Random Wisdom (or DUH)

Photo

Mon, 06 May 2013 14:14:42 +0200

"Inspiration has an expiration date"

Wed, 01 May 2013 12:06:02 +0200

“Inspiration has an expiration date”

- Use inspiration when it arises. If you wait until the time is right, you may find that your inspiration has moved on.

Quote from Ryan Healy’s “Speed writing for nonfiction writers”

"Don’t wait for inspiration"

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:00:54 +0200

“Don’t wait for inspiration”

- You read everywhere how we all should be looking for passion and inspiration in our life and work. It’s a beautiful thought, that I agree with, but I also know that there are plenty of times when the passion and the inspiration are not there. And it is at those times that our productivity suffers.

We wait for inspiration or we spend a lot of time looking for it, instead of doing the work. Sometimes you have to just do the work, no matter how you feel about it. Learning how to get work done in any emotional state will boost your productivity. Knowing that you can always produce will also boost your confidence and the good feeling that comes with that. From that state it will be easier to find passion and inspiration.

Push through, do the work!

"The value of quiet time"

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 10:23:32 +0200

“The value of quiet time”

- Appreciate the value of quiet time. It is in the quiet moments that you get beyond superficial thoughts, important as they can be, and connect with deeper thoughts, emotions and your physical self.
I’m not talking about thinking time. I’m talking about Mindfulness, meditation or other forms of quiet time. In this time, let go of goals and just be, now. You’re giving your subconscious mind space to tell you what it needs to tell you. Don’t expect, but receive. If there’s nothing, that’s fine. Sometimes the message comes much later, when you’re ready.
Enjoy the stillness…

"Recognize Challenges and Lessons"

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:26:45 +0200

“Recognize Challenges and Lessons”

- Be alert on the many challenges and lessons that life gives you. These come in many shapes and forms. They can be things that happen to you, things that happen to other people, memories, emotions, etc.

If you focus on looking for challenges and lessons, you will discover many opportunities to learn and to grow. It also changes your perspective. You will have a growth mindset and negative experiences will be fuel to grow instead of just sources of pain and stress.

Start looking for challenges and lessons on a daily basis and keep a journal. If you’re not ready yet to take action on them, at least write them down in a journal. Day by day you will see more opportunities for growth, just by being attentive.

Be grateful for the challenges in life, because it’s then...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 22:42:43 +0200

Be grateful for the challenges in life, because it’s then that you can learn and grow the most.

Step boldly into the unknown.

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 22:36:19 +0200

Step boldly into the unknown.

"Clean your plate"

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 22:24:44 +0100

“Clean your plate”

- Every little thing that you keep in your mind takes brain cycles. Do you know the feeling when you have a few small tasks that need to be done, but you choose to do something else? The tasks keep popping up in your head from time to time. Even if you don’t think about it is weighing you down.

I have found it to be very valuable to clean my plate, as I call it. All the little tasks that are nagging in my mind get handled in the first hour of work in the morning. It clears my head and gives me more headroom for the bigger or more complex tasks I want to do that day.

My rule: if it pops up in my head, I need to take it off my plate.

"Do the work!"

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 18:21:40 +0100

“Do the work!”

- To achieve your goals you will need to do the work. Sometimes motivation is missing, so it’s hard to start and you wind up procrastinating. Now you basically have two options to achieve your goal: find the motivation first, or do the work and find the motivation later.
Both options are fine, but one thing that should be front and center in your mind is: you need to do the work. Come back to this realization every time you think about the goal: I have to do the work.
By repetition you will turn this into a principle. You will become a person who does the work. Actually, that will be an intrinsic motivation every time, and that’s one of the best kinds of motivation there is.
So, do the work!

"Visualize massive success to fuel your motivation"

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 11:25:52 +0100

“Visualize massive success to fuel your motivation”

- See and experience in your mind, and maybe also on paper, what massive success looks like for that task you are working on, or should be working on. Really go all out and dream big. See it as if it has already happened.
This will not only motivate you, it will also stretch your idea of what is possible and give you ideas of how to get there.

