Define Archives - Scott's Thinking

Define The Question

Posted on May 5, 2024

Do you want the world to be a better place or do you simply want it to be run the way you currently feel it should be? These can be wildly different.

Wanting the world to continue to get better is next level politics. Unfortunately, most people would rather trash every opposing or slightly different (could we say diverse) viewpoint, just so they could lead and be in charge.

Most people (maybe 80%) would probably agree with great policies, if they didn’t know which side had suggested them. Unfortunately, our tribal instincts and cultures have us preferring the tribe over the policy.

This happens in global and country politics but also in garden variety conversations with neighbours, family and friends.

Find common ground and notice the nuance. Give and take a little. The world could be a much better place if we noticed that the vast majority of people, deep down, want very similar things.

Action Observe Think About It

Define Words First

Posted on June 26, 2022

If you’re planning something or having a chat, debate or discussion, it’s useful to define the key words first.

Pants in the UK are underwear in Canada. This is a minor but funny one.

When someone says they’ll call you first thing tomorrow, if it’s important, it’s a good idea to confirm an actual time.

One word getting a lot of air time at the moment is the word ban.

In a car context, if I drove on a road with a speed limit, you would not say cars were banned on this road. Yes, there is some regulation of the cars, but most people would not say cars are banned on that road.

If there were construction crews on the road ahead, and traffic was being regulated differently than some other nearby roads, most people would not say cars were banned on this road. They would recognise the different driving conditions, but they would not usually claim that they’ve been banned from that road.

Bear this in mind while consuming news and social media over the days and weeks ahead. Understand what the differences are, especially the limits, as differing limits are not the same as a ban.

Action Gratitude Observe Reframe your thoughts

Defining Yourself

Posted on March 8, 2021

This can be a little tricky. Though it does not have to be. We all carry around a view of ourselves. It may be accurate or not. Defining yourself, however, is happening by you and everyone else.

You define yourself as you think you are or how you wish to be. To make significant and long term changes, one usually needs to redefine who they are. It is one thing to stop smoking. It is another thing to think of yourself as a non-smoker. Without redefining who you are, the likelihood of this change remaining diminishes greatly.

You can practice ‘I am’ statements which help you reconfirm your thoughts. Like learning our times tables, we are creating a more powerful neural pathway that serves us better.

You should certainly try to improve your self image and your self esteem. Consider the amazing, confident you and all of your incredible success to date. Be bold with your praise and be clear with your affirmations. You need to hear this more than anything else in the spoken language.

No matter what you do, defining yourself based on someone else’s standards, starting point or success is not clever or helpful. Just be the best version of yourself every single day.