Failures take a much bigger space in your head — and your heart — than wins.
It is harder to recover from a mistake because its emotional wake reverberates through you to remind you how much it hurt. Plus it cost you time and energy to get to fail. We learn from mistakes for this reason as well. We keep playing that tape over and over…
The answer is not the opposite of the question, as one may be lead to believe. The useful answer is a better question. One that will help you act in the face of imperfection.
In this order: Make sense. Make do. Make it.
How you can tell you're giving in to fear
You second guess and don't listen to the person you know best, yourself. Instead of figuring out if there is an issue in the first place, you go into problem solving mode and start searching for validation and solutions.
Have respect for your skill.
Do the work
This expression has achieved mantra status today, I know. It's a simple way to get on a productive wavelength. When I think back, some of my greatest achievements happened while I was motivated and doing stuff.
Don't get discouraged, get going.
Figure out what works
Relationships do take time to set. That's valid especially with yourself. You can become more productive, do things faster (or think you do when you simply got out of your own way), measure more accurately, etc. Building capacity is about growth.
I've been thinking about humans and the inherent desire to be heard and seen, it's reflected in all posts this week. Late last night, my good friend Lisa Haneberg sent me a note about her new book, Never-Ending New Beginnings: A Manifesto on Personal Impact.
Timing is everything.
Deconstruct and put together for breakthroughs
I met Lisa Haneberg five years ago when she stopped in Philadelphia to talk about her then new book Two Weeks to a Breakthrough.
She was doing her tour on a motorcycle. I still remember how soaked we got walking from her hotel to the meeting space that evening.
Breakthroughs are a social act indeed.
The book is organized in five sections:
1. You are the vibe
This section contains posts that focus on how we approach our work. What’s going on inside. Our beliefs about our work. The way we enter the room. Our mindsets either help or hinder our chances for manifesting our intentions.
To do your best work, you need to be the fullest expression of your talents and strengths.
2. Breakthroughs and catalysts
Now that we have our mindsets aligned, Section 2 focuses on how we can catalyze breakthroughs. Let’s make something BIG happen! This section contains posts on the science and philosophy of breakthroughs. The posts collected here offer several favorite ideas and techniques.
If you want your life to have more snap, crackle, and pop, turn the page.
3. Highly talented, highly flawed
The central theme is how we deal with imperfections – ours and that which we find in others. Our relationship with flaws and idiosyncrasies determines our happiness, satisfaction, and efficacy.
Be at peace with imperfections and the world of possibility will open wide.
4. Doing our best work together
This section offers posts that address how people work together or why they fail to. Being great together is a challenge because we all seem to be born with the idea that our lens is the right lens with which to view the world. We know this is not correct in our minds but often struggle to behave consistently with this knowledge.
Brilliant adults can act like grade-schoolers.
5. Management is the engine
This is the most nutsy-boltsy section of the book. Previous sections will help you get in a better position to use these tools and ideas from Management Craft to make big things happen.
To be clear, all the sections deal with management. Who we are, how we help others, and how we build teams are all managerial challenges and opportunities.
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You can download Never-Ending New Beginnings: A Manifesto on Personal Impact on Lulu for $15. Know anyone who could benefit from this material?
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Valeria is an experienced listener. She is also frequent speaker at conferences and companies on a variety of topics. To book her for a speaking engagement click here.
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