Be Unreasonable
One of my favorite quotes comes from George Bernard Shaw who noted: "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man." Please think about that idea. I suggest it’s a big one. Sure, be practical. I agree […]
Critics Are Frustrated Dreamers
If unprepared, the stone-throwing of the critics and cynics can take you down. The reality is that the very nature of being a visionary and world-changer during dark days means you’ll attract ridicule, jealousy and condemnation. The more you own your power and develop the exceptional confidence that comes with making your fantasies real, the […]
Don’t Be So Available [a Potent Time Mastery Tactic]
The headliners go dark a lot. They spend long stretches of time in solitude, monomaniacally focused on the masterwork they know will turn their field on its head. They don’t give everyone their phone numbers and refuse to pick up every call. They set up their “Menlo Park Workspace” and stay free of technological distraction […]
1 Rule of Peak Productivity and Creative Mastery
Too many of us are overscheduled, overconnected and overstimulated by all the noise, interruptions and complexity of current society. The cost of this way of operating? You’ll arrive at the last hour of your final day and realize you spent your highest potential on your lowest leverage activities. The heavyweights play a very different game. […]
How Nelson Mandela Leveraged Compassion to Lead the World
Nelson Mandela is one of the greatest influences of my life. The visit to his prison cell on Robben Island a few years ago changed my life. It hurt my heart to see a man as great as Nelson Mandela have to sleep on a cold floor for so many of his finest years. It […]
We Are Born Into Brilliance
From the moment we are born, the world begins to brainwash [and heartwash] us. …into believing that if we dare we will fall. …into thinking that we are not cut from a cloth that will allow us to realize astonishing feats and handcraft astounding lives. …into accepting drudgery and stress and ordinary and difficulty as […]
Keep Perspective as You Navigate a Challenging Time
We live on a small planet in just one of a vast array of galaxies in a gigantic universe. And you and I are just one of billions of people here. Are the problems we face as we walk through our days really so big? A little dose of perspective makes life easier to manage. […]
Your Best Insights Are Incubating
The way most people work is from an ancient age. The idea that working longer and harder makes you more productive and better is outdated. It comes from the era when most workers toiled on a factory line. And by putting in more hours they would create more products. For creative professionals versus manual laborers, […]
The Business of Business
The kindest person in the room wins. I truly have found that encouraging and elevating others is the greatest gift you can give yourself. I know it seems counterintuitive. And yet I’ve experienced this insight as truth. [Not that I’m anyone special or anything]. Just a blue collar worker toiling in the service of people […]
You Can’t Fake Caring
Be sincere. Ads everywhere trumpet that a hotel is “the finest in the country.” Airlines advertise of how much they go the extra mile for their clients. Corporate leaders evangelize about their commitment to their employees and their concern for their communities. So many bosses talk a great game yet absolutely fail to deliver on […]