Archive for Personal Development
Self Reflection as We Wrap Up 2010
Posted by: | CommentsHey hey,
Hmm, as we get to the end of yet another year, it’s always good to do a bit of introspection.
You look at how you (hopefully) have transformed into someone (also hopefully) better than you were a year ago. Acknowledge EVERYTHING that’s happened this year, whether they were things that made you laugh, made you cry, took you down, picked you up, elevated you, hurt you, made you look good or bad, ALL of it for it is that entirety that got you to where you are now… and made the year what it was.
Looking at the past year (and specifically the past few months) I made a key discovery I’d like to share with you.
Screw Social Norms & Expectations – Rise Above It
It is our nature, as social animals, to well… abide by “social norms”, to do what others do and to THINK what others think. This helps structure a cohesive society and serves its purpose…
The problem is, too many of us stick to this far too stringently, not allowing ourselves the freedom to stray from the pack once in a while, not allowing us to BE whom we were destined to be and instead… we end up BEING just another predictable boring drone (“sheeple” as I like to call them… ya know, SHEEP + people). We end up allowing society, which is made of mediocre people, shape us into who we are and who we will ever become.
*shakes head*
Advancement in society is done by the extremists, the ones that DON’T play by the rules (all the time), that think outside of the box, that challenges the “social norm”. Think about it, if we ALL thought and did the same thing, there would be absolutely no room for creativity and as such, no room for advancement and discoveries.
F**k that.
I say challenge yourself and stop thinking like a sheeple (at least once in a while…)
Ditch what you think SHOULD be and instead, think what COULD be, because odds are, that “SHOULD” is shaped by social expectations and norms setup by folks who never thought of a different way of doing/being, who didn’t have the cojones to try something different, to risk being someone greater.
STOP doing something and STOP being someone just because that’s what you think the society thinks you should do/be.
Case in Point
One particular “sheeple” philosophy that seems to have come up a few times in my discussions with various people in the past year has to do with time.
Our concept of time and how long something should take seem to be largely influenced by social norms.
For example, “I need to work until I am 72 to retire.” “It’ll take me four years to get my college degree.” “I need 12 years of experience before starting my own consulting firm.” “I can’t expect to reach a certain level of success because I am too young.” “Maturity only comes with age.“
Bluh bluh bluh…
Stop imposing such limitations on yourself just because everyone else seem to be abiding by them.
Try surprising yourself sometimes… give yourself that opportunity and that freedom to break free of social restrictions.
Heck, try setting NEW social norms
Here’s to a great 2011!
Don’t Let Your Past Dictate Your Future
Posted by: | CommentsI am reading Psycho Cybernetics (well, technically listening to the audio CD).
It’s pretty fascinating and I’d recommend you to give it a good read/listen.
One discussed topic that kept ranging in my head, and one which I want to share with you here, is the concept that too many of us live in our past. Too many of us beat ourselves up too much when we fail, and we let those past failures affect us too much for far too long.
A prime example has to do with professional athletes. What makes a great wide receiver on a NFL team, among other things, is his uncanny ability to forget about the perfect pass he just dropped. What makes a great golfer like Tiger Woods is his willingness to let go of the easy shot he just mucked up. I started this post...» And on and on and on…
What Makes Them so Special?
See, these top caliber athletes don’t let what happened in the past affect them, no matter whether what happened were a year ago or just mere seconds ago. They don’t dwell on the mistakes they made in the past, instead, they focus on their strengths and the opportunities in the near future for them to showcase those strengths.
They don’t think about what they do NOT want to be or do… instead, they focus on what they WANT to do and WANT to be.
You see, your mind can’t interpret any “do not wants”, it just interprets everything you envision as a “want”.
It’s sort of like this… you are riding a bike and you see an obstacle in your way that you want to avoid (so you don’t end up doing a face plant). Well, if you focus on the obstacle thinking “must avoid this, must avoid this”, it’s almost a sure-bet you are going to automatically drift towards the obstacle and run smack into it.
