The equation for human performance is the following: Performance = Potential – Self-Sabotage That is it. You achieve not what your boss lets you, not what the others let you… you achieve what you don’t screw up for yourself. In the years since I first wrote this equation up in a class and people said … Read more
Devdutt Pattanaik tells TEDx that if you know the patterns that you are looking for, India’s apparent chaos is actually order. The mythology of the West: kill the chaos-creating dragon, create order The mythology of India: liberate yourself from boundaries A beautiful western garden is ordered. Weeds are weeds, trees are trees and flowers are … Read more
“Koyaanisqatsi” is a Hopi word. It means “life out of balance.” The Hopi are a Native American people who primarily live in the region around Arizona. The name Hopi is a shortened form of Hopituh Shi-nu-mu (“The Peaceful People” or “Peaceful Little Ones”). What is balance? What is a balanced life? Does such an ideal … Read more
Take a moment and think about the people you know well. Who is the most psychologically resilient of your friends or family? Who would cope the best with major setbacks? Who would be able to keep their heads while all about them are losing theirs? Dealing with Failure: Resilience I was at … Read more
Loneliness and Aloneness are different. Loneliness is an emptiness and the desire to fill this space with another person in the hope that the emptiness will be filled and removed. Loneliness is to be unhappy alone; and leads to misery together. Loneliness leads to a possessive relationship that is not love. It may begin with … Read more
I’m guilty of sometimes waiting for that “perfect moment”. Its a great way to spoil this current moment. Last night, I was up in Johnnie Fox’s pub with my brother, sister and their loves in the mountains behind Dublin. We had spent most of a week together over the Christmas period. My sister said “I … Read more
There is a power tool in negotiation. I would say this is the single most useful tactic that I use in my years of selling (I sell private jets among other high value products). It is not competitive, it is not aggressive, it is not avoiding anything. It does not require massive intellectual development, years … Read more
As I grow ever older, staying fit requires ever greater intention. I sometimes wish to myself that it might be a little easier, but then quickly realise that this is my inner saboteur distracting me. If you are going uphill then you are going towards success. I so often want writing to become easier. I … Read more
In the spirit of changing myself for the better (and becoming a better father to my daughter), I wrote a short manifesto. http://cono.rs/idontknow In the next 10 years through to 2024, 1 Billion jobs will be taken over by machines. Google cars will replace taxis. IBM’s Watson will replace customer service staff. We cannot out-reason the machines. We must … Read more
How do you respond when a person says “Tell me about yourself?” It might be called confidence, it might be called belief – do you let others see the best version of you, or do they see a dull, low-intensity, passionless version of yourself? Why do we find it difficult to sell ourselves? I spent … Read more