INSIGHTS (on leadership/self-leadership)
The key to handling criticism lies in, of all places, the words of renowned race car driver Mario Andretti. He once shared his secret to the domination he enjoyed in the sport:
“Don’t look at the wall. Your car goes where your eyes go.”
This advice has everything to do with overcoming naysayers. If you take your eyes off the road ahead and what you’re trying to achieve, and instead focus it on the walls of potential criticism all around you, you’ll steer right into those walls. Your misplaced focus on criticism can cause you to alter your actions and crash into an outcome that attracts the very criticism you feared in the first place. But when you keep what you’re trying to accomplish in front of you at all times, you’ll speed through the sidebar of criticism.
Now, I’m not saying ignore criticism altogether. In this issue I even shared 9 specific tips for understanding and better dealing with it. I’m just saying keep your goals straight ahead of you, and the snipes from the peanut gallery in your sideview mirror.
IMPERFECTIONS (a mistake many make)
People often miss one of the most important secrets to succeeding at anything, which is to fall in love with the process. Meaning, stay motivated to keep putting in the hard work it takes to succeed by falling in love with the process of doing that hard work. Easier said than done, as often the preparation is mundane or repetitive and in and of itself feels far removed from success.
I get many inquiries from people wanting to be professional speakers. I often hear: “I like the idea of getting paid a lot of money just to stand on stage and talk for an hour.” But they don’t realize that earning the right to get paid so much for so little time requires hours upon hours of research and repetitive rehearsal, and takes a lifetime of gleaning insight and living through experiences to have something worth getting paid to talk about. It’s all the little stuff that gives you access to the big moments. It’s about falling in love with the process of doing the hard work that will have you ready when opportunity presents itself.
IMPLEMENTATION (one research-backed strategy, tip, or tool)
Good things come from being more proactive in life, but it’s hard to develop the tendency. That is, unless you follow the acronym, EAGER. Do so, and you’ll percolate with proactivity:
Evolve your predictive ability. Learn to anticipate issues and events by identifying patterns and taking time to scenario plan.
Always add value. Make it a mantra. Revel in your resourcefulness in so doing.
Get off the sidelines and participate. Develop a discomfort with not being in the mix.
Establish a habit of over-communicating. You take more control by doing this and get more back as it encourages reciprocation.
Rustle the snakes from the grass – meaning, commit time to spot and fix problems before they bite you.
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