If you were guaranteed success doing whatever you wanted, what would you do?

Evolutionary psychology tells us that our brains like to sabotage us when we think about making changes in our lives. You see, our minds enjoy the status quo. They prefer situations that are “expected” and actions that “normal.”

According to evolutionary psychologists, this “risk avoidance” mindset helped us survive in the wild all those thousands of years ago. When we were chasing prey and we reached the edge of our known hunting ground, our brain would signal that we should stop because the Dangerous Unknown lay ahead. When some people’s brains didn’t fire a warning signal and they entered the Dangerous Unknown anyway, they were probably eaten by wolves or something. That’s natural selection’s explanation for why we fear change.

Well guess what? We really have little to fear now from venturing into the unknown (certainly not death or maiming), so why do we still listen to our brains when they tell us we can’t do something?

We listen because our brain is a tricky, tricky beast. Since it has access to our deepest feelings and our darkest fears, it exploits us and makes compelling arguments that on the surface appear logical.

“Who are we to do this thing that no one has done before?” your brain might reason.

“How can we possibly succeed at this when there are so many other people who are already more successful than us?” it might justify. (This argument is ludicrous by the way—there will always be more success stories.)

Guess what? These are just thoughts. Your brain doesn’t know if you’ll be successful or not. How could it? (Unless you are clairvoyant, in which case you could probably become a success by predicting other people’s successes.)

So how do you argue with your brain? Do you do your best “Rosie the Riveter” impression and proclaim to yourself and everyone, “We can do it!”?

No, trust me, this does not work. I can tell you from experience that you’ll never win an argument with your own mind. It always has a comeback and it always knows which blow will cripple you. You simply cannot fight evolutionary psychology.

Instead of arguing with yourself, simply recognize that your mind is up to its old tricks, and say, “Thank you, Brain, for letting me know that I’m thinking or doing something new.”

After all, you do want to do something new, don’t you? Isn’t that what life is all about, living and trying new things? Personally, I think we should strive to be defined by our choices, not our fears.

So, I’ll ask again:

If you were guaranteed success doing whatever you wanted, what would you do?

This time, when your brain starts saying, “No, we’ll never be a famous musician,” or, “I doubt we’ll ever become a successful writer,” just thank it for its comment and move on with your life and toward your success.

My bet is that despite what your brain says, you have what it takes, and with the proper amount of desire, effort, and determination, you will succeed.

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1. Break it down — You’re not a super hero, but if you’re like me, your task list sure makes you look like one. Do yourself a favor and break down your goals into easily manageable chunks. Trust me, if you accomplish small objectives each day, you will reach that all-important, capital “G” Goal much quicker than if you have that one Goal on your “to do” list everyday.
2. Delegate — I’m a classic do-it-yourselfer and I have a habit of micromanaging every aspect of every project. However, some things don’t require your expert attention and can easily be delegated to another person or even to a qualified virtual assistant. If you’ve never hired a virtual assistant, check out VA marketplaces like oDesk.com and Elance.com, and you’ll find thousands of people who are more qualified than you to handle things like bookkeeping, research, data entry, Google Adwords, Email Marketing campaigns, etc. If you haven’t already, you must take this crucial step toward freeing up your time and resources to focus on the work that truly only you can do.
3. Be realistic — My habit is to create impossible 40-60 hour work schedules so that I can get things done quickly. The problem is this isn’t realistic or effective. Truthfully, we only have about 20 hours per week (about 4 hours per day) of productive work in us. We may “work” more, but often we’re spending that time on email, Twitter, Facebook, reading the New York Times online, watching the latest YouTube video, etc. So don’t expect to actually put in 10 billable hours per day; you’ll only fail miserably or give yourself a coronary!
4. Create a schedule framework — Create a simple, flexible Monday–Friday schedule that will allow you to accomplish mini-goals each day, while still allowing time for the things you enjoy. My schedule includes time for working out and doing yoga; email, Twitter and Facebook twice a day; an hour for lunch; and an afternoon snack. It also includes time for me to read, write, meet with clients, work on client work, and time to work on my own pet project. The best part about a schedule framework is that it’s flexible. If I need to spend more time on client work or put something off because of an appointment it’s no big deal. Do yourself one huge favor though: put your schedule on your calendar (even lunch), otherwise you won’t stick to it!
5. Track your progress — Tracking your progress will give you a sense of accomplishment even when there is more work to be done. You could also create a reward for yourself that you will receive once you have accomplished a large goal (for example, tickets to a show or a new computer accessory). In addition to keeping track of my progress on individual projects, I have monetary and networking business goals for each month that I track on a weekly basis and use to influence my weekly schedule. This tracking holds me accountable to my business and is a reminder of the growth I expect to see over time.

