Persistence Unlimited » Productivity http://persistenceunlimited.com Goal Setting and Productivity for People Who Like Technology Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:20:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Your education vs. Your EDUCATION http://persistenceunlimited.com/2009/10/true-education/ http://persistenceunlimited.com/2009/10/true-education/#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:36:22 +0000 Brad Isaac http://persistenceunlimited.com/?p=1676

“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” ~Mark Twain

I didn’t get the best grades in college. Isn’t it funny how by saying I didn’t get the best, it implied I failed? That’s a discussion for another day. But I made mostly A’s and a few B’s. And a C thanks to Chemistry… blah!

There are two reasons I wasn’t valedictorian. One, I didn’t have valedictorian set as a goal – in fact it wasn’t on my radar. But two (and more importantly) I was too busy getting an education to be bothered with too much study.

A college degree is good to have on the outside – it shows people outside yourself you have certain levels of proficiency and smarts. But it doesn’t contribute much to your education – where you will spend most of your lifetime working hours doing.

An education is exploring your passions and natural talents.

For me, much of my college career was spent writing, hacking my computer and improving myself via self development. Is it odd? weird? strange? to see I am still doing those things today and making a living from them?

I think coming to terms and honestly deciding where one’s true interests are is half the battle. It makes getting a true education almost effortless. And it is where you will make your greatest contribution as a human being.

Just make the decision earlier rather than later.

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Are You an Ant or a Grasshopper? http://persistenceunlimited.com/2009/09/ant-grasshopper/ http://persistenceunlimited.com/2009/09/ant-grasshopper/#comments Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:52:30 +0000 Brad Isaac http://persistenceunlimited.com/?p=1658 Powerful ant carrying a leaf

Today’s post was written by Dion Baker.  He is a writer for The Intangible Wealth and a respected song writer, poet, and visual artist.  And he also shares my love of ants.  – Brad

Today I went to the craft store with my wife to return some items we recently purchased. While she was being helped at the register, I decided to venture off into the store to see what else they had in stock. Not too far from the register, I saw several items on the clearance shelves. I perused through the shelves to see if there was anything of interest; not much. The mix of colorful ribbon and Spiderman bookmarks on sale didn’t quite hold my attention. I continued checking out the products to my right and guess what I found? A small pile of children’s books! As I walked toward the books there was a small book at the top titled, “The Ant and the Grasshopper”. Now, I’m excited…

So I picked up the book and started reading.

Here’s the synopsis of the story. There was the Grasshopper, the Ant, and other insects. It was the summertime and the Grasshopper was always being lazy, idle, and playful with his time. The weather was pleasant and he felt he should enjoy it, so he chose to be lazy and not work. But each time he saw another insect they weren’t being lazy, they were working. When he saw the Ant she was carrying food for the winter. He saw the Bee and he had yellow pollen all over his feet from toiling in flower nectar. He saw the Spider and she was threading her web. The Grasshopper was surprised that they were working while the weather was so beautiful. So he told them, “What are you doing? It’s summertime! Put down the work and have fun!” But they all said, “No, no, Grasshopper. We need to work and gather food for the winter! And you need to be gathering food for the winter too!” But the Grasshopper kept playing and never took heed to their advice.

And then the inevitable happened; winter came.

The snow piled and the wind blew and the Grasshopper was left hungry in the frigid cold. He was so cold and hungry that he asked the Ant for shelter and food. The Ant was appalled at the Grasshopper knowing that he spent his summer days in laziness and didn’t heed their advice to work. So the Ant told him:

“If you play all summer, you’ll go hungry all winter”

Summer represents the times that things are easier and winter represents when things are more difficult. Each of these is only a temporary season that comes and goes during our lives. Summer doesn’t last forever and winter is inevitable. When things are easier for us that is the best moment to prepare for the moments they will not be.  Therefore, the best time to ease our sickness (winter) is by preparing ourselves when we are more healthy (summer); the best time to prepare ourselves for difficult financial times (winter) is by saving money when we do have money (summer). The perfect time to gather what we need is during the time we don’t need it.

The Grasshopper didn’t bother gathering his food during the summer. Consequence: when the winter came, he had nothing to eat and was very cold. Why did he end up like that? He spent his days of vitality – when he had the most time and conditions were most comfortable – to indulge in laziness.  We should learn from him, but we should not be like him. Instead, we need to follow the model of the other insects. How so?

Invest our time in accumulating resources of value.

If we do that, the winters won’t feel as cold and hunger won’t trouble as much or at all. As the summer draws to a close, we are reminded that comfortableness is temporary and difficulties are inevitable. I challenge you to reflect upon your last 90 days and think about yourself in terms of your activity. Have you been the Grasshopper or the Ant?

- by Dion Baker from Intangible Wealth

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When to Argue http://persistenceunlimited.com/2009/08/when-to-argue/ http://persistenceunlimited.com/2009/08/when-to-argue/#comments Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:27:50 +0000 Brad Isaac http://persistenceunlimited.com/?p=1648

While dropping my kids off at school this morning, I heard them arguing about musical instruments. For 5 minutes I listened to “you will have to play the recorder in your grade!” followed up by “no I won’t!”

Dumb arguments aren’t confined to kids. I once sat in a 2 hour meeting where two people argued over which shade of green to pick for a sidebar on a webpage.

I think before entering into any argument we need to ask ourselves 3 questions:

1. What do I get if I win?
2. What do I lose if I lose?
3. What is the cost of this argument?

I advised my kids: If the answer to questions one and two are nothing then say “okay” and talk about something else.

