#114 – “Out of clutter find simplicity.” Albert Einstein

Clutter clouds your mind and saps your energy. My method of clutter control is to set the timer for 15 minutes, then spend that time clearing something out. After 15 minutes, I get a reward like a chapter of a book and a piece of candy. Treating myself like one of Pavlov’s dogs works for me. I am always surprised at how much clutter I can get rid of in 15 minutes of concentrated effort.

This is something I learned years ago in a behaviour modification class I took at the University of Minnesota.  That class changed my life.  

 

 

Here’s to simplifying our lives.

#113 – Recent brain imaging tests show that imagining doing something is almost exactly the same in the brain and the body as actually doing it.

As a child, Tiger Woods listened to “subliminal messages” from audiotapes and also watched motivational videos. At thirteen, his father who had a degree in psychology and Special Forces military training had him work with Dr. Jay Brunza, a psychologist who coached him on relaxation, visualization and also focusing with hypnotic elements to attain peak performance under pressure.

I think of it as practice, practice, practice mentally as well as physically.   

 

 

#112 – To achieve true financial independence, you need to build a passive income stream. From: Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez.

Passive income is the money earned without the need to have a job — for example interest from a fixed c.d. bonds or dividends from owning stocks. When large enough to cover your monthly expenses, you can live on this passive income and become financially free. I look at it this way, if you save a dollar, you will  get interest on that dollar every year for the rest of your life.  If you’re wondering how you can begin doing this, read #105.

#111 — “Learn to control the private voice. The toughness of an athlete resides in the content and tone of that private voice.” Charlie Mahr, sports psychologist for the Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Cavaliers and New England Patriots.

 “If the private voice starts ripping on the players or getting defensive, attacking, negative or pessimistic, trouble is not far behind,” Loehr said.”  To condition the private voice to tell a positive story, he suggests that the player literally write down the words to use when doubts about their abilities come in and during high pressure times.

 

I find that by keeping the sentence short and rhyming, I am more likely to remember it when I’m feeling stressed.

Yay. The birds are back and bits of green are popping up here and there.