What are the things that are non-negotiable for you?

There are two things that I do every day and rarely skip either of those (except when I’m travelling or on a plane etc.). These are my MUST Dos. Non-negotiable.

1) Working out - I start the day with this ritual. I’m in the gym at 5 AM no matter how cold or hot it is, no matter how hard the rain is pouring.

Five days a week. This puts me in MACH 5 and the day has already provided something for me (earned). It’s like a positive wave of energy that lasts throughout the day.

It has a cascading effect on every thing else I do, in my business, at work and in relationship at home and so forth.

2) micro manage the 1st hour after waking up, and the last 1 hour before bed. I review what I need to execute on before the phone calls, the emails, the texts and other distractions (client firefights etc.) get in the way.

And before I go to bed, I review what I had set out to do that day, what I can check off the list, and what I have to carry over.

Rituals are where the power is. We are our rituals.

How do you overcome lack of self-confidence?

Self confidence comes with competence in some chosen field or subject area, and this is amplified when applied in the service of others (meaning when you are value to others in some real way).

What are you good at?

May be you are a nurse, a teacher, an accountant or a doctor. Whatever you are, look at who you help and what impact you have on others.

Knowing that will start making you feel good about yourself (dont compare yourself with others though - that’s a mistake).

And finally, GIVE. Your time, resources or even a bag of meal next time you shop at the grocery store.

It will build a sense of confidence and self-esteem, you can’t miss it.

Agree?

What #strategies have you applied to get better with your #communicationskills ?

While I dont believe I’ve fully “mastered” the art of communication (by that I mean, not just the spoken & written aspects), I do believe I’m constantly getting better, learning something new, from industry peers and those I follow and interact (kids and animals included).

I’d summarize my top 5 strategies as follows:

1) Listen more, but, where possible, be the last one to speak (Nelson Mandela tip)

If you listen empathically to another human being, they will almost certainly be compelled to listen to you in return.

2) Suspend #judgement in any conversation (this one’s hard)

3) Speak not because you have to say “something”, but rather, you have something to “say” that adds value or helps or clarifies a topic

4) #ASK more when you speak (this one is critically important, this alone scores bonus points over the other points above - by doing this, you make it about “them” and not so much about you)

5) And last, but not the least, practice #empathy, being a bit more empathetic in your written as well as spoken conversations.

So what strategies have you applied at work and in your personal life that has helped you?

Comment below.