Costs can come in the form of wasted time & energy, hurt feelings and loss of respect (to name a few). Some arguments are worth having. Others do not benefit us in the least – and only cost us.

So if we’re going to argue, I’m going to make sure there is a benefit to winning or a loss to losing. Otherwise, you can have this win. I’ll save up for when we have something important to argue about.

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How to Get Unstuck http://persistenceunlimited.com/2009/07/unstuck/ http://persistenceunlimited.com/2009/07/unstuck/#comments Fri, 24 Jul 2009 01:51:19 +0000 Brad Isaac http://persistenceunlimited.com/?p=1621 get unstuck

Have you ever felt stuck?   The other day I got a question on Twitter from a friend who feels stuck with her project. She said “I’ll get one task done and then feel like I can’t go any further. How can I get unstuck?”

Getting stuck can feel like putting forth all your energy to go backwards. It’s stressful because I feel like I should be doing something, but I don’t know what to do. Why? Cause I’m stuck!

Some of my favorite ways to get unstuck  -

  1. Sit still - Believe it or not, a great way to get unstuck is to sit still. I’ve written more in depth abou this before. But here’s the simple rule: Sit still in a quiet place for 1 hour. No phone. No TV. No Radio. Relax and the hurdles will desolve and your path will clear.
  2. Take a long walk alone - An hour or more walk on your own without the iPhone, Twitter or music playing is the type of solitude that can clear the head and give you direction much like the method above.
  3. Measure how much you care - Jonathan Mead writes an excellent way to get unstuck is to measure your care quotient . Do you care? If the answer is really No, then decide what you do care about and do that.
  4. Ask a friend - I find talking it out with a friend who knows what I am trying to do can help me get unstuck. But there’s two keys to make this work.
    • The friend has to be honest.
    • I can’t be reactive or defensive about what they say
    • I need to be specific with what I’m experiencing and the end goal – i.e. getting unstuck.

    I’ve found if you just want to complain, that can be fun for awhile. But it won’t help you get unstuck. Being specific by saying “Hey, I’m feeling stuck in my marriage, job or business because ___________________.” Will provide a launching ground for your friend to give you feedback.

    Complaints usually cause friends to come to your defense. Complaints like “I can’t get anything done with her nagging me.” is more likely to lead to  “You don’t deserve that.”  than a ground-breaking unstickable suggestion.

    So although bitching is fun, it won’t get you unstuck.

  5. Break it down to the ridiculous - Sometimes when I get stuck it’s due to me not seeing steps needing to be done. I might be looking at the mountain instead of seeing the 5lb. stones that need to be moved. Taking action on a mountain is uncomfortable. It’s scary. But moving a few 5lb. stones is easy. Taking the time to face what truly needs to be done, in the most simplest of terms will unstick many of the most sticky situations.

    So I’d challenge you to take your big problem. Write it down no matter what it is. If it’s “I am stuck in my career and I hate every day of my life” might be hard to admit but it’s a start. But if you do feel it, admit it on paper WITH the intention of changing it. Remember we aren’t going to wallow in it. Complaining is fun, but it’s not as effective as a plan. So start with an honest assessment of where you are now and then clarify it with where you want to be.

    Then take the time – maybe an hour – maybe 3 hours to break down what it will take to change that situation.  It really doesn’t matter how long it takes because when you’re stuck you’re wasting countless hours worrying.

That’s what I think, but what do you think?  Do you have any cool ways to get unstuck?  I know you do.  Share them in the comments below.  :)

If you like this article, do me a favor and vote for it on StumbleUpon or Delicious
Bookmark this on Delicious.  Thanks!

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Small & Silly Obstacles Derail Your Projects http://persistenceunlimited.com/2009/06/obstacles-create-projects/ http://persistenceunlimited.com/2009/06/obstacles-create-projects/#comments Sat, 13 Jun 2009 17:12:55 +0000 Brad Isaac http://persistenceunlimited.com/?p=1520

I am going to pick on my beloved wife for a minute. I was looking at her home office and noticed she had papers scattered everywhere.  Not only on the desk but under it.

Some of the papers important.  Some not.

My first question to myself was “who can work this way?”  Answer:  nobody at least efficiently.

My second question was “How does this happen?”  I mean, she didn’t plan to organize her office like an Exxon bathroom. It started out simple, attractive and easily accessible.

So what is the obstacle to organizing our stuff and more importantly our lives?

In thinking it through, I realized it wasn’t all her fault. Our kids can get into the area and leave their little messes. I’ve probably left a CD lying around here or there when I went to fix a problem on her computer.

So we can chalk up ‘other people’ as being a barrier to our organization.  Others don’t care about our work areas as much as we do.  They care about what they want and if it makes a mess for you, sorry – but they’re in a hurry.

But what else gets in the way of our organizing?

I noticed there was a small trash can (full) sitting in front of (blocking) her filing drawers.  These are the same filing drawers I painstakingly helped her organize – ala GTD – complete with labelmaker’d file folders.

Could this little trash can be part of the problem?

You bet it is.  Because something as simple as filing a sheet of paper into a file folder gets an upgrade from a mere task to a project.

Project: How to file a sheet of paper when your work area is cluttered:

  1. Get large trash bag
  2. Empty trash can
  3. Find new place for trash can.
  4. Open drawer
  5. Find file
  6. File paper

It might sound silly, but that’s how the mind works.  If something simple becomes a project, then you will resist it more.  Won’t you?

