 Know Your Habits
Aloha! How are YOU today? A few quick questions for YOU: What do you do every weekday, weekend, or Friday night? What foods do you enjoy “without even thinking about it?” For what television, radio, and other media do you make time? In everyday life, what are your specific habits? All humans desire a certain level of consistency and uniformity. If you think you are the exception, ask yourself if you look forward to Friday, Saturday... December or July. Ask yourself, “What would happen if the sun rose at 11AM instead of 6AM?” As you may or may not know, your habits drive your morning into the evening, and your today into tomorrow and next year. Habits are simply recurring actions that we subconsciously decide to do. Specifically habits can be defined as:
An established disposition of mind or character. Habits are not necessarily bad or good. However, if you are not aware of your habits, you will never change your habits. HERE'S THE IDEA: Your character is developed by repetitive behavior. HERE'S THE DEAL: Changing habits is a life-changing event. Are YOU ready? A cornerstone of The Ideal life is to… Know Your Habits. Accordingly, ask yourself: What good habits do I really have? Dentists say I am supposed to brush and floss after every meal. Do I really brush my teeth after every meal? What other habits am I supposed to do… but, in reality, I have not been doing? Perhaps more importantly, in what bad habits am I consistently investing my valuable time, energy, and effort? I am not a perfect person. Thus, I probably have a bad habit or three. To be totally honest, I really need to change six habits in my life. Specifically, I need to: Stop these three things: 1. 2. 3. Start these three things: 1. 2. 3. It's true: The best way to predict the future… … is to create it! Next week: Change Your Rituals Last week: Buying and Selling. Accept. Adapt. Achieve. ® What do YOU want to achieve? ~ This is Part 7 of a 30-part series on how to achieve The Ideal Life. ~ Think about the word IDEAL. It is actually a conglomeration of several smaller words, specifically: ~ I ~ ID ~ IDEA ~ DEAL ~ IDEAL ~ In the final analysis, if you can learn to master your Id (as in the ego, id, and superego), you can do some rather amazing things. ~ © 2011-2016 John H. Clark III Parts excerpted from… The Ideal: Your Guide to An Ideal Life (220 pages, BFG Press, 11/11/11)  Buying and Selling
In life, there is always an exchange of this and that. There are always two sides of the same coin. There is always you… and then something else. However, believe it or not, everything is related. Because everything is related, invest the time and ask yourself, “What side of the coin am I on?” What am I exchanging with the world? What am I buying from people, events, and media as I pay attention? What am I selling to people who are willing to pay me their limited supply of attention? Most importantly, what are they buying from me? HERE’S THE IDEA: Everything you believe is based upon your thoughts or someone else’s thoughts given (sold) to you. Everything you say and do has a real, tangible effect on others. Your thoughts affect your actions. Your actions affect many, many other people. HERE’S THE DEAL: When you fully accept and truly understand your connection to “now,” you will ultimately understand your absolute ability to affect not only today, but also every day connected to “now,” especially tomorrow and the weeks, months, and years that follow. What are you currently buying and selling? In reality, the best way to predict the future… … is to create it! Next week: Know Your Habits. Last week: An Inside Job. Accept. Adapt. Achieve. ® What do YOU want to achieve? ~ This is Part 6 of a 30-part series on how to achieve The Ideal Life. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Think about the word IDEAL. It is actually a conglomeration of several smaller words, specifically: ~ I ~ ID ~ IDEA ~ DEAL ~ IDEAL ~ In the final analysis, if you can learn to master your Id (as in the ego, id, and superego), you can do some rather amazing things. ~ © 2011-2016 John H. Clark III Parts excerpted from… The Ideal: Your Guide to An Ideal Life (220 pages, BFG Press, 11/11/11)  An Inside Job ~ When YOU change, the world changes. As you invest a few more hours, days, and weeks digesting the material in the blog posts ahead, keep a very important idea at the front of your mind: When you change your view of the world… The world will change its view of you. Try this little experiment: Wear a pair of flamboyant sunglasses for ONE ENTIRE DAY. As long as the glasses don’t affect your health and safety, keep them on your face. No matter who ridicules you, keep the glasses on. No matter what people say or do, keep the glasses on your face. * When you keep the glasses on, you will, of course, see the world differently (from the inside of your head). Interestingly enough, as YOU see the world differently, other people will (also) look AT you differently. Of course, their reasons for looking (or staring) at you will be different than the reasons for your newfound ability to see the world differently… or will they? Here’s the bottom-line Truth: You and everyone who sees you that day will see your world differently solely because of the glasses. Likewise, as you use this blog