Reframe your thoughts Archives - Page 79 of 104

Relax

Posted on June 26, 2021

Is this easy or hard for you to do? Are you filled with tension in your body? Is your mind constantly buzzing? Relax. It will do you a world of good.

Sometimes I simply lay down on the bed or sit in a chair and close my eyes. Then I empty my mind, relax my limbs and take many slow but deep breaths with equally slow exhales.

Three to five minutes of that and I can be as good as new. Though I do set my phone alarm for seven minutes now. By doing this, I have a better chance of not sleeping for an hour or two. It can be so instantly relaxing that you can doze off.

I have also used the Key Drop technique of Dali’s. Essentially, hold something in your hand and when you finally succumb, you drop it. When it hits the floor, you will awaken. You will have dozed off just enough to reinvigorate yourself. Then you can get back on with things.

Relaxing doesn’t have to involve sleep. Although, a good nap in the middle of the day has helped many famously hard driving people. However, you can also meditate. You can even just watch some comedy on YouTube. It really is up to you. But you should do something to relax every day.

You may find it a welcome habit. Go on, relax.

Action Gratitude Health & Fitness Reframe your thoughts

Early Morning Walks

Posted on June 25, 2021

It’s great to get up early and get a walk in. Most days this process starts at 05:30, which is a quiet time. Early morning walks are great for several reasons.

It’s nice that there are so few people out on the paths. Though, like people in other tribes, like dog walkers and gym goers, you will see familiar faces every day. You have something in common. And it is nice to see others out and getting a little exercise in.

It is also quite quiet as the motorists, boating crowd, airplanes, buses and trains aren’t really underway at that early time.

If you caught my carousel on Instagram yesterday (@scottsthinking), you’ll have seen a few photos and short videos of a recent walk. The birds were plentiful and creating a veritable symphony. It felt a bit like we were in a rainforest or a very tropical setting.

Walking with someone is another benefit. It’s a lovely way to share some thoughts or organise some ideas before the day gets going.

Finally, the temperature is very pleasant at this time of year. Often it is between 10C and 18C. This is ideal for being out and walking briskly.

Of course, sometimes a walk is not on the cards. So today it was an 11km run in a little light, and occasional, rain. I’d been advised to get the book Maverick – A Biography of Thomas Sowell, so that was on the AirPods. It’s fascinating.

Early morning walks are wonderful. Enjoy!

Health & Fitness Reframe your thoughts Weight Weight loss

Diet Needs A Rebrand

Posted on June 24, 2021

Is it just me or is the word diet strongly associated with a restricted and unpleasant reduction in food? I think diet needs a rebrand.

The word is often used quite generically. People say, “I am going on a diet.” However, they already are on one. Now you may go on a healthier one or natural one. In addition, you may already be on a poor one, high sugar one or a low-carb diet. You may even need a new one compared to what you’ve been using.

However, people love to shortcut or use shorthand when they can. So there is a presumed weight loss or slimming element to any new discussion of a diet.

I’d like to talk about my diet without it sounding like I am on a slimming or weight loss program. I think it would help others in their discussion too.

It feels like the word could use some help. Perhaps we could do something similar to what is happening to prunes. They are more frequently being called dried plums. This is still accurate, but plums sound better and have a better brand connotation.

Diet: The food and drink that you eat and drink regularly
Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries

It would be great if everyone could agree to use diet in the normal eating way. Then people would need to be specific if they were changing it. By changing our relationship with the word, it might help people embrace their new or healthier diet.

Diet needs a rebrand.

Reframe your thoughts

Oversimplifying Complicates Matters

Posted on June 19, 2021

By grouping large segments of a population, we often distort useful information. Oversimplifying complicates matters. This shorthand can highlight issues which only affect smaller groups of people.

Samples from the Financial Times yesterday are as follows: ‘Investors rush into corporate debt’ and ‘America celebrates Juneteenth’. These two phrases were combined as one headline. It struck me as unlikely that all investors were rushing into corporate debt. The reason I say this is that some investors only invest in equities or government debt. Meanwhile, others focus on real estate. As for any holiday or special day, some people celebrate, while others just enjoy the time off. In addition, other people may have to work. While still others may not even realise what the day is meant to represent so wouldn’t be celebrating it.

One of my favourite examples of oversimplifying is when the media pundits kept saying ‘Britain voted for Brexit’. This shorthand, and those above, imply the words ‘all’ or ‘all of’ at the start of the sentence. This is usually quite inaccurate. It would be nice if the writer could quantify the group a little better. The Brexit result was 51.89% to 48.11% so hardly justifies an implied ‘all’.

Noting that ‘some’ or ‘some of’ would be a helpful start. Perhaps a percent figure would be even better. Sometimes a different structure altogether would be an improvement. Something like ‘Britain voted. Brexit wins marginally.’

Remember these points when you are speaking to someone with a different opinion than you. Often you will be on much more common ground than you think. However, remember that oversimplifying complicates matters.

Action Reframe your thoughts Time

Making Your Next Episode

Posted on June 18, 2021

Your life could be viewed as a movie, mini-series, or tv show. Although it is probably most like a tv show. Making your next episode is a weekly occurrence.

With that in mind, how do you rate your life? Is it a drama, sit-com, tense thriller or mind numbingly drab? How do others see it? How would you like to see it?

The amazing thing is, you are making the next episode as your day unfolds. You are the writer, casting director, overall director, executive producer and star of the show. In the early seasons you were primarily the star. Your parents played the other roles in the credits. But once you turned 10, you started heavily influencing the other production roles.

