Use the form on the right to contact us.
You can edit the text in this area, and change where the contact form on the right submits to, by entering edit mode using the modes on the bottom right.
123 Street Avenue, City Town, 99999
(123) 555-6789
email@address.com
You can set your address, phone number, email and site description in the settings tab.
Link to read me page with more information.
Using systems and habits to improve your life is a proven method to succeed. It requires seeing the work as a system and then adjusting your thoughts and behaviors to be able to take advantage of your opportunities in life.
We all have an autopilot mode. When we do something over and over again we start to do it automatically, without conscious thought. We may refer to it as our routine or a habit or we might not even recognize that we are doing it.
When we learn to read we have to sound out each word. But over time we just breeze through the sentences. We gain an understanding and meaning but we certainly don’t have to sound out each word to do so.
Read MoreMany people set goals. They daydream about the perfect body or the big promotion at work. They know they want more money and better relationships.
If we stop there, we will then assume that they are all working towards those things. They must be exercising, striving to learn more and do more at work. They are investing their money in assets and taking the time to improve their connection to those that are important to them.
Read MoreSome people take forever to make a decision. They analyze and over-analyze and seem paralyzed in their analysis. They just can’t seem to break out of the analysis and just choose an option.
Some people rather just pick something that gets them by. They find something that is good enough and then make a rash decision. They don’t analyze too much and quickly make their choices.
Read MoreOne of the interesting aspects of systems thinking is that we can gain a much more holistic view of something than someone looking through the linear thinking lens.
This is helpful because we can start to see examples of success and then model them. We can find people who have achieved what we want to achieve. Or we can find people who have achieved something similar to what are striving for.
Read MoreWatching my young daughters grow up, I am amazed at the insatiable curiosity that they exhibit. They seem to crave reason and understanding for everything.
They are constantly asking why or why not. At first, I simply sat back and thought, “I never really thought about that.” But over time I have realized that a little curiosity can be beneficial to adults as well.
Read MoreMost people don’t like to be challenged. We don’t like obstacles and adversity and tough times.
Yet these are what force us to keep growing, learning and improving. These challenges force us to adapt to overcome.
Read MoreUsing systems thinking can be incredibly beneficial. But it can be difficult for people new to this concept to really see the full picture.
The reason is simple. Our perspective is different from the reality of the system. We are all biased and all see things in a way that is tinted and framed in a specific way due to our experiences, beliefs, behaviors, friends, religion, hometown, education etc.
Read MoreIs change good or bad? Should we all constantly change or remain relatively stable throughout our lives? Are businesses that constantly reinvent themselves better than those that have been doing what they do for decades?
You will likely get many different opinions on the subject of change. The other day I was reading an old article article on change that promoted the concept of constant change for change’s sake.
Read MoreIf you want to improve and get better, one thing you have to be willing to do is to take risks. Risk is always there when we change something.
We take a risk that it won’t work. We take a risk because we don’t know exactly how it will all play out and there may be side effects, missed opportunities or failures.
Read MoreIt amazes me how many times a group of people can head in a direction that seems so wrong. We see a cult’s demise and wonder how so many people were involved and misguided to such a large degree.
We all assume we are above those influences. We think we would have been able to see through it all to see it is just a scam.
Read MoreLife is full of choices. Every day we are bombarded by options. We wake up and immediately have to decide what to do. Do we eat first then shower? Do we drive to work our usually route or change it up?
Then we get to work and more choices need to be made. Do we take this new product to market? Do we have the correct operational structure in place to tackle upcoming changes in the marketplace?
Read MoreWe all want to be happy. We have a desire to be relatively stress-free and upbeat. We don’t want to be miserable every day and in pain from the time we wake until we go to sleep.
But outside of the obvious notion that we want to be happy, we all have different ideas of what happiness actually means. Some feel it means freedom, some feel it means pleasure and some feel it means healthy.
Read MoreMost people remain relatively the same throughout their lives. They go through natural changes as they age, but we really don’t change as much as we do when we are young.
Part of the reason is that we find what works. We start to see what works and what doesn’t. Then we stick with what has worked for us.
Read MoreEveryone has strengths and everyone has weaknesses. Everyone has positives and negatives about them. No matter whom you are talking about, there are things they do well and things they do poorly.
If we all have strengths and weaknesses, how can some people become successful while others struggle to have any real success in their life?
Read MoreWhat if we take all of the automatic behaviors and automatic choices we make, and start to mold those into something new? Can we take a series of habits that we are not even aware of and change those to drive us in a new direction?
Yes we can. We can start to make subtle changes that have lasting impact. It won’t happen by making the choice once, but it certain is within our abilities if we can make the choice over and over and over.
Read MoreOne of the core elements of the systems and habits approach to improvement is to constantly make adjustments to the way we live our lives in order to get better over time.
This naturally means that we have to keep learning and seeking out new information so we know where to make changes. Thinking systematically will help but only gives the general structure, not the specifics of each circumstance.
Read MoreObesity is a growing epidemic in the United States. We hear about it on the news, read about it in medical journals, and experience it when we are in our doctor’s office seeing multiple images on the wall pointing to weight control.
While many people want to shed a few pounds, they probably don’t realize that they are up against their body’s natural desire to keep weight on and store fat for future emergencies when it is needed.
Read MoreOne of the reasons why the systems and habits approach can be so powerful is because it follows how our body functions. All animals follow patterns. There is rhythm to our sleep/wake cycles, how we chew food, the routines we rely on each day and much more.
The systems and habits approach to improvement plugs into this by creating recurring thoughts and behaviors. The more we do something, consistently near the same time each day, the more that pattern will become engrained.
Read MoreWe all utilize habits and routines throughout our lives. This helps us automate actions and thoughts that we do over and over and over.
We don’t want to have to watch a YouTube video every morning to remember how to brush our teeth or take a shower. We don’t want to have to think about every little step in the process.
Read MoreIf you are new to systems thinking, you might get overwhelmed by all of the information and terminology. You can read through models and explore feedback loops but still not quite understand much more than, “everything is a system.”
If this is familiar to you, one of the best steps to take is to start to look for patterns in life. Patterns give us a clear look at the byproducts of a system. You might not be able to spot the system, but the pattern can tip you off as to where to look.
Read More