April 14, 2022
Information is not the obstacle
If I want to learn how to write a book I can find the information. If I want to learn how to start a business I can find the information. If I want to learn how to lose weight I can find the information. The barrier to having each of these things is not informational, itâs always emotional. Perhaps I know how to write a book, but Iâm s...
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April 11, 2022
What do you do except hang around the kitchen?
I recently listened to entrepreneur-turned-lecturer A.J. Wasserstein talk about life after he sold his company and found it resonated hugely. He digs into the feelings that someone might have after exiting. He categorises post-exit entrepreneurs into five distinct groups including the do it againer, the philanthropist and the investor....
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April 7, 2022
Async communication, joining an entrepreneur community, habits of lucky companies
Here are some of the articles written for Forbes during the past few months: Asynchronous communication: the secret weapon of entrepreneurs who get more done Companies and individuals are embracing asynchronous communication to take control of their day, concentrate better, get more done and avoid being booked solidly at the expense of...
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April 4, 2022
Procrastination and perfectionism
Both procrastination and perfectionism are blockers of progress and signs of fear. They block progress because they stop you shipping your work. They prevent you from getting started or they convince you itâs not good enough to share. They are signs of fear manifesting as productivity problems. Fear of being seen, fear of rejection, fe...
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March 31, 2022
Hiring a boss
Artist Andy Warhol once wrote that if he could have anyone hired on a retainer, it would be a boss. âA boss who could tell me what to do, because that makes everything easy when youâre working.â When you work for yourself, thereâs no one telling you what to do. You can pretend your clients are your boss, or your editor or audience, but...
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March 28, 2022
The effort is the reward
Enjoying the input beats anxiously awaiting the outcome. You get to do your work You get to lead your team You get to solve that problem You get to do this. The reward is simply a nice addition. The success is a bonus The money is a bonus The recognition is a bonus. If the metrics didnât materialise, if the prizes didnât appear, if the...
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March 24, 2022
What are you capable of?
"What are you capable of?" is a question that I am absolutely obsessed with. The answer to the question is actually: a lot. What am I capable of? What are you capable of? What are we capable of? So much! So much more than we even know right now. But it's not that easy. I think that if we knew what we were capable of - if we realised th...
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March 21, 2022
The hidden benefit of 2FA
In order to log into any software, I must receive a code to a phone number that I type in to the login page. Two-factor authentication is switched on for everything I use, and not just as a security precaution. The real value is that is adds another step. A pause. Clicking to get that code then going to find my phone and enter it force...
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March 17, 2022
Perspective
When youâre on a long haul flight you can choose to focus on: The person in front who reclined their seat at the earliest opportunity. The person behind who is tapping away at the back of your headrest like a woodpecker. The baby two rows in front that is screaming at the top of its voice. The fact that your food is dry and the turbule...
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March 14, 2022
Waking minutes
Since last week, Iâm keeping track of a new metric. The metric is this: The number of minutes between when my alarm clock goes off and when I check my phone. The goal is that the number grows. The goal is to completely remove checking of any sort from my morning. Within âcheck my phoneâ is email, social media, WhatsApp, any messaging a...
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March 10, 2022
The hardest thing
The hardest thing about starting a business is winning the first client. The hardest thing about exercising every morning is getting started. The hardest thing about speaking on stage is the walk up the stairs. The hardest thing about writing a book is showing up at the blank page. The hardest thing about making new friends is the open...
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March 7, 2022
Prepare to be lucky
We pretty much get what we expect. The optimist and the pessimist are both correct. They each find the world they are looking for. It's a new week and you donât yet know what it will bring. Just for now, throw hopes and dreams out the window and prepare to be lucky. Notice what enters your consciousness when youâre open to possibilitie...
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March 3, 2022
Reminded, not taught
Sometimes we donât need to learn anything new, we just need to remember what we know. I guess itâs why people have tattoos on their forearms, signs on their wall and desktop backgrounds on their computers. Constant, daily reminders to bring the best you to every situation. Here are my reminders. The truths that the best version of me l...
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February 28, 2022
In the helicopter
If Iâm feeling overwhelmed with detail I picture myself in a helicopter, seeing the situation from afar. Itâs a way of regaining perspective and shifting my attention to the big picture and the long term. In Frozen, Elsa sings, funny how some distance makes everything feel small. A friend likes to think of the earth and space, remember...
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February 24, 2022
Ten things I know for sure (this week)
1. Focus and attention are the best gifts you can give. 2. Thereâs little point making little plans. 3. Not everyone cares for coupon codes or haggling. 4. Insecurity is loud and confidence is quiet, not vice versa. 5. Owners of smelly pets donât always realise their pets smell. 6. People you have never met are rooting for your success...
