Maya

Nonfiction book extraction for you only ♡ 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 | Sources: Blinkist and my opinions

[helianthus1905]

Life is more full of possibilities than we realize — in fact, almost anything is possible. You can unlock all this unlimited potential by keeping a positive mindset and following the four-step system. First, cultivate a positive attitude and build a vision of your ideal future. Then, develop a strategic plan to work your way there slowly. Finally, put your plan into action by giving it a go. Even if you stumble, each misstep is a learning opportunity. 

[helianthus1905]

Choose a trigger to jumpstart your routine.

Sometimes starting an action can be the hardest part. That’s why it can be helpful to jumpstart a routine by coupling it to an action that you do anyway.

For example, if you want to start jogging every morning, plan to head out the door as soon as you’ve had your first cup of coffee. It can also be helpful to plan the action you’ll do straight after the run, like jump in the shower. Integrating the new action within your existing routine will make it feel much more manageable.

[helianthus1905]

Most of us live impulsively, driven by emotions like fear and guilt to try and cram as much as possible into our days. But, realistically, we only have a finite amount of time. When we ignore that reality, we end up getting stressed and burned out, and all our relationships suffer.

By applying the three secrets to time investment, we can completely transform how we live.

First, we need to make action-based priorities. Second, we need to make our expectations realistic. And third, we need to develop simple routines that help us stay on track.

[helianthus1905]

[helianthus1905]

Have a meaningful conversation.

It might sound easy, but there’s more to having a good conversation than meets the eye. Next time you have the chance, take the art of the conversation seriously.

Really engage with what the other person is trying to tell you, give support responses rather than shift responses, and think about how their experiences are different from your own. You’ll be amazed at what you can learn.

[helianthus1905]

Talking to each other is one of the things that makes us human, but we don’t always prioritize good conversation as much as we should – especially since the rise of technology. To have a good conversation, it’s important to give it your full attention, go in with an open mind, and commit to being a good listener. Learn to do it well, and you’ll feel happier and become more empathetic.

[helianthus1905]

Rethink your golden years

We’re taught to think that our golden years come when we retire, perhaps after the age of 65. This is – we’re told – the precious moment when we have both time and money to do everything we’d always wanted. 

But don’t be fooled. 

The golden years actually arrive much earlier, roughly between the ages of 50 and 65. It is during this time that we have more time and resources than we did in our younger days – but, crucially, a lot of us also remain fairly fit. 

So don’t wait until retirement. As soon as you have the golden combination of money, time, and health, go for it – start doing all the things you love!♥️

[helianthus1905]

Don’t waste your life saving up for a rainy day. You might get wealthier as you get older, but your health and openness to new experiences will decline. It’s smart to spend your disposable income while you're young, pursuing risky dreams and taking up mind-expanding travel. Never forget that nothing lasts forever – and nor will you. So choose happiness over an ever-expanding bank balance. 

[helianthus1905]

Creativity can feel spontaneous, magical, and – unfortunately, if you’re a creative professional – unpredictable. But actually, with strategy and discipline, you can harness your creative process and maximize your creative output. Thinking smartly about your intentions, your audience, and your skillset can set you on the path to lasting creative success.

[helianthus1905]

[helianthus1905]

Adopt the 7-to-7 rule.

Do you find yourself reaching for your phone first thing in the morning and last thing at night?

Do you automatically check your phone if you have a few minutes to kill? Not anymore.

When you follow the 7-to-7 rule, you don’t use your phone for any reason before 7:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m. That will give you the downtime you need to disengage from digital distractions. It is not that hard if you wanna change ☺️

[helianthus1905]

With so much information at our fingertips, it’s easier than ever to be distracted. That means that in order to remain focused and productive, we need to become more aware of how we occupy our minds and cultivate some new helpful habits.

[helianthus1905]

[helianthus1905]

Don’t overlook women.

How did Ursula manage to pass so long without detection? She used her femininity to her advantage.

Like Richard Sorge, the handler who recruited her, she knew that in the 1930s and 40s women were underestimated, and therefore less likely to raise suspicion.

In fact, Ursula wasn’t the only Soviet intelligence agent to use her gender as an effective cover. Her peer, Melita Norwood, was a KGB agent who went undetected in Britain for nearly 60 years.

💪🏼 💪🏼

[helianthus1905]

Appearances can be deceiving. Despite posing as a housewife, Ursula Kuczynski led a remarkable life. From her youth as a communist activist and her remarkable achievements as a Soviet spy to her old age as an author and dissenter, Ursula never conformed to society’s expectations for her.

[helianthus1905]

The Only-Option Test

More choices, more problems. When we have too much to choose from, it adds to our anxiety, and we spend too much time in an irksome state of analysis paralysis. One way to combat this is to use the only-option test. 

Next time you’re scrolling through Netflix, up to your neck in a pool of indecision, ask yourself this: If this movie were the only choice available, would I be alright with that? When you’re at a restaurant flipping through the menu for the third time, ask yourself: If the baked haddock weren’t on the menu, would I be happy ordering the chicken? 

By narrowing down endless options into a single question, we can beat the dilly-dallying and move on to the next decision. 

Good luck and go give a try 😉

[helianthus1905]

All decisions, big and small, require some thought, but the way we approach them is usually inconsistent. This makes learning from past mistakes – and successes – challenging.

Once an outcome to a decision is known, we usually can’t remember exactly what we knew or thought during the decision-making process. Without a clear understanding of that, we can’t accurately analyze what went well and what didn’t.

By talking about probabilities in precise terms, eliciting unbiased feedback, and tracking our knowledge from the decision to the outcome, we can extract valuable lessons to inform future decisions. If we’re honest about how much we don’t know, and then work to chip away at the unknown, we can bridge the gap between a random prediction and an educated guess.