Misc
2010 is almost here. Like a lot of people you’re probably setting resolutions for yourself to achieve during the year. To give you and your goals a great start, here are a few past articles from Lyved.
How to just do it
You can plan and plan but many times you just got to do it.
http://www.lyved.com/body_soul/how-to-just-do-it/
7 ways to change your life in the next 7 days
Life change can be put in motion in not much time at all, maybe even in a week.
http://www.lyved.com/body_soul/7-ways-to-change-your-life-in-the-next-7-days/
The Vengeance of Unfulfilled Dreams
When you give up on your dreams, your dreams won’t let it go. They’ll come back with a vengeance.
http://www.lyved.com/body_soul/the-vengeance-of-unfulfilled-dreams/
Escaping Cape Fear: 9 Ways To Not Let Fear Stop You
Fear is often the biggest thing standing in the way of our achievements.
http://www.lyved.com/body_soul/escaping-cape-fear-9-ways-to-not-let-fear-stop-you/
The art of getting off your ass
We all need a little kick in the behind now and then.
http://www.lyved.com/success/the-art-of-getting-off-your-ass/
Freaking Out: 5 Career Success Myths
Our parents, peers, and society perpetuate many myths about career success as if they’re fact. This could have hampered you in the past, it could be affecting your present, so now it’s time to destroy those myths for 2010.
http://www.lyved.com/success/freaking-out-5-career-success-myths/
A Personal Constitution: The Way To Make Your Resolutions Stick
Most New Year’s resolutions are very short-lived. Perhaps a personal constitution can help you change that.
http://www.lyved.com/success/a-personal-constitution-the-way-to-make-your-resolutions-stick/
At a crossroads with no directions
Perhaps this New Year you know you want to do something new with your life, but you don’t know where to head, you feel you have no direction.
http://www.lyved.com/misc/at-a-crossroads-with-no-directions/
What do you want on your headstone?
Having a purpose in life and more focus might be as simple as one sentence.
http://www.lyved.com/body_soul/what-do-you-want-on-your-headstone/
The clock keeps ticking
No matter how long you wait, the big clock keeps tickin’.
http://www.lyved.com/body_soul/the-clock-keeps-ticking/
This is a guest post.
Life requires that we make decisions, often and continuously. Some decisions are small with limited impact, like “where should I park?”; but some are very large and potentially life changing, like “should I go back to college?” We make decisions in our personal lives, within our families, and related to our employment to name just three of the many channels. There came a time in my life that I realized that a structured process for decision making would improve the outcomes, potentially worth much for the larger decisions. Here are the steps in that process:
1.
Recognize you have a decision to make and how important it is to you. Allocate appropriate attention to it based on its importance. Select the right day for making the decision.
2.
Resolve to keep all options and NOT make the decision or over focus on just one option until it is time to narrow the choices.
3.
Determine what information, skill, viewpoint or other input you could use that might improve the probability of getting it right. Move out right away on accessing that help. Keep notes.
4.
Use your head. By this I mean that you should be careful to analyze the objective data in the early going. Your feelings in the matter are part of the fact set and can be cranked in as such, but the strong tendency is to allow feelings such as fear, love, excitement, anger, fantasy, etc. to drive the process and determine the outcome you WANT which you then use your head to JUSTIFY. At this stage resist letting feelings take over…keep the process in your head.
5.
Are you keeping notes? Do it. It is easy to revisit the issues, track the process and order your thinking. Reorder the notes from time to time as the imperative considerations begin to emerge.
6.
As the time for the decision approaches, narrow the choices to the 2 or 3 best alternatives and focus on them. Be disciplined and focus only on these best alternatives.
7.
When the time comes DECIDE, using the facts you assembled and analyzed and now in full cognizance of your feelings about the matter. Applying the heart driven judgment at the end is a powerful part of the process and takes human intuition fully into account, but the process does not get derailed from reality if you limit this step to the end.
8.
Implement your decision with zeal and conviction. It is the best call you could have made. Have confidence in it.
A tremendous advantage of being careful about this process for the big calls in life is the freedom of knowing you have done all you could do. You were careful, methodical and diligent giving the matter the importance it deserved. You made the best call that was possible at that time, knowing all that was knowable. So, do not look back, even if subsequent events temp you to think you went the wrong way. The only reason to look back is to review the process you used so you can improve it the next time.
