Category: self-help

Conversation

FabrizioLeave a comment

The mere presence of a meeting on a calendar does not imply that the meeting has happened. Even if it started at the right time, with the right people, each one of them sharing some words, cheering, laughing, nodding, moving on. That still does not mean that the meeting has happened.

Meetings should inspire action, and yet how often does that happen in reality? How many meetings do you need before you actually get something done?

Consider spending half of the time you have scheduled for meetings tomorrow in a conversation instead. Turn to someone who could help you get unstuck, ask thoughtful questions, relax and listen. Then spend the remaining time applying what you learned to what you are doing.

Get going.

Single-tasking

FabrizioLeave a comment

If there is one thing we can learn from moments of crisis is the importance of focus.

We can only be effective if our attention is on one thing at a time. It is not possible to work as you are helping your kids through their day. It is not possible to enjoy time with your son if all you think about is the email you will have to send later in the evening. It is not possible to engage in a meaningful conversation with your partner if you are surfing the news at the same time.

Different interests and pursuits have their own time, and you should become accustomed to isolating your attention as you dedicate resources to each one of them.

Multi-tasking is a myth, rarely a necessity, never a skill.

We should get rid of it.

On a journey

FabrizioLeave a comment

When your focus is on self-awareness and self-understanding, there’s a risk to end up feeling lonely and isolated. Partly because it’s yourself you are focusing on, and partly because it is difficult to relate what we feel and think to others (“Am I the only one who feels or thinks this?”).

The importance of those around you and of peer-support cannot be underestimated. Go on this journey with people you value and care about.

Get to it

FabrizioLeave a comment

The World is not in lack of talent or great ideas. It is in lack of commitment.

Commitment to show up even when there’s no one cheering. Commitment to dedicate your attention to one thing only. Commitment to pursue your purpose in face of adversity. Commitment to do the work even after a series of bad days. Commitment to self and mutual understanding. Commitment to not having an opinion on every frivolous thing.

This is not a lecture, it is rather an awakening.

Let’s get to it.

Game changer

FabrizioLeave a comment

We are often puzzled by success, as in most of the cases we do average work and expect outcomes to be average at best.

And so, when something extraordinary happens, we invest time in trying to figure out what is the reason, what have we done this time we have not done before, what is the difference. We do this because we’d like to replicate such unexpected success, make it the norm, the future average.

The truth is, most of this type of success is due to a weird combination of factors that we often call luck.

So if you really want to craft your success, at least do it before it happens. Build a practice, be consistent and relentless, use common sense and reiterate. All these things tend to get lost when we look back at success, as we desperately want to focus on that tiny little detail that changed it all (it did not, of course).