Bias for action
Thursday, January 17, 2008
So in your quest to dominate your corner of the world, you might be wonder about higher order questions. Why is some people seem to always get the attention? Why am I not happy despite all the money I've spent on myself? How can I get a better job? How to manipulate the situation to my advantage? Why am I not getting any?
One characteristic that distinguishes a successful person from an unsuccessful one is the bias for action. Success often depends on taking action. It is scientifically proven that procrastination is harmful to your health.
Plan a "private time" in your schedule
Try to set aside at least 30 minutes every day that allow you to do something you truly enjoy. Often times, you are exhausted after a long day of work and study, the thought of having to set aside half an hour seems more like a luxury you can't afford. But it's not. This 30 minutes of private time, which may be spent on reading, preparing a nice dinner, watching a comedy, taking a long bath, jogging, gardening, writing emails to old friends, playing your favorite songs, is essential. It is essential because your happiness is at stake, and more often than not, people get too caught up in their daily work and life dramas, and forget to take time off and look after themselves. If bitching about little things really make you happy, go spend 30 minutes doing it. The whole point is, do something that makes you happy and look after yourself.
Do you remember an event in the past week that you truly had fun? Do you let the whole week passed by without taking time out for yourself? Or do you just feel tired all the time?
Take responsibilities
Every time you point fingers and blame others for an unwanted outcome, you are simply giving away your power. This is not to say you should put your hand up for every mistakes that are made in every situation. In fact, blaming others for your own faults maybe part of the important survival strategy in the workplace or in a group environment. The problem lies in people actually convinced themselves that there is nothing they can do to achieve a better outcome. In the process they gradually victimize themselves. You can not really control how people treat you, but you can learn to manage their nasty remarks and your own emotions. If you are not happy with your weight, is it a good time to go back to the gym? If your GPA is 2.5, instead of thinking it is irrelevant to your actual intelligence, is it a better option to book a meeting with your TA and ask for help with your study strategy?
Talk is cheap.
Working, studying and maintaining a full social life is tough. And to survive under absolutely Darwinian conditions isn’t easy. The most important things involve being determined to doing the thing, finding friends to help you out and commiserate when things have gone downhill, and just sticking with it.
One characteristic that distinguishes a successful person from an unsuccessful one is the bias for action. Success often depends on taking action. It is scientifically proven that procrastination is harmful to your health.
Plan a "private time" in your schedule
Try to set aside at least 30 minutes every day that allow you to do something you truly enjoy. Often times, you are exhausted after a long day of work and study, the thought of having to set aside half an hour seems more like a luxury you can't afford. But it's not. This 30 minutes of private time, which may be spent on reading, preparing a nice dinner, watching a comedy, taking a long bath, jogging, gardening, writing emails to old friends, playing your favorite songs, is essential. It is essential because your happiness is at stake, and more often than not, people get too caught up in their daily work and life dramas, and forget to take time off and look after themselves. If bitching about little things really make you happy, go spend 30 minutes doing it. The whole point is, do something that makes you happy and look after yourself.
Do you remember an event in the past week that you truly had fun? Do you let the whole week passed by without taking time out for yourself? Or do you just feel tired all the time?
Take responsibilities
Every time you point fingers and blame others for an unwanted outcome, you are simply giving away your power. This is not to say you should put your hand up for every mistakes that are made in every situation. In fact, blaming others for your own faults maybe part of the important survival strategy in the workplace or in a group environment. The problem lies in people actually convinced themselves that there is nothing they can do to achieve a better outcome. In the process they gradually victimize themselves. You can not really control how people treat you, but you can learn to manage their nasty remarks and your own emotions. If you are not happy with your weight, is it a good time to go back to the gym? If your GPA is 2.5, instead of thinking it is irrelevant to your actual intelligence, is it a better option to book a meeting with your TA and ask for help with your study strategy?
Talk is cheap.
Working, studying and maintaining a full social life is tough. And to survive under absolutely Darwinian conditions isn’t easy. The most important things involve being determined to doing the thing, finding friends to help you out and commiserate when things have gone downhill, and just sticking with it.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, January 17, 2008 at 5:56 AM.
You can skip to the end and leave a response.