Based on my experience, this process will offer you freedom and confidence.
Written by Lamar C. Smith
Lamar C. Smith is Chairman of the Board of Directors of H.O.P.E Farms Inc., a non-profit organization for high-risk boys, and a director of Torchmark, Inc., a leading provider of life and health insurance products and annuities. Smith is a former CEO of First Command Financial Services, a retail brokerage firm with more than 300,000 clients. He was an Air Force Special Operations Fighter pilot with over 114 combat missions and has earned decorations including Silver Stars, six Distinguished Flying Crosses and 11 Air Medals, which are awarded for gallantry and heroism. A board member of Search Ministries, Inc., he resides in Fort Worth, Texas with his family.
Lamar brings extensive personal, professional, and life experience to lessons for Balanced Living told through the exciting story in “There’s More to Life Than the Corner Office.”
To learn more please visit: www.ImprovingYourBalance.com
We’ve all been there and we will all be there again; standing at a crossroads with four possible directions to head but with no directions to tell us which way is best.
One road leads to what appears to be the Promised Land. Another road is shadowed by dark rain clouds. The third seems nonthreatening and calm. And the fourth road leads back to where you just came.
The fourth road should be instantly out your picture. You can’t turn back around even when you feel the decisions are too tough to handle. Going back brings you to a place with no progress and to a place that fills your mind with “what ifs?”.
Not having to worry about the fourth road doesn’t make your decision any easier. You still have no idea which way you should head. Other people can offer you advice but the reality is they don’t know which is best either. So where does the answer lie?
It lies within.
It comes from your heart and your guts. It’s the direction you’re draw to or pushed towards. It might be a road that you just want to explore more.
It may be the road that is full of pot holes and rain in the beginning. It doesn’t always have to be the path that’s sunny, full of flowers, and picturesque, because even those roads will have their rocky patches and need their fair share of rain.
The best road to take is the road that forces you to believe in yourself and forces you to keep hope close and tests your hope and belief along the way.
We must never forget those who were lost.
We must never forget those who are still fighting.
And we must never forget how precious life is.
Everyone has a story; some more compelling than others. Unfortunately millions of these stories go untold. However, thanks to a new site called MakesMeThink.com people have to ability to share their own amazing stories from life and read others.
Makes Me Think was founded by husband and wife team Marc and Angel. According to their about page MMT is; “…an online community where people share daily life stories that provoke deep thought and inspire positive change.”
They go on to explain their motivation for creating Makes Me Think; “Sometimes the most random everyday encounters force us to stop and rethink the truths and perceptions we have ingrained in our minds. These encounters are educationally priceless. They spawn moments of deep thought and self-reflection that challenge the status quo and help us evolve as sensible individuals.”
I personally can’t get enough of MMT. I check it at least once in the morning and once at night. When reading through the various stories, I find myself not only thinking, but going through a whole range of emotions from happiness to sadness to amazement.
Some of my favorite stories so far are:
“Today, I visited my grandpa at his retirement home. At 87, he always seems so happy. This morning I asked him, “How come I never hear you complain about your age like everyone else here?” He replied, “I have no complaints about growing old. Many folks are not fortunate enough to have the opportunity.” MMT” – by Seven
“Today, while I was driving my grandfather to his doctor’s appointment, I complained about hitting 2 red lights in a row. My grandfather chuckled and said, “You always complain about the red lights, but you never celebrate the green ones.” MMT” – by bange
“Today, I waited on an elderly woman at the local restaurant where I work. She left me a $90 tip on a $10 tab with a handwritten note that said, “I’m 86 and I can’t take this money with me. So please spoil yourself with it.” MMT” – Drew
“Today, my father told me, “Just go for it and give it a try! You don’t have to be a professional to build a successful product. Amateurs started Google and Apple. Professionals built the Titanic.” MMT” – by McGong
“Today, my company employs 130 intelligent individuals and turns a net profit of nearly $500K a year. I started this company 10 years ago after I was laid off by IBM. If they hadn’t laid me off, I might still be working in a cubicle at IBM today. MMT” – by Bill
“Today, I learned that not everything people say behind your back is bad. Actually, some of the nicest things that have ever been said about me were never mentioned to me directly. MMT” – by Dan
I highly urge you check out Makes Me Think and bookmark it.
