Standards Archives - Scott's Thinking

Raise Your Standards

Posted on February 15, 2025

Go test drive a car that is nicer than yours. Have a coffee in an opulent hotel restaurant. Find a great deal on the least expensive night of the year and stay in a nicer hotel than you usually would. Rent a slightly nicer rental car than normal.

Go shopping in more expensive stores during their sales. Pick one item you love, that is at an affordable price for you, and buy it.

As you slowly upgrade your experiences and surroundings, it will change the way you think, feel and experience or see the world.

Even if you don’t choose to upgrade permanently, due to budget or other considerations, treat yourself to it once a month or 4 times a year at least.

You’ll appreciate the differences.

Action Reframe your thoughts

Stand Your Ground

Posted on November 18, 2020

Life can be difficult. Challenges can be overwhelming. Self-doubt can creep in and undermine your convictions. You must stand your ground for your beliefs. Don’t fall victim to the peer pressure or perceived expectations.

“This is for the ones who stood their ground”
Bon Jovi

I have a few favourite songs that are great power anthems for the mind in times of adversity or uncertainty. One of them is Bon Jovi‘s It’s my life. It’s a fabulous song to get enthusiasm flowing and determination locked in.

Sometimes you need that extra oomph to propel you over the line. It will remind you that you’ve got to fight on for what you want and believe in. You can feel the power of the crowd behind you, even if the world seems to be against you.

The song conjures up images of people who decided to fight, or push back, despite cultural norms or expectations. People like Rosa Parks on the bus, Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War, or Tank Man in Tiananmen Square.

It is also a fantastic driving song. Especially at night, in the summer, on smaller roads, with the top down. But watch that speedometer.

“You better stand tall when they’re calling you out. Don’t bend, don’t break, baby, don’t back down”
Bon Jovi

You won’t always be vindicated but sometimes you just need to stand your ground.

Action Think About It

How Important Is This?

Posted on January 16, 2020

If I want to gauge how important something is to me or to someone else, I put it through the same filter I have since I was in my teens. This filter I use is the following: Is the person using the care, diligence and urgency that I imagine a heart or brain surgeon would use on the country’s leader or that a Marine or SAS operative would use on a special mission?

These scenarios are life and death. Mistakes can cost lives, including your own, if you were the patient or the operative.

These people will be highly trained, well drilled, and focused on a successful outcome. They will confidently take action to achieve their desired result.

They probably don’t use phrases like, “I kinda feel like I can give it a try and then we will just see what happens.” Certainly words you do not want to hear from your heart surgeon as they are putting you under…