Rudyard Kipling, not just exceedingly good cakes
You probably associate Mr Kipling with cakes. And he makes exceedingly good cakes (apparently). I am more interested in the lines from the poem the Elephant’s Child, written by Mr Rudyard Kipling. I have tried to memorise it (and failed) but it doesn’t matter because I know enough about it to recall what Continue reading
Understanding your motivations is important
I have argued that it is useful to know what you believe, because what you believe sets the limits on what you do. In my view, the second important element in getting forward movement is motivation. If your motivations are strong enough you will take the action you need to take. If it isn’t, you Continue reading
Why is Design for Life™ partly in diary format?
I started keeping a track of my own progress using a diary in 1992. At the time, my main aim in life was to become a writer and I had set myself the goal of writing a certain number of words each day. I wanted to have a record of where I was succeeding and Continue reading
Why do I need a Life Plan?
A life plan is a key technique in self help, self improvement or self development activity. I think it’s pretty self-evident that some kind of planning is better than no planning whatever we do in life, whether it’s moving house, designing a garden or planning a wedding. Plans help you make sure that things get done, Continue reading
A pause for thought (or not)
It has long intrigued me why people seem to be able to invest huge amounts of time in all manner of activities but they don’t give time to thinking about why they are investing time in all manner of activities. They just don’t pause for thought… We live in a world where people are Continue reading
For the love of proverbs
Proverbs often contradict each other. ‘Look before you leap’ they say. Sound stuff huh? We all know from experience that there are dangers in making decisions or not thinking things through. But we also know (from equally persuasive experience) that ‘He who hesitates is lost’. Most self help books tell us that procrastination Continue reading
The fear of failure
There is a flip side of success – failure. None of us enjoy failing. Most of us avoid doing things because of a fear of failure. We want to avoid mistakes, eliminate errors from our lives and win, not lose. In order to achieve this, we often decide that doing nothing is the best plan Continue reading
How are you spending your life?
It is an interesting turn of phrase isn’t it? The underlying idea is that your life is a bit like a savings account – a precious resource that needs to be used to best advantage, spent carefully. If you have savings, you probably agree that you need to take care about what you choose to Continue reading
Your beliefs: change your mind, change your life
It might sound like an exaggeration, but I believe it is true. Your beliefs are important, but it is entirely possible to change your life with a simple change of mind. Try to follow my logic. We all go through life with a head full of beliefs about the way the world is or isn’t. “People Continue reading
‘I love it when a plan comes together’ – the A-Team
We all love it when a plan comes together… A quote from the A-Team might not seem a great place to start the serious matter of getting your life in order. Actually, it’s a great place to start, for two reasons. Firstly, the A-Team’s plans always ‘come together’ and have a happy ending (they work) Continue reading