Authenticity is overrated. It’s not about how you are feeling. It’s about how you make others feel around you. When you learn to act as if, to make others feel joyful, happy, seen and heard, you would feel joyful, happy, seen and heard. It takes emotional labour to act as if,
A little more than expected. It doesn’t cost too much. But it makes a lot of difference. We love to be surprised, to be delighted, to get something beyond what we were expecting. When we show up, how can we deliver a little more than expected?
What are you saying "no" to? Not only the thing that you don't want to do... but also the thing that you do want to do. The thing that does no harm, that's definitely better to have, that no one would say no to. But that's not your priority. Not
Battery life. Our phone's battery works best when it is kept between 20% and 80% charge. Even though we know this, it's tempting to push it to 100% while charging and avoid plugging it in until it drops down to 1% or turns off. The more we give
Will they talk about it? It can feel selfish to add features to your work that create tension for the users to talk about it. It can feel like a disservice to the audience because we feel like the work works without these features. But, remarkability is a feature that doesn't only make
Begin it now. “Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would not otherwise have occurred. A whole stream
Effortless discipline. Discipline has less to do with willpower and more to do with systems. When you create rules that work for you, it becomes less difficult to stick to them. It’s okay to rebel against outside rules that don’t make sense for you, but wanting to live without rules
Streamlining. What is your priority goal or project? How can you streamline your day and week around the priority goal? What do you need to let go of in order to make space for your priority goal? If you are not willing to make trade-offs, how is this project a priority?
Less precious. If you are facing writer's block or resistance in one of its many forms, it may help to focus on making your today's work less precious. The best way to do that is to allow yourself to come back tomorrow and do more work, do better
Staying the course. Sometimes you do need to pivot. And sometimes you are stuck in a cul-de-sac, a dead end and you need to quit. But many times, we simply need to stay on course. Keep doing what we have been doing. Keep showing up as our best self. The dip is not
Getting back on track. The practice requires us to show up every day. However, if we miss our practice for a day or two, restarting it is challenging. At that moment, resistance has the upper hand. It tries to keep us off track. The professional approaches this with patience. She understands that it will
Territory has to be earned. There is no other way. There is no shortcut. No one can give you your territory. The only way to earn it is by showing up day after day, doing the work, whether someone cares or not. There’s a three-legged coyote who lives up the hill from me. All
Asking a question. You can tell someone something or… ...you can ask them a question. Which do you think creates more tension?
Creating conscious boundaries. Technology allows us to access all kinds of information in all kinds of places, whether it is work documents, zoom calls or slack messages. This creates an "always on" mindset which drains our faculties and doesn't allow us to create open spaces for rejuvenation and creativity.
Getting through the dip. Sunk costs can help in getting through the dip. Even though it’s smarter to ignore sunk costs, they play an emotional role. Where do you intentionally want to create sunk costs? More readings: Ignore sunk costsThe most important decision-making rule you learn in business school is still largely misunderstood.
Getting good at pretending. Watch Catch Me If You Can | NetflixAn FBI agent makes it his mission to put cunning con man Frank Abagnale Jr. behind bars. But Frank not only eludes capture, he revels in the pursuit.Netflix When we see the above image from the movie, "Catch Me If You Can&
Err… on the side of doing. Of reaching out. Of raising your hand. Of speaking up. Sometimes, it might not work. But, almost always, it would be better than not doing.
Leading from any chair We can wait for permission or we can choose to lead. We can choose to lead from any chair. Few questions that we can ponder over: What would I do if I was chosen to lead today? How can I see the leaders in those who I am leading? A
Emotional viscosity How can we learn to slow down the process of stimuli and reaction? How can we learn to choose to respond rather than react? Yes, we can learn how to reduce the stimuli, but it may be equally, or even more, useful to learn how to respond to them.
Assistance: the opposite of Resistance. “...as Resistance is the shadow, its opposite—Assistance—is the sun.” ~ Steven Pressfield, Do the Work! Just like there’s a voice within us that stops us from being our best selves, there’s a voice that nudges us to become our best selves. That voice is strong, yet subtle.
Moving all the time. A car is stationary most of the time. It's supposed to be. If you measure the efficiency of the car as the percentage of time it’s moving, that’s not a helpful metric. What matters is whether it helps you get where you seek to go when
What makes you happy? When was the last time you did it? When is the next time you can do it? What's stopping you from doing it more regularly?
The game is rigged (in your favour)... The exam is designed to favour the student who studies well. The policy is designed to favour the entrepreneur who means well. The customers line up on the shop that seeks to serve them well. Yes, there are exceptions but they are fewer than we think. If you are focused
Is it important to you? You say that it is. But then... you aren't willing to block a specific time for it. You don't want to invest even the least amount of money in it. You are not asking or paying someone to keep you on the hook. You are not
