Category Archives: Thoughtfulness

Surround yourself with people who are thoughtful in ways you are not

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“Surround yourself with people who are thoughtful in ways you are not, because they see what you can’t.”

—Shane Parrish, Founder of Farnum Street Blog

Image from Unsplash by Cédric Dhaenens

Surround yourself with people who see differently than you do. Their perspective is not a challenge to your vision — it’s a gift.

Where you see one path, they may notice hidden turns.

Where you sense limitations, they may point to possibilities.

Thoughtful people who think unlike you stretch your mind, spark fresh ideas, and protect you from blind spots. They expand the edges of your world.

It’s tempting to prefer echoes of your own thinking, but true growth comes from the harmony of diverse voices.

The wisest leaders are those who invite variety, listen deeply, and let others’ unique insights sharpen their own.

When we seek out thoughtful differences we’ll always see further than we could alone.

EXERCISE:

Identify one area of your life where you’d benefit from fresh thinking. Actively seek out someone who approaches that area differently. Invite and “try on” their input and note how their angle challenges your assumptions.

Muddy water is best cleaned by leaving it alone

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“Muddy water is best cleaned by leaving it alone.”

—Alan Watts, English writer who interpreted Buddhist, Taoist, and Hindu philosophy for a Western audience

Image from Unsplash by Josh Calabrese

Where in your life are you experiencing muddy waters and can’t see your way forward?

Where have things become turbulent with diverse issues and heated emotions where things are murky and messy?

If you were a scuba diver, heading to the surface to see the light of day and gain some perspective would be a reasonable first step.

Pausing and letting things settle before diving back in seems wise as well.

When you and others finally do dive back in, how would slower and more thoughtful efforts help you see more clearly to swim to the other side of your issues?

EXERCISE:

Where in your life would leaving things alone help clear things up to see a new way forward?

A thoughtful gift is a manifestation of love

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“When it comes to gifts, it’s hard to overstate the value of thoughtfulness. A thoughtful gift is a manifestation of love.”

—Stephen St. Amant, artist and writer

Image from Unsplash by Hamish Duncan

I have been reading Stephen St. Amant’s daily Savenwood blog for over three years. It amazes me how he consistently comes up with thought provoking and engaging posts seven days a week.

I’ve reached out to him numerous times over the years to acknowledge his efforts and we even had a couple of zoom calls to get to know one another better. He is indeed a very thoughtful man whose daily gifts contribute greatly to those of us who look forward to his many nuggets of wisdom and insight.

EXERCISE:

I encourage you to check out and subscribe to Stephen’s blog and other creative works at savenwood.com.

“The unfed mind devours itself.”

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“The unfed mind devours itself.”

—Gore Vidal, writer

Image from Unsplash

We’ve all heard the phrase “you are what you eat.” Perhaps this is also the case with our thoughts.

When we feed ourselves positive, affirming ideas and thoughts, our lives expand and become better. When we feed ourselves negative and critical thoughts – which often occur when our minds are not enriched – we tend to regress, becoming smaller and far less fulfilled.

Exercise:

If the phrase thoughts become things has some truth to it, plan your future cerebral meals carefully to include only the choicest morsels.

  • Consider purchasing a copy of John Maxwell’s Maxwell Daily Reader to chew on each day.
  • Read a passage from the Bible, Torah, Koran or another inspirational book.

Of course, please keep reading and sharing The Quotable Coach with others. I will do my best to make it worth your time!

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