1minutetips

Welcome to 1 Minute Tips!

On episode 19 I mentioned how important it is to keep learning.

Today I want to talk about the importance of filtering the information we consume. In a not so distant past I heard about the term “information diet”, and the concept of it instantly made sense to me.

So what is the so-called “information diet”?

I’m pretty positive you got it already.

Nowadays we are bombarded with all kinds of information, whether we want or not, like it or not. It’s just how it is.

It’s our responsibility to protect ourselves from the useless and unnecessary information that keeps getting into your news feed, email box and television.

Filtering the information you consume on a daily basis may not look or feel like a big deal, but it makes all the difference.

Don’t be afraid to unsubscribe from email newsletters that are not currently adding valor to your life. Don’t be afraid to unplug from the online world when you need a moment to reflect. Don’t hesitate to cancel that cable subscription. Don’t think twice before leaving that whatsapp group.

Another common trap is the “but I’ll need this info later” excuse. This was a big deal to me.

I used to have tons of browser tabs, bookmarks, notes, you name it. I was hoarding information, simply for the sake of having it handy when I needed it.

But guess what? Most of the time I would never come back to it.

I learned that this is just not practical. What works best for me is to just don’t stress. When I need information that is relevant to project “X” I’ll go on and do my research when the time comes to it. Until then, I’ll focus only on project “Y” and whatever info I need to get it done.

I’m not saying this the best for you. It’s just what have been working for me, and for others who are more aware of what kind of news and information they are consuming.

Another interesting point I’d like to mention here is that when you start being more conscious with your information consumption, you will automatically start being conscious of what information you share with the world. Useless or meaningless status updates will become a thing of the past.

Give it a try!

I’m Rod Gomes and I’ll come back with another 1 minute tip soon.

Take care, stay active, stay positive!

Welcome to 1 Minute Tips!

We fail by default more often than you think.

But what do I mean by failing by default?

It’s pretty simple, let’s say that you have an exciting idea for a new business. After spending a considerable amount of time thinking about this idea, you’ve come to the conclusion that it should stay as it is… just an idea.

This is failing by default. Your future business failed. You didn’t even give it a fighting chance.

Of course, the majority of our crazy ideas and plans are bound to fade away and never see the light of the day.

But it’s extremely important to be thoughtful when deciding on what’s worthy of your time and attention, and what should be left behind.

We usually prefer to fail by default because it’s the easier solution.

You may not be able to see this right now, but you’re capable of achieving so many incredible things in your life.

Refuse to fail by default, be open to new opportunities and ideas. Experiment!

Failure is part of the game, but if you don’t allow yourself to shoot first, you’ll never know if you’d score the point or not.

I’m Rod Gomes and I’ll come back with another 1 minute tip soon.

Take care, stay active, stay positive!

Welcome to 1 Minute Tips!

Get off the blame train. This was a very destructive habit I had, I’d blame everyone and everything for all my problems.

The fault was always theirs. I did nothing to deserve this or that outcome.

If you can see yourself in my shoes, please start paying attention. Playing the blame game is a terrible habit, and you should really change it rather sooner than later.

Start accepting what is. If you find yourself on a bad spot in life right now. It’s only by accepting that this is where you are, that you’ll be able to start changing your reality.

If you keep blaming others for your failures, you’ll keep drifting and not making any progress. Frustration and anger will be following you around.

Accept the fact that your life is in your own hands, try to look at your situation from a different point of view.

You’re responsible, you’re the one in charge. Take action!

I’m Rod Gomes and I’ll come back with another 1 minute tip soon.

Take care, stay active, stay positive!

Welcome to 1 Minute Tips!

We should always be expanding our minds, our relationships, our barriers. But for some us, all it takes is a person with a negative, or mean attitude to drag us down.

When I say that you should refuse to shrink, I mean that you shouldn’t lower your standards or act in a manner you don’t approve, just to please others, or to fit in.

This has absolutely nothing to do with acting selfishly, or that you’re egotistical.

It simply means that you’re following your core values. When you stop giving permission to lower your standards, it’s certain that some people will dislike your new attitude. That’s 100% natural.

Remember to stick to your beliefs and values, follow your heart and act accordingly. What others think or expect of you is none of your business.

Keep expanding, keep learning.

I’m Rod Gomes and I’ll come back with another 1 minute tip soon.

Take care, stay active, stay positive!

Welcome to 1 Minute Tips!

Today’s episode is about facing the fear of not being good enough.

Learning a new language isn’t exactly easy. This varies from person to person. I personally have always liked English, even when I knew nothing about it.

I thought it sounded amazing in movies and music. So that’s where I first started to learn more about the language.

Then I had to opportunity to live abroad for a few years, and that’s when I really learned it… the practical way.

As you can tell, my English isn’t that good. I have a hard time because I allowed my pronunciation to get rusty. I stopped practicing it. I’ve managed to keep making progress by continuously consuming information in English (reading and writing, watching movies, listening to podcasts, etc.), but I’ve failed for not including “speaking” in my plans. Just having regular spoken conversations would have done the trick.

This is not a big deal, I know my English is not the best. But it’s good enough, and for today, that’s all I need.

