LTM - 15. Turn Off the Noise and Think

15. Turn Off the Noise and Think

In today’s fast-paced electronic world, the need for quiet time has never

been more crucial. The number of interruptions and the resulting stress

coming from texts, calls, emails, and social sites has increased. And, of

course, we have an endless supply of addictive options at our fingertips

to fill our heads with chatter.

If you want to advance your life forward, it’s absolutely critical that you

block out time to turn off the noise so you can think and process

information in silence.

If you want to make sensible life-planning decisions—the kind of

decisions that allow you to move ahead in life—you need quiet time to

think and process everything going on in your life.

Perhaps it’s your desire to build a stronger relationship with your spouse,

significant other, or a friend; or that you want to be a more

understanding parent. I assume you want to enjoy a successful career

and that you want to make enough money to stay out of debt and enjoy

the good things life has to offer.

If these things are important, then ask yourself: How much time have I

spent in the last month quietly thinking about these issues? How can you

say something is important, yet not allocate quality time without

interruptions to think about it and make thoughtful decisions as to how

you can improve that area of your life?

If achieving your goals is really important, then you must make it a

priority to block out time and turn off the noise so you can sort out

what’s going on in your life and make good, course-correcting decisions.

Let me offer a few suggestions:

1. Start your mornings by sitting in silence. Rather than watching

the news, reading the morning paper, or turning on your

computer, find a quiet place to sit and contemplate the issues

you’re facing.

2. While driving alone, turn off the music and talk shows. Turn

your car into a think tank where you process life and make good

decisions.

3. Go for a daily walk and leave the music at home. Almost all of

my major decisions are made on long walks. Before going on a

walk, select a topic you want to think about, and then consider

these three questions:

 What’s going on? Think about the subject you have selected.

 What are my options? Consider all available options for

dealing with the situation.

 What’s my plan? Make a decision on what you will do and

when.

4. Block out a period of time and go to a quiet place. Turn off

your phone and thoughtfully review what’s going on. Consider

all the options available for how you should handle the situation

on your mind.

5. If you have a major decision to make, block out a day. Get

away from your home, and go where you can think in peace and

quiet. Consider all aspects of your decisions: pros, cons, risks,

rewards, options, and outcomes.

When you make it a priority to block out time in your busy schedule to

sit in silence and think about your life and where you are going, you will

immediately begin to see the benefit of quiet time.

LTM Challenge

Will you agree to test the principles and strategies outlined by finding 15

minutes today to sit in silence and think about an important decision you

need to make?

If you want to make life-guiding decisions that will help

you achieve the things that are truly important to you,

turn off the noise and think.

LTM - 14. Get Creative and Think Outside the Box

14. Get Creative and Think Outside the Box

Do you ever run out of good ideas, or go around in circles trying to come

up with a solution for a simple dilemma? I am going to share with you

the best technique I know for stretching the mind to come up with new

and fresh ideas—from finding a babysitter on New Year’s Eve to

choosing the right name for a new business venture. Implementing this

strategy has forced me to be creative and innovative when it would have

been easier to take the standard approach.

Most people probably consider fewer than five possibilities when

exploring their options—the ones that immediately come to mind. The

problem with this basic approach is that you are limiting yourself by

only considering a few familiar choices. If you want to open your mind

to a new world of options, you must start to think outside the box.

The next time you need to solve a problem or explore a better way to do

something, compile a written list of 20 options—not 5, 10 or 15. Push

yourself to come up with 20! The first five things you think of will be

the tip of the iceberg. They’ll probably be the same five things everyone

else would think of in a similar situation because they are the most

obvious answers. The key here is to stretch your mind. You will struggle

getting up to 13 or 14, but your biggest breakthrough will come when

you push yourself to 18, 19, and 20. It is often in those final three ideas

where you find the hidden jewels.

Some examples of how you can apply this way of thinking:

 Evaluating where you want to move

 Selecting the location for your next family vacation

 Considering restaurant options for a special occasion

 Contemplating your career options

 Finding ways to cut expenses

 Distinguishing yourself from your competitors

 Looking for new strategies to drive sales

 Providing a higher level of service to your customers

 Choosing different incentive programs for your sales team.

Here’s a true story that illustrates the power of creative thinking. A

couple’s 20th anniversary was approaching and the wife felt like she and

her husband had grown apart. Bound and determined to prove her love,

she made him an anniversary card listing all the reasons why she loved

him. It became quite difficult after #8, but she stuck with it and made it

to 20. Reviewing all the reasons she had compiled, she realized she

loved him more than she thought! They will celebrate their 34th

anniversary this year.

LTM Challenge

The next time you have to solve a problem or think of a better way to

accomplish something, sit down with pen and paper and make a list of

20 options. Don’t stop at 17. Push yourself to 20.

The intense focus will open up your mind and force you to think of

things you normally wouldn’t have considered. It won’t be easy, but you

might just have fun in the process.

Is there anything going on in your life right now where you can apply

the strategy outlined in this lesson? If the answer is yes, grab a pad of

paper and a pen and get started.

To be creative, go where you have never been.

Expand your mind to new ideas,

opportunities, and a fresh way of thinking.

Only then will you discover

a new world of possibilities.