Take an evening and go to bed by 9pm. Stop getting more things done. Turn off the entertainment (tv, phone, etc). Just go get yourself to bed and have a great nights sleep. You’ll feel great in the morning: Refreshed and pleased with your self discipline.
This one thing will win you more friends, interviews, promotions, sales and romantic relationships than just about anything else you could think of.
Smiling is fun, contagious, exciting, uplifting and joyful. Is hard not to smile if someone smiles at you. So if you train yourself to be the first to smile, you’ll get people smiling back.
Since our body state helps inform our mental state, if your body is holding a smile, you are more likely to be happy inside too.
So remember to smile, all the time, every day. Not just in photos.
Look what you have achieved so far in life! You’ve mastered walking, socialising, some sports, learning, reading, eating, toilet time, tests, exams, paying bills, earning an income, holding a job, dealing with stress and travelling somewhere new.
Of course, you’ve managed to do all sorts of other things too! And just because others have done it, doesn’t reduce the validity that you did it too.
You are an amazing group of cells doing quite exceptional, though sometimes mundane, things. Things a giraffe ? couldn’t even imagine doing. So well done!
Now everything else is quite simple. So go make it happen. I believe in you and you should too!
Events define people. Actions speak louder than words. And, what people broadly say about you when you are not in the room is your defining brand (for that group of people).
Have you given it any thought? What would you love your legacy to be? Will it be raising a wonderful family? Reaching certain heights in your job, career or business? Will it involve charity work or a specific level of philanthropy?
It is never too late to consider this concept, nor too late to take some actions to bring you closer to the legacy you would like to have or leave. Time will continue to march on though. So you best get on with your thoughts, plans and actions so that you can complete your legacy in your lifetime.
Sometimes we hold on to our thinking from 20 years ago and believe it serves us well – like a worn out old shirt. Or we don’t even notice that we haven’t adjusted anything in 5, 10 or 20 years.
Should a 35 year old think about life the same way their 15 year old self did? Maybe. But why not put those thoughts and ideas through a little rigorous testing and see if they can withstand the scrutiny. Come at it from different angles.
Are you clear in your thinking? Have your values shifted at all? What is your highest and most important value? When you were five it might have been that your teddy bear was the most important thing in the world. Now it may be your spouse, child, parent or dear friend.
You may have thought the idea of free everything was brilliant. However now you understand the multiple levels involved in the phrase, “There is no free lunch.”
Remember that shifting your views can be uncomfortable. Growth and change can create discomfort. But stick with it. You don’t have to change your thinking, but do be honest with yourself about your thoughts and values. It may surprise you that your thinking has evolved. Or maybe more so that it hasn’t.
Is it washing the dishes or just making it through the day? Do you want to have a job or maybe a longer term career? Would you like to solve climate, world hunger, global peace, space exploration or poverty?
Note how many hours per day you are actively progressing on your big problem. Are the daily “to do’s” getting in the way? How long have you kept telling yourself you’re doing something when you’re only thinking of doing it?
Stop telling people what should change and start making those changes happen. Don’t give yourself an easy ride filled with reasons and excuses and, “you don’t know how hard it is” comments.
Get uncomfortable. Mix things up. Make 10 phone calls. Make this happen.
Stop living small when you’re dreaming big. Take baby steps and then break into a run as soon as you can. Become Unstoppable. You too can change the world. Make it a problem worth committing to. Now go do it.
Make America Great Again and Build Back Better are the recent slogans of the US Republican (conservative party) and Democrat (liberal party) political sides.
You may have been a little uncomfortable or bothered by one or both of those slogans as you read them here. Attached to them are all your feelings about the leaders, their parties, policies, media opinion and your personal beliefs, values and affiliations. So they can pack a punch!
Though, it’s not the slogans per se though that have the impact. It is your perception of the slogan, what the words mean to you, and the order the words are in. Additionally, how you feel about everything related to the words, their different meanings, your feelings and who stands behind the slogans is really what’s at play here.
If you had seen them written on a wall 10 years ago without knowing who wrote them or why, they very likely would have made a different impact on you.
Remarkably similar, they both seem quite positive. Also, they both have an action word at the start. And this is what attracts many people to both slogans.
If you felt jobs had gone overseas, the superpower status was diminishing or people weren’t as kind as before, you might want to return America to a kinder, gentler, more powerful and prosperous time.
If you thought the past wasn’t great, was rife with issues and problems, such as poverty, race relations and involvement in wars, then you might feel it needs to be better and not great again.
What could every American unite behind? Perhaps forget about the past and focus only on a glorious proud future.
What about “Building A Great America”? Or perhaps, “Make America Great!”? Or, the snappy, “Building The Best America”? Which do you prefer? Do you have one that could be even better?
If you could have an entirely free week, with no commitments, responsibilities or costs and no prep before, or catch up after, what would you do with it?
How would you spend those seven days? Would you go somewhere you’ve never been or somewhere familiar? Are you thinking you would spend it alone or with someone special or a group of people?
Find people who think the way you want to think. Look to join others who know or have what you would like to know or acquire.
It may feel uncomfortable at first. But learn their lingo, culture, norms and preferences. Spend time with them. Get comfortable in their presence. Find your tribe and immerse yourself in it.
Sometimes it’s better to just leave the room. If someone is doing or saying something that deprives you of joy, creates unnecessary stress or bothers you in some way, there are times it is better to keep quiet and head for the exit.
Ideally people would learn from the mistakes and experience of others. However, there are times when people think they know better and can’t be told otherwise.
And sometimes the conversation just isn’t your cup of tea. They don’t all have to be pleasing to you. Not all teas appeal in the same way. Some people don’t even enjoy tea.
So next time you feel the emotion rising up, and the discomfort becoming too much, just exit stage left. That’s all folks.
