Stay focused on the kind of life you want to live. Whether it’s selfish, giving, philanthropic, classy, stoic or even solitary, just do the thing that will make you happy and your family and friends proud to know you.
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Category: Time
Shortcut Words Replace Thinking
Because life can be pretty full on, fast paced, full and exhausting, our brains naturally look for shortcuts. They want to use the least amount of energy and do the minimal amount of work.
For these reasons, it prefers shortcuts, generalisations, easy references and common phrases especially when they work with any biases we are holding.
We tend to use words from our work or industry, religion or culture. Doctors may use the term ‘stat’, office workers will ‘circle back’ and sportspeople get ‘in the zone’.
It is unlikely, or rare, to hear people using other groups’ words or terms. It’s hard to imagine an NBA coach telling his players to pass the ball to the point guard stat.
This helps explain why people that watch the same news channels or read similar newspapers, will see things similarly and speak the same.
Rather than think things through, and assess things in their own mind, the shortcut is to accept what they are hearing and seeing, summarise it in generalisations and pass it on. People in their group think will understand the summary terms and distill it further. Like the telephone game, the theme may remain similar but the actual details may get distorted.
Don’t let this happen to you. Think for yourself. Put the extra bit of work in, especially if you will get involved in a conversation. Also give people time and space to reflect and ask questions. Allow people to think, even if it’s different to you.
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Enjoy The Time You Have
Sometimes it’s a rather short time we have with people. Focus on enjoying the time together.
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Keep Playing To Win
Even if things are not currently going in your favour, play every second to win! Keep the winner’s mindset. It can still turn around. There is time. But you need to play every moment like it’s the gold medal match and you are absolutely going to win.
Throw every ounce of energy into your efforts. Leave nothing left over for when you’re done. Never give up. It’s only over when that lady sings.
Until that final whistle, play like an obsessed champion. And one day you’ll be one.
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Then Is A Powerful Word
We will go to the store and then…. I bought a new car and then…. The word, then, forces you to use your imagination and visualise the future and the next step.
As long as you can see the next step, you can move yourself forward, progressing toward a goal. So get in the habit of saying “then” and then filling in the blanks as required.
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Get Things Done!
Tomorrow, when you wake up, become a hurricane with huge power and get things done. Move with speed and purpose. Focus on one thing in a sustained direction and then switch to the next thing. Keep going. Make tomorrow the most productive day you’ve had in 6 weeks!!
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Planning Ahead
You’ll spend less, feel better and reduce stress if you can plan ahead.
Christmas cards are a great example. If you plan ahead, you’ll have time to make or buy cards that you love to send. If you’re making your card, you won’t have to pay for instant production. You can opt for the cheaper 2-3 day production.
Also, you will pay less for postage with a lot of lead time. You won’t have to use a courier, express service or overnight delivery. You can pay the least and know it will get there in time.
Not planning ahead, and acting on it, will cost you more time, more money, more stress and many missed opportunities. You may even have to pay penalties or fines. (Think about parking tickets. You pay less if you pay quickly. A good incentive).
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Meet People
Meeting people can be the key to your future. It is in the exchange of ideas, capital, assets, time and energy that things start to get cooking.
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Balance In The Universe
People can push one way and then, once they’ve pushed too far, other people push back toward the middle ground.
This happens when the left or the right push past the centre, more than they should. Like a rubber band, the tension increases the further it’s pushed beyond its resting point. Eventually it snaps back or breaks. Neither is a good ending.
This occurs on any discussion. Everyone will be fine if small steps are taken. But if people push too far beyond the comfort zone of the others, you will find a great deal of resistance. And that often leads to momentum in the opposite direction. Keep things sensible. Or you’ll feel the backlash.
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Complete One Extra Thing
Zipping through your day, you may find you just want to go home and wind down. Stay disciplined and complete just one more thing. It can be something small that you’ve been trying to finish for weeks. You could also tackle that beast of a project you keep delaying on.
Either way, get one extra thing done each day and you’ll start feeling on top of the world.
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