Think About It Archives - Page 53 of 64

Searching For Clues

Posted on December 10, 2020

Do you have an obsession for solving mysteries, assessing situations and understanding interrelated details? Searching for clues seems to be something a great many people enjoy. Perhaps everyone does. Is it in our DNA?

So many TV shows, books, movies, careers, and relationships have an element of seeking the detail, nuance and unknown. Whether the theme involves mystery, romance, insurance, law, accounting, acting or discovery, there is a requirement to find information and piece together a story.

I have been a fan of the private investigator ?️‍♂️ world since I was a young lad. I started with the Encyclopaedia Brown books, moved on to Magnum P.I. and then to many different storylines after that.

Figuring things out tends to fit very well with our minds natural inclination to find solutions. Fascinating when you think that life is one giant puzzle and the mind is the ultimate enigma machine.

Mysteries are similar to a 30 dial (or more!) combination lock. You need to get all the information correctly lined up in a row to solve it. That can be either fun or frustrating, depending on its importance, its difficulty and your mindset.

There are still many great mysteries to solve including those of space, history, the oceans and our minds.

Until those are solved completely, we will remain searching for clues.

Action Think About It

Play With Intensity

Posted on December 8, 2020

Do you participate or play to win? Do you get what you can or do you train, practice and excel? Play with intensity, whether it is everyday matters or a World Cup type event.

Those who excel play as hard in training as they do in the league finals. When they step on the pitch, they are competitive. They are competing against themselves to improve their skill, speed or stamina. A personal best is always close in their mind. It doesn’t matter if it is in training or match play.

You can laugh and carry on when you are off the pitch and the game is done. However, it is best to train your mind to be focused from the moment you step on the field of play. This applies to your sports as much as it does to your studies, your career, and even your relationships. Aim to improve every time you turn your mind to that subject.

There is always room for improvement. But someone who is always hustling, trying and putting the extra effort in, will be more valued than others who do not.

If you do not possess natural talent towards something, then it is even more imperative that you play with intensity. It will be noticed.

Action Think About It

Making The World Better

Posted on December 6, 2020

It is quite simple but often made more complex than it needs to be. There are two big challenges to making the world better. First, you need to pinpoint what better means. Secondly, you need to define the scope of the world.

The easy answer to those challenges, for many people, is to make things better from their own perspective and do it everywhere they are aware of. Awareness usually radiates out from their family, friends and relatives to work colleagues and people they interact with daily. Though, when pressed, they may think in terms of their city, country or continent and then all the people of the world, including fishermen on remote pacific islands.

This is where it can become more complex. When people try to make things better for people who are an afterthought or they know very little about. What would better mean? Could it be better health or lifestyle? Would more time with their family be better?

There are a lot of people who try to improve everyone and everywhere else. What if the answer was staring them in the mirror? Perhaps it is as simple as improving our own lives, within the context of making the world better.

If we used less resources and we were kinder, more understanding and accepting of diverse or dissimilar viewpoints, could the world become better through unintended consequences and the ripple effect?

Action Observe Think About It

Get Out Of The Way!

Posted on November 29, 2020

The only thing stopping you from achieving what you want right now is you. That is it. You need to address the obstacle in your mind and get out of the way!

It’s easy to think that someone or something else is responsible for our lack of expected progress. We had ideas and dreams. There was a general path that people had followed before us.

Like most Hollywood movies, things are supposed to get back to, and certainly end, better than they started. Sure there would be little bumps in the road but they are handled reasonably well by our able script writers, the actors and the director.

Real life is a wee bit different. Especially the bit about timing. We have no idea where we are in the equivalent of a two hour movie. Are we near the end or the middle?

Regardless, you have some challenges in your mind that need a little bit of your attention. If you are procrastinating, understand why. If you’re struggling to move forward, look into your thoughts. Be honest with yourself. Write these thoughts somewhere safe. Dwell on them until you have some good, hard answers as to why you are not travelling in the direction, or style, you thought you would be.

Then you you need to make some adjustment and move from being uncomfortable to unstoppable.

Build good habits and get out of the way!

Observe Think About It Time

Now More Than Ever

Posted on November 28, 2020

There are a number of overused phrases and cases of hyperbole in the world at the moment. Perhaps it is occurring now more than ever. ?

This phrase came up while I was reading an article the other day. It noted that, now, more than any other time in history, all people needed to be ‘civically engaged and fight for what’s right’.

I find this to be a throw-away phrase. I doubt the person has thought about what that means. It then makes me wonder whether their other comments will be similar. That ‘add familiar phrase here’ type of writing can be quicker or easier to write. But it may not have as much thoughtful depth as it could have.

I try to consider various reader perspectives when I write – it’s my six chairs test, (in my 24 April 2020 post). Sometimes that means it takes longer to complete the article. However, hopefully it leads to a more accurate delivery of the key thoughts I am having.

I am pretty sure the author meant that she felt it was quite important for people to engage now. I would be surprised if she thought that people had to fight more now for what is right, during this time of relative peace, prosperity, greater equality and improved understanding. Or did she mean we needed to fight more so now than during WW I or II, the US Civil War, the Cold War, or the civil rights movement?

