Maximise Potential

Mental strength is one of the keys to successful living. Can it be developed or is it something we are born with. I do believe some people have mental strength in their DNA. However for most of us it is something we have learned through our painful experiences.   There is a good book on this topic which is called “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do” by Amy Morin. Here are the 13 things mentally strong people don’t do with my expansion on each of them.   They don’t waste time feeling sorry for themselves – Self-pity is the least likeable in any person. If you feel sorry for yourself you might be comparing yourself with others whom you think are doing better than you. Instead get into the habit of staying grateful for what you have. No matter what your problem is there are people who are struggling much more than you. Irrespective of how many accomplishments you stack there is always someone who is doing better than you. Bottom line is you need to develop your ...

There is dysfunctional belief that “If you are successful you will be happy” however “True happiness comes from designing a life that works for you.” This is the basis of the new book “Designing your life” by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. It is an excellent read and here is my review.   Just look at everything all around us including the smartphones we all have. It is all due to breakthrough design. Great designers have great questions they ask like How do I find a job that I like? How do I build a career that will make a good living? How do I balance my career with my family? How can I make a difference in the world? These are great questions that can help us design our lives. The crux of the book is around the five mind-sets that are required to design your life. Here they are with my take Be curious – Curiosity is the hall mark of a truly great designer. Only if you are curious about your surroundings you can come up wit...

Leadership books come by the dozen and everywhere we look there is a new leadership book coming out. However the fundamentals never change irrespective of time. Becoming your best by Steven R. Shallenberger is a nice book on the fundamentals of leadership. There are 12 key principles of leadership identified. Here they are with my take on each. Be True to Character  – This is a really simple principle but essential to becoming a great leader. Leadership requires a high self-awareness and when you are true to your character people follow you. Say what you will do and do what you say. This is really as simple as it gets. The best principle is to under promise and over deliver. Lead with a Vision  – The foremost responsibility of a leader is to paint a picture of a wonderful future vision which excites followers to take action. This is the key because if a vision doesn’t lead to action it won’t be of any use. Of course the best vision is the one to go to the moon by John ...

Career planning is something everyone wants to do some time. But if we have our necks full with work there is no way we can allocate the time to plan this out. There are a lot of career books and the latest one I came across is “Born for This” by Chris Guillebeau. This is a good read and has some good actionable steps as outlined below.  Flip the Script – The main thesis is there is not one way to manage your career. If you follow the crowd you won’t find what you really want to do. There are some non-traditional ways to get your dream career.  Joy/Money/Flow – This is the crux of the book and basically you need to have a job you love, you should be able to make money doing it and you should lose yourself when you do it. While this seems like a pipe dream if we do love our job we will do better. I would suggest is to love what you have as that would result in greater joy. This is not easy but can be done. Always Bet on Yourself - In order to win the career lottery ...

The number one skill required to succeed in the current job environment is communication. All things being equal communication is what will distinguish you from others. The reason is with the explosion of outsourcing and project teams being in diverse locations the ability to communicate and collaborate are essential skills to have. The key to better collaboration is communication. Here are 12 guidelines to communicate better. Be Clear  - The first step in communication is to make your message short and crisp. Simplify your message. Clarity is an absolute must. Use Simple Words  - Be wary of using bombastic words and use simple words instead which relate with the audience or person. Simplicity connects people. Be other centered  - Make your interactions with people more about them and take the focus off yourself. A key to effective communication is having a genuine interest in other people. Pay attention to where you focus when you communicate. Think about other...

Marcus Aurelius the  Roman Emperor wrote the Meditations which was an excellent primer on Stoicism. Ryan Holiday wrote “The Obstacle is the Way” based on his quote which says “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” This is an excellent book on how to overcome obstacles. The books draws examples from history like John D. Rockefeller who had cool headedness and self-discipline, Demosthenes the great orator had a relentless drive to improve himself through action and practice. Abraham Lincoln displayed humility, endurance, and compassionate will. The first principle is perception which is how we see and understand what occurs around us. Basically it is the meaning we give to every event that determines how we will deal with it. For example the greater the chaos the calmer Rockefeller would become. His quote on this is awesome "Oh how blessed young men are who have to struggle for a foundation and beginning in life." We should l...

Michael Phelps is one of the most decorated sports stars of all time. His performance in the Rio Olympics was a revelation and showed his resilience in action. While he deserves all the credit for what he has achieved there is a coach in the background who deserves a lot of credit for bringing the best out of him. Of course his coach is Bob Bowman and he is considered as one of the best coaches in Olympic history. How would it be if he shared all his insight on what it takes to be a champion. That’s what he has done with the book titled “The Golden Rules” he has coauthored with Charles Butler. Here are the 10 steps to World-class excellence in your life and work with my take on each. Set a Big Vision – It all starts with having an audacious vision for your life. Here are some questions that can start the journey toward defining your vision. What you want to achieve by the time you retire? What do you want other people to say when you are not there? How much do you want to earn o...