Ideas I Live By

1. Good decisions come from experience. Experience comes from bad decisions. To get really good at any skill or discipline, put yourself out there and try. Don’t be afraid to fail and aim to get a little better at some aspect of that skill with each new project. Over time, you’ll see your skills grow rapidly.

2. Show up and have something to show. If you want to build great professional relationships and position yourself for more “lucky” opportunities, both of these actions are needed. You must spend a significant amount of time creating, honing your skills, and building something of value you can offer others. You also have to get out there and “show up” – attend events, interact with people online, and become a part of the community for whatever you’re pursuing.

3. Don’t practice till you get it right Practice until you can’t get it wrong. This is a common piece of self-development advice, and I detest it. I’ve gotten more emails than I can count from people who have heard this and feel they have given up practice up until they accomplish something , and fail to execute during a test or real life situation

4. Be a Solution Finder. One of the most valuable skills in today’s economy is the ability to independently find solutions for tough problems. Our easy access to search engines and digital assistants makes it so easy to get in the habit of giving up when a solution isn’t immediately present, and I try my best to avoid developing this habit.

5. Ego hinders growth. I try to view being wrong as a good thing. Though having my views challenged will always cause my emotional side to go on the defensive at first, the best possible response afterward is to let that guard down and ask myself, “Could I be wrong here?” Often, I am.