7 Daily Habits of Hyper-Efficient People

How can we define the essential things in our lives when everything in 2016 feels essential?

Staying ahead of the curve, leading, and excelling in our jobs means we all must increase efficiencies.

Here are the seven things that hyper-efficient people do differently.  

1.They learn. Efficiently.

They listen to audio books--but do it at double speed. I've discussed my obsession with audiobooks here before. When you're learning, you're growing. When you're growing, you're bringing new opportunities to yourself and to those around you.  A simple efficiency hack is to increase the speed of your audiobook 1x or 2x. Or install iTalkFast--a sexy audio-utility app that allows the user to speed up audio content up to 2.5x.

2. They're mindful.

Creating space in our lives is difficult. Time for meditation, yoga, or simply being aware of our breathing can all have a profound effect on our productivity. Deirdre Breakenridge, author of Social Media and Public Relations: Eight New Practices for the PR Professional, takes things a step further. She told me, "As much as possible, when I'm in meetings, I remove unnecessary technology. At times, this means no smartwatch, smartphone, or laptop in front of me." She went on to share that, "When you listen to what people are saying, you eliminate the time-consuming guesswork that occurs after the meeting. Listening carefully allows you to move forward with clear direction, purpose, and high efficiency."

3. They exercise and get enough sleep. 

By now, we all know that exercise and sufficient sleep are important. But for some, they feel unrealistic. Bill Arzt, co-founder of the hot startup FitReserve, offers a shortcut that's helped him. He suggests you "replace networking with sweatworking. Combine your meetings with workouts."

4. They don't waste time with emotional battles that don't matter.  

Alex Baydin, founder and CEO of PerformLine, told me, "I have found it very helpful to mentally assign the emotional battles of running a startup to one of two buckets. Bucket A--the stuff that matters bucket. Bucket B--the doesn't matter bucket. Every time I am faced with an issue, my first course of action is to decide Bucket A or B." He confessed that, "The vast majority will fall into Bucket B. The few issues that truly matter I then deal with head-on."

5. They prioritize their life. 

Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, speaks about the hyper-efficient in his book. He says such people know what they want, and they put their goals first. After all, he adds, "If you don't prioritize your life, someone else will."

6. They live simply, by saying no.

Living simply means knowing what it means to be productive versus active. The hyper-efficient are sculptors of their own lives. They take away instead of add.

Time management is emotional--we feel guilt. Understand that you are the problem. You're saying "yes" to too much.

You want to help people, but when you say yes to one thing that doesn't matter, you're saying yes to the nonessential things that come along with it. So, start saying no more often.

7. They throw away to-do lists and automate menial tasks.

Efficient people don't just determine how urgent something is (referring to how soon or significant it is). They also determine how LONG something matters. Meaning: What can they do today that will have the greatest impact down the line?

Success is no longer related to volume. Success is determined by the significance the task has in your life. You can then investigate ways to automate those important yet time-consuming actions. 

I recently heard Rory Vaden,  author of Procrastinate on Purpose, share a profound idea. Rory said, "Automation is to your time as compound interest is to your money." 

So ask yourself, what can I do today that will positively change what I will be doing in two years? 

07 Smart Habits That Will Increase Employee Motivation

Most leaders realize that they can't meet their ambitious growth goals by themselves.

For that, they need other people. But leaders worth their salt also know that not just any people will do.

Companies need to hire the right people and treat them in a way that motivates them to do the right things to hit your company's targets.

Turning that sentence into reality is a gigantic challenge.

And there may be no better time than now to make sure you are overcoming that challenge with aplomb.

Indeed your company's survival may depend on it.

Here are eight questions to ask yourself and my thoughts on how you can answer them in a way that will boost your people's motivation in the next 90 days.

1. Does your company have a culture?

Many CEOs who excel at inventing technology are not big believers in the idea of culture.

But if they aren't, they should step out of the CEO role and let someone take over who appreciates culture's power to motivate.

Culture is a set of values that a CEO holds dear. They might include giving great customer service or delivering on commitments.

But if a culture is going to motivate the way people act, leaders must tell stories that show the power of those values. Even more importantly, leaders must behave in ways that show their people how to make those values real.

If you're not doing all these things now, get started today.

2. Does your culture win long-term customer relationships?

Of course, not just any set of values will do.

Your startup needs values and actions that boost its value. And one sure way to make a company more valuable is to have employees who are motivated to build relationships with customers that last a long time.

To do that, make sure your culture values going the extra mile to create products that give customers a better value than rivals.

And see to it that everyone in the company will do what is needed to identify customer problems and solve them quickly and correctly.

Such a culture will not only motivate the right people -- but it will ultimately yield them a bigger pot at the end of the rainbow.

3. Do your people understand the culture?

If you have the right culture, your people must understand it.

That understanding flows from the leader's direct interactions with people. Leaders should communicate the culture to new hires -- telling stories of successes and failures that illustrate the power of those values.

Leaders should meet with their employees regularly and start those meeting with a reminder of the company's values and recent updates on how those values helped the company grow.

Leaders should also reward employees who go out of their way to act in accordance with those values.

If you are not doing these things, plan now how you will communicate your culture over the next 90 days.

