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Improving Systems and Habits

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.

Change Your World Filter

Scott Miker

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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Don’t Short Yourself

Scott Miker

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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Begin Doing and the Rest Will Fall into Place

Scott Miker

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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Cultivate Goals and Foster Healthy Habits

Scott Miker

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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Embracing Creativity Within Boundaries

Scott Miker

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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Learn to Enjoy the Work

Scott Miker

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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Embracing the Journey: Progress Beyond Perfection

Scott Miker

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 to Improve the Default

Scott Miker

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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Move Beyond Linear Thinking to Systems Thinking

Scott Miker

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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Willpower Limitations

Scott Miker

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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Take Responsibility by Taking Action

Scott Miker

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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Layers in Personal Improvement

Scott Miker

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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Control is a byproduct of your approach to the system you live within

Scott Miker

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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Too busy to take care

Scott Miker

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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The Importance of Progress

Scott Miker

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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Unlocking Efficiency: The Power of Systems and Habits

Scott Miker

In our fast-paced world, it seems like everyone is constantly racing against the clock. The pressure to get more done is ever-present. Unfortunately, this often results in a counterproductive cycle where we rush through tasks, only to find ourselves redoing them later. This pattern can leave us feeling overwhelmed and questioning our productivity. The key to breaking this cycle lies in setting up effective systems and developing positive habits.

We've all been there – racing through our to-do lists without taking the time for a second thought. It's easy to confuse busyness with productivity. However, being genuinely productive means accomplishing the right tasks efficiently rather than simply checking off items.

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Willpower Is Not Enough

Scott Miker

In my writing, I often discuss the limitations of relying solely on willpower. Studies have shown that willpower is a finite resource that can be depleted over time. For example, if you have a stressful day at work and use willpower to avoid lashing out at someone, you may not have as much willpower left to resist the temptation of fast food on the drive home.

However, I acknowledge that this understanding of willpower is not comprehensive. The concept of willpower as a finite resource is useful in helping people understand that willpower alone is not enough to make lasting changes, but it is not the full picture.

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Begin Doing

Scott Miker

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 highlights the importance of moving past the mental aspects of achieving success and taking action.

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Working Through Options

Scott Miker

In life, we are faced with a plethora of choices, both big and small. However, it is easy to fall into the trap of accepting the default option, often out of fear of making the wrong decision. This can lead to feelings of stress and unhappiness, as well as a sense of being a victim of circumstance.

But the truth is, when we avoid making deliberate choices, we are still accountable for the outcome. The default option may seem like the easy path, but it also means settling for whatever is left over. Those who are willing to actively choose and strive for something are the ones who get the first pick.

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