Harvey, Jason - Achieve Anything In Just One Year - Be Inspired Daily to Live Your Dreams and Accomplish Your Goals

You have endless resources at your fingertips with the Internet. You can look up quotes on just about any subject. You may also pull good prose from a book you are reading or a newspaper article. Is there a colleague you admire at work? Write down some of the things they say as a way to learn from their behavior.

Sometimes the best quotes come from children. Are there any wise little ones in your life? Did they say something recently that was unusually wise or funny? Write it down. Don’t let their words be lost in the chatter that surrounds everyday life. Your assignment today is to write down three quotes in your notebook that came from someone besides you. How do those quotes make you feel? Are they inspiring? Depressing? Funny?

On Day 27 you were given a week to turn an opportunity into a reality. Have you had a chance to do that yet? If not, what are you waiting for? Get to work! You will come across hundreds of opportunities every day. Grab on to one of them. If you did it, way to go!

DAY

35

“You can observe a lot just by watching.”

— Yogi Berra

Leave it to Yogi Berra to state the obvious. He has been both cheered and jeered for his malapropisms, but sometimes the obvious is exactly what you need. Keep it simple. Yogiisms are part of Yogi Berra’s charm and part of his success.

How can you simplify your life today? One great way to do that is to become a good observer. Drop your agenda and expectations and turn your vision to others. It is amazing what you will pick up if you get out of yourself and watch the world from another’s perspective. It will give you the opportunity to become a better friend, a better spouse, a better coworker, and a more-well-rounded individual. Observation is quite a useful tool for success.

Your assignment today is to pretend the world is new. You just landed here on Earth, and there is nothing you can assume about human nature. Your task is to simply observe without judgment. Discard everything you know and start over objectively. Watch and take note. Jot down the things you find interesting in your notebook.

What are some important things you notice? How do people come together in a crisis? Who is the first to reach out and help? How do others react to that person? Can you identify people who are only concerned about their own well-being? How are they treated by others? Make a list of observations you would like to emulate and those you would not want to repeat. Through all of this, keep it simple. Watch and listen and learn.

DAY

36

“A few observations and much reasoning lead to error; many observations and a little reasoning lead to truth.”

— Alexis Carrel

Julie managed fifteen employees in a house cleaning service. She was walking by the window of her office and stopped to observe some of her employees loading a van to start the day. Angela was talking on her cell phone and pacing back and forth while the other employees loaded vacuums and mops and other equipment into the back of the van.

Julie shook her head and flicked her pen against her crossed arms. Obviously, Angela was not pulling her weight. Just yesterday she left a job early. Julie made a mental note to pull Angela aside at the end of the day and give her a final warning or she would have to find another job.

Did Julie make the right decision? How many observations did she use to come to her conclusion? The answer is two. Is that enough? Why didn’t Julie go outside and ask Angela about her phone call? Is there a reason she didn’t go directly to the source? Did she ask Angela or any of the other employees why she left early the day before? Should she have done so?

How many observations do you collect before you make a decision? The more observations you can assemble, the more accurate your picture. Your task today is to count the number of observations you gather before making a conclusion. Count them; write them down in your notebook; and work to increase the number throughout the day. More observing and less contemplating will get you closer to the truth.

DAY

37

“Thinking is more interesting than knowing, but less interesting than looking.”

— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Goethe created a continuum with this quote. Knowing is the point when you arrive at the finish line. It’s the end of the game. Thinking is more interesting than knowing, because you are engaged. It’s enjoyable to allow your mind to turn over ideas and create new solutions. The best of them all is looking. Looking contains a surprise factor. You can never be quite sure what you’ll find when you look. It’s exciting. It also takes the pressure off you. You are not creating what you see. You are simply taking note of it.

Observation is not a difficult task. It is a discovery. Enjoy your chances to observe what’s going on around you. They will be exhilarating, and they can lead you back down Goethe’s continuum. Looking is thought provoking, and thinking will help you to become more knowledgeable. It is a continuous cycle of learning.

You give yourself more ammunition for success if you increase your observational skills. Observations are fuel for thought and knowledge. Your assignment today is to continue to collect observations in all aspects of your life. Observe how your son brushes his teeth; observe how the woman at the bus stop holds her packages and sighs while she waits for her ride; observe how the tips of your boss’s ears turn red right before he starts yelling at his employees.

Again, this task is not drudgery. Make it fun—but avoid making others uncomfortable. Your goal here is not to become a stalker. Just pay attention to what goes on around you.

DAY

38

“Speak little, do much.”

— Benjamin Franklin

Do you talk about the great things you want to do in life but never get around to actually accomplishing them? If you want to achieve success, now is the time to put your words into action. This is the point where many individuals get discouraged. It’s fun to dream up lofty accomplishments, but when it comes to the part where you have to put in some real work, the exercise loses some of its appeal to the average person.

But you are not average. This is where you have the opportunity to separate yourself from the pack. You will find that taking action is not as tiresome as you imagine. You don’t have to do anything that requires too much sacrifice. You just have to act.

You will now break away from the crowd simply by doing. You’ve already worked on becoming a good observer. That is one type of action that will lead to success. What are other things you can do today to send you on the road to achievement?

Don’t put undue pressure on yourself. You don’t have to come up with something brilliant. Just button your lip and get off the couch. That’s a great first step. Do you have unfinished projects around the house? Pick one and do it. You will feel great when you’re finished. Don’t get overwhelmed by all of the things you’ve left undone. Just pick one job and complete it. You can worry about other stuff another day.

Your assignment today is to pick one thing around the house that you have been meaning to complete and finish it. When you’re done, congratulate yourself with something fun and a little frivolous.

DAY

39

“When your work speaks for itself, don’t interrupt.”