A great month is 30 great days

I don't have the mental capacity to attend to and process every aspect of the environment, so I group stimuli together into broad categories. For example, although each of these articles is unique, for now I lump them into the category articles; If people didn't group things into categories of objects and ideas, they would be utterly and hopelessly overwhelmed by what William James called the blooming, buzzing confusion that they first experience as newborn infants before they develop categories (James, 1890, p. Knowledge Is Stored in Mental Structures Called Schemas Categorization is an interesting process in its own right, but it is just the starting point of our mind's active meaning making. That's because as soon as people classify a stimulus as an instance of a category, their minds quickly access knowledge about that category, including beliefs about the category's attributes, expectations about what members of that category are like, and plans for how to interact with it, if at all. All this knowledge is stored in memory in a mental structure called a schema. For example, if you are at the library and you categorize a person behind the desk as a librarian, you instantly access a schema for the category librarian that contains beliefs about which traits are generally shared by members of that group (eg, intelligence), theories about how librarians' traits relate to other aspects of the world (eg, librarians probably do not enjoy extreme sports), and examples of other librarians you have known. Also, by failing to keep your promises, you communicate to yourself and to others that what you say doesn't matter. And, as you repeatedly fail to honor your word, you erode your self-esteem and lose self-respect. Then, you may start thinking, What's the point of setting goals, since I will not achieve them, anyway? Now, let's look at the two types of promises and what you can do to keep them. Now, let's have a look at what honoring your commitments to others means: Say yes only when you can deliver: How often do you say yes to people with no intention of following through? Learn to say yes less often but when you do so, make sure you keep your promises. There is no such thing as 100% consistency, but your ultimate goal should be to honor your commitments as much as humanly possible. Clarify exactly what needs to be done and why: Lack of communication can result in additional work. So, don't be afraid to ask for clarification before you commit to anything. Once again, you need to stand firm in your commitment to pass up good for great. If it's not an Absolute Yes, the answer is easy--it's a no.

Take Action! Use the Absolute Yes Test Stop for a moment and consider any major decisions you're currently faced with right now. Is there a purchase you need to make? Do you need to choose a new direction for your work? List three decisions here: Then ask yourself the following question: Is this an Absolute Yes? You'll know the answer almost as soon as you ask the question. Using schemas, people can interpret ambiguous things they encounter by using prior knowledge to go beyond the information given (Bruner, 1957). We can demonstrate this with a simple example. Read the following paragraph: The procedure is quite simple. First, you arrange things into different groups. Of course, one pile may be sufficient, depending on how much there is to do. If you have to go somewhere else due to lack of facilities, that is the next step; It is important not to overdo things. That is, it is better to do too few things at once than too many. At first the whole procedure will seem complicated. You may realize that the task can be done in a more effective way, can be delegated or doesn't even need to be carried out in the first place. Also, remember that the more clarity you have regarding the process, the more likely you are to complete the job effectively and efficiently.

Do what you say: When you say something, mean it. If you say you're going to send an email to someone on a certain day, make sure you do it. Give power to your words by acting upon them. Make it a habit and people will see you as one of the most reliable people they know. Start by keeping your small promises over and over. Always be on time: Aim for punctuality. When you are repeatedly late you communicate to the other person that your time is more important than theirs. As I keep reiterating, time is one of our most precious assets. An Absolute Yes usually feels like a solid, immediate Go for it! Get in the habit of using this question with simple decisions too. For example, when choosing a movie or vacation spot. Trust your feelings to lead you down the right path. You may not know what's coming, but if you keep your standards high, I can pretty much guarantee you that it's something great! CHOOSE WISELY As you continue with the process of standing up for your life, make the idea of passing up good for great your guiding principle. Use this principle in all areas of your life. For example, I pay close attention to what I allow into my mind. This means that I am always filtering my choices about what I'll read, watch, or listen to through the lens of Will this honor my highest good? Soon, however, it will become just another facet of life (Bransford & Johnson, 1973, p. A mental structure, stored in memory, that contains prior knowledge and associations with a concept.

You might be scratching your head right now, wondering what these instructions are referring to. If you close your textarticle and five minutes later try to remember all of the points in the paragraph, you will probably run into difficulty. What if we tell you that the paragraph is about laundry? Now, reread the paragraph and you will see that the information makes much more sense to you than it did initially. After five minutes, you might do a reasonable job of remembering each of the steps described. The mere mention of the word laundry activated your schema of this process and made it a template for understanding the information you were reading. Scripts: Schemas About Events Schemas are given special names depending on the type of knowledge they represent. What does it say about you when you disrespect other people's time? Of course, there are times when punctuality is less important (eg, picnics, parties and events when people are free to come and go as they please). Other than this, aim to be as punctual as possible. As you learn to honor your commitments most of the time, over the long term you will stand out and rise above the crowd. Do you know how many people who set New Year's Resolutions actually follow through? According to research conducted by the University of Scranton, the figure is a mere eight percent! I aim to honor (almost) all my commitment to others, but I also take my commitment to myself--my goals--seriously. This is because I see honoring my commitment as a sign of self-respect. I understand that, in the long term, this is the difference between living the life I want and living the life other people want me to live. Of course, I'm not perfect but, wherever possible, I always, always try to keep my word. As an example, one night while watching television I turned to a prime-time show about a murder in New York City. At the moment I hit the channel I was pulled into an intense, provocative scene.

I immediately became engaged in the drama. Two minutes into the story I realized that while this show might be highly entertaining, it only represented good. The violence and suspense were not the best choice for my sensitive nature. As soon as I became aware of my choice I decided to pass up good for great by turning the channel to something more emotionally uplifting. My client Amanda used this principle to help her make wise choices about her relationships. Amanda was in her late twenties and had a busy social life. She went out almost every night and had a variety of friends that she spent time with. In spite of the number of people she had in her life, Amanda said she felt lonely and disconnected. Schemas that represent knowledge about events are called scripts. These types of schemas (like the laundry example) always involve a temporal sequence, meaning that they describe how events unfold over time (first you sort, then you put one pile into the machine, then you add the soap, and so on). Scripts make coordinated action possible. Playing a game of tennis requires that both you and your partner have a schema of the game so that you can coordinate your actions and follow the rules of the game, even though you are playing against one another. They also allow you to fill in missing information. If I told you that I got a sandwich at the student union, I don't need to tell you, for example, that I paid for it. You can fill in that detail because you have the same basic getting food at a restaurant script as I do. Our reliance on scripts becomes embarrassingly apparent when we find ourselves without a script for a new situation. Imagine being invited to a Japanese tea ceremony but not knowing where to sit, what to say and when to say it, and how to sip the tea--when everyone else in attendance seems thoroughly acquainted with this very complex ritual of great importance for maintaining respectful social relations. Schemas about an event that specify the typical sequence of actions that take place. To honor the promises you make to yourself, you need to create the habit of setting and completing simple tasks consistently and daily. Start small and remain consistent.