Scott's Thinking - Page 143 of 173

You Find What You Are Looking For

Posted on November 7, 2020

You can find good in a person. And you can find bad. Just like a coin, there are two sides. However, you find what you are looking for so step back and assess your search criteria.

If you only want to focus on one side of a coin, that is all you will ever see. You will not understand what the observers of the other side of the coin are referring to, if you never go and have a good look.

Now you may prefer the head of the coin for a number of reasons. Or you may prefer the tail. But just because you focus on one side only, doesn’t mean the other side doesn’t exist. And people may find value and joy in looking at the side which isn’t your preference. That doesn’t make looking at, or liking, the other side wrong. It just makes it different from your perspective.

It is simply diversity of thought. However, sometimes people want diversity as long as it is the same as their ideas. Being a true advocate of diversity often entails understanding ideas that you may not like or agree with. It depends if you are looking to understand someone’s preferences or looking for reasons why their point of view is inferior. Different doesn’t have to mean worse.

You find what you are looking for.

Action Health & Fitness Reframe your thoughts Weight loss

Why It Is So Hard To Change

Posted on November 6, 2020

Common phrases like, “I keep trying”, “I can’t lose weight”, and “I’m not good enough”, hold people back. In part, this is why it is so hard to change.

When you want to change something in your life, you need to move from uncomfortable to unstoppable as quickly as you can. Part of the problem is wanting to have different results without doing things differently. Improvement usually requires a change in thoughts and actions. And these tend to make us uncomfortable, so we stop.

Think of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. It doesn’t stick a couple of wings on and fly off. It fully commits to its transformation. The caterpillar has to leave its old life behind to emerge into its new life. It is still the same ‘me’ once it is a butterfly. Though it is a different ‘me’ from before.

The butterfly has shifted from a creepy crawler to a beautiful, slim, flying machine. That is the power of the growth mindset – the will to grow into something magical and willing to leave their old life behind, never to return to it. I know it is uncomfortable at first when going through any change. However, as you shift your mindset and your body, the sooner you will be transformed.

Allow yourself to leave the the old you behind. Commit to the new you and fully embrace it.

Eliminate the number one reason why it is so hard to change.

Gratitude Observe Progress Think About It

The Big Stuff Is Behind Us

Posted on November 5, 2020

It’s easy to find something to complain about. There are even times that certain people will go as far as outrage. The big stuff is behind us though. Not that the world can’t be an even better place with a little more tinkering. However, we need some balance to ensure the tinkering doesn’t go too far.

What I mean is this. There is a lot more acceptance between people on the big things. In most of the 37 OECD countries there are few, if any, major rights not available to all people. All races and genders are able to freely vote. People have the right to liberty and freedom of expression and religion.

There is an abundance of opportunity for all people. The majority of people in these countries seem to be fine with where things are at. Yes, there will always be small groups or individuals that feel that the laws and norms don’t quite work for them. The good news is that those people can work towards having things improved for them.

Now, we can still tip into an abyss. However, it is ever less likely to happen. As people continue to get comfortable with improving standards of living, fewer will want to wage wars, riot or remove socially agreed basic human rights.

The big stuff is behind us.

Action Gratitude Health & Fitness Think About It

Find Something To Smile About

Posted on November 4, 2020

Depressing thoughts or simply regular, everyday things can send you in the wrong direction. But you can find something to smile about and change the direction of your day!

Think about something that can make you smile. Isolate just that moment in your mind. Transport yourself there and block out all other thoughts. Savour the moment and smile.

For example, I can think of receiving a massive hug from daughter. Other times, I will go back in time to 1979 when the Pittsburgh Pirates won the World Series. As a fan of baseball, Willie Stargell, underdogs and ‘never give up, come from behind’ wins, that memory always gets a smile.

So find a few of these moments in your memory. You may have to do some searching through the past if you don’t have one easily accessible. You can also create a visualisation of a happy time you expect to have in the future. Though be careful not to create an unnecessary expectation versus reality gap that you’ll have to address later if it doesn’t happen.

Once you have those happy memories you can remember, practice accessing them every hour. This will help you develop a happiness habit that could have you smiling numerous times every day. It’s a nice circuit breaker during days that may not have the opportunity to create new smile-worthy memories.

Find something to smile about.

Observe Think About It

What An Election!

Posted on November 3, 2020

Very tense moments. Emotional roller coaster. So many plot twists and great uncertainty. Who will play the leads in the movie? What an election!

I wrote this early on, before the in person, on-the-day voting started. So I have no idea while writing this, how things turn out. I just foresee it being an exciting night of tension, emotion and high drama. Entertaining!

Did it landslide to the left? Or did it landslide to the right? Are they down to one last voting district that will decide the whole thing? Maybe they are recounting. Oddly, despite lots of pre-election time to vote in person or by mail, some states have allowed people to go past the voting deadline of 3rd November. That seems to be asking for a bit of unnecessary confusion and court involvement.

Neither candidate will want to concede right away if it is super close in some key states. You wouldn’t either after all your effort, money and campaigning.

So unless it is a landslide in the electoral college with no close calls that would change anything, we could have a few weeks of legal battles to get through.

I believe both men will accept the result if it looks fair and convincing or if the Supreme Court needs to rule on it.

