Category Archives: Motivation and inspiration

Get in a group

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Surround yourself with positive people and the right kind of influences.

The ones that take you somewhere new, to a different level.

The ones who lift you when you’re feeling down.

Loneliness can be a powerful force, dampening many dreams.

It takes effort on your part to join a group, especially if you’re an introvert, but the more groups that you’re part of, the lower the likelihood you’ll find yourself alone.

Book groups, study groups, sports teams and clubs, school groups, work social committees – there are plenty to choose from.

Get involved.

From these groups long-lasting friendships will form and develop over time.

You’ll go further, faster, surrounded by the right people.

Be nice to people

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Fresh muffins

Be nice to people, whoever they are and whatever they do.

Do it genuinely.

There is zero to gain from thinking, speaking, or saying bad stuff to, or about, other people.

We all have our own stuff to deal with that makes us imperfect, so until we are perfect (and we know that’s never happening) we have no right to pick holes in others.

Even if it only shows in a subtle way, or in our thoughts, cut it out.

How people react to us is up to them. They day they’ve had, or are having, is unknown to us. Don’t take any of it personally.

Self belief: overcoming mental obstacles by making choices

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One day we see the world as rosy, the next it can be nothing but problems.

We can write ourselves off, with our brains giving us no chance to succeed.

It takes self belief. The ability to decide and act is all on us.

The ability to override our brains is also on us.

It’s a choice.

All we are is the product of our choices.

“If you chase two rabbits…”

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“… you will not catch either one.”

This is a Russian proverb from the front cover of ‘The One Thing’ by Keller and Papasan.

Read it, think about it, read it again, and use it. There’s great power inside its pages.

The power of taking on difficult challenges

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I ran 31km yesterday as training for the Sydney marathon (49 days to go). It was a miserable day; cold, wet, and windy – very un-Sydney-like.

I had three and a half hours to think about why we should all push ourselves to do difficult things.

When we take on tough tasks, we grow stronger in our minds. The muscle grows the more we challenge it.

Doing hard things also makes us feel more sure of ourselves. We prove that we can overcome obstacles, making us more confident in other areas of life.

Mental toughness increases. These long runs are small victories on the path to the big day in front of large crowds on the streets of the city. I know I can do it on the day if I’ve put the work in week to week – it all compounds.

Want to set your own challenges? Start small and work your way up. Set clear goals and keep track of your progress. Remember, the hardest things often bring the best rewards in the end.

Disconnect to create: get away from the internet

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I’m creating a dumb laptop, connected to nothing, that I can write and journal on. It’s solely for writing, to be used anywhere I want to take it.

Writing will be done with no distractions or temptations from the rest of the online world.

I will have to use a USB drive to transfer files to Obsidian or elsewhere, but having a dumb device is the way to focus.

My phone has been placed inside a faraday bag for most of the last two hours. I’ve not pulled it out or been tempted to once. It’s forgotten when it’s not looking at you.

This is the way it works. The notifications, the bright screens, the dings, pings, and the vibrations in your pocket – it’s a conspiracy against our ability to focus, to deliver our best work, to ship.

A shiny phone you spend your life caring about more than the humans who live and breathe around you is reducing your ability to create, evolve, grow, and become more than you were yesterday.

Take it away for a few minutes, hours, and even days, and watch what happens to your life in the process. Start with a faraday bag, maybe, and see what you come up with.

Pick a thing and do it

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To-do lists are killers. We pile up task after task, creating this list that never ends.

Ever created a list with just a couple of things on it, like a shopping list of stuff you pick up from the store? The satisfaction when you tick everything off is a dopamine hit.

When we make a massive list, never getting to the end of it, we never get that hit. The nervousness builds knowing we have a pile of stuff that’s growing instead of reducing.

I try and get three things done a day. I get the biggest thing done first, and then the next biggest, and so on. If I clear the three things, I’ve achieved something small but normally meaningful to me based on what I have on my plate.

I have a long to-do list, but I see it more as a stockpile of possibles for my three task list that I attack every day. This way, the stress is reduced. I know I’m ok if those three things are done. Tomorrow is another day to attack the rest.

Adelaide

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A couple of photos from the Art Gallery of South Australia, taken this last weekend.

There were multiple Rodin sculptures.
One of Chris Ofili’s. The Seven Deadly Sins.
Up close, a beautiful painting.
The three shades, Rodin.
Jeune fille, by Marie Laurencin, one of my favourites.
Pissarro.
Antartica, by Sidney Nolan.
The Argument, Prenestina, by Jeffrey Smart.
Didn’t catch the artist. It’s a view of Sydney Harbour Bridge in the late 1800s.
Such a great space. Be sure to stop by if you visit Adelaide.

