How Focused is Your Brain?...(video)

 if it's anything like mine - not very. And when it is, it's all the wrong things.

I'm sort of a fan of Benjamin Hardy, PhD.  I say "sort of" because he's a newly minted PhD and still young, although he's accomplished quite a bit in his life already.

I also admire he and his wife taking on three foster kids, all siblings, and eventually adopting them all before they even had kids of their own. 

My all time favorite self-improvement book is Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones*, by James Clear. 

Running a close second is Willpower Doesn't Work*, by Hardy.  Used together, they become an unbeatable way to improve your mind and your life. 

It was those two books, plus the backup books The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM)*, by Hal Elrod, 

and 

The Journal Writing Superpower Secret: Get Productivity Superpowers, Kill Procrastination and Stop Self-Sabotage, and Then Take Over the World* ,by Michael Forest.

All of these books together are responsible for my morning routine. 

First thing in the morning, I drink at least 8oz or more of water followed by a cup barrel of coffee. I wander to my office, turn on some ambient non-distracting music and do a bit of journaling. Some mornings it might only be a sentence or two. Other mornings, it may be pages. If I haven't set my agenda for the day the previous evening, I do it now.  Next I do some spiritual reading, which often involves looking passages up in my Bible.  Finally, I pray.  Many mornings, I just sit and have a chat with God about my concerns, asking for help, and praying for the repose of the souls of the faithfully departed.

If I skip my morning routine - usually because I've hopped on the internet (bad!!), the rest of my day wobbles like a half-filled balloon. 

There is no doubt we are all experiencing grave stress with the current situation in this country. One way to combat stress caused by feeling out of control is to take control. 

Onward!

Flappy Hands Alert

If you've hung around here more than a day or two, you're aware that women with flappy hands drive me a bit nuts. Included with this is grown women who squeal with their mouth hanging open, while making big eyes when they spot a friend across a crowded room. It's often accompanied by pointing. Shudder! Way too often, the flappy hands offender is a professional "journalist" who should know better.  

I was very prone to presenting myself with the Italian version of flappy hands, but after some time in Toastmasters and treating it like the bad habit it is, I rarely do it anymore except at home, where driving one's hubby nuts is a feature not a bug.  

  Hardy is the first man I've run across with flappy hand syndrome.  He also speaks so fast you must really concentrate to keep up.  Thank goodness for the stop button on videos. If you're having a really hard time, you can click on the settings gear icon on a YouTube video and slow him down a bit without making him sound like Lurch.

May I suggest you take some notes and refer to them from time to time? 

*Affiliate links

Instead of boring and depressing news how about 3 Ideas, 2 quotes, and 1 question...

from my favorite author on habit's , James Clear.





If you don't have a copy of Atomic Habits - do yourself a favor and get it. I recommend the hard copy over Kindle.

3 ideas, 2 quotes, 1 question 
(September 5, 2019)

Ideas that never expire. | by James Clear

Happy Thursday!

Let's get right to it.

Here are 3 ideas, 2 quotes, and 1 question to ponder this week…

3 IDEAS FROM ME

I.

A problem solving strategy:

If you’re stuck, shift up a level or two (think bigger picture) or down a level or two (think finer details). Many problems are solvable at a different level.

​This works for strategy too. You’ll often find a better opportunity at a different level.

---

II.

Practice is the price you pay today to be better tomorrow.

---

III.

Merely believing you deserve something doesn’t make it a reality… but believing you don’t deserve something will prevent you from trying.

Most people are capable of more than they believe. Confidence won’t automatically get you results, but self-doubt sets your ceiling.

2 QUOTES FROM OTHERS

I.

John W. Gardner was the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare under President Lyndon Johnson and a recipient of the 1964 Presidential Medal of Freedom.

In this passage, he describes the importance of tough-minded optimism:

“Optimism is unfashionable today, particularly among intellectuals. Everyone makes fun of it. Someone said, “Pessimists got that way by financing optimists.” But I am not pessimistic and I advise you not to be.

