Scott's Thinking - Page 138 of 173

Pause And Reflect

Posted on December 27, 2020

This is a great time of year to consider what you have going on and what you have achieved. You should pause and reflect on whether you like the destination that your current path is taking you to.

With our eyes open, we can see where our actions are sending us. Are you positive or negative in your thoughts and communications? Do you search for the argument or the peace? Whose life will you be shadowing if you continue down this road?

Sometimes our goals change due to a different perspective. It is good to keep checking in with ourselves. If you no longer want to arrive in Paris, it would be good to get off the motorway sooner rather than later.

You may save yourself a lot of time if you take a few moments now to consider your direction and destination. It’s not only that this is a good time of year due to the holidays and being the year end. In addition, you probably have a little more time between Christmas and New Year as things generally slow down.

Take some time and get a feel for where you are. You can also write out your major and minor achievements for the year. Where are these taking you? Did you hit the relevant goals you set out for 2020?

Pause and reflect on your past and future.

Action Financial Progress Time

Start Making Plans

Posted on December 26, 2020

Get a jump on the new year. There is no time like the present. You have had a couple of days of celebrations and relaxation. Now start making plans.

There may only be one good time to start anything. That time is now. Don’t lose another day, hour or minute. You probably still can’t believe how quickly the last 12 months sailed by. In the moment, it might have seemed to be dragging on due to the challenges of 2020.

However, the clock keeps ticking. Whether you are happy with it or not. Whether you are lying in bed, lazing around, working away or spending time with friends and loved ones.

Time waits for no one. And if you keep doing the same thing as previous years, you will continue to get the same results. Little changes at the edges are a good start. Though you will need to make bigger changes to see really significant shifts in your reality.

Life is very exciting. Small steps completed daily will be compounded and will, in time, bring results you may not have imagined. Press on! Get going today. Write down 20 things you want to achieve this year. Select five from that list. Focus on these ones. Put a start date and completion date next to these five items. Then get going.

Start making plans.

Progress Think About It

So Now What?

Posted on December 25, 2020

When you get through a big event, or reach a big milestone or a significant goal, there is often a big sigh of relief. Then comes a feeling of, ‘So now what?’

We often need a moment or two to relax and recharge. Not just physically, but emotionally and mentally too. That can be part of the celebration of having completed. Some people will go all quiet and others will jump up and down and be very vocal.

Regardless of how you celebrate and recharge, there will be a requirement to fix your mind on a new goal or event. Without a new focus for your days, you may start to drift. As you drift, you can lose your way. Your good habits may dwindle and poor ones may develop in their place.

So switch your focus onto the next big event. Lock it in and start taking the next steps required. Start building momentum toward your next big adventure and victory.

The time between Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve is an excellent time to reflect on your next moves. There is a lull in the universe. It allows you to gather your thoughts and prepare for the challenges ahead.

So now what?

Financial Observe

Merry Christmas!

Posted on December 24, 2020

Good tidings to you, your family and community. Around the world, people may be celebrating a little differently this year. Merry Christmas!

I hope this note finds you healthy in body, mind and soul. Be thankful for what and who you have in your life. For many, Christmas Day will be a little quieter this year. Though there may still be immediate family together, which could cause some extra hubbub.

I hope you have a card to open, a gift to unwrap, or a call from a friend, or distant relative, to liven up your day. May you have inner calm and fond memories to keep your mind filled with joy. Enjoy this one day of the year for any and all that it brings you.

You may be in a warm country or cold, without snow or with it. You could be experiencing very few hours of sunlight or it could stretch for all your waking hours. Your experience may be in the mountains or by the sea.

Wherever you are, may your day unfold with peace and serenity. Keep your spirits high and know that this is your day. Enjoy every moment of it. There are people thinking of you right now.

Merry Christmas! ?

Gratitude Reframe your thoughts Time

Don’t Wish It Away

Posted on December 23, 2020

Sure things could be different. Maybe they could be better too. Though maybe this is better than the alternative. Don’t wish it away in any case.

Who knows what tomorrow brings. The grass is always greener. So don’t throw away today to gamble on tomorrow being better for you in the way that you want. It might happen. But what are the odds? How many of the last 7,000 or 14,000 days have turned out precisely as you had hoped and dreamed?

Together, all of those days make up the great tapestry of your life. Ups and downs, triumphs and tribulations, challenges and celebrations. Sing when you’re winning. But don’t pout when you‘re down and out.

”Don’t wish it away, Don’t look at it like it’s forever”
Elton John

One of my favourite songs is this Elton John classic. I’ve enjoyed it throughout my life. Those first two lines are so catchy and are appropriate at so many times. It can slap you awake and out of complacency. Those words remind me that life is short. You’ve got to, “live every second, without hesitation”.

You learn in the tough times. Don’t miss the lessons that are there for the taking.

Sometimes you have to live like there’s no tomorrow. Because one day there won’t be one.

Don’t wish it away.

Observe Reframe your thoughts

What Is The Truth?

Posted on December 22, 2020

I said that this thing happened. They stated that it did not. We both accurately described our experience. Was somebody lying? What is the truth?

