QUESTION YOUR CERTAINTY

I was listening to famous blogger Mark Manson get interviewed by Marie Forleo Here when he said something that inspired this whole post.  I believe that this idea can help everyone in their daily lives.

  • “The starting point is simple, start asking WHY about everything.”

“What if I’m wrong?”      “What if my assumption is wrong?”

The more I think about this subject, the more I see how IMPORTANT it is to question ourselves.

“Don’t believe everything you think” is a quote that has impacted my life in great ways.

Author Dan Millman wrote that our thoughts are like wild monkeys stung by a scorpion.

Our minds are running all day; thoughts appear like clouds passing by, some stay longer than others, but some quickly pass by.  So how can you and I let go of these “clouds?”

1) As Manson would say, “There’s no ‘how.’  It’s all in your head.”  There is not much you can do other than try on a new perspective and ask, “What if my assumption isn’t true?” What would that mean?  And then psychically traverse the answer.

  • So write down 5 things in your life that you could potentially be wrong about.  Question those deep assumptions you’ve had about your identity for years.  For example, “I am lazy” I am not an attractive person” “I don’t know how to talk to people” “I won’t ever be happy” “The world is going to shit”

The more emotion you have behind these assumptions, the more important it is to write it down and CHALLENGE IT!

After you have written down 5 or more assumptions, go through them and write down what it would mean in your life if it were wrong.

It may not be easy but it’s worth it!  Anyway how confident can you be in your own beliefs if you’ve never challenged them?  Try to see the “other side,” and when it does appear more likely and more valid, join that side!

2) THINK THROUGH YOUR THOUGHTS to see if what you’re thinking is irrational or not.

For example:  Say that you get a little nervous to go to the gym or grocery shopping.  But why?  Because you have to step out of your COMFORT ZONE.

You are comfortable inside your apartment watching TV & the thought of leaving will disrupt your comfort – so you think..

It’s crazy how the mind can trick us to stay exactly where we are.  But if you want to do anything significant or really even just anything, you need to leave your comfort zone.  It’s worth it.  The pain you will feel later on in life due to staying in your comfort zone will be much worse than the temporary discomfort of going for what you want.

-This can relate to asking a girl/guy out.

-Performing at that open mic night you’ve been considering.

-Joining that group you’ve been thinking of joining.

-Anything that has to do with doing what you want.

People are afraid of all sorts of things & that’s okay.  You shouldn’t try to strive to be fearless, you should strive to TAKE ACTION when you are feeling afraid.

I have learned that it’s not about how I think or feel, it’s about what I do!!  

Don’t believe everything you think!  Question your assumptions and thoughts, and start TAKING ACTION!!!

Stop wasting time caring about the wrong things; things that only worry you.  Start caring about things that truly matter to you!arget=

10 Best Tips from Tim Ferriss

If you are looking to escape your 9-5 job, you came to the right place.

What I’m going to share with you will help you on your entrepreneurial journey; no matter if you are just beginning or have “entrepreneured” for years.

Let these 10 insights from Tim Ferriss be a guide to the good life:

1. “Slow Dance: Have you ever watched kids, On a merry-go-round? Or listened to the rain, Slapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight? Or gazed at the sun into the fading night? You better slow down. Don’t dance too fast. Time is short. The music won’t last. Do you run through each day, On the fly? When you ask: How are you? Do you hear the reply? When the day is done, do you lie in your bed, With the next hundred chores, Running through your head? You’d better slow down, Don’t dance too fast. Time is short, The music won’t last. Ever told your child we’ll do it tomorrow? And in your haste, Not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch, Let a good friendship die, Cause you never had time, To call and say Hi? You’d better slow down. Don’t dance so fast. Time is short. The music won’t last. When you run so fast to get somewhere, You miss half the fun of getting there. When you worry and hurry through your day, It is like an unopened gift thrown away. Life is not a race. Do take it slower. Hear the music, Before the song is over.” — This may have been written by David Weatherford but I first heard it from Tim Ferriss.

2. “For all of the most important things, the timing always sucks. Waiting for a good time to quit your job? The stars will never align and the traffic lights of life will never all be green at the same time. The universe doesn’t conspire against you, but it doesn’t go out of its way to line up the pins either. Conditions are never perfect. “Someday” is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you. Pro and con lists are just as bad. If it’s important to you and you want to do it “eventually,” just do it and correct course along the way.”