Shift that first thought

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I don’t know why the reaction to anything is usually a negative one before a positive.

Maybe a cute baby gets a smile, or you see someone you know and like, and the safe feeling you associate with them makes you smile. These are times when there’s no downside, no bad feeling.

At work, that first thought is often one of negativity. It’s a battle to turn on the ‘can-do’ mindset, offering to help and solve a problem rather than highlight one. The questions come to the surface – why this, what that, why me???

I know it’s a choice in most cases – a choice to accept the bad thoughts and feelings.

Those times when I decide not to accept the bad and take the chance saying yes frequently lead to something good.

And, even if the immediate reward isn’t clear, there’s normally some kind of silver lining a little further into the future based on those good intentions being made real.

The planets align somehow. Don’t ask me how or why, but we’ve all had instances of these happy accidents.

For some, this is the norm. Why can’t it be for us, too?

The third goal

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Cruyff speaks, we listen.

The third goal yesterday was a stand out moment for our football team.

I’ve been banging on about putting passes together, keeping the ball. The clock was ticking. It looked like we would miss out on the points again. The final substitutions had been made.

We got the break from a 50/50 challenge in the middle of the pitch and the ball suddenly started moving from back to front, one player to another to another, then finally at our striker’s feet.

She swings a big right foot at it and the net bulges. It was never missing.

I was pleased and proud of what just happened because the simplicity of the move made it so effective.

There was nothing fancy. The ball just went from player to player in maybe five passes max, and the finish was excellent, but it all came from passes.

The whole game is about making passes – executing on the most basic of skills. The team that does it the most wins most of the time.

The work will carry on. The weeks we play badly will be when we don’t execute on our plans and the frustration mounts as mistakes take over.

But when that plan comes together and the ball hits the back of the net at the end of a move as sweet as the one we delivered yesterday, there will be no frustration. We’ll be winning.

There is life beyond the scroll

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Attempting to white-knuckle the task of beating the algorithms to stop or slow down your use of social media is doomed to failure.

The facts are clear if you think about it.

These mammoth tech businesses have armies of the brightest minds working against you as their business model.

Their job is to hijack your attention and keep you coming back for more, over and over again. And they do it so well.

The attention on Instagram, for example, and the seemingly non-stop growth of that attention, transcending age, gender, and social barriers, is off the chain.

Willpower alone is not enough. The algorithms are too strong, too smart, too skilled at keeping you fixated. Our psychological weaknesses as humans are being exploited.

To overcome the alogorithms and move on with a full life, cut them out.

Delete the apps from your device to eliminate that instant fix from your phone.

Reclaim that 2 to 5 to 15 to 50 minute block that you’d spend scrolling inside the app, using it for something practical instead.

Challenge yourself to make this change work. Your mental health and your ability to be productive will thank you later.

Write on your blog

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No one cares if it’s hard. It doesn’t matter. Just get it done.

What’s the point in having one if you don’t use it? It’s like having a bike and never riding it.

If you’re not adding to it, it just sits there. Everyone can see it’s empty.

Deep down, you know you should be writing. It bugs you. It’ll eat away at you.

You’ve got two choices: keep it and use it, or kill it.

One or the other.

Reduce the friction

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The less friction there is between thought and action, the better.

Logging in? Picking a different device? Turning on a keyboard? All slows me down when it comes to writing something, for example.

This can apply to most things we want to do that carry the ‘hard’ label, requiring some thought and effort.

The chances of producing something new reduces once the ‘thinking about how to do it’ procrastination process starts.

The fast, simple route is the good one here.

Your environment must support your goals

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Who you see, the tools you use, where you work, the position of your desk in your home, the stuff you experience every day – it all has to support you in the daily journey towards achievement of your goals.

How can you improve your environment along these lines?

Think in terms of people, process, and technology.

Do you need to be around a more supportive crew on a daily basis?

Is your bedtime routine making it hard for you to get up on time, and therefore start the day on time, and in a good frame of mind?

Do you use software tools that help you day-to-day, or are you the kind of person who signs up for everything but uses very little functionality of each app after the initial flurry of activity once the novelty has worn off?

It could be time to move your desk towards the window for more light, or even move to somewhere new.

Are you warm in the winter, and cool in the summer, or do you need to get warmer in the winter months, for example?

Could a new picture in a frame on your desk of someone you care about make a difference to how long you spend sat there, and the quality of work you produce?

Ponder on this topic for a while.

Understanding the impact of this overarching statement can have a big impact over time. That’s our shared goal, right?

Empower Yourself: From Scrolling to Blogging and Journaling

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Nobody changed the world while scrolling.

