Steps To Your Better You

A minor conversation I had with my father almost 40-years-ago about a Broadway play turned into an amazingly simple but powerful lesson on work.

Ask yourself this question and study your answers. You’ll be surprised just how many things don’t seem to function without your assistance.

This is not a trick question. Some people can tune out the world entirely for a while. Many do not.

You may not have the power to magically wish away the bulk of your to-do list, but you can take a few of those things off the list that you know won’t have an immediate chance to complete.

Just in case you needed a reminder of just how special you are, here comes 90 seconds of me repeating one simple message: you are awesome!

Clearing out a stack of mail here, a pile of clothes there, and shuffling a layer of paperwork off your desk can go a long way to help you clear your mind in stressful times. If you do not have time for a deep cleaning, just stop what you are doing and give it a go for 20 minutes.

Despite whatever struggles you are going through, you are never worth any less.

In conversations with people you do not know well (or do not know at all), try hard to not default to topics you know too well if you are not sure about the knowledge level of the other person.

It is a sad reality that your closest loved ones often view you through a lens that does not reflect reality, therefore, the advice they give to you may not reflect something you can actually implement.

As you are learning new skills, you should not be so hard in judging yourself and not stress out so much about what other people say about your progress.

For me, getting through college Calculus meant taking on a different approach to learning. Getting through college accounting meant taking an even more radical approach.

The guy I taught Calculus had a similar end goal but didn't ultimately make it. That doesn’t mean the time we spent together was not meant to be.

After failing Calculus twice in college, I took on more swing at the class with a new approach: learning fast enough to teach it to another person.

‘The Parable of the Talents,’ a story recorded in the Bible as told by Jesus Christ, is one of the greatest personal development lessons a person can take in, regardless of their stance on faith and Higher Powers.

Humans need the motivation to want to do stuff. And while loved one and certain causes are noble motivators, the best motivation always comes from within.

Over the course of your life, you are going to fail. You are expected to fall. You are supposed to fail. Until you fail (and fail enough), you will not see lasting success.  

That journey of a thousand miles cannot begin without taking that first step. But it will help you reach that long destination if you consult a map first.

Too many people try to get most of their 'mentorships' from books and videos. The real lessons you learn, and the surprising amount of lessons you teach, come from live interactions with people, whether titans of industry or interns learning the ropes of the business.

Don't feel bad if it doesn’t come to pass, but you would be surprised how often a person well outside your orbit will do a solid for an average fan.

In reality, there are just two reason for a person to not to the wrong think if they get the opportunity. One is a personal crisis of morals and the other is just the act of self-preservation where they think they’ll get caught.

What is so different about you now that would make you refuse to do something you would have done without question in the past?

As long as the life you live does not interfere with others, it’s up to them to figure out how to get what they want.

You are no good to anyone if you cannot muster the energy to act in a real moment of need.

In an age where we can honestly know and connect with thousands of people, we can only have direct relations with about 100 at any given time. Are you engaging with the proper amount of positive people in that hundred at this moment?

We do not get a chance to 'choose' what sets off triggers in us. So it is important to remember that other people can't choose what you do that may or may not set off triggers in them.