First things first

First things first

Do first things first, and second things not at all.

Peter Drucker

“The ability to set priorities, focus on them and not deviate may be the most important skill for success in life. The quote from Peter Drucker was written in the context of talking about business efficiency but can be applied to any field. With limited time and energy that is available, there are only so many things that can be done – no matter how many time management skills you learn. And because not all things get you the same return on investment it is important that you only do those things that are the best investment of your time, energy and also money.”

Source: First things first (Quote of the Month, December 2010)

The Optimal Work to Rest Ratio via @_brian_johnson

More great thoughts from my hero, Brian Johnson…

Source: “Don’t allow anyone to walk through your mind with their dirty feet.” Ghandhi – Elevate Yoga

#wisdom

Do not be wise in words – be wise in deeds. Marcus Aurelius

#perfection and #excellence

My guiding thought for this year:

“Gentlemen, we will chase perfection, and we will chase it relentlessly, knowing all the while we can never attain it. But along the way, we shall catch excellence.”

Vince Lombardi

My inspiration and guide for this journey is Brian Johnson of optimize.me (click the referral link in the menu bar). I first curated content from Brian in 2012 — fully 7 years ago — but in true Buddhist fashion, the teacher did not totally appear because the student was not ready.

In 2018 I floated like a twig in the rapids of divorce, business failure, and foreclosure slamming first up against one rock and then another, barely staying afloat. In 2019 (accompanied by one extraordinary person who saw in me what I could not see in myself) I am charting an aspirational course for success focusing on Energy, Work and Love with Brian as my guide. Join me. Make 2019 the greatest year of your life in an unending string of such awesome years…

Make 2019 the greatest year of your life in an unending string of such awesome years…

Brian Johnson

Press on

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus…

Phillipians 3:12-14

8 ‘Rights’: The Noble Eightfold Path — the Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching

“Right” might be the wrong word, an unskillful translation. It implies moral code and rules, which is not the true sense of the Eightfold Path. The “Eight Rights” are also taken together as simultaneous and equally vital — the way we can bring the Dharma into our every-day lives: 8 Rights: The Noble Eightfold Path — the Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching

Love Yourself

How To Overcome Your Fear In 30 Seconds

As far as I can tell, I first ‘discovered’ Brian Johnson and his teaching on ‘ancient intelligence’ 7 years ago. This year? I am camping on his site learning and implementing all I can. Want to learn more? Click the optimize.me link in the menu bar…

Todd Lohenry's avatarBright, shiny objects!

Brian Johnson’s teachings are one of the best things I’ve discovered recently. He says:

Everyone has fear. Regardless of who we are, we all experience this emotion. Even the toughest of sporting legends and the bravest characters in history have at some point been crippled by fear. It’s what we do when fear is gripping our body and questioning our mindset that sets us apart.

Fear can often act as an indication that we have lost. It puts up an invisible barrier between our dreams signaling that we are at odds of achieving them. However, having the courage to break through that wall and turn your fear into excitement is what drives success and sets us free.

In this 12-minute video, Philosopher’s Notes author, Brian Johnson, is back again with some invaluable advice as he explains why we feel fear, and how we can all conquer it by following three…

View original post 17 more words

Groundbreaking study examines effects of screen time on kids

Did you happen to see this on 60 minutes? I did and it stunned me…

Todd Lohenry's avatarBright, shiny objects!

“60 Minutes” goes inside a landmark government study of young minds to see if phones, tablets and other screens are impacting adolescent brain development. Anderson Cooper reports.

Source: Groundbreaking study examines effects of screen time on kids

View original post

Equipping the next generation to conquer overload and distraction

Groundbreaking study examines effects of screen time on kids

“60 Minutes” goes inside a landmark government study of young minds to see if phones, tablets and other screens are impacting adolescent brain development. Anderson Cooper reports.

Source: Groundbreaking study examines effects of screen time on kids

Source: “It is No Measure of Health to Be Well Adjusted to a Profoundly Sick Society”

What Nutella Really Looks Like

Celestine Chua writes:

“Last week while conducting the third module of The Emotional Eating Course, I was sharing with the participants on the nature of food products today and how they are glorified through creative marketing. (I would know as I used to be a marketing major and worked in the fast-moving consumer goods industry.)

Take for example, Nutella. Some of you may love Nutella. I used to eat a lot of it. Spreading it on bread, licking it with the spoon, consuming it directly from the bottle. As a child, I remember the Nutella mini-packs marketed at kids that cost 20 or 50 cents (those were the times before massive inflation).

But did you know? Nutella is made up of over 70% sugar and palm oil. The largest ingredient is sugar, with more than 56% being sugar. Here is a visual representation of the ingredients in Nutella:

So when you eat Nutella, you’re really eating sugar and oil. If you don’t already know, sugar is a deeply problematic ingredient. Sugar intake has increased sharply over the last 100 years while diabetes-related deaths and diabetes prevalence rates have risen in parallel.

Go to the source for more: What Nutella Really Looks Like | Personal Excellence

Brain Hacking

 

The Pursuit Of Happiness: Never Stop Learning

How and why lifelong learning creates a meaningful life and a competitive edge: The Pursuit Of Happiness: Never Stop Learning

I Learned How to Let Go of Pain — You Can, Too

“Find a place inside where there’s joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.” – Joseph Campbell

I am certainly not unique in my experience of pain. Like physical scars — of which I have plenty — pain of any kind tends to hang around doing its dirty work until the one suffering takes appropriate action to help dispel it. Granted, some physical pain can only be ameliorated, not eradicated. That’s good enough in some instances, although not ideal. Having gone through numerous instances where I’ve suffered intense physical pain, some of it chronic, as well as emotional pain complicated by other factors, I’ve emerged both wiser and more effective in learning how to let go of pain. I hope you can benefit from what works for me. My 24-hour theory – Everything changes. During the worst and most painful moments of my life, I discovered a secret. I measured the hours and imagined myself and how I’d feel 24 hours hence: I Learned How to Let Go of Pain — You Can, Too

Forgiveness

Start a Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