A year ago, I bought a book written by Paul Arden titled "Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite". It's a simple book that teaches you that sometimes you need to think the opposite of other people or common ideas. As time went by, I came up with three things that I started to think about in reverse, which I'm going to write about in this article.

1. Set Goals That are Intended to Fail

Like many other folks, many times I set up a goal and it just didn't work out. Whether it's learning new things, building something, or my personal life, I started to wonder what was wrong with myself and began blaming myself for it. But now, I don't think the same way anymore.

So, here is what I do. What if you set up a goal but intended it to fail? I know it sounds cliché, but that's what I do now. The idea is, you have a goal, and when it fails, you have to find out why it failed and quickly learn from it. If the goal works, I will be happy. But if it fails, that is okay too, since I intended that goal to fail. So I don't blame myself anymore and don't feel down about it.

2. Being Productive is not all about adding something, but it's about removing something

I used to think that being productive means I can deliver more in terms of work. And that is true. But there is one thing that I forget about. The key to becoming productive is about removing something from your life. Being able to say no to things that are not your main priority or not really important. Removing distractions such as social media and some bad habits that can waste your time.

Being productive is not all about adding something to your life, but it's about removing things from your life. You can only do things that are right when you remove things that are wrong.

Conclusion

In wrapping up, let's take a look at what I've learned from these two ideas.

First off, we found out that setting goals with the expectation that they might fail isn't such a bad idea after all. Instead of seeing failure as a total disaster, we learned to see it as a chance to learn and grow. By embracing this mindset, we can shake off the fear of messing up and actually learn a ton from our mistakes.

And secondly, being productive isn't just about cramming more stuff into our schedules. It's also about clearing out the distractions and things that aren't important, which are holding us back. By cutting out distractions and focusing on what really matters, we can make room for the things that truly light us up.

So, in a nutshell, reverse thinking is all about flipping the script and trying out new ways of doing things. It's about embracing the unexpected and being open to unconventional ideas. And who knows? Maybe by thinking a little differently, we'll stumble upon some pretty cool solutions to life's challenges.