4. Do you act in a way that gives your culture meaning?

Nothing is more de-motivating to people than listening to a leader lecture about values and then act in a way that opposes their meaning.

In short, if you are not behaving in visible ways -- large and small -- that illuminate your commitment to your company's culture, your employees will not perform at their best and they won't care about your goals for the company.

Of all these ways to boost motivation, none would be more effective than assuring that you are living your company's values in a way that makes it clear to your people how important they are to its success.

5. Do your people fit your culture?

If you have a well-defined culture, your entire company is at risk if you have employees who do not fit.

Such individuals have the potential to poison the well for the rest of your people while you are not watching them.

Another way to boost motivation for your people is to take the time to find such people, tell them that they need to change the way they conduct themselves if they want to stay, and offer them the door if they don't take the hint.

Managing out people who don't fit your culture -- if communicated and handled properly -- can boost motivation for those who do.

6. Do you use your culture to hire and promote?

Once you have a culture, make sure that you use its core values to recruit people.

You can do that by making sure that all hiring managers ask questions that help them see whether potential hires really share those values.

One good test of a such cultural buy-in is whether a potential employee is willing to accept a pay cut to work for your company.

You should also use your culture as a tool to help you promote people. The ideal candidates for a bigger job are the ones who meet their numerical goals in a way that shows the power of your company's culture.

7. Are you transparent?

People get nervous if you tend to hide in your office with the door closed.

You should spend time talking with people at all levels of your company. Tell them how the company is doing financially, what new customers it's winning, new products that will boost the company's growth, and company setbacks and what you are doing to overcome them.

If you're not doing this already, start now. And if you want more motivate people, stay transparent through good times and bad.

8. Do you listen?

Leaders must listen well. And that's particularly hard because people will be tempted to tell you what they think you want to hear -- which is that everything is going great thanks to their efforts.

If you want motivated employees, you have to make them comfortable telling you about their challenges and how they are trying to overcome them. You ought to listen without judgment and think about how you can make their lives better.

These eight tips can be boiled down to one idea -- people want to work for leaders who serve them well.

06 Ways Successful People Tackle Stress

If there's a mental skill to develop over the course of a lifetime, it's knowing how to deal with stress. Many of us aren't naturally very good at it, so we tend to buckle under stress, instead of managing it. And since stress is a fairly certain part of life, it's helpful to be able to cope with it on multiple levels.

For those of us who are not so good at it naturally, here are some strategies that have been shown to help people cope with psychological stress. Making a point of doing as many of these as you can is a good idea. But like any habit, it will take some practice before they become reflexive.

1. Remember life isn't all about work

"Balance" is a hackneyed phrase, but there's definitely something to it. People who have blinders on for their work will probably do well professionally - but their lives may be pretty bleak socially or psychologically. And this can reduce your coping reserves.

"If you aim for harmony," says psychologist Deborah Serani, "your aim is to integrate - or fit - all that matters to you in meaningful ways. So it's not an either-or way of living, it's a 'let's get the pieces to fit' way of living."

So make time to enjoy life: Hobbies, entertainments, volunteering, and, of course, spend time with the people who you're working so hard for in the first place - your family. All of this is ultimately what makes life fun to live in the first place, with the added benefit of being a huge stress relief. So when stressors pop up, you're more able to deal with them.

2. Make time to be social, even when you don't want to be

Even if you don't feel like being social, get yourself out once a week: Being around people will help your stress level, since we're fundamentally social creatures and need those ties to keep us sane. Humans don't function well in isolation, and when stress hits, isolation is even more counterproductive.

"Just about the first thing to go when we are busy or under stress is spending time with good friends," says psychologist Heidi Reeder. "And yet even a quick hour with a friend, going for a walk or having lunch, can do a great deal for our mental and physical health. It's like a little vacation that you don't have to pack or plan for. Successful people know that time with friends is an important investment, particularly during times of stress."

3. Find a practice to focus your mind

Our minds can be our worst enemies when stress hits, or at any given time, for that matter. So a practice to rein in the "monkey mind" - like meditation or yoga - is smart. Companies like Google, Huffington Post, Target, Aetna, Apple, and Nike all encourage their employees to take time to meditate and/or offer classes. In fact, Google even has its "Jolly Good Fellow" position, filled until recently by Chade-Meng Tan, who taught employees mindfulness-based emotional intelligence, as well as serving as their general guru of well being.

These practices bring us out of the past and future, which we spend most of our time ruminating about, and into the present. Choose a simple meditation to start: Focus on your breath, and when your mind wanders, just note it, and return your focus to your breath, as many times as it takes.

4. Feed your senses 

A good way both to de-stress and to stave off stress is to revel in your five senses (within reason, of course). Indulge your inner foodie, drink rich coffee, listen to music that moves you, watch the sunset, feel the grass under your feet, or wrestle with your kid in the snow.

It's another way of living in the present - but instead of focusing your mind on the present, you're focusing on amazing sensory experiences of being human.

"Successful and happy people feed their senses," says Serani, "and as such, they enable more relaxation and ease into their lives. This is sometimes called 'Subjective Well Being.' Happy people tend to appreciate the simple or positive moments from 'flow of life experiences.'"

