Doing things better than they have to be done

A “quality person”.  What is such a person like?

A person that does things better than they have to be done; such a person surely would be noticed.

Likewise, a person that does the bare minimum to get by is also noticed, as the results surround them and follow them wherever they go.

We can dress better than we have to, speak more politely than we have to, keep our spaces cleaner than we have to, and do our work better than we have to.  If we do this, we’d live a life that is better than it would be.

Going beyond yourself

Your self-concept is what you think you are – what you believe about yourself and what you can do.

In order for you to go beyond your self-concept, you must risk not believing in it.

Let go of what you believe about yourself and try to do something your old self would never do.

Go beyond and grow.

I "couldn't", because I didn't

I am doing physical training for some extreme events coming up.  This kind of training is a great metaphor and example for doing just about anything in life.  

A few years ago if someone told me to do 20 burpees in a row or 10 pull ups or run 10 miles, I’d have said “I couldn’t”, and I would have been right.  But the reason I couldn’t, is because I didn’t.  I didn’t try.

Of course when you try things the first time you can’t do things as well, as long, or as effectively.  But you learn, and you get stronger and better.  Then you keep trying and you make progress.  

One day, you can say “I can”.  How do you know?  

Because you did.

The "Ping"

That little sensation that causes us to check our text, email or social media; because something out there may be more important than what is right in front of me.  

Because of the ping, we lose our ability to think deeply and sustain our focus.  We lose the ability to do great work.

Shut your phone off to do your best work.

Habits leveraged over time

What could one day matter?

And another?  And another?

If you look at your finances, your career, your health, your relationships – you can see the accumulated effect of habits over time.

What could today matter?

Today is all we have.

Continuous Partial Attention

We live in a world of streaming distraction.  You can’t do important work if you don’t shut it all down and focus.

Go somewhere boring and cut off (shut off) communication to the outside world to do your best work.

"Build your own experience"

Why can one person experience and interpret an event or place one way, and another person experience the exact same thing a completely different way?

It’s because we all have different beliefs and expectations we built from a lifetime of decisions we made in response to past events to try to protect ourselves.  These beliefs tint the lens we observe the world with, letting in only what matches with what we have left, and rejecting the rest.

You built the world you live in.  

And you can change it.

Drinking Problem?

I have heard this more than once – The medical community says that if you don’t drink more than two alcoholic drinks a day that you don’t have a problem.  I found that a little nuts.  If I drank two drinks a day – I would have a problem – probably a lot of problems.

What do you think?

Comment with the orange button!

Time slipping away….

Because we were born, we know we will die.  We only have this time – this life – these days and hours.

Are we making them count?  Are we using them to their fullest in our development to realize our potential and make a meaningful contribution?  Or are we letting it slip away, unused; that time never to return again?

The Discipline to Live on Less Than You Earn

To become financially secure, or to get to a point where you are not living check to check, you must live on less than you earn. Save 10% or more of what you earn. It wil begin to feel good knowing you have something saved. Eventually you’ll have enough to invest in something to make those savings grow. (Don’t lose the money in foolish “too-good-to-be-true” investments!)

Saving takes self-discipline. The same discipline to put coins and a few bucks in a jar when you don’t make a lot is the same discipline it takes to save chunks of money and manage investments when you make or have more.

If you continually spend all you get (which many do no matter how much they make), you can never get ahead.