We include the following two problems to appeal to the rebel-
lious part of your mind, which can be very useful, if you don’t take it too
seriously.- 20 important phone calls I know I should make but must continue to
postpone - 20 reasons that I must continue procrastinating about starting that
diet (going to the gym) (quitting smoking)
Your first list may not provide a useful solution. That is fine. Making an-
other list only takes two minutes. Even if your list does not provide a useful
solution, at least you now know that some solutions exist, just not one that
you can use yet. This knowledge tends to reduce anxiety, making the prob-
lem easier to solve. A mind filled with fear is a mind without options. The
converse of this is also true: A mind with options is a mind without fear.
What Do You Want?
Limiting your desires to what you do notwant produces comfort
without satisfaction. Free up your thinking by using the Discovery
Writing method to uncover your desires, even if you are unaccus-
tomed to expressing them. Consider making lists with these titles:- 20 things I want to be
- 20 things I want to do
- 20 things I want to have
- 20 improvements I want in my relationships
- 20 improvements I want in my financial life
- 20 improvements I want in my health
- 20 things I want to learn
- 20 improvements I want in my spiritual life
After you complete each list, circle the desires that are most
important and most real to you. Remember, at this point you are
not concerned with how you will accomplish these desires. Goals
answer the question “What?” Chapter 14 presents a plan to accom-
plish your goal. Jot down in your calendar the most important
items from your lists so you remember to do them. Later in this
chapter, you will be formulating them into SMART goals.
Take a moment to consider what you learned here. Were there
times in the past where a new solution to a lingering problem would
have been far more useful than what you did? How else might you
use this speedy method?
Remember that your creativity is similar to an underused mus-142 Your Mind Is Not a Democracy