Duncan Nugget® #52: Time to Do Something Different?

Self-motivation is crucial to achievement. But it will only last if you believe that there is a beneficial relationship between your behavior and your desired outcome.

Million-Dollar Question:
How does what you do in life help you to get what you want out of life?

If your answer is “it doesn’t” or “I don’t know” then why in the world are you doing it?! It’s your life, right? Maybe it’s time to do something different.

Duncan Nugget® #70: The Disappearance of Logic

When emotions fill the room, logic goes out the window.

Everybody has done or said something stupid in the heat of the moment. That’s because, regardless of the situation, the more emotional you become, the more information you ignore. Your limbic system (the emotional brain) takes the driver’s seat and steers you in a direction you may later regret. 

Million-Dollar Question:
How do you get your emotions under 
control during a peak emotional moment?

There’s no guaranteed trick that works for everybody, but here’s a nugget:

It takes 6-9 seconds for emotion-producing chemicals to flood your system. Giving yourself a ten count (if possible) before you take action will at least give you a chance to deal with the initial flood of emotions.

You don’t have to be a robot. Just chillax. Calm down a little. You will think more clearly and hopefully, your logic will reappear.

Duncan Nugget® #143: The Smell of Desperation

Desperation is unattractive. Period. I learned that the hard way. People can smell desperation from a mile away. It stinks of fear, low self-esteem, and hopelessness.

Why is she all up on him like that? She must be desperate.

Why is he acting like he’s going to die if I don’t buy this car? He’s desperate.

Why has he called me 198 times in the last hour? I just met him yesterday. Is he really that desperate? 

Even if it is a desperate situation there’s no need for you to act desperate and hopeless.

Act like you know things will get better.

Act like you have an abundance mentality.

Act like you know that there is a power greater than you working on behalf of you.

Million-Dollar Question:
Do you smell like desperation?

This Is Only for the Open-Minded

People have a hard time dealing with information that contradicts what they think. In fact, it’s not unusual for people to completely ignore (sometimes unintentionally) anything that challenges their beliefs. Most folks only seek information that validates what they want to think and believe.

The Myth of Learning Styles

Science Daily has posted an article debunking the notion of learning styles. This was a hard one for me to accept because I’ve taught many seminars and classes on learning styles. What are your thoughts?

(This is a scientific article, so it’s heavy reading.)

Science Daily | Learning styles debunked

Duncan Nugget® #51: The Delusion of Success

What do successful, self-motivated, high-achievers and people who play the lottery have in common?

They’re delusional. 

People are motivated more by the perceived probability of success than the actual probability of success. 

I’m about to go outside in this thunderstorm and fly a kite.

Benjamin Franklin. Delusional. 

It’s 1836, I’m 16 years old, and I’m going to tell the world that slavery is wrong and women are just as good as men.

Susan B. Anthony. Delusional. 

I’ve been in jail for 27 years…guess I should run for president.

Nelson Mandela. Delusional.

The next time somebody calls you delusional because the odds are against you accomplishing your goal, thank him or her for the compliment.

Q & A: Context is Everything Part 2

[Q & A from Facebook based on Duncan Nugget #39: Context is Everything]

Q: [ Adam Fletcher Sasse] Sometimes we need the context to change though Al. What do we do when the context doesn’t change as fast as we need it to?!?

Adam, good question! The answer is simple (but far from easy):

You have to make an accurate, honest assessment of what is and is not under your control. Focus on the aspect of the context you can control and work on that. Most people spend too much time focused on what they can’t control.

Sometimes we do need (want) the context to change (like the economy). We don’t have complete control over that, but we do have complete control over our spending habits. We do have complete control over attitude and effort.

Gandhi, MLK, Mother Teresa, Joan of Arc, Frederick Douglas, and any other great person in history faced contexts that weren’t changing fast enough. But they honed in on what they could do. They did that with an unstoppable attitude, courage, and sustained, maximum effort.

Eventually the context changed.

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