Think About It Archives - Page 43 of 63

Quality Time Defined

Posted on August 8, 2021

Is quality time what you want or what they want? If one of you isn’t delighted, is it still quality time? It’s time to have quality time defined.

Deciding you are going for a walk with a friend, who doesn’t enjoy walking, might not be the best idea of quality time. Do you both have to enjoy the activity, discussion or company? Or is it ok if just one of you do?

When you spend some of your day with your young child, is it enough to just enjoy being together? Or do you need to enjoy the event too? Is it quality time either way?

Encouraging your child to try something with you might seem like a good idea. You will be expanding their horizons and possibly adding a new, burgeoning skill to their repertoire. This is brilliant if they thoroughly enjoyed it. However, if they were not very interested or engaged, is it still quality time?

Is a shared memory considered quality time, even if it is not a brilliant or positive one? Perhaps they learned a lesson, or you did. If it came from a difficult experience, but something good came from it, does it fit the description?

In summary, life will be different for you with quality time defined.

Action Observe Think About It

Where Do You Fish?

Posted on August 5, 2021

Are you going to the best spot for the results you want? Have you thought much about it? Where do you fish? Clearly, the best place is where the fish you want are swimming.

Too many times we ask the wrong people or the wrong question. It is often easier to ask a friend what they think rather than ask someone who might be in a better position to answer.

If you want to catch salmon, you are best not to fish in a lake with only trout and bass. And if you don’t know where to catch salmon, asking your trout fishing buddies might not get the best answer.

By all means, do ask your trout fishing buddies though. They may also like salmon fishing, have been salmon fishing or knows a relative or friend who loves it. It’s a good place to start, especially if you are out on the lake spending time fishing.

But don’t stop there. Go online. Find out where salmon tend to live. Watch videos, read articles or call a salmon fishing shop or tour operator. You will get a variety of ideas and points of view. Some will be repetitive, some unique, some useful and some will be of little use at all.

Apply this search method to everything including getting medical information, finding a job, looking for clients and finding a partner – business or personal.

Where do you fish? This can make all the difference.

Observe Think About It

Success Leaves Clues

Posted on August 2, 2021

Want to know how to succeed? Find several people who are where you want to be and follow what they have done. Success leaves clues. So don’t be clueless. Assess what these people have done and start doing it.

Success might be better described as moving in the direction you want. It can be a final event. You could say winning an Olympic gold medal is success. However, it could be seen in more everyday uses too. You could have successfully applied for a job. Success could be completing a job interview too. Being offered the job would indicate success as well.

Some general ingredients to have more success in your life are as follows. First, you should work hard and not just when you are told or feel like it. Second, set out a plan to reach your goal and what you need to do to achieve it. Then follow that plan daily. Put in the effort, time and energy, while improving your skills, mindset and confidence.

Some of the clues you will notice are having a big goal, a plan of action and some discipline. In addition, you will need to build your resilience because that is also a key to success. Furthermore, you will notice that those that train consistently get better and more consistent results.

Success leaves clues. Look for them.

Action Reframe your thoughts Think About It

Start Together When Debating

Posted on August 1, 2021

Start together when debating. Ensure you’re both starting from The Alamo. Ensure you both want to get to Times Square. Once you’re clear on where you will start and finish, your discussion will be more fruitful.

Often I begin a conversation with someone and we do not set out the key point in advance. Casual conversations start this way most of the time. It is only when you get to a point where you don’t see eye to eye that any issues occur.

Before getting further involved in those conversations, it can be useful to be clear on what the different perspectives are. When I say to be clear, I mean get quite specific. Most often people will disagree on different points in the discussion. Without being clear and specific, you might think you are discussing the same point. However, I frequently notice that people are talking about the same topic but different points within it.

For example, let’s say the topic was crime. We could even be discussing the idea of whose fault it is that we have crime. Some people will consider it to be the fault of the parents, the person themself, the government for creating the laws, the police for enforcing the laws and a number of other things.

It is best to pick one specific item and discuss it at length. If you start together when debating, you may realise you have more in common then you thought.

Action Think About It Video

Picking A Movie

Posted on July 31, 2021

Your favourite movie may provide some insight into your personality. Or it might just indicate your current mood. Either way, picking a movie to watch in a group can be challenging at times.

There are so many movies to choose from today. From all the classics, the award winners and the unique, to the avant-garde, and truly poor. Although there is something for everyone, it is not always easy to agree on one to watch.

The genre you enjoy determines what you get more of in your life. If you like to watch comedy or comedies, you may find more laughter in your life. Your perspective may tend to the lighter and brighter side of things too.

Though you could also be wanting comedy because you aren’t getting enough of it in your own life. Sometimes we choose what we lack. Other times we choose what we have and want more of. At other moments we choose the genre so we can try to figure something out or get ideas from it for our own life.

It’s always good to understand why you are selecting the movie you are. It can give you some good insight into your thoughts and ideas.

Picking a movie can be a beneficial exercise, not just entertainment.

Observe Reframe your thoughts Think About It Time

It Is July 2025

Posted on July 21, 2021

What will you be doing? How will the world be coping? What will be happening? Imagine it is July 2025 right now. Are you happy with what you see?

