Time Archives - Page 52 of 67

Making Your Next Episode

Posted on June 18, 2021

Your life could be viewed as a movie, mini-series, or tv show. Although it is probably most like a tv show. Making your next episode is a weekly occurrence.

With that in mind, how do you rate your life? Is it a drama, sit-com, tense thriller or mind numbingly drab? How do others see it? How would you like to see it?

The amazing thing is, you are making the next episode as your day unfolds. You are the writer, casting director, overall director, executive producer and star of the show. In the early seasons you were primarily the star. Your parents played the other roles in the credits. But once you turned 10, you started heavily influencing the other production roles.

You may like to feel as though you’ve given up artistic control, or never actually had it. However, every day you should remind yourself that it is you that makes the bulk of the decisions in your life. You decide if you are a stunning, fit and joyful lead character. You also decide if your role is that of a tired, bored or restless individual.

The people on the set are all selected by you to create the ambiance, atmosphere and interaction. Scenes start and end how and when you want them to. If a storyline isn’t working for you, you can just leave it on the cutting room floor.

Every week, you are making your next episode. Pay close attention to how you write the script for this week.

Action Reframe your thoughts Time

Be Confident In Your Position

Posted on June 17, 2021

You know what the best path is already. Don’t let others distract you or put you off. Be confident in your position. Carry on with your plans.

Often times we know the best solution to a given situation. We may not have 100% of the information but we need to make the decision. No one ever has 100% of all the relevant and related information. You need to have enough information, and a good feeling about things, to then press on to the conclusion.

I like Colin Powell’s 40-70 rule in this regard. With less than 40% of total information, your odds of making a good decision are lower. Obtaining more than 70% of the total information is time consuming and unlikely to change your decision.

Who knows what ‘total information’ really means? And how does one truly measure 40% or 70%? Don’t get caught up in these things. It is a rule of thumb. Get to where you feel pretty confident in the decision you are about to make. Know that the information you have is accurate and from a good source. Then get on with the decision and move to execution.

Usually you can adjust later if the decision did not bring about the outcome you were looking for.

If you have experts with field experience providing your information, you should be fine.

Be confident in your position.

Gratitude Observe Progress Time

Those Days Are Gone

Posted on June 16, 2021

Everything that starts will eventually end. Whether it is a game, a job or even breakfast. Those days are gone and not being revisited.

It is such a strange concept how we see things coming in the future. Then we experience something for a brief moment. Then the moment passes us and becomes ever more distant.

For example, we look forward to a birthday, event or holiday for months. Each day that passes can seem to take forever. Our anticipation grows stronger as we inch closer to the moment. Then we want to capture the moment and keep it forever. And we do, but the intensity tends to fade with time. And it becomes diluted by all the other memories we have.

This struck me while going to pick up my daughter from school the other day. She’ll be able to walk to school on her own in September. Mom and Dad will no longer be required. Those little chats we have and seeing her interact with her friends at the school gate will be things of the past.

These days are coming to an end. I recall the sentiment of other parents with older children. Some were elated to no longer have to be there each morning and afternoon. Others were saddened by the end of the era. I presume many were both. I know I will be.

This is simply the way life is. We all pass through stages. Things start and things stop.

Enjoy every moment you can before those days are gone.

Observe Think About It Time

Forecast For Fun

Posted on June 15, 2021

Few things can be known for certain. We play the odds all the time. In everything we do there is risk. We forecast for fun but often our lives depend on it.

There are many words similar to forecast, such as prediction, estimate or guess. We can also foretell, prophesy or even prognosticate, even if it does sound funny to say. I cannot foretell if you will agree with me or not. However, everyone is playing the odds at every moment.

We all like a little forecasting. We hope the weather forecast is spot on when it says sunny and warm. Some folks like to place a wager on their ability to foretell the future. We do this with the stock market and sports and while in the confines of a casino.

Amongst our friends we might guess what scores we will get on an exam or how a mini series may turn out. There is no end to the amount of things we are willing to bet on. Have a flutter for some fun. Sometimes we assess the risk and other times not.

When you cross a road at 05:00 and there isn’t a car in sight, you are still taking a risk. You could trip and whack your head on the pavement. However, your odds of safely and successfully crossing are close to 99.9%. Crossing a busy road during the middle of the day may carry a similar probability but there is a greater risk of an unsuccessful cross.