What are some of the tools you use to manage your task list and reach your objectives? Share them below so we can all benefit!

photo credit: Thomas Ott

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“Imperfect action beats perfect inaction every time.” – Mitch Axelrod in an interview with Paul Hartunian.

I love the simplicity and zen-like nature of this statement, and I have been doing my best to embrace this idea in my daily life.

We all battle certain fears and preconceived notions when we look to make our business or personal lives better or more fulfilling. Whether it’s procrastination, perfectionism, lack of confidence, fear of failure, fear of change, etc., taking action in some form is the only way to move toward realizing our goals.

I’ve been practicing yoga for several months now, and I have begun embracing what yoga is truly about: the practice of life. Life is a practice, and there are no failures or successes, there are only situations and how we interpret them.

I’m not trying to get all spiritual on you, but embracing the idea that there is no perfect time is the only way to understand that the perfect time is always now.

So what goals or dreams have you placed on the back burner? What actions have you been waiting to take until that perfect moment arrives? Give yourself a chance to reach your goals and take action now.

There’s no moment like this one, and you will learn infinitely more from an imperfect something than a perfect nothing.

photo credit: Katie Tegtmeyer

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Did you know that the NBA calls Michael Jordan “the greatest basketball player of all time” even though Jordan isn’t statistically the greatest player? Even Magic Johnson once said, “There’s Michael Jordan and then there is the rest of us.”

So why is it so accepted that Jordan is the greatest player of all time? Because he is a superstar, and superstars don’t need statistics to be considered the greatest.

Jordan built his superstar brand by being a champion at every level, combining his natural abilities with an intense competitive desire and an insatiable work ethic.

Here are seven things Michael Jordan said during his career that you can use to help make yourself into a superstar brand:

1. “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.”

No matter how great you are or want to become, you can’t create your brand by yourself. Brands are made up of what other people think about you and how they perceive your actions. While you can help direct your brand by focusing your message, interacting with others to build strong relationships through helping and sharing more than talking and taking is the only way to become a true superstar.

2. “I’m not out there sweating for three hours every day just to find out what it feels like to sweat.”

How much time do you spend honing your skills and learning new ones? More importantly, how do you use these new abilities to achieve your goals? The amount you practice is important only in that it lays a foundation for you to accomplish your goals. Without practice, you can never hope to live your dreams; and without execution, all the practice in the world will amount to nothing.

3. “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.”

Failing, especially publicly, can be one of the most difficult personal obstacles to overcome, but failing is also the only way to get better. In school we learn that failing is bad and that it is important to get an “A” on every project we undertake. In reality, failing is a healthy, natural process, and the only true way to learn and grow.

Look at how babies learn to walk. They hold on to a chair, eventually letting go, teetering, and falling. Then they do it again, each time learning to stand better and eventually gaining the confidence to take that first step. If they were afraid of failing, they would quit after their first efforts, and we would have a society of human snakes.

Understand that failure is part of success, and you will be closer to your goals than ever before.

4. “I’ve always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come.”