You may like to feel as though you’ve given up artistic control, or never actually had it. However, every day you should remind yourself that it is you that makes the bulk of the decisions in your life. You decide if you are a stunning, fit and joyful lead character. You also decide if your role is that of a tired, bored or restless individual.

The people on the set are all selected by you to create the ambiance, atmosphere and interaction. Scenes start and end how and when you want them to. If a storyline isn’t working for you, you can just leave it on the cutting room floor.

Every week, you are making your next episode. Pay close attention to how you write the script for this week.

Action Reframe your thoughts Time

Be Confident In Your Position

Posted on June 17, 2021

You know what the best path is already. Don’t let others distract you or put you off. Be confident in your position. Carry on with your plans.

Often times we know the best solution to a given situation. We may not have 100% of the information but we need to make the decision. No one ever has 100% of all the relevant and related information. You need to have enough information, and a good feeling about things, to then press on to the conclusion.

I like Colin Powell’s 40-70 rule in this regard. With less than 40% of total information, your odds of making a good decision are lower. Obtaining more than 70% of the total information is time consuming and unlikely to change your decision.

Who knows what ‘total information’ really means? And how does one truly measure 40% or 70%? Don’t get caught up in these things. It is a rule of thumb. Get to where you feel pretty confident in the decision you are about to make. Know that the information you have is accurate and from a good source. Then get on with the decision and move to execution.

Usually you can adjust later if the decision did not bring about the outcome you were looking for.

If you have experts with field experience providing your information, you should be fine.

Be confident in your position.

Action Gratitude Reframe your thoughts

Smile And Laugh More

Posted on June 14, 2021

Force yourself to do it if you have to. This idea seems crazy but we can forget to see the lighter side of things. Smile and laugh more because it feels good and others respond well to it.

Sometimes we take life, or ourselves and our situation, a little too seriously. It is easy to do. We can get caught up in the hub bub of daily life and just press on through. But it is so nice to see people smile and hear others laughing. It often makes us want to smile and laugh too. It is a wonderful way to quickly feel better about things.

Think of a fun time you had with a friend recently, or 20 years ago. Hold that thought. Hear the laughter in your mind and feel the giant smile on your face. Maybe you did something that scared you a little. Maybe it felt daring or a bit crazy. You did it though! And you can relive that memory as often as you like. It is free and provides a great feeling.

Think of those favourite songs of yours. Think of the happy ones, not the break up, drown your sorrows ones. Maybe some favourite scenes in some great movies do it for you. A great vacation or an activity you did or shared with others could be the smile trigger. Get five or six of these great memories and moments and write them down. Note a few key words to remind you of each one. Keep it in your pocket or on your phone. Look at it often.

Smile and laugh more. We’ll all benefit.

Action Reframe your thoughts

How Do I Do That?

Posted on June 12, 2021

You probably don’t know this, but this is the most important question in your life. For everything that interests you, ask “How do I do that?”

Ask yourself or Google or anyone, to start. Then upgrade to people who have some experience in that space or activity. Then start asking people with greater success than them. Read books on it. Search it up on the internet. Speak to practitioners, professors, experts, gurus, journalists, commentators and avid fans of the activity.

Too often we start off on the wrong foot for these things we want. Sometimes we just sit there amazed it is being done. We don’t even consider it as something we could do. Even if we do think we would fancy a go at it, we too often think, “No chance, not me. I couldn’t do that.” Well neither could the person doing it now, when they first started.

Sure it looks difficult or even ‘scary’. But so did most of the great things you’ve done in your life. Like learning to walk, asking someone out, skateboarding, or living on your own.

If you want to super charge your life for fun, excitement, thrills and happiness, start asking this question and follow the process.

How do I do that?

Action Financial Observe Reframe your thoughts Time

The Power Of Compounding

Posted on June 11, 2021

Following on from the last few days, I’m combining retirement thoughts with compounding. The power of compounding is quite incredible.

I read an article recently about setting aside almost $3,000 for a child when they are born. This money could come from parents, grandparents, uncles and aunties or even from crowdfunding, I suppose.

The idea was that you could put that $3,000 into a low cost S&P 500 index fund and just let it sit there for 65 years. You would not take any out, nor would you need to put any more in. You would just let it roll over and compound.

Using the figures from the article, it noted the S&P had delivered an average annual return of between 10% and 11% in its nearly 100 years of existence. If it continued to average that rate, or even a little less (9.5%), the account would be worth over $1m by their 65th birthday.

This is more than 90% of what people would have in their retirement savings. By doing this one thing, during pregnancy or within the year after their birth, you would set them up for retirement. Regardless how their financial habits developed, they could always count on their $1m retirement fund when they turned 65.

The power of compounding is compelling.

Action Health & Fitness Observe Progress Reframe your thoughts

Going Faster

Posted on June 9, 2021

Life seems to be going faster. Expectations and everyday things seem to change more quickly than before. Going faster can be great though it is good to slow it down occasionally too.

With most things, there is a finite limit for speed. Even light seems to reach a maximum speed. Other things like cars, rockets and airplanes have been pushing their limits further for decades. Though there is a point where it is not safe or technically possible to go faster.

Perhaps people reach that point too. Getting all those things done in one day might not be possible. Nor should we try to do it. Speeding around in a car isn’t good. Rushing through work may reduce the quality we bring to the table. Rushed conversations are rarely productive, especially if they have some differing views or involve a delicate subject.

When do we assess we are going fast enough? Is it when we have an incident or accident or health scare? Clearly going slow has its own challenges, which we won’t get into here. However, as individuals, we do need to double check that all that ’faster’ actually translates into better somehow. If it doesn’t, we should consider adjusting some things in our life.

Going faster is fun and desirable, but is it the best option?