This is very true. If you have poor thinking, you’ll have poor experiences in life. You may worry, be negative, get angered easily or have unrealistic expectations.
If you can train your mind to think better, be more positive and balance your emotions, you are very likely to feel better more often.
Give it a try for a week or two.
Whether it’s welfare, tractors in Africa, lower lending standards, or government covid policies, when people with good intentions get involved, the long run outcome can be worse.
Of course the immediate benefit is observable and often desirable. Unfortunately, the second and third order implications can be less beneficial, or even damaging or disastrous. (Though rarely for the people that initiated the policy).
Many of the world’s modern issues are derived from well intentioned people getting in the way and trying to control outcomes. Most often, people would be better served if there was less human intervention and they let the natural course of events take place. There is balance in the universe. Sometimes we should respect that and be patient.
Your phone is an incredible piece of technology. Wow! Yet, I would guess that most of us haven’t learned as much as we could, or should, about all the amazing things it can do.
Take 3 minutes today and read through the tech specs of your phone. Next week (or tomorrow if you’re keen), set up, or use, a function you thought was interesting. Do this every day or once a week.
By the end of 2023, you will be more productive and amazed at all the things these little devices can truly do.
For example, how much do you use your assistant, like Siri, on the iPhone? Get Siri to call people, look up stuff – without having to type it out, or dictate a note, message or email as you walk or drive. Fabulous!
Pump up your self talk. Be more confident. You’re better than you think you are!
I find myself thinking this way quite often. I tend to think of what could be better or how I could make something better. Has this always been my way? I am not sure. But I think it has, at least for somethings.
At school I wanted to get better grades, so I worked at that. In sports I strived to be better than I was, either in skill, stamina or execution. So I trained more, paid closer attention and made refinements.
It has probably become part of my regular thought process. It is exciting to make improvements, either your own, or in ways to help others. In our property business, we look out for houses that could be improved and provide a better home for people.
We also need to remember to celebrate these successes and improvements. Be grateful for them. Be careful you don’t become someone who is never satisfied. But also, don’t stop improving, especially if you are capable of more. Go forward in search of better.
Sometimes our day doesn’t go how we want it to. It could be something we did or didn’t do. Or, it could be something that others have done or not done. It can even just be down to nature or circumstance. There are countless reasons why your day may not have gone as well as you would have liked.
Regardless of why it didn’t go well, things will get better tomorrow. The immediate impact can feel uncomfortable or even devastating. But hang in there. Time is an incredible thing that allows us to heal. Training the mind to have hope and look forward to brighter days is also very powerful.
Don’t dismay. You are stronger than you think you are. Recognise the hurt or the pain. But also know that pushing through will be the best thing you could ever do. You will be stronger and more experienced. You will rebuild and things will go amazingly well. Have faith. Have hope. Rest for a moment, or a day, and then get back on your path to a better life.
I’m cheering for you!
You know attributes that you like in others. When you notice something you’re not fond of in others, check if you ever do it too. If so, remember to shift a little. It’s rarely easy, but you have the choice to become your ideal person. Good luck!
We all are. We are going collectively and individually. Sometimes we know the people on our path and sometimes not. We’re heading somewhere and it is a good idea to figure out where that is.
It can be a bit unnerving to look into the future, especially if you tend to the pessimistic, dramatic or fearful side of things. If you are more of an optimist, it won‘t feel so challenging. You’ll assume that most of the data is going in the right direction. Also, given we are moving away from a difficult past and moving toward a more ideal future, things will inevitably get better over time.
We’re heading toward a better future for those that want to be there. However, if you are prone to the negative, complain-laden or critical, you won’t see how good you have it. Nor will you notice how incredible things are becoming.
Look at basic education becoming available to more and more people everyday. Access to the internet continues to grow at an incredible speed. This is important because that is where all the world’s knowledge and connections are found. Podcasts are booming. Personal development is booming. Thoughtful discussion and rapid problem solving is also developing quickly.
The World is improving and progressing quicker than at any other time in history.
We’re heading somewhere.
Life seems to be going faster. Expectations and everyday things seem to change more quickly than before. Going faster can be great though it is good to slow it down occasionally too.
With most things, there is a finite limit for speed. Even light seems to reach a maximum speed. Other things like cars, rockets and airplanes have been pushing their limits further for decades. Though there is a point where it is not safe or technically possible to go faster.
Perhaps people reach that point too. Getting all those things done in one day might not be possible. Nor should we try to do it. Speeding around in a car isn’t good. Rushing through work may reduce the quality we bring to the table. Rushed conversations are rarely productive, especially if they have some differing views or involve a delicate subject.
When do we assess we are going fast enough? Is it when we have an incident or accident or health scare? Clearly going slow has its own challenges, which we won’t get into here. However, as individuals, we do need to double check that all that ’faster’ actually translates into better somehow. If it doesn’t, we should consider adjusting some things in our life.
Going faster is fun and desirable, but is it the best option?
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.