5. Express gratitude

When things go downhill, finding the things that you are grateful for goes a long way in bringing you down to planet earth. Writing down things you're grateful for has been shown to be helpful for reducing stress and boosting well being. Even going over in your head, or with your spouse, the things you're grateful for can put things in perspective, and make stressors seem more manageable.

6. Remember that your worse case scenario may not come true

Finally, keep in mind that your mind creates some dizzyingly imaginative outcomes for problems. Most of these don't come true, of course, but our minds always feel obliged to work out the worst-case scenarios. So when you find yourself in these times, realize what you're doing - and remember all the times when you've created a catastrophe in your head where there really was none. 

07 Big Ideas That Will Define Business in 2016

The workplace is changing quickly--and so are the rules that define it. And while much of this change is related to new technology, some of it stems from long-rooted issues that are just now coming to a head. Based on some of the biggest trends Inc. covered in 2015, here are seven of the most important ideas that will affect business this year.

1. On-demand work will get a new employment classification. Until now, Uber drivers have been considered contractors, and thus ineligible for benefits or the minimum wage. A class-action lawsuit set to begin in June will determine whether that's going to change. It's hard to believe the status quo will remain: While Uber maintains that it's merely a technology company connecting passengers with drivers, the reality is that it controls the rates the drivers charge, maintains performance standards, and can fire drivers if its standards aren't met. Should the drivers earn employee status, watch for much of the on-demand economy to follow suit.

2. Augmented reality will change the way we work. Much of the hype surrounding virtual and augmented reality has been related to its entertainment value, but these headsets have huge potential to change work as we know it. Manual labor becomes easier with AR, as a small set of glasses could provide carpenters with blueprints or plumbers with written instructions--which also means a decrease in the amount of training necessary. An Android hardhat gives construction crews an unimpeded view of entire work sites. Doctors and surgeons could have patients' medical information in front of them at all times and easily monitor vitals. Companies such as Google and Microsoft have jumped into the VR game, and Apple just hired a professor who specializes in virtual reality.

3. The call for more diversity in tech companies will only get louder. The numbers are stark: America's population is 13 percent black, but in the Silicon Valley work force, that portion is less than 1 percent. The problem is as old as the industry itself but really came to light in the past two or so years, as Silicon Valley started revealing demographic statistics: Giants such as Apple, Google, Facebook, and Twitter all hover around 70 percent male and 80 to 90 percent white or Asian. The lack of diversity is especially concerning considering that five of the top nine and 10 of the top 25 jobs in America are in the tech industry, according to Glassdoor. Many of the leading players claim to be doing something about it--finally recruiting at Howard University's computer science school, for example--but the results aren't showing yet. The quest to hire more female and black or Hispanic employees will remain one of the tech industry's most public challenges in 2016.

4. Transparency on pay data will become the norm. The idea of letting all employees know one another's salaries can be terrifying--but it might just be necessary. A 2015 job satisfaction study of 70,000 workers found that how people perceive their pay matters more than their actual salary. Additionally, the more information employees have about why they're being paid what they are, the less likely they are to quit. This could especially come into play at cash-strapped startups, where underpaid employees might be willing to stick around for the cause--as long as they can see the math behind it. A less-awkward alternative to full transparency for larger companies: providing median salary info for each type of position.

5. A.I. will get a lot less scary. A recent report suggests artificial intelligence will wipe out 5 million jobs by 2020. And plenty of movies, books, and warnings from people such as Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk allude to the rise of killer robots. But A.I. in 2016 will do a lot more good than it does harm. On top of acting as an office assistant, the technology can instantly translate Skype conversations or identify and block lewd images on Twitter. What's more, tech giants like Google and Facebook recently open-sourced their A.I. software in the interest of fueling innovation and protecting the greater good. Having the ability to use existing software instead of starting from scratch will make the technology far more accessible to entrepreneurs--which could mean an explosion of A.I. startups in the near future.6. Great and borderline quirky benefits will become the norm. Nap rooms and two weeks of paternal leave are so last year. Some companies now pay for employees to bring children and caregivers on business trips, a trend that some expect to become more widespread. Netflix has begun offering unlimited maternal or paternal leave for one year after a child is born or adopted. Animal lovers won't have much trouble finding pet-friendly offices. And recent graduates, who average more than $35,000 in student debt, will be relieved to learn that companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers now offer to pay back college loans. Look for this to continue in 2016, as the lowest unemployment rate in 15 years means employers will be fighting for recent, debt-strapped graduates.

7. Everything will be on the "Internet of Things." No longer are communication devices the only things assumed to have Wi-Fi capabilities. In 2016, consumers will expect all devices to be able to connect to the internet--and to one another. Coffeemakers will start brewing once your alarm clock goes off, wireless headphones will remember your music preferences, and friends and colleagues you're supposed to meet will get an alert if your car is stuck in traffic. Research firm Gartner predicts there will be 6.4 billion "things" connected electronically in 2016, a 30 percent increase from last year, and that the number will jump to 21 billion within five years. Expect big tech companies--and some brand-new ones--to battle it out to host the Internet of Things on their clouds.

