Posted on by Raj Daniels

A Good Person

Are you a good person?

Recently I was at dinner with a friend and she shared that she was interviewing her grandmother and one of her questions to her grandmother was ‘do you have any advice for your grandchildren?’ And her grandmother had one answer, be a good person.

It’s not the first time I’ve heard this, especially from people that are in the later years of their lives. The people that have lived the longest seem to realize that in the end once you strip away all the titles, money, awards and material possessions very little really matters except being a good person.

So what if you start off with the end in mind of being known as a good person? What if you made that your guiding light? How would you live your life? How would you priorities change? Would you behave differently?

Being a good person is a broad definition and can mean different things to people, however there are some key characteristics that most can agree on.  If being a good person is important to you then start working on the behavior that will result on you being a known as a good person.

Posted on by Raj Daniels

Need or Want?

What are the things in life you need and what the ones you want? Finding a balance between the two can be challenging especially if you have trouble differentiating wants and needs.

Food/water, shelter and clothing were at one time considered basic needs and more recently sanitation, education and healthcare were added to the list. Now each one of these categories is vast and can span the spectrum from very basic to highly sophisticated.

Differentiating between a need and want can be tricky because the language seems to be interchangeable and external influences often lead you to believe that wants are needs.  The key is for you to use the language correctly.

Having wants is good in that it can push you and motivate you towards certain goals. But just remember that because you want something doesn’t mean you need it.

Posted on by Raj Daniels

Why am I trying?

Have you ever asked yourself, why am I even trying? Why am I even trying to be happy, lose weight, earn more money, be in a relationship, build a business or any other endeavor?

The why am I trying question usually arises when whatever you’re attempting to do seems impossible. Or when you think it’s just way too hard to continue.  And it can be a very valid question. And in the question lies the answer. It’s in the ‘why?’

What is your motivation for trying? What will you gain, what will you become if you succeed and will you be strong enough and willing enough to pay the price?

Defining your reasons for why to start and also re-examining your why while you’re on your journey will help you decide if you should continue. The majority of people that quit going after what they want is because they stop asking why.

Keep your why in front of you. Read it or see in on a regular basis so that when things do get difficult you will know why you are trying.

Posted on by Raj Daniels

Practice makes You

What do you think of when you hear the word practice? Do you think of athletes, musicians, perhaps religion or some other activity that requires repeated attention in order to improve? And you would be correct, but what about you? What do you practice?

When you see an athlete or performer practicing they are engaging in an intentional activity to improve their ability to perform. The same applies to you except you’re usually thinking or doing without being intentional, because it’s just how you are. Or is it?

When an athlete sees that something is no longer working for them they work to change to it, they practice something new. What about you?

Every behavior you perform on a regular basis regardless of it being positive or negative is a practice. It’s just that you don’t view it as practice or re-affirming, you just see it as who you are. The reason the athlete is motivated to change their behavior and practice something new is because their livelihood depends on it. The same should apply to you too, because ultimately your life depends on it.

Posted on by Raj Daniels

Wish others happiness

Do you spend any of your time consciously wishing others well? Wishing them happiness and sending them good thoughts? Or are you so focused inward that the well-being, happiness and success of others never crosses your mind?

Wishing others happiness is not a natural behavior for everyone, but it can be learned with practice. I know you might be thinking ‘what if someone has done something to hurt or betray you, how can you wish them happiness?’ And this is a valid question. But how much time and energy can you spend being upset with them and what was your role in the situation?

Wishing others happiness can actually improve how feel about yourself because it shifts your mind, even if temporarily from thinking about your own problems and challenges.  Practice today to send thoughts of happiness to people you know and random strangers and experience how it changes your day.

Posted on by Raj Daniels

Unlimited Resources

 

If you had unlimited time, money and energy what would you do with your life? Would you really be motivated to do anything productive?

Working within resource constraints naturally forces you to be more creative. It pushes your mind to find new and unique ways to produce results. Nature itself is designed to work and produce against constrained conditions and the strongest of any species are those that learn to adapt and thrive with limited resources.

Nothing you need to or want to start doing requires unlimited resources; in fact having limited resources forces you to be more resourceful.  Whatever you want to do, start today and remember, the only place you need to have unlimited resources is in your mind.

Posted on by Raj Daniels

Superpower

What is your super power? The thing that you are so good at that you always feel confident when you do it? The skill that when you look back on your life you know you could always rely on?

If you don’t know, or are not sure what your super power is then think of a time when someone asked you ‘how do you that? You’re so good at that? Or, ‘that comes so easily to you? These are all clues to what your super power is. You can also think about activities that you really enjoy doing, productive activities that you would do for free.

Once you identify your super power then you can learn to nurture and grow it. You can design your life around it. You can find roles or jobs that leverage your inherent talent and when you do you will ultimately do and feel better.

Posted on by Raj Daniels

Break your routine

Break one of your routines today. Choose one thing you do every day and change it just for today. It doesn’t have to be huge change; in fact it can be a small as using a different cup for coffee, using the opposite hand to brush your teeth or sitting somewhere else at work. Just something that feels a little different.

