1minutetips

Welcome to 1 Minute Tips!

In yesterday’s episode I mentioned that I would risk sounding like your grandma.

Today, let me go ahead and risk sounding like your parents by saying that you should always be learning something. Always!

Even if you feel like you’re on the top of your game, go and find something new to learn, either in your area of expertise or a totally unrelated area.

We are blessed to be living in a time with abundance of information.

In a not so distance past, we had to go after information. And in some cases it was really hard and expensive.

Today, all the information you need is literally a few mouse clicks away.

There’s someone out there that have faced the exact problems you’re facing right now. All you have to do is search.

Be careful with the traps, the internet is full of black holes.

You should keep a tight “information diet”. I will do an episode about this in the future.

For now, focus on whatever new skill or knowledge you’re seeking. Dedicate a couple of hours per day if you can.

Learning has never been this easy before. So 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!

I’ll probably sound like your grandma here, but I’ll say it anyway: Do what’s right.

It’s a given, right? We should alway do what’s right.

Indeed we should. But sometimes life gives us many ways to deal with a situation. We will often feel tempted to do what’s easy, or what will be better for our own sake, even if it means doing the wrong thing.

Most of the times this will happen automatically, meaning you didn’t consciously wish to do wrong. It’s just how our brain works. It will try to find shortcuts, and the easier way out.

It’s our job to be aware when such moments occur. So we can consciously analyse the situation and make the appropriate choice.

If you are well aware of your choices, and you make a conscious decision to do what’s wrong, them you’re looking for trouble. And you will certainly find it.

It doesn’t take a lot of effort, just decide that from now on you will deliberately do what’s right. Even if it means that you will be taking the longer and harder road.

You will travel the longer road with your head up high, a much lighter backpack, and a big smile on your face.

Doing what’s right is always rewarding, even when it doesn’t feel like 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!

If I asked you to give me the name of the biggest critic in your life. Right off the bat, who would you nominate?

If you didn’t nominate yourself, I’m sorry, but you’re wrong.

We are the toughest critics we’ll ever face in life. Even when we deserve a break.

This is definitely something we can (and should) control. Learning to accept our faults is really important. But this is a topic for another episode.

In this episode I just want to point out the importance of celebrating all your victories. This isn’t about popping a bottle of champagne or going wild every time you accomplish something (or if this is you, by all means, go for it). What’s important, in my opinion, is to reward yourself whenever you reach a goal.

This way you are creating important triggers. By doing this long enough, whenever you have a new challenge or goal, your brain will automatically trigger the memories of when you celebrated in the past. Giving you a magic boost towards your new goals.

Give it a try, start celebrating.

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!

Take a look at your calendar and clock. This day and this time, is all you have.

If you want to forgive someone, love someone, let go of someone, start on a diet, change a habit, learn a new skill, find a new job… All you have is this moment!

We love to keep waiting for that perfect moment. A moment that will NEVER arrive. The time will never be just right.

Do whatever you need to do now. Or risk looking back later in life and wondering what could have been if only you took the plunge.

I know that it’s not as simple as it sounds, you may be facing a big obstacle or challenge. But believe me, the only way you will ever get through it, is by embracing it. Face whatever is keeping you from moving forward and I guarantee that you start seeing an unclouded version of your future life unfolding right before your eyes.

Remember, all you’ve got is this moment! Make it count!

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!

Letting go of the past is a topic that causes confusion in most people's minds.

Why should you let go of the past? It was part of your life after all.

We could go really deep here, for this is a complex topic. But since we only got a minute or so here, let me give you the short version.

Letting go of the past doesn't necessarily mean trying to forget your memories. The memories you have are yours--good or bad.

They are results of your life experiences.

You really should cherish the good ones. They are powerful!

You can't forget the bad ones, but you can learn how to "archive" them.

We usually get stuck on the past trying to find reasons for stuff that went wrong, trying to find someone to blame.

Another common reason is to try to relive a pleasurable or remarkable moment, usually with a loved one.

