Reading A Brief History Of Time and listening to Sapiens on Audible these days. Lots of thoughts percolate up with these types of books. While everything matters in the moment, your actions today are unlikely to be remembered or really matter 500 years from now. So what’s it all for? Perhaps any reason is a good one.
When considering a decision, let your conscience be your guide. How does it make you feel? How would you feel on the receiving end? Would you be delighted to proudly tell your grandmother of the decision made? What would the worst tabloid headline be? Would you be happy with it now and in 10 years?
We don’t stray too far from our comfortable identity. Often people don’t improve their identity either. While being the same as you were 20 years is nice, weren’t there any areas in your life that could have been stretched and improved? What is the identity you’d like to grow into in the next 2 years?
There was an ad in the 80’s that we used to quote often and the key line was, “Is it real or is it Memorex?”. It was promoting the incredible sound recording on a cassette tape. With AI improving day by day, we may start saying something similar. Don’t get fooled.
Would you rush into a burning building to save a child? If so, why? Honestly. Would you lend a friend £1,000? Is it your risk tolerance at play here? Or perhaps you’re a giving, charitable or empathetic person?
What motivates people fascinates me.
Be brave and learn about yourself. What makes you tick and what do you avoid and why? If something impacts you, figure out why. Ask yourself questions. Push your own buttons. It’s not easy but you’ll be a better person for it.
Life is punctuated with tough choices. Should I revise for exams or spend time with my friends? Do I apply for a better job or build my own company? Is it better to spend time with my aging parents or with my young children?
Get clear on what’s important to you now and in the longer term. This will help you make better choices and decisions.
We all have issues. Get to know yours. Take the time and be patient. Learn about yourself. It might be quite uncomfortable and you may not like what you learn. But you will be a better person for it.
There are days you can’t even imagine how you got through them. Stress, time, challenge and conflicts all play their part. Some days you have little choice but to squeeze it all in.
You have thoughts about right and wrong, philosophy, religion and politics. Where did you learn those from? Did you ever consider different or opposing views? Did you ever challenge your thoughts robustly or have you simply accepted the first ideas that got into your mind?
