Sleep

There will always be "one more thing" you need to do. Your "to do" list is never ending, and it will probably always be never ending. Instead of staying up late to work on "one more thing," here's a suggestion: go to sleep. Whatever it is you are considering doing will still be there tomorrow, and you'll feel so much better in the morning if you go to bed now.

Try it for yourself.

Fixed vs. Growth Mindset

I first saw this video about a "fixed vs. growth mindset" at Back to School night a LONG time ago. The principal played it for us parents, and although I'd heard the terms before, the video hit home. A growth mindset - praising a child for "trying hard" not a fixed mindset - praising a child for "being smart" was more beneficial in the long run for children and adults as well. I love adding the word "yet" to many sentences.

Why We Are Restless

Last week, I posted about the book Why We Are Restless: On the Modern Quest for Contentment and I am really struggling with it. The book talks about the ideas of philosophers like Montaigne, Rousseau, Pascal, Voltaire, and I am trying to keep up, but it is very difficult to focus on serious ideas when I am driving. I am determined to finish the book so I can understand the authors' thesis of "why we are restless" and maybe integrate the ideas with my work.

Side follow up to Tuesday's post about doing the next step: when I started my car this morning, the "check tire gauge" light came on. Instead of driving around for days like I usually do, I took it to the mechanic right away! It turned out to be a slow leak at the valve and they replaced it. What did I learn? When I'm intentional, I can make changes!

Just do the next step

My iPhone 8 camera has been broken for a long time. The camera takes wavy pictures like the ocean. I have cleaned the lens, and it didn't get better. Sometimes, instead of wavy pictures, I get shaky pictures.

Today is the first day of school and I had to take "first day" pictures with another phone. That was embarrassing. Also, I have missed out on how many months of pictures because of this problem? So I made an online appointment at the Apple Store and guess what, for $59 + tax, they replaced the camera with a new camera. Voila. Too simple.

Instead of kicking myself that I should have taken care of this sooner, I am going to congratulate myself on making the appointment and taking care of this today. And hopefully next time I'll remember to "just do the next step."

Longevity

One way to think about "what to do with your life" is to figure out a few simple guiding principles to help you make decisions. For example, in one blog post, I talked about being kind to future you, so when faced with a decision, you would choose the path that would make life easier/better for yourself in the future. Today I want to share the idea of "longevity." What skills will allow you to keep your options open as you grow older? Does it mean you get a college degree? Or does it mean that you set the foundation for starting your own business? Or if you are older, does it mean you get certified in another field? Longevity is an individual decision, and thinking about your options with this lens can be helpful.

What is your metric of success?

What do you want from life? Who do you want to be / grow into? How will you know when you have achieved your definition of "success"?

I think this idea of envisioning what your life will look like, how you will feel, who/what surrounds you, is a useful technique for first figuring out what you think you want, and then using this vision to figure out a path to make this dream a reality.

For me, I want calmness and happiness, and I also like predictability (some might call this boring-ness). However, many of us realize that life is actually very unpredictable. So in those times, I think it's important to take the unknowns one step at a time, and not think too far in advance because that becomes overwhelming, which then becomes paralyzing.

A Personal Board of Directors

I think everyone needs a personal "board of directors." I first heard about this concept from the Coursera "Introduction to Personal Branding" MOOC (massive open online course) by Kimberley Barker of the University of Virginia (I highly recommend this course.)

Ms. Barker recommends choosing people who 1) you admire and respect, 2) care about you and want you to succeed and 3) will be honest with you. Having a personal board is a way for you to share what you are working on and getting feedback as to whether your goals are realistic, and accountability for following through on those goals.

Who is on your board?

Vocal fillers

Vocal fillers are the "um", "uh", "you know" sounds that fill a person's speech when they are not sure what they are going to say next. Learning vocal fillers was a thing was transformational. Practicing to reduce vocal fillers is easier than you might think. The first step is awareness. The second step is watching this short video that has great tips!

Being kind to your future self

What can you do today to be kind to your future self? It could be something small, like stopping at the gas station when the tank is half empty, vs. waiting until the red light comes on. Or going to bed early vs. watching one more TV show. Recently, I thanked my previous self for taking the time to jot down a few notes about a financial transaction. I was amazed that, years ago, I had taken that extra five minutes, so I thanked my previous self for making tax day just a little easier.

What will you do to be kind to Future You?

The Two Travelers and The Farmer

This is one of my favorite stories because it captures my philosophy. I found this version of "The Two Travelers and The Farmer" online.

A traveler came upon an old farmer working in his field beside the road. Eager to rest his feet, the wanderer hailed the countryman, who seemed happy enough to straighten his back and talk for a moment.

“What sort of people live in the next town?” asked the stranger.

“What were the people like where you’ve come from?” replied the farmer, answering the question with another question.

“They were a bad lot. Troublemakers all, and lazy too. The most selfish people in the world, and not a one of them to be trusted. I’m happy to be leaving the scoundrels.”

“Is that so?” replied the old farmer. “Well, I’m afraid that you’ll find the same sort in the next town.

Disappointed, the traveler trudged on his way, and the farmer returned to his work.

Some time later another stranger, coming from the same direction, hailed the farmer, and they stopped to talk. “What sort of people live in the next town?” he asked.

“What were the people like where you’ve come from?” replied the farmer once again.

“They were the best people in the world. Hard working, honest, and friendly. I’m sorry to be leaving them.”

“Fear not,” said the farmer. “You’ll find the same sort in the next town.”

Hello, World

This is my first blog post, reminiscent of my first (and last) programming class (eek! Fortran) and the first software code I wrote that printed the words “Hello, World” on the computer screen. We’ll see if this works!

As I mark the half-century milestone, my goal for this website is to share thoughts, musings, and information that hopefully, may be of use to the next generation. Please stay tuned.

Also, a huge thank you to Nicole C. for her encouragement to start.