THE SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE MEDIOCRE PEOPLE

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Ever since I’ve met Viktor Frankl as a student (too long ago as to mention the years) I keep on asking clients to define “success”. Most reply either  in general terms, like “I want to happy”, or start listing the classical examples like job, position, recognition, money, leaving something great behind, fame, etc.
Few ever become a “success story” though. But since the marketing machinery of our culture is very well functioning telling us what we should aim for in our lifes, and how we should live, most still go along with the rat-race concept.
Life-benchmarking, comparing ourselves with the stars, is still the prevailing force in our culture. To be mediocre, below average, compared to “friends”, peers and neighbours, means to have failed.
Really?
I came across this wonderful article by James Altucher about “aiming for grandiosity is the fastest route to failure”; but have a look and judge yourself:
  
THE SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE MEDIOCRE PEOPLE
I’m pretty mediocre. I’m ashamed to admit it. I’m not even being sarcastic or self-deprecating. I’ve never done anything that stands out. No “Whoa! This guy made it into outer space!” or, “This guy has a best selling novel!” or, “If only Google had thought of this!” I’ve had some successes and some failures but never reached any of the goals I had initially set. Always slipped off along the way, off the yellow brick road, into the wilderness.
I’ve started a bunch of companies. Sold some. Failed at most. I’ve invested in a bunch of startups. Sold some. Failed at some, and the jury is still sequestered on a few others. I’ve written some books, most of which I no longer like. I can tell you overall, though, everything I have done has been distinguished by its mediocrity, its lack of a grand vision, and any success I’ve had can be put just as much in the luck basket as the effort basket.
That said, all people should be so lucky. We can’t all be grand visionaries. We can’t all be Picassos. We want to make our business, make our art, sell it, make some money, raise a family, and try to be happy. My feeling, based on my own experience, is that aiming for grandiosity is the fastest route to failure. For every Mark Zuckerberg, there are 1000 Jack Zuckermans. Who is Jack Zuckerman? I have no idea. That’s my point. If you’re Jack Zuckerman and you’re reading this, I apologize. You aimed for the stars and missed. Your reentry into the atmosphere involved a broken heat shield, and you burned to a crisp by the time you hit the ocean. Now we have no idea who you are.
If you want to get rich, sell your company, have time for your hobbies, raise a halfway decent family (with mediocre children), and enjoy the sunset with your wife on occasion. 
Here are some of my highly effective recommendations.
Procrastinate. In between the time I wrote the last sentence and the time I wrote this one, I played (and lost) a game of chess. My king and my queen got forked by a knight. But hey, that happens. Fork me once, shame on me.
Procrastination is your body telling you you need to back off a bit and think more about what you’re doing. When you procrastinate as an entrepreneur, it could mean that you need a bit more time to think about what you’re pitching a client. It could also mean you’re doing work that is not your forte and that you’d be better off delegating. I find that many entrepreneurs are trying to do everything when it would be cheaper and more time-efficient to delegate, even if there are monetary costs associated with that. In my first business, it was like a lightbulb went off in my head the first time I delegated a programming job to someone other than me. At that time, I went out on a date. Which was infinitely better than sweating all night on some stupid programming bug (thank you, Chet, for solving that issue).
Try to figure out why you’re procrastinating.  …continue reading
 

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The Four Habits that Form Habits

