Author Archives: Edward Brownlee

Dream Killers

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The 5 things that can kill your dream: 

1. Fear: Fear is one of the most significant obstacles that can stop people from pursuing their dreams. Fear of failure, fear of the unknown, fear of rejection, fear of what others might think – all these fears can hold you back and prevent you from taking risks or stepping out of your comfort zone.

2. Lack of focus: If you don’t have a clear idea of what you want to achieve, it’s difficult to work towards that goal. Without a specific target in mind, you might find yourself wandering aimlessly and lacking the drive to take action.

3. Negative self-talk: The way you talk to yourself can have a profound impact on your ability to pursue your dreams. If you’re constantly telling yourself that you’re not good enough, or that you’ll never make it, you’re likely to lose motivation and give up on your aspirations.

4. Lack of perseverance: Achieving your dreams often requires hard work, dedication, and perseverance. If you give up too easily when faced with setbacks or obstacles, you may struggle to make progress towards your goals.

5. Lack of support: Having a strong support system can make a big difference in your ability to achieve your dreams. Surrounding yourself with people who encourage and believe in you can give you the confidence and motivation to keep working towards your goals, even when things get tough.

The Parable of the Mexican Fisherman

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An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the man on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The man replied, “only a little while.” The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The man said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.” The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”

To which the American replied, “15 – 20 years.”

“But what then?” Asked the man.

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!”

“Millions – then what?”

The American said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

Nocebo Effect

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The nocebo effect is when you experience negative feelings physically because you are told that might happen.

The nocebo effect – when expecting a drug to make you worse, genuinely does – has been seen before in medicine.

The nocebo effect is the opposite of the more familiar placebo effect, in which people feel better after being given a therapy, even if there is nothing in it.

The statin ‘nice I effect’ study focused on 60 patients who had all come off statin drugs in the past due to severe side effects.

The Imperial researchers said 90% of the severity of the study’s participants symptoms was present when the volunteers were taking dummy pills they thought could be a statin.

“The side effects are mainly caused by act of taking tablets, not what is in them,” Dr James Howard, one of the researchers told BBC News.

Symptoms were so bad that people had to stop taking the tablets on 71 occasions, including 31 times while they were just taking the dummy pill, during the course of the study.

“Our patients were really suffering, patients are not making it up,” Dr Howard said.

Whether it is nocebo effect or the chemicals in the statin themselves, the net result is some people find the drugs intolerable.

The reason statins produce a nocebo effect is unknown. The suspicion is they have achieved a self-fulfilling destiny with media reports and cardiologists warning of the side-effects of statins.

Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, the medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “These results undeniably show that statins are not responsible for many of the side effects attributed to them.

“Decades of evidence have proven that statins save lives and they should be the first port of call for individuals at high risk of heart attack and stroke.”

References:

  1. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-54951648

Happiness

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“Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.” —Eleanor Roosevelt

“A teacher gave a balloon to every student, who had to inflate it, write their name on it and throw it in the hallway. The teacher then mixed all the balloons. The students were then given 5 minutes to find their own balloon.

Despite a hectic search, no one found their balloon. At that point, the teacher told the students to take the first balloon that they found and hand it to the person whose name was written on it. Within 5 minutes, everyone had their own balloon.

The teacher said to the students: “These balloons are like happiness. We will never find it if everyone is looking for their own. But if we care about other people’s happiness, we’ll find ours too.”

Gratitude is Powerful

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Gratitude is powerful: not only does it feel good, it’s also been proven to increase your mental and physical well-being in myriad ways.

Gratitude is a powerful mindset that does far more than make you feel good; it can help you be your best self both mentally and physically, connect with others, and see the good in others and the world.

  • Gratitude turns what little you have into abundance.
  • Gratitude is so much more than saying thank you.
  • Gratitude changes your perspective of your world.

Think of your mind like your digestive system — what you put into it impacts how you feel and think. When you flood your mind with a constant flow of worry, envy, resentment, and self-criticism (compounded by a barrage of news and social media) it negatively impacts your mental well-being.

