“Be water my friend.” Bruce Lee What does Bruce Lee mean? What is it to “be water”? On “being water” What is it to “be water“? Water flows and adapts. It has no plan, but deals with the environment that it finds. It fully explores the space. It has no expectations of what it will … Read more
Life often delivers unexpected blows. How we deal with sudden shocks shapes our experience of life. How do you handle the negative shocks? You lose a treasured item. How does it affect you? You are out driving… you have a flat tire. How does it affect you? You are waiting for a train… and it … Read more
Two months ago, I was at IESE business school with Verne Harnish and his wife Julie. We were talking about entrepreneurial success and achievement. He shared with me a quote that comes from his father-in-law: “How you do anything is how you do everything.” Verne’s father-in-law has apartments that he rents out. What criteria does … Read more
The nice people at Virgin Media Pioneers asked me for some thoughts (in video) on the need for entrepreneurs to be confident, or at least appear confident. “Authority is 20% given, 80% taken” Peter Ueberoth. Your confidence is a big part in getting others to treat you as a leader, to accept you as an authority. … Read more
The Psychology of High Performance I spent yesterday afternoon in Puigcerda with Kilian Jornet, an athlete who dominates two sports: alpine skiing and mountain trail running (skyrunning). He is 23 years old, but his values and approach to life and sport transmit a maturity far beyond his 23 years of age. Kilian’s mother says “I … Read more
There are 4 ways of dealing with Anxiety Remove the source of anxiety – avoid the stress. This is a poor coping strategy. There is no growth in capability. There will always be a reduction of my performance levels when the stressor is present. Manage my level of anxiety – learn to auto-adjust down (relaxation … Read more
On Friday I heard a story about values and the importance of not just accepting other’s value systems without ensuring they are right for me. I remember reading a book on psychotherapy and the “pathological critic” (Self-Esteem by McKay and Fanning) that described four criteria to evaluate my personal values that allow me to check … Read more
I was reading a book by Professor Richard Wiseman (nice name for a professor) where he quotes a study by Ellen Langer of Harvard University. Half of the residents in a nursing home were given a houseplant and asked to look after it. The other half were given an identical plant but told that the … Read more
The brain: 3 pounds, you could hold it in the palm of your hand… but it can contemplate the vastness of the universe, the reason for its own existance or why I am writing this post at midnight when I need to be up at 5am tomorrow. How? There are 100 billion neurons in the … Read more
This week we decided where my daughter will go to school – potentially for the next 15 years. I have spent a lot of time thinking about what criteria are important in selecting a school and this blog is a summary of 3-4 months of that reflection. To Prepare One for Living How do you … Read more