CategoriesObserveThink About It

The Jump In Thinking

Media, influencers, politicians and even your friends and family use the jump in thinking to bring you to a conclusion of their choice.

They’ll state something most people can broadly agree with so you’re nodding your head in agreement. Then they add in words like, “that means”, “what will happen next is” or “obviously…”, to name a few.

They then jump to their point and how they think, or want you to think, things will play out next. If they say it with confidence and certainty, you are more likely to make the jump with them and adopt their point of view.

Harmless enough over minor things like who the best drummer in the world is but less so when discussing more impactful issues.

Some people are very good at bringing you along with them without you stopping to think. However, with all “this then that” commentary and any future guessing, you certainly should stop and think about the statement. Ask questions like, “Is that the only possible outcome?”, “Has this person been right on all of their other guesses about how the future will unfold or why a person is like that?” or, “has this happened frequently or rarely in history?”.

It’s easy to simply go with the thought on offer. However, once you let others influence how you think, they have more control over your life than you’d imagine. If you think the Russian media might be overly biased or misleading in their coverage, have you considered that the media you consume could be similar?

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CategoriesActionObserveProgressThink About It

Finding Purpose

You need to search for it within. Do some soul searching. Have some tough conversations with yourself. Then act on it. Slow or fast but get going in that direction. It will become more clear as you bounce along that route.

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CategoriesActionGratitudeObserveProgressThink About ItTime

900 Reasons

To celebrate. To reflect. To be proud. To be satisfied. Why? Well, because this is my 900th consecutive daily blog post! ?

What started out several years ago as a personal challenge to write a daily blog post for 1 year – 365 days – has gone on a little longer.

I’ve had thousands of readers from 80 countries now. I’ve gotten so used to doing a daily blog, long or short, that it really is a habit that took discipline to get started.

So, happy 900th!! I hope you’ve enjoyed the posts, they’ve made you think and you feel like a better person for stretching your mind in different directions.

Thank you for reading and sharing. Let’s keep going! Maybe I’ll reach 1,100 or even 11,000. What topics would you like me to write more about? DM on Instagram or LinkedIn.

If you enjoy reading positive and useful content, then check out my book, Achieve Anything. It’s currently £0.75 for the ebook and the Hard cover is 44% off! It’s cheaper than the paperback at the moment. And if you like audio, my audiobook should be online by the end of the week. Enjoy!!

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CategoriesObserveThink About It

Value Sorting

When you make decisions, you do so by sorting your values in a hierarchy. Sometimes that is why we find it hard to make a decision. If two important values are equally important we find it difficult to choose one over the other.

The value you put at the top of the hierarchy at any given time is your guiding factor in that moment. You can switch the top value depending on the subject at hand.

If winning is your core value, then anything else can be subordinated to that value. That is where cheating can enter the picture. However, it might not, if the persons value for fair play is higher than their desire to win.

So you can read someone’s value chart by the decisions they make. You can only read their value chart based on their current awareness though. If they haven’t become aware of the other values that could supersede or challenge their top one, then we can only see what they are doing with their current knowledge, self-awareness and personal bias.

Try to not project your story of them onto their value chart. You could say that a person is doing something for x or y reason. You really have no idea. But you can see what seems to be their highest value and get some insight into their intent. Have fun with this observational activity.

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CategoriesActionObserveThink About It

Define Words First

If you’re planning something or having a chat, debate or discussion, it’s useful to define the key words first.

Pants in the UK are underwear in Canada. This is a minor but funny one.

When someone says they’ll call you first thing tomorrow, if it’s important, it’s a good idea to confirm an actual time.

One word getting a lot of air time at the moment is the word ban.

In a car context, if I drove on a road with a speed limit, you would not say cars were banned on this road. Yes, there is some regulation of the cars, but most people would not say cars are banned on that road.

If there were construction crews on the road ahead, and traffic was being regulated differently than some other nearby roads, most people would not say cars were banned on this road. They would recognise the different driving conditions, but they would not usually claim that they’ve been banned from that road.

Bear this in mind while consuming news and social media over the days and weeks ahead. Understand what the differences are, especially the limits, as differing limits are not the same as a ban.


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CategoriesActionProgressThink About ItTime

Following Through Feels Great!

When you say you are going to do something and you do it, especially when it is long, tiresome and hard work, your spirit can soar, if you let it.

Allow yourself the great feeling of having accomplished the tasks on your to do list that day. Remind yourself of the challenges you overcame, both mental and physical. Then be proud, stand up straight, be confident and be pleased with yourself. It’s easy to give up when the going gets tough. But the emotional and mental reward for pushing through and achieving your goals is such a better feeling.

So keep your powerful why in your mind all day while you push and overcome the challenges. Remind yourself you can do this and you will. Stay the course. Keep your commitments to yourself. If you do, you’ll build a better, happier and more prosperous you.

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CategoriesGratitudeObserveThink About ItTime

Sunrise or Sunset?

Which do you prefer? Is it the energy, optimism and excitement of a dawning new day? Or would you rather the calming, closing curtain as the sun sets and you appreciate the day you had?

Leave your vote in the comments below.

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CategoriesGratitudeObserveThink About It

The Friendship Litmus Test

Do we have to agree on all topics to be friends? Can we only be friends with people of a similar political persuasion? Or maybe friends must be of the same religious beliefs? What about climate differences, gender, guns, homeschooling, pro life or pro choice, covid policies, SCOTUS assassination attempts, or special military operations in other countries?

Can you be friends with people who hold a different view? Or is friendly as good as it gets? Or is friendly just a step too far? Are they the enemy? Does diversity of thought scare, anger, frustrate or disgust you?

Can other people have diverse thoughts but only those you approve of or could warm to?

Are we being naive to think we can be friends with people who hold different thoughts to ours? Or should we simply revert to micro tribalism and only be friends with those people who think exactly like us on every topic? If not, how should we treat our friends who have different or opposing thoughts to us?

Do you actually do this?

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