But then you can expand on that to cover the whole office.  Everything there is now an obstacle.  To do one thing, you’ve got to do 6 or more other things to get it done.  It should be simple, but it isn’t.

You see, it doesn’t matter the size of the obstacle that matters, it’s the emotional meaning we attach to it. And get this.  Sometimes the emotional meaning makes no sense!

As someone who likes projects, I’d often rather haul landscaping timbers, dig holes and build backyard planters than I would rather empty a shoebox full of items to “put away.”  That box has sat near my dresser for a month now.  Why not empty it?  Because of the emotional “project” I’ve made of it.

Sometimes just shedding conscious light on our mountains made of molehills can make all the difference…

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TaskBlaze Task Timer is Back! http://persistenceunlimited.com/2009/03/taskblaze-task-timer-is-back/ http://persistenceunlimited.com/2009/03/taskblaze-task-timer-is-back/#comments Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:56:29 +0000 Brad Isaac http://persistenceunlimited.com/?p=1440 Many people love TaskBlaze.  But admittedly, there are some headaches.  Those who use the old Beta version know it’s got some bugs.  Although it looks simple, there’s a lot of coding that went into building it.

 
Default Skin

Well, I’ve been burning the midnight oil on the latest version.  It fixes a lot of bugs and introduces new features too.  I am tidying up a few things and then will post a beta in a few days.

Here’s a sneak peek of what’s to come:

  1. Post what you are doing to Twitter – Feeling social?  You can now Tweet what you are doing via TaskBlaze!  When you start a new task, your you can set it so your task-tweet automatically gets posted to Twitter.   Integration with Facebook and other services on the way.
  2. New Timer Engine – I rebuilt the timing engine so it is much more reliable, easier to understand, and more bulletproof.
  3. Improved skinning – Those of you who like customizing TaskBlaze can now go hog wild.  Skinning is now “folder based.”  That means pop your skin into a folder and pick it from a dropdown.  You can have as many different skins as you want.

  4. Left4Dead Smoker Skin

  5. No more textbox clutter – Want to see your skin?  The Textboxes now hide to display your task, tags and other relevant info.
  6. Font color picker – Choose the color of the fonts displayed in Taskblaze.
  7. 30 Second Throbber -  What’s a throbber?  In the case of TaskBlaze, it is a ‘blink’ of your main button to catch your attention and remind you to stay on task.  Many wanted this feature.  It’s in the new beta.
  8. Display optimized for older PCs – There was a display headache with older PCs where Taskblaze would look funky.  This newly optimized display works for those PCs.
  9. Send to a friend – Many of you indicated you wanted an easier way to share the pleasures of TaskBlaze.  Now with the click of a button, TaskBlaze will create you an email that you can customize and send the download link to your friends.

 
Blueblazin’ Skin

I am especially thrilled with the Twitter posting abilities of the new version.  Where Twitter asks “What are you doing now”.  With TaskBlaze you can tell people really what you are doing and track it at the same time. :) 

So check back in a few days and I’ll have a new Beta ready for testing.

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Many people love TaskBlaze.  But admittedly, there are some headaches.  Those who use the old Beta version know it’s got some bugs.  Although it looks simple, there’s a lot of coding that went into building it.

 
Default Skin

Well, I’ve been burning the midnight oil on the latest version.  It fixes a lot of bugs and introduces new features too.  I am tidying up a few things and then will post a beta in a few days.

Here’s a sneak peek of what’s to come:

  1. Post what you are doing to Twitter – Feeling social?  You can now Tweet what you are doing via TaskBlaze!  When you start a new task, your you can set it so your task-tweet automatically gets posted to Twitter.   Integration with Facebook and other services on the way.
  2. New Timer Engine – I rebuilt the timing engine so it is much more reliable, easier to understand, and more bulletproof.
  3. Improved skinning – Those of you who like customizing TaskBlaze can now go hog wild.  Skinning is now “folder based.”  That means pop your skin into a folder and pick it from a dropdown.  You can have as many different skins as you want.

    Left4Dead Smoker Skin

  4. No more textbox clutter – Want to see your skin?  The Textboxes now hide to display your task, tags and other relevant info.
  5. Font color picker – Choose the color of the fonts displayed in Taskblaze.
  6. 30 Second Throbber -  What’s a throbber?  In the case of TaskBlaze, it is a ‘blink’ of your main button to catch your attention and remind you to stay on task.  Many wanted this feature.  It’s in the new beta.
  7. Display optimized for older PCs – There was a display headache with older PCs where Taskblaze would look funky.  This newly optimized display works for those PCs.
  8. Send to a friend – Many of you indicated you wanted an easier way to share the pleasures of TaskBlaze.  Now with the click of a button, TaskBlaze will create you an email that you can customize and send the download link to your friends.

 
Blueblazin’ Skin

I am especially thrilled with the Twitter posting abilities of the new version.  Where Twitter asks “What are you doing now”.  With TaskBlaze you can tell people really what you are doing and track it at the same time. :)  

So check the blog in a few days and I’ll have a new Beta ready for download.

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6 Success Strategies Hidden in Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers http://persistenceunlimited.com/2009/03/6-success-strategies-hidden-in-malcolm-gladwells-outliers/ http://persistenceunlimited.com/2009/03/6-success-strategies-hidden-in-malcolm-gladwells-outliers/#comments Thu, 19 Mar 2009 01:18:56 +0000 Brad Isaac http://persistenceunlimited.com/?p=1435 Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers: The Story of Success by its title implies it is a how-to be successful book.  And if you read my review of Outliers, I concluded it is not.