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My daughter wants to work out more, but she has a hard time forming the habit (many of you might be familiar with this problem). From having to get dressed to go to the gym, to actually going to the gym, to the thought of a hard workout … our minds tend to put off the habit.
The solution is exceedingly simple: just do 3 pushups. Or tell yourself you have to walk/jog for just one minute.
Make it so easy you can’t say no.
Of course, most people will think that’s too easy, and tell themselves they have to do more than that. Leo’s advice is for other people! Unfortunately, it’s this mindset that causes people to fail at habits – we think we can do more, despite past evidence to the contrary, and so we aspire to greatness. We try to climb Everest before we’ve learned to walk.
Learn the fundamentals of habits before you try to do the advanced skills. If I could convince people of that, I could get millions to change their habits, be healthier, simplify, procrastinate less, start creating amazing things.
Today we’re going to go over the fundamentals of habit – four key habits to form habits. If you can learn these four habits, you’ll have the foundation to form pretty much any habit.
Habit 1: Start Exceedingly Small
Another common habit that too few people actually do is flossing daily. So my advice is just floss one tooth the first night.
Of course, that seems to ridiculous most people laugh. But I’m totally serious: if you start out exceedingly small, you won’t say no. You’ll feel crazy if you don’t do it. And so you’ll actually do it!
That’s the point. Actually doing the habit is much more important than how much you do.
If you want to exercise, it’s more important that you actually do the exercise on a regular basis, rather than doing enough to get a benefit right away. Sure, maybe you need 30 minutes of exercise to see some fitness improvements, but try doing 30 minutes a day for two weeks. See how far you get, if you haven’t been exercising regularly. Then, if you don’t succeed, try 1-2 minutes a day. See how far you get there.
If you can do two weeks of 1-2 minutes of exercise, you have a strong foundation for a habit. Add another week or two, and the habit is almost ingrained. Once the habit is strong, you can add a few minutes here and there. Soon you’ll be doing 30 minutes on a regular basis – but you started out really small.
Try the flossing habit – try to floss every tooth every night, and see how far you get. You might succeed … but if you fail, try just one tooth per night and see how far you get. Your mileage will vary, but on average most people get farther with a habit when they start small.
One glass of water a day. One extra vegetable. Three pushups. One sentence of writing a day. Two minutes of meditation. This is how you start a habit that lasts.

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Where Do I Start? (Ask Dieter)

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Ask Dieter

This is the first issue of “Ask Dieter”, a monthly no-cost program that is open to everyone!

Thank you for all the 28 questions I’ve received, keep them coming! I’ve answered all of them, and chosen the first one to come in to be published here:

 

This month’s question from my portal “Ask Dieter: Directions
for living a meaningful Life” comes from someone who wishes to remain anonymous.

Question

 

 

I have been trying to write a Paper for University, which I consider to be very important, as it demonstrates the possibilities for a huge shift in how care can be delivered for each individual, sensitively, and in a way that each finds comfortable.

Because of the importance of this work, I am not happy submitting anything less than my best effort. However, personal difficulties, illness, lack of finances and lack of support have left me feeling demoralized, lacking the drive and passion that required to finish the work.

I do not believe that I lack staying power or perseverance. I am extremely persistent once I have started.  But I have now started this work so often, that I feel defeated before I start.

How do I overcome this?

 Answer

 

Hi and thanks for your question.

Apparently something is blocking you. And I’m not primarily referring to the outside events. And in a way you are giving the answer yourself: “lacking the drive and passion that required finishing the work”, aren’t you?

Frankly, this has happened to me many times as well (and still does): contemplating about a great new project, business idea and it’s implementation, a conversation I should have with someone, whatever. And then – all of a sudden – problems popped up. Both from corners I never would have expected it, as well as things I should have dealt with before, but haven’t.

Painful experience let me to the conclusion that there is a bigger obstacle behind all of this:

I had no clear answer to the question why I really wanted to do it. Sometimes it was simply to make money, other times to really help people solve their problems, and other times it was something I considered utterly unjust and in need to be corrected, sometimes it was just to prove that I can do it (as well, or even better than all others), or to get recognition from the people I considered important.

Now I’m not saying that any of these (or any other) reasons are bad. I only need to become aware, really aware, of why I want to undertake something.

And then you are left with two options: a) the idea looses it’s appeal; because it was just a placeholder for something much more important you should deal with. Or, understanding the real “why” gives me the needed kick to finally get started. With positive inspiration, inside-out.

So 1st, answer to yourself the question why you really, really want to do it. And then, be reasonable and follow your guts feeling – forget it or go for it, with a completely different kind of energy.

Live a meaningful life,

Dieter Langenecker

Dieter Langenecker

 

PS: “Ask Dieter: Directions for living a meaningful Life” is a monthly no-cost
program that is open to everyone! Each month, I’ll select and personally respond to one question received via the above “Ask Dieter” page that I feel in my heart will help the most people. (You may choose to remain anonymous if you wish, with our full support.) It is my deep, heartfelt intention that in answering your questions I may provide you with wisdom inspirations that in committed application will set you free. Simply submit YOUR burning question at:  www.langenecker.com/askdieter.html


7 Reasons To Sign Up For Free LifeMentoring Tips 

Change occurs GRADUALLY, not all at once!