It will improve because I’m dedicating myself, I want to get better.

But right now, all I can do is the best with what I know. And you can do the same, no matter what others say.

Ignore the naysayers and give yourself permission to be good enough.

I’m Rod Gomes and I’ll come back with another 1 minute tip soon.

Take care, stay active, stay positive!

Welcome to 1 Minute Tips!

Have you ever had that feeling, specially when you’re writing a blog post or want to express yourself to a loved one, and you’re just not sure if you should say it?

You wrote a message, deleted and re-wrote it for a hundred times, and you’re still hesitant about posting it.

You thought of at least a dozen ways to say it, but when you picture yourself saying it, you think it isn’t good enough.

That’s when you should say it anyway.

As long as your intentions are good and you’re not saying it to cause harm to yourself or anyone, the best thing you can do is just say it.

If you keep trying to find the perfect moment or way to say whatever you want to say, it may never happen. And then you will never know what kind of impact your words could have caused.

You will have to live with the “what if’s” forever.

What if you said it, and that girl you liked also had an interest in you?

What if you said it, and your father accepted your apologies? What if you said it, and your boss liked your suggestion?

Are you willing to live forever in doubt? It’s unfortunately that most of us are.

Don’t let this be you.

All it takes is a few seconds of extreme courage to say it.

What’s the worse outcome if you say it? A rejection?

It’s not that bad after all, is it?

I’m Rod Gomes and I’ll come back with another 1 minute tip soon.

Take care, stay active, stay positive!

Welcome to 1 Minute Tips!

You are not alone. Just take a look back, over your right shoulder.

Just kidding! :)

When we’re stuck with a problem, the first thought we come up with is that we’re screwed, a close second thought is that we’re alone.

So now we’re screwed and alone with a big problem!

Both thoughts are false, well you might really be screwed. But everything is “figureoutable”.

For every problem that you face, there’s at least a dozen people who have faced this very same problem.

So, even if you want to feel self-pity and play the victim, you’re not alone!

You can try to find the solutions for yourself, or try to find help, look for people who faced the same situation before.

Either way you can dig yourself out of the hole. As long as you commit yourself to make progress and change your situation.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help, you’d be surprised by how many people are more than willing to help, even if you’re a total stranger on the internet. Believe me on that!

You are never alone!

I’m Rod Gomes and I’ll come back with another 1 minute tip soon.

Take care, stay active, stay positive!

Welcome to 1 Minute Tips!

When I came up with the title for this episode I thought it sounded a bit weird at first. But this is exactly what I meant to ask.

When do you feel free?

This is a powerful question. If you answer it with honesty.

What are the moments when you really feel free? Free of fear, free of the shackles, free of judgment.

Do a small exercise, close your eyes and try to remember when these moments occurred in the past.

You may even want to write down whatever comes to your mind.

If you can’t find such moments, that’s absolutely fine. There’s nothing wrong with you.

They are there, maybe a bit clouded. But definitely there.

The important thing is to keep in mind that right now, you’re creating new moments.

How will you want to remember today’s moments? Are they freeing you? Or keeping you hostage?

You are in charge, create moments of freedom.

I’m Rod Gomes and I’ll come back with another 1 minute tip soon.

Take care, stay active, stay positive!

Welcome to 1 Minute Tips!

Remember when you were little and your parents told you to be a good boy, or girl. And to do unto others as you would have them do unto you?

This golden rule seems to disappear after we grow up. I’m pretty sure we keep it parked in the back of our minds somewhere.

It’s there, but since it’s no longer mandatory, we don’t care for it.

The funny thing is that we will remember about this golden rule whenever we notice someone breaking it, against us.

Make an effort to do good. No big deed is needed, just be good.

Say kind words, be a good friend, be a good husband, be a good son, be a good father.

Be a force for good!

I’m Rod Gomes and I’ll come back with another 1 minute tip soon.

Take care, stay active, stay positive!

Welcome to 1 Minute Tips!

The way I experience my life will never be the same way you experience yours, and vice-versa.

We can go watch a movie together, or read the same book. My experience will be unique to my own life. The same is true about yours.

That’s why I believe we shouldn’t judge our experiences.

A perfect example to illustrate my point of view is this:

You’re in a party and a friend comes over, super-excited and raving about his vacation. He had the best time in Cancun, Mexico.

He stayed in a super all-inclusive resort, the days were nice and sunny. The nights, simply amazing!

He met new people and had a blast! He can’t wait to go back!

Now, after hearing such a great story, you want to go down there and experience this for yourself. And you do just that!

Shortly after arriving, you find out that your hotel is crowded. You had no idea that thousands of students were headed there for spring-break. Your all-inclusive experience is terrible, the drinks are bad, the food is not what you have expected.

You can’t sleep, the pool area smells really bad. The sun didn’t come out, in fact, it rained most of the days. And the nights, all you ever wanted was to get some rest. But the vacationing students had another plan.

See the point here?

Your experiences are unique, good or bad. They are YOURS!

Treasure your experiences, they are your life, after all.

I’m Rod Gomes and I’ll come back with another 1 minute tip soon.

Take care, stay active, stay positive!