There is a profound difference between asking “Do you need help?” and showing up with the tools, the mindset, the preparedness to roll up your sleeves and genuinely help.
Tag: self-improvement
Double reminder
News, magazines, social media, broadcasters, experts, webzines, blogs, radios.
They are all out there fighting for our attention. And of course they exaggerate the things they say and they write.
Here’s a double reminder, particularly useful in these days of overexposure and quick bursts of fear.
As consumers, we can decide what to dedicate our attention to. It’s often not easy, but we can concentrate on the job we are here to make and cut out all the rest. No matter how dramatic, alarming, important the news of the moment is framed to be.
As content creators, we have a choice to make between trying to shout louder and use a softer tone of voice. If we decide for the latter, it will be tougher at times. But when we go for the former, the message we want to share will simply fade in the overwhelmingly buzzing noise that jams our audience’s ears at all times.
Simple and difficult
The first step to achieve most things is figuring out what you want to do.
It is true for life, for career, for relationships. It is true for values and purpose too. It is true when deciding what to study, where to go on holidays, whether or not you should move abroad.
I know it might seem trivial, but many times what we end up doing has little relationship with what we want to do. And so, it’s good to dedicate time and energy to figuring out the first step.
Ask difficult questions.
What do I care about?
What type of person do I want to be?
What do I see when I look ten years from now?
What does success look like for me?
Once this is clear, then the second step is to go all-in.
This is where the challenge starts.
The moment you have made up your mind is the moment you start to be distracted and seduced by a million other possibilities. And the longer your resolution stands, the easier it will be to get demotivated and disappointed, as the path unfolding is never immediately, exactly the one you had imagined.
There is no shortcut though. You can’t achieve much by investing 10%, 50%, 99% of the effort. You can’t change course at the first opportunity, or falter in front of the umpteenth challenge. You can decide to go somewhere else, sure, but you have to go back to step one for that to be effective. And it won’t be any easier.
How simple is this to understand. How difficult to practice.
We think we know
We think we know, and we know nothing.
We think we know how other people feel, think, prioritise, decide.
We think we know the full picture of the situation we are in.
We think we know what’s important, what matters, what everyone should be focused on.
We think we know what’s going to happen tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and next week, and next month.
We think we know the consequences of our choices on ourselves and others.
We think we know the answer to the question, and the question no one is asking.
We think we know how others see us.
We think we know how we feel, think, prioritise, decide.
And we know nothing.
Accept this simple fact, and you’ll be free.
Far away
Sometimes we are deeply touched by events that happen miles away from our life and daily routine.
There’s much to learn when this happens. It’s about the interpretation we give to the facts, about the values they represent, about the relationships we want to establish in the world, about the group of people we want to belong to.
If we take some times to reflect on why and how such events affect us, we can get out on the other side more aware and grateful for the things we are building.
Let this be a step forward, not a reason to get stuck.
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