When you stop cherishing the memories and start trying to make them come back to life, that's when it will go wrong.

You will get stuck.

What's done, is done! Live your life forward.

Visit the past, but remember where you are. Today is the only time you have to create new memories.

Let go of the past, live in the NOW!

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!

On episode 7 I mentioned the energy draining kind of people. I call them “energy vampires”.

They need to drain your energy in order to feel good with themselves. They are the perfect example of people you don’t want to surround yourself with.

When you start to notice how the people around you influence the way you think and act, you will understand why you must let some people go.

And by letting people go I don’t mean calling and letting them know that you can’t be friend anymore because he or she is a bad influence. This is not third grade.

Use common sense, trust your instincts. Learn to set limits on certain types of relationships, stop the energy leakage.

And if you don’t think it’s worthy it, then by all means, just move on.

Surround yourself with people you find inspiring and positive, and you will see the toxic ones start to move away.

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 know that feeling, like you’re ready to take on the world and nothing can stop you. No one can get on your way today, no negativity or stress will bring you down, not today!

That’s called inspiration. It gives you the much-needed boost to go on and annihilate whatever challenges cross your way.

The thing is, it doesn’t last forever. And if you don’t go after it consistently, it may take a long time for it to find you again.

Go out there and get inspired!

Find people who you can look up to, people who you appreciate and that you consider to be good example.

Read books that will elevate your spirits. Watch a movie that you like.

Sometimes we forget how good it feels to be inspired, to be energized. And that’s when we get lazy, we stop looking for that feeling.

Don’t let this be you! Go get inspired!

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 I want to talk about investment. Not monetary investment.

A much more important kind of investment, time!

If you had to rate how well are you investing your time on a scale from 1 to 10. 1 meaning you’re not managing your time, and 10 meaning you are Mr. Get it Done Guy!

Just think about it and give yourself an honest rating.

Some of you will give yourself a higher rating for feeling busy all the time. Being always busy does not mean getting stuff done. It also doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re using your time wisely.

Time is our biggest asset. Every human being on this planet knows it, yet most of us simply don’t care.

Thankfully, if you’re listening or reading this. It means you’re looking for ways to improve yourself, and that already puts you in front of millions of people who are just clueless.

There are so many ways to stop wasting time:

You could cut the hours in front of the TV, cut the time on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Wake up an hour earlier than usual.

The list could go on, but I trust you already know what you can do to stop wasting your own time.

Remember to use the newly found hours as an investment in yourself.

Time really is all you have! Remember that.

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!

So you probably read this episode's topic and already started to think about it. Anticipating what I was going to talk about.

By anticipating about this episode you now expect it to turn out in a certain way. If I don't deliver the kind of message or content you're expecting, you may get upset or let down.

This is a simple but effective example of how overthinking can ruin things for us.

The point is that overthinking can cause more harm than good.

It's something all of us do, we play scenarios, we create imaginary problems and then try to come up with imaginary solutions, just in case these problems ever become real.

Overthinking makes it really hard to unplug. I struggle with it whenever I try to quiet my mind and meditate.

But I know this can be changed, and eventually it will.

Stop thinking too much, sometimes the best thing we can do is to let it be and let go of our thoughts.

That was my tip for today my friend.

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!

Hello! Are you listening? Yes, you!

There is so much noise nowadays. We’re always connected and rarely present.

We’re not as engaged as it seems. Yes, we are “connected”. We have thousands of friends all over social media. We follow celebrities, movie stars and singers.

We choke on the amount of news that’s thrown to us every single day.

We can deal with all of that. But when we have to listen to what a loved one, or a friend has to say… we can’t.

I mean, we are there, we are physically there. We hear his or her voice, we’re hearing.

But not really listening.

Be present. The next time someone wants to say something, be truly present for that person. Listen to what he or she has to say, make eye contact. Let that person know that your whole self is there.

Pro tip: This can work wonders on relationships.

That is all for now my friends. Be present, be in the now!

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

Take care, stay active, stay positive!