Now more than ever?

Think About It Weight loss

What’s The Point?

Posted on November 26, 2020

Shouldn’t there be a reason why you do the things that you do? And is the reason the same now as it was when you started on the path? So, what’s the point?

Some days I wonder what the point is. And it is good to remind yourself why you do something. Or at least try to understand why you do something anymore.

We can develop really useful habits but sometimes they become unnecessary. Many years ago, I used to read a newspaper on most days. I greatly reduced that when I asked myself this question. What am I getting from this that benefits me, or anyone else for that matter?

I’ve done the same thing with almost all tv, save for some movies and a few sporting events.

Be careful not to eliminate too much though. That can be a slippery slope into thinking nothing has a point. Which isn’t true. Everything has a point. You simply need to understand what it is for you and others.

For example, I used to run to compete. Then I ran for fun. At one time, I ran to lose weight. I then ran two marathons for a personal challenge. Now I run for fitness, fun, conversation and education. The reason can change.

Just be clear why you do what you do.

What’s the point?

Financial Think About It

The Cost Of Watching TV

Posted on November 15, 2020

You would be surprised how much your TV costs you. And I am not talking about the purchase price. The cost of watching TV may be higher than you think.

There are many ways to look at this whole TV watching scenario. It has really been brought home to me several times in my life. However, it may have had its biggest impact years ago, when I heard this idea from Jim Rohn.

For most people it is not the cost of the TV, even if it was £3,000. The real cost is higher, even if you add in the cable cost, movie channels and streaming services at £150 per month. It is the time you spend in front of the TV that costs you dearly.

First, that time could be spent with children, loved ones or on other engaging endeavours. Secondly, what is the financial opportunity cost of the TV? If you are paid £20 per hour (£40k per year) and watch three hours of TV on five of the seven days a week for 52 week, that would equate to an additional £15,600 if you were working. That is almost 40% more income.

Imagine if you turned your nightly TV watching into a profitable hobby that generated an extra £15,000 of income a year from now.

Ah, the cost of watching TV.

Gratitude Observe Think About It Time

The Sounds Of Children Playing

Posted on November 12, 2020

Playgrounds and schoolyards can be immensely fun and filled with energy, excitement and enthusiasm. The sounds of children playing can be music to our ears.

We live near a primary school, which has it’s pros and cons. Certainly one of the pros, for me, is that every weekday, for the entire lunch period, I can hear the frolicking fun being had by all. It does bring a smile to my face as I hear the enjoyable mixing of their fluctuating voices.

Not only is it fun to hear them and imagine them playing games like ‘it’, but it is fun to reminisce too. Thinking back to the times when you were 6 or 9 is always interesting. What games did you play? Who were your very good friends? What did you do and talk about for an hour at lunch?

It is fun to think back and remember the easier memories and also stretch your mind to recall other things that have more dust on them. It can be pleasant, painful and helpful to remind oneself of the days of their childhood. You can learn a lot about where you are now but understanding how you were then.

They’ve gone inside now. The playground has fallen quiet.

There can be a hollow emptiness once you can no longer hear the sounds of children playing.

Action Observe Think About It

How Do You Decide?

Posted on November 11, 2020

Decisions are based on feelings. But there are reasons behind them. Though often they are difficult to deconstruct. How do you decide?

People start with a gut instinct or initial reaction. This kind of thinking allows you to swerve your car or bike in a split second to avoid hitting a pedestrian. It can also be used when meeting a new friend or partner.

This fast decision making is based on our natural instincts and personal experience. Sometimes it serves us very well and saves our life. It is often referred to as ‘quick thinking’. This is more of a reactionary mode with little time, if any, spent on processing new information.

Other times, we make a decision but we don’t act quickly with it. We will observe, question, theorise and consider evidence a little more. You can recognise this when speaking to someone as they take time to reflect and give the idea some consideration before replying.

In the later, people who have ‘mulled it over’ have a better understanding of themselves and why they are making the decision. If you simply react, you are not open to new information and dismiss it as wrong or unnecessary.

If you don’t reflect, you may not understand what values and priorities drive your decision making. You’ll grow more if you do.

How do you decide?

Observe Think About It

Life Isn’t Fair

Posted on November 8, 2020

We all want life to be fair. We want a fair match when we watch sports, a fair hearing in court and a fair interview in our career. However, life isn’t fair. Or at least, most people can’t see how it is fair in some circumstances.

I have found that remembering that life isn’t fair is very helpful during challenging times. It comes back to the expectation versus reality gap. If you expect life to be fair, every time you don’t think it is, you will be frustrated.

My children hear this phrase frequently too. I remind them that life doesn’t always look fair in the present, the short run or the long run. However, it may be fair eventually, particularly if you believe in karma. Or it may never be fair, especially if you don’t believe there is an entity watching and keeping score.

Though I do suggest to them that they can try to make life fairer by their own thoughts and actions. If someone is having a bad day, they can try to make it better with a kind word or a small token. They can also play by the rules of the game and ensure the people on their team do too.

Life can be tough and life isn’t fair. But we have a responsibility to try to ensure it is as fair as possible.