Practicing gratitude is like exercise and a healthy diet for your mind. Researchers have shown that it can positively impact your mental and physical well-being

References:

  1. https://positivepsychology.com/gratitude-appreciation/
  2. https://www.newharbinger.com/9781684034611/

Gratitude is important

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“You can’t feel envious and grateful at the same time. They’re incompatible feelings, because if you’re grateful, you can’t resent someone for owning things you don’t.” ~ Dr. Robert Emmons 

Gratitude is important because when you express gratitude, your brain releases dopamine and serotonin — two hormones that make you feel lighter and happier inside.

Have you ever noticed that when you are looking to buy a new phone or a jacket all of a sudden everyone around you has it? That’s because, consciously or unconsciously, whatever we are focused on is what we see. If we want to trigger gratitude in ourselves, we need to intentionally shift our focus to that which we are grateful for.

You experience gratitude when you shift your focus from what you don’t have to what you do, and when you take time to appreciate and be thankful for those who have contributed to the abundance in your life.

Nearly a decade of research by Dr. Robert Emmons — the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude — and others has found that people who have regular gratitude practices are healthier, happier, and have better relationships.

Further research suggests that gratitude is also key in helping individuals and teams persevere in challenging tasks.

Soutce:  https://hbr.org/2020/10/use-gratitude-to-counter-stress-and-uncertainty

Mindset Matters and Mindset is Everything

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Everything you experience in your life from one moment to another is an outcome of your mindset, it’s all about what you think and how you think.

Your mindset affects everything, everything that you do, everything that you feel, and everything that you perceive.

When you want to change something in your life, don’t look far, simply look at your mindset, because when that changes, everything changes.

Be mindful of your mindset.

“Everything that you experience in your life from one moment to another is an outcome of your mindset; it’s all about what you think and how you think. Your mindset affects everything, everything that you do, everything that you feel, and everything that you perceive.  When you want to change something in your life, don’t look far, simply look at your mindset, because when that changes, everything changes.  Be mindful of your mindset.”

The Real Value of Wealth

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Invest first before living like a King and Queen

Asset vs Liability

Son: Dad, may I speak with you?
Dad: Go ahead.
Son: Among all my classmates, I am the only one without a car. It is embarrassing.
Dad: What do you want me to do?
Son: I need a car. I don’t want to feel odd.
Dad: Do you have a particular car in mind?
Son: Yes dad (smiling)
Dad: How much?
Son: $15K
Dad: I will give you the money on one condition.
Son: What is the condition?
Dad: You will not use the money to buy a car but invest it. If you make enough profit from the investment, you can go ahead and buy the car.
Son: Deal.

Then, the father gave him a check of $15K. The son cashed the check and invested it in obedience to the verbal agreement that he had with his father.

Some months later, the father asked the son how he was faring. The son responded that his business was improving. The father left him.

After some months again, the father asked him about his business again and the son told him that he is making a lot of profit from the business.

When it was exactly a year after he gave him the money, the father asked him to show him how far the business has gone. The son readily agreed and the following discussion took place:

Dad: From this I can see that you have made a lot of money.
Son: Yes dad.
Dad: Do you still remember our agreement?
Son: Yes
Dad: What is it?
Son: We agreed that I should invest the money and buy the car from the profit.
Dad: Why have you not bought the car?
Son: I don’t need the car. I want to invest more.
Dad: Good. You have learned the lessons that I wanted to teach you.
– You didn’t really need the car, you just wanted to feel apart of the crowd. That would have placed extra financial obligations on you. It wasn’t an asset then; but a liability.
– Two, it is very important for you to invest in your future before living like a king.
Son: Thanks dad.

Then the father gave him the keys of the latest model of that car.

MORALS:
1. Always invest first before you start living the way you want.

2. What you see as a need now may become a want if you can take a little time to get over your feelings.

3. Try to be able to distinguish between an asset and a liability so that what you see as an asset today will not become a liability to you tomorrow.

Small Habits

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Small habits, consistently practiced, can lead to big transformations.

Just remember that “Reading 20 pages per day is 30 books per year. Saving $10 per day is $3,650 per year. Running 1 mile per day is 365 miles per year. Becoming 1% better per day is 37% better per year. Small habits are underestimated,” writes James Clear in Atomic Habits.

Cultivate the small habits that align with your goals and watch your life change. 

Don’t focus on goals. Instead focus on your habits that will take you to your goals. It’s you vs. you.