December 2011 | Bigg Success

Monthly Archives: December 2011

Experience Happiness in the New Year

Written on December 30, 2011 by George Krueger & Mary-Lynn Foster in Personal Growth

Here we sit on the cusp of a New Year. Is it just us, or does time seem to go by faster as we get older?

We heard a theory about this that we want to share with you. We wish we could remember who told us this so we could give proper credit!

But it was some time ago and we’ve forgotten. Maybe we’re too old to remember!

But the answer seems particularly insightful. And helpful in understanding how time works.

Here’s the theory:
One year in the life of a 10-year old represents 10% of his or her life.
But it’s only 4% of a 25-year old’s days.
And once you hit 50, it represents just 2% of all your time on Planet Earth.

Ten percent is a pretty sizeable chunk. But 2% isn’t so large.

Imagine a game

To think about this in more tangible terms, assume you’re playing a game. The goal is to maximize your happiness.

The rules state that you have to work 50 hours a week, no more and no less. The rest of your time is for play, sleep, etc.

You fill the 50 hours with activities. You find equilibrium – just enough of each activity to maximize your overall happiness.

Then opportunity arises.

In the first case, the opportunity will require 10% of your time. So you have to give up 5 hours of your current activities. Otherwise, you won’t be able to capitalize on this opportunity.

That’s a lot. You may find it difficult to find 5 hours.

In the second case, the opportunity only requires 2% of your time. So you only have to give up 1 hour of current activities.

It’s a piece of cake compared to the first case, right?

It’s all downhill from here

BIGG success is life on your own terms. There are five elements of BIGG success – money, time, growth, work, and play.

You’re familiar with the saying, “It’s all downhill from here.” It can be interpreted two ways.

The first way is that things will only get worse. The second is that the worst is over.

The chart above illustrates how the game we just described is exactly how life works. It shows what we’re calling the Experience Factor over time.

The downhill curve is steep for the first decade of life. Then it starts leveling off. By the time you hit 40, there’s barely a noticeable change at all.

The good news is that you have so many experiences on your side. Ultimately, life comes down to relationships and experiences.

You have so much more to remember. So much more to cherish. So much more wisdom. So many more reasons to be happy!

So instead of lamenting another year, instead of bemoaning getting older, celebrate! Experience happiness by celebrating your experiences! Celebrate your life!

Here’s to your BIGG success next year! Happy New Year!

Tags: bigg success, experience factor, five elements, george krueger, life, living, mary-lynn foster, money time, playing a game, Time Management

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Set Goals Like Goldilocks

Written on December 29, 2011 by George Krueger & Mary-Lynn Foster in Goals

A friend of ours told us a funny story recently. Her son was sitting with her mother in front of his computer.

He called up Skype video. They were looking at themselves.

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Grandma said, “Oh, that’s a nice picture.”
Our friend’s son replied, “Grandma, that’s us right now.”
To which Grandma responded, “Oh, I look so old.”

Isn’t that exactly what we do to ourselves?

If we looked at ourselves like a stranger in a picture, we can be complimentary. But as soon as we realize we’re looking at ourselves, we become very critical.

When you look at yourself, what do you see?

This is a particularly important question this time of year as we shift from one year to another. Let’s talk about two mistakes you’ll want to avoid when you look back and two to avoid as you look forward.

Reflection mistakes

Reflection mistakes are common errors when looking back.

Hyper-Critics Condition

Are you like Grandma? When you look back, are you too hard on yourself? It’s a mistake. We call it Hyper-Critic’s Condition.

Filter yourself by pretending you’re evaluating a close friend. You’ll be more likely to see the good with the bad.

Plus, even when you see negatives, you’ll frame them in a positive way.

Underdog Disease

Some people are the opposite of Grandma. They’re too easy on themselves.

They see themselves as underdogs. So they don’t push themselves hard enough.

You can diagnose yourself to see if you’ve been infected. Ask yourself a question:

Did you accomplish everything you set out to accomplish this year?

If not, why?

Resist the urge to just give yourself a pass. Pretend you’re reviewing a subordinate who has under-performed.

As his or her leader, your job is to discover the reasons for the shortcomings and then help coach them to improve performance. That’s what you’ll do with yourself.

Projection mistakes

These are common errors people make when looking to the future.

The Slacker Symptom

Your goals – or your New Year’s resolutions – should be attainable. But not easily attainable.

Easily attainable is boring. As humans, we don’t sustain activities that bore us.

We need meaning. And meaning comes from growth, which comes from challenge.

So set goals that push you a little bit beyond where you’ve gone before.

Stretch goals aren’t boring. Stretch goals are challenging. Stretch goals are meaningful.
Superhero Syndrome

Superheroes set unrealistic goals. Your goals must excite you.

They must spur you on. But they have to be attainable.

There are two risks from setting your goals too high. You may realize quickly that they aren’t attainable. So you abandon your plan without really giving it a chance.

You may keep telling yourself you can do it. You’re a BIGG goal-getter. BIGG goals are great. But not if you burn out trying to reach them. It only leads to disappointment, despair, and maybe even depression.

You aren’t able to push yourself to the next level. You keep hitting the wall. So you give up. And nothing changes.

Taking some time to reflect on the past year to find the lessons is a healthy exercise. Investing time to plan out the coming year, make some projections, and set some goals is also valuable.

But think like Goldilocks. When looking back, don’t be too hard or too easy on yourself. When planning ahead, set goals that are challenging, but realistic.

We tend to have a bias. Understand yours so you can guard against it and you’ll live happily ever after! That’s BIGG success!

Do you tend to be too hard on yourself or too easy? Do you tend to set goals are too challenging or not challenging enough?

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