Mental Toughness for the “New Normal”
Do you ever catch yourself thinking that maybe all of this – this pace of relentless change and uncertainty – is really just temporary? That we simply have to ride it out and, eventually, we’ll go back to the way it used to be. You know, pre-9/11, before the financial meltdown, without the weekly slew of disasters, natural and man-made. Well, enjoy the fantasy because this is the new normal. “The pace of change in our world is speeding up,” ...
‘Tis the Season to Be Emotional, Part I: How To Stay In Control (And Avoid Regret) – Part 1
RIDING THE ROLLERCOASTER Ah, the holiday season. That time of year when we experience those delightful emotional extremes — from the joy and exhilaration of spending time with people we care about to the discomfort of performance reviews and dinner with difficult in-laws. Even if, on balance, you enjoy the holidays, when your emotions start running the show, the rollercoaster ride between the highs and lows can feel incredibly stressful and uncomfortable. WE HAVE A CHOICE When the doctor hits ...
How To Stay Calm and Cool In A Crazy Uncertain World (Gus Fring Style)
In the hit TV show Breaking Bad, Gus Fring is a drug lord and one of the most prominent meth distributors in the southwestern United States. At one point, Gus is brought in for questioning by the Drug Enforcement Agency. He doesn’t know why until they start asking him about his connection with the murder of Gale (who they don’t know was his former employee). Watching the scene and knowing Gus is sitting there right under the nose of his enemy ...
Five Telltale Signs You Lack Mental Toughness (Or How To Know When You’re On The Road to Mediocrity)
“Recalculating…” That’s what the GPS system in your car diplomatically says when you’ve deviated from the set route. What it’s politely refraining from saying is: “Dude, you’re not following the plan.” Wouldn’t it be nice to have something similar when you get off track en route to your goals – when you’re deviating from your game plan for success? If you had a GPS inside your head, here are the “wrong turns” that would set it off: 1. You think it’s ...
Three Ways To Killer Focus (No Mafia Required)
Have you seen the movie Limitless? Bradley Cooper plays struggling author Eddie Morra, who is suffering from serious writer’s block. His life dramatically changes when he runs into his former brother-in-law, who introduces him to NZT, a revolutionary new drug that allows him to instantly focus and tap into his full potential. Voila! He cleans up years of clutter in his apartment, starts working out, finishes his book in four days, learns to speak Italian and Chinese, outsmarts the stock ...
Dancing Cop Gets Into Traffic “Flow”
Often, what keeps us from getting in the flow is a mismatch between the challenge of an activity and our ability. Either the challenge is too great and we feel anxious; or not stimulating enough, and we are bored. The trick is to find a way to raise or decrease the challenge to better correspond to our ability. Watch how Tony Lepore, the “Dancing Cop,” does it.
Five Habits of Happy High-Achievers
When Shannon Bahrke won bronze in women’s moguls at the 2010 Winter Olympics, in her excitement she “hugged first-place winner Hannah Kearney so tightly that she almost knocked her U.S. teammate over.” Next to them on the podium, however, Canadian skier Jennifer Heil looked crestfallen after taking silver. From our vantage point as a spectator, it might be hard to imagine feeling disappointed at “only” winning a silver medal. On the other hand, we can kind of understand how, after ...
Raising The Bar In 2010: Your Five-Point Checklist
Here we stand, on the threshold of a new decade: it’s a fresh start, a new beginning. This is it, your chance to really make a change, once and for all – it’s now or never. Yikes, talk about pressure. Sure, the beginning of a new year provides fresh inspiration and impetus for your goals. The question is, how do you sustain your motivation and stay on the continuous improvement track when daily life and familiar temptations rear their head ...
Don’t Wait For Your ‘Dream Job’ To Get In Flow
With all the books and magazines urging you to “follow your bliss,” it’s tempting to believe life would be a piece of cake — if only you had your “dream” job. Mornings, you’d wake up bursting with energy, raring to go. Your work would be endlessly fascinating, your interactions with colleagues and clients energizing and, of course, you’d find yourself continuously and effortless in flow. The truth is, no type of work inherently induces passion — and its natural companion, ...
