Home | Keep Your Head Up and Stand Tall
Here's two of the seven chapters in this book. Each chapter is broken down into bitesize paragraphs and also finished with a checklist for you to complete.
Chapter 2 of 7
Productivity
Do not worry about breaks every 20 minutes, ruining your focus on a task. Contrary to what I might have guessed, taking regular breaks from mental tasks improves your creativity and productivity. Skipping breaks lead to stress and fatigue. - Tom Rath
2.1 Attempt to Get an Early Start Tomorrow
Imagine something is holding you back with excess pressure. Usually, we have more in a situation that can cause even more problems. Also, if a job might not be routine, it will continue to become so. If some continuing parts do not help in the progression of what we are doing, - they will need to change.
Imagine being in an office using methods you dislike. We cannot easily change them, as many others will. However, we could always address them, for instance, in a meeting with others.
If, however, you are in control of moving constraints, then change them. If you do not see how to change them later, why not ask others for advice? Asking others will make it easier to introduce a fix, even if they did not see the problem. Try looking at the situation in a unique light. The extra distance might turn things around.
2.2 Brainstorm for Better Results
When brainstorming, think of all the possibilities. Even if it seems silly to write them down, they can trigger other ideas.
Creativity will love us for it. Because we cannot see, it does not mean it is not there. Being open-minded can help in keeping this simple.
Make your thoughts more powerful by speaking or writing. If there was a problematic situation and you never spoke up, even though you knew how to fix it, would you expect the job to change? The answer is a clear no.
We can only change the situation when something is discussed and we introduce our ideas.
If we want something done, go for it and try to complete it, but if we want something appropriately completed, then work it out and brainstorm first.
2.3 Don't Fix the Wrong Things
Many things get broken. Sometimes they get replaced, but hopefully, they will get repaired. How good is your knowledge of fixing things? Are we expected to know all the facts instantly?
Do not fix things to fit into your life. Practicality is the key here. When doing the same jobs, we should think about changing the routine.
To complete projects, often, some things must be sacrificed. What would you cut out in life? How would you improve your day? Most times, to grow, we need to take a break, look at things again, and see if everything has a reason for existence.
2.4 Treat Something with the Respect It Deserves
Everybody has heard of the cliché of life not being about the destination but about the journey.
For me, it is not that easy. Why would we ignore life learning adventures only to get somewhere and not understand our memories of how we got there?
Therefore, stop trying to finish things off and enjoy the process. Instead, if we catch ourselves trying to finish things off, we stop and walk away. Thus, doing something that deserves the proper time it needs.
If something needs attention, should it get it, or should we find a novel approach? If something needs time, then we have an underlying problem to solve.
2.5 Create New Habits Permanently
Do you have any habits you should have?
We all have habits we want to lose and improve ourselves, but what about wanting patterns not within our grasp?
Doing something seven times creates enough data in our heads for it to stick for the long term. We do not class most things as typical because our day was not yesterday. Therefore, to start something new and want it to become a habit, then do it at least seven times, which can help break habits or create fresh ones, as starting something new can be challenging.
My example is to get out of the house for exercise. I work from home, which is lovely. I enjoy writing alongside the river near my house, which alone is a great incentive. However, the major problem is starting that activity. A massive bonus is that it is sometimes hard to turn my mind off, so wandering along somewhere peaceful is an excellent way to clear all annoyances.
Many people will say, "I will do it tomorrow." Unfortunately, the weather is too hot, or it looks like rain. However, if we start and try, even when the situation is not the best, we are on the way to achieving a new habit.
The power to start something is crucial, as the daunting effect can derail us all. So do not put off something until another day. Take your time.
2.6 Don't Show Problems to People
Show your solution and explain what it can do. What would you expect from others if your nature were to run around complaining about things?
Now, think about if you could fix one complaint. How would your friends see you then? The thing is, they know the problems already.
Anger can fuel the rise of our subconscious to push us to tell someone about a bad situation. However, suppose we notice before reacting that a problem is coming. In that case, we have a better chance of possibly reducing the pain.
2.7 Don't Let People Make a Mistake
Taking control can remove some of the guesswork. Take a toaster, for instance. It is something we live with daily. The time spent when using something improves the level of confidence.
Therefore, the user gains command of the toaster over time and can use the features without thinking. However, imagine what would happen if there were errors during the process. It would leave them not knowing if the problem was theirs or not. Thus, an increasing level of confusion replaces their earlier level of confidence.
When a user must guess to choose the right path, it doesn't work either. The result might be helpful, but the road has not been so. The actual gain of confidence in an environment is learning and gaining knowledge.