Superstar brands, personal or otherwise, are built over time and require consistent and repeated messages to become memorable. To build a lasting brand, you must work hard every day to create something of value for others. Getting it right once — so what? Getting it right time and again each time for every customer — that’s how you create a lasting brand.

People don’t care what you say, they care what you do.

5. “If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome.”

This is probably the most important rule for building a superstar brand. There will always be people who are rooting for you to fail, because they don’t believe that they themselves could achieve stardom. Each of us has it within ourselves to be great, but most of us tend to listen to the naysayers because it’s the easy thing to do. As Kevin Garnett shouted when the Boston Celtics won the NBA Championship last year, “Anything is possible!”

6. “My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength.”

Great champions and great brands always turn their weaknesses into their greatest strengths. For Michael Jordan, that meant becoming a lock-down defender and perfecting his lethal outside shot. For businesses and individuals, that means finding a way to use your perceived weakness as a strength. Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV is incredibly opinionated and boisterous. Rather than listen to his early critics and tone his delivery down, he persisted, and now his tens of thousands of fans love him because of that same unapologetic enthusiasm.

7. “Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”

Obstacles are everywhere, and you are guaranteed to hit them as you build your superstar brand. The key to overcoming these obstacles is to know in your mind how you want to be seen, and act in accordance with that vision. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school varsity basketball team in his sophomore year. What would have happened if he decided this was a sign and simply gave up playing the sport he loved?

While there will never be another Michael Jordan, there will also never be another you. Whatever it is in life you want to achieve, however you want to build your superstar brand, find a way to make that happen. In short, Be Like Mike!

Photo by Steve Lipofsky via Wikimedia Commons

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I heard a woman interviewed on the radio the other day about how she lost her job, has no idea how she is going to pay her bills, and yet she is happier than she has ever been. It turns out this “making lemonade out of lemons” attitude is somewhat common for the newly laid off. Sure, being laid off is scary and leads to a frantic reduction in expenses, but it can also be a time of liberation and self-discovery, a time to figure out what one’s purpose in life really is.

I don’t think making lemonade should be exclusive to those who have lost their job. We should all make lemonade by taking the time to understand what we value in life, and by examining how we could make our personal and business lives harmonize more with these values.

I’m not advocating for the career or vocation changes that accompany many people who get laid off from their jobs, but I think we could all stand to make life’s lemons a little sweeter and easier to drink.

Photo by cote via Flickr.

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Do you remember the sage advice Genie gave in Disney’s Aladdin? Aladdin wanted Jasmine to like him and Genie (transforming into a bumble bee) said to him, “Just be-eeeeee yourself.” Aladdin was trying to be someone he saw as grander than himself, but in pretending he was a rich prince, he only alienated those he wanted to impress the most.

This is exactly what happens when you try to be something you’re not. People gravitate toward authenticity and shy away from disingenuity. So even if you’re a pauper who dreams of being a prince, or a fledging business that yearns for global domination, you will achieve your goals by leveraging what is inside you, not by being something you’re not.

Image credit: TVTropes.org

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These are stressful times for just about everyone I know. The perpetual news about job losses and a deepening recession can cause our minds to speed up and many of us put blinders on to get us through another day. It’s easy to lose sight of our goals and motivations, and we instead become mentally stuck in fourth gear, going through the motions of life at 80 miles an hour as time zooms by.

While we as individuals have no control over the external forces of the economy or over how those around us behave, we have complete control over our own outlook. One thing I do when my brain gets sped up and I feel overwhelmed is to downshift for a few minutes, by closing my eyes, taking a few deep breaths, and thinking about why I started my business in the first place. Thinking about my motivations calms me and reminds me why my business is important to me.

You don’t have to be a business owner for a mental downshift to be effective. This technique can be used by an employee before a performance review, by a student in the midst of finals, and by you, doing whatever it is you do.

Take five minutes today and answer this question for yourself: Why was it important for me to do what I do in the first place? Write your answer down and put it somewhere in plain sight of your desk so the next time you get frustrated and caught in the moment, you can remind yourself why this is important to you.