“…a tough-minded optimism is best. The future is not shaped by people who don't really believe in the future. Men and women of vitality have always been prepared to bet their futures, even their lives, on ventures of unknown outcome. If they had all looked before they leaped, we would still be crouched in caves sketching animal pictures on the wall.

“But I did say tough-minded optimism. High hopes that are dashed by the first failure are precisely what we don't need. We have to believe in ourselves, but we mustn't suppose that the path will be easy, it's tough. Life is painful, and rain falls on the just, and Mr. Churchill was not being a pessimist when he said “I have nothing to offer, but blood, toil, tears and sweat.” He had a great deal more to offer, but as a good leader he was saying it wasn't going to be easy, and he was also saying something that all great leaders say constantly — that failure is simply a reason to strengthen resolve.”

Source: Personal Renewal

(Note: I could have quoted most of this speech by Gardner. It was so good that I added it to my list of great speeches.)

---

II.

Maya Angelou, the wise and widely-admired poet and author, on courage:

“[Courage is] the most important of all the virtues. Without that virtue you can’t practice any other virtue with consistency.”

1 QUESTION FOR YOU

Look at each item on your to-do list and ask, “Is this truly necessary?”

Until next week,

James Clear
Author of the New York Times bestselling book, Atomic Habits
Creator of The Habits Academy and the Habit Journal

More:

Midweek Motivation... (with James Clear)

Midweek Motivation...

because we can all use a kick in the rear patootie ever so often.

Instead of spending time on useless endeavors (guilty!), how about listening to 22 minutes of pure inspiration?

I'm a huge fan of James Clear and his book Atomic Habits.  I recommend you purchase this book in hard cover so you can quickly access different chapters.  Yeah - I know you can do that in Kindle, but trust me on this, you need an actual book.

Even though I've read the book, made copious notes, and have implemented many of his strategies, I still have a problem with getting to the gym every other day.  Nine minutes into the video he talks about "having a plan."  Hmmmmm - I write "gym" in my agenda on the appropriate days, but a gazillion things happen to keep me from going.  Keep in mind the stinking gym is TWO MINUTES from my house and my workout takes about 45 minutes.

I went today.  Why? Because I had an appointment with my personal trainer.  Oh, wait.  I write down gym, but I don't write down an exact time, except if I have an appointment with Tyler.  So merely writing down "gym" without an exact time is not a plan!  It's wishful thinking.  Light bulb moment!

I'll be at history club today and running errands - including buying the very best ingredients for my popcorn making since this evening is the first dem debate.  Holy cow, i miei piccoli topi, what fun it will be to see those monsters taking pot shots at each other. 

High dungeon over the SOTU address...

and does anyone really care?

I would guess that 95% of the peeps in the country have little or no idea of what's going on and couldn't care less.  Nancy Pelosi is waving her little gavel around and thinking she's put one over on Trump. She hasn't.

Meanwhile, the Covington High School kids continue to be savaged while the Indian is shown to be a liar. 

And New York lit up the World Trade Center's spire in pink to celebrate the killing of babies.  They call it the Reproductive Health Act.  There's nothing healthy in the bill for the babies that will continue to be slaughtered.

States are rushing in to strengthen their abortion laws in anticipation of the possibility of Roe v Wade being overturned.  So, fear not, pink pussy hat wearing savages - your right to kill your kids will continue on.

When did our country devolve into such barbarism?

Am I worried?  Oh, hell noes - since the world is going to end in 12 years anyways...

More:

Trevor Loudon:  A Beginner’s Guide To American Communist Parties: Part 1  Part 1 of this article will deal with the communists who work with the Democratic party, as a matter of policy. These organizations are the most subversive and dangerous in America. read it all

Don Surber:  Why lefties attacked Nick Sandmann

Nox and Friends:  Facts about a President’s SOTU address

MOTUS: Fake News Reports the End of Fake News Press Briefings


Amazon Today

I'm a sucker for self help books, so when James Clear "harassed" me into buying his book Atomic Habits I thought, "Why not?  I spend waste money on way less important things."

Glad I did.  It's excellent!  If you're someone who endeavors to improve habits and lead a more productive life - get this book.