When something big is about to happen, we all get that same feeling. Your throat starts to close up, your face starts to get red, you start to feel yourself sweat. This is a very natural physiological response, but it can also be very persuasive.

Our brain is affected by our body by something that is called “bottom-up processing”.  Essentially, your brain decides how it should feel based on what your body is communicating via physiological changes. Don’t let your brain get hijacked, and use this small mental shift to be in control of your perception.

Turn nervousness into excitement. The tight throat, warm face sensation I was describing earlier is the culprit here that we want to break down. Nervousness and excitement produce a very similar state of physiological arousal that includes these features because your sympathetic nervous system is activated and preparing you for activity. This means your brain needs to decide which one to feel, and I think we all can tell one is better than the other.

I know it sounds ridiculous, but your brain responds to self-talk. The next time you are in a nervous-excitement moment, start reciting exciting affirmations, like “I have been looking forward to this” and “I am glad that I am here”.  This will help your excitement to win the tug-of-war against your nervousness and be more confident in the situation.  Give it a try the next time this situation presents itself and your brain will listen.

“I don’t have time to worry about who doesn’t like me. I’m too busy loving the people who love me”. I love this quote not only because it came from my grandma who embodies the tip in its entirety, but it presents a really refreshing perspective. We all have so much that is great in front of us, and we can get distracted by the possibility of other things. For instance, the possibility of a nicer car, a bigger house, a better job etc. Yet, the enemy of good is better, and oftentimes those things that seem like they would be better for you and your life really aren’t. It is important to just love yours, and appreciate the beauty you have in front of you.

This quote says exactly that. Don’t worry about the people that don’t like you, just focus on the people that do. You must love yours and be grateful in your heart for everything they add to your life.  

Having an appreciation for those things you have, brings a positivity that affects all facets of your life. If you are too busy loving the people who love you, you will get everything you’ll ever need in return.

A little friendly competition never hurt anybody, especially if you get to choose it. A great way to get where you are going is to identify something in front of you and start pursuing it.  In other words, find something to chase.

Everyone gets motivated in their own way, and it’s important to figure out what that thing is for you so that you can start using it to your advantage. A great example of this can be found in Matthew McConaughey’s Oscar acceptance speech, where he talks about what he has been chasing his whole life, and how that empowered him to the top of his industry.  

It’s always moving to hear that bit from him. What he has managed to do is remind himself of his end goal, to become his own hero, in his life every day. The same concept could work for you. Find that thing to chase every single day and see how quickly you become it.

 quit hiding your body, and instead choose more confident poses and posture. 

Evolution has shown that humans have an inclination to avoid things that make them uncomfortable. This is the root of a lot of habits we have, like laziness, self-doubt, and having a fear of the unknown. I am going to focus on how it affects us more generally everyday. When we find ourselves in situations that are out of our comfort zone, we have a tendency to put something in front of our bodies. This is a subconscious defense mechanism that at one point was advantageous in a predator prey scenario, but now perpetuates in our daily lives. More specifically, we often cover ourselves in our most vulnerable areas, which includes our line of sight, our core, and our genitals.  

You’ll notice when in conversations, standing in lines, or just minding your own business in a public setting, we take up a stance that protects our vulnerable areas. This isn’t a bad thing, because it is very natural, but it is an opportunity for improvement in the way you communicate to others non-verbally.

Instead, find a powerful and confident posture, especially when your feeling uncomfortable. Shoulders tall, hands away from your body, and breath deeply. As subtle as this change might be, it makes all the difference in the way someone else perceives you.

Spread kindness. 

I have been surrounded by so much kindness from so many people lately hat I want to make sure I am giving it back. I believe the first step to spreading kindness is to be kind. Kindness is contagious and rubs off on everyone who is a part of it. Not only does the recipient of the kindness feel better with the support, but you feel better as the giver knowing that you made a difference for someone else.

Now, to plug in a pop culture reference that embodies this thought, Drake is a very popular musician who came out with a song called, “God’s Plan” that was wildly successful. However, arguably the most successful part of the song was its message. When planning out what to do for the music video, Drake took the almost $1 million budget and handed it out to people in need, and basically recorded that process and turned into his music video. Random acts of kindness go a long way, especially when it comes from a public figure like that. This inspired Drake to start the “Kindness Challenge” where you take it upon yourself to make someone else’s day better for no reason other than to help out. 

This is a challenge I am taking to heart, and I encourage you to try it with me, at least for a day. 

We are all just one person in this world.  In order to find success, move forward, and make things happen, we can’t do it alone. It is extremely important to form a team around you that supports you on your way to your goals.

This message is to play your role. Everyone in a team has their own unique skill-sets and offerings. Being open and honest with yourself about what those might be not only provide the most for your team, but give you the best chance to find success in your own work. Even Kobe Bryant, one of the best basketball players of all time, knew that he just played his role for the Lakers in the many championships they won.

Playing your role starts with being honest with yourself about what you are most qualified or capable at doing, and then communicating that to your team. That way your talents can be managed as part of the bigger picture you are contributing toward.

“Believe that something wonderful is about to happen right now”.

I really like this quote because it talks about the spontaneity of life. Anything can happen at any moment. While many people are fearful of that and assume the worst, seeing this concept from a positive lens opens the door to the possibility of incredible opportunities.  

You can think about this from a professional or personal perspective. If you have been working hard with no real measurable product of your efforts, the next moment just might be that breakthrough you have been working for.  Or personally, you might meet the next love of your life, mentor, or best friend based on a random chance or circumstance. Sometimes when I am in a random place, I think about how all of our lives led us to be in the exact same place in the same moment of time. How incredible is that?  Seeing your current circumstance in a positive way might be what it takes to make whatever you have been waiting for happen.

The 50/10 work rest ratio is just a fancy, more concrete way of regulating the way you spend your time working. And with the 50/10 ratio your productivity just might sky rocket.

The premise of this is simple. Spend 50 minutes working completely focused and undistracted, no checking your phone, no emails, no nothing. Then at the end of that time, take 10 minutes to address all of the little things that came up all at once.

The thought is that this will help you stay focused and minimize distractions.  By setting aside those 10 minutes to revisit the random things that come up.

This all stems from our subthalamic nucleus, the region of our brain responsible for movement.  It turns out the subthalamic nucleus also monitors our cognition, reacting to distractions as a reason to stop.  Something that helps silence your subthalamic nucleus is to minimize the stimuli around us, the random chatter, phone buzzes, email notifications, among other things.

Like I said, I am going to give this a try for the first time today, and I encourage you to try it with me! 

This message is an old and fundamental skill. If you can do this, you will always have a job, and you will always be an asset. The skill is sales, and in this message Mark Cuban gives his take on the subject.

"people always ask me, "What do I need to know to be successful?". If you can't sell, you know you're SOL. Because you're always selling. When I say that you have to understand what sales means. Selling is not about convincing somebody to give you money for something they don't want. Right?. Selling is about knowing in your heart, your mind , and your soul that the product of service you have can help anybody in your potential customer service universe. And so, whether I was selling baseball cards, whether I was selling stamps, this was the best thing you could ever possibly have for your life. And the same thing applies to all my businesses now. I'm always selling because I believe in my products and believe they can help. And if I have something that I do not believe will help you then it's not a good product".

There you have it.  People can smell BS from a mile away so make sure you believe that what you are selling is valuable.  We all sell something in everything we do, and it is never too late to start developing that skill