Think Archives - Page 3 of 5 - Scott's Thinking

You Are What You Think

Posted on October 14, 2020

Do you even know what you think about yourself? It’s time to give this some thought. You are what you think, so you had better being thinking some good and useful things.

One reason people are not achieving what they want in life is their mismatched mindset. They know what they want, which is great. However, they can’t see themselves in that picture.

This can be the problem for people who want to lose weight and keep it off. Rather than think of themselves as a slim person, they see themselves as overweight or heavy, etc. So they tend to do what many heavier people do. They tend to move less and eat more.

Although if they saw themselves as a slim person, their mind would adopt the habits of a slim person. They would eat less and move more. In addition, if they saw themselves as a slim and athletic person, they may even develop greater muscle mass or at least stronger muscles.

The same can be said for people and money. If you want to be wealthier, but can’t see yourself as wealthy, you are likely to struggle to build a prosperous financial future. You must take on the role of being wealthy. This means acting appropriately with your money, not just spending it to look wealthier than you currently are.

You are what you think. Make sure your thoughts are working for you.

Action Think About It

Don’t Poke The Bear

Posted on October 11, 2020

Have you ever pushed things a little too far? Someone isn’t having their best moment and you antagonise them just a little? Well, ‘Don’t poke the bear’, is what we say in our house.

Sometimes the extra poke is in jest. Occasionally it works too. But often you simply end up antagonising the person further.

How nice it would be if people learned to pull back, relax and chill. If they could give the other person some breathing room and a little head space. Most of us don’t enjoy having a bad moment. Certainly most don’t want it made worse.

We have the opportunity to make things better. We can create a positive butterfly effect rather than a negative one. With that power, why wouldn’t you? With great power comes great responsibility, as they say. Please use it wisely.

Remember this blog the next time things are going a bit wrong for someone. Try not to push them further to the brink. Give them some space. Or have the clear intent to honestly try to make their situation better.

Whatever you do, try not to make it worse for the person. Not even in a jokey or fun way. What might seem fun or funny to you, may not seem like it to them.

Be kind. Don’t poke the bear.

Reframe your thoughts Think About It

What Would Your Grandma Say?

Posted on August 27, 2020

In my youth I found that this was a good barometer of what would be acceptable for my thoughts and actions. “What would your Grandma say?”, was a phrase that I would run through my mind in situations that may have been pushing the boundaries.

The idea I created in my head went like this. I would imagine the scenario whereby my grandmother picked up the newspaper or turned on the news and there was a report about me, her grandson. The report would highlight what I had said, done, written etc. and paint it in both a balanced and then a biased way.

Then I would go visit my Grandma and have a conversation with her about it. If that whole idea of her finding out what I did, or my having to discuss it with her, made me uncomfortable, that was an indicator to stop before doing anything.

I was telling my son about this recently and suggesting that it might be a useful guide for him. Especially in this era of one strike and you’re out.

You may already have your own system that works for you. That life guide that keeps you from pushing the envelope too far.

If so, great!

However, if not, what would your Grandma say?

Observe Think About It

Be Careful Of That Kodak Moment

Posted on August 26, 2020

Have you ever held onto your position or point of view too long? It gets embedded for maybe the wrong reasons. Be careful of that Kodak moment. That moment when you realise, “things have changed and I am out of touch now”. That can be a painful moment if it is left too long.

You see, we can get attached to our position. We can also defend it. Perhaps we have fought for it. And it seems to have been right. This is because many people have supported us and the results have been very favourable. This is just how Kodak felt over the decades of being in the photography industry.

They felt they had an unassailable position. Things just wouldn’t change that much and they would remain the go-to name in that space. As the leader in that space, they wasted over a decade. Then, the upstarts and technology, fads and trends saw the whole field get turned on its head.

By the time they realised that they had missed the boat on digital photography, it was too late. And so, most people had already moved on to a new party. In addition, they found other players who were far more prepared for the changing world ahead.

