Think About It Archives - Page 47 of 64

You Are Not Really Trying

Posted on May 26, 2021

It’s so easy to wish it were so. It feels good to think we are making the effort. We might even be ok with fooling ourselves. However, you are not really trying.

Take a look at your results. Review your actual progress in the last week. Have you made the progress you wanted? Have you made the progress you have written down in your formal plan? Did you write down your specific goals, milestones and plans to get there?

You need to start there before anything else. If you have not written down a goal, key milestones and a plan to get there, have you really put some decent effort in? Or are you on the hope plan? I will wait and see how it goes. Check back in 7 or 8 years and see if I am still playing the same game.

Or, have you repeated these same hopes, wishes, desires for the past 10 years and you are not where you really want to be? If you are not where you wanted to be, have a look at your process. Review your mindset. Ask people close to you for some honest feedback on what they are seeing that is stopping you.

Achieving good things doesn’t need to take long. You can make some serious progress in just two months, if you are seriously focused.

If you are not really trying, try harder.

Gratitude Observe Think About It

Know When You Are Done

Posted on May 23, 2021

We can push ourselves too far or beyond the point of enjoyment. We must monitor our own feelings. Know when you are done so you don’t go overboard.

This idea is the same for eating ice cream as much as it is for finishing a work project. You can also use it to decide what you like in life and what you do not.

You can eat too much ice cream. The taste is so good it is hard to stop. But you need to know when you are done. The unintended consequences of not paying attention can be significant.

Although it seems so important in the moment, the longer term ramifications are not justifiable. If you eat a 500 ml tub of ice cream every day, it will have an impact on your weight, insulin, heart and overall health and fitness.

Similarly, if you work too hard or too long on a project, you risk burnout. Often we have done the job very well and could stop. However, perfectionist tendencies and fear of our peers can keep us toiling away longer than necessary.

Know where the boundaries are. Know where yours are. Keep an eye on them and act accordingly.

Know when you are done.

Observe Think About It

Powerful Storms

Posted on May 19, 2021

Hurricanes, tornadoes, thunderstorms, lightning, torrential rain and high velocity wind are all associated with powerful storms.

These environmental systems can come into our lives quite quickly. They are often incredible to witness. The sites, sounds, size and impact of intense weather systems can leave one in amazement. Pictures and videos can capture the moment but being there live, in person, can provide a whole new perspective.

I mention this as, here in London, on the 18th May, we had some crazy weather. It swooped in rather quickly. The sky blackened. Possibly the longest rumbling thunder I’ve ever heard, enveloped us in a percussionists dream. There was sharp lightning, intense rainfall and even hail. Not one to be out in. Alas, both our sons arrived home in the middle of it and were absolutely soaked.

This reminds me of living through Hurricane Emily, the Category 5 storm that pummelled Mexico in 2005. In addition, I’ve witnessed some incredible storms in Eastern and South Western Ontario. Once, in the former, we had to pull over and stop the car because the rain was so torrential. In the later, the skies lit up with an incredible array of lightning.

Well sometimes we have storms in our life. Some we see coming and some explode upon us with little warning. But we can weather those storms. Know that it won’t last. It may be intense but it will subside and you can carry on again.

Powerful storms are engaging, but do end.

Goals, Results & New Thinking Reframe your thoughts Think About It

Expect To Win!

Posted on May 14, 2021

You need to begin with the end in mind. And the end result you should be aiming for is a winning one. Expect to win! You’ll feel better for it.

Life is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you expect something to happen, it is more likely to. If you don’t expect it, it’s quite possible it won’t.

Part of the expectation is to see yourself in that final moment. If you can visualise yourself as successful or victorious, you will have won half the battle. You will feel more capable and confident. The sense of achievement will run through you. You may even straighten up a little and walk taller. Perhaps you will speak with more authority and determination.

Certainly the taste of the win will help to motivate you. In addition, you can run the plan backwards to see what you need to do to reach that moment. Then you can work harder, train harder, prepare better and feel like it is going toward something useful.

Seeing the result can be quite motivating. Think about it often and play with the finer details of the moment in your mind. The more real you can make it, the more real it should become.

The opposite is also true though, so guard those thoughts closely.

Expect to win!

Gratitude Reframe your thoughts Think About It

A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney

Posted on May 13, 2021

Who had an impact on your life? What do you remember of them? I fondly recall watching, “A few minutes with Andy Rooney” every week on TV.

From the age of eight until probably 14, I looked forward to those three minutes with Andy every Sunday night. My parents would watch 60 minutes and I quite enjoyed it too. But the bit I relished the most was that time with Andy.

He was grandfatherly and spoke his mind. A lot of it made sense to me. He was easy to understand. Occasionally he would come on and correct himself or apologise for something he said the previous week. I liked him more for having considered it and then mentioning the point.

He spoke from his perspective, as all of us do. It’s a little difficult to speak from someone else’s perspective. And as such, you can only say it one way. Odds are very high though, that other people listening will have a different perspective. That’s ok. If they politely note that difference, it can be mentioned. Although, you don’t have to reference or note all the different perspectives that you didn’t have or became aware of after.

Andy’s whimsical commentary of everyday life, amongst other things, intrigued me. I liked his delivery. He made people reflect and think a little. I enjoyed that.

A few minutes with Andy Rooney will always have a home in my heart and my mind.

Action Observe Think About It

Who Are You Studying?

Posted on May 12, 2021

Where does your attention flow? Who are you following closely? It is important to know the answers. Who are you studying?

