Fundamentals of Becoming Better

“I’m in Focus Mode”

When I was in 2nd grade, I was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). This curse/blessing continues to this day, and learning how to manage it in each moment has become an exercise in mindfulness and frustration.

To explain ADHD simply, my brain has a great deal of difficulty controlling its attention. My focus bounces around like a butterfly weaving erratically through the air, never seeming to have an intentional direction. To understand what this feels like, let me explain what I went through while trying to write this post:

[BB Archive] Anchors

In our journey of becoming better, we’ll encounter new concepts, different perspectives, and unique tactics & strategies; all aimed at making the most of our lives through Directed Action. To keep our terminology straight, we will establish an anchor for each powerful concept or idea. To better understand what an anchor is, let’s engage our imagination!

ANCHORS: THE WATERMELON METAPHOR

Close your eyes. In your mind’s eye, picture a watermelon.

[BB Archive] Curing Excusitis with a Batting Average

How embarrassing. Nearly two months without a blog post, after setting an initial goal of two per week! Truthfully, I’ve been suffering from a case of excusitis (prounced excuse-itis) with respect to my blog. Excusitis is a wonderful anchor first coined by David J. Schwartz in his pivotal book, The Magic of Thinking Big – in short, it is a ‘mental disease’ where one constantly creates excuses for not taking time to complete a task or goal.

EXCUSITIS OCCURS NATURALLY – AND OFTEN!

The devious aspect of excusitis is that it can manifest in any task or goal over any period of time. The challenges of time management, energy management, momentum, and motivation stretch across each action in our daily lives. When we choose to prioritize our efforts according to these criteria, certain tasks will naturally fall to the bottom of the list (often for ‘good reasons’). This is where excusitis rears its ugly head!