Habits shape our lives, constituting our routines and influencing our thoughts and actions. While it's clear we all live by habit, what's less evident is the need to consciously design these habits to steer us toward success and contentment.
In Brian Tracy's book Million Dollar Habits, he emphasizes, “The fact is that good habits are hard to form but easy to live with. Bad habits, on the other hand, are easy to form but hard to live with. In either case, you develop either good or bad habits as the result of your repeated choices, decisions, and behaviors.”
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Albert Einstein's famous quote defining insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” is often cited as a call for change. However, the context might involve understanding when something isn't working and knowing when to move on, rather than constantly jumping between different pursuits.
Success doesn’t usually arrive instantly for most accomplished individuals. They invest considerable effort, perseverance, and often benefit from a stroke of luck to reach their objectives. It isn't merely about quitting and pivoting endlessly to find success.
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Reaching a goal often demands rigorous effort and sacrifice. Many autobiographies narrate tales of significant sacrifice undertaken to achieve a single objective.
Martin Luther King, Jr. aptly stated, “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”
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Striving for mental harmony between our thoughts and actions is a common pursuit. It becomes unsettling when what we think and what we do are not in sync.
Cognitive dissonance, a psychological concept, occurs when our beliefs clash with our behaviors. It's the discomfort we feel when our actions don't align with what we strongly believe.
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In his acclaimed book The Success Principles, Jack Canfield champions the transformative power of taking absolute responsibility for your life. At the core of this principle lies the belief that regardless of circumstances, setbacks, or external factors, you hold the reins to your destiny. It's about embracing the idea that your decisions, actions, and responses shape the course of your life journey.
Taking 100% responsibility means you accept that you are the primary creator of your experiences. It's not about blaming yourself for everything that occurs. Instead, it's about acknowledging that your reactions, attitude, and choices significantly influence outcomes. By doing so, you relinquish the role of the victim and become the driver of your life's narrative.
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Dr. Wayne Dyer's famous quote, “if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change,” holds profound wisdom about our internal perspectives. Dyer had a unique ability to offer a higher understanding of our inner selves, coupled with practical insights beyond superficial understanding.
Once, someone asked me to 'close my eyes and visualize the color red.' They urged me to think about stop signs, tomatoes, and blood.
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An age-old saying goes, 'How you do anything is how you do everything.' This phrase suggests a cohesion between our work ethic and actions across various aspects of life that's often overlooked.
The general assumption is that we might put in hard work for things we care about, do less for undesirable tasks, and completely avoid certain areas altogether.
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Walt Disney's legacy resonates with success, making his advice invaluable. His words echo the importance of transitioning from thoughts to actions for triumph.
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing,” quoted by Disney, emphasizes the crucial shift from ideation to action. Often, we find ourselves trapped in cycles of planning without execution, delaying our progress.
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As the world awakens from the slumber of winter, there's a natural energy in the air during spring. It's a time of rejuvenation, growth, and the perfect season to kick-start your journey towards achieving your goals and nurturing positive habits.
Spring symbolizes renewal and freshness. The blooming flowers and longer days inspire a sense of vitality, making it an ideal moment to channel that energy into personal growth. Just as nature experiences a rebirth, it's an opportune time for us to breathe new life into our aspirations.
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Creativity and innovation are often associated with thinking outside the box, breaking boundaries, and exploring uncharted territories. However, there's an overlooked dimension to innovation where we rely on limitations to help drive creativity.
Embracing constraints for creativity means working within limitations and existing parameters. Rather than seeing these as limitations, they serve as catalysts for innovation. Constraints provide focus and direction, allowing for more effective problem-solving.
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I was having a conversation with my brother the other day about self-improvement. He mentioned that he looks forward to the slow, cold months in the winter following the holiday season.
He said that there is a certain excitement for getting back on track with his goals and ambitions. Taking time off for the holiday season to relax and enjoy time with family is wonderful. But there is a newness to getting back to making progress towards something personally meaningful.
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In our quest for success, we often fixate on the destination rather than relishing the journey itself. Progress isn't always about reaching the finish line. It is about the steps we take along the way.
Every stride forward, no matter how small, marks a victory. It's crucial to acknowledge these moments. They serve as fuel for the journey ahead, motivating us to continue despite the challenges. When adversity strikes, you have confidence from these small victories to keep pushing through those obstacles.
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Making choices is an integral part of life. While some of these choices may be major life decisions, there are also many subtle ones that we make on a daily basis. Often, we tend to avoid making deliberate choices and simply accept the default option, as it seems easier. However, this can lead to dissatisfaction and unhappiness, as we may not be fully satisfied with the outcome.
When we avoid making tough decisions, we are given the default option, which is whatever is left over. Those who are willing to strive for something are given the first choice, while those who are unwilling to stake their claim are left with whatever remains. This can lead to feelings of being punished or victimized, but in reality, it is simply a result of not being deliberate in our choices.
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Linear thinking is a way of understanding the world that focuses on cause and effect, beginning and end, problem and solution, birth and death. It simplifies complex systems by focusing on only a few variables (often just 2) and ignoring the rest. This type of thinking is problematic because it fails to take into account the complexity of reality and the interconnectedness of all things.
For example, weather systems are incredibly complex and cannot be understood by only looking at a single variable, such as the time it will start or stop raining. Similarly, the U.S. healthcare system is a complex system that cannot be improved by making changes to only one aspect of it.
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In my writing, I often discuss the limitations of using willpower. Many studies have shown that willpower is a finite resource that can become depleted as we use it. For example, if we have a stressful day at work and use willpower to avoid losing our temper, we may have less willpower to resist the temptation of fast food on the drive home. While this understanding can be helpful in preventing people from relying too heavily on willpower, it is not a comprehensive explanation of how willpower works.
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Walt Disney, one of the most successful individuals of all time, once said "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing." This quote speaks to the importance of moving past the mental aspects of goal setting and taking action to succeed.
Many people focus too much on planning and not enough on taking action. They may fear that their idea isn't viable and avoid testing the market by trying to sell a product. This can lead to procrastination and staying in startup mode without moving forward.
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In systems thinking, we often encounter systems that are composed of multiple layers. These layers can be used to achieve goals in our personal lives as well.
Years ago, I discovered that I could use layers when exercising to keep my attention engaged and the time would fly by. I would listen to music, ride a recumbent exercise bike, and read or write at the same time. This allowed me to forget that I was exercising and spend more time on it. I even wrote my book (You Can’t Surf from the Shore) and most of my blog articles using this method. Over time, it became a daily habit.
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Systems thinking is a wonderful construct that help us make sense of the world around us. Instead of going through the motions and feeling powerless, we start to see how we influence the very systems that influence us.
Imagine a coworker that drives you crazy. Every interaction is more painful than necessary. Every conversation is strained. The difficulty of every task gets magnified.
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One of my mantras is life is to take care. It reminds me to take care of the areas in life that I am responsible. Take care of my work. Take care of my family and friends. Take care of the tasks that must get done.
This translates to an active versus passive approach to life. I can’t avoid taking care because I’m too busy or I don’t feel like doing it. It helps me stay focused and do the things that most avoid.
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When pursuing a goal or project, it's crucial to stay focused on what truly matters. While the final outcome is often top of mind, it's not the only thing that deserves attention.
Many people make the mistake of fixating solely on the end result, which can lead to disappointment and missed opportunities. Instead, the final goal should serve as a distant vision and a reason for our efforts, but not be the main focus.
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