The reason for my conclusion is he doesn’t give any step-by-step methods for becoming successful.  In fact, some readers come away from the book feeling there is nothing we can do to reach the pinnacles in our lives – that our success or failure in life is the result of the cards we were dealt by our parents, race and heritage.

However, I found some good success principals hidden in the book.  If you read closely, and (in my case) argue with some of his logic, you come away with some astounding strategies that can offset any limitations brought on by your birth and heritage.

Keep reading to see the 6 I found hidden in Outliers

  1. Put the 10,000 hour rule to work as quickly as possible -  Gladwell points to many “geniuses” in current times and history.  But also goes into depth about how all of these geniuses had the advantage of working 10,000 hours or more on their trades before they became well known. 

    The Beatles, before becoming an international sensation, didn’t know how to play their instruments.  But they gained 10,000 hours of practice playing live for long gigs in Hamburg, West Germany

    Bill Gates acquired 10,000 hours of programming experience by the time he was 19 – before any other teen on the planet had started programming.

    Mozart, yes that Mozart, was influenced (possibly forced by his father) to learn and perform music starting at the age of 3.  He got his 10,000 hours in before becoming a teenager.

    So we are left with two questions 
         1.  What one skill would you like to master? 
         2.  How can you get your 10,000 hours of practice in as quickly as possible?

    Obviously, 10,000 hours is a long time.  So getting started sooner is critical.   Why not start today?
  2. Learn great negotiation communication skills – I mentioned in my review I had some squabbles with some of Gladwell’s logic that heritage and birthright account for success and failure.  Communication was the biggest oversight.  While the book points out examples of (for example) Oppenheimer having family advantages other physicists didn’t, Gladwell overlooks the obvious skills of communication and negotiation.

    Gladwell gives the obvious example of Oppenheimer talking himself out of a prison term.  What other physicists by their nature, have that power of negotiation?

    However, we can all learn to negotiate.  There are many good  books about developing negotiation skills, classes or even a negotiation boot camp you can take.  Note, I haven’t taken Ed Brodow’s course, but I’ve heard good things about it.

    Additionally, you can check out my series Winning Through Effective Self Promotion for some effective ways to break out of your shell and get your point across.  But in the meantime, here are the top 3 negotiation tips in my arsenal:

    A.  Lead with what you want – years ago, I used to beat around the bush and rely on the other person to figure out what I’m wanting.  The problem is what happens if they don’t figure it out?  Now I lead with what I want. 

    For example a statement like “I am here to ask you for the contract.”  There is no mystery in what I want.  The other person knows precisely what I am there to do. 

    B.  Provide a reason why it benefits the other person -  In negotiation. the other person is always thinking “What’s in it for me?”  So answer that right up front. 

    Example: “I am here to ask for the contract because I’ve proven I’ll save you the most money.”

    C.  Prove it – It is one thing to say you’ll do something.  It  something else to prove it.  How can you prove to the other person you can and will do it?  Quite often, you’ll need to do it. 

    If, under contract, you can save a company $50,000 a year, why not prove that during the negotiation by saving them $2,000 now?  You aren’t giving away the whole $50k but you are putting forth a powerful negotiation strategy – proof! 

    If you can prove it, but your competitors can’t or don’t.  Aren’t you more likely to get what you want?
  3. Rise early – Gladwell details how the Chinese philosophy of rice farming may be the single most important factor in determining why statistically, people from the orient are better at math than everyone else. 

    Without getting into all the prickly details of rice farming, I’ll begin with a quote typical in rice farming.

    ”Anyone who rises before dawn 360 days each year never fails to make his family rich.”

    Most success happens during the day.  And I’d argue most of the daytime success is made in the morning hours.  There are many reasons beyond the scope of this article I feel this way.   But logically, after lunch the body is digesting food which accounts for at least some tiredness and productivity loss.

    So get up early and get to work early.  If it can make a Chinese rice farmer rich, it will help you too.
  4. Seek autonomy – Gladwell repeatedly calls on the subject of autonomy.  He says that the people who are successful were fortunate enough to have freedom to pursue their interests.  While other people do not have this freedom.

    Autonomy is a tricky subject.  

    Reason asks how can we have autonomy (freedom) while we’re in debt up to our eyeballs, working two jobs and have a family to take care of?  

    The answer in that case is simple.  You can’t.

    However, there is one thing in that example keeping you from enjoying autonomy – debt. Debt is slavery, not freedom.  So if you are in debt, seek to get out of it as soon as possible. 

    The quickest debt reducer I can think of is to sell high priced luxury items you don’t need and use the proceeds to pay off the bill.  If you are in debt due to driving a Lexus LS400, sell it and pay off that debt.  Buy a used Camry.  It may seem painful to give up a dream car, but freedom has a good way of erasing that pain.

    Never squander autonomy


    If you are out of debt and have cleared your evenings and weekends from work, do not waste this opportunity. 

    Use your new free time to practice.  Remember 10,000 hours is the magic number.  If you can put in 3 hours a night 5 days a week, you’ll be at 10,000 hours in less than 10 years.

    I know, I know 10 years is a long time.  But what if it was a skill you truly enjoyed?  Suppose you wanted to be a classical guitarist.  3 hours of practice a night would be fun most of the time.  Plus, you’d probably enjoy it so much you’d dedicate weekend hours too.  And that would decrease the time spent to 7 or 8 years.

    I never said success was easy…did I? 

