4 Months of Big Ideas & Quality Questions

Have you ever stopped to wonder what makes some people successful, happy, smart, strong, [insert favorite positive adjective here], and others not? And the people who are [insert positive adjective]… is it because they have some genetic predisposition to these character traits and the virtues which underpin them, or do they obtain these traits through environmental influences and life-altering events?

Nature verses nurture. Biology verses sociology.

I often wonder… If you thought like your heroes and heroines, do you think you’d be able to *become* like them? If you had the same self-talk as they did, would you take the same actions they took? And if you took the same actions, would you create the same life they live and feel the same feelings they feel?

I’m convinced that the mind is malleable. And if we can train our minds to believe, operate, and act like the people we admire, we can construct our circumstances and become the best version of ourselves.

For the last 3 years, I’ve scribed regularly in a journal. I write down everything from big ideas, goals, plans, and brainstorms to quotes, mantras, references and questions. The lifespan of a journal is usually about 4 months, and well, right now it’s about that time.

As I was doing my “end-of-journal-review”, I thought you might be interested to know about some of my favorite big ideas and thought-provoking questions from the last few months since I haven’t talked about them all on the blog. Some of these ideas were mine, but most weren’t. Some of these ideas are new, but most are just so instrumental to me crafting my ideal life that I self-regulate and reiterate them regularly.

Big Ideas

My ideal life = consistency on the fundamentals. – Robin Sharma (My fundamentals: meditation, creation, hydration, exercise, nutrition, learning, playing, connection)
Actions express priorities. – Gandhi
Create the experience that I want to consume (in business). – Brian Johnson
Create connection… and then we can move together. – Jeff Klein
If you do what you say, what you say becomes powerful. – A coaching client of mine
Love = considering how my choices and actions affect you. – My homeboy
Freeze the big picture and then work on the details. – Brian Johnson
There’s nothing wrong with you; it’s the map and rules you’ve been given. – Nicole Daedone
Are you willing to experience the suffering which will end your suffering? You’re feeling the pain of not experiencing your pain. – Nicole Daedone
It’s all a game. – Brian Johnson
The shadow is everything we don’t want to be but fear we are, represented in a single image. It follows us wherever we go. It’s the embodiment of everything we hide from others because we fear they won’t like and accept us. Underneath it is our inner self. When we consciously connect with our shadow, we can use its force to reveal ourselves in a genuine way without caring about others’ approval. – The Tools
Come from love – then I can play people’s game, but still be in integrity. – Michael from The Energy Project
See things from their perspective + meet their needs.
Expose yourself to negative emotion and learn to be ashamed of only the things worth being ashamed of. – Tim Ferriss
Anxiety is “what you don’t know” multiplied by “what you can’t control”. (Anxiety = uncertainty x powerlessness) – Chip Conley
Let the interaction ride my breath. Take them where I want to go with it.
Suffering is inevitable. How can we best deal with it? – Kris Carr
Define very precise behaviors, performed at specific times, motivated by deeply held values. – Tony Schwartz
Sandwich technique for feedback… Positive, negative, positive. – Tony Schwartz
Human development occurs sequentially: physically, emotionally, mentally, and then spiritually. Lasting change occurs the opposite way: spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and then physically. If you want to make a change, connect the impact of an activity to a deeper purpose. – Tony Schwartz
Motivation and inspiration come from a connection to our values. – Tony Schwartz
An obstacle is an inspiration. Things that come easy aren’t inspiring. – Line from Searching for Sugarman

Quality Questions

What are the things I really enjoy?
Is this contributing to or taking away from my quality of life?
What are the obstacles, challenges, and worst case scenarios that I’ll face?
What are 5 crazy things I’d love to do before I die?
Which areas of my life will I invest in this year?
Who is my team in life? And how can I serve them deeply?
If I was on my deathbed, would I regret not making this decision?
What are 3 things that I don’t wanna do which I should?
What can I delegate (business-wise)?
What are my life lessons?
Which goal is going to make me the happiest?
What are my values and is what I’m doing serving them?
If I had a board of directors consisting of mentors and heroes, what would they advise about this decision?
What would make me proud?

There you have it.

Three years after starting Sensophy, I still have as many questions as I do answers.

But what about you? Was there one big idea here that really stuck out for you? How about one question which you feel called to answer for yourself? What’s one way you’d like to start training your mind?

Share in the comments below.

And if you REALLY wanna go deeper, solve your challenges, and figure out WTF you should do with your life, enquire about life-coaching.

4 Comments

Comments are closed.