Imagine that you are always directing your attention and energy in the best possible way. There is no limit to what you can achieve.
We constantly make tiny decisions. We can direct our attention in any direction we desire, in this moment.
Sadly, we humans make a lot of strange decisions. Evolution has not built us to make perfect choices all the time. Evolution built us to spread our DNA and conserve as much energy as possible. The keywords here are “conserve energy”. Our brain is not big compared to the rest of our body – it is only about 2% of our body mass – but it contributes to about 20% of our energy-use when resting . To conserve energy we have evolved a lot of shortcuts in our thinking.
However, there are some tools that help us make more correct decisions. Few things in life can be done with absolute certainty, but you can significantly improve the probability of your decision being the right one. Here are 9 of the tools that can make your decisions, and your life, amazing:
1 – Begin with the end in mind
One of the amazing capabilities of human beings is visualization. But it is a double-edged sword. You can visualize both what you want to happen and what you don’t want to happen. When you put a lot of sustained effort into the visions, they have a tendency to come true, both the good and the bad.
This is the essence of the law of attraction. We attract more of what we focus on.
“If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster.” – Stephen Covey
2 – The 80/20-Rule
The 80/20-rule, or Pareto’s Principle, states that 80% of our results come from 20% of our efforts.
Before you do something, ask yourself:
smart thinking an positive thoughts“Is this 80/20?”
Is this the course of action that gives the most results for my effort?
Constantly applying this rule on what you do makes you more aware of what to do. And, maybe as important, what not to do.
Some things we do, just doesn’t give the results we are looking for. Stop doing those things.
What brings you 80% of your results in finding self-realization and inner peace?
What brings you 80% of your results in actualizing your dreams?
3 – Synergy
“The interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements.” [3]
Do things that help other things.
You’re not only exercising and eating right to stay healthy – you stay healthy to improve your relationships and level of success.
You’re not just spending time with your spouse because you and/or your spouse wants to – it also helps you recover from the hard work you put into achieving your dreams.
You’re not just working on achieving your dreams because you’ll get success and it’s fun – it also improves your mental health and relationships.
Going deeper in self-realization aids self-actualization. And actualizing yourself – pushing your boundaries and pursuing your dreams – helps you realize deeper self-knowledge. Holistic thinking will take you the furthest. It is all interconnected.
4 – Parkinson’s Law
“Work expands so as to fill the time available for it"
This law states that we will spend all the time we have available in completing a task.
If you have a month to write a paper, you will spend a month writing it. You will probably waste the first 28 days on unfocused reading, TV-watching and just generally procrastinating.
To get amazing things done in life you often need to use tough deadlines to push you. When the clock is ticking you need to focus on the most important things.
Ask yourself “how fast can I possibly do this?” Use that deadline and put real pressure on yourself. You then focus on the essential stuff and get it done.
5 – Occam’s Razor
“Among competing hypotheses, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected.” [4]
We humans have a bias towards over complicating things. Make life simple and go the fastest way towards what you want. Ask yourself, “can I do this in a simpler, faster way?”. Go that way.
6 – Pour Your Money in Your Head
“For the best return on your money, pour your purse into your head.” – Benjamin Franklin
The money you spend on material things is gone. You just exchange money for more stuff. Money you pour into your head pays dividends in a lot of ways. Learning more has repercussions in all areas of life; you understand more of the world, you understand more of yourself, you understand others better and you’ll make a lot more money over time. In addition you will feel much better.
With the click of a mouse button you can get the knowledge from the world’s greatest thinkers, in all areas of life, sent right to your home.
7 – Popular Opinion Doesn’t Matter
The sad truth is that most people are not really living. They are mindlessly following the normal script for how life is supposed to be lived. They are afraid to look different.
Screw popular opinion. Screw the normal way of life. Live the way you want to live. Be your kind of weird and own it like a boss. You do not want to follow the life advice of people who are not really living.
“Let your weird light shine so bright that the other weirdoes can find you” – First seen on Spirit Science
When you follow your dreams, you meet other people who follow their dreams.
8 – Seek first to understand
We make a lot of wrong decisions in our interpersonal relationships. There is a theory in cognitive psychology called the Fundamental Attribution Bias [5]. This theory says that we tend to attribute what people do, more to their personality than to situational factors. And we tend to be wrong.
The slow driver in front of you is a moron and the driver that passes you is a maniac. You, on the other hand…
When you have an issue with someone close to you, either friend, family or work-related, seek first to understand. Put away your initial judgment of the situation. If you attribute the problem to some personal fault of the other person, you are likely to be wrong.
There is a very easy trick to make sure you understand: You try to explain the other person’s viewpoint to them in your words. If they can say, “yes, you’ve understood me”, you’re good. If they feel understood, but you still think the other person is an inconsiderate fool, at least you’ve made a real effort. If you refuse to try to understand the other person, just assume that they behaved like they did due to situational factors.
9 – Do I Want to Be Remembered for This?
No one will be remembered for the expensive sofa they bought or how many floors their house had. The fancy sofa will give you a good feeling for two days, and then you’re used to it.
When you follow your dreams and push the boundaries of what you can do, you get small victories along the way and unexpected rewards. People compliment you, you get deep insights, you learn about yourself and you get new exciting dreams.
“The road to mastery is paved with unexpected rewards” – Vegard Gjerde
References:
[1]Pellerin, L., Magistretti, P. J. “How to balance the brain energy budget while spending glucose differently”. J Physiol. 2003.
[2] Covey, S. R. “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful lessons in personal change”. Simon & Schuster, New York, 1990.