Recent Blog Posts
Imagine the Action: Objects in Motion
Back in the short period of my life when I was a Cub Scout, which was only about a month or two, I was told a quote, which I believe is sincerely underused. I was told, “Be prepared.”
This is the scout motto.
According to Scouting for Boys, this means “You are always in a state of readiness in mind and body to do your duty.”
Be prepared in mind, body and in soul. I say this is brilliant. I say this simple quote is, above all, the most useful suggestion in our life. This goes beyond my quick stint in the Cub Scouts. This lesson goes beyond the separations of boys or girls or any kind of identity.
The idea to “Be prepared” fits all.
Everyone knows that life comes with twists and turns. We find ourselves in dead-end places and dead-end jobs, dead-end friendships or dead-end relationships. Perhaps we might find ourselves in an environment that comes with no hopes for advancement, no chances for improvement; in the end, we find ourselves in the emotional loop which is otherwise known as more of the same.
More than this, we know that moments arise and our endurance will be tested. For example, meetings will happen and they will go wrong. Promotions at work will be post somewhere in the corporate infrastructure and you want it. You go for it. You interview. You nail it. You give them exactly what they want. And, they even acknowledge that you’re exactly what they’ve been looking for. You think that it’s in the bag but somehow, the universe pulls a switch.
Next thing you know, someone else moves into the office that you thought would be yours. And guess what. It sucks. Disappointment is a bitch!
The question to ask now is not “What happened” but instead, “What’s my next move.” This is when we contact our internal wrestler. This is when we build our emotional strength and train for the next best race.
It is important to know that doors are bound to close. Opportunities will vanish and in the end, we find ourselves at the eye-opening event that proves to us that not everything goes as planned. We find ourselves at the moment of decision. We can either wither and wallow or snivel and submit. Or, we can be self-motivating. We can adjust and adapt. We can advance and prove our endurance to succeed and move on.
There is no more right or wrong. There is only the forward motion of understanding the good, the better and finalizing the ultimate best.
That’s all there is.
Move — Do — Be — Build— Create — and Continue
That is all.
There’s no more right or wrong because even when we do everything right; even if we make all the right moves and we say all the right things and talk to the right people, the universe comes along and pulls a trick.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, “Into each life some rain must fall.”
I agree. But it can’t rain forever.
Murphy’s Law says, “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”
I often find myself frustrated, shaking my head and thinking, “Thanks a lot for the help, Murph!
If we allow for it, our past mistakes become our future demise. This happens because we’ve allowed the importance of our past to be the narrative of our future. We give in to the ideas of wins and losses, mistakes and missteps; whereas instead, we can learn. We can understand and identify ways to improve. We can see the victory of realizing ways to improve.
We can see where we need to rebuild and adjust our strategy. Or, we can live in the past of failed ventures and poor investments. We can live in the fear of failure; therefore, we will resist the benefit of forward progress. Or, we can recognize our strengths. We can build upon our weaknesses and achieve the fruition of a better working model — otherwise known as us.
The choice is ours.
The idea of rejection is internal. I say the idea is internal because rejection is internal to the mind. Otherwise, rejection does not exist — unless we believe in it.
Unless we feed it, unless we think our sense of rejection and nurture the thought until the ideas fill the mind and then yes, I agree that rejection exists.
Otherwise, rejection is not real.
Rejection is nothing more than the mental kryptonite that weakens our inner hero. This is a counterproductive force which pulls us back like weights and chains; meanwhile, all we want is to be free.
Self-Motivation.
Be this
Be the drive that moves you forward.
Be your own best friend
Be your rescuer or wait no . . .
Be your own superhero.
Wear your cape and let yourself fly.
In the face of troubled thoughts and problematic thinking, we have to face our thinking errors by replacing thoughts with actions.
There is no movement without effort. There is no change without action; but moreover, there is no advancement, no joy, no thrill, no success, no achievement and of course, there’s no improvement.
Newton’s Law of Inertia (or first law of motion) says that an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion at the same velocity and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
The second law of motion is the rate of change of momentum is equal in both magnitude and the direction imposed upon the object.
The third law of motion is a law of action and reaction; in which case two bodies interact. Push or pull. This is our interaction without surroundings.
However, this section is not intended to be an example of physics but the use of examples regarding matter, force, energy and motion are intended to rid us from the stillness of adversity.
Here are some helpful thoughts:
- Stop beating yourself up. Looking backwards prevents us from moving forwards. Therefore, it’s okay to use the lessons from our past mistakes to improve our future process. But rest assured, living in the past will result in a habitual loop of recreating past results. Our goal is to move forward.
- Be your own support. Do not wait or depend upon others to pick you up when you are down. Note that people have their own agenda and their own life to live. It is our responsibility to stand up when we fall down. Emotional fitness and resilience is key; otherwise, our emotional muscles are at risk of atrophy.
- Choose your influences wisely. Do not accept criticism or suggestions from someone who you would not seek for their opinion. I do not claim this to be original advice; however, I do claim this to be a useful in our daily interactions.
This does not mean to cancel out valuable lessons that can come from any direction. However, there are people in life who do nothing else but criticize and gossip. - Do not play the movie out in your head. This is enough to drive us all crazy. Steer away from tragic or catastrophized fantasies. This happens when we are caught up in all the “What ifs” and the ideas of doubt gain more momentum than our endurance can bear.
- Always look for the appropriate level of care and support. Simply put, no one would go to a delicatessen to buy a hammer or a screwdriver. No one goes to the dentist for their car repair. Therefore, when planning a change, always seek the appropriate resources.
- Be mindful of your successes. Note them and accept them but more than anything, acknowledge them.
Remember: success is a mindset. This is a belief system.
So is failure. - Be humble. Be teachable and be aware that arrogance is not confidence and confidence is not having to prove yourself at every turn. Understand that confidence is often quiet and arrogance is only loud and boastful.
- Understand the difference between facts and feelings. This means that not all thoughts are fact. Not all feelings are accurate. This means that emotional thinking becomes a distraction to our tactics and our strategy. Therefore, understand the useful difference between anabolic and catabolic thinking. (Anabolic builds and encourages. Catabolic breaks down and drains or otherwise destroys.)
- Learn when to lean in and when to withdraw. Understand your strengths and how to nurture your weaknesses. Use your tools. Use your resources. Use all that you have at your disposal but above all, learn to understand your personal inventory because this can be the force that pushes you forward.
- Mind your internal narrative. Be careful with self-talk because self-talk might talk you out of taking the steps to meet the next best thing. Therefore, rather than talking to yourself as if you are your own worst enemy, talk to yourself as your own best friend . Encourage yourself to keep going. “Keep pushing” and make quitting impossible.
We often overlook the pains that come with someone’s success. We often fail to see the hours of work or understand the sleepless nights. Instead, we judge our successes on the basis of unfair comparisons and thus, we degrade our efforts. We try to keep up with the neighbors or the grass that’s always greener on the other side.
An item at rest stays at rest. An item in motion stays in motion.
The rate of change is equal to the magnitude and direction imposed upon an object.
Push or pull, act or react.
The idea is simple.
Be the catalyst to your change and understand that the rate of your change is equal to the magnitude of your efforts and the direction you push. And, as for the act or reaction, consider the people in your life. Think about your home team. Think about the oppositional forces. Think about the avoidable natures of unneeded stress. Think clearly now. Think forward. But above all, think successfully.
It all comes down to this: How bad do you want it?
This is the action for today.
