Doing something that you don’t particularly care about now so that you can experience something you do care very much about in the future.
why not just begin now
Need some ideas for your New Year’s Resolutions? How about…
Strive to become a vital, wealthy, self-made individual who lives an interesting, dynamic, and engaging life, cultivated through enthusiastically principled living, gratifying personal achievements, potent self-awareness, and building a better world one individual at a time.
Enjoy living your best!
the power of the right why
Whenever you ask the question “Why?”, idle curiosity notwithstanding, you are most likely asking it out of exasperation or determination.
Exasperation is reactive and does no-one any good. But determination is proactive, and has tremendous potential to move everyone forward. So always be mindful of which one you’re choosing.
it’s all in a frame
Generally speaking, people tend to label themselves (and others) as “positive” or “negative”. But this is not always as useful as you might think.
So instead, try asking yourself: “Do I tend to think constructively or destructively?” Doing this will move you forward!
escaping from a catch-22
Ever feel like you’re stuck in a Catch-22? Can’t figure how to break out of it?
Challenge your premises and identify which one of them is flawed; you’ll find at least one that definitely is. Then just figure out why it was incorrect in the first place, and replace it with one that isn’t!
a quick emotional detox tip
Emotional Pollution requires a host environment – it cannot exist outside of you. So if you are feeling lousy, check to see that you’re not keeping any pollutants clinging to your mind by default.
“We become that to which we give our attention.” – Aristotle
how to overcome getting stuck
There comes a time when each of us, mindful or not, sees our expectations of moving forward outpacing our actual performance. And the result is that we find ourselves mentally stuck or stalled in a, well, let’s call it a “crappy place”. But while it feels very real, it’s often just feeling and not fact. So ending up there once in a while is not necessarily something that has to be “fixed” right away.
Sounds crazy, right? Well, here’s the method behind my madness: If you can focus on maintaining a certain level of objectivity while you are in the middle of a mental maelstrom, you can actually get a lot more insight (about you & it) than if you were outside of it. Think about it: You get the benefits of being an objective observer as well as the benefits of being an active participant – kind of like being a war correspondent on the battlefield but without having to worry about being shot at.
So next time you find yourself mentally in a “crappy place”, don’t be too hard on yourself. Instead, enthusiastically seize the opportunity to learn something about how you operate on your deepest levels – it may be a little scary, but it’s a great way to uncover some of that hidden potential.
Nietzsche sums it up beautifully: “He possesses heart who knows fear but masters fear; who sees the abyss, but sees it with pride. He who sees the abyss, but with eagle’s eyes – he who grasps the abyss with an eagle’s claws: he possesses courage.”