Tag Archives: challenge

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Tools of Titans

The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers

This week’s book review is Tools of Titans by Timothy Ferriss


Ferriss has compiled an extensive volume of advice from an impressive cast of high profile people on topics loosely categorized into health, wealth, and wisdom. Ferriss lives his life like “one big human experiment” and this book captures his experiences while leveraging the collective wisdom of all those who have influenced and impacted his life.

There is a ton of interesting material and wisdom in this book! There will also be some material that you do not find valuable . . . but that is the point of the book. You learn from what you can and ignore the rest!

My takeaway from this book is that I need to take more risks and challenges to grow in more areas. I also need to get a handle on cyber security and how it is impacting me and how it will impact me.

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14 Easy Ways to Move Out of Your Comfort Zone and Improve Your Business

It is natural for us to always look for the easiest path through life. It seems so much more pleasant in the short run if we can avoid struggles and conflict. However, hardship and struggle are key ingredients for personal growth. Without these ingredients, it is hard to see any substantial personal or business growth.

As Gary Keesee says, “If you are not doing the hardest thing you have ever done, then you are not growing.”

Looking at all of the amazing, humanity-altering discoveries and inventions made over the last century, I am not aware of even one that was made by a person who sat around all day shooting the breeze, drinking coffee or playing video games.

However, I can give many examples of people who embraced challenges, hardships and struggles and created world changing technologies, products and businesses like; antibiotics, vaccinations, microchips, X-rays, MRIs, SpaceX rockets, personal computers, the Internet, iPhones, Google, Amazon, and the list goes on.

These things have all impacted the world we live in but they were not created without extreme struggle and hardship.

Challenging Yourself Has Many Advantages

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Why An “Echo Chamber” Culture Will Destroy Your Business

If everyone in your business is always in agreement with you and no one challenges your decisions or ideas then you are running an “echo chamber” organization (this is also commonly referred to as a “Yes-Man” organization). This type of organization is called an echo chamber because everything the leader says, the organization echoes back to them. There are no original thoughts, dissenting ideas or challenging statements.

This is a very dangerous environment to operate in as a leader. If no one is there to challenge your ideas and direction, you will eventually lead your organization into one of your blind spots (news flash: each of us has blind spots) and over a cliff. You won’t have anyone to warn you until it is too late!

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What Everybody Can Learn About Business From Mountain Biking

I am an avid mountain biker and recently went on a ride that I have done many times in the past. It is a 28 mile single track ride in the Canadian Rockies that climbs and then descends over 4300 feet. In good weather I typically complete this trip in 3.5 hours. This time, however, it took me 5.5 hrs as I did not see the warning sign at the train head (picture above) until after I was finished! Due to significant flooding the previous year, the trail was literally destroyed in many places and required a lot of detours and carrying my bike while dealing with washouts, rock avalanches, mountains of debris and missing bridges.

Mountain biking 2

 

I could not help thinking about the parallels between mountain biking and business as I was fighting my way through these obstacles. I have listed some of them below;