@successentials / successentials.tumblr.com
„Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.“ - Soren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher
This quote is as beautiful as it is true! Unfortunately it is also irrevocable and therefore insightful yet useless at the same time...
All we can do is to accept this fact while carrying on - knowing that we cannot truly understand nor foresee ANYTHING in life.
Your m
Ronald Stuart Burt, American sociologist
The worth of your network goes far beyond knowing people or owning their phone numbers...
As this quote perfectly expresses, the personalities and individuals you connect with are not just contacts but experts, forward thinkers, trendsetters, specialists, innovators and, thought leaders - each and everyone in his/her own field.
Ask them for their opinion, listen to their take on your issue, collect their 2 cents and let them truly challenge your perspective!
Hearing their arguments and seeing things from their point of view (= ”better eyes”) will result in a better understanding and eventually smarter decisions!
That aspect is an asset within your network that most of us never put to use. Allow yourself to do so in the future (by daring to ask for advice and exchange)... But also be aware that you are eyes for your peers as well!
Wishing you the best “eyes” and greatest conversations possible You m
they say
I go for later - unfortunately. Your m
Discussed this with a bunch of smart people, tested it myself, asked clients and high achievers… this turns out to be true on many levels and in many industries.
The baseline:
The expert who gives a good, professioanl, complete and competent answer when asked (without sending an invoice in return!) will be trusted when the day comes or when more answers are being needed.
The idea:
If you are an expert in your field, it could be worth giving away some of your knowledge and wisdom - you might end up receiving a lot more in return.
The benefit:
Only very few are willing to do this. Daring will make you stick out!
Sharing can be a sales strategy, a trust-building method and a customer communications tool - all at once, for free.
Give it a shot: blog, post, share your information or simply answer the next time you’re asked for advice in the best way you can. Chances are about 98% that you will not regret it!
Your m
the web
Eventually rumors are nothing but the opinions of poorly informed people.
Your m
80% of the people you talk to actually don’t care about YOUR problems. 20% are glad you have them. Fact.
Don’t complain publically. Never post, blog or brag about your problems. Instead: directly approach those few who can and may help.
Don’t get me wrong: Think of who might be supportive and ask for help if needed! Asking is a sign of strength, not of weakness! But: Remain silent or vague towards everyone else!
What you want is a solution and/or help - not pity, condolences, consent or blame!
Keep in mind that the vast majority of your high school friends, neighbors, colleagues, followers, etc. will not solve or support! Therefore, you better keep things to yourself.
Your m
I have to remind myself on this once in while...
Between all those items on your list - there is blank space, beyond all those milestones - there are goals that cannot be measured by KPIs, besides the meetings and lunch dates, appointments and jour fixes - there is more than just uncovered time on your calendar. ... those invisible items are the ones that (might) matter most.
Don’t be so busy that you forget to live your life, my friend!
Your m
I wrote about this earlier but I still do very much believe in it and that is why I repeat this message here:
"You're the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with” by Jim Rohn
For most people, these are their coworkers, friends, and family, ... and that is absolutely fine.
But I beg you to be aware of one thing: for the first time in mankind’s history, we live in an era with almost no limits! You can actively decide on those people and you are not limited by anything doing so!
The circle of your 5 closest human beings could easily contain...
You can read their books, watch their content, listen to what they say in podcasts, follow them on social media, and copy what they did or do!
In other words:
You can learn from some of the sharpest minds on the planet - without leaving your living room, or on your way to work!
Seems obvious - doesn’t it?!
But only the vast minority of the people I know actively and consciously do so - and the few who do, mostly choose Kylie, Selena, PewDiePie, Biebs and Miley over individuals such as the ones listed above...
Yes, this is not what I would recommend... Yet, making anyone you admire a source of input and influence is still better than not choosing at all. That's for sure.
So if you are convinced that this one YouTuber or the Instagram girl is exactly the input you need in your life, enriching your view on whatever matters to you - go for it!
Still way better than handing this decision over to coincidence.
Your m
Seems familiar? It is to me!
Here is a strange but certain truth...
Why: Everybody else might be asleep and assumes you to be as well. Therefore, this is the only chance you can catch up with whatever is important to you personally.
In a nutshell: If you want to go the personal extra mile - become a night shifter or early bird!