Giving manuals and guides on how to get to a goal will help them believe the path they chose was correct. We can apply this method to many items. Everything must have clear and concise points to be understood; otherwise, we are in trouble.
Chapter 2 Checklist
2.1 Have you been waking up early recently?
2.2 Have you been writing your thoughts to create more progress?
2.3 Have you been able to concentrate on the right things?
2.4 Have you been focusing on enjoying and respecting things properly in your life?
2.5 Have you improved your day with better habits?
2.6 Have you been better at reacting to problems?
2.7 Have you contributed to the happiness of those around you?
Chapter 6 of 7
Friendship
Friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends, even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious. - Thomas Aquinas
6.1 Help Others Before Helping Yourself
When friends or workers show you a kind deed, but you never return the kindness, it may be more uncomfortable to receive help later if they don't respond.
Who cares about you? Think about it for a while. Whom can you turn to for help?
If everything in life went wrong, those would be the people to turn to for help. Have you been pleasant to them? Are you an honest person to ask for help if need be? Think if it went wrong for someone else. How could you help?
Asking about their day can gain trust in their eyes. When was the last time you asked about someone close without starting the conversation first? Try it. They would never think wrong of you for it.
6.2 Learn About Other's Opinions
Understanding what someone else knows is not always a target. We live in an Internet age with many people outside our comfort zones.
To pick up what they might be discussing. It might mean we need to do a little research first.
Take a step back and find out more first.
6.3 Where's There Room for Growth?
Most often than not, the people around us may agree with our ideas. Imagine the workforce being the same as us. It might not strike the right chord for some people. I would find it uncomfortable working with many like myself.
My point is to mix with people around us to help us grow and help them grow.
People's diverse backgrounds are brought together because of their skills in their job requirements. Upon saying that, some people's characteristics might confuse others incorrectly. It is not always a solution where everyone benefits, but we must compromise, which also applies to fellow students. We cannot pick your classmates in the courses. We might be stuck with them for a year or more, and seeing others and their learning methods will hopefully help us improve.
Dealing with these helps to make us and others better people. Of course, if we stay with people long enough, we will see their bad points, but what else can we do if we can not talk to our fellow people?
6.4 Give Hope and Vision to Others
It does not matter if it is your user, a colleague, friend, or family member. To give hope to somebody, you are educating them. You want to provide them with a dream.
When somebody is not pleasant at work, home, or wherever, we can show them and paint a picture of how it could be, which is not dictating to them. Still, we want them to acknowledge we have an idea worthy of noting. It could be something nobody had thought about, but now it might be much better. Inspiration can come from anyone.
For us, the right place is to give them hope and vision. We can now be the motivator and people who will help them. We may have the answers and motivation to help the non-motivated with a gentle push. If they see we are correct, then the trust would grow.
6.5 Take Pride in What You Do
Why would you do something where you show no sign of passion? Sure, it is okay to do something if you can. You may have done the job often, but it will hurt you more than the project if you only go through the motions. Trying to enjoy a minor part will help to improve.
A tip that has worked a few times previously is to imagine you as a beginner.
Imagine you know nothing about the subject. The method should give you a fresh outlook to try out new ideas. If you have something you must do, and like doing it, pride is in effect. Subconsciously, you do it without overthinking it.
However, if we do something we dislike, the results might change. It will be tough to find something hard to take pride in and enjoy doing it.
We must complete the reachable parts, but they will not fire well if we do not enjoy doing it. So one phrase to use is to 'tick the box and get the job done.' Pride and confidence may then come from others praising a decent job well done.
6.6 Provide Something That People Want and Need
When we want to have success, people must like what we have. However, wanting is not enough, as people must hand over their hard-earned cash. To do this, we must include marketing and promotion. If persuading is too hard, then try looking for a new market. These places can bring up some surprises.
Specific areas of interest can help much more in building a brand. Be aware; passion must come first before the niche. A niche is only helpful if we show belief and emotion well. To know what concerns people, go online and search for a topic of interest.
Start by looking at blogs and comments on sites covering the topic. Looking at people's opinions can help show what people want from those results. You cannot guess their problems, as you must discuss them by asking them first.
The above example is mainly talking about a business. But this book is supposed to be about self-help. So it may surprise you that taking notes from business can then apply to us.
Offering something that people want fixes business and can also apply to us. You can use it for your branding.
Chapter 6 Checklist
6.1 Have you helped others lately?
6.2 Have you been able to maintain your composure in stressful times?
6.3 Has your cultural life improved?
6.4 Have you provided mental and emotional support to those around you?
6.5 Have you noticed more about what you can do and how others appreciate it?
6.6 Have you been more helpful to other people without being asked first?