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February 21, 2022
A hundred million dollar idea
After selling my marketing agency and taking some time to decide whatâs next, I began a phase of idea generation with my husband, Ben. After deciding I wanted to get back in the arena, the plan was to come up with a hundred million dollar idea that we could throw the kitchen sink at. Each of those thought processes is explained in its ...
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February 17, 2022
Always something better to talk about
Last week I was at an event with someone weâll call Pandemic Pete. Pete was angry and wanted everyone to know. He had opinions to share. Masks, vaccines, travel restrictions. The âscamdemicâ had cost him bigtime and it was time someone paid. Unfortunately, the only people paying for Peteâs misfortune were the people he was ranting at, ...
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February 14, 2022
Hey, itâs okayâŠ
If you havenât got it all figured out If your family donât understand your work If you pretty much live in activewear If you have embarrassing taste in music If you leave the event to get an early night If you donât want to âjump on a callâ If you stay on airplane mode all weekend If you opt out of the round If you turn down the invita...
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February 10, 2022
The biggest indicator of long-lasting relationships
John Gottman began his research in 1986 when he set up the âLove Labâ. There, he invited couples in and hooked them up to electrodes whilst asking them a series of questions whilst they were sitting next to each other. After questioning, he secretly labelled them masters or disasters. Gottman found that the masters were still happily t...
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February 7, 2022
Your zone of genius
The zone of genius concept is one way of discovering how you are uniquely placed to serve. Various versions exist, but I like the Gay Hendricks depiction of a three-circle Venn diagram. Complete the zone of genius exercise by drawing the Venn diagram and writing the following in each circle: Circle one: What you enjoy Circle two: What ...
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February 3, 2022
Making space for what you want
If youâre in a job you hate, thereâs no room for the job you love. The same with a relationship, your home or the city you live in. The space is already occupied, so the option that will truly make you happy has to work harder to reach you. It has to push past your status quo to make itself seen. Not changing is easy. Staying still fee...
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January 31, 2022
Your culture book
The book Delivering Happiness, written by the late Tony Hsieh, gives fascinating insights into how he built Zappos, the company he led as CEO, that was bought for $1.2 billion by Amazon in 2009. Zapposâ focus on culture was so strong they invented something they called a culture book. Tony emailed everyone in the team to ask for 100-15...
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January 27, 2022
What do you train for?
The athlete trains to complete. To run the race like never before. To keep their cool in front of the crowd. The salesperson trains to close. To plan, pitch and seal the deal. To handle the objections and complete the sale. The grand master trains to checkmate each opponent. The lawyer trains to fight in court. The boxer trains for the...
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Oprah once said she doesnât want âto just be successful in this world⊠to make a mark or have a legacy.â Instead, she wants âto fulfil the truest, highest expression of [her]self as a human being.â Powerful. Some questions: Am I fulfilling the highest, truest expression of myself as human being? Are you fulfilling the highest, truest e...
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January 20, 2022
Five questions to truly know yourself
Once you know yourself, everything changes. You have more confidence. You are happier in your own skin. You cannot be side-tracked or feel shiny object syndrome or FOMO. You cannot be confused or sad. Once you know yourself, the rest is obvious. You know what youâre here to do. Knowing yourself really matters. Here are five questions t...
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January 17, 2022
Observations of truly happy people
1. They see the best in others Happy people donât put people down. Happy people donât hate. They give the benefit of the doubt and they look for the good in whoever they meet. You wonât catch them gossiping or hating on anyone. 2. They know who they are Happy people arenât trying to impress everyone else because they are indifferent to...
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January 13, 2022
Twenty lessons learned writing twenty books
Since 2013 Iâve written (and co-written) twenty books including four childrenâs storybooks, three workbooks, two guided journals and, most recently, one book of morning affirmations. Two have been published, seventeen are self-published, and one will be published in July with Hodder & Stoughton. Here are the twenty lessons I learned wr...
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January 10, 2022
When to celebrate
In 2018 I was in Australia, supporting my friend as she competed in the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. One day I watched an England badminton player called Raj Ouseph play a menâs singles match against a Singaporean. The rules of badminton state that you must win by two clear points in a close set. During the match Raj faced four match...
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January 6, 2022
How to set goals and achieve them
Set a goal and write it down. Then stare at it. Imagine yourself achieving it. Imagine what you have written down being your reality. Assess how you feel. If a goal is worthwhile it will fill you with excitement. Youâll feel it in your whole being and youâll be raring to get started. If it fills you with anything less, youâre probably ...
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January 3, 2022
This yearâs mantra
The word mantra has two Sanskrit roots. 'Manas' meaning âmindâ and 'tra' meaning âtoolâ. A mantra is a tool of thought. At the start of each year I choose a mantra. This mantra will sum up the year and underpin what I do. In 2018 it was: If youâre going through hell, keep going. Told to me by a friend, I think this is a Churchill quote...
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