Think About It Archives - Page 58 of 63

Fond Memories Of Childhood Are Worth Rekindling

Posted on June 4, 2020

There are so many things to think about, do and keep up with in adult life. That is why fond memories of childhood are worth rekindling.

As we move through life, we see more of the complexities and nuances. There seems to be so much more to do as well. There is work, possibly children, pets, parents and partner. In addition, there is planning for holidays, signing up to activities, organising finances and everyday admin – which sometimes seems ever present.

So reflecting back on those long summer days in childhood is a nice thing. Remembering riding bicycles with friends, swimming together, sleepovers and solo playing can make you feel like you’ve been on holiday.

Was life simpler then or was it just because life is simpler in childhood? Maybe both?

I have many fantastic memories of childhood. Growing up on a farm often meant being creative. Today I was remembering building complex forts, tunnels and secret rooms with hay bales up in the hayloft. They were fun to build and brilliant to play in.

Fond memories of childhood are worth rekindling. What are some of your fondest memories? Can you pull out some forgotten but brilliant moments from the archive? Take 10 minutes and try to remember the names of your friends and the exciting adventures you had.

Enjoy!

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The Power Of Being A Part Of Something

Posted on June 2, 2020

I remember the feeling of being at a concert, sporting event or community gathering. The power of being part of something could be quite intoxicating. Just being together for the event could move you. And being able to participate in the action built an even stronger connection and memory.

As my friend Juliet would say, a crowd attracts a crowd. Why is that? It could be due to many reasons. Perhaps it is the minor gravitational pull exerted on nearby bodies. More recently, the fear of missing out (FOMO) could loom large. Thinking someone else has got better plans than you do, can be a significant factor. Regardless of the reason, we can say that being part of something can exert a powerful force.

It can be quite fun and connecting to be a part of something. It’s nice to have a shared experience you can relate to with other people. Although, it usually only feels good around a tribe that values that experience.

There are those that value the negative events. And there are those that value positive ones. Most importantly, if you pay attention, you can feel the force. Be aware of what forces are acting on you. Understand the thoughts and feelings helping to form your decisions.

The power of being a part of something can shift with time as your tribes shift or as your values change. Sometimes the impact comes from a shift in societal values or norms.

Observe Progress Think About It

I Am Trying To Understand You

Posted on June 1, 2020

Do you listen to understand or do you just want to tell people what you think? I am trying to understand you. However, it takes patience and sometimes the ability to hold two different, and maybe even uncomfortable, thoughts in my mind at the same time.

If I am listening to you, I will need you to be clear about what you’re trying to say. There are so many word and sentence combinations. Could your words be interpreted in any other way?

Word selection, sentence structure and communication are all skills worth enhancing. These skills can be learned, practiced, improved upon and developed to an exceptional standard.

To improve, it requires the communicator to pause and reflect on what they wish to say. They then should select the best words, in the best order, to convey the desired message.

In addition, communication can work even better if the speaker/writer first thinks about what they wish to be said. If there are a number of ideas understood, often the best response is a clarifying question. With this in mind, I have, at times, responded to a question that wasn’t actually asked.

Become more aware of what is being communicated. Listen with intent to understand. Practice thinking and reflecting more. Before responding, get precise in your mind.

Most people want the same things. However, miscommunication, poorly worded questions and reactive responses can make everything seem far more difficult.

I want to make comments that progress a conversation or situation. Merely prolonging it is not usually an optimal, or enjoyable, use of time.

In order for the world to work better, I am trying to understand you. Do you understand what I mean?

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Where In the World Would You Live?

Posted on May 29, 2020

People have been going online more and getting more comfortable with technology like videoconferencing and mobile payments. Where in the world would you live if our increasingly online world made it easy to live anywhere?

It seems like an easy decision. However, it may not be as easy as you think. It really depends on many factors. These factors could include your work, lifestyle desires, partner, children, broader family and friends.

I often go through this mental exercise. Where is the ideal place, I muse. Many places come up on my list. Considerations like nice weather year round, creature comforts and now schooling for children all come into play.

