Thinking things DONE

How A Naturally Successful Person Thinks (Interview with Josh Kaufman)

PJ Eby — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:07:21 +0000

Have you ever wondered why some people are so much more successful than others? Why they have a more positive attitude, get more done, and seem to get all the lucky breaks?

Not too long ago, I had a chat with PMBA creator, Josh Kaufman about some of the work he's been doing lately.

Josh is a long-time member of my self-improvement group (The Owners' Circle), and a naturally successful person in his own right. In this recording, he and I have a bit of fun back-and-forth about his current projects, swap success and failure stories, and generally use him as an illustration of how "naturally successful" people usually think.

Check it out!

The Seven Laws of Belief

PJ Eby — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:48:43 +0000

In the book survey, a lot of people have been asking me questions like, "How can I change the beliefs that are keeping me from getting things done?" and "How can I do things when I just don't feel like it?"

Well, I'll be answering these questions fully in the book, of course, but later this week I'll also be shooting a video with my fellow NLP guru Bruce Muzik (of "Relax and Attract" fame), and we'll be giving you some things you can use right now.

But first, here's a little sneak preview of what we'll be talking about, that's also an excerpt from the book version of Thinking Things Done.

I've put together a 2-page PDF on my "Seven Laws of Belief", including a worksheet that takes you through much of the belief-change process we're going to teach. Download it here and check it out. Then, keep an eye out for the videos that go with it!

--PJ

P.S. Don't forget to leave a comment below to let me know what you think, or if you have any questions, so I can be sure to cover them in the coming videos.

Day 56: Behind The Scenes

PJ Eby — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 23:13:05 +0000

Wow, I can't believe it's been over a month since I released the last video. Time flies when you're having fun... or when you're sufficiently busy!

I've been hard at work outlining the major parts of the book, deciding what techniques to include, how to sequence the concepts, etc. I did a simple cover sketch on a 4x6 card, and carried it around with me for a while. Then, just this weekend, I did a full cover design -- and reworked the website graphics to match.

I went on the road to spend a weekend with a client of mine, filming a case study -- some of that will probably turn up in various videos going forward, although I'm still reviewing the footage.

I've also created a new "prequel" e-book, called "Why Can't I Change? The Real Reason Why Trying Harder Doesn't Make You Any More Successful"; you can download it for free by registering here.

Last, but far from least, I've been working out deals with authors and publishers of various self-improvement products to provide them with videos, articles, and other material so they can let their readers and customers know about the book, in exchange for commissions and/or cross-promotion. It's pretty exciting, because other authors and speakers usually ask the best questions and it has certainly given me a lot of new ideas for videos, and even some things to add to the book.

Meanwhile, I'm hard at work on the next video, "interior design" of the book, and of course, writing. I've also been applying one of the new techniques I came up with just for the book, and it has really boosted not only my productivity, but my energy as well. Can't wait to share it later!

--PJ

(P.S. If you're in the "online information publishing" business and are interested in doing something together, drop me a note via my contact form, and I'll point you to the background info I've prepared for potential partners.)

How to Turn Your Thoughts Into ACTION, In 30 Seconds... Or Less!

PJ Eby — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:56:34 +0000

In the survey, a lot of people have been asking questions like:

How to keep doing things instead of just thinking about them?
How can I continuously turn a sense of "lock-up" into a flow from idea to action?
How do I find the motivation to get started?
How to stop reading self-help books and start doing?

So I created this little 10-minute training video to answer them. In it, I explain how to use natural "pull" motivation to instantly turn thoughts into action... the way the thought of having some chocolate cake can quickly turn into action!

So watch, learn, and enjoy! Oh, and don't forget to leave a comment here, to let me know what you think.

Day 15: Trials and Triumphs

PJ Eby — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 02:57:52 +0000

This has been the longest week of my life.

Every day, I set out to make a video. And every day, I "failed" to do so. So within just a few days, I felt absolutely miserable.

