Think About It Archives - Page 68 of 85

We Invest in AI Not IAM

Posted on June 5, 2021

We teach machines more than humans. Some people are more interested in creating robots that learn and not children. We invest in AI not IAM. Despite the incredible progress and benefits of the AI industry, perhaps we are missing something.

Some studies I have seen suggest we need USD 36 billion to teach the rest of the children not already being taught. Meanwhile USD 73.4 billion was raised by AI startups in just the fourth quarter of 2020 alone!

We are trying to get a machine to learn and think. Investors are putting more money and intelligent resources into how to improve AI rather than in teaching children to be better.

It does seem a little odd. All those people out there who could learn and improve but few do. It is partly that they do not want to but more often they are not aware it is an option.

Sure there may be more efficiency in AI and robotics. But we have the people available. And while we are at it, could we get the curriculum to include money, financing, budgeting and self-discipline. Perhaps they could teach goal-setting and a few other life essentials.

Teach children phrases like I am amazing or I am winning.

Unfortunately, we invest in AI not IAM.

Action Financial Think About It

Provide Value To Receive Money

Posted on June 4, 2021

The economy is not rigged. The world is not run by 30 all-powerful people. Think this through folks. You need to provide value to receive money.

Now there are a lot of other things you could receive. However, the main culture around the world is to give money to those providing a valuable product or service.

The greater the perceived value for the item in question, the greater the amount of money to change hands. No one forces you at gun-point to buy your groceries from Ocado or Tesco. Neither do people force you to use Amazon to buy books, gifts or tech equipment.

However, the natural flow of things means that if you do use a certain company to fulfil your desires, it will receive your money. So, if lots of people do this, the company will receive lots of money. No conspiracy or rigged system.

If you have a problem with your money going to Amazon employees, suppliers and shareholders, then stop using their services. It really is that simple. However, you are unlikely to stop the millions of other consumers from using their service. But if they did, they would shrink out of existence like Blockbuster and Kodak.

You need to provide value to receive money. What value are you creating for others?

Action Progress Think About It Time

How To Live Intentionally

Posted on June 3, 2021

Are you on auto-pilot? Do you get through the day because of your habitual thoughts and actions? Learn how to live intentionally and you could dramatically alter the course of your life in just a few months.

Making intentional choices about what we want in, and out of, our life is our greatest power. We have the power to make choices every day. What is it that is stopping us from making the choices we want? Do you even know what you want?

This is not a question about what others need or want. Perhaps you have suppressed your own emotions and desires for so long, you can’t easily answer the question.

Start thinking about what, and who, you want in your life today. Decide what brings you joy and what doesn’t. Take a shelf in your house and really look at each item on it. Pick up each item and ask yourself, “Does this bring me joy?” If it does not, then remove it from the shelf today. Send it to a charity shop so it can find its rightful home.

If you want to keep it, be certain that this is the exact spot you want it to live in your house for now. If not, you should move it now to where it will bring you the greatest joy.

Learn how to live intentionally or you could fumble along in a fog of meh.

Action Think About It

Be For Rather Than Against

Posted on May 28, 2021

Deciding what you are for is better for everyone. It is positive and can be equally as powerful. Be for rather than against something. You will feel better and look for good reasons to support your cause.

Google used to use “Don’t be evil” as a motto. On the surface, it is a good sentiment. Most people could agree that being evil is not a great focus for your life. However, every time you say it, you bring up the word evil. Then your mind conjures up a few evil thoughts, feelings and pictures in a millisecond.

Since re-structuring the company, the parent company Alphabet, selected “Do the right thing” as its motto. This feels inherently better. It seems better to have the word ‘right’ repeating in your head rather than the word ‘evil’.

Strangely, those two phrases have a very similar meaning or intent. However, it is important to note the more positive, upbeat feel of the ‘right’ phrase.

We should strive to use these positive types of phrases in our personal and business life.

Anyone using anti-something should rethink what they are trying to do. Being anti seems to lead to anger. And from pop culture we know anger leads to hate and then to the dark side. Presumably this defeats the purpose of trying to eradicate something. You might replace it with another form of anger or evil.

Be for rather than against.

Progress Think About It Time

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?