08 Momentous Steps You Can Take to Thrive as a Leader

1. Don't expect to be Jack Welch or Steve Jobs immediately. Give yourself time. Try to be an effective leader 6 months from now. Set up goals to get there, allow yourself to fail and learn. Then, in 6 months, set more goals.
2. Remember, most people like to be led. Well, not in business school -- there everyone wants to lead because they think if they don't lead every single minute, everyone else will wonder how they ever got admitted. But most people love having someone else tell them what to do, as it frees them up to think about other important things.
3. Organize, organize, organize. As a lower-level leader (which I'm guessing is where you're starting) you will be expected to know simple, boring things like progress, scheduling, managing tasks, assigning tasks, and setting up feedback. Organize yourself first, and then organize the team.
4. Own the process. If you don't do this, no one will. And it's an easy way to get respect. Know who people are, make sure meetings run on time, make sure everyone has jobs, design products that help the team work (set up Google docs, etc.). This can seem like meaningless work, but it allows you to control something, which will give you confidence.
5. Motivate others to come up with the answer. Too many people think they, as leaders, need to solve all the issues. They don't; they need to create the right environment that nurtures others to solve them. If your team is smarter than you are, you're in the right place. Scary place, but right place.
6. Listen , learn, adapt. Read your team and learn what is working and what is not. And if they tell you what is and isn't working, listen, ask questions, and don't take it personally. Then change and improve. It is better for everyone.
7. Trust in others. Whoever put you where you are, whether it's in your MBA program or in your leadership position, saw something in you. It's there. People who know people know you can be a leader. When I first started out, I was nervous. I saved every positive email I got at work and put them in a folder. I went back to it from time to time and reread them. Simple ego boost!
8. ...Until you can trust yourself. You will get to a point where this becomes easier. Take time out to notice when you are doing well. When something worked. Things working are much harder to see than things not working. You won't get compliments. But you should read the absence of any issues, as a compliment.

7 Reasons Productive People Go to Bed Early

It's bedtime and you still have two more hours of work to do. Should you stay up later to get your work done? Or just call it a day even though your unfinished work will mean you have more to do tomorrow?

Staying up an extra hour or two to finish your work can be tempting. But missing just a few hours of sleep today can have serious consequences tomorrow.

Here are seven reasons why the most productive people go to bed early:

1. You can't retain what you learn when you're tired.

The quantity and quality of your sleep plays a major role in your ability to learn new information. Sleep deprivation impairs your focus, attention, and working memory.  That means you may have to repeat tasks several times and you may be more likely to make careless mistakes.

2. Your mood becomes unstable when you're drained.

Studies show a lack of sleep can lead to increased irritability and mood changes. Skimping on sleep on a consistent basis sleep could lead to more serious psychological problems, such as anxiety disorders and depression.

3. Sleep deprivation impairs your judgment.

A lack of sleep greatly impairs your ability to make good decisions. A 2007 study published in the journal Sleep found that sleep deprivation diminishes your moral judgments. Participants who had been deprived of sleep struggled to resolve moral dilemmas and their response time in making decisions was much slower.

4. Lack of sleep increases your risk of accidents.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School report that insomnia is responsible for 274,000 workplace accidents and errors each year. That costs employers up to $31 billion annually.

Sleep deprivation impairs everything from your motor skills to your reaction time. So whether you fall down a flight stairs or you crash a forklift, missing a few hours of much needed sleep can cost you and your employer a lot of time and money.

5. Your health deteriorates when you aren't well-rested.

Sleep deprivation has been linked to a variety of health problems including heart disease, obesity high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes. Infection-fighting antibodies are also reduced when you don't get enough sleep, which means your immune system becomes weaker and places you at a higher risk of illness. Inadequate sleep has even been linked to a shorter lifespan.

6. Your efficiency plummets when you're sleepy.

Despite being present physically, you won't be 100% present mentally when you're sleep deprived. Studies estimate people who aren't getting enough sleep cost their employers about 11.3 days of work each year in reduced productivity.

7. Fatigue reduces your ability to handle stress.

Sleep deprivation robs you of mental strength and impairs your ability to deal with stressful events. Research shows that missing just a few hours of sleep diminishes a person's ability to deal with negative circumstances. 

Get Adequate Sleep

While you can recover from an occasional late night or two, making it a regular habit to stay up late can lead to a sleep deficit that you won't be able to repay. If you want your body and your brain to function at their peak, strive to get seven to eight hours of sleep each night.

11 Tweaks to Your Morning Routine Will Make Your Entire Day More Productive

Whether you naturally wake up feeling alert and productive or wake up with the brainpower of a zombie, these tips will help you transform your morning routine and set a positive tone that lasts the entire day.

1. Start with exercise

Researchers at the University of Bristol found that people who exercise during the workday have more energy and a more positive outlook, which are both critical to getting things done. Getting your body moving for as little as 10 minutes releases GABA, a neurotransmitter that makes your brain feel soothed and keeps you in control of your impulses. Exercising first thing in the morning ensures that you'll have the time for it, and it improves your self-control and energy levels all day long.

2. But drink some lemon water first

Drinking lemon water as soon as you wake up spikes your energy levels physically and mentally. Lemon water gives you steady, natural energy that lasts the length of the day by improving nutrient absorption in your stomach. You need to drink it first thing in the morning (on an empty stomach) to ensure full absorption. You should also wait 15 to 30 minutes after drinking it before eating (perfect time to squeeze in some exercise). Lemons are packed with nutrients; they're chock-full of potassium, vitamin C, and antioxidants. If you weigh less than 150 pounds, drink the juice of half a lemon (a full lemon if you weigh more than 150 pounds). Don't drink the juice without water, because it's hard on your teeth.