    Books on debt reduction: 
    Dave Ramsey The Total Money Makeover  
    George S. Clason The Richest Man in Babylon 
  5. Take advantage of your gifts – When we discuss success, it means something different to everyone.  For some it might be monetary success.  For others it might be fame.  For me, it is about creating helpful software and articles that benefit as many people as possible.

    What would you want to master if you had the autonomy to do so? 

    Before you decide, take your natural gifts into account.  I can hear people asking “What are my natural gifts.”  Well, that’s where Gladwell does a good job of explaining how our heritage can give us a good foundation for our future success. 

    His examples include:
    *     How Jewish immigrants paved the way for their descendents to become some of New York’s highest paid lawyers.
    *     How immigrants from an Italian village could stave off heart disease in a corresponding American town.
    *     And even how a fairness law passed in Jamaica led to Malcom Gladwell’s family being educated and his eventual success as an author.

    Looking at my heritage (and I don’t know my entire family history) but on the Irish side, I come from a line of Irish ‘Tinkers’.  I don’t mean Tinker in the Irish Traveller sense.  But instead the Tinker who fixes broken things such as pots, pans and lamps.

    If you look at my gifts, I am a natural at fixing stuff – I fix broken applications and networks all day every day.  But extend that out a little and you’ll see I’m pretty good at building stuff too.  

    So what are some of your natural gifts?  What does your heritage give you in terms of skills, culture and attitudes?  Are your pursuits in line with your history?
  6. Take advantage of luck – What is luck?  Personally, I don’t believe in luck the way it’s normally defined.  I also don’t talk much about it because it can be confusing. 

    But what I do believe is we all have good times and bad times.  Luck – if you want to call it that – is when you take advantage of the good times and good opportunities. 

    Let me rework an example from the book to demonstrate:
    Imagine Bill Gates for a minute with all of his “lucky” advantages such as access to a computer network before everyone else, the free time to program, the freedom to sneak out and learn about computers…  What would Bill Gates be if he didn’t take advantage?  Suppose he was sneaking out at night to pursue his dream of becoming a great basketball player.

    Would Bill Gates be one of the richest men in the world if he preferred basketball to computers?  No, of course not. 

    Like Gates, we all have good opportunities to do and be more.  But what is important is to take advantage of those opportunities. 

    I had an “unlucky” friend who complained at me in the past about “if she only had a better education, everything would be great.”  But after signing up for night classes, she stopped going after the first semester.  That is not taking advantage of an opportunity – yet this person might just as easily call herself unlucky when her lack of a diploma shuts her out of yet another job. 

    How can you be unlucky if you have opportunity, but squander it?

    So when luck happens, grab it.  Don’t hold back.  Move forward – take advantage.

So those are the six hidden success strategies I found in Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers: The Story of Success.  Did you find any I missed? 

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The book Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell implies by it’s title it is a how-to be successful book.  And if you read my review of Outliers, you’ll remember I concluded it is not.

The reason for my conclusion is he doesn’t give any step-by-step methods for becoming successful.  In fact, some readers come away from the book feeling there is nothing we can do to reach the pinnacles in our lives – that our success or failure in life is the result of the cards we were dealt by our parents, race and heritage.

However, I found some good success principals hidden in the book.  If you read closely, and (in my case) argue with some of his logic, you come away with some astounding strategies that can offset any limitations brought on by your birth and heritage.

Keep reading to see the six success strategies I found hidden in Outliers

  1. Put the 10,000 hour rule to work as quickly as possible -  Gladwell points to many “geniuses” in current times and history.  But also goes into depth about how all of these geniuses had the advantage of working 10,000 hours or more on their trades before they became well known. 

    The Beatles, before becoming an international sensation, didn’t know how to play their instruments.  But they gained 10,000 hours of practice playing live for long gigs in Hamburg, West Germany

    Bill Gates acquired 10,000 hours of programming experience by the time he was 19 – before any other teen on the planet had started programming.

    Mozart, yes that Mozart, was influenced (possibly forced by his father) to learn and perform music starting at the age of 3.  He got his 10,000 hours in before becoming a teenager.

    So we are left with two questions 
         1.  What one skill would you like to master? 
         2.  How can you get your 10,000 hours of practice in as quickly as possible?

    Obviously, 10,000 hours is a long time.  So getting started sooner is critical.   Why not start today?

  2. Learn great negotiation & communication skills – I mentioned in my review I had some squabbles with some of Gladwell’s logic that heritage and birthright account for success and failure.  Communication was the biggest oversight.  While the book points out examples of (for example) Oppenheimer having family advantages other physicists didn’t, Gladwell overlooks the obvious skills of communication and negotiation.

    Gladwell gives the obvious example of Oppenheimer talking himself out of a prison term.  What other physicists by their nature, have that power of negotiation?

    However, we can all learn to negotiate.  There are many good  books about developing negotiation skills, classes or even a negotiation boot camp you can take.  Note, I haven’t taken Ed Brodow’s course, but I’ve heard good things about it.

    Additionally, you can check out my series Winning Through Effective Self Promotion for some effective ways to break out of your shell and get your point across.  But in the meantime, here are the top 3 negotiation tips in my arsenal:

    A.  Lead with what you want – years ago, I used to beat around the bush and rely on the other person to figure out what I’m wanting.  The problem is what happens if they don’t figure it out?  Now I lead with what I want. 

    For example a statement like “I am here to ask you for the contract.”  There is no mystery in what I want.  The other person knows precisely what I am there to do. 

    B.  Provide a reason why it benefits the other person -  In negotiation. the other person is always thinking “What’s in it for me?”  So answer that right up front. 

