Tag: self-improvement

In control

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We are not in control.

We do not know how we got there, we do not know how long it will last, we do not know who will come next, we do not know if our work will be appreciated tomorrow, we do not know if the people we serve will find someone else who serves them better, we do not know for how long we can continue doing what we have done today, we do not know whether or not the rules of the game will change, when and how.

Most of our disappointments and frustrations emerge from us not recognizing this very basic fact. Once liberated from the illusion of being in control, we can start seeing the world around us as fluid and in perpetual movement.

Our role is to play along with it, not trying to freeze it.

Deferring

FabrizioLeave a comment

How many tabs do you have open in your browser? How many emails do you keep unread? How many apps do you have on your mobile? How many books and articles on your “want to read” list?

In today’s world, full of information and distraction, we have the tools to keep things in a sort of limbo that we label “I’ll do it later”, or “I’ll do it when I have time”. Truth is, later never comes, because after all we never have time.

Deferring is no longer “doing later”, rather “doing never”.

The accumulation of digital stuff to consume clutters our lives, increases our level of stress, and makes us feel as if we have achieved very little in our day. We should increase our self-awareness and be brave enough to say: “Sure, it’s interesting, but I’ll never go back to it. Let me get rid of it, right away.”

All the space is precious, even when it’s not tangible, even when we do not pay for it. Reclaiming it means freeing energy for things that matter.

Openly ask

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Do you ever bother to openly ask?

A team member, what they would like to work on.

A customer, how they will be using your product.

A user, what topic would they be happy receiving content about.

Your partner, how would they feel if something would happen.

Your boss, what’s keeping them up at night.

Most of our businesses and lives are based on assumptions. Sometimes we hide them under the labels “experience” and “data”, and yet assumptions they are and they will be.

Should we instead bother and ask the question?

Values need consistency

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Most rules have exceptions, yet you have got to set some rules for yourself you are not open to make exceptions to.

Values are such rules.

Consistency is everything when it comes to value. There’s always going to be good reasons to deviate from the path you set for yourself, but it’s sticking to it that makes your story unique and worth telling.

Let feedback go

FabrizioLeave a comment

When we give feedback, in the same way as when we offer our help, the next best thing to do is to let it go.

Clinging to it is counterproductive, and most likely only the person receiving it knows if it’s going to help them or not.

By all means, give feedback. And then let it go.