Motivation & Success
« Previous EntriesBeyond Fear
Monday, June 29th, 2009
We were 20 feet off the ground, suspended among the treetops in a dense forest in Western Massachusetts.
My little girl looked up. “Daddy,” she said, “I’m scared…”
She just turned 8, so I wasn’t surprised. What did surprise me, though, was that 30-minutes and 6 stations into her first ever high-ropes course, this was the first time she voiced her fear. She’d pretty much flown through every challenge, scampering across wire bridges, floating block ladders and navigating itty bitty platforms wrapped around trees high above the earth without a hint of hesitation.
Goalsetting Smackdown: Big Hairy Audacious vs Baby Steps
Friday, June 19th, 2009
Picture this, your 20 year reunion is coming up and looking to made a huge impression…but you you’re feeling a bit, um, huge. Truth is, you’ve needed to lose about 100 pounds for years, but now there’s a reason and a target date. The event is 6 months away, so it’s doable but extremely aggressive.
Question is, what do you focus on in order to maximize the likelihood of success?
Two major approaches offer radically different advice.
Stop Trying to Recreate Your Last Big Hit
Monday, June 15th, 2009The Truth About Vizualization and Goal Achievement
Thursday, June 4th, 2009
Ever wonder what the real deal is with visualization?
Whether you call it visualizing, simulating, vision-boarding or something else, the technique has been the talk of the personal-development town for years.
Problem is, many proponents:
- Overlay a metaphysical basis for it, leaving all who do not buy into the woo-factor skeptics, and
- Focus exclusively on something called “outcome” visualization that’s been shown in university studies to be less effective than the rarely discussed “process” visualization.
Time for a bit of debunking and pulling back the curtain on how to do it right…
Is Gifted and Talented a Life Sentence
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009
I recently finished reading a book that blew me away, called Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.
Unlike so many other books that have the words “mindset” and “success” in the title, this was a serious book that steered clear of pop psychology and soundbites and offered a simple, yet astonishingly empowering concept that will forever change the way I approach challenges…and teach my daughter to do the same.
It’s not based not on abstract metaphysics, but on hardcore research conducted by the author, Stanford University Professor and acclaimed developmental psychology researcher, Carol Dweck, Ph.D. The fundamental idea was that, from the time we are little kids, we approach challenge with one of two mindsets:
Give Me a Break: Are You Busy For a Reason?
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
I see it all around me. And, yeah, lately, I’ve fallen prey to it, myself…
I’m the guy who’s usually insanely effective at focusing in on what I want, plotting a course, then doing anything and everything to make it happen. I’m “That Renegade Guy.” Got a cape and everything.
So, I’ve been wondering “what’s up with me?” lately.
Damned if it doesn’t suck just a little bit when you’re confronted with your own humanity and fallibility. Turns out, I’m great at giving everyone else a break…not so good when it comes to me.
Working From Home: 10 Unconscious Cues to Create a Work-Life Balance
Monday, May 18th, 2009
[Guest post from Wisebread.com's Lynn Truong, co-author of 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget]
Working from home sounds like a very simple concept. But there are a lot of built-in structures and boundaries inherent in a going-to-the-office job that we often take for granted. Recreating those boundaries when our home and work is one and the same is a crucial part of achieving a work-life balance.
The personal battle
Are You Asking the Wrong Questions?
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
When I was down in Austin for SXSW back in March, I had the privilege of being interviewed for a very cool indy film called Life In Perpetual Beta, produced and directed by blogger, mom and all-around cool person, Melissa Pierce.
While the movie is still in production, Melissa’s been doing the very 2.0 thing and posting interview segments on the movie’s blog, so people can participate in the entire process. And, guess what…she just posted a decent chunk of mine. So, I thought I’d share it with you guys here, because toward the end, I answer that age old question - Are you asking the wrong questions?
How Do You Handle Change In The First 30 Days?
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
When I first heard about the book, The First 30 Days, by Ariane de Bonvoisin, I was intrigued…
Maybe it was due to my longstanding interest in Buddhism or because the central message resonates so closely with one of my favorite books, Comfortable With Uncertainty by Pema Chodron.
Fact is, about the only thing we know for sure is that life is uncertain.
Change is a regular part of the process. Sometimes we see it coming and embrace what it’s bringing. Other times, we’re blindsided and hope desperately to sidestep it’s impact.
Model This!
Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
I was just reading Seth Godin’s post on A Million Blind Squirrels and it brought me back to an ongoing debate I’ve had with certain folks in the NLP and personal development community about the utility of “modeling” successful people as a tool to accelerate your own success.
I’ve already expressed my concern about the loose definition of modeling and how difficult and often poorly executed it is in real life.
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