Making a small change to a routine will engage a different part of your brain and spark new connections. You’ll see the world differently and experience different emotions.

Breaking a routine can be a great gateway for creating new habits. It can give you the courage to eventually make bigger more drastic changes because you learn to get comfortable with change. Try it today, because you have nothing to lose. If you don’t like the change you can always go back to your routine.

Posted on by Raj Daniels

The idea of

Do you like the idea of being happy?

Do you like the idea of being healthy or the idea of being wealthy?

The idea of being in a relationship or any other endeavor?

I was taking a walk yesterday morning and saw a man walking a large black and white Old English sheepdog. Now if you’ve ever seen one of these dogs you know that they are beautiful and for a quick minute my mind wandered to the idea of owning such a dog. But very quickly I realized that I liked the idea, but not the work and maintenance that’s required in owning one.

Falling in to the trap of liking the idea of something is very easy to do because your mind rushes to the end product, the picture of how your life would look. And there’s nothing wrong with imagining how you want your life to look. In fact it’s the starting point of all great journeys.

The key is to realize that every end product, every idea and dream realized is going to take a lot of work and very often more work than you realized. It’s going to take work to start, to continue and to maintain and just liking the ‘idea of’ will not get you there

Posted on by Raj Daniels

Commit to Yourself

This is a very special blog post for a couple of specific reasons.

First is that it will be my last entry for 2016 and second is that it is a ‘makeup’ post.

What I mean by a makeup post is that on January 4th 2016 I committed myself to writing a minimum of 100 words 3 times a week. And the result of my commitment is that over the course of the year I have written 155 blog posts and 34,000 words. However, I have a confession to make.

On Monday July 4th I did not write a post because I was travelling. And the fact that I didn’t has been nagging me all year.

Now you may say that, it’s only one post and perhaps I should focus on the accomplishment and I would agree with you. However, I also know that this kind of thinking is a slippery slope. It’s like a cheat day when on a diet that turns into a cheat week and eventually… well you get the idea.

So in the spirit of my make up, I now ask you. What did you commit to but didn’t’ stick with that is still nagging at you? Why did you stop? And if it’s still nagging at you, how can you start again?

Let’s both take an oath together to stick to our commitments. Not only the commitments we make in public but to the ones we make to ourselves.  To see our commitments through and, if stuck then reach out for help. And if we falter or slip, not quit but forgive ourselves, do a makeup and re-commit.

Posted on by Raj Daniels

You don’t have to

Do you believe that you have to behave the way you do?

That you have to respond and react the way you do? And that there’s no other way for you?

Do you have to yell at your spouse or children when you are upset?

Do you have to eat the unhealthy food because it’s there in front of you?

Do you have to check your email or social media one more time just in case you miss something?

Do you have to have wander aimlessly through life being the victim of your circumstances?

Do you have to…fill in your own have to.

If you believe that you have to do any of the items above then you fallen in to a trap. Because everything you see listed there is something you learned to do. At some point in your life you adopted a mindset or a behavior because you thought this is how I need to behave. But you don’t have to. You choose to.

If you want to act a certain way then at least own the behavior and don’t blame it on have to. And when you do step up and own your behavior is when you have the opportunity to change it… if you choose to, but you don’t have to.

Posted on by Raj Daniels

Time for You

Do you schedule time with yourself to do the things are important to you?

Or do you rely on an ad hoc; I’ll just get to me when I can system?

Giving all your time to your work and family might seem noble at first, however it will cause you to feel out of control and over time build up feelings of resentment for both.

Prioritizing a little of your time for yourself lets you know that you too are important and that you’re not just living a reactive life. It doesn’t have to be a lot of time, even a few minutes a day can make a big difference to how you feel.

Look at your calendar today and schedule a few minutes for yourself tomorrow and treat that time just as you would any other appointment.

Posted on by Raj Daniels

The Book about You

If someone wrote a book about you how would they describe you?

If they interviewed your family and friends for the book what would they say about how you treated people? Would they say you were kind, generous, caring, optimistic and uplifting? The kind of person that people would say it was a pleasure to be around.

Or would they write that you were always complaining, gossiping, quick to find fault in others, pessimistic, demeaning? The kind of person that people went out of their way to avoid being around.

The book about you is being written by you on daily basis and every interaction is an opportunity for you decide now, what want you want to be written in the future book about you.

Posted on by Raj Daniels

Words

What words do you use do describe yourself?

What words do you use to describe the kind of day you’re having?

What words do you use to describe how you feel?

Your words are the palette for your thoughts and actions. They can color your day by adding excitement and enthusiasm or they can bring feelings of despair and sadness.

The vocabulary you use can also directly affect how you feel about yourself and others. It can also affect how others see you. Research shows that individuals can actually alter not just their psychology but also physiology just by the words they use.