We saw this with records, books and cars. Where else do you see the newer ideas and people supplanting the old? Be careful of that Kodak moment.

Think About It

The Power Of Being A Part Of Something

Posted on June 2, 2020

I remember the feeling of being at a concert, sporting event or community gathering. The power of being part of something could be quite intoxicating. Just being together for the event could move you. And being able to participate in the action built an even stronger connection and memory.

As my friend Juliet would say, a crowd attracts a crowd. Why is that? It could be due to many reasons. Perhaps it is the minor gravitational pull exerted on nearby bodies. More recently, the fear of missing out (FOMO) could loom large. Thinking someone else has got better plans than you do, can be a significant factor. Regardless of the reason, we can say that being part of something can exert a powerful force.

It can be quite fun and connecting to be a part of something. It’s nice to have a shared experience you can relate to with other people. Although, it usually only feels good around a tribe that values that experience.

There are those that value the negative events. And there are those that value positive ones. Most importantly, if you pay attention, you can feel the force. Be aware of what forces are acting on you. Understand the thoughts and feelings helping to form your decisions.

The power of being a part of something can shift with time as your tribes shift or as your values change. Sometimes the impact comes from a shift in societal values or norms.

Reframe your thoughts Think About It

Assess Both Ends Of The Spectrum

Posted on April 23, 2020

When thinking about a topic, I believe it is very important to assess both ends of the spectrum. That is to say, I like to see how the extremes behave.

Here is a spectrum with an asterisk at each end to note both extremes.

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It is quite easy to simply sit somewhere along that spectrum and believe you have the best position. This is made even easier when you read your favourite paper or watch your favourite media channel. The reason for this is that the media company and journalist are keen to influence you. Remember, they are professionals at ensuring you are engaged and will come back.

When consuming content next time, try taking the topic and thinking about what people across the spectrum, and at the extremes, are thinking or doing. It’s a great way to expand the way you think. Especially if you consume media from a source that challenges your view.

I try to remember that the spectrum I see may actually go further at one or both ends. It is simply the spectrum of options that I am aware of, not that necessarily exist. Sometimes we have to push ourselves into some uncomfortable thoughts to truly see and assess both ends of the spectrum.

I find knowing what the extremes are for a topic makes it easier to understand, debate and find common ground for it.

In addition, if you know the extremes, you may find you have a lot more in common with other people, relative to where they could sit on the spectrum.

Think About It Video

Remember The Titans

Posted on April 3, 2020

Remember we have the power to change our minds, our views and our destiny. Remember The Titans is a brilliant family movie that does a great job delivering on that theme.

Friday night is movie night in our family. With five opinions, it can be challenging to get consensus on what we are going to watch. However, after several other trailers, a debate and a vote, we then watched this trailer and it was a unanimous winner. Although I had seen it before, I was keen to see it again. This time I would get to see the kids’ reactions too.

Well the kids loved it. We did too. It is a very inspiring movie. In addition, it really makes you think. Tough choices are made, different viewpoints are explored. The idea of tough love and long term personal development are key elements. Although set only 50 years ago, it seems like such a different time.

While we are experiencing extra family time, if you are looking for a great, feel good, family movie, then Remember The Titans is certainly worth watching.

Common Sense media suggests it is a 10+ age group movie (but was fine for our almost 9 year old). Rotten Tomatoes audience score is 93% from 578k ratings.

We are always looking for great movies for the whole family to watch. If you have any family favourites that you would be happy to share, please do. Tap the title of this post, scroll to the bottom of it and begin writing in the Start Discussion box.

Observe Think About It

Beware, You’re Being Influenced

Posted on March 30, 2020

I think most people like to think that they think their own thoughts. But beware, you’re being influenced. Your thoughts are not always your own.

Thinking can be hard and confronting. Understanding a point of view and dissecting it without emotional baggage, bias, or stereotype can be a challenge.

