Two types of actions. There are certain things that give results in a single action. You eat a pizza and you feel the taste and the sensation. Rather multiple repetitions might take away the pleasure. On the other hand, there are things that either give pain or don’t do much in a single
The cost of context switching. In a day, you may switch the context 5 times or even 10 times and still be able to get maybe 2-3 meaningful things done. The technology though makes it more likely that we switch context sometimes even hundreds of times a day. There is a cost to context switching
Seth Godin's This is Strategy This is StrategyA new book by Seth Godin. Already a #1 bestseller in its category. Find it in print and on the Kindle. Now available as an audiobook as well. It will play in your podcaster app. TODAY: a worldwide …Seth's Blog Seth's new book, "
Staying on track. The challenge is not how to do something out of the ordinary in order to achieve our goals. The challenge is to stay on track. The challenge is to say no, to not get distracted by short-term ups and downs, to not interrupt the compounding. The outcomes and the reps
Staying with the tension. When we are faced with tension, it's tempting to want to relieve it and to get back to a state of comfort. The option to do that is always there in front of us. But, if we do that, nothing happens. Things go back to the way they
Apart from the voice. Apart from the critical voice inside our head that amplifies everything (at least everything bad), it might be that nothing else or no one else is trying to intentionally hurt us. If there is, then it's a very good idea to try and get away from that place
The tyranny of "should". On one hand, the voice of "should" stops us from seeing the way things are and on the other, it creates guilt and blame that stop us from making things better. If we are able to let go, we might be able to see the things that we
Getting into the ring. You can't become a better boxer if you don't get into the boxing ring. It doesn't matter how much you practice outside the ring. Same for swimming. You can't become good at swimming without getting into the water. The challenge with our
It's all invented. An excerpt From The Art of Possibility: A simple way to practice it’s all invented is to ask yourself this question: What assumption am I making, That I’m not aware I’m making, That gives me what I see? And when you have an answer to that question,
One scary thing at a time. It might be possible for us to tackle one scary thing at a time. But trying to tackle two at the same time might be asking for too much. Sometimes, the motivation is there to help us work through those struggles. But, mostly, it's a better idea to
Carrot or stick? For the carrot to work, we need to have the trust that we will get the carrot if we do the deed. Without that, it won't be a motivating force, no matter what carrot is dangled in front of us. On the other hand, the avoidance of stick
The deer in the headlights. The driver doesn't set out to hurt a deer. He's just trying to get to his destination. The deer, too, wasn't planning to run into a car. It was simply on its path, maybe looking for food or trying to find its way back
Some recommended podcasts and books. 1. Book - The Pathways to Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander - I don't know of any other book that is as transformational as this one is. It's a deep dive. It will ask for courage. And it has the power to change you fundamentally, for
And then magically... Many times, we start a project, sometimes a YouTube channel, a podcast, or maybe a newsletter, with the intention of making it big or at least to be able to pay our bills. The few success stories that everyone sees make us hope that we can win the lottery too.
Each action is insignificant. ...but together they become significant. We can break things in one go but we can't make them in one go. Drip by drip. Brick by brick. Things get made. Creativity is manual labour. Showing up day by day. What we need is to put ourselves a space where
Attention and love. Attention and love are hygiene factors, just like food, water and air. When we don't get enough of them, it affects our body and mind. Yes, we can survive more days without them compared with the latter, but learning to live without them isn't a good
You don't need more time. Decisions don't happen on their own. The narrative doesn't change on its own, at least not for the better. It takes intention, and courage, to see things the way they are, and then to invent a story and make a decision that takes us where we
Everything everywhere all at once. Technology allows us today to access "Everything everywhere all at once." Not only what's happening in our life, but anywhere in the world. Though it sounds idyllic, it hardly is. It paralyses us. It keeps us busy all the time without actually getting anywhere. What can
Low energy protocol. Decisions require significant energy and most decisions made during the low energy mode derail our efforts towards making things better. Instead of making decisions when we are low on energy, we can design protocols that we can follow that can allow us to rest and rejuvenate and come back stronger.
In or out? Are you in the gym or are you out? You can't be in the gym all the time. If you are in, why are you not doing the reps? If you are out, how does thinking about the reps help you? More often than not, we spend a
Just the facts. An excerpt from The Art of Possibility - The Way Things Are: The practice of "the way things are" is a reality check on the runaway imagination of the "calculating self". It’s like the world-weary policeman saying, “Just the facts, Ma’am, just the facts.
Near-instant gratification. Most of our strategic goals take time in order to lead to results. For instance, going regularly to the gym or eating healthier might show changes in a few months. Consistently initiating conversations and creating opportunities might lead to a financial return in a similar time period. Organically reaching out
What's it for? If we are not clear about what’s it for, it’s very less likely that we will be effective. “We always do it this way” is a good place to hide, but is rarely effective if things haven’t turned out the way you have wanted them to.
"I" or "We"? Which one to use when writing a message, "I" or "We"? "I" makes the message personal. It puts you on the hook. It makes it better for the reader because she now knows who is talking to her. "We" can become a
Let go. Let go of the stresses... of the achievements and the failures... of the striving and the wanting... of the inadequacy and the insufficiency. It might be difficult to let go. But, we can start to practice it one day at a time.
