MAKING RASH DECISIONS YOU MIGHT EVENTUALLY SUFFER FROM

 Heed this!!! And avoid it like the plague! 

 Making Rash Decisions You Might Eventually Suffer From.

Triangulation To Achieve The Best Answer...And Learn More

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[Note that this should also be done with any plan that is important!]

 Awhile back I was asked to give my opinion of one of those conspiracy (or false cause) issues.  I reviewed the article that “proved” it was right.  I found it to be more conjecture trying to support conjecture and not at all evidence-based in any stretch of the imagination.  

When the person advocated other equally spurious beliefs, I did make a few comments, and then offered to be a sounding board for the person before the person actually comes to his/her final decision and started putting it out there to affect other people.  

The answer: A definite “No.”

Though I might not have been the right person to work with that person, the simple method of open-mindedly seeking the inputs of knowledgeable people will lead most often to the best answer rather than the answer that one has come to without fully thinking it out.  

From Ray Dalio, one of the very most successfully people on the planet, and a good human being, I recommend that you follow his principle of triangulation to be sure you have your best answer (and use his free, no strings attached “Principles” app in order to be smarter about living a life based on the principles that ACTUALLY WORK!  

See Triangulating To Achieve Better Results...And Learn More!

The Two Biggest Barriers To Good Decision Making

Wisdom, from Ray Dalio (read his book Principles even if you’re not in business).

“ The two biggest barriers to good decision making are your ego and your blind spots. Together, they make it difficult for you to objectively see what is true about you and your circumstances and to make the best possible decisions by getting the most out of others.

If you can understand how the machine that is the human brain works, you can understand why these barriers exist and how to adjust your behavior to make yourself happier, more effective, and better at interacting with others.”

The Fateful Day Of Choosing...

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While looking at the powerful day launching conversations I could have and looking at what makes the most difference in personal power,  it struck me that this might be the most powerful of all.

It starts like this:

"Some say that the day one chooses, or recognizes as a fact, that one is 100% responsible for one’s life is the fateful day of choosing that will alter dramatically upward the rest of a person’s life.

Fine.

AND the following is what I think is a more complete and more fateful choosing.  In this case, my “choosing” is in the form of “deciding” - making that decision that cuts off all retreat and lays out (determines) the future path of my life.  (“de” = of; “cision”, as in scissors, means cutting, severing the connection to the other choices)"

See what it is and read the entire piece:  The Fateful Day Of Choosing. 

And then see what you can do that will serve yourself at the highest level and greatest impact on your life!

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Refer: Please refer others to the blog and/or the site, so we can build a sufficient audience to make this thing bigger and better.  (See the. mission of The Life Management Institute.) 

Use these blogs effectively!

See "how to utilize this blog" in the header.  Consider the great worth of learning how to use a blog effectively:  How To Smartly Use A Blog.

Main site:   TheLifeManagementAlliance.Com or enter the topic you are interested into the Main Navigation/Search Page

The power of a 100% decision/rule

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If we decide “tentatively” (depending on how we feel at the time), our decisions in the moment will not serve us well.  We will always be weak about whatever we thought was best when we were in our higher brain.

However, if we make a decision to adhere a 100% of the time to something that is best for us, even our primitive mind can understand that (and is much, much, much more likely not to give in to the moment’s temptations.  

I’d recommend that you consider what Brian Johnson is saying in this piece:  Extreme?

Also, I’d recommend the book he is citing, but not just for the subject it talks about...but for the way of thinking that will serve you tremendously in your life. 

There is tremendous power in the 100% decision, not only in the moment, but in the priceless degree of confidence that you’ll gain in being able to rely on yourself.  (That overlaps into two of the four necessary components of happiness.)

The relief from having to struggle “with oneself”, internally, is also a super big benefit.  Redeciding in the moment between what the primitive mind believes it wants and what you’ve decided rationally is best...is a huge waste of energy, plus a likely harmful practice to continue!