In late 2004, my wife and I bought ‘round the world‘ tickets and travelled for 15 months. We visited some fabulous places including memorable stops in Europe, Mexico, Australia and Africa.

In the end, we returned to London. We thought we would return to Canada at that time. Despite selling our property in London when we left and buying one in Mexico on our tour, we continued our life in London.

There were many places that were lovely, exciting or enchanting to visit. But there wasn’t anywhere that struck us as worth uprooting for and moving to.

It seems like an easy question to answer. But when you start getting into the detail, it is not so obvious. If you could live anywhere, where in the world would you live?

Action Think About It

Being Your Most Decisive

Posted on May 28, 2020

When are you at your most decisive? Is it when you are low energy, uncertain, disinterested? Being your most decisive probably occurs when you feel confident, clear, energised, interested and have a deadline.

Decision velocity is critical in making progress. Your whole life is based on the decisions you make. You are where you are right now based on thousands of small, medium and large decisions you’ve made.

The great thing is decision making is a skill or muscle you can develop, train and improve on. You will make decisions quicker too if you get comfortable with being able to change your mind. If you made a decision and you don’t like the result, you can change your mind or refine your position.

Well when events change, I change my mind. What do you do?
Paul Samuelson

We know many people don’t like minds changing, particularly the media, but that is up to those people to have fixed mindsets. If you want to get somewhere you need to make good decisions with decent information and keep moving.

Being your most decisive requires bravery, courage, and a desire to make certain things happen. Life is a test and learn scenario. Making decisions allow you to test outcomes.

Reflecting on things allow you to learn. You may choose to change your decision. Alternatively you can choose to keep the decision and pocket the learning experience. Perhaps you will test a different decision in a similar circumstance in the future.

Either way, train your decision making muscle. Be brave and make those decisions. Live with the results. Test and learn. Keep going.

Think About It Time

Life With No Consequences

Posted on May 25, 2020

People need to see that there is a cause and effect. This should be for both good and bad. We must remember that life with no consequences presents other problems.

It’s best if people learn this lesson young. Children that learn this lesson well should have a better moral compass and achieve greater success. I don’t know if they do, but it seems more likely.

As a parent, I sometimes highlight the potential consequences of an action to my children. If it is quite dangerous, I may insist on the end of the activity. However, if it will not harm them, sometimes I let them continue, after noting the potential consequences.

The safest way to learn is to use other people’s experience, but the best way to remember the learning moment is to get the experience yourself. So sometimes, you just need to let things go on their course and believe the universe will reveal the consequences without significant trouble.

A life with no consequences sounds awesome to me. The problem is, that is not how life works. I want my children to grow up with this core lesson, that there are consequences to your actions, both good and bad.

Like times tables, this lesson will have to be continually reinforced through training until it is ingrained in their being. But it is a good one to know. Follow a good formula and better things should occur. Go off track and challenges will pop up that you would prefer weren’t there.

If you always save your children, friends, parents, etc, they won’t learn or grow. That scenario isn’t good for anyone. In contrast, it is such a great thing to see them making good decisions, on their own, and reaping what they sow.

Observe Think About It

Who Is Your Oracle, Guide Or Core Five?

Posted on May 20, 2020

Do you know who the greatest influencers are in your life? Who is your oracle, guide or core five and what impact are they having on your life?

Of course, when you are very young, the answer is whoever raised you. You don’t have a lot of say in the matter. This is predetermined for you and can evolve depending on the social structure surrounding you.

However, when you are a teen, you can influence the decision of who you would like to follow or listen to. Certainly, once you are in your 20’s you get to make all the choices, at least for most people.

So if you are reading this post, you are probably of an age that you can decide who to follow. It is worth taking the time to write down who you listen to, watch and read on a daily basis. Note which newspaper you read and the specific journalists too. Which people do you gravitate to at work, at home and on your commute (current or old one).