If you study Warren Buffett, you may become a great investor. If you study Aristotle, you may become a great philosopher. However, like anything involving success, it helps to be precise.

Be clear what you are studying about a person. And at what point in their life. If you study The Beatles, be aware of what stage they were at. Were they in their growth phase or about to disband? Their music and behaviours may have been greatly influenced by their situation.

When you get to the nitty gritty of someone, it is helpful to know what was shaping them. However, in the big scheme of things, be clear which type of person you spend your time on. Consider whether it is a musician, actor, author, business person, politician, teacher, scientist, explorer or some other category.

It is also good to understand why you have chosen them. Some people study an actor because they look cool and they want that look. Other people study rich people to learn how to spend, rather than how to earn it.

Who are you studying?

Action Think About It

Challenging Opinions

Posted on May 5, 2021

Do you agree with everyone? Has anyone ever rejected your opinion? Do you tend to reply to opposing comments? Challenging opinions can be helpful under certain circumstances. Most other times it just leads to frayed nerves, frustration and difficult circumstances.

If I am looking for constructive feedback, receiving a different perspective to my own can be helpful. However, if I am stating my opinion as a matter of belief, a challenge can be taken as a direct affront to my belief system.

If you add in some hot button, extremist words, like many of the ists, you add personal insult and casual hyperbole to the situation. A fair few people will take those personal attacks quite, well, personally. Some people will continue the engagement and reply in a variety of ways. Although, they can easily fall into an inappropriate response mode as well.

So when and where do you challenge people’s opinions? Possibly in the appropriate forum with people who are up to having that discussion. You wouldn’t walk up to people playing football in the park and explain how they are doing it wrong. So why do we feel the need to engage with others who are conversing?

So do we simply let people have their opinion and walk away? Or do we need to set them straight by how we see the world? And how they should too. Lots of questions. What are your thoughts?

I’m open to challenging opinions.

Action Progress Think About It

How To Achieve Your Dream

Posted on May 4, 2021

Achieving a goal starts with the idea. But where do you go from there? How to achieve your dream, or anything you want, comes down to a simple process.

That process is like the one for anything else in life. What are the steps to getting dressed in the morning? How does a person book a meeting with three others or a holiday for the family? When you think about it, you will notice the same steps repeating over and over again.

I have distilled this specific process down to seven steps. I have outlined and further highlighted these steps in my forthcoming book, Achieve Anything – The 7 Simple Steps to Shift from Uncomfortable to Unstoppable. You can sign up for launch updates at www.scottsbook.com.

The seven steps are Think, Overcome, Write, Plan, Act, Review and Celebrate. TOWPARC may not be the sexiest acronym but that’s what it is.

For any achievement you plan to undertake, you will need to think about it and develop a good mindset. You will need to overcome the obstacles in your path, both physical and those in your mind. Like an architect or travel agent, you will need to write out the plan so it is clear to you.

Then you make a plan to work to. This plan could involve hiring tradesmen, buying materials or getting the permit timings just right. For travel, it might involve which clothes and equipment to pack, which airport to use, transfers, hotels and even which local activities to book in advance.

Then you must act and make this plan come to life. As you progress you can review on each step you have made and make any adjustments. Few things go according to plan, so you will need to continually review it and make corrections or improvements. Finally, When you are sitting in your newly built home or enjoying your amazing holiday, remember to celebrate. Celebrate the wins that got you there and the overall win as well.

This is how to achieve your dream.

Action Observe Property Think About It

Finding Opportunities

Posted on April 30, 2021

How do you find things you want? What thought process do you go through? Finding opportunities is a process but you need to follow the steps.

A friend is finding property opportunities in the new build space. He’s found a property to tear down and replace with two. He has also found some land where he could build several properties. Meanwhile, someone asked him how he did that as there were no opportunities to be found. He had been told there were no more land parcels to build new homes.

So while one person is out looking for possibilities, the other has chosen to accept that there are none. In my experience, people looking for something are more likely to find it. Perhaps it won’t be found in the first place you look. This certainly can be the case when looking for car keys or glasses.

However, if you are certain you will find them, you keep looking. Though the sensible person will look in different places. However, a person may return to a location and look more carefully or make some enquiries. These tactics also make finding something more likely.

Of course you can wait until someone brings the great deal to you. But you could be waiting all your life. So get out there!

Finding opportunities is about being very clear on your desired target and then looking in areas it is most likely to be. Speaking to lots of people and asking the right questions is also a very useful skill. So is listening.

Action Observe Think About It

Your Favourite Brand

Posted on April 29, 2021

What brand makes you most happy with your life? What is it that makes you feel that way? Your favourite brand can tell you a lot about yourself.

What brand values are critical to your selection? Do you value fun and whimsical, strength and honesty or perhaps precision and consistency? Products and services that really make us feel great are very powerful.

People are emotional beings. We respond and react to things on an emotional level more strongly than anything else. If you have the right product for you, the feeling can be one of warmth and comfort. This feeling you get can be so good in trying to help you to relax, sleep, calm down or just chill out.

Write down a list of your feel great products. Not the, “ho hum, that’ll do” ones but the ones that really stir things up inside. Write the first one, three or seven that spring to mind. If you can still jot down more, you should do so. A bit like popcorn, keep going until the ideas are only coming at a rate of one every few seconds.

Then see what you can learn from these and what moves you.

Your favourite brand, and brands, can be illuminating!