Here's a quick roundup of pearls of wisdom, which happen to be my perennial favourites!

The observation is very true!

THIS IS A VITAL LESSON IN ACCURATE THINKING AND CONTROLLED ATTENTION FROM NAPOLEON HILL

Until you cut out the bullshit in the stories you often tell yourself, nothing changes.

Interestingly, I recall vividly the elegant quote by Leonardo DiCaprio who portrayed the foirmer stock broker and convicted felon Jordan Belfort in the entertaining movie drama, The Wolf of Wall Street, which drives home the point:

"The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullshit story you keep telling yourself as to why you can't achieve it."

By the way, Napoleon Hill described Accurate Thinking: “Accurate thought involves two fundamentals. First, you must separate facts from mere information. Second, you must separate facts into two classes-the important and the unimportant. Only by doing so can you think clearly and accurately. 

Here are some of Dr Hill’s points to ponder about the principle of Accurate Thinking:

1. Thoughts have power, are under your control, and can be used wisely or unwisely.
2. Accurate thinking is a moral duty.
3. Nothing great can happen without accurate thinking.
4. Accurate thinkers accept no political, religious, or other type of thought, regardless of it’s source, until it is carefully analyzed. (Do your homework).
5. Accurate thinkers are the masters of their own emotions. (This is very important. You never want to make decisions based off of emotions).
6. Accurate thinking calls for the highest order of self-discipline.
7. Accurate thinking involves two fundamentals. First, you must separate facts from information. Second, you must separate facts into two classes, the important and the unimportant.
8. It takes concentration to control your attention and focus it on a problem until you have solved it.
9. Turn on the full power of your mind, and control your life.
10. Your power of thought is the only thing which you have complete control. To use this power effectively, you must think accurately.
11. Accurate thinkers allow no one to do their thinking for them.
12. Accurate thinkers know that emotions are not always reliable.

Using these 12 points will allow you to be an accurate thinker and be in full control of your life.

Napoleon Hill defined controlled attention  as the act of coordinating all the faculties of the mind and directing their combined power to a definite end; an act that can only be achieved by the strictest form of self-discipline. 

Controlled attention, or effective concentration, requires that the attention be focused, fully controlled and directed toward a definite end. 

Achievement of controlled attention requires the application of six factors through the application of self-discipline. 

The six factors are: definiteness of purpose, imagination, desire, faith, will power, and the subconscious mind. 

Napoleon Hill teaches us that “When you have applied the principles of success you will find that the subconscious mind always react positively to you. Then and only then will your door to success be open to you.”

 The decision to adopt a motivational definite major purpose and a plan for its attainment by the student is the key step that selects the object upon which the student must focus the controlled attention.

As long as you have done something that you have never done before, that's good enough! 

The brain adores novel experiences.

I rate this elegant quote of Napoleon Hill very highly, for I am into it 100%!

"The way of success is the way of continuous pursuit of knowledge."

As I view it, Knowledge is Power, especially when it's applied intelligently to create productive outcomes or construct concrete deliverables that can add/compound/multiply value to your life, or to your work, or to your business, or even to your client's.

POINTS TO PONDER: MINDFULNESS VS MINDLESSNESS

I first came across this term when I read the book, 'Mindfulness' by Dr J Ellen Langer of Harvard University during the early nineties. 

Her insightful ideas are still very relevant in today's fast-paced society.

In contrast to 'Mindfulness', mindlessness has been identified as a psychological block to personal change. When we act mindlessly, we behave like robots - we are in auto pilot mode - and personal change becomes difficult.

According to Dr Langer, mindlessness is rooted in mindsets - unquestioning attitudes formed when we first hear certain information.

"Don't pat the dog, he may bite," says Mother, or "Always finish what's in your plate." When we continue to accept such information at face value without thinking critically about it, we grow up afraid of dogs or overweight.

Dr Langer has argued that these inappropriate mindsets sit unobtrusively in our brains until a signal - perhaps a sight, smell or sound - calls them up again. This time the dog may be friendly or the banana split unwanted, yet often we don't reconsider the mindless attitude we accepted earlier.

Because they lock us into one interpretation of a bit of information, mindsets prevent the exercise of choice.

Without choice, change becomes difficult. As a resuit, we can't make the sensible, desirable change in our behaviour - pat the dog and/or reject the ice cream.

Before we can make important changes in our lives, we need to re-examine our old mindsets. That's hard, because in the entrenched routines of daily life, we rarely question what we do, or why, unless it's causing an emergency.

But if we learn to spot mindsets and test them, we gain insight into & control over our behaviours.

Suddenly, change becomes within our reach.

Dr Langer has stressed that changing - or even feeling empowered to stay the same - requires two things:

- learning to think about old situations in new ways;

- opening up and enlarging our frame of reference;

The fresh approach to life that this new style of thinking creates is what she called the mindful attitude or mindfulness.