Photo by NathanFromDeVryEET via Flickr.

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Whenever my week gets hectic or I feel like I’m too busy, I just think about my 78-year-old grandfather, and I realize that I don’t know what busy is. Case in point, he wanted me to show him something on his computer a few days ago (he’s a Mac guy), and when I said I could probably stop by in the afternoon, he had to cancel on me because he forgot he had an important meeting.

My grandfather has had careers as a professional trombonist for the New Orleans Symphony, the director of a military band, a tenured professor of musicology (the scientific study of music), the conductor of a baroque music group, and he is a respected authority on harpsichords and harpsichord building. (He literally wrote the book on the history of the harpsichord.) Seriously, the guy is amazing.

What’s more amazing though, is his schedule at 78 years old. My grandfather currently works out six days a week and bicycles about 100 miles per week (weather permitting). In the last two years he has conducted orchestras for four theater musicals, and he will conduct three more in the next year (he has so many requests to conduct that he turns down more offers than he accepts). Just this past year he picked up the trombone after fifty years, and he now practices an hour a day, performs in a trio and quintet, and has two duet partners. He also continues to attend musicology conferences, review scholarly books, build and repair harpsichords, and he is a consultant to a major harpsichord company in the US (yes, they exist!).

If this weren’t enough, he completed his first novel last year and has been shopping it around to agents (he has written and published six books prior this, but this is his first fiction work).

So, what have you been up to recently? Still feel tired or burnt out? I didn’t think so!

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Update March 5, 2o1o: Anxiety has become something that I generally welcome, although it’s not always enjoyable. What I have learned to do is train myself to recognize the feelings of panic or nerves and realize that it’s just because I’m doing something that is important to me that I haven’t done before. This typically helps me calm down, and instead of feeling nervous, I feel excited and welcome my new challenge. – Drew

A while ago, my wife and I were discussing our goals with each other. When I was talking about my business goals, I had a breakthrough. I was really excited, but something else was happening, too. My hands were sweaty, my heart was racing and it became difficult for me to breathe. I was having intense feelings of anxiety, which was not the reaction I anticipated when I was uncovering something that felt so right.

It turns out that anxiety is a perfectly normal reaction to new thoughts and situations, especially when these thoughts and situations are important to you (my wife’s a clinical psychologist, so she knows about this stuff). We’ve been trained to think that anxiety is something to avoid, when in reality, anxiety by itself is not a bad thing. Your brain sends out anxiety as a warning signal when you’re doing or thinking something that’s new and meaningful. It doesn’t distinguish between “good new” and “bad new,” just new. Anxiety is a sign of growth. It’s saying that you should pause for a moment and examine why this is so meaningful to you.

Understanding anxiety as a sign of growth is really important for entrepreneurs, or anyone looking to better themselves personally or professionally. In many cases an absence of anxiety indicates that you’re lacking meaningful growth. While it’s important to be happy with who you are now, it’s equally as important to not be complacent. The key to growing in the right direction is to head toward the things that give you a twinge of anxiety.

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For those of you who know me, I have been saying that 2009 is my “Year of Execution.” So what does that really mean? It means that this is the year my “some day” ideas start becoming today realities. It means that ideas are cheap, and only execution is priceless. It means put up or shut up.

I’ve learned two valuable lessons recently:

1. You are the only one holding yourself back from achieving your dreams. That’s right, you. No one has a gun to your head saying, “You can’t do that.” Trust in yourself that you have everything you need to succeed. Because you do.
2. Success is a process, not a stopping point. If you’re so focused on the end result, you’ll never take that first step in the process of creating a wonderful journey. Everything gets better with time and practice; except things that don’t get started in the first place.

So what have you been holding back on? What dreams or desires do you want to fulfill this year? I’ll give you a hint: it’s all up to you. Do yourself a favor and take that first step.

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