Last week I wrote about being irrationally confident. In retrospect, I failed to mention one important detail: the practice works best for people who are not ego-driven. If you are normally humble, then an occasional bout of irrational confidence can be highly useful... but if your ego is too big, then you routinely will be overestimating your abilities.
Another way to describe the ideal way to be is: practice grounded audacity.
I recently recorded a very personal ten-minute video that draws on my own life experiences. (Its purpose is to explain my new online course.)
Although I don't use this exact phrase in the video, in the several days since I posted the video, it has occurred to me that I'm talking about the difference between a weak, unfocused and half-hearted effort vs. one that's driven by a relentless sense of compulsion and conviction.
Guess which one works?
I'd like to suggest that you can learn a hugely important lesson about your own life by recognizing a key truth about the most successful entrepreneurs.
Name me an entrepreneur who begins his or her startup journey by asking "how will we do this?" and the odds are overwhelming that no one has ever heard of that person.
Before you can find a job (or partner... or passion... or purpose) that you love, you need to be honest with yourself about what you love. Most people aren't.
That's an old photo of my son above. No, he's not injured or tired, just delighted to see snow after being forced to endure another balmy summer and fall. He didn't care that the white stuff was coming from a snow gun, or that it was really cold and wet under that gun. He loves snow.
You’re sitting in a small comedy club because a friend suggested—no, insisted—that you come here. After protesting a bit, you eventually relented.
The club has an odd vibe. Some of the audience look like 1960’s hippies; others are 2024 AI engineers. A guy in back keeps shouting, “Elvis rocks!”
The host is about 95 years old, but has a contagious energy and a gleam in his eye. He steps to the microphone and says, “I was wandering around out back and found this guy. If you’re old enough, you just might find him familiar.”
An even older man comes onstage. His head is tilted to the side; his hair bedraggled and much too long. Wait a minute… is that George Carlin? Before you can process the idea of a dead comedian mysteriously coming back to life, he starts ranting…
People, including me, are often searching to find purpose and meaning in life. Today, I’m sharing what might be the shortest, clearest and most profound potential answer to such quests.
I didn’t come up with it, and I can’t prove it’s correct. You can decide for yourself, and I’d love to hear your reaction.
The following comes from a video featuring author Rupert Spira answering questions at one of his frequent retreats…
ChatGPT may be the best-educated writer on the planet, in terms of the sheer amount of knowledge it can draw on in a conversation. But, like many ghostwriting clients, it tends to go on a bit too long and to rush past its most interesting insights. Tonight, I decided to use my ghostwriting skills to clean up our long conversation and make it shorter and more readable. I deliberately chose a subject that is both complicated and fascinating: the nature of time itself.
The basic idea: An international, multi-disciplinary team of researchers has identified two attributes that make individuals more likely to have vivid experiences of God (and spirits). They conducted four studies involving over 2,000 participants across five countries: the United States, Ghana, Thailand, China and Vanuatu.
The first attribute is porosity, which the researchers define as: the idea that the boundary between “the mind” and “the world” is permeable. Intuitions that wishes or curses might come true, that strong emotions might linger in a room to affect others, or that some people might be able to read minds are examples of porosity.
Every few years, I encounter a book or concept that truly excites me. This week, it happened again, when I read Dr. Lisa Miller’s book, The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life.
In a sentence—my sentence, not hers—spirituality changes your brain for the better. Happiness comes from asking “what is life showing me now?”
Before you read any further, let me ask you this: are you favorably inclined to using the phrase "compassionate achiever" to describe you? Whether your answer is yes or no, I'd love to hear your initial reaction.
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"Achieving high level lasting success, whether it is climbing a professional ladder, living a life you are proud of, accomplishing a personal goal or effectively helping someone else do the same, is based upon finding meaning and purpose in your life."
Every year, I update and republish this list of proven suggestions. I'd like to ask you a favor: if one or two of these suggestions especially resonate with you, could you please leave that number in the comments? I'll use your feedback to guide topics I write about in future issues.
Here we go...
1. Every time you interact with another person, make a conscious decision about the energy you wish to bring (i.e. positive, uplifting, supportive…).
I had a different topic in mind for today, but just saw this image that Steven Bartlett shared on LinkedIn, and it got me thinking...
How many people choose the life they want, ten years from now?
To put this more specifically, how many people wake up day after day and take specific actions in the present to alter their results in the future?
Rule number one: Treat people like people, even online
You wouldn’t give a party and never even talk to any of your guests, so when you post something online, be sure to reply to contents and engage others in conversation. Be warm and curious. Ask questions to show interest. Listen, learn and give positive feedback.
Rule number two: Be human, not perfect
No one likes a know-it-all. Don’t act like you have everything figured out and all you do is share your wisdom. If you choose to share pieces of your life online, share the good, bad and ugly. Take others on your journey of living and learning. Don’t be a caricature ; be the real you.
I’m sometimes haunted by the title of a book I read years ago, Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Wherever You Go, There You Are. For years, before I permanently relocated to Utah, I left the Connecticut suburbs and spent months at a time in the mountains of Utah. Doing so changed my life, but I’m not sure it changed me.
On the surface, many things changed when I settled down in Utah. My exercise levels went through the roof; skiing and hiking are just minutes away; and I do something physical every day. Some days, I forget to eat, because there is just too much to do. Even work gets easier, because in between my writing sessions, it’s so easy to recharge.
But...
The things that scared or bothered me…still scare or bother me. I still procrastinate around routine tasks I dislike, like paying bills or waiting in line for an oil change.
Wherever I go, it’s still the same me.
What about you? Do you think, “When I get a raise, I’ll eat better/take better care of my house/be more motivated?”
Has the thought ever occurred to you, “Someday, I’ll move to the ocean and meditate/run/exercise every day?”
My experience suggests that changing your environment changes many things, but it doesn’t change you... at least not as much as you might expect.
Give me five different audiences, and I will give five different presentations. If I notice if someone is impatient, upset, or confused, I will change my communications strategy midstream.
This is what effective communicators do. They adapt their tone, message, and words to fit what their current audience needs.
If you get the opportunity to present to your CEO, you should do it differently than when you’re pitching an idea to your (two levels down) boss. The difference shouldn’t be based upon his or her title; your presentation should be based upon how the other person thinks. Does s/he prefer facts or anecdotes? Is s/he driven by ego or results?
