- A recent German study showed the positive effects of either giving up your smartphone or (and this is fascinating) reducing its use by one hour a day – in fact, that was better than abstinence for months at a time.
- The one-hour less a day group was still using their phones less — 45 minutes a day — four months later.
- Plus, improved life satisfaction, more exercise and less depression, anxiety and nicotine use – all from one hour a day less on your smartphone.
- A reminder that we really do control our phones, they don’t own us.
Subtracting Stress
- For every new stressor that you can viscerally feel, eliminate one that you are already carrying around.
- Finding one to let go of will not be easy because stress tends to pile onto other stresses but take a moment and identify one you could live without right now.
- It may be one that has been hanging around too long and burdening you, or a new one that gives you anxiety.
- For each new stressor life brings, subtract one and see how it is possible to live without it.
How Cancer Patients Find Happiness
- Instead of thinking about how time is flying by, they fill their minds with thoughts of all they can do to advance every new day.
- I always had a hard time with this until I experienced those who were literally living day to day because of their precarious health issues.
- If they can find anticipated happiness a day at a time, what’s our excuse?
- It’s not the amount of time we spend, but the amount of time we spend focused on that which makes us happy.
Fear of Something New
- To have enough confidence to take on something totally new, it helps to have a list of past successes to scroll through – on a piece of paper or on a phone.
- High confidence is directly related to I.O.U.s that we collect from other successes both major and even minor.
- Forgetting our successes leaves us worrying about the unknown challenge ahead – and for some reason humans remember mistakes more than successes.
- If it’s worth 100% of your being, it’s likely you will overcome the fear of something new.
Keeping It 100
- The courage to be you – speak your thoughts, defend healthy boundaries and safeguard your values.
- But also, the confidence to respect others and hear them out showing them the respect you would want from them.
Not Getting What You Want
- The benefit of not getting what you want – you worked hard for or simply desire – is that it forces you to decide just how badly you want it.
- If you’re disappointed, hurt or discouraged but stay in pursuit, you must really want it.
- If you’re able to accept defeat, then perhaps there is something else that is more important to you.
- The gift of hearing no is how it helps us discover yes.
No More Disappointment
- The sure way to never be disappointed is to keep your motivation high and expectations low.
Unlocking Power
- In my NYU music business classes, we try to emphasize the importance of both making a life and a living and we’re concentrating on the untapped powers we all have.
- The ability to lead – step forward and take a chance.
- The power to make other people happy by being in our presence or as one learner said “when my eyes smile, they smile”.
- The strength to enforce healthy boundaries and stop letting others make us feel badly about what we do.
- Potential is already within; the challenge is to begin to use it.
Protecting the Lead
- In sports, life’s teacher, we see again and again what happens when you get off to a great start only to be surprised by a person or event that can completely undo our progress.
- The best way to protect a lead in any area of life is to press hard to continue doing what got you that lead – do not let down.
- Play from behind as if you’re catching up not protecting what you’ve accomplished.
- Success comes only when you’ve earned the entire victory not when you can only taste it.
Changing Minds
- It’s hard to do because our beliefs are tied closely to our identity.
- There are two things that almost everyone can agree on: hurting others is bad and trying to be fair is good.
- And that attacking others because of their beliefs only makes them harden their position more.
- A willing listener and a person schooled in good human relations skills is best suited to deal with views opposing theirs and keep the lines of communication open.