Ever used the ‘Screen Time’ app on the iPhone (see above)? (Sure there’s gotta be one on Android phones, too). It’s scary to come face to face with the real number, knowing how much content you’ve watched.

Add on the odd video on other devices. The videos in your lunch hour on the work laptop, or something your friend shows you on their phone. This stuff adds up to some massive numbers.

The time taken to produce something is far, far less than the time we spend consuming.

Why not start your own blog, or write something in your journal, or start a journal or blog if you don’t have one right now?

It has to be better for you than watching more of other people’s stuff for hours on end.

Here’s a list to start you off with what to write about:

  • Day to day happenings
  • A quote from a book you’ve read
  • Three things you need to get done
  • Things you’re thankful for
  • A progress review on a project of some kind
  • New project plans
  • An idea
  • Something funny you heard
  • What you’re reading, watching, listening to right now

Obviously this is only the tip of the iceberg. Use it to get started and see what your own brain can come up with.

Become what you are

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Heard this very special quote this morning, from one of the ancient Greek poets:

“Become such as you are, having learned what that is.” – Pindar

Until we take time to understand ourselves and our purpose, we can’t expect to find all of the answers we crave.

Understand your true nature.

Your strengths, weaknesses, and passions.

We are in such a hurry to get to the solution (especially us men). This isn’t always the ideal solution.

The answers will come when we stop and think.

Give it a try. Embark on your own voyage of self discovery.

Became what he is?

Attacking and defending – two very different skills

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I’ve been training boxing and martial arts for a few years now.

Striking is not something I’ve done before. The subtleties take some understanding.

Attacking is great with the trainer holding pads. Drilling basic combinations without having any punches come back at you is simple.

It feels great to hit the pad right in the centre, over and over.

Bur being hit is a totally different thing.

Learning to defend punches and throw your own in response is a whole different ballgame.

The fear centre of our brain starts to respond.

“I’m under attack!”, “WTF do I do now???”

Anything we’ve learned, even basic defensive moves, can be hard to pull off as the brain takes over, screaming at us to cover up.

The eyes close as a fist comes towards them. And rarely does anything good happen immediately after this.

Think about this in other parts of life. There’s definitely some similarities.

We get into an argument or any kind of heightened emotional state and the red mist arrives.

We say things we don’t mean to.

We can’t think clearly.

Unless we’re prepared, unless we have a plan, bad things can happen.

The distinction between these two skills, and the importance of knowing what to do when either of them arrives, is worth some contemplation.

Talk over action

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No explanation required!

Don’t just talk about what you’re going to do. Get started and do it.

I’m guilty of this. We all are on certain things in life, no doubt.

Take this blog. It’s been an on/off escapade for years now.

If you’re not adding to it frequently, it grows weeds and dies a slow death. Nobody visits the pages. The posts will remain unread.

Knowing you’ve invested cash in a domain, or have spent money on some fancy editing tools, eats away at your subconscious mind.

You’ve spent that money and you’re doing nothing with it.

All this stuff sitting in our heads, it’s toxic.

The easy fix – get to work and start typing.

It really is that simple.

You’re not Wordsworth on day 1, or even day 10,001, but you’ll be somewhere you’re definitely not today.

And if you make a plan and map out the moves you want to make over time, the action turns plans into reality.

Three new books incoming

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Placed an order yesterday for some new insights:

Daniel Kahneman – Thinking, Fast and Slow: I’m aware of economic theory but it’s a long time since I took steps to go a little deeper. This will be my jumping off point on that one.

Scott Galloway – The Algebra of Wealth: Personal finance strategy affects us all but most of us spend hardly any time thinking about what we are doing, let alone taking action.

The First 90 Days – Michael Watkins: I’m starting a new job in a couple of weeks. I like to go into anything with some kind of plan, however rudimentary. Similar books of this kind are on my shelves and this one could add a new angle.

(I don’t do affiliate marketing and don’t want to automatically send anyone to Amazon so this is why there are no links.)

Chop wood, carry water.

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Nice quote from Phil Jackson’s book, ‘Eleven Rings’ (beginning of chapter 19):

“Forget mistakes, forget failures, forget everything, except what you’re going to do now and do it.

Today is your lucky day.”

The mess our brains can make of getting through each day is real.

Competing interests, pressure from all sides, the desire to be perfect, all that nonsense.

If you can get into the ‘chop wood, carry water’ mindset, the noise in our brains quietens.

Find the focus in the next task you want to do and go do it. Then the next, over and over.

Sports books and metaphors from sport, or Buddhist philosophies for quieting a noisy mind, don’t sit well with everyone, but they can help you put the pieces together that work for you.

It’s about what you need to get through the day.