Author photo by Carlo Pieroni
If you don’t recognize Lee Child by name, chances are you will recognize his billion-dollar brand: Jack Reacher, portrayed by Tom Cruise on the big screen. Child is the author of 24 New York Times bestselling Jack Reacher thrillers with 14 having reached the #1 position. Bryan interviewed Lee Child on Forbes.com, which you can read here.
If you’re like most people, you spin a lot of plates on a daily basis, often skipping the present moment to get to the next item on your agenda. You hop in and out of the shower to get to work instead of being in the shower. You push through the traffic jam instead of being in the traffic jam. You multitask to get everything done in the office before calling it a day instead of being present with each task.
Many people unwittingly sabotage their careers with the self-defeating mental opposition called forecasting—your mind’s tendency to predict negative outcomes despite positive circumstances. Unless you have the skills of a meteorologist, forecasting the worst without proof doesn’t make it true. It simply makes you miserable.
Are you so afraid of failing that you’re willing to avoid any possibility of defeat? If so, you have already failed. Failure and success are flipsides of the same coin—twins, not enemies. Avoidance of failure turns into avoidance of success. It might be a bitter pill to swallow, but to attain what you want you must be willing to accept what you don’t want.
Mindful Working Can Help You With Mental Health Awareness And Bring You The Career Success You Seek May is mental health awareness month. One in five people will be affected by mental illness over the course of their lifetime. And some of you reading this piece have struggled with anxiety and/or depression in the workplace. […]
Prevent imposter phenomenon from blocking your success. A patient of mine was having an anxiety attack because she feared she would not be able to succeed in the highly competitive real estate field in which she had worked 24/7 for several years. She believed it was only a matter of time before her incompetence would […]
Ever have a small setback or fall into a bad mood and throw your resolutions to the wind? Ever say to hell with it because you blew your eating plan when you polished off that chocolate bar in the morning, so you decide you might as well have dessert after dinner? Or after missing a week of exercise, you chunk the whole idea of physical fitness? Welcome to the Club.
If you suffer from this malady, you have a relentless voice that lives in your brain, ruling your mind and life, bludgeoning you with oppressive words such as must, should, ought, and have to: “I must win that contract”; “I have to get that promotion”; “I should be a better person”; “People must do as I say”; “Others must see my point of view”; “I should have done better on that project”; “Life must be easier than this.”
“The really efficient laborer will be found not to crowd his day with work, but will saunter to his task surrounded by a wide halo of ease and leisure.” —Henry David Thoreau
Chances are you’re not buying the opening quote, but I promise it’s true. If you’re like many people, you’re so accustomed to multitasking you might believe it’s the only way to reach your goals.
“Tremor of truth” is phrase used in physical fitness circles when you push yourself to the max. Your brain says you can’t do it. But just as grass grows through concrete, you get a second wind, persevere, and discover mental and physical reserves you didn’t know you had. And just before giving up, you push through the challenge.
The key to success—even more important than skill—is resilience, dogged determination in the face of defeat. Tremor of truth builds muscles on the physical plane and a growth mindset on the psychological plane.