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One of the most pervasive beliefs I see that stops people from manifesting their purpose and their goals is that change and inspiration is this huge quantum moment that happens all at once. 

It’s just not true.Change happens one day, one moment, one step at a time. It’s 10,000 small steps that add up to a big leap.

The good news is that all you need to do right now is take one step. The  tough news is that there’s a BUNCH of these small steps that you need to take to make the transformation you are dreaming about a reality.

Sorry.

It’s not the best news in the world, but what’s rad is that all you need to  do is focus on the next step. Not the third step, or the 100th step, just the next one.

Life is all about just putting one foot in front of the other and taking that step. That step is what it’s all about it. The NEXT one. I’m all about just doing the next step.

Sure, I plan and plan. But I only ACT one step at a time. It’s SO easy to get caught up in the hypothetical outcomes that we never actually take  action. I truly believe that inspiration doesn’t just come; it usually comes as a byproduct of taking action. It’s in the action that we learn and change course. It’s in the action that we reality test and see which strategies work and which don’t. It’s in the action that we become more, we learn, we grow and we eventually make our dreams come true.

So many people think that this will happen all at once on one magical day. That’s not how it works. It’s a process, and sometimes a slow one at that, because The Divine needs to prepare us to live our best lives. And that sometimes means trials, setbacks and suffering – not as punishment, but as preparation for truly being able to give our gifts to the world.

The BIG goal happens one step, one moment and one action at a time.

What’s your next step?

 

With kind regards,
Dieter Langenecker

Ask Dieter starting today

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Ask Dieter is a no-cost, monthly program (starting today) where anyone seeking personal development can ask Dieter any question.

The idea is this:
A challenge being faced by one is certainly being faced by many, and so it is via this shared experience that we may raise the consciousness of community to lift us all.

Here’s how it works:
Each month, Dieter will select and personally respond to one question received via http://langenecker.com/askdieter.html

Every 2nd Saturday of the month, Dieter’s response will then be delivered via email broadcast to Dieter’s LIfeMentoring Letter subscribers, as well as being posted on this Blog, so that all of us may benefit from the insight, advice, and direction given. (If you are not a subscriber to the free Dieter Langenecker Lifementoring Letter yet you may want to subscribe here)

Submit your question(s) now, Dieter is going to respond to all of them; and the first one to be answered publicly will be published here April 13th (If you would like to remain anonymous, we will respectfully support you in doing so).

To learn more about Ask Dieter and to submit your question(s) go to http://langenecker.com/askdieter.html

“Conventional Econmics is a form of brain damage”

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“Economists say, if you clearcut the forests and put [the money] in the bank, you could make 6 or 7 percent. If you cut down the forests and put it into Malaysia or Papua New Guinea, you could make 30 or 40 percent. So, who cares whether you keep the forest, cut it down [and] put the money somewhere else! When those forests are gone, put it in fish; when the fish are gone, put it in computers. Money doesn’t stand for anything, and money now grows faster than the real world. 

Economics is so fundamentally disconnected from the real world, it is destructive. If you take an introductory course in economics, the professor—in the first lecture—will show a slide of the economy, and it looks very impressive. They try and impress you, because they know damn well that economics is not a science, but they’re trying to fool us into thinking that it’s a real science; it’s not. 

Economics is [just] a set of values, and [they] use mathematical equations and pretend that it’s a science. But, if you ask the economist, ‘in that equation, where do you put the ozone layer? Where do you put the deep, underground aquifers? Where do you put top soil or biodiversity?’, their answer is ‘oh, those are externalities.’ Well, then you might as well be on Mars! That economy’s not based [on] anything like the real world. It’s life, the web of life, that filters water, it’s microorganisms in the soil that create the soil we can grow our food in…insects fertilize all of the flowering plants…nature performs all kinds of services…these services are vital to the health of the planet. Economists call these externalities; that’s NUTS.”

—David Suzuki