It took longer than I expected to work through the fears, doubts, and limiting beliefs that were in my way. Although each was permanently banished within an hour or less, there were a whole lot more of them than I thought there'd be!

There were all sorts of beliefs I battled, ranging from the idea that I need to "work for a living" and "life is a burden" to a bizarre fear of fear itself, to worries about how the video would be received or how I'd be perceived by the people watching it.

I deleted each and every one from my brain, but when the dust cleared, something unusual happened...

Day 10: Bullshit and Lies

PJ Eby — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:52:57 +0000

I just stumbled onto this "tip sheet" from the "National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization" (by way of 43 Folders), and I thought I would share it with you... because it's utter bullshit and completely useless.

Tip #1 is, "Remember that it is motivation that gets you started and habits that keep you going. Resolve to get started." WTF? How is that in any way a tip? That's like that old stock market "tip": buy low, sell high. Thank you, Captain Obvious!

And in the classic self-constradictory style of these nonsensical tip sheets, tip #4 tells us that what's delayed is often forgotten, but #5 starts out with "Delay until you have enough information"!

And the rest of it, of course, is either meaningless drivel or pointless twaddle that adds more things to your to-do list, instead of giving you less to do.

This is exactly the sort of crap that drove me to figuring out my own self-help methods in the first place. People need REAL answers, not mindless pablum. They need to know HOW to get started -- and "resolving" is definitely not how you do it.

In fact, "resolving" is a terrific way to de-motivate yourself, because it's basically preparing your mind and body for conflict. When you narrow your eyes, grit your teeth, and generally tense up your body, you're telling it, "I'm about to get into a fight." Not helpful.

What you want to be doing to get started is tapping into desire instead: pull motivation, not push. More on that soon.

Day 4: Welcome to the Jungle!

PJ Eby — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 03:00:10 +0000

So, I spent the last couple of days wrestling with video equipment, scripting and F/X planning, and a bit of time on the book design. Actually, I probably spent even more time wrestling with myself, to overcome a bunch of emotional distractions like:

frustration with being behind (compared to my over-idealistic initial schedule)
fear that my training videos will be too boring (or alternatively, not communicate enough)
feeling like I can't just relax and enjoy the process... like I had to work hard and stress, even if I'm doing what I want to be

And I'm pretty sure that's only half the real list, but I've already forgotten the rest. (The best and worst thing about making rapid personality changes using my "mind hacking" techniques is that they tend to create amnesia for the old belief or behavior, because it seems so unnatural once you've stopped believing or doing it!)

But my brain isn't the only thing that needed a bit of cleanup. Check out this YouTube video I just uploaded, that shows precisely how messy my office is. (Plus, it even has a couple of productivity-related tips, because you know I can't pass up an opportunity to teach something, once I've got an audience!)

So have a look at it, then leave me a comment below (here, not on YouTube!) and tell me what you think:

P.S. Be sure to sign up for a free copy of the book, too. Please note that I won't be leaving that option up forever, though, because at some point I've got to stop collecting questions and start answering them. ;-)

Day 1: The Adventure Begins

PJ Eby — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:17:11 +0000

So, I officially started today, taking my first day off from my day job to begin the book project. In some respects, I didn't do that much on the book: I spent most of my morning re-uploading the announcement video for my self-improvement group, after finding I uploaded the wrong version. But finally I got it out, and before the day was over a good few hundred people had watched it, and a lot of them had signed up to get a free book.

Better still, they filled out the survey, and shared their questions about how to get their lives together and live their dreams.

So far, I've been sorting and organizing the questions into about 7 different categories. Most are about what I expected, but one of the categories was one that hadn't occurred to me: How to succeed without...

What is Thinking Things Done?

PJ Eby — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:44:43 +0000

How many times have you started something and not finished it, even if you really wanted the result? And how many times have you felt like you should do something (like diet or exercise), but just couldn't get started? For that matter, how much time do you spend wondering what you really want out of life, anyway?

And how many yearsof your life have passed you by, your big hopes and dreams going unfulfilled because you couldn't get yourself to...