Forecast for fun but remember there is a level of risk for all activities.

Action Financial Observe Reframe your thoughts Time

The Power Of Compounding

Posted on June 11, 2021

Following on from the last few days, I’m combining retirement thoughts with compounding. The power of compounding is quite incredible.

I read an article recently about setting aside almost $3,000 for a child when they are born. This money could come from parents, grandparents, uncles and aunties or even from crowdfunding, I suppose.

The idea was that you could put that $3,000 into a low cost S&P 500 index fund and just let it sit there for 65 years. You would not take any out, nor would you need to put any more in. You would just let it roll over and compound.

Using the figures from the article, it noted the S&P had delivered an average annual return of between 10% and 11% in its nearly 100 years of existence. If it continued to average that rate, or even a little less (9.5%), the account would be worth over $1m by their 65th birthday.

This is more than 90% of what people would have in their retirement savings. By doing this one thing, during pregnancy or within the year after their birth, you would set them up for retirement. Regardless how their financial habits developed, they could always count on their $1m retirement fund when they turned 65.

The power of compounding is compelling.

Observe Think About It Time

See Compounding In Nature

Posted on June 10, 2021

Financial compounding is sometimes considered a wonder of the world. However, you can see compounding in nature too, if you look for it.

Let’s first review the common example of a penny doubled every day for 30 days. Would you rather be patient for 30 days or have $1m today?

Being patient pays off. After 30 days of doubling, that humble penny will be worth over $5m!! This is why consistent and frequent saving and investing is important for financial freedom. In the longer run, the difference can be very large.

We see compounding effects elsewhere too. Global population growth has shown strong growth over the last 100 years. It took thousand of years to reach the first billion people on Earth (1804). The second billion took 123 years. The third billion was only 33 years after that. You get the picture.

You also see this in animals, rodents, bugs, birds etc. And think how a chicken can produce one egg per day. Get a rooster involved and you can soon have dozens of chickens laying eggs and producing more chickens And more eggs to eat. Now some people aren’t so patient and want to eat the chicken for meat on day one. And then struggle or starve after that.

Think ahead, be patient and let nature take its course. When you see compounding in nature, use it to your benefit.

Gratitude Health & Fitness Observe Think About It Time

The World Is Amazing

Posted on June 6, 2021

Without context this might seem a bold statement to some. However, with historical data one can see the world is amazing and getting better.

Why you might not believe this could be for many reasons. It doesn’t make it less so though. It is certainly how I see the world. There are a lot fewer bad things happening than 100, 500 or 5,000 years ago. In addition, we can see quite a few good things in this era that didn’t exist previously or weren’t as good.

With this is mind, I have been wanting to read Factfulness by Hans Rosling for several years. I received it for my birthday last week and thought I would read a few pages today to see what it was like. Wow! I am really enjoying it.

It is loaded with facts, psychology and ideas. That is my kind of book. It was so easy to read a few pages quickly as it makes sense and I already believe it so there is no convincing needed. Nor is there any rebuttal of the ideas or data as I am already on that same page. In addition, it is great to have it as a reference book with all the data, graphs and charts.

The world is amazing and it keeps on getting better. It is not perfect, and it is unlikely to ever be so. But, it is so much better than 20 years ago, let alone 200.

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 Gratitude Health & Fitness Reframe your thoughts Time

Have A Fabulous Day

Posted on May 29, 2021

I love great days. It’s brilliant when everything is firing on all cylinders and everything is feeling right. Have a fabulous day like I did and it will make you feel 10 years younger.

Clear the decks from all responsibilities and go enjoy. Be present and let the day unfold. Attack it with a lively and positive attitude. Let little things slide. Give every moment a smile. Do it even if you would rather flip it the bird. Life zips by as we zoom around the sun.

Take advantage of every moment you have. You will reach a moment in life when it will get quite difficult to do things. Even thinking or remembering could get difficult. So pick a day here and there and dedicate your life to it.

It does not have to be expensive or difficult. We went for a family walk / hike at Box Hill. It was a brilliant day out. We brought water and snacks. So a bit of petrol and a small car park fee were the only costs. Pretty awesome for five people to have a fabulous day.

Use a simple outing to create a great and lasting memory. Maybe book one of these days in every month. I’m looking into it now.

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.