Fooling Yourself

When I was a kid, say about 12 years old, somehow I became a big Styx fan.  That’s a band if you don’t know. They had this album at the time called “The Grand Illusion”.  I just loved it.  On the album was a song called “Fooling Yourself”.  

I think the number one thing holding people back is the story and beliefs we have about ourselves.  We lose faith in ourselves and our potential.  We think we can’t do it.  We come to believe in limitations.  We play small because of our own thinking.

The deceptions we tell others are nothing compared to the deceptions we tell ourselves.

We need to call BS on ourselves.

How are you fooling yourself?

Live in the world of your choosing

Your world is what you pay attention to.  It’s not what others are trying to present to you.  There is so much of that that you can’t pay attention to even a fraction of it anyway – so you have to choose.

You don’t have to live in the same world as everyone else, or even anyone else.  Create your own with the carefully selected collection of pieces you want.

There are two sides to this same idea necessary to make it work; what you choose to pay attention to and focus on and what you purposefully choose not to.  You will pay attention to far fewer things than you ignore.  You must be very intentional.

This is important; just as important as your life itself.

You can change your life as fast as you can change your attention.

Is this within my control?

When dealing with issues and things that come up, a good question to ask is “Is this within my control?”

I don’t like spending lots of time and mental and emotional energy on things that are not.  In the end, you get the rug pulled out, and you’ve wasted lots of time and wind up with heartbreak and disappointment.

Instead, I work on things that are within my control.  I invest my time and make it work.  Over time the sphere of things that are within my control grows, and I feel like I am becoming a master of my world.

What are you working on now?  Is it within your control?

Inspiration or desperation?

“We generally change ourselves for one of two reasons; inspiration or desperation.” – Jim Rohn

Some people wait until their back is against the wall or they hit bottom to change themselves.  

Some change and improve on their own so bad things don’t happen in the first place.

I’d rather be the latter (and I always have been.)

How about you?

Pain, Uncertainty and Hard Work.

If you want to live a fulfilling life and use more of the potential inside you, you will not escape pain, uncertainty and hard work.  In fact, that’s what it takes to get there.

Of course, if you make very little of your life and do the least and contribute the least, you’ll have your share of pain and uncertainty anyway.

Pushing yourself into new territory is worth the pain, uncertainty and hard work.

Consistency will get you there.

Doing something once in a while, or in short bursts and then stopping, will not get you to mastery.

What have you mastered?  Chances are you did it consistently for a long time.

What do you want to master now?  Do you want it bad enough to do it every day for a long time?

Nice people go farther

“Of all the qualities of an exemplary mind, few can rival simply being kind.” – Dr. Mardy Groethe

Did you ever know someone who was brilliant, but a jerk?  How about people who had good intentions but just came across as harsh or insensitive?

People who are kind have lots of others who do not resist their ideas and are willing to go along with them.

Is that you?

Bothered enough to change it?

“It is only through a wholesome discontent with things as they are that we ever try to make them any better.” Susan B. Anthony

Everything around us is there because someone was unhappy enough with its absence or with what came before it to change it.

We all complain about things, but what are you bothered with enough to take action and change?

Keep Learning – Stay Sharp

School is not the only place to learn things.

People who are lifelong learners, and make it a habit to learn something every day, are the ones who will succeed over the rest.

Research shows dementia went down significantly in people who are always learning new things.

This makes sense – if we don’t use our body, it gets smaller, loses its capacity, and goes away. 

If we don’t use our minds, they lose their capacity, get smaller, and go away. 

What are you reading, studying, and learning about now?

Tell me with the orange button!

Why people fail – "short-termism"

When people only think about today, when next month comes, it won’t be so good.

When people only think about what they can get from others today, those people will not be around then tomorrow.

When people think mainly about their own comfort and entertainment today, they will have nothing tomorrow.

When people consume all their income today, tomorrow they will be broke.

When people optimize their days for today, they build nothing for their future.

You can look at someone’s situation and age today (or your own), and understand if they have been thinking long-term or short-term in the past.

The ability to delay gratification is central to thinking long-term or short-term.

Of course, if you are in a crisis, you are thinking short-term.  But if you are always thinking short term, you will have far more crises.

How about you?  Are you doing the things today so that you can be healthier, happier and live more prosperously down the road?