Sam Thomas Davies's Blog, page 28
October 16, 2014
Twice, Then Quit: How to Train for Resistance to Change
One of the most important skills regarding long-term habit formation is learning how to be comfortable with discomfort. If you can master comfort in discomfort, you can master any obstacle you encounter. Discomfort, often in the guise of resistance, is one of the most common causes of procrastination. That procrastination causes us to offset positive […]
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October 9, 2014
The Zeigarnik Effect: How to Overcome Resistance to Starting New Habits
In 1927, a class of university students and their professor visited a restaurant in Berlin, Germany. [1] The waiter took their orders, including special requests, but refrained from writing them down. This isn’t going to end well, they all thought. But, after a short wait, all the diners received exactly what they’d ordered, without error. […]
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October 6, 2014
The 20 Mile March: How to Sustain Habits in the Long-Term
When John Brown became CEO of Stryker in 1977, he stood before a board room of anxious executives and announced his long-term goal for the company: to achieve 20 percent net income growth every year. [1] This was more than a Commander’s Intent, it was, to use Brown’s own words, “the law.” He ingrained “the […]
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September 30, 2014
Marcus Aurelius: Lessons in Personal Development from a Roman Leader
In 170 B.C., Marcus Aurelius, the last of the Five Good Emperors, sat down to write. To an audience of one, the Roman Emperor recorded what was on his mind; the troubles of constant war, a horrific plague, possible infidelity, an attempt at the throne by a friend and a rapidly depleting treasury to name […]
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September 25, 2014
The Five-Minute Favour: A Case for Change
In 2012, Stephanie, a LinkedIn recruiter, was searching for a job, but based on her callbacks (or lack thereof) wasn’t optimistic. That is until she was introduced to entrepreneur Adam Rifkin, through a mutual friend. Rifkin advised her, primarily by text messages, and helped her find job leads. His involvement paid off and before long, […]
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September 22, 2014
How to Measure Your Progress: What Zappos Can Teach You about Personal Achievement
In 1999, Tony Hsieh, an Internet entrepreneur and venture capitalist was approached by Nick Swinmurn with a proposition: to sell shoes online. Hsieh was sceptical; he didn’t believe shoes could be sold online, but Swinmurn persisted until Hsieh conceded. In 2000, realising the startup’s potential, Tony became the CEO of Zappos, but under one condition: […]
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September 18, 2014
Inspire Others by Example: What Tommy John Can Teach Us about Behavioural Change
Tommy John is often regarded as one of the most tenacious and well-rounded baseball players in major league history. A technically-sound sinkerball pitcher (a rarity for a leftie), John’s 288 career victories (the seventh highest among left-handers in major league history), has secured the former All-Star’s place in the record books. However, as impressive as […]
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September 15, 2014
John Keats on Creativity: How to Become a Master with Resistance Practice
In 1810, at only 14 years old, John Keats, his two brothers and his sister, became orphans in London when their mother, Frances, died of Tuberculosis. (Others would argue her cause of death was a broken heart; grief stricken by the loss of her husband, Thomas, in a horse riding accident six years earlier). In […]
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September 11, 2014
Finding the Core at Southwest: How to Stick to New Behaviours Using a Commander’s Intent
Southwest Airlines is one of the most successful budget airlines operating in the world today. In fact, Southwest has been consistently profitable for more than thirty years. The secret to their success? Cutting unnecessary expenses. And they’ve been doing it for decades. In order for them to succeed at such a high level, they must […]
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September 8, 2014
Success Accelerants: A New Way of Thinking about Achieving Goals
In 1884, Clark Hull was born in a log house in Akron, New York to an impoverished family. This would be the least of his concerns: For much of his childhood and adolescence, he would be plagued with health problems. First, as a child, Hull was diagnosed with typhoid fever and left with impaired vision […]
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