Maybe you need a few role models...
A former colleague of mine has the following daily routine:
getting up at 5 am, going on a 15- to 17-kilometer run. Coming back, waking up his daughter, bringing her to school, heading to the office, executing a demanding 80 hour plus job, heading home, family time, bed, ... alarm clock. He is a proud father, the fittest guy on the floor and among the highest paid ones...
A mentor of mine has 4 daughters between 3 and 13 years old... and about a hundred people working for him: he made his Ph.D. while working full time and handling his family. How? Coming home from work, spending time with wife and daughters, being back at the desk (home office) after they all went to bed (around 11.30 pm) for some mails and presentations, switching subject about an hour later and working on his Ph. D. until exactly 4 am. Then going to bed and being back in the office at around 10.30 am. Though for sure, yet possible.
Or ask this guy: Dwayne The Rock Johnson - 4.am, some coffee then cardio, followed by his first meal of the day, then hitting the weights (clangin’ and bangin’ in Rock-speak) before heading for shootings, meetings and press conferences - no matter where he is on the globe... Reference example: https://www.instagram.com/p/BRtx17iFvfJ/?taken-by=therock
All of them could reorganize their routines, trying to fit in all relevant parts into the day using a much more relaxed schedule - but they don’t. For a reason.
They seem to know that the day gets longer as soon as you shift things into that 11 - 7 window.
May your alarm ring loud and clear, may your nights be bright, and your mornings as productive as early!
Your m
Seth Godin, American author, entrepreneur and public speaker
(via successentials)
Got reminded of this one today…
Your m
Milk.
Juice.
Coke.
Beer, Cocktails & Shots.
Gin & Tonic.
Coffee & Water.
Water & Wine.
Tea. Just Tea.
Times change, so do the beverages we consume - always according to what the great barkeeper has in store for us.
What we drink tells us pretty straightforward where we are coming from, where we are right now and what might still lie ahead of us.
This is nothing but normal and no reason to worry at all - as long as you stick to one good advice:
Your m, still somewhere between coke and coffee - looking forward for the drinks to come...
True for all sorts of “castles”: relationships, businesses, reputation, a career, friendships, ...
If owning one of these keep three things in mind:
May your “castles” last forever.
Your m
James Altucher, American hedge fund manager, entrepreneur, bestselling author, venture capitalist, and podcaster... founded / co-founded 20 companies and wrote 11 books.
A rule we all should all live by - a little bit more.
Your m
A quick personal story:
I changed my job a while ago. I changed it for the better - in pretty much every way possible. I am truly happy with that decision and how things turned out.
But to be honest with you in daily business I often forget about all the positive changes and the advantages, I forget about the bad days I had in the old position and all the negative stuff I had to deal with day in and day out.
But every Thursday morning I receive a push notification on my phone saying:
… reminding me to hand in my content for the weekly report to my former manager. I had once set this alarm to make sure that I meet the deadline on this weekly doing… (btw: I felt no pleasure whatsoever going through project plans, spreadsheets and various calendars to put this stuff together) but today those lines create a moment of joy and gratefulness every single week.
The reminder that was intended to remind me now has a different meaning but still reminds me of something - something way more important.
For a weird reason, we are not grateful for what we have in life… But chances are good that things might change immediately as soon as you put on the shoes you wore yesterday and think of what things were like back then.
That is what that alert does for me and why still keep it - as stupid as it probably is.
Your m
seen on the web, found to be true
Proof: have you ever wondered, why you can often remember the first time (the day/ the moment/ the people/ ...) you did something?
Experiencing something new creates lasting memories - because it feels different to normal.
This works in almost every field:
Have the courage to take the chance and feel alive!
Your m
Apologizing doesn’t have to mean that you were wrong.
It can also say: “I value our relationship higher than being right.”
And in the moment of doubt, remember this:
No matter of the reason, only very few people have ever regretted an honest apology.
Your m
Another piece from the series “GREAT TED TALKS”: watching this video might change your view on life - seriously.
What stuck with me:
Top 5 regrets of the dying:
- I wish I had lived a life true to myself; - I wish I Hadn’t worked so hard; - I wish I had expressed my true feelings; - I wish I had stayed in touched with friends; - I wish I had let myself be happier;
What about yourself?!.
