Scott's Thinking - Page 108 of 179

The Storm Before The Calm

Posted on December 22, 2021

I always find December to be quite a challenge. There are the cooler days in the Northern Hemisphere, preparations for Christmas if you join in those festivities, parent teacher events, sporting finals, shorter days and end of year gatherings. Add the challenge of government rules around Covid to that and preparing and launching a book and there is even more to deal with.

Getting trees, shopping, wrapping, card writing and queuing to send cards or gifts all add on top of regular work and sleep. There is fun to be had but also a strain on your time. There are all the things I intend to do and each year I aim to start the process earlier. Thankfully my wife is very good at sorting these extra things out which always saves the day. Though we don’t get everything off of our wish list each year, we do get the essentials sorted.

And that is ok. We can’t do everything. We have to make priorities on our time and finances. Fortunately, there is a moment around 9am Christmas morning, I feel the calm settle in. What is done is done. Anything missed will be accepted or fixed later. And we can enjoy a few days of totally chilling. I love that.

The storm before the calm is necessary for me to appreciate the calm. And for those hours this weekend, I will be in complete bliss. Enjoy!

Action Think About It

So You Have Some Goals

Posted on December 21, 2021

Excellent! But have you written them down? Are they specific? What will be your biggest obstacle to overcome in achieving this new goal? How will you overcome it?

Planning ahead is critical if you’re serious and committed to achieving a successful outcome.

Observe Progress Think About It Time

The Home Stretch

Posted on December 20, 2021

Hopefully you’re feeling all sorted at this point. Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, we are finishing this calendar year in the next 10 days. We are into the home stretch.

It’s getting too late to make significant changes. If you’ve put something off, it will be hard to catch up or jam it all in to the next week and a half.

But you can build good habits starting now. Prepare yourself for the weeks and months ahead. Get your house in order. Commit and be disciplined.

Make use of the home stretch. What is unfinished this year can be built on for next year. Start preparing today.

Action Observe Progress Reframe your thoughts

Life Is Constantly Shifting

Posted on December 19, 2021

You walk down a different street and you get a different perspective of your town. The doctor calls with test results and the world looks different.

You achieve something, buy something or do something new. From that moment your life is altered. Your perception changes. You become a different person. Ever so slightly. Bit by bit. We shift. We evolve. You transform.

Imagine becoming the Earth’s best version of you today. Make the changes more quickly. What are you waiting for? All the knowledge is there. Use it.

Life is constantly shifting. You can notice it if you pay attention. Keep shifting until you’re unstoppable.

Action Progress Time

Final Push

Posted on December 18, 2021

Final week to get things ready for Christmas and the four day weekend. Get things tidied up Sunday latest Monday. Double check you’ve got it all done. Done the shopping, booking, preparing and maybe even the wrapping and any final cards.

Accept whatever isn’t done and enjoy all that has been.

Action Health & Fitness Observe Reframe your thoughts

Moderation Is Key

Posted on December 17, 2021

In all things, be mindful of moderation. Exercise, food, entertainment time, alcohol, caffeine, spending and work are all optimally experienced in moderation.

Sometimes we go overboard. It happens. But we can learn to moderate ourselves. At Christmas, enjoy a few snacks, one plate of food and two or three drinks over the day. More than this might have you feeling bloated, anxious or unwell. In addition, you not be pleased with your progress on longer term goals if you’re setting yourself back a little.

By all means, have fun and enjoy. Just see if your enjoyment can be maximised within a comfortable boundary.

The next two weeks will be challenging on so many fronts. Moderation is key to making the best of the holiday season.

Observe Think About It Time

The Flu

Posted on December 16, 2021

I now appreciate The Flu far more than I used to. It was simple. People who were concerned about its effects would get a vaccine. Everyone else went about their business.

Each flu season there was a different variant that the scientists tried to predict and then create a vaccine to best combat it.

We didn’t name the different variants. It was generic. We called the winter months cold & flu season. People felt unwell, to varying degrees, for a few days or a couple of weeks, generally, and that was it.

No daily count of those vaccinated, infected, hospitalised or dead. Rare, if any, government briefings. Few people feared the flu. We certainly didn’t test daily to see if we might have it.

Going to restaurants and pubs and concerts was a thing. There was international travel! And you weren’t fired because you didn’t get the jab. Actually, most people didn’t get the vaccine. And no one else noticed or asked. You certainly weren’t ostracised or fired.

Sometimes we don’t know how lucky we are until the time has passed. The flu was an occasional inconvenience for most people pre-2020.

