Recovering from a setback...

can be a nightmare.

Do you get infuriated by setbacks?

Do they drag on for you?

Some setbacks can take substantial time to recover from.

It is pointless to fret about the trajectory of recovery.

What helps is to look at previous setbacks. You managed them also. How did you recover? And what can you apply to your current setback?

Well, this was horrible...

Well, this was awesome...

Do you connotate experiences and events?

Positive vs Negative.

In nature, there is nothing that is purely good or evil. It is a human concept.

Anything that happens has upsides and downsides.

Life is balanced.

Waited in line for something lately?

How do you deal with it?

Do you get impatient, angry or nervous?

Do you have control over what you had to wait for?

Usually, you do not and by venting your emotions you will slow it down.

Patience is a highly underrated skill. So next time you wait in line, take a few deep breaths. And be prepared, bring a book, a podcast or whatever you enjoy.

Use the opportunity to take a break.

Do you use scenario planning?

In contracting, do you think ahead of possible disputes?

Do you try to imagine all the things that could go wrong?

Do you visualize how you will react?

Scenario Planning, a military tool, has multiple applications. Thinking ahead is a powerful mindset. It can save you a lot of hassle.

Did you just lose a friendship?

What happened?

Did you end it, did your friend end it or did it just die quietly?

Some friendships come and go. Some stay forever.

Some friendships form for a reason and others for a season.

It is the way of life. Mourning a lost friendship is ok.

There are more out there, waiting for you.

Two crappy pages a day.

How much do you need to progress?

How good is your first draft?

This applies to anything in life.

This is all you need to reach any goal. Daily work on your projects.

Mastery comes with time, so don't fret about those initial crappy pages.

Thank you Tim Ferriss

Some things are just so damn frustrating!

Knowing what should be done, but not being able to do it.

Knowing why things are the way they are, but not being able to change them.

Being able to solve other people's problems, but not your own.

Knowing what you should stop, but still, you continue.

Life is a paradox and not linear, take it one step at a time.

Do you have authority?

Do you have influence?

Or do you have neither?

Authority is given to you, by your higher-ups or your peers.

Influence you can gain by yourself.

Influence is also known as informal leadership.

As a leader, you need both authority and influence.

You should outsource as much as possible...

But how do you know what is a fair price?

Is someone else cheaper than you to perform the task?

Can they do it at the same speed as you?

Do tasks at least once yourself, to understand what it requires.

Or ask someone you trust, who can tell you.

Otherwise, an outsourced task can become a nightmare.

You would really like to do something...

But you cannot decide to do so.

Why?

Maybe you think you do not deserve it?

Why the hell not?

Need to achieve more?

Need to be a better person?

Is it too expensive?

Punishing yourself is rarely a good idea. It will not change your mindset.

You deserve to pursue what you wish to pursue.

How much time do you spend on choosing a partner?

How many potential partners do you look at?

How do you track if they are the right ones, after deciding?

Agreeing to go into business can be done really quickly. Getting out of it is much harder. And fixing things that went badly even more so.

Take more time and look at more potential partners before saying yes.

Do you appreciate ridiculous ideas?

Why or why not?

Crazy ideas can widen your horizon.

Which kind of idea do you think is the basis for disruption?

Keep your eyes and ears open for extraordinary concepts.

They can inspire innovation and disruption with the right strategies and execution.

Email disputes are great!

Or maybe not?

Having a dispute with someone is always a tense situation.

But can you truly negotiate via Email or the phone?

Can you pick up all the essential cues?

Can you get a proper grasp on the person?

Even if the other tries to avoid a face-to-face, try to make it happen.

Seeing each other alone can be a game-changer.

You take on a project started by someone else.

What do you do?

Get a good understanding of it?

Start from scratch?

Clean up first?

Get a sturdy foundation. You cannot build a sturdy house on sandy ground.

Eliminate the root causes of problems. The roots of a tree destroy a good foundation. As problems do to a foundation.

There is this really tedious task...

You could badly use some help with it...

But you do not want to bother anyone.

Why not?

Are you sure that what is tedious for you, is tedious for others?

Some people might love to do it.

Some people might even pay to be allowed to do it.

Ask for help more often and be surprised.

Do you let certain tasks fester?

Why do you wait?

Are they maybe very small?

Or maybe they are not important?

Will they grow to become critical?

It helps to look at a task and think about how it might develop if left untouched.

Some tasks go away on their own, while others become monsters.

You need to do something you have never done before.

What goes on in your head?

Are you worried?

Do you ruminate?

Or do you just crack on with it?

When doing something for the first time, there is no need to have any expectations.

Try your best, because you will make mistakes. Learn from them and repeat.

You are invited to a party.

Someone you have a dispute with will be there.

Do you go?

Can the two of you keep the dispute out?

Is it fair to the host, to bring the dispute there?

Maybe you can, but the other person can't.

Sometimes it is better to take one for the team and stay home.

You receive a sad message during an appointment.

What do you do?

Swallow down the grief and carry on?

Do you ask for a break?

Do you communicate your grief and reschedule?

If you swallow down the grief, your capacity to concentrate decreases.

Does a decrease in capacity serve you or your counterpart?

If you cannot reschedule, you surely can take a short break.

Are any of your regular tasks time killers?

Why do they take you so long to do?

Are you using the right tools?

Do you have the right skills?

Do you hate doing these tasks?

Should you be doing them? Maybe delegate?

There is nearly always a way to make a task easier. Take a moment to think about it and pick the right solution.