    Example: “I am here to ask for the contract because I’ve proven I’ll save you the most money.”

    C.  Prove it – It is one thing to say you’ll do something.  It  something else to prove it.  How can you prove to the other person you can and will do it?  Quite often, you’ll need to do it. 

    If, under contract, you can save a company $50,000 a year, why not prove that during the negotiation by saving them $2,000 today?  You aren’t giving away the whole $50k but you are putting forth a powerful negotiation strategy – proof! 

    If you can prove it, but your competitors can’t or don’t.  Aren’t you more likely to get what you want?

  3. Rise early – Gladwell details how the Chinese philosophy of rice farming may be the single most important factor in determining why statistically, people from the orient are better at math than everyone else. 

    Without getting into all the prickly details of rice farming, I’ll begin with a quote typical in rice farming.

    ”Anyone who rises before dawn 360 days each year never fails to make his family rich.”

    Most success happens during the day.  And I’d argue most of the daytime success is made in the morning hours.  There are many reasons beyond the scope of this article I feel this way.   But logically, after lunch the body is digesting food which accounts for at least some tiredness and productivity loss.

    So get up early and get to work early.  If it can make a Chinese rice farmer rich, it will help you too.

  4. Seek autonomy – Gladwell repeatedly calls on the subject of autonomy.  He says that the people who are successful were fortunate enough to have freedom to pursue their interests.  While other people do not have this freedom.

    Autonomy is a tricky subject.  

    Reason asks how can we have autonomy (freedom) while we’re in debt up to our eyeballs, working two jobs and have a family to take care of?  

    The answer in that case is simple.  You can’t.

    However, there is one thing in that example keeping you from enjoying autonomy – debt. Debt is slavery, not freedom.  So if you are in debt, seek to get out of it as soon as possible. 

    The quickest debt reducer I can think of is to sell high priced luxury items you don’t need and use the proceeds to pay off the bill.  If you are in debt due to driving a Lexus LS400, sell it and pay off that debt.  Buy a used Camry.  It may seem painful to give up a dream car, but freedom has a good way of erasing that pain.

    Never squander autonomy

    If you are out of debt and have cleared your evenings and weekends from work, do not waste this opportunity. 

    Use your new free time to practice.  Remember 10,000 hours is the magic number.  If you can put in 3 hours a night 5 days a week, you’ll be at 10,000 hours in less than 10 years.

    I know, I know 10 years is a long time.  But what if it was a skill you truly enjoyed?  Suppose you wanted to be a classical guitarist.  3 hours of practice a night would be fun most of the time.  Plus, you’d probably enjoy it so much you’d dedicate weekend hours too.  And that would decrease the time spent to 7 or 8 years.

    I never said success was easy…did I? 

    Books on debt reduction: 
    Dave Ramsey The Total Money Makeover  
    George S. Clason The Richest Man in Babylon 

  5. Take advantage of your gifts – When we discuss success, it means something different to everyone.  For some it might be monetary success.  For others it might be fame.  For me, it is about creating helpful software and articles that benefit as many people as possible.

    What would you want to master if you had the autonomy to do so? 

    Before you decide, take your natural gifts into account.  I can hear people asking “What are my natural gifts.”  Well, that’s where Gladwell does a good job of explaining how our heritage can give us a good foundation for our future success. 

    His examples include:
    *     How Jewish immigrants paved the way for their descendents to become some of New York’s highest paid lawyers.
    *     How immigrants from an Italian village could stave off heart disease in a corresponding American town.
    *     And even how a fairness law passed in Jamaica led to Malcom Gladwell’s family being educated and his eventual success as an author.

    Looking at my heritage (and I don’t know my entire family history) but on the Irish side, I come from a line of Irish ‘Tinkers’.  I don’t mean Tinker in the Irish Traveller sense.  But instead the Tinker who fixes broken things such as pots, pans and lamps.

    If you look at my gifts, I am a natural at fixing stuff – I fix broken applications and networks all day every day.  But extend that out a little and you’ll see I’m pretty good at building stuff too.  

    So what are some of your natural gifts?  What does your heritage give you in terms of skills, culture and attitudes?  Are your pursuits in line with your history?

  6. Take advantage of luck – What is luck?  Personally, I don’t believe in luck the way it’s normally defined.  I also don’t talk much about it because it can be confusing. 

    But what I do believe is we all have good times and bad times.  Luck – if you want to call it that – is when you take advantage of the good times and good opportunities. 

    Let me rework an example from the book to demonstrate:
    Imagine Bill Gates for a minute with all of his “lucky” advantages such as access to a computer network before everyone else, the free time to program, the freedom to sneak out and learn about computers…  What would Bill Gates be if he didn’t take advantage?  Suppose he was sneaking out at night to pursue his dream of becoming a great basketball player.

    Would Bill Gates be one of the richest men in the world if he preferred basketball to computers?  No, of course not. 

    Like Gates, we all have good opportunities to do and be more.  But what is important is to take advantage of those opportunities. 

    I had an “unlucky” friend who complained at me in the past about “if she only had a better education, everything would be great.”  But after signing up for night classes, she stopped going after the first semester.  That is not taking advantage of an opportunity – yet this person might just as easily call herself unlucky when her lack of a diploma shuts her out of yet another job. 

    How can you be unlucky if you have opportunity, but squander it?

    So when luck happens, grab it.  Don’t hold back.  Move forward – take advantage.

So those are the six hidden success strategies I found in Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers: The Story of Success.  Did you find any I missed?

