James Smith’s Info Serv

Author: Mary Lloyd

Copyright (c) 2009 Mary Lloyd

There’s an amazing variety of choices we make by default day after day that it might be good to think about. We also make a lot of choices by default because we assume there really isn’t a choice. We assume we have to keep THIS job because we need A job. We assume we must stay where we are geographically simply because it’s where we are today.

Making choices this way is the meek way to live. It means you never consider anything beyond what you already know, what you already do, what you are already comfortable with. It also means that you feel “stuck” with what you are doing—a “victim of circumstance” rather than captain of your own destiny.

The truth of the matter is there are always alternatives. Much of the time, they’re so unappealing we never consider them. To be sure, there are some choices where the alternatives really are unthinkable and making the choice again and again would be silly. I choose to breathe. Not breathing doesn’t look like a real good idea to me. I also choose to rest, eat, and drive with care. But letting most of your life run on autopilot is cheating yourself.
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Copyright (c) 2009 Paula Gregorowicz

Ever have a problem or challenge that you just can’t seem to solve? Perhaps you’ve stewed over it a while, tried to force a solution, and gotten frustrated in the process? You toiled away for hours or days on end to no avail. Then, all of a sudden out of nowhere an idea comes to you when you least expect it - in the shower, taking a walk, shopping for groceries.

We’ve all had this experience. I know for myself when I was doing computer programming, I could troubleshoot a problem until I went insane trying to find a solution. I would toil, curse, scream, and rip my hair out and not be able to solve it. Then, if I walked away from it or simply asked someone with a fresh set of eyes to look at it - boom - there is a simple answer and the problem gets solved in a matter of minutes the path forward gets clear in an instant.

What if you could have this ease and confidence from the start? Well you can, if you’re willing to put things on the back burner. I’ve heard this concept from different sources over time. When I read the book “Slowing Down to the Speed of Life” I loved the way Richard Carlson and Joseph Bailey explained it. They said:

“The back burner of your mind works in much the same way as the back burner of a stove, slowly brewing a pot of vegetables and broth into a delicious, succulent feast of soup. All you had to do was put each of the ingredients in the pot, stir them up, and then leave them alone to cook, only periodically adding a dash of this or that and stirring the pot. A soup on the back burner needs to cool slowly; if the heat is too high we burn the dish. The back burner of a stove requires little attention; we can cook something else on the front burner at the same time.”
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Author: Aprille Janes

If you’ve ever attempted to put yourself on top of your To DO list you may have run to what I call the “Waiting for GoDoIt” trap.

If you’re familiar with the Beckett play in my title, you know it’s about two characters waiting for a third who never shows up. In fact, by the end of the play there is a question as to whether Godot actually exists.

That’s the essence of “Waiting for GoDoIt.” It’s an unconscious need for someone to tell you that it’s okay to set aside time in your busy schedule just for you. A signal you may caught in this trap is an inner voice that just whispered something like “That feels too selfish.”

That voice gets a lot of reinforced by the voices around you. A few years back, Life Coach Cheryl Richardson appeared on Oprah and encouraged women to take some real time for themselves. Sadly, the audience, mostly women, actually booed her and accused her of selfishness. They bought into the idea that care of self means neglect of others. Nothing could be further from the truth.
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Author: roosterfeather

Human mind operates at two levels, conscious and subconscious. Mediocre people mostly use the conscious mind and don’t realize how much better their lives could be if they optimize the function of the subconscious mind. The progress of the field of Neuro Linguistic Programming [NLP] has provided the human race with many ways that the subconscious mind can be used to improve the quality of life. This article shows you how to get your subconscious mind to help you with problems that you find hard to solve. Three different ways to do that are discussed here and you and you must try one method at a time, preferably for three months continuously, until you find what works for you best.

First, think of a problem, which has been troubling you for a while with out leaving you in peace however you try to put a solution to it. One method to approach this particular problem requires that you write down the problem on a piece of paper in as much detail as possible. Write when and how it started, what effects it has had on you, what you have already done about that, etc. Then write a question as if to ask what has to be done in order to solve this problem. Remember to phrase the question in a positive manner. For example, instead of writing, ‘Why can’t I achieve any success in my career?’ put it in like this. ‘What do I have to do to be successful in my career?’

Having done that, throw the paper away and get on with your work. You will get an inspiration as to what the solution to your problem should be, when you least expect it. It’s your subconscious mind that gives you the inspiration. It happens when you are relaxed and calm. It may also come in a dream when you are asleep. So, always keep a pen and a paper close to where you sleep so that you can write it down just as you wake up. It is also possible that your problem will get solved due to a coincidence. The solution comes in those same ways for the other two methods too.
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Something that we all seem to have in common is problems. Some see problems and give up immediately. Others thrash about or throw money at their problems with the predictable results that they continue without resolution, often getting worse. I have watched people carp, duck and hide, pull their hair, cry, lash out, etc. None of these produces the desired effect of solving the problem. Certainly, it never solves the problem in ways that are good for all parties involved.

People who aim to truly solve problems seem to have several traits in common. Here’s my top 10 list of these traits.

#10 - Problem-solvers get a good fix on reality. They do not spend a lot of time in dreamland, wondering about what coulda been or woulda been if things were different. Things are NOT different - problem-solvers know this and act accordingly.

#9 - Problem-solvers do not gripe and do not make trouble for others.

#8 - Problem-solvers are self-starters. They do not wait for someone else to point out that there is something wrong. And they don’t wait for someone else to tell them how to fix it.
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