Hopefully that won’t be necessary.

What an election!

Gratitude Health & Fitness Observe Reframe your thoughts

Learning To Chill

Posted on November 2, 2020

People can get very wound up and full of angst. It’s not good for them. There are so many reasons for it too. Learning to chill should be a full term course when you are 12 years old with some sort of reminder course at 16, 20 and every five years thereafter.

I can understand the angst and tension for liberal-leaning citizens. For example, in the UK, the Conservatives swept to power, Brexit will be done in two months, Trump won in 2016 and may win a second term and climate change issues are not getting much better. I’m not sure if there is much bothering the right-leaning citizens.

I suppose they both share a dislike of Covid as well.

One of my favourite techniques for relaxing is to sit quietly for a few minutes and remind myself how tough other generations have had it. Remember those that lived through WWI, the 1918 Pandemic, the Great Depression, WWII and the Cold War. They endured decades of uncertainty without the modern conveniences we have today. If they could do that, then we can get through whatever lies ahead for us.

Another way to relax is to turn off the news. Since when do you need to know about a German river bursting its banks? Or an Australian farmer’s cattle challenges? Tragic? Perhaps. Required knowledge? Doubtful.

Learning to chill is an art. Get artistic.

Observe Think About It

Trump Versus Biden

Posted on November 1, 2020

Around the world, many people seem to be interested in the outcome of the upcoming presidential election in the USA. Trump versus Biden. Or as the ticket shows in the voting booths, Trump/Pence and Biden/Harris. So what is the difference and who is going to win?

If this was a boxing match, you might highlight their key attributes, such as:

They seem to both want a free, fair country with a strong economy. In addition, both candidates seem to have good support from many in their respective political parties.

As for time in political office, Trump has had almost 4 years as President. Biden has spent 37 years in the Senate for Delaware and 8 years as Vice President. While Mr. Biden was in politics, the President was a billionaire property developer, investor and television personality.

Donald Trump is 74 years old and Joe Biden will be 78 in three weeks. President Trump graduated from Wharton with a BS in Economics while Joe Biden received a BA from the University of Delaware and a JD from Syracuse University.

If you search for positive hashtags for the candidates on Instagram you will find 28.4 million for #trump and 2.3 million for #biden.

So the crunch is here. Who will people vote for? As in, ”I want him to lead my country”, rather than, ”I don’t want the other guy to lead the country.”

The Trump versus Biden outcome is imminent.

Progress Reframe your thoughts Weight

The Story Of My Life

Posted on October 31, 2020

What do you say about yourself? How do you describe your life in your bio? Make sure the ideas support the best you. The story of my life has got to be put in the best light. Not just for others, but for me! I need to see how well I have done from where I began.

Once you have understood what your story is, you may want to go about improving on it. I don’t mean with just some creative licence though. I mean get a plan together and work towards exciting goals. Write a biography for your life now. Keep it to four sentences or shorter.

Now write a biography of your life in five years from now. What other skills will you have? What exciting achievements will you have accomplished? Now, in order to go from here to there, you will need to make some changes.

You will need to give up the story of your life (the one you have) to create the story of your life (the one you want).

Like old clothes, you need to get rid of them occasionally. Move on from the story of your life. Freshen it up and get ready for new adventures. Focus on the new story you are creating. Visualise. Build it and it will come.

Keep making improvements. That is the story of my life.

Action Observe Think About It

Look In The Comments

Posted on October 30, 2020

Wow! There are a lot of different perspectives in the world. It can be frightening and fascinating. Look in the comments section on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, etc.

One of the things I am doing these days is reading a lot of comments. Many of them are similar in general thrust though sometimes with different reasons. I do love seeing things with a fresh perspective, whether I agree with it or not. It makes me think more and consider how different everyone’s life experience is.

I often find myself commenting these days too. Sometimes I just go for the like button. Other times I cheer or congratulate. Occasionally I ask for clarification or provide some for people who might not be using the same stats.

You get a very broad view of what people are thinking and what their concerns or prioritise are. I think it can be more informative than a media piece where they interview 3 people. In that 5 minutes I can see what 30 or more actual people think.

For me to like a comment it must be positive and all good points. My comments must be positive, encouraging or best facts I can find. My experience has been that many people, when presented with the best facts I have, are pretty receptive and appreciative.

If you want to learn about the world, look in the comments.

Action Reframe your thoughts Think About It

We’re Going To Win This One!

Posted on October 29, 2020

Sometimes we start on the sidelines and sometimes we dive right in. But once the battle begins you have to think, “We’re going to win this one!”.

This is true in so many circumstances in our life. It could be as big as winning a war or getting your money back from a trip that was cancelled. Sometimes it starts off with a sport and a team we develop an interest in. Soon that can become an obsession.

You start to get emotionally involved. You start to know the details about what is going on. If a situation becomes even remotely questionable, you can fly off the handle. Sports is probably the best example of this playing out. However, it is quite similar for many other situations.

Wherever you are invested mentally over time, you will feel like you are part of the team. When there is something to win or lose, it will become more important to you. This seems to be true whether it is for contesting a £40 parking ticket or trying to win Gold at the Olympics.

It helps if you go into battle with a positive mindset. Go in confident. Set your mind to it. Charge forward and declare, “We’re going to win this one!”.