Think About It

Today’s Thought - Preparation

My music teacher came up with a great analogy today: 

“There is a reason the light from a flashlight can only shine so far for you to see”

Think about that. It’s the same when driving a car. You only need to see so far in the present moment. Knowing too much of your future, or the either extreme which is not having a single clue about where you are going, is definitely bad for your preparation.

When it comes to preparation for something, you can only prepare so much.  Chances are, the more you do, the more luck you create for yourself. Improvisation is a wonderful skill to master though because you learn to embrace change and make the best of it.

Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. 

Here’s my little story for you. I had to prepare a Voting Delegate powerpoint presentation for a state leadership conference in FCCLA. I put my heart into that presentation because not many members know what Voting delegates represent in FCCLA, other than the word voting. 

Let’s just day things didn’t go very well when it came to have the right electronics. We couldn’t open the file because of a failing PowerPoint projector and file opening error. I knew my presentation enough to improvise and speak the entire thing VERBALLY.

I had to improvise. Difficult to accomplish, but the message was grasped and value was added to their understanding of FCCLA. The experience may not have been much different with the powerpoint, except my presentation style would have been stronger. 

So, I’ve only barely wrapped my brain around preparation because it is a one of the crucial aspects of self-leadership. Good leaders know how to prepare for action and do what most people are unwilling to do. 

What does preparation mean to you? 

Today’s Thought - Luck & Opportunity

Whoo-hoo! Another brain dump for curious random people to read! Tumblr rules. By the way, the philosophy topic this month was the effect of surveillance on morality. Yay! The weekend. Time to relax and do productive/awesome things.

Well, I’ve been contemplating opportunity. You really do create your future opportunities and “luck” today. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. The more you prepare yourself for “the right place at the right time,” the better your luck is tomorrow. Take opportunities when they come to you, even if they start small and don’t appear to make a difference over time. Everyone with some passion and vision started somewhere. You know your limits in stress and work. I have mine too. I create so many opportunities for myself that I can’t do everything I want to do. Is that not wise?

I think it is wise, as long as I schedule my priorities well. The productive individual is always pushing himself or herself to achieve higher expectations, and to take many opportunities for growth. Because I’m busy it keeps my mind sharp and awake. I’m learning every day. Observe, listen, understand, apply, reflect, grow, learn.

Someone once said to me, “Bored people are boring.” Wouldn’t you want to talk to someone that is constantly experiencing new things through varied opportunities? Haven’t you ever wanted the question, “How are you?” to be exchanged with “What’s new?” How was school today? Fine. What did you do? Same old same old. Isn’t learning every day as much as you make it? It know it is. There are things in life that we’ll have to do. Have fun doing them, and have “your time” to look forward to. 

Think ahead. Think about the past. Think succinctly and broadly. Think about what your opportunities are doing for you right now, and how they are preparing you for tomorrow.

THINK ABOUT IT. =)

Today’s Focused Thought

These are fun. Brain DUMP. SPLAT! Now I can sleep. 

Today’s intellectual thought to contemplate is a significant one to me. It’s all about awareness and position. It’s about change. It’s about bringing a sudden halt in what we experience as the norm.

Of course, I’m talking about transition. A time when you may break old habits and start anew.Good or bad, it happens in different degrees, but how we react to it is crucial. Will we forget it happened and move on? Or will we accept it, embrace it, learn from it, and understand that the change has brought growth?

It’s all up to you. Change is inevitable. Sometimes is comes quickly, other times slowly. Our job is to anticipate it if possible, have a positive outlook on how we can adapt when it happens, and continue to move forward. 

I think the key is stopping to observe every once in a while. Recognize change, because it sometimes happens in the blink of an eye. Are you aware enough to recognize how transitions change you? Can you prepare for it? How? Why is the change happening? What can you do today, tomorrow, months into the future? 

Learn to be more self-aware and ask questions. Be curious. Think and make decisions with your heart and mind.

Transitioning brings about challenges. Why do you do what you do? How do you know what you know?

THINK ABOUT IT. 

Thinking

Why do I think so much all the time? 

Is it to reflect? Is it to think ahead? Is it to contemplate my current position? Is it to remember important memories? Whatever it does for me, it’s vital to who I am. It is all of these things. 

I think it’s stopping to recognize where I am, and where I’m going. Don’t other people do this all the time too? Does everyone keep moving, but stop every once in a while?

Maybe I think too much. Voltaire says, “No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.” Think long and hard enough, and you’ll find your own solution.

There’s a reason I’m into philosophy. To me it’s just talking about life. Trying to understand it. Trying to find as many answers as questions. Life is too adventurous to just throw away. It will pass you by if you stay down and don’t think about it. 

Things turn out the best for the people that make the best of the way things turn out. Learn every day. Make the most of it. 

What do you think about and why?