Reframe your thoughts Archives - Page 96 of 103

It’s Got To Be Easy!

Posted on July 3, 2020

Everything ideally would be like the big red button theory espoused by Rory Sutherland in one of his insightful and funny TED talks. It’s got to be easy and simple for something to work well.

Remember the first time you ever used Google to search for something? There was nothing on the page except a letterbox to type in. It was so simple, intuitive and easy. And it got the result you wanted in milliseconds. Google also found two million other options should the usual suspects not be what you were looking for.

I opened a bank account at Starling Bank recently. Oh my, how easy was that. I didn’t have to leave my home and it was all done in 10 minutes. Then they sent me the bank card.

We often make things harder than they need to be. Keeping things simple is almost an art form. It takes more effort to make things effortless. But it is worth it.

Spend 10 minutes today trying to make your life simpler. If you are going to succeed at things, it’s got to be easy. Set up your environment to win. If you want to eat healthy, keep healthy food where you spend you’re time.

You get to make the choices, so make good ones.

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From Beginner To Winner

Posted on June 29, 2020

The journey from start to finish can be a challenge, not least because it is repetitive. To move from beginner to winner can take some time and a lot of training.

It usually starts with mindset. You need to shift from, ‘I can’t do this’ or ‘I’ll be terrible’, to, ‘I can do this’. Then the process has begun. You can then have your first real try. You are ready.

Now usually when we are the beginner, we are not very good at it. Walking seems so simple now for most people reading this. But walking usually takes 6-18 months for children to learn the basics and become reasonably capable.

Times tables is another example most people can relate to. The first time you were shown the times tables, it’s unlikely you remembered any of them. But now you could probably provide rapid responses for six times six and 11 times nine.

Like anything in life, most things are achievable by a regular person. Certainly climbing from beginner to intermediate is within most people’s grasp for anything intellectual or physical. It will, however, take some time, effort and focused training. It may even require a coach, teacher or trainer.

Shifting from intermediate to advanced is another leap. This relies more heavily on mindset. This leap requires discipline, a positive mind and the ability to deal with bigger setbacks.

From advanced to professional requires an even greater level of mental fortitude. But it is achievable. Though in this modern era, with so many people prepared to compete for the rewards at the top, you will have to train hard.

Remember, the journey from beginner to winner will usually mean you will be a little shaky at the start. But you need to get through that and shift from uncomfortable to unstoppable to achieve anything.

Gratitude Health & Fitness Observe Reframe your thoughts Time

The Best Time In History To Have A Pandemic

Posted on June 27, 2020

There is probably never a good time to have one. But if there had to be one, then this is the best time in history to have a pandemic.

Right now we have the best medicine, knowledge and science. In addition, there are no major wars. The global economy has been pretty healthy and improving for a decade. We can communicate far and wide via the internet with friends and families. School’s have rapidly adapted themselves to online home schooling and some return-to-school social distancing.

Furthermore, we have fewer 70+ aged people on the planet than we will in 20 or 30 years. Given the greater challenges for this age group, with Covid-19, this is another positive for this moment in time.

We also have incredible international, interconnected awareness and collaboration. Even technology is at its best ever. Oddly, however, many countries don’t seem to have a simple or effective track and trace programme in place. Perhaps this concept needs a rebrand. The name may be a barrier to usage. People may not want to be tracked like an animal and traced like a fugitive or DHL package.

Another plus for this era is the longer life expectancy most people have.

So I know it’s not an ideal time to have this happen, because it is in the middle of our moment here. But most generations throughout history have had a far more difficult time, generally. Therefore, like it or not, this is the best time in history to have a pandemic – particularly this one.

Reframe your thoughts

How Being Wrong Can Feel So Right

Posted on June 22, 2020

There’s a funny thing about being wrong about something. It is a little strange how being wrong can feel so right. This is because, you don’t actually feel wrong until it is brought to your attention.

You are usually convinced you are right until you discover (usually through someone else) that you are wrong. Only then do you fully understand that feeling of being wrong.

On Sunday, my son needed to download something onto the laptop. The only thing I had to do was type in my password to allow it. It seemed like a simple task. Oh, how I can laugh about it now. Though, there was not a lot of laughter in the moment.