to change the lenses through which you view the world… …the world will change how it sees you. Imagine what can happen... imagine what WILL happen if and when you change your view of the world! If you truly want to achieve The Ideal, start by changing your own personal view of the world. Don’t wait for someone to give you the magic cure. Changing your life is an inside job. And once you ACCEPT the responsibility of managing your life the way only you can manage it, you will immediately begin to ADAPT to situations very differently. As soon as you discover the “magic” of acceptance, you will find an unbelievably short shortcut to the path of happiness. Please don't confuse acceptance with agreement; these are two totally different concepts. Agreement equals consent and tacit, harmonious integration of opinion, thought, decision, etc. Acceptance, in the context of this blog, means "the opposite of denial." Acceptance is the active act of dealing with "what is," as opposed to pretending or acting like something is or is not happening (denial). Only when we actively deal with "what is" can we truly change "what is." When we accept reality, we can then deal with reality. And when we deal with reality, we are actually dealing with our very own personal view of reality. Some things are true for everyone; we all need air, water, and shelter to live. But many things are true for you... and not necessarily true for everyone else. How do YOU want to change the world? Start with an inside job, and you are well on your way! HERE'S THE IDEA: Your perspective matters. But expecting others to see the world the way you do is a precarious perch. In fact, trying to change others is a critical ingredient in a recipe for disaster. On the other hand, accepting the magnificence of change as you adapt to a changing world is a much better formula for successfully dealing with an ever-changing world. HERE'S THE DEAL: As you turn to the next page of your life, you can make a conscious decision to release expectations of change in other people. You are now aware of the tremendous power to effect immediate change within the most important person in the whole world: You - your one true self. In reality, the best way to predict the future… … is to create it! Next week: Buying and Selling Last week: Get. Give. Grow. Accept. Adapt. Achieve. ® What do YOU want to achieve? ~ This is Part 5 of a 30-part series on how to achieve The Ideal Life. ~ Think about the word IDEAL. It is actually a conglomeration of several smaller words, specifically: ~ I ~ ID ~ IDEA ~ DEAL ~ IDEAL ~ In the final analysis, if you can learn to master your Id (as in the ego, id, and superego), you can do some rather amazing things. ~ © 2011-2016 John H. Clark III Parts excerpted from… The Ideal: Your Guide to An Ideal Life (220 pages, BFG Press, 11/11/11) ~ * Remember: safety first; this blog is intended for easy reading and enjoyment. Don't keep the sunglasses on if there is a potential risk of harming yourself or others.  Get. Give. Grow! Quite simply… in life, you get what you give. Here’s the deal: When you give peace and joy to your neighbor, the same will be dealt to you. The big question is... since you (already) know this little truism, will you give your neighbor miles of smiles or piles of vile? It’s also worth noting that the timing of your deals is not yours to follow. In other words, it’s not a good idea to keep a little black book of all the peace and joy "owed" to you. Nor is it a good idea to track all the venom and dirt slopped in your direction. On the other hand, it **IS** a good idea to altruistically and cheerfully give what is yours to give. By offering others a smile, you are giving them a small snapshot of happiness. By giving people a picture of happiness, you are actually investing in their hope and your future. How? You are investing with a small signal of happiness. That tiny bit of seemingly meaningless happiness will someday find you when and where you least expect it. But how does one really and truly find happiness? The answer is amazingly simple. You get what you give. Give happiness, and you will certainly find happiness. At work, home, or somewhere in between… Give happiness, and you will grow happy, literally and figuratively. Here’s the Idea: What goes around really does come around. Some call it karma. Others call it fate. From this, all the law and all the prophets hinge. Here’s the Deal: You can’t give what you don’t have. First find your initial stash of happiness. Where is this happiness? Read my next blog post, and I will show you exactly where to find it. In reality, the best way to predict the future… … is to create it! Next week: An Inside Job Last week: Choice Equals Power Accept. Adapt. Achieve. ® What do YOU want to achieve? ~ This is Part 4 of a 30-part series on how to achieve The Ideal Life. ~ Think about the word IDEAL. It is actually a conglomeration of several smaller words, specifically: ~ I ~ ID ~ IDEA ~ DEAL ~ IDEAL ~ In the final analysis, if you can learn to master your Id (as in the ego, id, and superego), you can do some rather amazing things. ~ © 2011-2016 John H. Clark III Parts excerpted from… The Ideal: Your Guide to An Ideal Life (220 pages, BFG Press, 11/11/11) |
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