Archive for the ‘Goals’ Category

The Opposite of Happiness is Boredom

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008

Humanity Bomberos (zerega)

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Jonathan Mead of JonathanMead.com.

Boredom

In The 4-Hour Work Week, author Tim Ferriss suggests that the opposite of happiness is boredom and that what really drives our happiness is the ability to find continual excitement.

I’m in agreement with Tim; the opposite of happiness isn’t sadness, depression, anxiety, guilt or anger. These feelings aren’t desirable, but they’re also not the antithesis of happiness. Lack of fulfillment, I believe, is the opposite of happiness.

Many people have conceptually explored the path to happiness and I’m surely not the first to observe the importance of asking the right questions.  Our results are generally good when we positively frame inquiries by asking questions such as "what can I do to make things better?" or "what can I do to improve this situation?"  However, when we negatively frame our thoughts with questions like: "why do bad things always happen to me," or "why am I so unlucky," we only manage to reinforce our negative experiences.

Changing our Goals

Many societally conditionally goals — such as "get out of debt," "buy a new car," and "create a college fund," — can be fine and noble, but they often do not make us come alive.  What would really make your day, I mean, if you could do anything? Think about that for a second.

If you dig deep within to answer this question, I bet your answer might be something a little different than the average idea of a "great day." If you really answer this question from your soul, you’ll discover aspirations that really move you. Here are a few of mine:

  • Ski down a killer slope in Park City, Utah
  • Take a Tantra class
  • Read a great novel for the first time
  • Go on a group meditation or retreat
  • Play music with others, lose track of time, and get lost in sound

You see, when all our goals revolve around efficiency, money, looks, networking, etc., we lose track of why we wanted these things in the first place. Indeed, we often envision such goals because we want more time and energy to do things that truly excite us and bring deep fulfilling happiness. I challenge you to incorporate goals and aspirations that really excite and move you. Don’t get caught up in mundane, socially acceptable goals. Find out what really inspires you and make a commitment to live your life with a deeper level of satisfaction starting today.

Jonathan is the author of the blog JonathanMead.com, focused on finding Authenticity, Clarity and Balance in all aspects of our lives. His articles include 10 Way to Make Time for the Important and 7 Lessons from the World’s Greatest Minds.

[tags]4-Hour Work Week, 4HWW, continual excitement, goal setting, happiness, opposite of happiness, Tim Ferriss[/tags]

Creating Goal Movies: A 12 Step Guide

Friday, March 14th, 2008

Goal Movies Mind Movies (LunaDiRimmel)

Note: This article is perhaps my longest, but the principles contained herein stand to be of real help. In this spirit, I’m willing to offer technical support to anyone who needs it. I’ll try to answer as many questions as possible via the comments, but if worse comes to worst I’m willing to offer phone support. I might also try and post a video demonstration/tutorial if there is a need. Just let me know.

Introduction

Goal movies are Steven Covey’s concept of “beginning with the end in mind” on steroids. The essential idea is that images can be used and manipulated to help your subconscious believe you can attain things previously thought impossible.  Getting your subconscious to buy into a goal radically empowers you to materialize the goal in real life. The video to the right is an excellent example of a goal movie that I found just today (click here to see it if you’re reading this from an RSS feed).

This goal movie was created using a free program called Memories on Web. And for $37, MindMovies will show you how to produce similar mini-films (they’ve produced good how-to videos). Much of what I’m about to share with you was learned via my Mind Movies experience, but rather than sending you to the MindMoives website via an affiliate link, I’ll show you how to do it yourself.

(more…)

Confident Goal Setting: How to Pick Up a Cow, Daily

Monday, March 10th, 2008

Sky Cow horiz It is for us to pray not for tasks equal to our powers, but for powers equal to our tasks, to go forward with a great desire forever beating at the door of our hearts as we travel toward our distant goal.
-Helen Keller

Milo of CrotonThere is an old saying that says, "[i]f you can lift a calf every day, when you become an adult you can lift a cow. But don’t ever stop." This saying can be traced back to the legendary wrestler Milo of Croton, who introduced the “calf” workout in the 6th 20century B.C.

The Calf Workout

It was said that, as a boy, Milo trained for the Olympics by daily lifting a baby calf above his shoulders and carrying it. As the calf grew, so did Milo. By his teens, Milo was carrying a fully grown bull on his shoulders, and he purportedly entered his first Olympic event carrying a bull across the Olympic track.

Although it is quite possible to lift a newborn calf, and strongmen such as H. Mann have been known to lift full-grown bulls, the story of Milo is questionable. Here’s a story that’s not… (more…)

7 Self-Development & Productivity Catalysts at the Bleeding Edge

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

Cutting Edge (Liz Jones) “Everything has [already] been said yet few have taken advantage of it. Since all our knowledge is essentially banal, it can only be of value to minds that are not.”
-Raoul Vaneigem

In 2005, NY Times columnist Thomas Friedman injected a bestselling hit, The World is Flat, into the national psyche. The book’s 5th “flatting” factor is outsourcing. Friedman argues that the practice enables companies to componentize manufacturing and service efforts, thus making each component more efficient and cost effective.

In August of 2005, author A.J. Jacobs (author of The Know-It-All and The Year of Living Biblically) read Friedman’s book and thought to himself, “why should Fortune 500 firms have all the fun?” “Why can’t I join in on the biggest business trend of the new century?” “Why can’t I outsource my low-end tasks? Why can’t I outsource my life?” He then goes on to write a notable piece of cultural history for Esquire called My Outsourced Life (notable because it later catches on in a big way). In My Outsourced Life, Jacobs outsources everything from worrying and spousal relations, to email and work related research. It’s an entertaining read and one that I recommend.

(more…)