Tag Archives: malcolm gladwell

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Episode 082: Making the Leap From Successful to Very Successful

The 4 Things You Must Learn to Do

Did you know that not all successful people are equal? What separates the very successful from the successful? In today’s episode you will learn 4 things you must learn to do to make the leap from successful to very successful…

Episode 082: Making the Leap From Successful to Very Successful

If you look back at the most successful people in history, You will find that each of them clearly learned to do four things. Some learned them earlier than others. But eventually they learned them all before they reached the level of very successful.

In this episode we talk about:

  • The difference between being successful and very successful
  • Some examples of very successful people
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Why Ignorance May be Your Biggest Asset

How to Use Lack of Expertise to Your Advantage

I’m about to share with you the story of one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made in business. It was a decision that, in retrospect, began the downward spiral of a company I helped launch. But first, I want to tell you about “The Idiots.”

Why Ignorance May be Your Biggest Asset

The story of the 2004 Boston Red Sox baseball team is the stuff of legend. What they did in the postseason only happens in the movies…except that it really happened.

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4 “Musts” to Make the Leap from Successful to VERY Successful

I’m going to make one assumption about you as I write this post:

You are already a successful person.

I know that to be true because unsuccessful people don’t usually read self-improvement blogs. No, you may not be a millionaire yet, your business may still be virtually unknown, or you haven’t gotten the promotion you’ve wanted for the past two years, but the very act of reading this shows me you are already successful. But I also know that you want to take it to the next level. So how do you do that?

Go from successful to very successful
To make the leap from successful to very successful, there are four things you must learn to do. (Tweet That) | Share this Graphic on Pinterest | Share on Facebook

To make the leap from successful to very successful, there are four things you must learn to do. In studying the most successful people in history, I’ve found that each of them clearly learned to do each of these. Some learned them earlier than others. But eventually they learned them all before they reached the level of very successful.

4 “musts” to make the leap from successful to very successful

1. You must learn the magic word.

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Breaking Bad Mind Habits

How do you break bad mind habits?

That is essentially the question that Jim Ryan asked last week on the post "Change Your Mind." Here is his exact question:

I’ve been thinking a lot about Mind Habits lately and this relates. To break our bad mind habits takes effort. Any suggestions on techniques that people use?

Breaking Mind Habits is Hard Work
By definition, habit-changing is forced. It’s hard work to replace the familiar with the unfamiliar. (Tweet That) | Share this Graphic on Pinterest | Share on Facebook

Here are five proven ways to change bad mind habits:

    1. Change your terminology. To this point, I have used the phrase "breaking bad mind habits" because it is familiar. But from now on, it is important that you change your terminology and your mindset. You are not breaking a habit, you are changing (or replacing) a habit. Habits do not go away. They are replaced. Just like you don’t stop eating altogether to lose weight, but rather you replace bad foods with good foods, our mission is to replace bad ones with good ones.
    2. Fake it until you make it. As I mention in my reply to Jim, changing a habit is an active process. By definition, habit-changing is forced. You are taking something that is subconscious and familiar and replacing it with something that is conscious and unfamiliar. It takes a lot of hard work. My father used the example of someone who has always used his right hand to turn a doorknob. This person has "practiced" that potentially hundreds of thousands of times. If he tries to switch to his left hand, he must force himself for approximately 28,000 repetitions to use his left hand. The ensuing months will be full of slip-ups and near slip-ups, reminders, and over time the development of a new, ingrained habit. At any point, especially early in the process, if pressure is applied (i.e. a fire in the house), odds are he will use his right hand to open a door. But eventually, using his left hand becomes the new norm and subconscious habit.
    3. Convince Yourself. I’ve gotten flak from some for my belief in the power of visualization and self-talk. Some think that they are too "new-agey" and nothing more than pop-psychology. But I know that they work. I have written about visualization here, here, and here. I have written about choosing to be happy here. These things work. There are two ways to convince yourself of something: to see it and say it. There are two ways to change bad mind habits: to see the right ones and say the right ones. Just like you must fake it at first and act in a manner that may not be consistent with your feelings, you must visualize and say things that are contrary to what you feel at the time. If you are constantly seeing the cloud in every silver lining, practice seeing yourself being positive and say to yourself, "I am a positive, upbeat, happy person" (Or better yet, write your own script).

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