Think About It Archives - Page 77 of 85

Try Something New Today

Posted on September 19, 2020

It is easy to fall into a routine. Habits develop and then they are hard to shake. So try something new today. It could improve your life.

It is surprising how quickly your life can change. This could be from a comment, an interaction, an event or a thought. But in that split second your life begins down a whole new path.

This is happening to us with great frequency already. Though generally our decisions and thoughts remain in a fairly regular range. This range is bordered due to our habits and our comfort zone.

It feels good in that range as we know what to expect. There are few surprises here. We don’t need to think too much. And, for the most part, it makes us feel good. Even if we don’t like it, the familiarity can be comforting.

Though a great way to put some excitement into your life is by doing something different. Especially something that might lead to a more powerful or more supportive habit.

You can expand your comfort zone, build on your experience and grow your confidence all at once.

Surprisingly, once you do it once, you might do it again. Then again. Then it soon becomes a habit and changes your life.

Try something new today. One day, you’ll be glad you did.

Reframe your thoughts Think About It

The Words You Choose Define You

Posted on September 17, 2020

Listen to the words you use. Notice which words others select for their articles and speeches. The words you choose define you.

Remember that what you direct your mind to focus on, your brain will execute. Your mind will also absorb what it sees. Then you tend to become what has been absorbed. So be careful what you watch, read and listen to as it will affect your mood, anxiety and tension.

“Fear is the path to the dark side…fear leads to anger… anger leads to hate… hate leads to suffering.”
Yoda

Recall Anakin was a happy young boy. However Tusken Raiders captured his Mom and tortured her. His fears turned to anger and quickly to intense hate which did indeed lead to suffering. Immediate suffering for the entire Tusken Raider group and extensive long term mental suffering for Anakin.

He said he hated them and they were animals. Then he became what he said they were. His focus on hate led him to became an uncontrollable animal that brought more fear and suffering to more people.

The words you use choose define you. And those you hear, and the pictures you see, have an impact on who you become. If you find yourself feeling a little anxious, tense or moody these days, reduce your exposure to the information you are consuming. Or at least the sources it is coming from.

Observe Think About It

Who Doesn’t Love Fun!?

Posted on September 16, 2020

Well, I suppose there may be some people. Maybe the glass is half empty people. Misery loves company. But really, who doesn’t love fun!?

It can be really hard to imagine people that don’t love fun. However, sometimes you hear people speak or watch their body language and think they are not having fun.

It’s not just in that moment, either. They seem to have this swirling anti-fun vibe following them around. A bit like Charlie Brown’s friend Pig-Pen. Unless you are helping them through that, best to stay clear.

Having fun is one of the wonderful things about life. While we can debate whether the best things in life are free, free fun could possibly be the best kind possible. Fun could be playing ‘It’ in the park or climbing a tree with your best mate.

Fun could be reminiscing with a dear friend or having a great conversation. I’m quite partial to celestial matters such as watching clouds move and spotting formations. Or looking for shooting stars in the dark night sky.

Watching a great movie with my wife and kids is another wonderful fun thing to do.

Is there enough fun in your life at the moment? What do you like to do for fun?

Who doesn’t love fun!? I don’t know but I am not going looking for them.

Observe Think About It

They Are The Problem

Posted on September 15, 2020

That’s right. We know exactly who is ruining everything. When things go wrong, we can confidently say that they are the problem.

The media know it. You know it. People seem to reference them all the time.

We, of course, are not the problem. This is because we know better, we are more aware and we tell everyone so they can improve their lives. We are the solution. It is a simple solution in this complex world. Broad generalisations always avoid schisms.

If only they could see things the way we see things. They would then do things differently. Obviously differently means better. And not just a fraction better. It would mean doing things significantly better.

We know our way is practically perfect. In fact, everything should work as we prescribe. If only they would listen.

In addition to not clearly understanding the issues or the gravity of many situations, they are prone to hyperbole and embellishment. This doesn’t help. They seem to be swayed by others.

Clarifying the actual point is another problem. It’s a bit like whack-a-mole. We make our point clearly and succinctly. They then misunderstand and reply with a tangential point. They then miss the original point and confuse the second one.

We know they are the problem. When will they realise it?

Observe Think About It

How Do You Pick Your Team?

Posted on September 12, 2020

It used to be where you were born. For some it was who their father supported. How do you pick your team? It’s not always so straightforward anymore.

Sometimes you need to break with traditional ways to make progress. Traditions can be excellent and welcome, like welcoming in the new year. Though some we can do without ever witnessing again.

Today people can pick their sports team, and other alliances, quite freely. This is a blessing and a curse. As there are no historical ties encouraging you to support one over another, you may not feel securely tied to anything.

Some will choose by colour of uniform. Others by their winning record. Yet others choose because they side with the underdog. If you think about it, that could be how we subconsciously find a mate, political party or even which company to work for.

Once you select your side, then you need to embed deep. Learn the songs and the rivalries. Buy the uniform and wear the gear. You get quite fully invested in it. These are now your people. And your cross town rival with all their supporters are your arch enemy.