If you are new to this site, be sure to subscribe to my RSS feed to get more articles that help you be more successful.

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Balancing Organic vs. Formulaic http://persistenceunlimited.com/2008/11/balancing-organic-vs-formulaic/ http://persistenceunlimited.com/2008/11/balancing-organic-vs-formulaic/#comments Thu, 20 Nov 2008 03:17:45 +0000 Brad Isaac http://persistenceunlimited.com/?p=1373 This is a guest post written
by Rick Anderson from
The Goal Geek blog.

Some people are predisposed to accomplishing things "organically"; that is, their orientation toward life and accomplishment is one that allows maximum freedom to "see what happens". Others are more formulaic--they define objectives and milestones and start taking deliberate actions toward their objectives with varying degrees of conscious effort. Sometimes the two types of people collide, with the organic folks abhorring the discipline and predictability of well-formulated plans and actions while the formulaic among us struggle to value what they imagine to be an aimless life, void of the satisfaction of accomplishment.

The question is not, "Who is right?" All of us inevitably fall somewhere along the continuum of organic versus formulaic approaches. A better question is, "Where do I fall on the continuum and what is it costing me?" Clearly there are costs on both sides. If you lean toward the organic most often, you risk failing to find yourself "happening" into acceptable (much less, fulfilling) situations. On the other hand, if you rigorously define and map your life too far in advance and never look up as you're "working the plan", you may well miss the greatest opportunities for fulfillment and accomplishment that life and circumstances make available to you. Regret is a very real possibility with both approaches.

The obvious solution is to try and strike the best balance possible for you. While this solution may seem obvious and trite, closer examination reveals that balance is a complex and costly objective itself. Balance requires sacrifice on both sides of the continuum. Balance, although widely recommended for many facets of life and achievement, is seldom practiced. Further, the principle of balance itself is easy for both sides of the organic-versus-formulaic dichotomy to criticize. To the organically disposed, a move toward balance is a move toward selling out--sacrificing valuable time and energy for the purpose of inviting and adopting limitations in life. For the formulaic, a move toward balance is a conscious decision to "fall behind" or "lose focus", in addition to forfeiting valuable energy.

To overcome our natural tendencies and move in the direction of balance, we must first determine which side of the continuum we fall on. For many, the answer may be obvious. Perhaps you're the person who is forever focused on your objectives and have a very difficult time adjusting to interruptions and unanticipated setbacks (formulaic). Or, maybe you're the person that's forever dreaming or having to pull others into spontaneous activities (organic). If it's not obvious which side of the continuum you fall on, ask yourself which approach would be more painful for you to more fully implement in your life. Does the thought of "buckling down" repel you? If so, you're more likely to be organic in your approach to achievement. Does personal reflection and holistic evaluation sound too amorphous to be truly helpful? Then you're probably formulaic in your tendencies.

Once you know which way you lean in your approach to life, (organic versus formulaic), you can begin to take the proverbial baby steps to move you in the direction of a better balance. Here is the best part: You can use your strongest tendency to help you get there! If you tend to be organic and you know you could use more structure and intention in your life, choose a suitably comfortable approach to defining the areas in which you might improve..and then capture them in writing as a first step. This might be as simple as carrying a small notebook and recording the ideas that occur to you as they are occurring. If you tend toward a formulaic approach, schedule time to look at the broader picture of your life, including things like relationships, and then list the areas you've neglected and the actions you can take to remedy the situation. The idea here is for organically-inclined people to find non-burdensome ways to actually pin some things down (by doing some spontaneous "planning"), and for formulaic people to stop and consider the areas of life and fulfillment that may have been left behind (by planning to be "spontaneous").

Whichever your predominant inclination, organic or formulaic, fulfillment and achievement are more likely to be realized with a more balanced approach to life. Defining goals, or, if you prefer, "desired results", is a valuable exercise for everyone to complete regularly. Find a way to reflect on where you are today, as well as where you want to go, for every facet of your life. Then begin the journey with the help of your natural strengths!

]]>

This is a guest post written
by Rick Anderson from
The Goal Geek blog.

Some people are predisposed to accomplishing things “organically”; that is, their orientation toward life and accomplishment is one that allows maximum freedom to “see what happens”. Others are more formulaic–they define objectives and milestones and start taking deliberate actions toward their objectives with varying degrees of conscious effort. Sometimes the two types of people collide, with the organic folks abhorring the discipline and predictability of well-formulated plans and actions while the formulaic among us struggle to value what they imagine to be an aimless life, void of the satisfaction of accomplishment.

The question is not, “Who is right?” All of us inevitably fall somewhere along the continuum of organic versus formulaic approaches. A better question is, “Where do I fall on the continuum and what is it costing me?” Clearly there are costs on both sides. If you lean toward the organic most often, you risk failing to find yourself “happening” into acceptable (much less, fulfilling) situations. On the other hand, if you rigorously define and map your life too far in advance and never look up as you’re “working the plan”, you may well miss the greatest opportunities for fulfillment and accomplishment that life and circumstances make available to you. Regret is a very real possibility with both approaches.

The obvious solution is to try and strike the best balance possible for you. While this solution may seem obvious and trite, closer examination reveals that balance is a complex and costly objective itself. Balance requires sacrifice on both sides of the continuum. Balance, although widely recommended for many facets of life and achievement, is seldom practiced. Further, the principle of balance itself is easy for both sides of the organic-versus-formulaic dichotomy to criticize. To the organically disposed, a move toward balance is a move toward selling out–sacrificing valuable time and energy for the purpose of inviting and adopting limitations in life. For the formulaic, a move toward balance is a conscious decision to “fall behind” or “lose focus”, in addition to forfeiting valuable energy.