Now we might need boosters every 6 months for the rest of our lives. Masks will be worn indoors on and off forever too. Get used to school closures and online learning every 3-6 months. And lockdowns will be brought out for a month or two every year or the self-imposed ones might suffice.

The hospitality industry will never be the same. Nor will the joy of travel.

At what point will certain people, politicians and media be ready to start calling this The Flu and get back to some normalcy. Or are the last 21 months a glimpse of how the next 50+ years will be?

Action Gratitude Reframe your thoughts Time

Celebrate Your Wins!!!

Posted on December 15, 2021

An essential part of life is enjoying it. And you can create a lot of momentum if you celebrate little and large wins. So make sure you book in little celebrations after every milestone.

Celebrations can be in the form of high fives, fist pumps, a little dance, or a favourite food or drink. For slightly larger wins, book a walk, lunch or dinner. Big wins might attract bigger events like a cruise, vacation, weekend away or special purchase. It might even be as simple as spending special time with someone you have had to miss seeing while you have been achieving your goals.

This is easy to overlook or see as being just silly or frivolous. But it will make your life more joy-filled. Don’t always wait for just the big win at the end of the year or decade. Some people wait their whole life before they can smile and truly enjoy where they are and the success they’ve been creating. My suggestion though is to not wait.

Celebrate, proportionally, as much as you can! It feels good and is quite motivational. It also reinvigorates you.

Celebrate is step seven in my forthcoming book – Achieve Anything – The 7 Simple Steps to Shift from Uncomfortable to Unstoppable. Be sure you include frequent, but proportional, celebrations for every perceived win. Mix it up. Do some free and paid-for ones. You will be so grateful you did this step a lot. It really makes your life more enjoyable. Build your confidence and happy factor. Celebrate your wins!!!

Action Goals, Results & New Thinking Gratitude Observe Progress

Review Your Progress

Posted on December 14, 2021

‘Are we there yet?’ Clearly wanting to know how far from the finish we are is a natural desire. ?

If you’ve ever had a long journey with kids in the car, you’ll know the phrase I am referring to. But adults want to know to. They check maps, or their satnav, to see if they are ‘making good time’ and where the next rest station is.

Employers want to see ‘progress reports.’ Athletes need to track their gains and PBs. We all want to be a little better or further along with something at sometime in our lives.

It’s easier to review your progress if you have a plan to track against. Then you can course-correct if need be because you’ll know when you are a little off course. Tracking your progress allows you to see your plan unfold. And, spoiler alert, you’ll also know when to celebrate as you reach milestones.

This may be the most skipped step in the 7 step process. People are averse to tracking and reviewing. There are a variety of reasons for this. But the impact is that they usually make less progress. Often this occurs because they don’t know the progress exists so they give up too early and throw out the plan. If only they doubled down their discipline and tracked their progress and reviewed their plan daily. There would be a lot more achievements in this world!!

Review is step six in my forthcoming book – Achieve Anything – The 7 Simple Steps to Shift from Uncomfortable to Unstoppable. Be sure you include a daily review element to your plan to greatly increase your chance of success. Review your progress!

PS. On Tuesday, I received the Advance Copy of the paperback!!! Looking great! Amazing to have it in my hands. A couple of tiny tweaks is all it needs. Hopefully the hardback will look equally fantastic when I receive it later this week!

Action Progress Reframe your thoughts Time

Take Action!

Posted on December 13, 2021

You can live in your head. But not for long. Physical requirements like food and water require some sort of action. Most other achievements need action as well. You can’t simply think, hope, wonder or wish yourself into a better life.

Having a positive mindset and doing visualisation both have their place in your success toolkit. However, taking positive action steps does become critical to achieve most outcomes.

Working from your written plan, you can create some actionable next steps to further move toward your goal. It may mean searching for something on the internet, making a phone call, meeting someone or sending an email. Whatever is the next step, get going. Your actions peak louder than words. And they are the backbone to your future lifestyle.

Act is step five in my forthcoming book – Achieve Anything – The 7 Simple Steps to Shift from Uncomfortable to Unstoppable. Taking action can be uncomfortable. Sometimes we are shy, concerned about rejection or just aren’t clear what we are supposed to do next. This is all natural. Rehearsing the step can help. Though sometimes it‘s better to dive in and see where things go. With a well thought out plan, acting on it is like pressing the accelerator. You’re going to Go, Go, Go, there’s no stopping you.

PS. On Monday, I had news from the publishing house that the paperback copies have been printed and are in ‘shipping’ status. Exciting!