Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Intuition

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habits, ideas, insight, Intuition, Monday, motivation, Nudge, Prompting, schedules, To-dos

Have you ever gotten an inner prompting to change things in your schedule? I get these all the time. I finally came upon a really cool way to run through the things I need to do each day by using mini-days and categories of tasks so I can concentrate on one facet of my day at a time, 4 times a day. Let me explain.

I learn, read, write, exercise, and do a whole lot of other things each day. To be more efficient, I came up with the idea of using mini-days so I could do more activities in each of my high-priority tasks each day by doing something in each category 4 times a day instead of just once. Subsequently, I read 4 x each day, exercise my body 4 x each day, work on multiple writing projects each day, and so on.

You may have a different insight. This is one of the things I’ve discovered during my productivity journey. How we do things is staggeringly individual. We may get our ideas from various self-help books, but in the end, it is really about what works for each of us. So pay attention to your intuition–those inner nudges you get from time-to-time. They are usually great ideas. I’ve discovered that the more I listen to the inner promptings, the more I get. Take action on those promptings that make sense. You’ll discover as I have that your intuition can be worked out just like your body. Over time, your inner nudges will become better, and you’ll be able to trust them more. You will learn to discriminate better so you make better choices amongst all the inner prompts you receive.

Well, that’s it for today, folks. If something isn’t right, contemplate it. Think about it. You’ll start getting ideas on how to improve your current situation. They won’t come all at once. They’ll trickle in. When you get one, try it out. If it doesn’t work, wait for the next one. At some point, you’ll get the exact solution you need to improve the way you organize yourself and knock out your daily tasks, whatever they are.

Have a great Monday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spiritual Sunday – Divine Guidance

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Divine Guidance, God, heaven, ideas, Intuition, Love, Nudges, Promptings, Spirit

Hello, all. I hope you are having a terrific Sunday. Here’s another free e-booklets from ECKANKAR, should you choose to take a look: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.eckankar.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Divine-Guidance_eBooklet.pdf

This one is on Divine Guidance. It explains intuition, visions, and all those nudges or promptings we get to do this or that. Where do those come from? How can we take advantage of this guidance? Do we trust it? Or do we toss it away?

I hope you enjoy this one. Like all the e-booklets, it is full of insights, and some practical advice on this gift from God.

Have a great Sunday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thinking Tuesday – Critical Thinking

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advertisement, Critical Thinking, ideas, misinformation, Opinion, Politics, rumor

In today’s world, information overload is a common term. We get pounded with advertisement, news, and a truckload of gossip. Ask any question in Google’s search engine box, and take a look at the responses you get. I bet you will get both sides of an argument, regardless of what question you pose. Keto or not, vitamins or not, vegan or not, what type of exercise works–what doesn’t?, etc. I chose physical fitness for my core topic here, but you get the idea. How do we sift through all this information to find the truth?

Unfortunately, it isn’t as easy as it sounds, typically because most of the voices online are in it for a profit, clicks, or some other selfish purpose. This is where critical thinking takes on a whole new meaning. Today, we all have to become critical thinkers to avoid being overwhelmed by masses of opinions that are just that–opinions. To arrive at some semblance of truth, we have to really dig, and examine what we are reading critically. Watch this short video to learn how.

I hope you enjoyed this video and will try out some of the things it suggests. Critical thinking is no longer relegated to the university. We must all learn how to critically think and choose our information sources wisely. If we do not, we will be easily duped by many on the internet who have no interest in telling us the truth, but are rather interested in gaining political points, selling us something, or perpetuating a rumor that is popular.

Have a great Tuesday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Words

Tags

Adventure, Books, heartache, ideas, Journals, Love, stories, Storytelling, Travels, Writing

Today’s wisdom is about writing. When we write, we bring what is in our head to the page. For some, this is a difficult process. It is difficult because our minds can be so jumbled at times. We have thoughts. But until we write those thoughts down, read through them, think about them, edit them, and then complete what we have written into an intelligible collection of words, sentences, and paragraphs, they remain in the same form they are in our minds. Writing clarifies our thinking. It solidifies our thoughts. It changes a wisp of thought to a concrete idea. 