Here are some of her expert tips:

1) seek out novelty i.e new ways of doing things;

2) be playful, as play is always mindful;

3) take some risks;

4) generate alternatives for as many outcomes as you can;

5) Intentionally ask yourself how the situation could look different from a different perspective;

6) most importantly, notice the power of uncertainty and respect it;

Dr Langer has concluded that, once we overcome the roadblock to mindfulness, our options open up.

We may even question the change we thought we wanted to make and with a new, open attitude, come to enjoy that old relationship, job or our plump selves. Or we may find another path, say turning into a happy walker than a frustrated jogger.

On the other hand, if we still want to make a basic change, it will be easier after we've liberated ourselves, one by one, from our tyrannical mindsets.

By recasting and refiguring our behaviour & others - by becoming mindful - we learn to step back, recategorise & review our assumptions.

Because we're now seeing from many perspectives, we find ourselves more in control of our lives & have more choices - the prerequisites for change.

[What Dr Ellen Langer calls 'mindfulness', Joel Arthur Barker calls it 'paradigm pliancy'. Interestingly, Michael Michalko calls for 'productive thinking', as opposed to 'reproductive thinking'. Recommeded readings, in addition to Dr Langer's book: 'Future Edge' & 'Thinkertoys'.]

Robin Sharma, who is ranked among the world's best leadership coaches shares the 5 Rituals that ultra-productive leaders practise daily.

This is his Mastery Session on The 5 Rituals That Predict Success.

"These are five SOPs, standard operating procedures, that I encourage you to wire into your daily life through consistent practice, because as you know so well: Consistency is the mother of Mastery. It’s not what you do once every year that is going to allow you to live a legendary life, it’s what you do every single day.

1. The Ritual of Early Rising

The way you begin each day sets up the way you live each day. I mean, the Spartan warriors said it so well: “sweat more in training, bleed less in war.” If you want to be literally undefeatable in business, literally unstoppable in life, you really want to dial in your morning routine. You want to do things like starting the day sweating, because that releases BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, that repairs brain cells from stress. You want to sweat, because that’s going to increase your metabolic rate, which is going to give you energy, and we live in a world where energy is even more valuable than intelligence.

You want to, in your morning routine, take the time to write in a journal, so you actually can detect your values, reconnect with your goals each day, get to know yourself even more, because awareness is the beginning of transformation.

You want to get your morning routine right, so you take some time at the front end of your day to learn, because as you learn more, you know you’re going to achieve more, and as you understand better, you can achieve larger.

2. The Ritual of Strategic Time-blocking

You can tell me that excellence matters to you, that productivity is a value that you adore, that being great in business is important to you, that being a world-class family woman or family man is an imperative for you, but show me your schedule, and I’ll get a sense of your true values. I mean, your schedule each day really does predict the rest of your life. It’s not about what you talk about, it’s about what you actually schedule, and the things that we schedule are the things that get done. I’m going to repeat that again because it’s so important. The things that you schedule are the things that get done.

There’s something absolutely powerful about taking out a written piece of paper - I like writing it - and having that map right in front of you. It’s almost like a war sheet, you’re like a warrior, and every day is a battle, but, you know, obviously a positive battle, a productive battle. You literally start to schedule out every single day, I do it on Sunday mornings, it’s like a sacred routine that I do. I take out this piece of paper, and I literally do Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I call this my “blueprint for a beautiful week.”

Actually, you don’t need a formal template. You can do it in your journal, you can do it on any piece of paper. You can do it on a big piece of paper so you see it all day. Again, I like writing it out, because if I put it in my digital device, I forget about it. I’m a very visual type of person, like a lot of creative people.

What I do is, this is the ritual of strategic time-blocking. I block out times at the office with my team. I block out times in creative work, I actually block that out. I block out times for beautiful family dinners with my loved ones. I block out my two massages every week. I call this my “Two Massage Protocol,” it’s really a great source of staying on the top of my game and having tons of energy. I block out my 5 am routines. Literally, after this process, it takes me about 45 minutes to do, like I say, every Sunday morning. I have blocked out my highest priorities. Now, I have a visual template, a visual map for a world-class week.

The second ritual that will predict your success is the ritual of strategic time-blocking. Why? Because the things that get scheduled are the things that get done, and vague goals lead to vague results, but with precision of these time blocks, and a very detailed schedule, you’ll do remarkable things in your week.

3. The Ritual of Over-delivering

Which brings me to the third ritual that will predict your success, the ritual of over-delivering. It is so rare in business and in society right now to see people that consistently go the extra mile. You’re at a restaurant, the server generally gives you what you expect, or less than what you expect. You go into a clothing store, it’s what you expect, or less than what you expect. You do business with any organization, it’s generally delivering on what you expect, but more often, even less.

