Focus To Create True Understanding

We are bombarded with many information and messages daily. What is presented to us may not be relevant. We need to know what is required and important. With this vast amount of information, we have to decide what to keep and what to discard. If we are not able to do so, we will lost focus and confusion sets in.

Focus is the in-thing this day. Without focus, we will be plain follower, doing things that come randomly. There will not be any depth in the things we do and learn. We will be chasing for the completion of tasks and wishes that things just get done in the shortest possible time. Short-cutting is the common solution and longing for the quality is absent.

This is a cause for concern when self-improvement is the issue.

What do we gain when we choose to have shortened time to do assignments or learning?

When we do not focus or even choose to reduce learning duration, we lost the important element in learning, which is, the time needed to truefully digest the required information to turn them into knowledge.

Without real understanding, no true knowledge is absorbed. Without focus, we will not have the desire to go in-depth in search for details. Everything becomes superficial. We cannot expand on this loosely acquired knowledge as weak linkages exist between various related topics.

Therefore the key process of learning (and doing anything) is to focus. Only through focusing, do we do justice to the work done and quality work can be achieved. True undertanding with ability to apply and value-add can happen then. So avoid mental deviation by removing whatever that hinders focusing. Stay focus whenever you can and positive results will be possible.

We Have Choices

Choices. What are choices? Choices means options for us. They are alternatives to a desire or item. In life, we encounter many choices. Be it careers, studies, people, hobbies, books, websites, etc.

How then do we choose?

We have to know what we want and what drives us.

In self-improvement, we look for the value adding factors in our selection of alternatives. What is the driving elements that will hold us? These driving elements can be flexible timing, low-cost with quality content, dedicated mentor, or equivalent.

Before we can select, we need to understand ourself and our desire for the targetted outcome. We need to know how to differentiate between "good" and "bad" criteria and how they match our desire.

Selection is an important skill that anyone need to have. It determines whether the outcome can be successful or otherwise.

But remember, we have choices. If in the event that we made a wrong selection, we CAN change and select another. Though this is easier said (or written) than done, we Do have CHOICES.

Making changes will of course cause disruption to the flow and maybe, others working with us, but, if it is for the good, consider it. We need to keep on changing to upgrade or update ourself.

In summary, we need to know ourself first before we can select a better choice. This can only be done ourself, with advices from others, if available. The final decision lies with us. Do not fear making mistake, just be aware that we can change (with consideration to others) if wrong ones are choosen.

Having choices and selecting them are part of self-improvement.

Select Your Beliefs

We have many beliefs. They decides where we go. Beliefs are good as they provides us with the momentum to progress in our desire direction. With the direction set, we will sooner or later arrive at our goals.

However, there are times where we seem to be lost. What seem to hold us back?

It is our beliefs again. Some beliefs of ours are actually performing against our benefit. It deters or inhibit us from progress in the correct sense. It put negative effect into our behaviour. It stops us from good progress.

How to rectify this situation?

The following tips may be useful:

• Keep an awareness of our progress direction periodically.
• Question our own comfort level in dealing with certain matters.
• Identify the beliefs within us and classify them.
• Check to see if the beliefs are positive or negative through the direction or progress we have.

After going through the review of our beliefs, we should be aware of which beliefs are holding us back in certain area of improvement. Some are bad and some are good.

Leave the bad beliefs and strengthen the good ones. This will hopefully guide us in the proper direction towards our goals. It may be an iterative progress and continuous monitoring is necessary.

Do ourself justice ! If the beliefs are deterimental to our improvement or positive progress, why should we be keeping them? Discard them. Replace them with good ones.

Take Up Designing To Self-Improve

Have you been fascinated by new products that comes up now and then?

Have you wondered how the designer or product creator comes up with the idea and convert it to actual product?

Some of the products are simply enough for any person to come up with but never think of. Some products needed a team and takes a longer time to materialise. Others can be a one-man show.

Whatever the intensity of the product creation, it needs some knowledge and skill to be put into application and tested. This open up a good area for anyone wishing to self-improve themself.

Designing product requires many aspects of character merging with technical know-how. Having just the technical know-how without the necessary determination and focus, will not suffice in this challenging task. Likewise for the reverse.

