Month: August 2024 (Page 1 of 2)

It’s not a new idea by any means, but I just heard Darren Hardy recently discuss the idea of breaking down old and conformed ways of thinking about problems by using First Principle Thinking. And I think I’m in love.

One thing that humans tend to get caught up on is continuous improvement. Now, there is nothing wrong with continued improvement, but what if the seed of that “solution” is inherently flawed. We continue to spend our time improving a flawed idea.

Maybe we can start with the fundamentals and build our idea from the ground up. Maybe we can take a more of scientific approach and identify facts instead of basing our strategy of attack on assumptions.

I love this idea! Besides, creatively it gets us out of our own patterns of thinking that seem to be based on what everyone before us has done.

Maybe this gives us an opportunity to strike out with a fresh new approach to age-old problems. I hope!

How do we know that we don’t know?

One great way to discover if you know or don’t know is by NOT talking and listening to others around you.

Often times, we’re quick to speak because we think we know or we have some information, but maybe we don’t have all the pieces.

I’ve found myself speaking up sooner than I should only because I believe I have some knowledge. That’s the time when I need to close my mouth and just listen.

Then later I can gather that information on my own before opening my big trap again.

No doubt, knowledge is power, but a person who thinks he/she knows but doesn’t, is just a fool.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be no fool.

When I’m able to define exactly what I’m going to focus on, then engage. I’m much more proficient.

In addition, I like to spell out for myself what I need not waste my time focusing on as well. I think it’s important to define – and write down or say out loud – things that we shouldn’t focus on, such as the things that are out of our control or negative people or distractions that take me away from my goals.

My point is this: I can’t get enough clarity or preparation in my life in order to be the best version of myself. And if that entails spelling out what I cannot control in my day and reminding myself out loud in order to stay on task, then so be it.

I’m all about using whatever resources I have and are availible to me in order to be a better version of myself than I was the day before.

Sam Harris has suggested to take the same approach as when we’re meditating to other activities. Such as a walk, while driving or washing the dishes at the sink.

His suggestion is to be aware of what you are feeling, smelling, sensing – by taking an inventory of what’s going on in your body and being present in the moment. How does the pavement feel under my feet? what does the wind feel like while it’s blowing the hair on my arms? Is the water warm on my hands as I feel the texture of the sponge on my fingers?

We can all benefit from taking a more careful notice of what we’re experiencing in the moment in our world.

Why does it seem like it’s more challenging to get out of bed on Monday morning than Friday morning.

Is there something in the air that we breathe in on the weekends that’s different than weekdays? Why do we feel more energetic as well? Can the difference in the way we view the world really come down to our perspective?

The answer is, yes.

We have 100% control of what we choose to focus on and where to rest our thoughts. No one or no thing has command of this except for us.

Let’s make every day a Friday attitude sort of day.