Time Archives - Page 75 of 88

Surviving The Winter

Posted on April 11, 2021

It can get pretty cold and dark at a certain time of the year. Windy with harsh rains or even sleet and snow. Surviving the winter can be a treacherous undertaking. And that is just the physical aspect.

It can be easy to wonder how people survived through winter conditions 1,000 years ago. Yes, those winter conditions still exist in the northern and very southern based countries or regions. However, many of them benefit from much better housebuilding, heating, transportation, food storage etc.

It is still a wonder how people get through challenging winter conditions. Many of us today would find it very difficult to be out in the cold all day for hours and then return to a cold structure for food and sleep. If you have ever been out camping in particularly wet or cold conditions, you can start to understand the hardships.

Winter can also be a mental place. Where it seems hopeless, cold, dark and lifeless. We have to guard against those conditions too. We need to practice resilience and know that there is always a spring and summer to look forward to, no matter the severity of the winter.

Our northern winter is coming to an end. It will try us a little more but spring is on its way. Keep positive.

Surviving the winter is essential.

Action Observe Progress Reframe your thoughts Time

Focus On The Thing

Posted on April 9, 2021

Gosh it can be hard to get clear and focused sometimes. There are so many interesting things in life. You need to focus on the thing that brings you closer to your goal though.

You need to be clear where you are heading. Then do only those things that get you there. Remove all the extraneous distractions. Once you do this, you will move forward so much quicker.

This week I am reminding myself of the things I need to reduce or stop. There are many things not on the path to my top goals. Some are fun or enjoyable though. Which make them more difficult for me to remove from my day.

However, in order to win and achieve the goal, I need re-focus and commit.

Is there anything you have been aiming for but not really putting the required time or focus into getting it done? Are there too many emails, requests, unnecessary things, keeping you away from the achievement you want most?

This was coming, but today’s Quote Of The Day Show podcast episode really underlined this idea for me today.

Sometimes the Knowing-Doing Gap comes in, sits down and wedges itself between you and your goals. Get back to doing what you know you are supposed to do.

Focus on the thing.

Action Observe Time

Awaiting Perfect Conditions

Posted on April 7, 2021

We all can do pretty well when all the stars line up. Life is so easy when all the stop lights are green. However, awaiting perfect conditions may be a fools errand. It’s pretty rare to have exactly ideal conditions for anything.

It is usually far better to strike while the iron’s hot and not wait for everything to be all in order. It can be difficult to know the precise best time to make your move. However, with some action immediately, you are likely to be in the best position going forward.

If you go to bed late, you can’t always wait until you have your eight hours sleep. You may have to get up after 5 hours and just get through the day like that. Maybe you would feel better getting more sleep. However, you probably have other matters to tend to. The ideal conditions are a nice to have that most of us will not see.

Imperfect results can be the results of acting now. But it is usually going to be the best you can get sorted anyway. And given that life is short, you don’t want to waste the bulk of it awaiting perfect conditions.

Action Progress Reframe your thoughts Time

Start Small But Dream Big

Posted on April 5, 2021

The trouble at the beginning is that there may not be much there. Sometimes there is a seed or an idea. Start small but dream big.

The critical part is to start. You can make whatever fanciful dream you want, but if you don’t begin, you won’t get there. And you can’t usually do step 2 until after you’ve done step 1.

Sometimes we can use a shortcut to get somewhere. However, even shortcuts have a beginning point. Don’t try to maximise, effiency-drive everything. Every podcast started with one listener as did every Clubhouse room. There is nothing wrong with that.

Now staying that size is a problem. You should grow a little. If not, check out why. Ask around. Get some answers. And then do something about it.

It is not everyone’s destiny to become some huge big deal. But it isn’t appropriate to stay so small as to be insignificant. You should be able to build an audience. If not, you have got to ask yourself why.

Just because you start at the bottom, doesn’t mean you have to stay there. Add more value, develop a skill, practice, learn, develop.

You have it in you to do something exciting! So get on that. Take an interest in your craft.

Start small but dream big.

Action Gratitude Health & Fitness Reframe your thoughts Time

Helping Others

Posted on April 4, 2021

Do they really need your help? Or do you really need them to need you? Are they capable of doing it themselves? Helping others can be a wonderful thing. It can also be done for a variety of reasons.

Altruism is rarely altruistic. Often the person performing the act of kindness or assistance will get a jolt of feel good for helping out. Some enjoy that feeling that comes from helping so much that they continue to help people even if they no longer need it.

One might even make up some symptoms or stories of helplessness to prove their assistance is required. This is where things need a reassessment. We should be aiming to help people to become self sufficient. Teach them to fish, not give them a fish.

No one should be trying to create a situation of learned helplessness. Nor should people be allowing or encouraging this to happen. People like to feel a sense of independence. I believe this is for both the young, the old and everyone in between.

When helping someone or a group of people, have an exit strategy. Know what the end of your useful time looks like and stick to it. Help the other person but ween them off of you.

That is one of the keys to helping others.

Action Gratitude Time

Let Things Slide

Posted on April 3, 2021

Sometimes there is just too much on. Though there are also times when life has a dramatic twist. In such instances, it may be best to let things slide.