3. No screen time until breakfast

When you dive straight into emails, texts, and Facebook, you lose focus and your morning succumbs to the wants and needs of other people. It's much healthier to take those precious first moments of the day to do something relaxing that sets a calm, positive tone for your day. Jumping right into electronics has the opposite effect--it's a frantic way to start your day. Exercising, meditating, or even watching the birds out the window are all great ways to start the day.

4. Eat a real breakfast

Eating anything at all for breakfast puts you ahead of a lot of people. People who eat breakfast are less likely to be obese, they have more stable blood-sugar levels, and they tend to be less hungry over the course of the day. And these are just the statistics for people who eat any breakfast. When you eat a healthy breakfast, the doors to a productive day swing wide open. A healthy breakfast gives you energy, improves your short-term memory, and helps you to concentrate more intensely and for longer periods.

5. Set goals for the day

Research shows that having concrete goals is correlated with huge increases in confidence and feelings of control. Setting goals specific to the day puts everything into motion. Narrow your goals down to a few achievable ones that can easily be broken into steps. Vague goals such as "I want to finish writing my article" are counterproductive, because they fail to include the "how" of things. The same goal re-phrased in a more functional way would read something like this: "I am going to finish my article by writing each of the three sections, spending no more than an hour on each section." Now, you have more than simply something you want to achieve--you have a way to achieve it.

Getting your morning started off right at home is important, but it's only half the battle. If you fail to maintain that tone once you set foot in the office, your morning can lose momentum quickly. Here's how you can maintain a productive tone once you hit the office:

1. First, clean your workspace

Even though it's a pain to clean right when you get into work, it makes a big difference to your ability to concentrate. A Princeton University study found that people who worked in a clean workspace outperformed those who worked in a cluttered one, because clutter pulls your attention away from your work. In fact, the effects of clutter on concentration are not all that different from the effects of multitasking.

2. No email until you've eaten three frogs

"Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day." --Mark Twain

"Eating a frog" is the greatest antidote to procrastination, and the most productive people know the importance of biting into this delicacy first thing in the morning. In other words, spend your morning on something that requires a high level of concentration that you don't want to do, and you'll get it done in short order. Make a habit of eating three frogs before you check your email, because email is a major distraction that enables procrastination and wastes precious mental energy.

3. Assign times to your to-do list, and monitor your progress against your goals

To-do lists are helpful for making sure you don't forget anything, but beyond that, they can be misleading. For example, if you have three hours of meetings and eight hours of work, chances are you won't be able to get everything done. However, a typical to-do list doesn't tell you that you have eight hours of work; it only tells you that you have 10 things you need to do. When you add timeframes to your to-do list, it becomes exponentially more effective. It pushes you to avoid procrastinating or multitasking in order to complete things within the allotted time. It also shows you what is and isn't feasible so you can prioritize your day accordingly.

There's no point in setting goals in the morning if you don't check in on them. Look at what you've done so far with a critical eye. If you realize you're behind schedule or doing a shoddy job, it's important to adjust your goals or your work ethic so that you can move intentionally through your day.

4. Keep morning meetings on schedule

Meetings are the biggest time waster there is, and they can ruin an otherwise productive morning. People who use their mornings effectively know that a meeting will drag on forever if they let it, so they inform everyone at the onset that they'll stick to the intended schedule. This sets a limit that motivates everyone to be more focused and efficient. Keep your morning meetings on time, and your entire day will stay on track.

5. Don't multitask

Multitasking in the morning--when you have lots to do, tons of energy, and it feels like you can do two or three things at once--is tempting, but it sets your whole day back. Research conducted at Stanford University confirmed that multitasking is less productive than doing a single thing at a time. The researchers found that people who are regularly bombarded with several streams of electronic information cannot pay attention, recall information, or switch from one job to another as well as those who complete one task at a time.

But what if some people have a special gift for multitasking? The Stanford researchers compared groups of people on the basis of their tendency to multitask and their belief that it helps their performance. They found that heavy multitaskers (those who multitask a lot and feel that it boosts their performance) were actually worse at multitasking than those who like to do a single thing at a time. The frequent multitaskers performed worse because they had more trouble organizing their thoughts and filtering out irrelevant information, and they were slower at switching from one task to another. Ouch!

Multitasking reduces your efficiency and performance because your brain can only focus adequately on one thing at a time. When you try to do two things at once, your brain lacks the capacity to perform both tasks successfully.

6. Say no

No is a powerful word that will protect your precious mornings. When it's time to say no, avoid phrases such as "I don't think I can" or "I'm not certain." Saying no to a new commitment honors your existing commitments and gives you the opportunity to successfully fulfill them while your mind is fresh. Research conducted at the University of California in San Francisco showed that the more difficulty you have saying no, the more likely you are to experience stress, burnout, and even depression. Learn to use no, and it will lift your mood as well as your productivity.

Bringing it all together

The right morning routine can make your day, every day. The trick is to be intentional about your mornings, understanding that a.m. hours are precious and should be handled with care.

