(MEN) How Do I Become More Effective in the Everyday?

 This entry was posted on Thursday, February 11th, 2021 at 11:55 pm

Dr. Jordan Peterson is one of my most favorite people. Quite truthfully, the way that he talks is far over my head sometimes, but he nails the simple things. So many men that I have the pleasure of working with are, well, workers. What I mean is that there is the side to so many men that want to fix things, so they put their head down and get to work. The problem, what happens when that is not effective? What do you do now? Below are some simple strategies to begin to invest into your EVERYDAY life, instead of just when things are going poorly. These are NOT going to fix everything, but this is a great start to putting yourself in a position to be more effective in your daily life.

• Stand up straight with your shoulders back
o Correcting posture boosts confidence and self-esteem, which others notice as well.
• Treat yourself like someone you’re responsible for helping
o You would do anything for the people you love the most, and that should include you.
• Make friends with those who want the best for you
o Friends who truly support you will demand the best from you and tell you the truth, while toxic friends will just damage
you.
• Compare yourself to who you were yesterday and not someone else today
o Comparing yourself to others damages your sense of self while working to improve on your past self will fulfill you.
• Don’t let your children do anything to make others dislike them
o If you allow your children to engage in behaviors you dislike, you’re setting them up for failure by becoming dislikeable
adults.
• Put your house in perfect order before you start to criticize the world
o Find fulfillment by remedying your own faults and improving yourself daily.
• Do what is meaningful and not most expedient
o Our brains are wired to find meaning in life no matter how hard the road to get there is, which will give us the most
fulfillment.
• Tell the truth, or at least don’t lie
o Corrupting your own perceptions with lies leads directly to a world of chaos where you cannot rely on yourself or your
judgments.
• Assume the person you’re listening to knows something you don’t
o Living life constantly searching for knowledge from others can only help you achieve a life of meaning.
• Be precise in your speech
o The more exact you are about who you want to be and what you want, the more likely you are to be successful because you can
visualize it with absolute clarity.
• Don’t bother children when they’re skateboarding
o Encourage your children to take measured risks as a way to practice confronting the chaos of life instead of
overprotecting them and hiding from the chaos.
• Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street
o When chaos in your life is unavoidable, such as personal tragedy, focus on what’s right in front of you for as long as
you need to until you have the strength to begin looking farther ahead again.