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Using systems and habits to improve your life is a proven method to succeed. It requires seeing the work as a system and then adjusting your thoughts and behaviors to be able to take advantage of your opportunities in life.
Life is full of ups and downs. During the high moments it is easy to feel in control. The low moments feel as though control has been ripped away from us.
During those ebbs and flows, our control remains more consistent than we realize. This means that have to be able to maintain our perspective during those low moments to work through challenges and obstacles.
Read MoreThe other day I was discussing systems and habits with a friend. He has used the systems and habits approach to improvement for years to better himself.
He was heading out of town for vacation and worried that his routines would fall apart with the time away. He asked me if I found that these breaks from the systems we create mean that he has to start over.
Read MoreThere is a difference between systems thinking and linear thinking. Systems thinking looks at the full situation to better understand how the elements all interconnect. Linear thinking skips the complexity and looks at part of the full system, usually two variables.
Linear thinking makes sense in some situations. If a car is speeding towards you, you want to come to the conclusion that you should move as fast as possible. No analysis needed.
Read MoreIn life, we pay too much attention to the major changes. We see the awards at the end of the journey and ignore the journey itself. We want to feel ambition and instantly reach the highest heights of our dreams.
This might seem good, and it can be. It can motivate you to try something new. But it can also be the reason you aren’t reaching higher heights. Striving for massive success overlooks the small steps needed to get on track. We see the mountain ahead of us. We don’t focus on the next step on the trail.
Read MoreIf you want to be happier in life, there is a simple recipe. All you have to do is learn how to be more thankful for the things in your life. It might sound simplistic, but it holds the ability to bring about great happiness.
But there is a catch. You can’t just come up a few things that you are grateful for today and then your whole life changes. Doing it one time, or even a few times, will result in nothing. Maybe it helps you get through a tough day. Maybe it helps remain positive for a short period. But it won’t drastically change your life.
Read MoreIt is great to have ambition in life. The desire to do something more is within all of us. We all daydream as children of all the fun and interesting things we could do with our life.
But somewhere along the way, that ambition wilts. By adulthood, we are just going through the motions of life. We make decisions by default by not actively pursing our goals and desires. Instead, we stick our heads in the clouds, hoping for something better. Or we stay grounded by feeling nothing is worth the effort. But neither approach is a recipe for success and happiness.
Read MoreWe all get motivated from time to time. Maybe we watch a documentary on some ultra successful businessman. Or we hear about some harrowing journey. We listen to an acceptance speech from an actor, or pro athlete, telling us to follow our passion.
Whatever it is, we get a jolt of energy, a push to do something extraordinary. The more we contemplate it, the more power emerges within us. We commit to do it, whatever it is for us.
Read MoreThe further away from a problem you are, the easier the answer. If you are not the one trying to right the ship, it is easy to know what to do. When you don’t have to face your decision, it always seems right.
I find it funny how many people feel their opinions are the truth. They spout off about their beliefs. They argue their point of view. They criticize everyone and everything around them.
Read MoreMost people understand the value of having ambition in life. When we are passionate about accomplishing something, we have more motivation to push through obstacles and succeed.
But what if that goal is extreme? It may seem as though we would gain extreme motivation. We will have massive amounts of willpower. We will have the energy needed to push further than anyone else. But this is simply not the case.
Read MoreWith everything going on in the world, I hear many people talking about overcoming adversity. They tend to talk about what everyone needs to do to help the world. It could be around climate change, political corruption, the economy, COVID, or any number of topics.
I remember hearing a story years ago about a famous actor. He was at the top of his craft and had the finances to rival almost anyone. He was concerned about the state of the world and the use of fossil fuels. He saw the impact it had on the earth and what climate change meant to future humans.
Read MoreSome people would call me a control freak. It isn’t that I panic when things get chaotic. It is that when things get chaotic, my first instinct to find the control I have within the craziness.
I am not concerned with every crazy aspect. I want to know what I can influence. That points me to the things I can do something about. There is no sense worrying about the things that you don’t control. But your actions matter and the things that you take ownership of will make the difference in most situations.
Read MoreMost people that I know have solid opinions of the world. They believe in certain things. Many times, those beliefs are unshakable.
This is both good and bad. It is good when it keeps us grounded, humble, hard-working, moral, etc. But it is bad when it holds us back or causes us to unfairly judge those around us.
Read MoreWe are all attracted to the outlier. The individual case that represents an extreme grabs our attention. We wonder how someone got to be so much more successful or such a disaster.
We broadcast it on the news because it makes for good headlines. Those headlines translate into audience interest. That interest means more people tune-in, allowing the network to sell advertising. Money is the ultimate goal. The news media realized long ago, the way for them to make money is to emphasize the outliers.
Read MoreWe all want to be happy and successful. We want our loved ones to experience a pain-free life. We want security and peace of mind.
But we all experience the storms of life. Sometimes these are small and sometimes they overtake our emotions. Sometimes they seem to linger on and sometimes it is over in a flash.
Read MoreSometimes we just have to fight through. We know what we need to do and something or someone keeps dragging us down.
I find this often when working on corporate projects. There tends to be someone that digs in and wants to stop all progress. They don’t realize what they are doing. They think they are being helpful by pointing out potential issues.
Read MoreWe all get off-track from time to time. When we set out to reach a long-term goal, it takes consistence and persistence. But even with the best intentions and solid willpower, we will drift off-track from time to time.
While this may be true, the level is not always the same. Sometimes we get completely side-tracked. We end up far from where we needed to be. Sometimes we are a little off-track and only need a slight tweak to get back on track.
Read MoreMost people want big wins. We want to have enormous success. We want riches. We want admiration. We want to be on top.
Having ambition is fine but it often leads us astray when it comes to the steps needed to reach a higher level of success. Instead of seeing the small steps that we can take, we get preoccupied by daydreaming about the rewards. Instead of working towards our goals, we get sucked into the craving of the win.
Read MoreMost people ignore the small things that they control in their life. They assume that small changes are not enough to create the sort of drastic change that they crave.
It makes sense. If we want massive improvement in life, we have to go to extremes with our efforts. We can’t pretend some small change will create the massive improvement we want. But is that the right way to look at it?
Read MoreMost people coast through life. It is easy to do. Sure, we go to work and pay our bills. Then, we enjoy our time off and the money we have to spend on things we find appealing.
But how many of us get to a point of frustration with our lack of results at some point in life? It might be that we always thought we would have more money by this point in life. Or, we thought we’d have a more fulfilling job. Or, we wished we were in better shape.
Read MoreWe all have choice in life. Many people give away their control in life because they don’t like the options available to them. But we all have the ability to choose.
Many times, we have a choice between happiness and pleasure now or happiness and pleasure later. Staring at the bacon cheeseburger, we know eating it will be delicious but won’t help us get healthy. Seeing the nice new car at the dealership could mean driving around in it now, or keeping our old car running to save money. It could be taking courses at the local college to better your career.
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