What you’re thinking is what you’re becoming: We are never a finished product – instead, we’re in the constant process of becoming. These thoughts however are extremely powerful. If we ignore them, easily poisonous thoughts such as doubts, lies and disbelief will start pestering us. The best thing we can do is to be aware of these thoughts, what they are trying to tell us and think of the best ways to indulge in them.
To be a great champion, you must believe you are the best: It all starts from a thread of belief. Unless we believe in ourselves, there’s very little chance of success in life. And even if we succeed without belief, we won’t be able to enjoy it because we end up attributing success to factors such as luck etc. Being a champion is a mindset. We all have unique abilities- let’s call that our leverage. If we compare ourselves to anyone, there will be areas of strength and weakness. The beauty is when we can use these strengths or leverage to create a path of victory for ourselves.
Efficiency is doing things right: It’s not just important to use our time wisely to become productive. It is most important to ensure that we are spending our time on the right things. This quote by Peter Drucker beautifully talks about the difference between efficiency and effectiveness. It is so easy to get caught up in the idea of being productive with time. However, effectiveness asks us to step out of this biased thinking. It forces us to look at the big picture and ask whether we are compromising effectiveness for the sake of efficiency.
The key is in not spending time: Time is lost, even before we start thinking about it. Unfortunately, most times we don’t treat time with the same respect because something else takes priority. This quote by Stephen Covey, makes us pause and rethink about time as an investment for the future. As much as I like the idea of investing time in the future, I’m conflicted with the thought that disregards the present and treats it as a tool for the future.
Happiness is not a goal: I think we have it the wrong way around when we say happiness is a goal in life. If you look long enough, you realise that happiness is elusive. We have better luck finding joy. So, I’d argue that this chase of happiness is not only elusive but a foolish pursuit. We find joy in the things we do, face them in the moment and create memories and narratives around them. In other words, what we face as joy in the current moment ends up being a definition of happiness in some cases. In this case, the quote from Eleanor Roosevelt makes us pause and ask a question about happiness. Is happiness truly the goal of life and if so how do we realise it?