1: What do you do when the battery turns red on your phone? You recharge it.
Yet, many people who are tired and overworked just trudge forward.
Which begs the question, “Why do you think you can force yourself to run well on empty?” Jeremie Kubicek and Steve Cockram write in their book The 5 Gears: How to Be Present and Productive When There is Never Enough Time.
“People … continue reading
1: Jennifer’s father was ill.
“The two things that he could do to improve his physical condition most significantly are to eat better and exercise,” she tells Jeremie Kubicek and Steve Cockram, who write in their book The 5 Gears: How to Be Present and Productive When There is Never Enough Time.
And, “the two things he refuses to do are eat better and exercise,” she says.
Jennifer … continue reading
1: The year was 1975.
Psychologists Edwin Locke and Gary Latham measured how fast forty-five of the fastest typists at a large company were able to generate text.
“The typists knew they were among the best in the company, but they had never measured how quickly they typed,” Charles Duhigg writes in Smarter Faster Better.
On average, each typist generated ninety-five lines of output per hour, setting a clear … continue reading
1: “Every Saturday, a siren goes off in Tim’s quiet suburban community, signaling that it is noontime. No one gives it much attention around town,” Erik Peterson and Tim Riesterer write in their terrific book Conversations That Win the Complex Sale.
It’s just the “noon whistle,” people say.
But the same siren is also used to signal a severe weather emergency.
“As a result,” the authors note, “the same … continue reading
1: Turns out anxiety and excitement are the exact same emotion.
Physiologically, that is. Which just means how your body operates.
“Whether you are anxious about something or excited about it, your body responds in a nearly identical ‘high arousal’ state,” Jane McGonigal writes in her book SuperBetter: The Power of Living Gamefully.
How does your body react?
“You have excess energy, you may feel butterflies in your stomach, … continue reading
1: How do you personally respond when adversity strikes?
Do you see adversity as a challenge you can meet, or as a threat that could overwhelm you?
Your perspective on adversity significantly impacts your life.
Good news: There’s a proven way to shift from threat to challenge. Read on to learn how.
“In a threat mindset, you focus on the potential for risk, danger, harm, or loss,” Jane McGonigal writes … continue reading
1: Are you facing a challenge that feels overwhelming? Are you walking through something really hard right now?
There is good news, Jane McGonigal writes in her book SuperBetter: The Power of Living Gamefully.
Let’s start here. “You are stronger than you know. You are surrounded by potential allies. You are the hero of your own story,” Jane notes.
How do you access these powers that are already inside … continue reading
1: Then Intel CEO Andy Grove was sitting in a conference room with other members of the Intel team.
The topic? “Evaluations of a certain highly touted new software from a company whose other products we already use,” Andy writes in his legendary business book, Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company.
Intel’s head of Information Technology shared the challenges her team … continue reading
1: There are two traps CEOs and leadership teams fall into regarding innovation.
Trap #1: “The minute we think we truly understand the customer and can take our attention off discovering what matters, we’re dead,” Panera founder Ron Shaich writes in Know What Matters: Lessons from a Lifetime of Transformations.
“Sooner or later,” Ron notes, “even the most brilliant and innovative concept will fall behind the times and become … continue reading
1: One summer night in Milwaukee, the San Francisco Giants lost to the Brewers in a brutal late-inning collapse.
Bruce Bochy, the team’s manager, found himself sitting alone in his office, brooding over the loss.
Still restless, he decided to walk back to the team’s hotel.
“It was maybe four miles, and it was late, and the Brewers’ stadium is not exactly pedestrian-friendly,” Rustin Dodd writes in his post … continue reading
