Modern Mentalities

In order to climb up the hierarchy of power, you must learn how to get comfortable with doing less and delegating more. Those who cannot control their appetite for action suffer both in body and imagination. A king rarely moves.

Not every task needs speedy execution. Sometimes you need to slow down. Rushing often has the opposite of the desired effect. It may also elicit a lack of self control. Move deliberately.

Self-obsession is inferior to performance obsession. Work on improving skills, not looks.

Protect your time and energy from those who wish to live vicariously through you. There is a certain type of human whose pleasure life not in their own progress, but in the undoing of others. This is your average miserable soul — avoid this type of person like the plague.

The risks that often pay off are rarely the ones that seem like risks. You have to learn, therefore, what is a risk and what is not. Most often, what you’re afraid of is only in your head and the real risk is in inaction.

The difference between a CEO and an employee is that the CEO can actually endure doing less. The more hyperactive you are, the more physical tasks you will be required to do. Exercising mostly works to infuse you with mental energy by reducing hyperactivity.

The harder you try to control people, the less control you actually gain over their behaviours and words. Humans despise the idea of being controlled by another, regardless of what benefits you may be offering them. Influence is very subtle, never forced.

Patience is a skill that very few learn to master in their lifetime. The impatient betray their intentions by coming off as not only unable to control themselves, but also eventually unable to control any one around them.

The more you say, the higher your chances of saying something foolish. This is true when teaching as well as when conversing. Brevity is key in speech.

The mind not only feeds on what it sees and hears, but it is literally bound to produce very similar output. An organised working environment equals an organised mind, and vice versa. Be mindful of what you listen to, look at, and the places you choose to spend time.

The first sign of passive-aggressive behavior is feigning ignorance. It is a de-escalation tactic. People who feel weak or ARE weak will avoid confrontation and so result to passive aggressiveness. This is not foolishness. Not every battle should be fought.

Fear has the uncanny ability to make others distrustful of your words and actions. A fearful person is often uncontrollable. It is better to be bold rather than doubtful even when you may not be certain of the results. It makes you more reliable.

The only downside to performance enhancing substances is that they full your memory over time. And although this may seem minor, it is a major problem. Avoid at all costs.

You will save yourself a tremendous amount of time and effort if you can learn to read body language and act accordingly rather than just what people say. People will say whatever they think will get them the desired results, but body language never lies.

People will often respond better when you are polite, even when they may be getting the short end of the bargain. Rudeness, however, can turn hearts cold, and consequently prevent you from getting what you want — even when you offer much. Emotions make people make illogical choices.

When dealing with an angry person, it is often better to not say anything until their anger has subsided to a certain degree. This is because in the heat of the moment anything you say will only serve to fuel their rage. Choose silence.

BRAIN ADJUSTMENT THERAPY Here’s a hack most people don’t know: Your attitude towards work & life are heavily dependent on your state of mind. The expression on your face will also affect your mood. The easiest way to fix your mood, which in turn fixes your attitude is by being mindful of your facial expression. Different activities induce varying levels of stress on the brain, and the amount of stress the face carries determines the default facial expression. By consciously changing the expression on your face to a more positive one, you not only alter your mood, but you literally trick your brain into releasing feel-good hormones.

Learn to speak calmly even when you’re angry. This is both a tool for influencing people to act and a defence against premeditated aggression. When you’re calm, the other person has no option than to reciprocate otherwise they come off as unhinged and out of control.

Never divorce emotion from logic when dealing with people. Emotions often play a bigger role in our actions even when those actions go against sound reasoning. To achieve the best results, always consider this factor.

The most effective way to achieve more in a managerial position is to simply do less. The more you do, the more you obstruct your subordinates. This may seem counter productive, but it works.