To overcome our natural tendencies and move in the direction of balance, we must first determine which side of the continuum we fall on. For many, the answer may be obvious. Perhaps you’re the person who is forever focused on your objectives and have a very difficult time adjusting to interruptions and unanticipated setbacks (formulaic). Or, maybe you’re the person that’s forever dreaming or having to pull others into spontaneous activities (organic). If it’s not obvious which side of the continuum you fall on, ask yourself which approach would be more painful for you to more fully implement in your life. Does the thought of “buckling down” repel you? If so, you’re more likely to be organic in your approach to achievement. Does personal reflection and holistic evaluation sound too amorphous to be truly helpful? Then you’re probably formulaic in your tendencies.

Once you know which way you lean in your approach to life, (organic versus formulaic), you can begin to take the proverbial baby steps to move you in the direction of a better balance. Here is the best part: You can use your strongest tendency to help you get there! If you tend to be organic and you know you could use more structure and intention in your life, choose a suitably comfortable approach to defining the areas in which you might improve..and then capture them in writing as a first step. This might be as simple as carrying a small notebook and recording the ideas that occur to you as they are occurring. If you tend toward a formulaic approach, schedule time to look at the broader picture of your life, including things like relationships, and then list the areas you’ve neglected and the actions you can take to remedy the situation. The idea here is for organically-inclined people to find non-burdensome ways to actually pin some things down (by doing some spontaneous “planning”), and for formulaic people to stop and consider the areas of life and fulfillment that may have been left behind (by planning to be “spontaneous”).

Whichever your predominant inclination, organic or formulaic, fulfillment and achievement are more likely to be realized with a more balanced approach to life. Defining goals, or, if you prefer, “desired results”, is a valuable exercise for everyone to complete regularly. Find a way to reflect on where you are today, as well as where you want to go, for every facet of your life. Then begin the journey with the help of your natural strengths!

]]>
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Are You A Visual, Auditory Or Sensory Goal Setter? http://persistenceunlimited.com/2008/10/are-you-a-visual-auditory-or-sensory-goal-setter/ http://persistenceunlimited.com/2008/10/are-you-a-visual-auditory-or-sensory-goal-setter/#comments Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:48:32 +0000 Brad Isaac http://persistenceunlimited.com/2008/10/are-you-a-visual-auditory-or-sensory-goal-setter/

Lately, I have been curious about what type of affirmations work best for other goal setters out there.

I know many of you have had success in this area, so don’t be shy.

What’s the Difference Between the Types?

I believe we sway to different preferred styles of affirmations based on personality type.  Visual thinkers do visual affirmations.  People who “hear” their thoughts lean toward auditory and so on.

Examples:

  • Have you ever formed a picture in your mind of something you wanted and recreated that picture unit it came true?  That means you used a visual affirmation.
  • If you wrote down what you wanted and repeated the saying over and over until you got what was in your saying. Then you used an auditory or verbal affirmation.
  • Still although more rare, maybe you just develop a strong feeling about the thing you want – you recreate that feeling until what you want comes true. That would be a sensory affirmation.

Have you had good goal achievement results with affirmations?  If so, how?

  1. What have you achieved through affirmation.
  2. How did you do it? Did you make a mental picture? Did you create a tight verbal goal? Or was it a feeling you were able to hold onto?

I look forward to seeing what works best for you.

And in the near future, I’ll tell you what type of affirmation works best for me and I’ll relay a story you should like. Some people have said my affirmation story inspiring – others have called it scary. I’ll let YOU be the judge.

But first, I want to hear what’s working best for others!

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Seth Godin’s Tribes http://persistenceunlimited.com/2008/10/seth-godins-tribes/ http://persistenceunlimited.com/2008/10/seth-godins-tribes/#comments Thu, 23 Oct 2008 12:09:52 +0000 Brad Isaac http://persistenceunlimited.com/?p=1313 Seth Godin is perhaps best known as the marketing guru extraordinaire. His latest audio book Tribes does touch on marketing, but also delves into personal motivation techniques.

I have had it playing almost non-stop on my iPod touch since I downloaded it on Sunday. I am enjoying hearing his philosophy on building groups of supporters and improving your leadership skills.

Excerpt:

Tribes are about faith -- about belief in an idea and in a community. And they are grounded in respect and admiration for the leader of the tribe and for the other members as well.

Do you believe in what you do? Every day? It turns out that belief happens to be a brilliant strategy.

I highly recommend you do 3 things:

  1. Download it (Free on Audible)

  2. Resist the urge to discount it's value just because it is free.

  3. Listen to it.

Let me know what you think.

]]>

seth_godin_tribes_

Seth Godin is perhaps best known as the marketing guru extraordinaire. His latest audio book Tribes does touch on marketing, but also delves into personal motivation techniques.

I have had it playing almost non-stop on my iPod touch since I downloaded it on Sunday. I am enjoying hearing his philosophy on building groups of supporters and improving your leadership skills.

Excerpt:

Tribes are about faith — about belief in an idea and in a community. And they are grounded in respect and admiration for the leader of the tribe and for the other members as well.

Do you believe in what you do? Every day? It turns out that belief happens to be a brilliant strategy.

I highly recommend you do 3 things:

  1. Download it (Free on Audible)

  2. Resist the urge to discount it’s value just because it is free.

  3. Listen to it.

    1. Let me know what you think.

      ]]>
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