there is a bit of melancholy that goes with that. Yes, that may seem a little odd for some. Though I imagine some others will recognise it too. As with all of life, it depends. It depends how it affected you and those around you. And it may not feel like it right now, but maybe when the hustle and bustle of the everyday is back, it will be more noticeable.

There has been time for other things. We have found new ways to do things. Alternate activities have emerged. Patience and greater understanding seem to have become greater priorities for many people. We’ve all changed a little.

I will miss having the kids at home for lunch. The calmer vibe of not having to race around will also be different. This does not necessarily mean better or worse. It is simply going to be different. Chats at home will be chats in the car on the way to sporting events. Scheduling will become a little more important.

Moments in time, good or bad, have a way of sticking with you. And I feel that end of an era (holiday, job, class, etc.) feeling.

Saying goodbye to Covid may be more difficult than it looks.

Action Observe Reframe your thoughts

Argue For Your Limitations

Posted on February 25, 2021

Have you ever told someone the reason why you can’t do something? What if they try to help you? Do you argue for your limitations?

We can be our own worst enemy. By saying that we can’t do something, we are making our own lives more difficult or miserable. Why do we do that?

If I say, “I can’t learn to use a computer,” I am telling you the problem I have. Then, if you say to me that you think I can learn to use a computer, you’d think I would hear you and agree. Maybe I could get curious and ask you why you think I can do it. I could look into courses, books or people who could help me learn.

However, many times we explain why we can’t use the computer. We might say that phrase about old dogs and tricks. Or maybe we note how we tried once and it did not work out well. Sometimes we might even resort to blaming someone else for not showing us in our youth.

Please, be a person who says they will give it a try. Be that person who will put some effort in and get started. Learn to grow and improve.

When we argue for our limitations, we usually get to keep them!

Action Gratitude Health & Fitness Reframe your thoughts Weight Weight loss

Keeping Fit Is Essential

Posted on February 20, 2021

There are a lot of reasons why you should want to be as fit as possible. From feeling better, moving well, and feeling confident, keeping fit is essential. At least it is for me.

Maybe growing up in a house with a type 1 diabetic, made me more aware of the role of food and exercise in our lives. Maybe my Dad’s high level of physical activity was a great role model for me. Eating healthy was important. Not paying attention to food and exercise and how it affects you was potentially lethal.

Food wasn’t simply an eat all you want, of any kind, until you’re bursting. And exercise was premeditated and planned. Training for the Montreal Marathon in the early 80’s could have been a disaster. However, thankfully it was not.

Keep fit by walking more, with a friend or with a podcast or audio book. Perhaps you could develop a love for running too. Clubhouse is also excellent to listen to, or even participate in, while being active. You could do 200 pushups a day as well.

But even more important than the exercise is your consumption. Learn to observe, investigate and monitor your food intake. Sleep is the other major challenge for many people. Getting enough sleep can be critical.

Keeping fit is essential. Don’t let your one and only body go to waste.

Action Observe Reframe your thoughts

The Masses Have Power

Posted on February 19, 2021

This is where we are headed. The internet, when allowed to be used openly, is a great place to build understanding. The masses have power that they are only beginning to realise.

The ability to organise, persuade, speak to and learn from large groups of people has become much easier. Combining the mobile phone, the internet and some curiosity, should create a fascinating mix.

The current mix is in Clubhouse, which I know I have mentioned here before. Anyone not taking complete opportunistic advantage of this simple yet powerful platform is missing out.

It’s new. It’s exciting. And, it’s free to use if you have an iPhone. The power it has given to the regular Joe is quite incredible. Few people have heard of the app and still fewer have jumped on it. He who hesitates is lost, or last in this case.

When you have the power to make groups, solve problems with the greatest minds, cross borders and build a better world, you should move quickly. Few times in life do all the stars align so that you can prosper. So when this happens, you need to strike.

The masses have power. What will they (you!) do with it.