Define your identity by core values like generosity and integrity, rather than specific beliefs, to remain flexible and open to rethinking your methods and ideas.
Adopt an active, agentic mindset, believing you have control over your behavior and performance, rather than passively letting life happen to you.
Focus on achieving the best possible outcome by seeking out the best ideas, rather than letting personal ego dictate your approach or prevent you from changing your mind.
Understand that distraction primarily stems from internal triggers like boredom or anxiety, and effectively managing these emotional discomforts is key to time management.
Focus on cultivating deep, meaningful relationships rather than merely transactional interactions, as this approach leads to a more fulfilling and great life.
Begin new relationships with an assumption of trust, as this approach attracts high-quality individuals and often encourages them to act in trustworthy ways.
Adopt the mindset that you can figure things out, even if you don’t initially know what you’re doing, to overcome challenges and grow.
Embrace intellectual humility by acknowledging what you don’t know, which fosters doubt in convictions, sparks curiosity, and opens your mind to continuous learning.
View discomfort not as something to avoid, but as a powerful motivator to drive you towards intentional actions and progress, rather than seeking distraction.
Develop confidence and a sense of agency by actively seeking and overcoming challenges, as true mastery comes from success achieved after struggle.
Embrace creativity as a choice by investing emotional labor to deeply understand and serve your audience, daring to create something new even if its success is uncertain.
For irreversible, ‘one-way door’ decisions, assemble diverse experts, empower the team, and conduct exhaustive scrutiny upfront to ensure a well-informed choice.
Clearly define the specifications (‘spec’) for your work; quality means meeting this spec, and once it’s ‘good enough’ (meets spec), ship it, or revise the spec if needed.
Recognize that while you cannot control your feelings or urges, you can control your response to them; choose healthy actions that move you towards your goals.
Actively change your environment and situation to support your goals and self-control, rather than solely relying on willpower (e.g., remove distractions from your study space).
When forming an opinion, create a list of specific conditions that would cause you to change your mind, preventing you from clinging to beliefs that no longer serve you.
As a leader, foster an environment where your team feels comfortable bringing you worries and risks, as this transparency is crucial for effective problem-solving and decision-making.
See people for their potential and possibilities, as they are more likely to live up to it, and the occasional disappointment is a small price for the overall upside.
When dealing with difficult customers or situations, use their energy in a ‘giving way’ rather than fighting, to disarm them and resolve the issue creatively.
Ensure you show up on time and are dependable, as it is crucial for receiving more opportunities and not negatively impacting your team.
When facing difficult moments, refuse to quit and instead increase your effort, as this attitude is a key differentiator for championship teams.
Recognize that a loss is simply a loss, take lessons from it, and cultivate an attitude that focuses on going for the win in future endeavors.
To be an effective coach, be prepared with a game plan but flexible enough to deviate, connect and communicate effectively with all team members, and ensure everyone is aligned.
Consider reducing time on social media platforms like Facebook, as studies suggest it can decrease loneliness and increase in-person interactions and happiness.
When with others, be fully present and limit the physical presence of devices, as even a turned-off smartphone can reduce empathy and connection.
Redefine your support networks to value friendships as much as blood ties, and actively invest time and effort into nurturing these relationships.
Make a conscious effort to prioritize and invest time in nurturing your friendships, as these relationships require consistent care to thrive.
Engage in open conversations about loneliness to help destigmatize it, as acknowledging it is a crucial step towards addressing its widespread impact.
If you choose to voice an opinion, accept the responsibility to be open to changing your mind when presented with better logic or stronger data.
Before making a significant decision, mentally prepare to explain it in a worst-case scenario (e.g., after a failure), ensuring your reasoning is sound and defensible.
In high-stakes decision-making, pay close attention to what is not being said, as well as warning signs like leaders suppressing dissent or recurring ‘stupid’ mistakes.
If you feel unsure about a critical decision, take a break to gain clarity and do not allow yourself to be pushed into a choice, even if it means delaying the process.
Actively share your decision-making process with your team by explaining your reasoning and the scrutiny involved, fostering rigor and shared understanding within the organization.
Recognize that playing any game you enjoy can build transferable skills like learning new things, adapting to challenges, and fostering a resilient growth mindset.
To transfer game benefits to real life, ask yourself or your kids: ‘What does it take to be good at this game?’, ‘What have you gotten better at?’, and ‘What’s the hardest thing you’ve accomplished?’
Be mindful of gaming time, as playing more than 21 hours per week has been observed as a tipping point where it can negatively affect physical or mental health.
To enhance learning retention, play video games before doing homework or studying, ensuring your brain focuses on academic material rather than game challenges before sleep.
If experiencing flashbacks, rumination, or nightmares, play a visually engaging game (like Tetris) right before bed to hijack your attention and reduce negative thoughts or dreams.
Intentionally choose and play games that offer specific benefits, such as managing anxiety or improving focus, to create a personalized ‘game library’ for different needs.
Clearly define traction as intentional actions aligned with your goals, and distraction as actions pulling you away from your plans, recognizing that any activity can be either based on intent.
Intentionally schedule time for activities often considered ‘wasted,’ like social media or video games, as planned leisure becomes traction rather than unplanned distraction.
Be willing to appear foolish or make mistakes in the short term, as overcoming this fear is crucial for achieving significant long-term success.
Employ techniques like morning pages to quiet your inner critic and allow your more curious, intuitive self to express ideas, even if they seem unconventional.
Approach your work professionally by making and keeping promises, continuously learning the state of the art, and focusing on the specific positive change you aim to create for others.
Use a physical or mental ‘uniform’ to signal the start of your work, helping you to focus, meet deadlines, and adhere to budgets, much like a professional.
Resist the urge to hide behind perfectionism; instead, define clear specifications for your work and ship it once those are met, valuing timely completion over unattainable flawlessness.
Approach your work with clear intent, dedicating specific time and focus to solve problems or generate ideas, even if the breakthrough seems spontaneous.
Direct your energy and attention towards the aspects of your life and behavior that you can directly control, rather than external outcomes.
Recognize that you have a degree of control over your reaction to challenging or uncontrollable events, and take responsibility for that response.
Actively seek out mentors or coaches who can provide an objective perspective and help you identify and set appropriately sized challenges for your growth.
Approach relationships with a mindset of giving more than you take, which allows both parties to feel they benefit most and strengthens the connection.
While maintaining an opening bid of trust, remain vigilant and avoid leaving yourself exposed to catastrophic risks, such as neglecting critical oversight.
Practice forgiveness for actions that are not driven by malicious intent, understanding that mistakes, misunderstandings, or incompetence can cause issues.
Before making judgments about someone’s actions, consider that you might not have the full context or ‘see the hat,’ leading to more understanding and less premature negative conclusions.