This is why I love writing. I love capturing what is in my mind and bringing these thoughts and ideas into reality. It is really magical. When you read a book written by an author, you realize that this world you are exploring was in someone else’s head. That is magic. 

You, my reading audience, are also involved with this process each time you write a post for your blog and submit it to the WordPress servers. You tell your story. You expose yourself for others to see. You talk about what bothers you. You talk about what excites you. You tell your stories. 

Your words teach, inspire, and impact everyone that reads them. You allow your readers to see a little piece of you, expressed in your words. The stories of adventure, heartbreak, mystery, war, love, and every emotion we experience as human beings. Words do that. Words!

Write. Write every day. Journal. Capture your thoughts. Tell your stories. Your travels, your experiences, your recipes. They all bring a richness to our existence. Your words matter. Your words impact others. Your words tell your story.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Grateful for Reading

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Adventures, Books, Expanding Your Mind, ideas, Learning, Libraries, Places, Reading, Romance

A study at the Pew Research Center posits that 27% of America did not read a single book in the last year. That’s a pretty astounding number when you take into account the amount of free books online, online resources provided by local libraries, and available for free at your local library. Enough of my lecturing.

I’m grateful for reading and my ability to read. I love books. I love learning. I love nonfiction and history more than I do fiction, but I still love a great fiction story, particularly science fiction. I love reading stories of exploring other planets, space battles, laser gun fights, you name it.

Photo by James Wheeler on Pexels.com

No entertainment is so cheap as reading, nor any pleasure so lasting. Mary Wortley Montagu.

When I read a book, I’m taken away. I experience the history, the adventure, the drama. It is hard to describe the feeling you get when a great book carries you away. You lose track of time.

So, thank you, to every author that has taken me to a new place. Thanks to the historians that taught me something about a civilization, a war, that told me how we looked at our world 100 years ago, 300 years ago, 500 years ago.

Photo by James Wheeler on Pexels.com

If you don’t read, give it a whirl. Find a topic or type of story you like. Do you like being scared? Pick up a thriller. Do you like to read about love? Find a romance novel. Do you like history and a good story? Pick up a historical fiction book. There are so many choices and so many books available. You don’t need any money. Go to your local library. Heck, reach out to your grandparents. If they are still alive, I bet they have a lot of books to lend you.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time or the tools to write. Stephen King

In closing, I love to read and grateful for the ability to read. It teaches me; it engages me; it opens my mind to other ideas, times, and places. Pick up a book and read it. You will be different when you’re done.

Until next time…

Dave

 

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote – Ideas

Tags

Brainstorming, Capturing your ideas, ideas, Organizing your ideas, Recording your ideas, Your internal Muse

“Take a simple idea and take it seriously.” – Charlie Munger

Have you ever had an idea that you just blew off?

I used to do this quite a bit, but then I read about the importance of capturing your ideas and have been doing so ever since. In the old days, we needed pen and paper. Today, with the capabilities of our tablets and cell phones, we can simply record our ideas. Now, if I have a pen and paper I will write the note down because it’s actually more efficient. It’s more efficient because you still have to transcribe the recordings or figure out how you will store them or find them for easy retrieval.

So, what’s the big deal about all of this? What I discovered was that over time, after developing this habit, I got more ideas, and more ideas, and more ideas. It’s like a garden hose with increasing pressure. Don’t get me wrong. This doesn’t happen all of the time. This “voice”, if you will, needs to be prompted. You have to ask it a question or present it with a problem. Once you do, particularly if you’ve been doing this a while, it will deliver.

Here are a few examples:

I had to give a public talk a few months ago. I started doing some research and asked, “What are the best things to talk about?” and “How do I organize the talk?” Then the ideas began flowing. I started preparing for the talk about a month in advance and by the time I began finalizing things, I had over 3 pages of notes, quotes, and ideas. As I began going through these notes and ideas, the format for my talk literally built itself.

I had a financial problem. I didn’t know where to turn, so I asked the question. How do I fix this? Again, the ideas and answers began coming. This is almost like an internal brainstorming session. You ask the question and all kinds of ideas come. Write all of them down. Do not judge them. Why? Because if you refute every single thing this inner voice gives you it is the same as not writing your ideas down. Have you ever been in a situation where a friend asks you for advice and then, every idea you pass along they reject? Frustrating right? I think the same applies to this inner voice.