Make a note next to the sources about how they make you feel. For example, some sources of information may make you cross, inspired, determined or calm. Get clear on what you get from following them. And what you are not getting. Would you like more or better?

If you want to see into your future, be clear on who is your oracle, guide or core five. At that point, you will be better able to decide if these are your desired tribes and if this is a track you want to continue on.

Action Health & Fitness Think About It

Let Yourself Dream

Posted on May 2, 2020

We focus on our day and get the basics done. We plan, we schedule and we sort out admin. However, when do you let yourself dream?

Dreaming about how life could be is an essential part of life. If you don’t let yourself dream now and then, you could get stuck in the mundane aspects of life.

Dreaming allows you to use your creative muscles. It also gives you inspiration and hope. Dreaming is the starting line, visualisation is the race and success is the finish line.

Make sure you are following your dreams and not those of others. Living vicariously is useful now and then, but it is not the best strategy for your whole life.

If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.
Jim Rohn

People open their minds like a window to reach past obstacles to their dreams. Let yourself dream. — Open the window to your imagination and let your dreams soar

Exercise your dream muscles today. Set a timer for 5 minutes, or 15 minutes if you can. Get comfortable in a chair or on a sofa. Close your eyes and let your mind get curious and allow your imagination to take over.

What would your ideal life look like? Imagine whatever you like. Do not be restricted by your thoughts about how and when and possibility. Just start considering what your life could look like, if you let it be what you would like it to look like.

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.
Henry David Thoreau

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Consider Six Chairs

Posted on April 24, 2020

To understand different perspectives, I consider six chairs and the views of the people in them. Although, there are countless different perspectives along any spectrum, I like to focus on up to six different ones to keep things manageable.

In addition to what I noted in yesterday’s post, I like to consider all the different views available along a spectrum. First, I assess both ends of the spectrum. Secondly, I add up to four other positions along the spectrum to consider other potential views.

To visualise this, I have added a spectrum below and placed an asterisk at both ends and four others in between. This gives me six chairs (asterisks) and six avatars, or points of view, to consider.

*——-*——-*——-*——-*——-*

A sample topic could be, “How often should children eat ice cream?”.

As you can imagine, there are many different views with even more reasons available to support each view. To make it easier to hold the various thoughts in my mind, and debate between them, I consider six chairs.

From one extreme to the other, the six views I would consider are as follows:

Children should never have ice cream as there are no health benefits to it at all,
Children could have ice cream three or four times per year as an exceptional treat on warm days to help keep them cool and happy,
Having ice cream once a month is fine and part of a healthy childhood experience,
Ice cream on a weekly basis is fun and enjoyable,
Eating a variety of ice creams after meals, like lunch and dinner, is a normal part of growing up, and
Ice cream is in the freezer for kids to have at any time. It can be a dessert, pudding, snack or even breakfast.

Now try your favourite topic.

Reframe your thoughts Think About It

Assess Both Ends Of The Spectrum

Posted on April 23, 2020

When thinking about a topic, I believe it is very important to assess both ends of the spectrum. That is to say, I like to see how the extremes behave.

Here is a spectrum with an asterisk at each end to note both extremes.

*————————————*

It is quite easy to simply sit somewhere along that spectrum and believe you have the best position. This is made even easier when you read your favourite paper or watch your favourite media channel. The reason for this is that the media company and journalist are keen to influence you. Remember, they are professionals at ensuring you are engaged and will come back.

When consuming content next time, try taking the topic and thinking about what people across the spectrum, and at the extremes, are thinking or doing. It’s a great way to expand the way you think. Especially if you consume media from a source that challenges your view.

I try to remember that the spectrum I see may actually go further at one or both ends. It is simply the spectrum of options that I am aware of, not that necessarily exist. Sometimes we have to push ourselves into some uncomfortable thoughts to truly see and assess both ends of the spectrum.

I find knowing what the extremes are for a topic makes it easier to understand, debate and find common ground for it.

In addition, if you know the extremes, you may find you have a lot more in common with other people, relative to where they could sit on the spectrum.