The truth is reality based on your perspective. In addition, it is from your angle, as you recall it, through your own bias. It is closer to a belief than a fact. Facts can be verified and agreed by most regular people. Truth is an opinion. If enough people share a similar opinion, it becomes accepted as a fact. It is a socialised fact.

People use the word to make their opinion sound more factual. It sounds like more people have accepted it as accurate and therefore borders on factual.

In late October, some people said that there was no vaccine for covid. By mid-November, the reports were updated and there was a vaccine for covid. So the truth can change quickly.

In sports we want accuracy and fair play. People will swear it was in or out, a point or not. We don’t always like the version of reality we are told by the referee. So VAR, TMO and others, are called upon to give their perspective and their version of things.

What is the truth?

Observe Progress Time

Plans Change

Posted on December 21, 2020

Hello 2021!! I can see you over there in the corner. Don’t be shy. It’s time to start making a name for yourself. Plans change as life goes on so you need to quickly prepare for alternatives.

It’s almost inevitable that people start thinking about next year in December. We start to think about a fresh new year with a clean slate. It will be full of promise, excitement and opportunity. New goals and objectives with ambitions to achieve anything we can dream of.

2020 wasn’t quite the year many had expected. Some people did very well and some did not. Some people had to change their plans for schooling, work, travel arrangements, family visits and all manner of things.

Interruptions occur in life as do distractions. We need to practice being nimble and flexible. Rolling with the punches is a good skill to have. Developing different talents, income, career paths and relationships can be helpful.

Many things you thought you would do in 2020 might have been postponed until 2021. Hopefully that will now work out. However, if things don’t go as you expect, you will need to make other arrangements.

With just under two weeks to go until the new year, you best get your goals and targets locked in for 2021, 2026 and 2031.

However, prepare for alternative options, because, plans change.

Action Financial Reframe your thoughts Time

When The Kids Are Off School

Posted on December 20, 2020

What do they do? Where do they go? When will they get home? Will they spend more time in the park? How do things work when the kids are off school?

So most children are off school now in the lead up to Christmas. By most accounts they have at least 2.5 weeks from now before going back to school in January. What will they get up to?

Some might have a little Christmas shopping to do. Others may have some cards or gifts to make. Then they will have Christmas Eve merriment. Then obviously they will be fairly well occupied on Christmas Day.

A few of the older ones will be interested in the traditions of New Year’s Eve. Then four days later many will do final preparations to get ready for school, which for many will begin on the 5th of January 2021.

Ok, so what about all that time in between those few moments of being occupied? That is almost two weeks where all the schools are off and the students might be ‘at a loose end’.

Well, with lockdowns, social distancing, Tiers 1, 2, 3 and 4 and a variety of travel restrictions announced, there may be less going on than usual. So this year there may be more local walks to break up the hours of gaming, screen time, movies, board games and learning about finances and goal setting.

When the kids are off school, help them with some practical skills.

Observe Reframe your thoughts Think About It Time

Convergence Ahead

Posted on December 19, 2020

Life might eventually get a little sterile. Now it may take 50 or 100 years, or even longer. However, I can start to see greater convergence ahead.

With technology quickly changing the landscape many modern norms may well disappear. Getting a learners permit to drive a car may no longer be a right of passage for the teenager. Uber and then driverless cars will do away with that exciting option.

Many of the jobs for teens may also disappear. For example, no paper routes because soon all information will be communicated electronically. Not simply because it is is cheaper and more efficient. But the climate change and ecological benefits of not felling 100’s of millions of trees and blotting them with ink every year have got to be obvious.

We will have explored, modelled, tried and had feedback on just about everything over the next decades. There will be little left to explore on Earth. From the land to the oceans, Earth’s core and even history. It will have been explored and decided upon. That is what will be taught in schools, if those continue to exist.

Robots will be doing most things, including making the other robots. I’m not sure what the people will actually be doing. But in 50 years, there may be little left to do.

I can imagine the convergence ahead. Thank goodness for space exploration.

Gratitude Observe Progress Think About It

Who Guides You?

Posted on December 18, 2020

We have all followed someone else’s advice at one point in our lives. Sometimes it will have turned out well and other times not. Who guides you?

There are many traditional people that give advice that people have listened to over the years. Examples range from the head of your local or national government or religion. In addition, it might be the senior member of the armed forces or your royal family.

You might also have chosen to consider the words in the book of your religion, your local or national media outlet, or perhaps an influential magazine or book. There can be many people putting these printed items together. Though the key pieces will be influenced most by the author and senior editor.

Then, of course, there are friends and family, neighbours, teachers, professors, doctors, and other members of the community. Finally, there is also the voice inside your head. Sometimes this intuition or inner voice will be the most influential or powerful. Other times, we bury it, subordinate it or completely ignore it.

All of the above have their own angle, bias, desired outcome and experience in life, through which everything is filtered. Be conscious of that. In the end, it is your life. The voices you let steer your ship will have a significant impact on the joy, pain, challenges, success and gratitude in your life.

Who guides you?