I would also recommend giving this time. Typically, when I ask a question the ideas will come in spurts. Some within a few minutes; others over the next few days. Ask the question and collect. Once you’ve collected a good chunk of ideas, start going through them. Which ones seem to be most aligned with your goals or tasks? Once you’ve decided on which ones are most relevant to what you need to do, then it’s time to organize them in a cohesive order. Like I mentioned before, this tends to take care of itself, once you start reading through your collected ideas. The format or way you organize the ideas begins to take shape and a form begins taking shape. Then you’re off to the races.

Random Ideas

You’ll also get ideas about any number of things. Maybe an adjustment to your diet, a new way to organize your office or home, a better way to track your bills. It could be about anything. Capture them. If I’m on the road and I don’t have a trusty pen and paper, I used the recorder on my phone. If I am at my desk, I grab my journal and write it down. If I’m in my journaling app online, I can even jot it there. The trick is to write it down and remember where it is for capture.

When and where do I capture all of these ideas? My to-do app. I currently use a to-do app called Toodledo. This app is pretty versatile. It has a list section, task section, notes section, outline section, and habits section. All in one. I put all of these ideas into the lists section. In this lists section, I have all kinds of categories, like my bucket list, my someday/maybe list, my next actions list, my projects list, and so on. My to-do list is the area that I put everything new. The key is to process this list!

Well, that’s how I handle the ideas that pop into my head. How do you handle your ideas? Have you discovered the same thing I have?

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote

Tags

Achievement, Action, ideas, reality, Scott Belsky

Today’s Quote:

“It’s not about ideas. It’s about making ideas happen.” – Scott Belsky

Another great quote emphasizing the importance of bringing an idea into the physical realm by taking action. You can have the best idea about a book, a business, or some goal you’ve been dreaming about. If you don’t take the actions necessary to write the book, build the business, or achieve your goal, it will NEVER happen.

Brainstorm, write down your ideas, make a plan to bring an idea to life, and BINGO! You did it!! Now go celebrate and get ready to tackle the next one.

All the best, readers!!

Happy Sunday!

Until next time…

Dave

 

Stretching the Mind…

Tags

answers, consciousness, Emotions, ideas, Intellect, memory, questions, subconscious

“A mind stretched by new experiences can never go back to its old dimensions.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

The mind is a collection of neural pathways forged by our senses, thoughts, and our experiences. The mind collects. The mind compares. The mind stores.

Each of us is unique because our senses and the neural pathways they create are forged by our circumstances. But is the mind all there is?

A mind is a tool. We exist beyond the mind but need the mind to negotiate the reality of this reality. We are our consciousness.

Think about emotions, memories, intellect, and subconscious. These collectively represent the mind, the combination of which are infinite when we deal with the world. When a particular experience is over you will come away from a collective experience with your own unique version of it. You interpret the event with your emotions, any memories that may provide some background, you evaluate the input with your intellect, and there may even be something in your subconscious that contributes to your experience. If you talk to others who experienced the event, there will be differences in each person’s unique way of interpreting the event.

Our consciousness allows us to be aware of things and to accept or reject them. Our consciousness is what allows us to think of things beyond what the mind has seen or collected. Our consciousness allows us to find new ways of doing things. How does this occur?

Consciousness is connected to a greater expanse. Some call this expanse God. Others call it the Universe. The name that is given to it is irrelevant. We can contact this expanse and find what already exists somewhere in infinity.

By doing so, we stretch. We become more aware each time we tap into this greater consciousness. The next time you have a problem to solve. Ask the question. Write your question down. Think about it before you go to sleep. The answer will come in some way. It could come while listening to a radio program, watching television, or surfing the Internet. You could see your answer on a billboard, in a book, or overhear someone in the coffee shop you frequent. The more aware you are, the easier it will be to find the answer to your question. The only caveat to this is to test the answer you receive. Ask for a confirmation. Sometimes the mind gets in the way. It doesn’t believe the answer it receives and will block some of it out. We will misinterpret the response we get to our question. The answer comes. They always come. What is important is becoming aware enough to receive them.

Until next time…