Genius or trite nonsense?

Spend any time on social media and you’ll come across some amateur positive psychologists. I’ve seen this on Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram – and probably others – so I have to assume you know what I’m talking about.

This is where someone says something like, “you have to love yourself to find love”.

The corporate world has its own favourites. There, you won’t find people telling you to love yourself – but you will find people talking about having “a bias towards action” and “thinking outside the box”.

Question:

Are these powerful, lifechanging snippets of wisdom? Or are they trite, empty clichés that don’t mean anything?

The answer?

Yes.

They can certainly be the despairing cry of a broken person screaming into the void to distract themselves from their misery. Or a half-zombie middle manager who’s reached their ceiling and read a few too many mediocre leadership books.

Or they can be philosophies that turn lives and businesses around. They can be the kernel of action that revolutionises everything.

And that, right there, is what separates trite nonsense from genius advice:

Action.

Telling your employees to have a bias towards action is meaningless – even a little insulting. Restructuring your internal processes and culture to bias towards action is a bold, clever move.

Telling yourself to love yourself is depressing. Taking action, each day, to find something to appreciate, celebrate and be grateful for is a boon for your mental health.

Words are just words until they inspire action. Then they become something greater.

It’s not always easy to take action, though.

Even when you know you should.

Sometimes, especially when you know that.

So the best strategy would be to reorganise your mind and circumstances to make taking action easier.

The first step?

Become an Awakened Thought member and download this month’s issue. It’s full of practical tips to boost your motivation, productivity and life satisfaction.

I’d hurry, though – once the calendar ticks over, I’m taking that issue down, maybe forever.

Get wriggling before it’s too late.

Here’s your link:

https://guided-thought.com/awakened-thought/