Once a month I will record a short 3-5 min video with a practical Tip, Tool, or Strategy. Today is the first edition, and is one of the most important (and simple) STRATEGIES that I teach all my private Coaching clients. It will improve your decision-making “RESULTS” by about 200%!
Enjoy.
I have been pondering something of late.
As you may have noticed – unless you are working on your enlightenment in the nearest mountain cave – the world is a little bit bonkers at the moment.
And to be a little more specific, sad as it is, all of us have probably personally be touched by, or clearly noticed a rise in the number of people with (to generalise) “mental health” issues or challenges.
I just did a quick search online and the estimated number of people with a mental ‘disorder’ globally, in 2019 was about 1 in 9.
Which, to tell the truth, was higher than I thought it would be.
And there are several reports of that number going up significantly from 2020-2023, due to a world event (and periphery events) we are all familiar with.
So, without getting into too much more doom and gloom, we can all acknowledge that there are a lot of people having significant challenges with life in this modern age.
The second part, to set the context of the brief conversation I want to have with you, is over the last 20-years of so, there has been so much pressure on what we can and can’t say about one another, or to one another.
This has even had an impact on what is deemed appropriate for comedians to make “jokes” about.
Anyway, my point is this…
This goal is pretty common.
I have definitely had this goal, or a derivation of it, at some points in my life.
Thinking that if I attained this goal, life would be just great.
Only to find that attaining this goal is actually a little hollow.
Not actually that much fun.
And some research would even suggest it will take us to an early grave.
And no, we are not talking about getting “high” off alcohol or drugs, which most of us realise is followed by a whopping headache and hang-over, or in the case of drugs, a downer for a handful of days after (or so I have read ;-)).
The goal I am talking about…
Are you ready for it?
Is…
The Goal of getting to the place where you don’t have to DO anything.
Free of commitments and responsibilities.
And the piece I want to focus on today is – more specifically – freedom from “having to work”.
You have also likely seen a bunch of conversations online where some younger folk are all for an unconditional basic income (UBI), which is not based on work status.
Where you could still be paid to do nothing.
Sounds great.
But actually, it’s not.
And thus starts today’s conversation.
Having stable, solid, well-defined and deep foundations is ESSENTIAL to build anything GREAT from.
I am sure that concept is not news to you.
We need to have great foundations in order to build anything great.
Whether it is a skyscraper or an outstanding relationship.
Whether it is a great game of tennis, or a great business.
The fundamental foundations matter a lot.
But when it comes to us, as people, what EXACTLY do me mean (practically) when we talk about building a ‘solid foundation’?
I use the term a LOT with my clients.
So, I thought given I say it a lot, what exactly constitutes what I am calling a solid foundation?
Hence, today’s topic.
Once a month I will record a short 3-5 min video with a practical Tip, Tool, or Strategy. Today is the first edition, and is one of the most important (and simple) STRATEGIES that I teach all my private Coaching clients. It will improve your decision-making “RESULTS” by about 200%!
Enjoy.
Let’s jump straight in.
Have you ever heard the following statement or philosophy?
The size of the GAP between the REALITY and your EXPECTATIONS, determines the amount of discomfort (frustration, anger, disappointment, etc.) you will experience.
As shown in my diagram further down.
Small GAP = small discomfort.
BIG GAP = BIG (emotional) PAIN. So today I want to look at the biggest EXPECTATION Boo-Boo’s (aka: mistakes) many people erroneously make.
I spoke about HABITS the other day.
Plus last week I spoke about the relationship between Goals and Process, as the authors of Tiny Habits and Atomic habits shared the same pint of view.
I also mentioned I would do a deeper overview of the book Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg, which I read recently.
It really is a great book (strategically) plus ol’ BJ, who is a Standford professor, is not writing to impress people with his literary skills, but is actually passionate about serving other people.
It is great to see an academic who is more interested in the impact of his work, than academic accolades.
Thanks BJ!!
Essentially, there are a few BIG points to takeaway from his book and decades of practical application.
The other day I was in a funky local cafe.
And part of their cool vibe was having paperback books you could read while hanging out there.
I spotted one of my fave books so I picked it up and flipped it open.
It was Atomic Habits by James Clear (and exceptionally great book).
I started reading the section that I had randomly flicked it open to and started to chuckle to myself.
I LOVE synchronicity and coincidence (which I consider means my alignment is good).
The reason I chuckled is because I was reading a book on my Kindle earlier in the day by Scott Adams (the creator of the Dilbert comic strips), and he not only mentioned the same thing, but referenced back to James Clear and Atomic Habits as another person that agrees with this concept.
Therefore, I took that as a nudge that I need to share their insights and observations with you.
So here we go.
The title may be a little misleading.
I was actually not thinking of step 1, step 2, and step 3.
But rather, Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3, when it comes to getting more CLARITY.
And in this case, the levels also refer to the size of the ‘problem’ or issues, or the size of the consequences of the decisions you have to make.
Let’s think of it like this:
Level 1 – A problem or decision to solve or figure out, but that is not too big or high in consequences.
Level 2 – The problem or decisions is a bigger, or more complex, and has more consequences if you “F” it up.
Level 3 – This is where the decisions you are making are complex, there numerous overlapping parts, and possibly a shortage of resources, so you need to be extra creative, plus the consequences of “F’ing it up” are pretty high (and potentially a huge pain in the butt and maybe even a potential financial loss).
So I see that these three levels of “challenge” require three different ENVIRONMENTS to enhance the probability of me solving it to the best of my ability.
I also like to use the metaphor of ‘stepping back’.
Level 1 = small step back.
Level 2 = medium size step backwards.
Level 3 = a big step backwards to allow the greatest level of perspective.
Who likes easy?
I know hard is where we build up our muscles.
BUT I do like the idea of a mix of easy, hard, and very little harder-than-it-NEEDS-to-be.
Life doesn’t have to be all about hard, sweaty, and grunts and groans for us to be succeeding.
Let’s sprinkle in a bit of easy with today’s tip on boosting our mood.
You know I am a fan of the idea that we can actually (self) create an elevated emotion state in our bodies, which causes a specific set of neuro-chemicals and hormones to be released throughout the body.
Re-enforcing the created feeling and supporting our overall health and well-being.
I want to take that concept, and a concept I read recently in a book by a Stanford behavioural scientist – BJ Fogg – called Tiny Habits (which I will review for you in a couple of weeks when I finish it).