05 Powerful Ways to Build Your Personal Brand

You might not be looking for a job right now, but chances are you will sometime in the future. Before you do, however, you should do everything you can to improve your own personal brand--the image you project to the world.

According to Susan Vitale, CMO at iCIMS, a provider of HR software, "Having a killer personal brand is no longer an option, but a requirement when it comes to landing that job you've always wanted." Here are 5 great ways to improve your brand--and your job prospects as a result.

1. Bother important people

Personal branding is not very effective if no one knows who you are. Make appearances at industry conferences and fairs, and make sure you introduce yourself to all the right people. Do some research beforehand and target the heavy hitters with your charm and thoughtful small-talk. Afterward, direct message your new contact on LinkedIn or through e-mail thanking them for the time they spent talking to you. Being "the guy who sends thank-you notes" is never a bad thing, and will make your face stand out in the sea of other schmoozers from that event.

2. Get ready for your close-up

Technology evolves at an almost uncomfortable rate. Not only are paper resumes very nearly obsolete, electronic text resumes are beginning to fall from fashion as well. Making your name a bigger font on the top of your resume won't do much to make you stand out in the cloud of data most companies are pulling from these days. Instead, consider putting together a video cover letter. Even if the video simply lives on your LinkedIn profile page, this unique way of introducing yourself to prospective employers will give you an edge and let your personality shine through in a way text simply cannot. Have some fun with it, but try not to scare them away!

3. Start blogging

Guest blogging is a great way to put yourself out there. Showcase your knowledge, talents, and skills by writing about what you already know. Easy, right? If you can get a spot on well-known, respected blogs in your field--great! If not, start your own. Help employers better understand your brand with posts about everything from your thoughts on social media marketing campaign best-practices, to how you feel about the new Star Wars movie. Keep in mind, however, that if you commit to blogging, you must continue to post regularly. Otherwise, you can come off as disorganized or unfocused to potential employers.

4. Scrutinize your online presence

If it's online, everyone can see it--including potential employers. In fact, approximately 76% of recruiters say that they always or sometimes perform a Google search on candidates before hiring them, and 40% report finding online information that has disqualified a candidate from consideration. Go through all of your social media profiles and make sure every aspect is complete and what you want prospective employers to know about you. From favorite books to past work experience--it all counts.

5. Go ahead--be a showoff

Some may call it bragging, but the savvy job hunter knows that singing your own praises works to improve and support your personal brand. Complete a big project at work? Post about it. Head up a successful volunteer activity in your community? Post about it. Cook a nice meal for two? Don't post about it. Nothing bothers the masses more than social media over-sharers, especially when your targeted audience is your future boss. Don't forget, your personal brand is a supplement to your resume. Show potential employers you are active in your industry and successful in your endeavors with regular--not obsessive--Twitter posts or LinkedIn updates.

4 Habits of the World's Most Creative People

The most creative people in the world--think Einstein, Picasso, and Steve Jobs--didn't get their best ideas by waiting around for lightning to strike. So how do you engineer more creativity when you need it? 

A new behavioral study called Hacking Creativity, which was conducted by Red Bull's high performance group in partnership with data analytics company Vibrant Data, set out to understand the habits that lead to creative breakthroughs most often. Red Bull surveyed 500 "accomplished people" from a wide variety of disciplines via an online questionnaire. Here are four of the study's most surprising findings about how to be more creative.

1. Beware of "outside the box" strategies.

Plenty has been said about the importance of "outside the box" thinking for generating new ideas, but more than half of the survey's respondents said they were more creative when asked to "work within the bounds of existing rules," according to the study. People who favored these constraints for stimulating creativity came from a diverse group of professional backgrounds, including entrepreneurs, scientists, and artists.

2. Leave more things up to chance.

Surprisingly, entrepreneurs and business professionals surveyed in the study were twice as likely to report that their creative strategy involved a "let it happen" approach than a "make it happen" approach. What does that mean? While founders and business executives may devise clear plans for how to accomplish their goals, they're more likely to embrace chance opportunities than insist on solving everything through "deliberate planning." In fact, less than 15 percent of the total respondents said they typically make a clear plan and execute it.

3. Don't fear coming up with a Plan B.

Winston Churchill's famous advice to "Never, never, never give up," still stands, but there comes a point when you have to cut your losses, abort your mission, and go back to the drawing board. When faced with an obstacle in their creative processes, entrepreneurs and business professionals were three times more likely to quickly move to a Plan B than "tenaciously stick to Plan A" and try to make things work.

4. Spend time outdoors in nature.

Whether you consider yourself an "outdoors person" or not seems to have little impact on how time spent in nature stimulates creativity. Nearly 65 percent of respondents reported that spending time outdoors was important to their creative process, and their professional backgrounds spanned more than 20 disciplines and all generations.

When it comes to women's and men's creative processes, there were few significant differences between genders, but women were more likely to say they rely on intuition for creative problem solving, while men tend to rely more on analytical reasoning. Women also were "significantly more likely" to try to mitigate risks in the process, whereas men were more likely to view creative risk as an opportunity. 

05 Easy Ways to Create Credibility for Your Firm

Small companies often feel as if they're at a disadvantage competing with large firms. They feel as if customers are likely to consider a larger firm more reliable than a smaller competitor.

