Category: 60 Second Wisdom

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60 Second Wisdom – How to Talk to Anyone

““I don’t feel very interesting!” someone said to me the other day and I was fascinated with the comment. And I started wondering, “How does someone become a more interesting person?” This in turn got me thinking about the most interesting people I know.

I’m not very good at small talk and social situations make me a little anxious. But I love a great conversation. The question that has served me best over the years is, “What are you reading at the moment?” Many of the best conversations I’ve ever had started with a discussion about a book someone was reading.

But more and more I find that people don’t read books, so I have a second question now, “What’s your favorite podcast?” And this question has also given birth to some amazing conversations.

The most interesting people I know are readers. Or they listen to podcasts. Or both. They are always learning. That’s what differentiates them.

So, if you want to become a more interesting person, get interested. Ignite your curiosity. Read books and listen to podcasts. And if you want to have some great conversations ask people, “What are you reading at the moment?” or “What’s your favorite podcast?””

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60 Second Wisdom – Less is More

“Simplicity is good for the soul. We complain about how complicated life has become, but we continue to complicate our lives. The two main ways we complicate our lives is with things and commitments. So much of our anxiety comes from these things and yet we cling to them and multiply them as is they were prizes to be cherished.

Here are seven examples of how less is more:

1. Less television means more time to read.
2. Less comparison means more contentment.
3. Less stuff means more space.
4. Less talking means more listening.
5. Fewer commitments means more time just to be.
6. Less complaining means more gratitude.
7. Less clutter means more clarity.

Less is more means different things to different people. Find out what it means to you, try it, and take note of how it changes your life.”

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60 Second Wisdom – How to Slay the Dragon

“The hardest battle to win is one you don’t even realize you are fighting, and the hardest enemy to defeat is the one you don’t even know exists. Every day you are in a battle with resistance.

Make no mistake, resistance is your enemy. It will not quietly go away and leave you alone. You have to slay it like a dragon, and you have to slay it anew each day.

Here are 4 ways to slay resistance every day:

1. Expect resistance. You should be surprised. It’s going to be there breathing fire every day.

2. Know what you want more than the mindless comfort of procrastination.

3. Focus on one thing at a time. Multi-tasking is a mega-resistance trap.

4. Just do it.

And remember, don’t just be yourself, become the best version of yourself!”

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60 Second Wisdom – What to Do if Your Life Isn’t Working

“Every day we make dozens of decisions and choices. Many of them we make unconsciously. They all have consequences. They have intended consequences and unintended consequences, and we have to live with both.

These smaller choices and decisions prepare us or prevent us from making life’s biggest choices in a way that is life-giving for everyone involved.

For decades researchers have been exploring what people consider to be the biggest decisions of life. From generation to generation there can be some jockeying for top position, but what is on the list is not surprisingly consistent from one generation to another.

Today, these are considered life’s six biggest decisions:

1. Having children
2. Getting married
3. Buying a home
4. Where to go to college and what to study
5. Moving cities
6. Changing career later in life

Others that make the longer list include:

When to retire; whether or not to end a relationship; choosing to spend or save; quitting a job; getting a pet; setting boundaries with toxic family members and friends; standing up for yourself; putting an elderly relative in a care home; and, whether or not to accept a promotion.

These are all important decisions. They can each be difficult in their owns ways. And yet together they paint a picture that is worth reflecting upon. There seems to be something missing. The bigger things. The deeper things. These may be the “what” but where is the “why.”

In many ways, these things, some of them profoundly important, seem to have been reduced to a list of personal preferences. And as a result, decision making seems to have been reduced to an exercise of personal preference selection.

The larger perspective seems to be missing. Who are we? What are we here on earth for? What matters most? What matters least? How is the best way to spend our short lives?

And most of all, who or what are we going to place at the center of our lives? For this alone will determine almost everything else. This alone will drive our decisions, large and small.

So, the best place to start is by asking the question: Who or what is at the center of your life? Career, money, things, self, God, children, spouse, friends, expectations?

If your life isn’t working, change what is at the center of it.”

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60 Second Wisdom – Is it Possible to be 10 Times Happier?

“If I told you by doing something that takes ten seconds, ten times a day, you would become ten times happier, would you do it? Most people wouldn’t. That’s human nature. We say we want to be happy but then we busy ourselves with things that make us restless and unhappy.

But maybe you are one of the few, so here it is.

We’ve all heard the term “Count your blessings!” It comes from the Jewish tradition that encourages people to count 100 blessings each day.

100 is a lot and you aren’t going to do that in ten seconds, but you can do this. Pause ten times a day for ten seconds and do these two things. First, take a deep breath, a really, really deep breath. Second, identify one person, thing, experience, or opportunity you are grateful for and just let that gratitude wash over you.

10 seconds. 1O times a day. I promise you, it will change your life. Gratitude is one of the most life-altering experiences a human being can have.”

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60 Second Wisdom – What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?

“Everything in life requires courage. Whether it is playing football or coaching football; crossing the room to ask a woman on a date or rekindling a love that has grown cold; whether it’s your first day at school or your first day back at school after twenty years; starting a new business, battling a potentially fatal disease, getting married, struggling to overcome an addiction, or sitting humbly with your God in prayer—life requires courage. It’s a prerequisite. Courage brings us to life and makes everything else possible.