Both skills, hard and soft, has to be in tandem to create a positive outcome. Therefore whoever chooses to take up designing to improve themself exposes themself to a very excellent field whereby all their skills and knowledge in the relevant area are tested.

The task starts from imagination, market research, feasibility studies, prototyping, measuring and testing, gathering feedback, re-designing, project management, time management, sourcing (manpower and material), and ends with production.

However, depending on the product, not all the tasks listed are required. Start small and simple if you are a novice, and branching into more complex product after gaining more experiences.

Therefore, needless to say, design is an area that enable one to apply their skills and knowledge (old and new), or to maintain or refine them. It serves to make us link theory to practice. And with practice, our skills will be enhanced together with our intelligence.

To conclude, I like to quote one statement made by an American design practitioner, Louis Danziger:
"Design is intelligence made visible".

Mental Inertia

Have you ever wish to do something but just did not have the mental push to do it? Everyone at one time or another will encounter this very common problem of human. There are some people who are less of this than others. They are the "better" ones, I suppose. They are the action-type of people.

We have to learn to overcome this so-called "Mental Inertia" within us. How to do it?

First we must know what causes this sympton. It is the reluctant to perform or "do it". The sluggishness in the mind to think and plan. The laziness that is hidden inside us. Different people will exhibit different level of this laziness. The resistance, therefore, differs. Once we can break this sluggishness and laziness, we create momentum. This momentum is just like a rolling ball that get faster and faster as it moves. We can emulate this ball!

Ways to overcome "Mental Inertia":

1. Mentally see the result of your action and picture the excellent result (this will motivate you into action),
2. Start moving physically, and the brain will follow suit,
3. Start small and pause to see actual result from this small step,
4. When the mode is up, do not stop till you are satisfied,
5. Rest when you feel tired ( otherwise you will feel stress up and anxiety will creep in),
6. Think positively,
7. Be aware that nothing is lost when you "actioned"; staying put causes more harm, and
8. Believe in yourself; "I can do it" mentality.

With the above action-list, hopefully, it gets you going.

Mental inertia is easy to break and control. With practice, the resistance will get lesser and turn-around time will be shortened. You will see results faster and feel better and motivated by recalling past experience of forging ahead admist Mental Inertia.

The catch: "If the mind don't move, move the body".

Apply Information Acquired to Add Value

During our learning stage, we absorbed many information. Whether the information are relevant or otherwise, they may come in useful after linkage with other facts learned together or later. As such, our brain becomes a database or mental warehouse which contains information that we can use later. What if we do not use the acquired information?

When we just keep the information that we are exposed to, we are actually not learning. Learning means to apply the information which is then transformed to knowledge. This knowledge is value-added stuff.

With application, this knowledge can then be useful, as it generates more positive outcomes. These outcomes can be anything meaningful. It can be to help others, to explain complex issues, to create new products, or to further generate new ideas and concepts.

To keep the information in the brain and not using it is equivalent to collect dust. Not sharing it or utilising it means not having it. It becomes transparent to others. It will also be faded off over time. Everything absorbed will be lost! It is pure wastage of effort and resources.

Therefore, to really create value for ourself, not only do we need to pick up new information, we must apply it after careful analysing and understanding it. It is this approach to learning that will enable us to improve on ourself.

Our Beliefs, Our Limits

In whatever we do, we do it with a certain belief. The belief may be for or against us. It decides the quality of the outcome and relates to the confidence within us.

If given a certain task or challenge, and we believe that it cannot be done, then no matter what it takes, we will not be able to achieve the required targets. We set up our own boundary before the task is performed; a boundary defined by our beliefs. This beliefs will therefore limit our capability or extent to handle the challenge. Why limit it?

To expand our capability, we should reduce, if not remove, this belief of ours. If we constantly remind ourself that we can do it, we will at least have lesser mental resistance to perform the tasks. The journey will be more enjoyable and exciting when we discovered that positive indications slowly appear.

Be more daring and take a different path to explore new ways to tackle old methods and procedures. We should seek to change the beliefs into positive affirmative, and see the results. I believe with this corrected mindset, favourable results can be achieved. Change the negative beliefs and our ability and confidence will definitely grow. This is so because the mental limits are removed. It takes time to achieve this state of mind. But, with practice and conscious reminder, all these are not beyond us.