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Share: Please share this post with others it could be of benefit to.  Post the link to social media and/or use the little white envelope right below this post (if you are on a phone you may have to push, near the bottom, on "web version" to see it).

Be on the email list or a feed:  On full web blog version, just register in the right hand box.  If on a mobile version,  click follow the posts and then choose, in the box on the right, the little white-in-blue envelope symbol to select email or enter your feed. Receive notification of blog posts (and changes on the site, plus books).  

Refer: Please refer others to the blog and/or the site, so we can build a sufficient audience to make this thing bigger and better.  (See the. mission of The Life Management Institute.) 

Use these blogs effectively!

See "how to utilize this blog" in the header.  Consider the great worth of learning how to use a blog effectively:  How To Smartly Use A Blog.

Main site:   TheLifeManagementAlliance.Com or enter the topic you are interested into the Main Navigation/Search Page

Are there actual "allies" in The Life Management Alliance? Here's one...

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Is there an actual Life Management Alliance?

Not yet, per se.

Unless you look at it from a different viewpoint, that I am the one choosing to align with the best resources I find, in order to help the users of the site learn and develop the capabilities that are needed to create a great life.

To that end, here is one site I would choose to ally with, with its slogan, which I totally support:

"Farnam Street helps you make better decisions, innovate, and avoid stupidity."

Though this site is oriented toward those who might be in business and/or a profession, I think the value of it is, indeed, in teaching all persons how to learn better, how to think better, how to make better decisions, and how to manage life better.

It is, I think, about acquiring practical life wisdom.  "Practical" refers to gaining results in real life, results that actually show up in terms of one's own happiness and in one's impact on others in the world (on the world).  The ability to run one's life with the wisdom that will create the very best life is what it is about.

Even for those who aren't really interested in "going deep" into wisdom thinking, I recommend that you at least scan the email to get the idea of the post - and to possibly discover some things you might actually care to follow up on, just for personal reasons.

In most cases, I've discovered, it is virtually useless, and too random and unsystematic, to be notified by email of new information that is not specifically on what I am working/focusing on.  So I send most of them automatically (without me screening them or reading them first) to a category of emails that I can read when I am focusing on something related to the category.  However, I recommend that you get the Farnam Street Blog newsletter directly for your reading that day - as it stimulates thinking to the highest level, for anyone in any position in life.

There are a very few others that are worth receiving directly into my direct email list, but I'll cover those later.  (I have recently shed most of the 50-100 blogs/newsletters/notifications so that I don't waste an ounce of energy or mental space on them and only look at a very, very few now.  While this, of course, increases one's productivity (or decreases the causes of lack of productivity), I attacked it because of the thoughts and strategies that came up while writing The Self Control book, upcoming.)

[Of course, I recommend that you recommend this blog, or an occasional post of interest, to your associates who are progress oriented and who want to live the best life.  Some may wish also to explore the website to extract what is of value to them! (Use the little envelope symbol below this post to share a post with someone you care about.]

[If you have any questions, situations I might address, or suggestions about what to write about, please contact me.}

What happens when you take full responsibility for your life

I've annotated and added a "what to do now" section to this excellently written piece by Benjamin P. Hardy.  Your life will not be better until you've completed this process  Link to my Evernote copy:
Full Responsibility.  (Let me know if the link doesn't work:  Contact.)

The one decision that determines all of your life...

Often times, we let a strong, but erroneous, core belief determine our life.  However, to make all of life work, one must make a different choice.

Consider making (or remaking) The One Decision That Determines All Of Your Life.

Also, a relevant related post worth heeding:  A person with internal reference is happier than an external reference person.  Highly life successful people have a strong internal reference and a strong internal locus of control.  Need I say more?

I hope you'll consider this and take the path to your greatest life.  