Rather than wonder what you will be doing in 4 years from now, try something different. You can either research what some prognosticators are saying or make your own view. Of course when considering your own situation, it is likely you will have a better idea of the potential.

Who will be in power in the G7 countries? Who will be running your country? What will we know about COVID? What stats will we have? How will different countries be living with this?

Where will you be in your career? What about your close relationships? What will your finances look like? How old will your parents be?

If you have never written this down, you may find it quite an interesting exercise. Every time I do it, I think of other options I would like to have be true. In addition, when you look at things in the long run perspective, you tend to reduce emotional decision making. You also, get a greater sense of what could be possible for you. Also, you are more able to use facts and data rather than stories and unhelpful self-talk.

It is July 2025. Describe it.

Gratitude Observe Think About It

What Do You Believe?

Posted on July 20, 2021

When reading something, have you ever thought why you enjoy it or find it uncomfortable? What do you believe? Have you ever taken stock of what matters to you in life?

I remember a baseball movie from the 80’s where the lead character rhymed off what he believed in. I couldn’t remember all the details but I was impressed by his recount. It was impressive that he had actually thought about it and was quite clear about it. There was no pause, no slight hesitation or uncertainty.

Sometimes I have started to write out a list as well. It’s something I should continue. It seems like a reasonable thing to do, especially with the big topics in your life. Writing them out gives some glaring clarity too. You can’t simply play mind games with yourself. You can’t shift in a constant, ‘if this then that’, scenario.

Some people’s beliefs change depending on who is saying it. That is unfortunate but can happen. There are plenty of videos online which demonstrate this tendency.

Give it a try later today. Set aside 10 minutes and see how many core beliefs you can write into the notes section of your phone. Put them in there so you can review them occasionally. Reflect on them and adjust them as you consider them in the future.

What do you believe?

Gratitude Health & Fitness Think About It

Here’s To Volunteers!

Posted on July 17, 2021

Where would the world be without volunteers? I never fully appreciated how much they did for children and society. Here’s to volunteers!

When I was growing up in rural Canada, there was a volunteer fire department in one of the larger nearby towns. There were coaches for hockey, floor hockey and softball, amongst others. None of them were paid. Additionally, they were usually Dad’s and sometimes Mom’s who wanted to be involved with their children’s activities.

Now with my own children, I can see how much time and effort has gone into the many experiences they have enjoyed. Whether it was the local fair that is run by community members or school trips, so many activities require people to help out.

The school PTA, class trips to museums and parks, or some of the sporting activities, they all require some element of people making things happen without remuneration.

Many people do this work in addition to their job, ferrying kids around and organising their own lives. They organise football triangulars and the requisite car sharing. They also plan out training sessions, exercises and skill enhancement drills.

Today I was at an athletics event for my oldest son. There were lots of parents helping out. Whether it was raking the long jump pit, measuring throwing distances or timing the races, there was a lot to do. In addition, the coaches organised the day including sorting out who was to do which event. It worked very well. It was an entire day.

Without the coaches and the parents, the kids would not have had an athletics event to attend, enjoy or excel at.

Here’s to volunteers!

Action Gratitude Think About It

Choosing Your Charity

Posted on July 16, 2021

Deciding which charity to support is straightforward for some. However, it can also be quite haphazard. Choosing your charity is a personal choice. It can be based on a singular reason or be multifactor.

I had a policy that if friends or colleagues asked me to sponsor them for their activity, I would. And if it involved a children’s charity, I would donate £20. All others would get £5, £10 or £15. Some years I had quite a few requests.

Sometimes I would be so busy at the time of the request, I would forget. Other times they would be on a new charity platform that I had to sign up to. That didn’t always work because if it wasn’t quick and easy, it wouldn’t get done.

We donate to other charities too, based on a few criteria. Although one we support is just because they came to our door and the kids thought we should do it because the person was so nice.

If someone you know is being, or has been, impacted by something, that can make the choice a lot simpler. Also, if your family has always supported a certain charity, you might inherit that habit too.

I do recall the phrase, ‘Charity begins at home.’ This is a good idea. Although it is nice to branch out a little and spread it amongst the community. Not everyone has a family that can help them.

Choosing your charity is a personal decision. How do you decide?

Action Think About It

Set Boundaries

Posted on July 15, 2021

We all need a little structure in our lives. Not too much, of course. However, some can be quite beneficial. Set boundaries too and you are likely to have a happier life.

These boundaries can be with friends, family, co-workers and even your partner. We have many unspoken and unwritten boundaries. These are simply cultural norms for people.

The norm could come from their family culture. Although this could differ from their religious culture. This in turn could be slightly adjusted when it comes to a regional or national culture.

I lot of people think groups are quite homogenous. That would make life, sorting and interactions so much simpler. However, it really isn’t that clear cut.

People have a view of Canadians and lump them altogether. It’s great when they say they are fun, kind and nice. However, people have different boundaries, depending on which province they are from, which city or which group.

French speakers from Quebec may be more tactile than English speakers from Toronto. The former may stand slightly closer and the later slightly further away. It may be just nuanced but boundaries can shift.

You should think about your own boundaries, in terms of physical, mental and spiritual. What is comfortable for you? And realise that those boundaries may be different from people that grew up in a different culture.

Set boundaries that work for you.