However, if you instead focus on the road ahead, on the path you DO WANT to follow (to naturally avoid the obstacle), you’ll naturally follow that path and avoid that obstacle!
This is your mind taking what you envision (and not able to discern your “do not want” but instead, treat everything you envision as “want”) and making it into a reality.
So if an athlete was to focus on his last dropped shot or missed shot and how he wishes to NOT do it again, you can bet that he will do it again and again. This is why top athletes have that uncanny ability to let go of the past mistakes and instead, focus on the future he wishes to create for himself (and his team).
What About You?
Are you leaving with some regrets in your life you have a difficult time letting go? +/-» Are you living in the past? Do you think to yourself, “I’ll never do THAT again?”
Stop.
Don’t think about the mistake you wish to never make; instead, focus on the mistake life you want to lead. Don’t think about the person you wish to never be; instead, focus on being the person you WANT to be.
Ideas are a Dime a Dozen
Posted by: | CommentsStop for a moment.
Now think really hard. In a flash, how many great ideas can you come up with? One? A few? Several dozen?
Now, think about if, and that’s a BIG if, any of those brilliant ideas of yours came into fruition, how much major moolah would you make? How easy would life become for you? You can quit your day job and just collect royalties, year after year.
Astounding huh?
I mean, those ideas of yours don’t even have to be revolutionary! Think about the patent that merely adds wheels and handlebars to Rubbermaid coolers. What for? Just so guys can lug around that much more beer to their tailgate parties?
Or what about the “electronic toilet brush“? Geeze, what are you doing to your toilet that requires a brush with a motor on it??
And don’t even get me started on the pet-rock, the Hawaiian Chair, the Chia-pet… And what about all the rave about bottling up everything in sight?! Bottled water, bottled air, bottled oxygen, the list goes on!
So how many brilliant and amazing ideas HAVE you come up with?
I bet quite a few right? And I’ll even wager that many of them are even better than many of the inventions you see today.
So then let me ask you something, pay attention.
How is it that those folks with those silly ideas (ideas that are certainly not as good, practical, nor desirable as yours) were/are able to make so much money off their one idea, while you are making none with yours?
What Must Follow an Idea: Execution
Get Off Your Lazy A**
Want to know what’s the difference between those who actually make money off of their ideas and those who make squat? In one word: execution.
That’s right. See, unlike what many of us are led to believe, ideas are NOT worth that much! I mean, sure you have to start with an idea, but that’s only a small portion of it. It’s what follows that will take you (and your idea) to greatness.
It’s the investment of time, effort, and perhaps even money… It’s the “get off of your a** and do something” factor that transforms your idea from just “an idea“ into reality.
“I Have an Idea.” (Yeahhh? So What?)
It’s funny, I hear great ideas all the time. I hear them from friends and family; I hear them from associates. And they all tell me the same things to go along with their ideas:
- “Don’t tell anybody else about this” (as if no one else had thought of it)
- “I wish I had the money/time/energy to make it happen” (uh huh…)
And that’s about when I nod my head and smile, knowing that another idea in the sea of ideas generated daily by the 6.7 billion people that inhabit this planet, has just gone from “what could be” to “never will be“.
I’ve been there.
I remember when I thought it wise to hoard all my ideas for myself – thinking that there’s no way anyone else has thought of it or is thinking of it. I thought that what I hold onto in my head are worth millions.
Your Ideas are Worthless
Guess what? They are not worth jack.
Those ideas of yours? They are worthless!
It’s only when you go about implementing and executing will you even begin to wish for some returns; and even then that’s iffy.
It’s those who are able to execute with precision, deliberation, and speed who will make it big with the ideas of theirs.
So next time you have an idea, don’t hoard it thinking that if it stays in your head and your head only it’ll make you money. Instead, share it with your friends and family. Share it with those whom you trust.
That way not only will they be able to help you develop your ideas, they might even be able to help you make them into realities. And of course, by stating your idea to the universe, you are essentially holding yourself accountable – to the best of your ability. Now that you’ve said it, you gotta do it lest you appear the fool
Don’t just dream it, be it, and do it.
NEWS FEED