And once you’ve chosen a side and become invested, it is very hard to leave, never mind switch to the opposition.

How do you pick your team?

Action Observe Think About It

Addressing Your Bias

Posted on September 7, 2020

Most people have a bias. Yes, even you. Maybe for some things, you might remain neutral. But what if I say, “Trump”? Addressing your bias, whenever you have one, is a useful endeavour.

“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
Epictetus

How you react to something reveals your bias. And the more you practice looking for the bias in others, the more you will see it. The bias will come through in body language and the words people use.

As I mentioned in my previous post about fire, everything is neutral until you give it energy in one direction or another. Be careful what you give your energy to.

If you are serious about understanding where your biased thoughts are, try accessing a different information source for one week.

For example. if you usually source from the Guardian or CNN, try Fox News and vice versa. If you are more conservative and pro-Trump, you may be watching Candace Owens or the Hodge Twins. This would mean you would switch with those more left leaning that may be reading The Atlantic or The Washington Post.

I have found YouTube quite interesting in this challenge. It’s algorithm exposes you to things that you wouldn’t normally see if you usually go direct to apps.

Addressing your bias can be a fun and enlightening experience.

Action Think About It

Achieving Your Goal

Posted on September 5, 2020

What a great feeling! It doesn’t matter if it is a small or simple goal or a grand, complex one. Achieving your goal usually leaves you feeling amazing.

Try setting yourself a simple goal to start. This is especially useful when embarking on something new. By making it simple and specific, you are more likely to achieve it. And you are more likely to know you achieved it if it is specific.

For example, I set my alarm for 05:30 this morning. I wanted to shift back to an earlier start to my day. It was great. I was able to get up, do my morning routine, get a little work done and be out running by 06:39. It felt so good to have achieved several things before 07:00. And it all started with a simple goal of waking up at 05:30.

From that point, many other small goals were achievable. However, if I had not set that first simple goal, I would not have been able to achieve the others. Or at least not as early in the day as I had done them.

One of the secrets to achieving your goal or goals is to gather momentum. Break a larger task down into smaller, simpler goals. It feels so good to achieve each one, your momentum will carry you through to the finish in no time.

Think About It

The Aim Of Knowing Something

Posted on August 29, 2020

I enjoy learning new things. Particularly if it involves why people think a certain way. Recently I’ve been considering the aim of knowing something.

Usually you learn something because it will have utility or an entertainment value. Sometimes we learn something just for the sake of knowing it.

In our youth we must learn many things to form a base knowledge. We learn a language and maths along with history and music. We learn a broad spectrum of things to give us a base information.

Beyond that however, why do we learn things? And are we learning things in an efficient way? What is the aim of knowing something if you won’t use that knowledge to any benefit?

How much of what you learn in a day is provided by an external source? Have you specifically sought to learn about a topic or did it simply happen to be in your newsfeed? Or is it what an editor decided you would see?

Perhaps we should be more selective about what we learn about? If we decided what we wanted to learn about, would we be more effective in our learning?

Think about your day ahead. Are you learning useful things and applying that information to a productive goal? Or are you just drifting through your usual informational smorgasbord and picking up bits and pieces?

Reframe your thoughts Think About It

What Would Your Grandma Say?

Posted on August 27, 2020

In my youth I found that this was a good barometer of what would be acceptable for my thoughts and actions. “What would your Grandma say?”, was a phrase that I would run through my mind in situations that may have been pushing the boundaries.

The idea I created in my head went like this. I would imagine the scenario whereby my grandmother picked up the newspaper or turned on the news and there was a report about me, her grandson. The report would highlight what I had said, done, written etc. and paint it in both a balanced and then a biased way.

Then I would go visit my Grandma and have a conversation with her about it. If that whole idea of her finding out what I did, or my having to discuss it with her, made me uncomfortable, that was an indicator to stop before doing anything.

I was telling my son about this recently and suggesting that it might be a useful guide for him. Especially in this era of one strike and you’re out.

You may already have your own system that works for you. That life guide that keeps you from pushing the envelope too far.

If so, great!

However, if not, what would your Grandma say?

Observe Think About It

Be Careful Of That Kodak Moment

Posted on August 26, 2020

Have you ever held onto your position or point of view too long? It gets embedded for maybe the wrong reasons. Be careful of that Kodak moment. That moment when you realise, “things have changed and I am out of touch now”. That can be a painful moment if it is left too long.

You see, we can get attached to our position. We can also defend it. Perhaps we have fought for it. And it seems to have been right. This is because many people have supported us and the results have been very favourable. This is just how Kodak felt over the decades of being in the photography industry.

They felt they had an unassailable position. Things just wouldn’t change that much and they would remain the go-to name in that space. As the leader in that space, they wasted over a decade. Then, the upstarts and technology, fads and trends saw the whole field get turned on its head.

By the time they realised that they had missed the boat on digital photography, it was too late. And so, most people had already moved on to a new party. In addition, they found other players who were far more prepared for the changing world ahead.

We saw this with records, books and cars. Where else do you see the newer ideas and people supplanting the old? Be careful of that Kodak moment.