So, you have a gorgeous opportunity to lead the field in everything that you do by doing one thing: practicing every single day, because it’s a muscle, the ritual of over-delivering. Don’t just give your customers what they want; give them 10x more than what they expect. Don’t just give your organization what your manager, what your boss, what the organization is expecting from you - show something that is so rare in today’s economy, initiative. Initiative.

You’re asked to do a project, give them five more things than they expect. You’re asked to give a presentation on something, go the extra mile. Consistently dial in the daily habit of over-delivering on people’s expectations, and guess what? You become a merchant of “wow.” You become indispensable to your organization. I wrote a book a little while ago called The Greatness Guide, and one of the chapters talked about the importance of being indispensable. I learned that when I was a young lawyer, and I remember talking to my mentor, and I asked my mentor, “You know the top litigator at this firm? How come he is the icon of the legal profession in this region?” My mentor looked at me and said, “Robin, because that person is indispensable to this firm.” How do you do that? By practicing the ritual of over-delivering every single day for the rest of your life.

4. The 60-minute Student

The ritual number four that will definitely predict your success is the ritual of daily learning. I call this “the 60-minute student.” No matter how busy you are, no matter what’s on your plate, you absolutely must, if you want to be legendary in your marketplace, you absolutely have to do this: schedule 60 minutes a day for your learning. It could be listening to audiobooks, it could be, the next day, listening to a podcast, it might be reading quietly, it might be writing in a journal, because writing in a journal about what you’re learning, what you learn from your day, what you’re learning from your life, that is learning.

60 minutes a day, I absolutely challenge you with great love and respect, wire it into your day, because that ritual will allow you to know more about your field than anyone who has ever done your field in the history of the world.

I mean, education is inoculation against disruption, and as you know more, you can achieve more. We do live in a world where there is such a fascination with entertainment, you know, and everyone loves pretty pictures, and it’s really easy to spend the best hours of your best days looking at what your friends are eating.

I’m suggesting to you, you think like a student, because you’re watching this Mastery Session because something deep within you wants you to be the master of your game. Here’s the thing about every master: every master thinks like a beginner. They’re always learning. I mean, when I look at the masters, I’m like, “How did that person do that?” I’m trying to deconstruct how that icon of the field does it. I’m always reading. I’m always going to conferences. I’m always having conversations with people I can learn from. Remember that, the fourth ritual to predict your success is the ritual of daily learning.

Don’t just do this once a month, daily, because as I said at the beginning: Consistency is the mother of Mastery.

5. The Ritual of Private Reflection

It’s very easy to be busy being busy, but let me ask you, what’s the point of being really busy in your work life, or your personal life, if you’re busy around the wrong things?

I mean, it makes no sense to spend the best hours of your finest days climbing these mountains, only to realize on the last hour of your last day - you climbed the wrong ones. What is the antidote to busyness and being reactive? It’s reflection, and it’s not really common in our world right now. A hundred years ago, we would spend a lot of time on the farm. I mean, there wasn’t a lot of technology, we spent a lot of time in reflection, taking these long walks, writing in a journal, having conversations with intimate friends. We would reflect on deeper things. I’m simply suggesting to you that the fifth ritual that will absolutely predict your success, is how much time you spend in silence, solitude, and stillness, just thinking. Thinking about how you’re living, thinking about how you’re working, thinking about whether your daily behavior is aligned with your deepest values. Thinking and reflecting about what you want your legacy to be. Thinking and reflecting about your impact through the work you’re doing.

Here’s a great thing to reflect on. Ask yourself this question, or write about it in your journal. “What is the one project that, if I did it flawlessly over the next three months, would literally change the game for me within my organization and within my marketplace?” If you look at the people who are getting traction on great results, they are people who spend a lot of time alone, and they spend a lot of time thinking, and they spend a lot of time in this ritual of reflection.

Okay, I hope this Mastery Session has been interesting, fascinating, but remember, as I often say to you, ideation without execution is nothing more than delusion. You want to take at least one of the five rituals, and absolutely find the time to practice it today, because when you do that, it’s the beginning of a whole new way of working, a whole new way of living, and a whole new way of impacting the world that we live in. Our world has never needed heroes the way that we need heroes right now. I’m looking to you to do your part, to be the hero of your own life, so together, we build a better world. I’ll talk to you soon."

I won't disagree with Elon Musk's assertion here, for there's merit in his thinking, looking purely at his own life exploits since he was a young teenager.

Throughout his years of growing pains, books have played a crucial role in fueling Musk's ambitions. 

It's said that he read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica at age nine and would pore through science fiction novels for more than 10 hours a day.

He consumed everything from The Lord of the Rings, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and the Foundation series all before his teenaged years.

Whenever anyone asks him how he learned to build rockets, he says, 'I read books. ' Not only does he read them, according to his interview with Esquire, he devours them.