That password had an ‘&’ and an ‘=’ in it. My brain read the ‘&’ as ‘and’ like ’in addition to’ so I kept typing the ‘+’ key. I typed it slower. I said each key as I typed it. Then I tried other passwords. And then other user names, as you do. Fortunately, I somehow realised the error of my ways and got it right. Phew!

But I had been so sure that I had been typing the correct password. Then that feeling of being wrong washed over me. Then I laughed at my own misinterpretation of the symbol.

This is how being wrong can feel so right. You are convinced you are correct and feel confident about it. It’s only after you become aware that you were wrong, that you feel any different. A different take on The Emperor’s New Clothes perhaps. Fascinating.

I leave you today with a great little video on this very topic.

A very interesting way of looking at being wrong and people who disagree with you.

Reframe your thoughts Think About It Time

Immersing Yourself In Another Person’s Shoes

Posted on June 21, 2020

Sometimes I see a picture of someone and start to wonder about their whole life. Immersing yourself in another person’s shoes is a fascinating challenge.

I know the old saying suggests walking a mile in someone else’s shoes. But is that really enough? I guess it depends on your intent and what you are trying to get out of the experience.

Understanding A Position

If you are trying to understand someone’s position on a topic, it could be a little more complex than you think. Most topics, at their most general, can be distilled down to a binary option. However, as you dig deeper into the detail, there can be dozens, or even hundreds, of nuanced positions.

Just as a person can be summed up in one word, it doesn’t really give you a good understanding of them. A brief bio is more helpful. An obituary can sum up an important figure in half a page of a newspaper. But these are mere snippets from a person’s life. These do not usually fully inform you of how they got to their current way of thinking on various topics.

So this immersion perspective comes from trying to understand a person more fully. A person is constantly absorbing and assessing information which allows them to make minor shifts in perception. Perhaps we need to understand all of these moments of shift to fully appreciate where someone is coming from in their discussion.

Time To Understand

Let’s say the main influencing time in a person’s life could be distilled into one accumulated hour per week. So one hour, times 52 weeks, for a 50 year old means 2,600 hours of influential moments to review. To do so, at a rate of 40 hours per week, would take over one year!

Immersing yourself in another person’s shoes may not be practical. However, we can be kind and listen. People are where they are based on their own experience. This includes all the formal and informal education, and training, they have received in their entire life.

Berating a person for their current opinion, based on their personal journey so far, is not helpful. Understanding how they have arrived there allows you to help them consider alternative views.

Try understanding people a little more today. Listen to their view and allow them to have it. People are often more open to considering a new perspective when it is presented openly as an option rather than in a coercive way.

Health & Fitness Reframe your thoughts Think About It Time

Living To 100 And Beyond

Posted on June 20, 2020

The imaginative people on this planet continue to make progress on so many fronts, especially in the medical field. Living to 100 and beyond is becoming more of a frequent occurrence these days.

And with rumours that 100 is the new 80, it is all very exciting. The perception of ageing is also changing. Many people are still very active in their 70’s and 80’s. Some are surprisingly able through their 90’s and into their 100’s. With all the new replacement parts and better prevention and cures, the idea of ageing is changing.

How many centenarians are there in the UK? Globally? More than many people would expect. (Take a guess before checking the answer at the bottom).

Reaching 100, or beyond, may become less of an issue of physical limitations and more of a mental health and mindset challenge.

For this reason I am angling to reach 160. Aim high! So even if I come up a little short, it will still be quite an impressive run. With that in mind, I am building good habits for the long haul. Both physical and mental habits. I‘ll let you know if I make it. ?

Living to be 100 and beyond is quite an achievement. In 2018 there were 13,170 centenarians in the UK and 499,198 globally. They’re great numbers to build on.

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Leave Everything A Little Better

Posted on June 19, 2020

Wherever you go you are likely to find little things that aren’t perfect. Leave everything a little better when you pass through.

Some simple things can make a nice difference. For example, I’ll pick up pieces of litter if there are one or two items on a trail, in a park or on the street. I prefer not to see it there in the first place. But now that I have, I’ll remove it. Then, the people coming after me can have the natural experience I would have wanted.

If you borrow something, like a friends car, fill the tank or get a car wash before returning it. It’s a nice thing to do for them. This is especially true if the tank is low or you can write or draw in the dirt.