Note that a person who is strong and life successful has ALWAYS looked at his/her belief and reformulated the bad beliefs.  A person in charge of his/her life WILL NOT ALLOW a strong barrier (negative) belief to persist.  He/she will attack that barrier and solve it, rather than keep living it.

Certainly that is what you do to be a Life Champion.

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If you find that any of these might be useful to others, do share them.  Just click on the little envelope in the section right below this post.

Exercise Vs. Continuous Flow Of Golden Time

I wrote about the question of when it is best to exercise and when it is best to make sure that one spends his/her most valuable "gold" energy and alertness on gaining what is of golden value.  

WHICH FIRST?

In one case, one might rationally choose to not take up a golden hour to do one's exercise, even though exercise is a gold activity.  In this case, one would first harvest the early morning alertness and energy, going "on a roll" of continuous (with brief breaks) maximum use of golden hours. 

In another case, one might rationally choose to exercise first thing in the morning, to both assure that it will not be subject to being bumped later as the day's interruptions descend upon one and to get a good boost to better launch one's day.  The "better launch" I am talking about here is the raising of one's mood (for as much as 12 hours), one's metabolism (for as much as 12 hours), one's functioning physically, one's energy for the day.  

THE RISK OF BEING DISPLACED

Let's say a person has trouble with self control and thus finds himself not going forward in utilizing the golden hours.  His coach might recommend doing the golden hours first, continuously, until 3 hours are invested, and then doing exercise.  So in this case, the exercise is at risk of being displaced, instead of having the gold time being vulnerable to displacement.  

CRITERION: SUBSTANCE OVER FORM

So, let's say, the person chooses to do what the coach recommended. 

But there is a danger here, in that the person might be trying to be obedient such that he gets stuck in the "form" of it (three hours golden first and then 1 hour exercise), but fails to weigh the "substance" of it.  The "substance", of course, is how well something works to produce the value desired.   The form is sticking to a particular way.  But ultimately the wise person always chooses "substance over form" - to get better results instead of sticking to a particular form (way) of doing something when it isn't working well at the time.  

The wise person notes whether he is getting the desired results.  If the first choice doesn't seem to be working, he might alter his choice of when to do the exercise.  He might try doing the exercise first and note the results.  

AND WHILE YOU'RE AT IT...

Further, he might ask "how can this "alert, high energy" time be even better utilized?

He might then say to himself, "well maybe I needn't take until 9 am to start the focused golden time or exercise.  Maybe I'll cut short my dawdling and wandering about in the morning and do all I need to prepare the night before so that I don't have to do it during my morning hours.  Yes, that's it, I will start at 8 am instead."  (Of course, the next level up in thinking would be to go to bed earlier, so that there are more unlikely to be interrupted hours in the morning because of the earlier start!)

Then, he might notice that after an hour or hour and a half of writing or planning or deep thinking/learning in some way, his brain and thinking get fogged over and unclear, slowed down as if in a muck.  At that point, it may be better to go do the exercise right then, in the middle of his golden hours, so that he, and his brain power,will be "renewed" and more capable of being used effectively for the other 1 1/2 hours.  

Anyway, the point here is fairly obvious.  In lieu of the unquestioned benefit of having a pre-set regular routine and habit, one may find it best to notice what is actually going on sometimes when the exceptions might come up - and then one needs to make a decision that is worthwhile spending the energy for, gaining the extra value of shifting to a better strategy in the moment.  

(In this case, the "no exceptions" rule (which is a good "form" way to operate), is adjusted to a "no exceptions unless it is worthwhile and wise and better to do the exception", That rule is held, implicitly, of course, in the value mindset person, as it is always the rational rule in the first place, The person in the "fixed mindset" might think it has to be the "no exceptions" rule that is ironclad as "the form" to follow.  And he might even add the illogical belief that "it is 'bad' not to follow the form" or that he is "bad" when he "falls short" of following the rule.   If the latter occurs, then one must notice the "bad" emotion and that therefore there must be a "bad" belief to correct, and then go through the correction process using the belief changing process.)