Every thought you have is labeled with a word. Your thoughts are strings of words constantly churning through your brain sending signals on how you should act and feel. Your entire perspective of the world is based on the words that you’re in the habit of using.

Learn to use strong, powerful, uplifting words to describe yourself and positive words to describe your relationships and people around you. Your words can change the lens through which you view and live your life, choose them wisely.

Posted on by Raj Daniels

Better than Yesterday

 

Are you better in any area of life today than you were yesterday?

If yesterday is too soon then how about last week, last month or last year?

If not, then why not?

Is it that you don’t believe in self-improvement or do you think it will just happen by itself?

Self-improvement doesn’t have to be a daunting task or come in the form of a drastic change. In fact small incremental changes that are barely noticeable have the power to accumulate over time and  are very often more effective because they allow you to adjust to your new state of being.

Self-improvement also doesn’t mean that you’re not happy, appreciative or accepting where you are right now but it does mean that you understand that you if you’re not moving forward in the important areas of your life then you are indeed moving backwards.

The four areas of life you should look for continuous improvement in are, family/relationships, career/finance, health/physical and religious/spiritual.

Write down one small, tiny little thing you’d like to improve in each area and think about it for a few days. Imagine how your life would be different if you committed to taking the steps that would make you better than yesterday.

Posted on by Raj Daniels

Is my question good enough?

 

Is my question good enough?

This is the question so many school children ask themselves before they raise their hands.

This is also a question that many adults ask themselves before opening their mouths because they don’t want to look ill-informed or ‘uneducated.’

This questioning the question is a debilitating action and will ultimately prevent you from growing past your current knowledge.  However, there will be times when you will ask questions that some will consider being less than ideal or even stupid and that’s okay as long as you are getting the answers you need.

It is very important that you don’t confuse being shy with asking questions. Shy is a crutch that some individuals use to get out of asking questions. However, there are many that are socially shy or timid that have learned put aside their shyness in order to get answers to their questions.

Learning to ask questions is a muscle that can be strengthened over time and the more you practice the better you’ll get. You can start practicing by asking questions that you already know the answer to. At least this way you’ll feel more confident because you already have the answer.

Posted on by Raj Daniels

How many More?

How many more people do you have to read about that have done any of the following things?

Lost weight

Made money

Built great businesses

Donated to charity

Enjoyed their family

Lived their dreams

Wrote a book

Overcome adversity

Took their dream vacation

Reached their goals

How many more before you finally realize that they were no different from you?

In fact, in some cases the individuals that have achieved their goals had none of the advantages you do.

Stop reading the press clippings of others and start writing your own. Write them down and then find a way to live into them. Make it your mission to not just to exist but to live!

Posted on by Raj Daniels

Courage over Comfort

 

Who’s doing the thing you want to do?

Do you watch them from afar wishing it was you instead of them?

Do you see them acting, playing leading, writing, selling, building, loving and creating while you quietly envy them?

Why them and not you?

What makes them special?

What’s holding you back from being that person?

There’s only one difference between you and them. They identified what they wanted and then they found the courage to act on it. That’s it. Simple yes, but definitely not easy.

So where is your courage?

Is it buried in your doubt?

Even the best, the individuals that are at the top of their chosen field have doubt, but they also have the magical power of acting despite their doubt.

Put aside you doubt today. Just for one day say and live with courage over comfort. Think of it as an experiment, and that you can always go back to being who you are.

Posted on by Raj Daniels

Bet on Yourself

Who are you going to bet on?

Are you betting on your boss, spouse, friends, family or your employees?

Who are you going to bet on to fulfill your dreams, wishes and desires?

If you decide to bet on anyone but yourself then essentially you are letting yourself off the hook. You are putting other people on a pedestal and saying that they are responsible for the results in your life.

Relinquishing responsibility for your own well-being is the easiest thing to do because it allows you to be the victim. It allows you to say ‘it’s not my fault,’ and it allows you to get away with being less than your potential.

Learning to bet on you takes time and doesn’t come naturally because it takes time to build the self-confidence to do so. However, if you take small steps and gather small wins then you will begin to experience a snowball effect in your own confidence ultimately allowing you take bigger bets on yourself.

Posted on by Raj Daniels

Dumb Idea

 

Have you ever had a dumb idea?

How did you know?

Did someone tell you or did you kill it before you shared it?

Are you familiar with the Chia Pet? It’s been generating about $8,000,000 in revenue per year for 30 years. Or the Snuggie, which has sold over 30 million units and has generated about $500 million in gross revenue?

At first glance both of these ideas may have seemed like dumb ideas but both have proven quite the opposite.

Your own worst enemy when it comes to ideas is you. If you’re like most then you probably hesitate in sharing your ideas because you fear looking inept, unqualified or even dumb. And the truth is that sometimes you will and that’s okay.

Learn to share your ideas more freely. Get in the practice of writing them down and exploring them a little further. Some of your ideas may truly sound dumb at first, but don’t forget that even the Pet Rock made $6 million in profits.