We’re all told we should start with the end in mind, but we still get lost along the way. Why do we go off track? Could there be some barriers that show up a lot before the end? Let’s find out how we can stop focusing so much on the end and work on the […]
The Overwhelm Virus: How To Get It Out of Your Daily Routine
We tend to believe that we’re more overwhelmed than ever before. Yet look around you and you see people who are doing twice or thrice as much. It’s hard to admit it, but often their work is of a higher standard too. How come they’re not overwhelmed? Is it because they’re more talented, or is […]
Rapid Talent (How To Get There and What Holds Us Back)
Why do others seem more talented than we are? Is talent inborn? Is it just practice? Or is there something else. Incredibly the key to talent is in the way you define talent. Change the definition and you see it in a whole new light. In Part 1 of this episode on talent, you’ll see […]
Why Every Kid Knows Maths: The Myth of Talent
If you go to any school, in any country, you’ll find one thing consistently That if you ask the kids in the class if they can draw, then almost 100% of the kids put their hands up. What’s also interesting is that all the kids in the class are equally good (or equally bad, as […]
Why Nightingales Sing In Tune: Decoding the Mystery of Talent
My niece Keira was just two when I started teaching her the little Spanish I knew. And one of the words I taught her was ‘zapatos’ (pron: sah-pah-tohs). Of course, Keira has a mind of her own. I kept saying ‘zapatos’, and Keira kept insisting they were ‘shoes’. After a while I gave up, but […]
The Similarity Between Talent And Email-Clutter
Imagine you had a friend who said to you, “I have 140 emails in my in-box”. What would you say next? I’ll tell you what. You’d be a little surprised, and you’d say, “You get 140 emails a day?” “No, not a day”, this friend would answer. “I get just 20 emails a day.” But […]
The Myth of Time (And Why Most People Will Never Have Time)
People often say they have no time. They shouldn’t say that. The truth is they have no ability. Let me explain It used to take me two whole days to write an article. And when the article was complete, I wasn’t sure it was even good enough for publication. I had, as you probably know […]
Why Lack of Talent Can’t Be Blamed on Genes
It’s easy to blame your parents for your lack of great genes. It’s just as easy to praise your parents for their superb genes. But while genes may be a handed down trait, talent is not. And to understand talent you have to first understand genes. Genes are sequences of DNA letters that when activated […]
Why Learning A New Skill Is Like Having A Baby
Imagine you just had a baby. And that baby demanded your attention. At 3am. At 6am. At 9am. What are you going to do? Are you simply going to turn back the clock? Or tend to the baby? Do you need to learn a new skill? If you speak to parents of newborns they are […]
The Curse of the 10,000-hour ‘Talent Syndrome’
Imagine if someone told you that you needed 10,000 hours to learn to drive a car. No? What about 5000 hours then? Would that be suitable? How about 3000 hours? Or 1000? Or 500? Ok, how about 60 hours? A very average person with a reasonable fear of cars can learn to drive in about […]
