Maximise Potential

We all have reservoirs of potential to be unleashed and to recognize our unlimited potential is the first step towards getting the best out of ourselves. Talent is a strange word that we use to describe only the uber successful like multimillionaires, sports superstars and other public figures but we all have talent that can be unleashed. Talent is not something most of us are born with, it is something we develop through thorough soul searching, self-analysis, practice and deep learning. It is a cinch but worth repeating find out what ignites your passion. Passion ignites reservoirs of talent that is hidden within our vast reservoirs. The main obstacles in our path are our self-doubt and lack of patience. Let’s face it once we embark on a journey we get a little overwhelmed with the effort that is required to get to our summit. There are no guarantees in life and the journey is going to be hard but we have to realize it is worth the effort. We have to really deeply think what w...

I have recently read about stoicism a lot and I can say it is a wonderful approach to life. The books I have read on this are Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and A Guide to The Good Life by William Irvine. Stoicism is by no means resignation or acceptance of everything that happens in life. However it is a nice way to reinterpret the events in your life. Here is my summary of learning and you can consider these 9 keys as an introduction to stoicism. Your interpretation of events –  You will not be surprised with this one. As Shakespeare said “There is nothing good or bad thinking makes it so.” What this means is everything in life happens and it is your interpretation of events that is the key to staying relaxed. It is the meaning you give to events that make all the difference. For example I am overweight by 10 pounds and I can stress about it all I want but it is a fact. All I can do is continue exercising daily and doing even more to red...

Your commitment to excellence in all areas of your life will ultimately determine your destiny and where you end up in life. You need to plan your life to get the most out of it. You have to be strategic about your life and everything that happens to you is the direct result of your actions. I love this definition of success by John Wooden  "Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best you are capable of becoming." Your choices determine your actions and your actions determine your outcome. Here are the five keys to get your life to world class. Deliberate Practice  – We look at a lot of successful people like Sachin Tendulkar, Roger Federer or Bill Gates and we like to say they are lucky or they are born talented. However researchers like K. Anders Ericsson one of the world’s leading experimental researchers on expertise say that it takes 10 years or 10000 hours of deliberate pra...

Leadership in my opinion is the ability to dream big, inspire others and take massive action. Not everyone can really think big but great leaders truly think big. The Truth about Leadership by James Kouzes and Barry Posner is a wonderful primer on leadership. In my opinion this is a great leadership book that is needed as this truly gets to the truth about what leadership is. Here are the ten truths of leadership with my take on each. You make a Difference – You need to believe that you can make a difference. Only if you believe in yourself you can inspire others to action. It will also enable you take the necessary risks to reach higher. Credibility – For others to believe in you your credibility is the key. Speak with candor and practice integrity in all situations. Values drive commitment –  A leader has to be absolutely clear on where they are heading and what they stand for. Take time to understand what your ultimate meaning is. Define your values. Focusing o...

With 2017 in full swing we all have resolutions and goals we want to achieve. We also want to make sure this excitement doesn’t just last for two weeks but lasts for the entire year. So how do you keep this excitement going for a long time? To me the answer is one word which is discipline. It is discipline that will keep you going for the long haul and continue to keep your resolutions and goals in focus. This quote is great “Discipline is the refining fire by which talent becomes ability.” Roy L. Smith As Tony Robbins says you should have a vision that is so exciting and compelling that it pulls you rather than push. Of course it is not easy to create this but if we do then the path towards goals and resolutions become effortless. Pull is always better than push which can seem like a lot of effort. Here I expand the word discipline and this will keep us on target to make 2017 a great year. Here are the 10 ways to stay disciplined in 2017. Dedication – You need to be ...

Deep Work by Cal Newport was a good read. The main thesis is to not get distracted and have distraction free zones to produce your best work. So switch off social media, take time for solitude and that’s when the best work shows up. The author defines deep work as “Professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate.” There are also references to Malcolm Gladwell and Michael Lewis' and their absence from Twitter as evidence that social media usage is unnecessary for writers though this may not be applicable to everyone. The first chapter talks about why Deep Work is valuable. It requires two core abilities which will help you thrive in the new economy. They are the ability to master hard things and the ability to produce at an elite level, in terms of both quality and speed. There is also a discussion on deliberate ...

Reading is one of my favorite hobbies and it offers a great opportunity to relax and learn at the same time. I have shared below the 10 books I liked reading in 2016. I have also reviewed some of them so if you are interested you can check it out by clicking the related links. Deep Work by Cal Newport –  This was a good read. The main thesis is to not get distracted and have distraction free zones to produce your best work. So switch off social media, take time for solitude and that’s when the best work shows up. The author defines deep work as “Professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and are hard to replicate.” There are also references to Malcolm Gladwell and Michael Lewis' and their absence from Twitter as evidence that social media usage is unnecessary for writers though this may not be applicable to everyone. Than...