3. “But you are the average of the five people you associate with most, so do not underestimate the effects of your pessimistic, unambitious, or disorganized friends. If someone isn’t making you stronger, they’re making you weaker.”

4. “A person’s success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.”

5. “If you are insecure, guess what? The rest of the world is, too. Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself. You are better than you think.”

6. “To enjoy life, you don’t need fancy nonsense, but you do need to control your time and realize that most things just aren’t as serious as you make them out to be.”

7. “It’s lonely at the top. Ninety-nine percent of people in the world are convinced they are incapable of achieving great things, so they aim for the mediocre. The level of competition is thus fiercest for ‘realistic’ goals, paradoxically making them the most time and energy-consuming.”

8. “If you let pride stop you, you will hate life.”

9. “Role models who push us to exceed our limits, physical training that removes our spare tires, and risks that expand our sphere of comfortable action are all examples of eustress—stress that is healthful and the stimulus for growth.”

10. “People are fond of using the it’s not what you know, it’s who you know adage as an excuse for inaction, as if all successful people are born with powerful friends. Nonsense.”

Read these, and then read them again. These are the 10 best insights from Tim Ferriss. Please leave a comment adding additional insights from Tim or any from yourself that you have found helpful!

An Addition: Tim’s 5 favorite books include:

1) Moral Letters to Lucilus by Seneca the Younger

2) Surely you’re joking, Mr. Feynman by Richard Feynman

3) Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis

4) Dune by Frank Herbert

5) The Effective Executor by Peter F. Drucker

I wish the best for you as you journey toward the life you desire.

Think Big and You’ll Live Big

What does every successful person have in common?  They all think “BIG.”

The size of your thinking will determine your success.  Open your mind to see this truth now, or don’t, and continue living the life you have at this moment.  If you don’t like your job and want more from your life then REALLY open your mind to this idea.  You will watch your life prosper as you begin a journey to the life you dream of.

I’m sure you’ve heard that faith can move a mountain; that if you believe you can move a mountain you will!  This is true, but it is claptrap to think you can make a mountain move just by saying “Mountain move!”  That is impossible; people who think this way are confused with wishful thinking.  You can’t wish yourself into anything, but when you believe you can truly do something BIG, and I KNOW you can, the how-to-do it develops.  When you believe you’ll succeed you will begin to observe the best.  You will study how successful people approach problems and make decisions.  Belief is an essential element to success!!

Disbelief is a negative power.  When the mind disbelieves or doubts, the mind attracts “reasons” to support the disbelief*** When this thought first crossed my mind I instantly saw how I was already applying this to my life, so it made me reexamine my life.  Think doubt and fail.  Think victory and succeed.  BELIEVE, and watch your life expand tremendously.

Action Cures Fear

Everyone experiences a great deal of unpleasant, embarrassing, and discouraging situations.  But unsuccessful and successful people deal with these situations in exactly opposite ways.

Successful people focus on putting positive thoughts into their memory bank.  Unsuccessful people dwell on unpleasant situations.  If you’re reading this right now you either want to be successful or are a good friend of mine, and hopefully both!  If you do want to be more successful then you should practice recalling pleasant, positive experiences and count your blessings! I’ve begun to practice recalling pleasant situations and I actually wrote down a few amazing experiences on a note card to remember!  I am very appreciative of everything and have to give some credit to this method.

Another practical thing you can do is to take actions that support your HOPE!  What is it you desire?  What is holding you back from reaching it?  What you hope for, you can have.  This method has been proven time and time again, but you still might not believe it, which is why you will stay exactly where you are.  BELIEVE. Act on what you hope for!  People who consciously think of their hopes and then act to make them happen are the people you see who are living their dreams!

The next time you experience fear, calm yourself.  Then search yourself for an answer to this specific question: “What kind of action can I take to conquer my fear?”  Here are some examples of fear and some possible action cures:

Fear Fear of failing an exam
*Action*Convert worry time into study time.

Fear Fear of things totally beyond your control
*Action*Turn your attention to helping relieve the fear of others and pray.

Fear Fear of what other people may think and say
*Action*Make sure that what you plan to do is fair.  Then do it.  No one ever does anything worthwhile without being criticized.

Fear Fear of people
*Action*Put them in the correct perspective.  A person is just another human being pretty much just like yourself.

We all experience fear in one way or another, but the most successful people feel the fear then do it anyway!  They take action! BE decisive!  Instead of dwelling in fear, take action!  Do something.  Recall pleasant experiences often and get going!