From Chapter 15 “Intuition” in Ingredients of Outliers. In his book, The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals that Protect Us from Violence, Gavin de Becker—an FBI profiler, security consultant, and presidential appointee—describes, in a thorough and compelling manner, the importance of intuition as an early warning system when our safety and well-being are threatened. At first glance, the words “gift” and “fear” may seem like an odd coupling, but de Becker quickly makes his case. In his opening chapter, he writes: “I am called an expert. I may have learned many lessons, but my basic premise … [Read more...]
Hello Extra Mile, Goodbye Comfort Zone!
From Chapter 12 “Indefatigable” in Ingredients of Outliers. What do I mean by “empty the tank?” Well, it’s described in lots of ways: going the extra mile, and beyond; giving it all you’ve got; going for broke; and, to borrow a term from the popular poker game Texas Hold ‘Em, going “all in,” or betting your entire resources on winning. It’s going above and beyond, to the absolute limits of your talents and strengths, over whatever barriers have kept you from becoming the best you can possibly be. Most barriers are imaginary. Most people have greater capacity than they ever give … [Read more...]
How to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
Hopefully the following story will influence you to take a few risks in your life. The January 2013 issue of SUCCESS magazine contained an article titled "52+ Ways to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone." This story was featured in the article: Cecilia Aragon was a ordinary women who had an extraordinary fear of heights. As she put it, even climbing a ladder caused her to break out in a sweat. During her graduate years, she decided to try and overcome her fear and accepted an invitation to take a flight in a four-seater airplane. During this flight, her friend asked her to take control of the … [Read more...]