I wouldn’t encourage you to do it too often. Certainly do not make a habit out of it. However, there are times in your life when almost anyone would agree that taking your foot off of the gas a wee bit is a good idea.

When life throws you a curveball in the form of an illness, accident or challenge, you may have to put some things on hold. Similarly, if you should be celebrating a unique milestone, then don’t hold back. This is especially true if it comes as a bit of a surprise, like being on the Queen’s Birthday Honours or something goes into remission.

If this happens, it is a good idea to let the people know who may be the most impacted. Nothing fancy, just a quick, I won’t be in, meeting the deadline, or able to catch up. This should be fine for just about anyone. And as soon as the slide is over, you can get back in touch with those people and others. Let them know you are back on the case and looking forward to the next step.

Very occasionally, you can let things slide.

Action Financial Gratitude Health & Fitness Think About It Time

Those Defining Moments

Posted on April 2, 2021

That early win or terrible slip-up can have a long lasting effect on our self-perception and confidence. Those defining moments can haunt us or provide much needed energy for our sails. Which defining moments can you recall?

It’s great to look back on these and unpick them a little. Was it a sporting achievement or scholastic? Were you 8, 13, 18, 27, 33, 48, 57 years old or a different age?

I was fortunate to have great friends, be athletic and be very good with academics. So I can recall mostly good memories at an early age and also as I went through secondary school.

Can you recall the first time you went on a big road trip? Do you remember being on a boat, train or airplane? Who inspired you the most when you were under 10 and who was it when you were a teen?

Most importantly now, is not what has happened, but what will happen. What defining moments would you absolutely love to have in your life? Will it involve an athletic achievement? Perhaps you have an academic goal in your sights? Relationship and financial success are both wonderful things to work towards. Don’t think any of these things just happen. You have to get yourself in the right place both physically and mentally.

Then those defining moments can happen!

Financial Observe Think About It Time

Feeling like Spring 2000

Posted on March 31, 2021

Anyone else got that deja-vu thing going on? Stock markets near all time highs and some stretched valuations. It’s feeling like spring 2000.

The Deliveroo IPO was not in line with City expectations. This immediately made me think of a similarly hyped IPO from March 2000. It was the IPO of Lastminute.com, the dot.com seller of discounted travel. Although it’s initial day was much better, it turned south very soon after. Things continued to unwind through April and into May. Actually it continued for a full year. From the 14th March 2000 IPO through to 14 March 2001.

The NASDAQ peaked in March 2000, coincidentally. It then went on to fall 78% over the ensuing 31 months. The descent ended in October 2002.

This all came on the back of a very unique year, which was the last year of the Millennium/Century/Decade. We’ve also had a very unique year in 2020. That seems more circumstantial, or not relevant at all. But I thought I would throw it in there.

Anyway, after the bull market in the 90’s, there was a shake out. Maybe we are seeing the start of a shake out now again. We have had about a decade of bull market activity, so theoretically markets are due a correction.

It may be just me, but it’s feeling like spring 2000.

Financial Gratitude Think About It Time

If I Had His Money

Posted on March 30, 2021

I would do things differently. Have you ever heard someone say this? Maybe you’ve even said it. If I had his money I would do x,y,z.

Now it could be his or hers, but the idea behind the phrase strikes me as the speaker thinks they would do better with it. In my experience, hearing people say this, it tends to involve the speaker spending more cash on luxury items. Holidays, clothes, better meals out and cars seem to high on the list of improvements.

The irony seems to be, once again, that those who develop good cash management habits have more cash to manage. And those that don’t put effort into good cash management habits, don’t tend to have much money to manage. Though they are not short of observational skills and have a fine knowledge of how to improve the millionaire’s suboptimal lifestyle.

With just a few flourishes of a debit or credit card, the speaker can resolve your unfortunate circumstances.

This may be one of the reasons why the speaker might not have enough money of their own to mess about with. With their unique money mindset and a propensity to spend rather than save, we can better understand why the speaker is in this predicament.

The good news is that great money management habits can be learned. Then you can turn, if I had his money, on its head.

Action Observe Progress Time

Getting Distracted

Posted on March 29, 2021

What do you do when you can’t seem to focus? What is your remedy from wandering, scrolling, staring or getting distracted in some way?

This evening has seemed to be one of those times. Despite getting some things done, I did not get as many done as I could have. There were a few things on my mind, for starters. Then I got caught in an interesting scroll on Instagram for 10 minutes.

Writing out my to do list for tomorrow kept taking longer as I remembered many things that have slipped by me over the last week. While it is productive to do the list, sometimes the time taken to do it feels like wasted effort. It feels like I could have done one of the things rather than write a bunch down.

Then there was the wandering around the house to find the children and remind them it is bedtime. The third time round the house was starting to seem more like an exercise session with a stair-master. And since each round involved passing through the kitchen, there was the compulsory look in the fridge and cupboard for more food I wasn’t even hungry for.

Don’t get me started on replying to international and local text messages. I know better. Though I am also trying to reply more quickly rather than forget and take 2-3 days. Oh, the precarious balance.

Uh-oh, I’m getting distracted.