"You can’t get back lost time"

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 14:23:09 +0100

“You can’t get back lost time”

- If you procrastinate, that’s time you will never get back. If you realize that, it leaves you with a few choices.

One choice is to start immediately with what you should be doing. Of course, that is not an easy choice, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading about procrastination.

A second choice is to consciously postpone your task and use the time to do something else that is very useful, enjoyable or both. Ask yourself: What else can I do now that would be a good use of my time?

Just don’t use your time knocking yourself over the head for procrastinating. That is wasting time you will never get back.

"Take a moment…"

Tue, 25 Dec 2012 07:39:37 +0100

“Take a moment…”

- … to come back to Now. When you’re back, choose what to focus on. This will determine how you feel. Do something that fulfills you. Find the best use of your time. Even if that means taking a timeout to relax.
Every moment is an opportunity. Use some of the opportunities that life gives you.

"Discipline happens in a moment. Master that moment."

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 21:26:50 +0100

“Discipline happens in a moment. Master that moment.”

- Discipline happens in one moment. That is the moment that you go from not doing to doing. It is not the thinking about it in the time before. It is not even the planning, which is still very useful of course.
There’s a moment that you decide to do something now and right after that moment you do that something. It is that moment that you need to master. You need to recognize when the moment is there. You need to find out what makes the difference between doing and not doing. What do you need to say to yourself? How do you need to feel?
If you master the moment, you will be able to act and push through no matter what.

"Value even the smallest step towards your goal…"

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 14:49:00 +0100

“Value even the smallest step towards your goal…”

- Sometimes the goal you are striving for is so far off, that it paralyzes you into procrastination or even sabotaging your goal. Maybe the goal is too big and you should split it into achievable milestones. Chunking, as some call it, is always a good way to go if you’re feeling overwhelmed. The problem is that your mind may hold on to the final goal, in an all or nothing fashion. Only your final goal is worth something. If you only get halfway to your goal, you feel like a failure.

If you start to value every step towards your goal, you will find the motivation to do the work needed. If you’re looking to lose 30 pounds of weight, every ounce lost is something to be proud of. Every time you go for the healthy food choice is a moment to treasure.

It’s not easy to value small successes. We tend to focus more on the pain of being so far from our destination and on the rough road ahead. Really decide now to enjoy even the smallest steps towards your goal. Be proud, everytime you can say:

I’m on my way!

Life is beautiful

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 09:09:01 +0200

Pain and pleasure, good and bad, health and sickness; Whatever life throws at me, when I wake up in the morning I open myself to the sheer miracle that life is. It makes me happy to be a part of it and I find myself focussing on all that is good in my life and on the opportunities for even the tiniest bit of joy. It helps me start the day with a smile and at that moment I can honestly say:

Life is beautiful!

"To get what you want…"

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 22:21:37 +0200

“To get what you want…”

- …you have to actually want something.

Trivial, right? Not really, when I see many people complaining about how others have this or that and they can’t get it. But when I talk to them it seems that at most they ‘would like’ to have that. Wanting something means you’re hungry for it. It’s important to you, you know exactly what it is and you have a vivid idea of how it will make you feel.

We get caught up in the day to day walk of life, and sometimes that means we don’t take the time to think about what we want. Now and then you should take some time to think about it and set your goals. Knowing what you want will help you achieve it. Want to multiply your chances for success? Express what you want to the people who can help you succeed.

So, what do you want?

"The ultimate productivity question"

Fri, 11 May 2012 23:21:41 +0200

“The ultimate productivity question”

- I got this information through a Youtube clip of Brian Tracy, one of the big productivity gurus and in my opinion one of the best. He says there is one question you should ask at any moment and it will turn everything around for you. That question is:
What’s the best use of my time right now?

I’ve been using that question in my work lately and it has made a big differency in my productivity. One thing you need to know is that my definition of productivity is not how much I do, but how much value I provide to others and to myself. So I’m thinking about how valuable my work and my outcome is. My version of that question is: What can I do now that will provide the most value? Should I keep slaving over a report that will probably not be read by the right people, or should I write a one page memo that triggers action from the people who can make something happen?

