Get Smart!: How to Think and Act Like the Most Successful and Highest-Paid People in Every Field
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| Think Strategically Of the many management techniques that have come in and out of fashion over the years, strategic planning is always ranked as number one in enduring importance. In strategic planning, you are forced to think slowly, to carefully consider the likely consequences of an action or a decision. You are designing the long-term future of your business. In personal strategic planning, it is the same. You design your own future. You think far into the future to determine where you want to be in the years ahead. As Michael Kami, the strategy expert, wrote, Those who do not plan for the future cannot have one.” Personal strategic planning forces you to think slowly, with greater precision and accuracy. It forces you to think about what you really want to behave, do, and accomplish in the months and years ahead. It is often a good idea for you to block out chunks of time, even a day or two, to think about your future, especially in times of change, turbulence, and disruption. Go fora long walk and let your mind relax. Discuss your future goals with your spouse. Take two or three days off where you disconnect from all electronic devices, including your computer, smartphone, telephones, text messages, and any other electronic interruptions that can disrupt the flow of your thinking. Practice Solitude One of the most powerful of all ways to practice slow thinking is for you to practice solitude on a regular basis. Many people have never practiced solitude even once in their entire lives. They have an insatiable need to be busy and active, filling every possible minute with stimuli of some kind. But this is not for you. The practice of solitude is quite simple. It requires that you take a minimum of thirty to sixty minutes by yourself, in silence, with no music or distractions, and simply sit there quietly with no noise or activity. You can sit quietly in nature, in a park, where there is no noise. Perhaps the best mental state for solitude is to think about water.” Sitting and looking at a body of water, even a swimming pool, seems to relax your mind and unlock your subconscious and superconscious capabilities. S OLITUDE R EQUIRES D ISCIPLINE When you first practice solitude, you will find it extremely difficult. You will fidget and think of things that you could getup and do. You will almost have to hold yourself down for the first twenty to twenty-five minutes. But at that point, something wonderful will happen. All of your tension and stress will begin to drain away, and you will feel completely relaxed. You will start to enjoy the sensation of simply sitting in the silence. And at this point, your mind will begin to flow with thoughts, ideas, insights, perspectives, solutions to problems, and other inspirations, anyone of which can change your life. Just let your mind flow, like a river. You do not need to write anything down. If it is a good idea, it will remain with you after your period of solitude. It is said that men and women begin to become great when they begin to take time apart with themselves in the silence.” If you have never practiced thirty to sixty minutes of solitude, make an appointment with yourself for your first session. Often, I would stop my car in a park on the way home in the late afternoon and sit quietly for an hour. You may stay at the office after everyone has left. You may sit in your backyard or your upstairs bedroom where it is completely silent. I T W ORKS E VERY T IME Here is my promise to you. Whenever you have a problem, a difficulty, an obstacle, a frustration, or a challenge in your life, go into the silence and sit quietly. The very first time you do this, almost without exception, the answer to your biggest problem will come to you, almost like a butterfly alighting on your shoulder. Many of my students report tome that problems that had concerned them for weeks or months were almost instantly resolved by their first practice of a session in solitude. When your answer comes, it will be complete in every respect. It will answer every detail of the problem or difficulty. It will be simple, clear, and completely within your capabilities to act. It will solve every detail of the problem. When you arise from your period of solitude and put the idea into action, everything will immediately resolve itself. You will beat peace. Download 0.86 Mb. Share with your friends:
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