I’m from the school of thought that people make emotional, instinctive decisions immediately and then search for data to confirm their point of view. It probably stems from millennia of survival instinct conditioning. Beware of anything that is different, as it could harm or kill you. Assess it and look for data that may or may not be right or wrong or even useful.

However, often you will look to find data that confirms your emotional decision. That emotional decision will be based on your prior experience, especially from when you were quite young. So this feedback loop becomes quite self-reinforcing if you are not careful.

Oftentimes people start only following one newspaper, or a collective of sources that all view things a similar way. This seems normal because it can be quite comforting to read things that are in line with our view. Though it is not a great substitute for thinking.

Sometimes content producers try to lead you down a road that isn’t helpful in general, but does suit their personal bias.

Think about this. Really play with it in your head. Are you actually critically thinking things through with your own thoughts, or are you letting someone tell you what they want you to think?

I enjoy a thought provoking exchange. Especially if it is in pursuit of really understanding something or solving a particular problem. It is important to check your intent before you engage in discussion. Are you arguing to win, convince or prove your point or are you engaging to improve your depth of consideration and thought?

Don’t let me influence you though. Think for yourself. Challenge your thoughts, biases, misconceptions and understanding. Consider this when consuming your normal news channel, newspaper, online news, social media, etc. Have you become, comfortably numb?

Beware, you’re being influenced.

Action Observe Reframe your thoughts

Decipher The Headline

Posted on March 26, 2020

‘Rock Star Dies in Tragic Accident’ was the headline I saw 20 years ago while I was walking past Richer Sounds and heading to London Bridge Tube Station. I tried to decipher the headline.

I knew instantly that this death was not of someone I had ever heard of. Had they been sufficiently famous, the newspaper would have put their name in the headline. Jagger Found… or Elton Tragedy… or something like that.

I tried to guess who it could be. I didn’t want to buy the paper to find out. I new I would find out eventually from the tv or a friend if it was sufficiently big news. When I did find out, I don’t recall ever hearing of them.

It was a pivotal moment because it made me really focus on how I assessed what people said and what the media led with as their headline. Since that time, I have always enjoyed playing my own little game of decipher the headline. I enjoy trying to decide whether something is going to be truly important or a waste of time, based on the headline.

You can save a lot of time as you develop the skill of quickly deciphering what the underlying message or motive is to any communication. Sometimes I nail it and sometimes I don’t. But I always enjoy playing the game. If you enjoy mysteries, psychology or solving puzzles, you may like to give it a try.

Action Financial Property Reframe your thoughts

What’s Your Number? Flow Versus Pot.

Posted on March 2, 2020

Have you ever played a game with your friends, where you discuss how much money you would need to retire? What size of pot would you have to have accumulated?

I remember one time playing this game about 15 years ago, and a friend decided that he would need £15 million. With this you could buy a fine home, some nice cars and a place in the country for weekend getaways. With the remaining £8 million, you could invest it for some cashflow to pay for the food, financing, and fun. Invested at 5%, you could gross £400,000 per year. This would make most people pleased.

Strangely, that little bit of friendly, whistful thinking was what many people would call their estate, or retirement, planning.

The one significant challenge most people found in this friendly game, was that it would take the majority of people far to many long years of work to amass that level of savings in a pot.

So maybe look at it another way. What level of cashflow could you live on and be happy? £1,000 per month? £8,000? £27,000? £376,000 per month? £3 million per month or more? It may be easier for many people to find a lower level of cashflow income, of several thousand pounds per month, coming from some investments (Dividend stocks, bonds, property, royalties, etc), than to work, save and build a large pot.

Could you do a side hustle, online perhaps, that, over the next three years, you could build up from £100 cashflowing income per month to say £5,000? If that money could be generated by a more passive income, imagine your free time too.

So how much would you need to earn, as a bare minimum, on a monthly basis? How could you start trying to make this extra income? Think about it. Do some research. Change your life!