If a tree branch has fallen on a path, move it completely out of the way. Most people who pass by after will appreciate it. Some people might have preferred the adventure in scrambling over, through or around it. Though, many hikers like to simply hike and not play tree-branch Twister.

Sometimes it is just a simple thing like adjusting a pillow, shifting something, or returning a tool a little cleaner or sharper. Every little act of improvement will have a knock on effect and bring greater joy. Whether that joy is experienced by people you know or not is fine.

How nice it would be if all people could pay it forward and leave everything a little better than we found it.

Observe Reframe your thoughts Time

The Stockdale Paradox

Posted on June 18, 2020

What does seven years in the Hanoi Hilton have in common with Covid lockdown? Perhaps it is The Stockdale Paradox. You must confront the brutal facts while emphatically maintaining that you will survive, and thrive, despite them.

I first became aware of The Stockdale Paradox almost two decades ago when I was reading Jim Collins’ fascinating book, “Good to Great”. The book is the result of a study of the differentiating factors between long term success and short term blips.

In the book, James Stockdale is brought up. Despite having survived seven years of seriously harsh POW treatment, he seemed to have survived the ordeal and feel stronger for it. Let’s all hope that whatever our personal circumstances are, or become, we can say the same after this Covid experience.

It is important to confront the brutal facts of our current reality. And equally critical, we must have unwavering belief that we will overcome whatever difficulties we encounter and emerge stronger on the other side.

Admiral Stockdale said it was the optimists that struggled and sometimes didn’t make it through. I can understand that. However, I will add that perhaps it was the impatient folks that struggled most. The one’s that wanted it over quickly, in addition to those that were hopeful about the outcome.

Think about your expectations and sprinkle some patience in there. The 1918 Pandemic lasted 2 years. It doesn’t mean this one will be difficult for some or all of that time though. So stay positive, and patient, and be ready to overcome whatever comes your way.

Reframe your thoughts Think About It Time

Thinking Differently Changes Lives

Posted on June 17, 2020

It feels like there is a lot of upheaval and uncertainty in the world at the moment. Remember that thinking differently changes lives, whether it is with respect to Covid, your job or summer holidays.

Day to day life seems to be changing at a rapid pace. The future may, or may not, look different from what we experienced in 2019. But then again, things have been changing your whole life. So change is not really new. But what might be new is having greater uncertainty as to how this change will play out for you.

In our early years, many people have higher certainty due to social norms (school advancement, activities) and signposting by our parents or carers. From teenage years and onwards, we have a slightly lower certainty as we attempt to do things we want to do (apply to universities or jobs, move house, find new friends or a partner).

Often we decide on the change that we would like to happen in our life. But we did not choose this moment in time and the changes it has dealt us. And we do not know where this road leads. But the thinking that got us this far in life, may need some alterations for this next stage of life.

You are the hero of this story. No one else is coming to save you. You have the strength and mental acuity to shift now from uncomfortable to unstoppable. Be one of those joy filled people that believes thinking differently changes lives. Then make the mindset shift and begin the change.

Reframe your thoughts

Progress Not Problems

Posted on June 16, 2020

Sometimes it feels like it can’t get any worse. There are moments of two steps forward and two steps back. Focusing on progress not problems can remind us, that overall, things are getting better.

I find it really helpful to let my mind zoom out of the situation and away from the immediate problem. As I pull back and get some perspective, it is much easier to recognise the progress that I have made.

This is the same for global issues as much as personal ones. There are a lot issues people would like to see more progress on and quicker too. But when we look back over 200 years, we can see a lot of progress. And 200 years ago it was slower and harder. However, today, progress and improvements are happening at a much more rapid rate.

We still need to have some patience as we make the progress. If we want dramatic change this immediate moment, we are likely to simply get ourselves frustrated. We must work toward our goals, step by step. We must have a longer term plan and follow it. Then recognise that although we can’t see rapid change, it will come.

When you plant a seed, you won’t see anything happening as you look at the ground. But with care, patience and time, your efforts will be rewarded with some visible progress. And later still, you will be able to harvest.

This system may not be perfect but it does work. Focus on the progress not problems. You’ll feel better for it while you wait.