The Cure to Procrastination

This is a quick kick in the butt for those of you who need it (you know who you are).  January is 1 day away from being done! That is almost 10% of the year complete, forever gone, adios muchachos.  Hesitation kills dreams. Take action now, as now is the only time we have.

If you are wondering why you are not following through with actions that you want, this blog is for you.

The reason we do ANYTHING always comes down to two things; pain and pleasure. If you associate more pain than pleasure in the moment to taking a particular action, you won't do it and vice versa. If only pain is present, you will do the action which causes the least perceived pain. And if only pleasure is present (now THAT is a quality problem), you will do whatever you see will give you the most pleasure.

Extreme example; death. Arguably, death can be seen as the ultimate pain.  So why would anybody choose to die?  Two examples come to mind; depressed individuals or suicide bombers. 

If you are depressed you are associating A LOT of pain to living.  If you live this life long enough and continue this pattern of thought, there is a tipping point where the pain of death is perceived to be less than the pain and living. 

On the other hand, in order to become a suicide bomber, one would have to associate ultimate pleasure with taking their life.  We have heard of such things as their families being taken care of for life, being a hero to your community and country, and of course the harem of virgins awaiting for you in heaven.

Its also worth noting, that most of us will take action to avoid pain, rather than gain pleasure.  Quick test of this.  Would you work harder to gain $50,000 or to not lose $50,000? Most people would fight like crazy not to lose the $$.

The two key phrases here are "perceived pain or pleasure" and "in the moment."

Perception = Reality 

Wither you logically know differently or not, whatever you emotionally feel will override this thought. And this would only apply to that particular moment you are making the decision.  After all, once you have made the decision, logic or emotions no longer apply.  The exception to this is when you find yourself in conflict, where you attempt to make a decision, then something (pain or pleasure) stops you and forces you back to the decision point again (also known as hell!).

In summary, if you find yourself procrastinating, ask yourself, "What pain or pleasure have I associated with this particular task?". Then, be honest with yourself and hook up pleasure in doing the action and massive pain in not.

If you find yourself in conflict or in need of help, you should consult a coach.  Now geeeeeee... if I only knew who I could refer you to.......

Dream your life. Love your dream.

Your friend and Coach,
Bryce

Knowledge is Potential Power

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I just finished a book called 'blink', by Malcolm Gladwell. He ends the book with the following lines (no worries, it won't ruin anything):

"Once we know about how the mind works - and about the strengths and weaknesses of human judgement - it is our responsibility to act."

Using one of my new fav. questions, I challenged this and asked myself, "WHAT IF... I didn't act with this new found knowledge?". And hence the title for today's post; "Knowledge is potential power."

Let's take going to college or university for example. If you diligently read your books, did your assignments, etc... you would have lots of additional knowledge. Would this result in any difference in your life? Other than student loans, new friends, and some liver damage, no.

The difference comes when you 'act' with this knowledge. Going to school, reading a book, or learning in any capacity in general is much like charging up a battery with a limitless capacity. You can charge it all you want and it will have even more and more potential power, but until you put the battery to use, it is worthless.

Let's expand this thought even further. The same would apply to all 'resources' in our life, wouldn't it? And by resources, I am referring to anything you have at your disposal; knowledge, money, friends/family/your network of people, material items, your physical self, etc...

For example, being born in Canada instantly gave me access to a lot more resources (education, libraries, healthcare, infrastructure, etc...) than let's say somebody born in a developing country. That being said, they would have access to resources that I wouldn't... at least not initially. But again, if I don't act and make use of these resources they are worthless.

One thing to keep in mind is that just as with any battery, a resource needs to be charged from time to time or else it will run dry.
A trend you will find in the most successful people is that they #1 have access to a vast array of resources (and more than just $$$) and #2 they use them to their full potential when appropriate. Some were born into a world of resources and others chose to continously expand their resources.

What resources are in your life which you are not leveraging to their full potential? What are all the ways you could expand your resources? What resources may need a recharge?

And to bring it back to the opening quote and end today's post on a philosophical note: once you know about these resources, is it our responsibility to act and use them?

Doing so could result in not only expanding your own resources, but also potentially that of the entire world! This effect then compounds and is returned geometrically!

Reminds me of a proverb; the more you give the more you get.

Your friend and coach,
Bryce

What is your best?

Welcome and thank you for coming by for a visit to read what I have to say. This marks the first of what will be many MANY posts. How EXCITING!!!

This blog will be focused on living life to the absolute fullest and will include:
- Inspirational thoughts and questions
- Free tools and tips you can use
- Observations from my own person journey

MOST IMPORTANT: This is an interactive blog! Please add your comments, send me feedback, and let me know what topics you would like to see on the blog or hear more about.

Learn a little more about who I am at my website; www.brycehealey.com (permanent link to the right).

OK, onto today's topic: What is your best?

Here is a fun exercise (Yes, this means you will have to get up from your computer. Trust me, it'll be worth it):

1) Sit on the ground with your legs stretched out straight in front of you.
2) Do your 'best' to touch your toes or (for you yogis) see how far past your toes your 'best' is
3) Sit back up nice and straight, take a deep breath, picture going twice as far, and with pure determination, see how far past your toes you will go this time.

GO DO IT! Picturing it in your head doesn't count. ha ha
.
.
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Did you do it? Good.

So if you did your 'best' the first time, how come the second time you went further? And probably not just a little further, but several inches further!

Paradoxically, doing your 'best' is often limiting you from achieving your best! And this applies to all areas of your life.

An every day example of this would be the value of a coach or personal trainer. Invariably, just as you squeeze out that last painful repetition, you hear "Give me 2 more!". And what do you know, you can do it! And it is in these final repetitions when you truly push yourself, you achieve your biggest results.

What areas of your life are you doing your 'best'? What would happen if you pushed yourself and did better?

Life's a trip. Give'r.

Your friend and Coach,
Bryce

PS - HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!