However, a smaller firm need not fear a larger rival if customers believe that the smaller firm can build and maintain credibility.

Most people believe that credibility comes from spending big money on branding and advertising. Nothing could be further from the truth.

For small firms, credibility emerges naturally from five inexpensive, easily-executed tactics:

1. Recommendations

Recommendations cost almost nothing and yet create enormous credibility.

To get a recommendation, ask your existing customers and contact if they know somebody who could use your services. Don't just ask for contact information; ask the existing customer send an introductory email to the potential customer, copying you on the email.

This has three important benefits: 1) it launches you into the conversation, 2) it white-lists your email address, and 3) it avoids any suspicious that you made up the referral, as is often the case with emails that start "Joe suggested I contact you."

More important, when an existing customer or contact recommends you to a potential customer, you have automatic credibility because the recommender is putting his or her business relationships at risk in order to endorse you.

2. Customer Testimonials

Testimonials are brief statements of public praise from existing customers which you post prominently on your website. They play the same role as a recommendation, but are less powerful because they're less personal.

To get a good testimonial, consider the questions a prospective customer might ask before hiring you. Then request quotes that answer those questions. Example: "Joe not only delivered on time, but provided immediate technical support."

Important: Anonymous testimonials reduce your credibility. If there's not a customer who's willing to publicly cop to the testimonial, it says that either 1) you wrote the testimonial yourself, or 2) the customer doesn't wish to be associated with you.

3. Well-Written Success Stories

Success stories are testimonials with a narrative. They describe a before and after situation where you've helped an existing customer to achieve a goal or solve a problem. The key concept here is "narrative" which means telling a story (as opposed to a case study.)

The success stories that create the most credibility are 1) relevant and 2) vivid. To make a success story relevant, choose a situation (goal or problem) that is common to the customers you want to attract.

To make a success story vivid, eschew the usual corporate BS and take the reader on a before-and-after journey where your product changed people's lives and careers. Quick tip: considering hiring a short story writer rather than a business writer.

4. An Easily Navigable Website

I addressed this issue a couple of weeks ago but it bears repeating. Unless your website IS your business (meaning you provide content for ad dollars or sell items online), your website should be straightforward, even minimalist.

Give your website a simple message, reinforce it with testimonials and provide a single, simple call-to-action. Use a simple layout, remove extraneous content, don't fill it with poorly-written blog posts.

You lose credibility when your website is the typical pig's breakfast of irrelevant content, google ads and menu button barrages. You gain credibility when your website suggests clarity of purpose.

5. A Small Amount of Useful Content

Contrary to popular belief, good content marketing does not involve slathering your website with all sorts of information. Instead, you want to provide a small amount of information that is:

1. Available on request only. Offer the information; never foist it. A free e-book is a good idea; a video that plays as soon as you hit the website is a bad idea. Credible companies are never pushy.
2. Is succinct and simple. Nobody wants to wade through complicated documents filled with jargon. In business, verbosity is the enemy of credibility. Credible companies get the point.
3. Is relevant to the customer. Rule of thumb: Explaining what your product does is usually irrelevant; explaining how a new idea or technology will improve the customer's life or career is always relevant.

06 Simple Ways You Can Boost Your Work Performance

Every successful company monitors mission-critical dashboards. Every successful company tracks key metrics. No one argues the importance of that.

So why don't we, as individuals, track personal metrics that can help us be more successful?

Good question, so here are six ways you can use personal data to improve your professional and personal life:

Physical

We all have limits. (Yes, even you.)

Sometimes it's obvious we need a break, but in most cases we figure it out too late. Put in double-digit hours and Sunday is no longer a day of rest and feeling overworked can become your new normal. Then, when your performance starts to slip, instead of taking a break, you put in more hours to compensate--and then you get even less done.

Finally, you hit a wall, and when that happens it can take days or even weeks to recover the enthusiasm, creativity, and motivation you've lost. And that is time you just can't afford to lose.

Here are some physical metrics to track to ensure you stay at your professional best:

1. Track your resting heart rate.

Every day, before you get out of bed, take your pulse. (There are plenty of free apps that make it easy. Some even log results.) Most of the time, your heart rate will stay within the same range, give or take a few beats per minute. My resting heart rate is normally about 52 beats per minute. If one morning it's up near 60, I know something is up.

When we're overworked and stressed, our systems send more oxygen to our body and brain by increasing our heart rate. (The same thing happens when an athlete over-trains and his or her body struggles to recover.)

Once you have a baseline for your resting heart rate, if you notice it's up in the morning, do whatever it takes to get a little extra rest or sleep that night. And if you notice it's trending down, that's a good thing, because you're either getting in better cardiovascular shape or losing weight--or both.

2. Track your weight.

Losing or gaining more than a few percent of body weight from one day to the next is a clear warning sign.

Maybe yesterday was incredibly stressful and you didn't eat and drink enough. Lack of nourishment and hydration can put the hurt on higher-level mental functions, which may be why, when we're overworked and feeling stressed, we instinctively want to perform less complex tasks.

And as for eating too much food--well, we all know the impact of that.

You don't have to be a slave to the scale. Don't obsess over the number. Just keep track of where you stand and take action when the trend indicates action is needed.

