Do You Really Need More Positive Habits?
No one impeded progress more than ourselves
“Do you really need to add more good habits? When you want to be, you are super productive. Lacking good habits is not your weakness, but your bad habits are.” — My wife
Normally when my wife smacks me in the face with reality I get defensive and start an unnecessary argument. However, when she said the words above, I immediately succumbed and for once in my life I replied with exactly the words she deserved to hear, “You are right.”
I was once told that as human beings we spend the first half of our lives collecting, and the second half determining what to keep.
With her words, my wife opened my eyes to the fact that I have reached the point in my life where I do not need to add more logs to the fire. However, I do need to do a better job of not smothering the strong ones so they have more room to breathe.
1. SPENDING TIME WITH CHARLATANS:
Warren Buffett’s partner, Charlie Munger, said that almost the entire job of he and Warren is to identify the people that look good, but are not competent, and remove them from the system.
We all know these types of people. They look the part and have great communication skills, however, when asked to dive deep they lack the knowledge.
These people are dangerous. They know how to hide among us, and at times take advantage of those who are highly skilled in their trade, but are still lacking confident communication skills.
Do not be fooled by these people. They have only put in the work for personal gain, but not yet put in the work to benefit others.
2. SECOND GUESSING YOURSELF:
Developing your frame of reference comes down to questioning everything and seeking out opinions from both sides of the aisle. However, it is all for nothing if when it comes time to make the decision, you do not listen to yourself and give your intuition the last word.
The same person who today you label as brave was once a coward.
The only difference is that they knew what they needed to do, and they had the courage to do it.
3. WALLOWING IN THE PAST INSTEAD OF LEARNING FROM IT:
Always set out to win, however, never forget that success often lies on the other side of failure and is the reward for those that are willing to understand where and why they failed.
Complaining and making excuses about the past can do you more harm than the initial failure. It not only puts you in a bad light, it also wastes valuable time that could have been used to right the previous wrong.
If you screw up, own it, apologize, ask how you can make it right and then bury the worry so you can move forward at full speed.
4. DISTORTING REALITY:
Most people distort reality into a plate that is easily digestible for them as individuals and choose to ignore the fact that the brutal facts, are the only facts.
They choose to read only the works of others that reinforces their own existing biases and preconceived notions and choose to spend time with those that share similar beliefs.
However, breakthroughs are rarely found on a one-way street. They come about by identifying what was missed and the best way to accomplish this is to learn from the perspectives of those who are travelling in a different direction.
5. TRYING TO BE THE SOLUTION TO EVERYONE’S PROBLEMS:
The surest way to not help anyone, is to try and help everyone. You will never have it all, know it all or be it all. The sooner you accept the fact that someone else may be better suited to address the problems of the people you care about, the sooner you can get back to sharpening your skills for the day they can really be of use.
The strongest axe in your tool shed does nothing when it comes time to cut the grass.
6. FAILING TO SET ASIDE TIME FOR DEEP WORK:
Looking to ensure that nothing gets done well? Great, continue building those 20 point to-do lists and avoiding setting aside time for uninterrupted work. Start with one, two to three hour session of no-dings and no-beeps in the morning, and after getting some exercise or taking a nap in the afternoon to re-charge, repeat.
The most productive countries in Europe work the least amount of hours. This is not a coincidence.
7. FISHING FOR ATTENTION:
“A good rule of thumb is that when you’ve got it, you don’t have to say it. People know. That holds true for wealth, compassion, faith, and yes, being a “very stable genius.” — Dan Rather in a recent tweet directed at him whom who will not be mentioned.
Nothing kills credibility faster than the words, “Look at me.”
8. PLACING THE WORDS OF EXPERTS OVER YOUR OWN JUDGEMENT:
Remember that for every expert that warns of the dangers, there is one waiting in the wings to shout the benefits.
It is your job to learn all sides and incorporate your lessons learned and life experiences to draw your own conclusions, even if they lie outside the lines of conventional wisdom.
“Don’t be buffaloed by experts and elites. Experts often possess more data than judgment.” — Colin Powell
9. PUTTING OFF THE WORST TILL LAST:
Sometimes in life you are going to have to do things that you do not want to do. Putting them off and delaying the inevitable not only creates a mountain out of a molehill, it also ensures that the things you want to do well will not have your full attention.
So make the call you are dreading and move on. You will survive.
10. TAKING PEOPLE FOR GRANTED:
“If you treat people at the end of the relationship like you did at the beginning, there won’t be an end.”
Out of all the quotes by Tony Robbins, read this one everyday and then go put his words into action.
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