Make these key decisions in life for a great life!

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Good decisions cause good choices.

Good choices cause a great life.

What else could be true but the above?  

So, now, there is a path you get to choose that shows you which key decisions you must make to have that great life.  And all of this is very doable, very implementable, by anyone who chooses that path.

And, yes, this will take some time and effort on your part - but the payoffs will result in much greater time and effort being freed up and saved AND enormous life benefits.

See if you are willing to make these decisions so that you can step up to having the greatest life!

Click on this:  The Key Decisions To Make In Life - Do These Right And You'll Have A Great Life!.

I hope with all of my heart that you make these key decisions - and that you create a great life as a result of it.  If you make the decisions, you will, for sure, have a great life! 

Keith

What if one value conflicts with another...?

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Go back to the beginning of the posts on July 3rd, to start the sequence.

Since two things cannot fit into the same space or happen at the same time, we must always make "tradeoffs", where we choose something of higher value that will displace something of lower value.  If we do not do that, we will live a life of lower value - and that is not a good choice, even if one has the excuse of being ignorant of how to value activities in life.

This truth above does not mean that 'more of" one highest value activity will always displace all others.  The reason for that is that as we do more of something the extra value created will ALWAYS over time diminish.  As we eat more pie, the satisfaction from eating pie goes down, until we choose to stop eating pie (and jump for the ice cream!).  

So, what if one of your highest valued activities is to relate to your children and they are visiting for a week?  Does this mean that each hour (after being with them for several hours) will have high value or that you should religiously just focus on them all the hours of the week?  

Wouldn't you still sleep?  Wouldn't you still do what is good for your health?  Wouldn't you still assure that your basic emotional well-being is taken care of and not diminished by taking too many hours to be with the kids?  

A wise person who makes good choices in life, and is thus happy, will choose to "distinguish what is of value", "differentiate", and "think" (using the higher brain to decide) to determine what is of the highest value for the moment (or next unit of time).  He/she will "draw boundaries" and then choose to implement those boundaries in order to assure that all highest value activities will be engaged in.  

This person would tell the kids that he/she will be taking some time for him/herself or simply say "I need some time to do a few things for myself, so let's not start on our joint activities until 10 am.  Ok?"  ("OK?" in this case is not asking for permission and is only verifying that they "get it" and agree with it or have no problem with it.)   If the relationship is so precarious and/or they don't appreciate the great number of hours you will be spending with them, then the relationship is not in good repair or there is an understanding that needs to be established.  

Foolish is the man or woman who gives away what is most valuable in life for what is not - who let's the "pressure" of "outside demands" govern his/her life at the moment displacing governing her life herself, by choosing to do what is of truly the most long term value.  

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Much happiness to you in making wise tradeoffs and standing for what is best for you!

Keith

WHY EFFECTIVE THINKING AND EMOTIONS WORK TOGETHER AND NOT IN OPPOSITION!

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It is not uncommon for some people to have a visceral (emotional) negative reaction to the idea of "rational thinking".  It seems to imply that one's emotions are not to be considered - and, of course, that feels threatening to many people.

However, verified-fact-based, rational thinking IS the vehicle to creating even better emotions, while its key consideration must always be the emotional effect upon the individual.

Indeed, it is not the enemy of emotion.  It is the very best friend of emotion!!!!

Read and consider:  Why Effective Thinking And Emotions Work Together And Not In Opposition.

In fact, effective thinking is THE key to living the greatest life.  (See The Only Path To The Greatest Life.)

May you learn it well...and transform your life!

Keith

As always, refer others to this blog and/or the site.

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Effective thinking is simple:

1.  Verify that the facts are true and valid.

2.  Use reasoning in making your decisions, as the higher brain is our most powerful weapon in life!

The results of doing any less than this on important decisions will create a life that is far, far less happy and fulfilled!