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Perform With Confidence

Think back to your last performance (speech, presentation, job interview, etc.)…

On a scale of 1-10: How mentally prepared were you? How confident did you feel before the performance?

Author and Sports Psychologist Jason Selk has spent the last decade preparing elite athletes and executives for big performances. He’s now developed a mental routine that anyone can use to remain poised and confident before a performance.

The following video and 1-Page PDF detail to Jason Selk’s mental toughness routine:

1-Page PDF Summary of 10-Minute Toughness

Building a Better Brain

Exercise provides an unparalleled stimulus, creating an environment in which the brain is ready, willing, and able to learn.” – John Ratey MD

Looking for motivation to exercise in the new year? Stop seeing exercise as means to get a better body, and start seeing it as a tool to build a better brain.

See why in my video summary of ‘Spark’:

1-Page PDF Summary of Spark

The Sign of a Professional

The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande

(Checklists) not only offer the possibility of verification but also instill a kind of discipline of higher performance.” – Atul Gawande, MD
More than 75,000 Americans experience major complications during surgery due to avoidable human error (like a surgeon forgetting to wash their hands before surgery). Author and surgeon Atul Gawande set out to reduce these errors.

 

The following video details Atul Gawande’s discovery of a simple but powerful tool to combat costly oversights.

 

1-Page PDF Summary of The Checklist Manifesto

Rapid Skill Acquisition

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The First 20 Hours by Josh Kaufman

The purpose of this book is to help you acquire new skills in record time” – Josh Kaufman

In the book ‘The First 20 Hours,’ author Josh Kaufman explores the art and science of rapid skill acquisition, and test his findings learning 6 new skills: yoga, programming, touch typing, Go, ukulele, and windsurfing.

I’ve condensed his findings to provide you with road map to rapid skill acquisition to help you learn a skill you’ve always wanted to (playing the guitar? speaking a second language?), or a skill that will add value to your career (graphic design? public speaking?).

1-Page PDF Summary of ‘The First 20 Hours’

Strategies for Self-control

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Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal

People who have better control of their attention, emotions, and actions are better off almost any way you look at it. They are happier and healthier. Their relationships are more satisfying and last longer. They make more money and go further in their careers.” – Kellly McGonigal Ph.D.

If you procrastinate or have a hard time sticking to a diet, Kelly McGonigal’s book the ‘Willpower Instinct’ can provide you with strategies to strengthen your self-control. Here is my animated summary of her book, plus a 1-page PDF summary:

1-Page PDF Summary of Willpower Instinct

Quit Fewer Dips

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The Dip by Seth Godin

Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi once said: “Quitters never win and winners never quit.”

But author Seth Godin says that is bad advice. Seth says: “Winners quit all the time. They just quit the right stuff at the right time.”

So when should you quit, and when should you persist?

The following video will help you answer that question:

1-Page PDF Summary of  ‘The Dip’

Giving with Constraints

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Give & Take by Adam Grant

The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.” – Samuel Johnson

In each social exchange, you have the choice to act like a Taker, Matcher or Giver. The reciprocating style that you choose has a significant impact on your long-term career success.

The following video explores which reciprocating style is most successful and how to avoid falling to the bottom of the success ladder.

1-Page PDF Summary of Give and Take

Building a Trusted System

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Getting Things Done by David Allen

Most people have lived in a semistressful experience so consistently, for so long, they don’t know that it could be quite different—that there is another and more positive place from which to engage with their world.” – David Allen, Getting Things Done

An inability to remember all ‘things’ we want to do or need to do but can’t complete in this moment, creates stress.

Without a trusted system to capture, clarify and remind us of our ‘things,’ we are forced to live in a semistressful state all day long…..

“Hopefully this book will inspire you to raise the bar about how much pressure you will allow yourself to tolerate, knowing you have the techniques to reduce it.”

 

1-Page PDF Summary of ‘Getting Things Done’