‘How to Have a Great Life — — 35 Surprisingly simple ways to Success, Fulfillment & Happiness’ (II)
This week, we’ll continue with ‘How to Have a Great Life — — 35 Surprisingly simple ways to Success, Fulfillment & Happiness’ by Paul McGee.
9. Saying ‘I’ve had enough’ or ‘I’m out of here’ could be incredibly liberating rather than a sign of defeat.
Strategic quitting (in other words, planned and thought through) frees you up to focus on your real priorities in life.
10. To live a happier life, it’s crucial we get a sense of perspective (客觀看人事) and avoid overreacting to situations.
11. Passion, drive, courage, determination, and vision are all key elements to success, but most people underestimate the crucial role humility can play.
A lack of humility can actually derail you.
Humility is not a question of putting yourself down, it’s simply a recognition that the world doesn’t revolve solely around you.
It also means being prepared to have your ideas challenged, to admit you may be wrong about certain things, and to confess that at times your answer to a particular question might be ‘I don’t know’.
Learning can come from reading a book, listening to a podcast, attending a seminar, or watching something online. It can also happen through your conversations with colleagues, customers, children, family, and even strangers.
12. Each aspect of your life is important, but you don’t necessarily spend equal amounts of time on each of them. However, life, just like the drink, doesn’t taste so good without all of the ingredients.
Life will rarely be balanced — — but it can be well blended.
13. While it’s great as a general starting point to ‘treat people as you want to be treated’, it’s actually even more helpful to treat people as they want to be treated.
There are five ways in which people like to express and experience love. They are
i) Words of affirmation
ii) Acts of service
iii) Receiving gifts
iv) Quality time
v) Physical touch (it has to be appropriate)
14. You know you want something but you’re also aware you might feel a degree of discomfort in getting it. Maybe it means extra work on your part; maybe extra study. Perhaps it means meeting new people or going to places you’ve not been to previously.
Consider whether always taking the easy option and going along the same familiar path is helping you experience the full richness of life (不經一番寒徹骨 怎得梅花撲鼻香).
15. You may never lead a team, a business, or an organization, but that doesn’t stop you showing some leadership and making a positive difference.
We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
16. The key to much of what we need to do in life is not that complicated. But we make it complicated, by overanalysing and overthinking our every decision and allowing our emotions to become obstacles to our actions.
Here are three questions to help with this:
i) What’s the one thing I absolutely have to do today?
ii) What’s the very first action I need to take to do this?
iii) What are the consequences If I don’t do it?
And in order to avoid confusing activity with effectiveness, here’s another question to ask:
‘Is what I’m doing now taking me closer to my goal?’ If not, why are you doing it?