So, what are we waiting for? You only get one shot at life. What would you do if you weren’t so afraid? Whatever it is, take one small step toward it today, then take another step toward your hopes and dreams tomorrow.

Life favors the courageous. So, summon a little courage. You will be amazed what life will give you in return for a little bit of courage.

In Part Two of this series we will discuss fear and how it paralyzes us.”

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60 Second Wisdom – 5 Ways to Increase Your Enthusiasm

5 Ways to Increase Your Enthusiasm – Matthew Kelly

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Video Transcript:

“When was the last time you felt amazing? Trauma, sickness, anxiety, depression, loss—so many things rob us of our enthusiasm for life. And after difficult seasons in our lives, it is natural to wonder if we will ever feel amazing again.

Here are five concrete things you can do to infuse your daily life with enthusiasm:

1. Prioritize your legitimate needs. Diet, exercise, sleep, and prayer all increase your capacity for enthusiasm. Take a walk today, make a healthy meal, get to bed early, and watch your enthusiasm begin to grow!

2. Schedule 15 minutes every day to do something you love doing. Why are children so consistently enthusiastic? Because they do so many things every day just for the joy of it. You don’t have to spend all day doing something you love, start small, fifteen minutes a day.

3. Say “no” to people, activities, and things that drain your energy and enthusiasm. Develop an awareness of who and what drains your enthusiasm. Protect your enthusiasm by learning to say, “no.”

4. Spend time with enthusiastic people. We rise or fall to the level of our friends in most things. Who are the most enthusiastic people you know? Are you spending enough time with those people? Your enthusiasm is probably the average of the five people you spend the most time with. If you wish to raise your level of enthusiasm in life, surround yourself with enthusiastic people.

5. Dream. Your dreams are your dreams for a reason. Our dreams animate us, they literally breathe new life into us. So, what are your dreams and what are you doing about them? Start pursuing your dreams and they will fill you with new passion, energy, enthusiasm, and vitality.

It’s time to rediscover your enthusiasm and flourish. And just remember, everyone who really cares about you wants you to flourish.”

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60 Second Wisdom – Time to Live Your Best Life

16 Ways to Start Living Your BEST LIFE – Matthew Kelly – 60 Second Wisdom

Video Transcript:

“We get only one shot at life. Isn’t it time for a little soul-searching? Isn’t it time to get outside your comfort zone and live the life you are being called to?

Here are 16 suggestions…

Visit a quiet church in the middle of the day.
Take a walk in the park.
Turn off the television and talk to your children.
Look for the job you’ve always wanted.
Keep a promise.
Tell your Mom you love her.
Restore an old car.
Make friends with your neighbors.
Say yes instead of maybe.
Watch a sunset.
Write your spouse a love letter.
Fly a kite.
Say you’re sorry.
Ask that girl out on a date.
Try a food you’ve never tasted before.
Make peace with God.”

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10 Things We Forget When We’re Feeling Overwhelmed

“Overwhelmed feels like being buried alive. It feels like you are drowning. It’s a state of panicked anxiety and when we are in that space we are not thinking clearly. Here are 10 things we forget when we feel overwhelmed…

1. Not everything we think is true. Our mind plays tricks on us. What’s the truth here? You cannot do it all at once. That’s true. You cannot handle it all at once. That’s true. You can handle it one thing at a time. That’s the most important truth in this situation.

2. This is temporary. This too shall pass. You’ve been here before and you got through it. You will get through this.

3. You got this. You can do this. You know how to get through this, you know what you need to do, you just aren’t thinking clearly at this moment.

4. You don’t need all the answers and a total plan to move forward.

5. Feelings are not always connected to reality. Overwhelmed is a feeling. But you are not your feelings, and your emotions are not your life.

6. We forget to breathe. In stressful situations we sometimes hold our breathe without even realizing it when what we need is the exact opposite. Oxygen makes clear thinking possible. Breathe deeply. Fill your body with the oxygen your mind needs to navigate this situation.

7. Doing nothing will only sustain these feelings of being overwhelmed. If nothing changes, nothing changes. Change something right now. Overwhelmed is a feeling of helplessness. Take back your power immediately. Do something to move you out of this state.

8. Gratitude changes our state of mind every time. What are you grateful for? (see 4 signs)

9. Our problems are usually not as bad as we think they are and not as unique as we think they are. Ask any therapist. Other people in history have been through some version of what you are going through and they found a way…

10. It’s amazing how quickly things can turn around. The smallest step in the right direction can shift the momentum of your life.

We all get overwhelmed from time to time. This isn’t the last time it’s going to happen to you, but it is time to develop a strategy to deal with it.”

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Do you have a vision for your life?

“Do you have a vision for your life? Do you know how you would like it to be different one year from now? Do you know the types of people you want to attract into your life in the future?

Most people don’t so most people don’t. They don’t have a vision for their lives, so their life just sort of chugs along going nowhere in particular. They don’t know how they want their lives to be different in 12 months, so it won’t be. And they don’t know what type of people they want to attract into their lives, so they will continue to complain about how selfish, unreliable disorganized, controlling, and manipulative the people in their lives are.

The ability to dream is amazing, the ability to plan and set goals is one of the things that sets human beings apart. Setting goals and making plans, dreaming about our future, brings the best out of us.

Goethe observed, “Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid.” Perhaps it’s time for a little boldness in your life.”