The 80/20 Rule?

Big name motivational speakers and business development gurus tell us that our own satisfaction and success is 80% mindset. Yeah, everybody loves that Pareto Principle, the 80/20 rule—the idea that 80% of the consequences (output) come from 20% of the causes (input).

In fact, people love to say 80/20 even when it doesn’t really even apply, which in this case it doesn’t.

Or 100% Mindset?

After one of the best-of-the-best said mindset was 80/20, he added himself, “Well if I am going to be honest, mindset is really 100%.” And I have to say I pretty much agree.

And so did Marcus Aurelius, Abraham Lincoln, William Shakespeare, and Mahatma Gandhi. I know this because I once made a long list of quotes from famous people all saying this same thing.

I also reviewed my blog posts for the year, and my hands down favorite—for these times—is the Buckminster Fuller quote here:

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality.

To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

There is no better mindset that I can think of than to spend our time and energy on building a strong and beautiful future, instead of being mired in the past.

Let’s Plant a Garden

Yes. Yes. Yes. We cannot change the past. And, what we resist persists anyway. So there is no point in putting much time and energy there. But we can build a new model that makes the old one obsolete. We can plant and tend a new garden and let the other one just go to seed. I have written on this before, back in July, and still love the whole idea.

Recently someone online asked what word or phrase we would take with us into the New Year. My answer was “Onward and Upward.” Who knows why I am inspired. I know that not everyone is. But I am and hope that you will join me. Join each other and me. Onward and Upward for 2021.

Love,

Madelaine