What I’ve had to deal with while doing this is that people have their own views of what value is. For some it is: we pay you a high rate per hour so we want to see a big report. For others it is: how much do we earn because of the work you do? It is up to you to show how what you do is the most valuable, and that takes some convincing sometimes. But in the end you will find yourself being more productive, delivering more value and being more satisfied with the work you do. As a bonus you may find that, by skipping the less valuable work, you have time to procrastinate without guilt!

"Play the “What If” game to stretch yourself"

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:39:00 +0100

“Play the “What If” game to stretch yourself”

- Most people tend to live and act well within their comfort zone. It’s a natural thing. There may be plenty of moments when you would like act in a way that’s outside your comfort zone, but it’s hard to do. Anything that’s outside your comfort zone will by definition make you uncomfortable. It will bring fear and insecurity, and that holds you back. But leaving your comfort zone is also the only way to grow as a person.

One of my strategies to deal with situations where I would like to do something that is “beyond me” is playing the What If game. I take a piece of paper and I write down between 3 and 5 what-if questions. These questions should challenge my beliefs about the situation. A few examples:

What if I would quote my premium price, even at the risk of losing the assignment?

What if I would ask help publicly, because my business is in trouble?

What if I handled this meeting like Steve Jobs?

What if this was just a course assignment?

You should first find out what is holding you back and where the discomfort starts. Then, with your questions, challenge exactly that. Answer the questions on paper or in your mind and try to feel what it does to you. Is it really that uncomfortable or is it something that you can overcome?

Using these What If questions, you can practise leaving your comfort zone. The more you do this, the more you will feel at ease to actually leave your comfort zone now and then. If nothing else, it will make you aware of your boundaries and that’s a good starting point for growth.

"Do what you love to do"

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:23:04 +0100

“Do what you love to do”

- You should do what you love to do. That’s an often heard sentiment (or advice) when people talk about work. Of course you know it isn’t that easy. Can you really make money, doing what you love?

A better question is should you make money? A lot of people only consider doing what they love if they know that they will get paid for it. If they are not certain about getting paid, they just won’t do it. And that way they lose out. Doing what you love always pays off in an emotional sense. It makes you happy in the moment. Of course, if your mind is on the bills you have to pay or the empty feeling in your stomach, you won’t feel that happiness a whole lot.

It helps to think about income as part emotional income and part financial income. You can start doing what you love for emotional income and keep your current day job for financial income. This could mean that you have to start small.

Say you dream of being a life coach, helping people one on one or in small groups, using NLP. You would like to earn a living doing that, somewhere in your future. You know that a lot of work goes into making material, getting clients, getting the word out about yourself. It could take a year before you have a small steady flow of clients. If you’re lucky. So this is not a situation where you would jump in and go do what you love. Instead, keep your dayjob and start small. Look in your extended circle of friends if someone needs a coach. Set aside some time and, if needed, some money, to be able to coach. Work for a small fee or even free if you feel like it, but actually coach someone. That way you will be doing what you love, you gain the emotional reward, you get experience and you have a starting point from where to expand your efforts.

As an added bonus, your day job will be more meaningful to you, because it is supporting your emotional income. You might even find that this balance is better for you than doing your dream job full time. I know a photographer who went from amateur to fulltime professional, only to go back to being an amateur, because the business side of photography took the fun out of it.

Some questions to ponder:

What would you love to do? What makes you fulfilled?

Can you make a living out if it? Immediately? In the future?

To what extent can you do it, for instance starting on a small scale, and support it with other income?

Once you’ve answered those questions, start doing what you love and focus on emotional income first, financial income a close second. Once you’ve started you can expand step by step until you’ve found your optimal balance.

"Don’t follow your passion. Take it along wherever you go."

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 20:45:23 +0200

“Don’t follow your passion. Take it along wherever you go.”

- Mike Rowe (Dirty Jobs)