The Environment Effect

How does the environment affect you?

How does your behaviour change?

How does your mood change?

How does your fitness change?

The environment has an effect on us.

The right environment can lift us up.

The wrong environment can tear us down.

Sometimes we can change our environment.

Sometimes we need to find a new one.

Do not discount the environment effect.

The right moment

How often do things come at the right time?

How often does the right thing come at the wrong time?

How do you decide what to do?

How likely is the opportunity to repeat?

What is the “right moment?

Things come our way whether we want them or not.

The right things, especially.

It is up to us if we grasp them or not.

The right moment is a mental construct.

It does not exist; we make it exist.

FOMO and Losses

How often do you succumb to the fear of missing out (FOMO)?

How often do you fear losing something?

What is the driver behind FOMO for you?

Why are you worried about losses?

What can you do to flip the script?

Fear is a bad driver for decisions.

Yet, fear governs many of our decisions.

The more aware you are about this,

The better you make decisions.

Understanding what drives your fears is crucial.

Only then will you be able to work around it.

Time Alone

How much time do you spend alone?

How do you feel when you do?

How do you feel after you did?

How can you incorporate this more often?

Spending time alone is crucial.

It is the moments when you can reflect.

It is the moments when you can recharge.

Some might spend too much time alone.

How much we need is individual.

Find the balance that works for you.

A good old Test

What makes a good test?

How smooth should a test run?

How many variables should you test?

How many tests are enough?

A test is great to confront ideas with reality.

A test is great to learn how things work.

A test is great for making many mistakes,

and making them without consequences.

We should all do more testing and less worrying.

A test beats a thousand hours of thinking.

Personas

How many personas do you have?

What is your private persona like?

What is your professional persona like?

What is your public persona like?

We all have several personas.

Our personas change based on the environment.

Our personas change based on the task.

Our personas change based on the goal.

Some think this is unethical,

yet it simply is reality and human nature.

The more aware you are about it, the better.

Win-Win

Do you strive for win-win solutions?

How often do you succeed?

When it works, why?

When it fails, why?

How can you improve your odds?

Win-Win solutions are the best,

yet they are not always possible.

It is always worth striving for it,

yet people may use it against you.

Be sure to know when to walk away.

At times, a compromise is the best result possible.

How often do you give what is asked for?

Why not, when you don’t?

What would happen if you did?

How can you adapt your plans?

Often we have a plan,

yet people want something else.

We may stay entrenched in our ideas,

and miss the opportunity.

Adapt your plan enough to give what asked for,

and then see what happens.

It may be worth the effort.

Expectations and Surprises

How often are you surprised?

How often because you had expectations?

Are you positively or negatively surprised?

How do you react to being surprised?

Hope for the best and plan for the worst.

This is how to deal with expectations and surprises.

We always have expectations,

yet it is upon us to curate them.

How can you set yourself up for success?

How can you prepare for potential surprises?

Preparation Stress

How stressful is preparation for you?

How do you feel once the real thing kicks off?

How much do you expect?

How much do you need to be in control?

Preparing for something is often stressful,

more stressful than the actual thing we prepare for.

During preparation, we have control of the process.

During the event, we often all but can watch.

This illusion of control causes anxiety.

The acceptance of no control causes calm.

Timing is Crucial

How good are you at timing?

How well-timed are your ideas?

How often do they fail due to timing?

Has the same idea worked at a different time?

Timing is crucial for success.

Projects, ideas, relationships,

everything in life depends on timing.

If an idea is not feasible now, revisit it later.

If you cannot form a relationship now, try again later.

Circumstances change, people change, the world changes.

Test, Test and Test

How often do you test things?

How can you test more?

How can you make a big decision into a test?

How do tests help you?

We often forget that we can test things.

We don’t have to make a final decision.

Most big decisions can be tested.

At least crucial parts of it.

Some cannot, which makes them significant.

Test what you can, guess what you can’t.

You Created This

What in your life do you despise right now?

Whose actions are annoying you?

How are they annoying you?

Why do you despise the things you do?

Our decisions in life lead to consequences.

Often, it is many years after the decision point.

Sometimes they come immediately.

Whatever you face in life, remember,

At some level in life, you have created this.

Your current situation and reality are up to you.

The only way to get out is to own it.

Love & Hate

How often do you despise someone you love?

How do you feel when this happens?

Why does this happen when it does?

What do you think about it?

People we love can drive us crazy.

They can be moody and annoying.

They have bad days, just like us.

It is normal to despise them on some days.

It is normal that they despise you some days.

Take a deep breath and rock it through.

Shapes and Sizes of Mistakes

How many mistakes do you make?

How big are the mistakes you make?

What type of mistakes are they?

How does this add up?

Some mistakes are small,

Some mistakes are big,

Some are bad timing,

Some are faulty understandings,

Some are wrong decisions,

They come in all shapes and sizes.

They all add up, big and small.

Many small ones are worth a big one.

Or a small one will make all the difference.

Or it will not matter at all.

Observe and find the mistakes you can,

then correct them one by one.

Intent, actions and outcomes

How do you react to an action you dislike?

How aware are you of the person’s intent?

How aware are you of the potential outcomes?

What intent do you interpret into it?

Often, we will be furious with another’s action.

Yet, we will not know their intent.

We will not even know the outcome yet.

We often interpret a malicious or egoistical intent.

It helps to have a conversation first.

It helps to embrace the action and maximise the outcome.

Control the Narrative

How well do you control the narrative about you?

Are you aware of what it should be?

Who else tries to control your narrative?

How can you gain better control?

What is the narrative you want to communicate?

Most of us are not in control of our narrative.

Often, other people control it.

Your friends, your family, your colleagues, society or the media.

However, you can gain control of it.

Think about what the narrative should be.

And start to communicate it proactively.

Unwanted blessings

How often do you receive blessings?

How often do you not want them?

Why did someone try to help you?

How did they try to help you?

Why did you not like it?

Often, people will do something good for us.

Yet, we do not appreciate the help.

People help for many reasons,

not always for your benefit, but theirs.

When you help another, ask first,

act after you have received permission.

The Basics

How well do you practice the basics?

How aware are you of the basics in what you do?

What happens when you fail at them?

What happens when you nail them?

The basics are the key to anything we do.

If we lack in the basics, we will struggle.

Fancy performances are a sliver without the basics.

The basics form the foundation for great things.

How Hard?

How hard is hard enough?

Up to which point can you learn?

How much can you learn?

How is the rate of diminishing returns?

We learn from hard things.

Yet, if it is too hard, we learn nothing.

If it is too hard, we break ourselves.

There is a tipping point - don’t cross that.

Yet, life is hard, and we will cross the point.

Then, it is about survival, not learning.

You can try to learn thereafter.