3. Track your "output."

Urine color can indicate a lack of hydration, although sometimes it indicates you created really expensive urine after you ate a bunch of vitamins your body could not absorb. Generally speaking, the lighter the color of your urine, the more hydrated you are. (Keep in mind that first thing in the morning your urine will always be darker.)

Hydration is a good thing. Proper hydration aids the absorption of nutrients and helps increase energy levels.

If your urine is darker than usual, the cure is simple: drink a lot of water.

The key is to monitor each of the above over a period of time, so you develop a feel for what is normal for you.

Then, don't say you don't have the time to take a short break, or get a little more sleep, or drink more water, or eat healthier. You owe it to yourself to find a way. Eventually, your mind and your body will hit a wall and make you find a way...so why not take care of yourself and improve your performance on your terms?

Activity

Sit all day and it won't just make you fatter--as Jessica Stillman notes, it can also make you dumber. Sit for the majority of the day and your risk of cardiovascular disease doubles compared to people who stand. Sitting for more than six hours a day can make you 18 percent more likely to die from diabetes, heart disease, and obesity than people who sit less than three hours a day.

And it gets even worse: Sitting for more than 11 hours a day makes you 40 percent more likely to die in the next three years, compared to people who sit for less than four hours. Eleven hours may sound like a lot, but add up all the time you spend at your desk, in your car, and on your couch: odds are it's close to 11 hours.

Clearly whoever invented sitting did not have our best interests at heart.

The key, of course, is to get up as often as possible.

4. Track your hourly movement.

One simple way to minimize the impact of sitting is to get up at least once an hour for five minutes or so. An app like Stand Up! makes it easy to remember--you get scheduled reminders to get up and get moving if you've been stationary for too long. Plus, the dashboard lets you look back and see when you were more or less active.

Other tools can help, too. Find one that works for you and monitor your periods of inactivity. Shoot for moving around at least once every two hours, preferably every hour. (Or you could do like me and sometimes use a treadmill desk: several problems solved.)

5. Track your daily movement.

You also need at least one dose of sustained activity every day. As little as 20 minutes of low to moderate intensity aerobic exercise will make you feel less fatigued and more energized. And if you do it first thing in the morning, that exercise will improve your mood and reduce your levels of stress.

The best approach? Work out first thing in the morning. Sure, you could work out after work, but then the happy feelings and extra brainpower will be wasted while you're asleep.

Remember, you only need to do about 20 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise. For most people, "moderate" means your heart rate should be within 100 to 120 beats per minute (depending on age, fitness level, medical conditions, etc.)

6. Track your sleep.

I know what you're thinking: sleep is not activity.

That depends, though, on the quality of your sleep. Quantity matters...but so does quality.

Why? Sleep isn't just needed for rest and recuperation. In fact, your brain is just as active when you're asleep as it is during your waking hours. Sleep is important: By undermining sleep quality, you learn less, remember less, make worse decisions, and reduce your productivity.

Sleep tracking is easy and free. Apps like Sleepbot track your movements during the night to objectively evaluate how well you slept.

All you do is to place your smart phone on your mattress and tap a button. The app figures out when you fell asleep and woke up, tracks your movements, grades how well you slept, and graphs and charts the data to make it really easy to evaluate.

(If you share your bed, this method of tracking may not be the most accurate gauge, so an individual device like the Jawbone UP may be a better, if more expensive, solution.)

Then use what you learn to experiment. Maybe light is a problem; try heavier blinds and see the result. Try putting away electronic devices for 30 minutes before you turn out the light; that alone can make a huge impact on how quickly you fall asleep.

Or try what I do: I always read before I turn out the light but stay away from page-turners since that defeats the purpose. Russian literature greats like Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky are not just fine novelists but outstanding sleep producers.

Think of it this way: You spend five to eight hours of every day sleeping--shouldn't you try to optimize the benefits of all that time?

09 Essential Skills You Need to Be a Truly Exceptional Leader

Here are 9 skills to sharpen if you want to be a successful leader:

1. Cultivate your self-awareness.
Self-knowledge is the beginning of self-improvement. Successful leaders don't only run an organization--they also lead people. It's paramount that you know yourself well, because when you know yourself, you are empowered; when you accept yourself, you are invincible.

2. Develop the right mindset.
Develop your mindset. Start each day with a decision to be happy. Embrace the positives and let go of all the frustrations and past failures that can distract you. When you master your mindset, you free yourself to achieve the level of success you are capable of, because as Henry Ford said, "whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're right."

3. Capitalize on your confidence.
Successful leaders capitalize on their confidence when difficulties arise. Don't allow your insecurities to get the best of you. Remember that your confidence is like a muscle--the more you use it, the stronger it gets.

4. Continue to  learn.  
Try to learn something new every day. Read newspapers, books, magazines and online. Search for what is innovative and creative, and try to intersect what is new to what you are already doing. The most skillful leaders never stop being a student.

5. Teach to grow.
Don't hoard your knowledge but share it: with your team, with your colleagues, with your clients. The more you teach as a leader the more you grow. When you learn, teach; when you get, give.

6. You are the results of your experiences.
One of the hardest things to do is to learn from your mistakes, but even the most successful leaders have made mistakes they don't want to repeat. Document your experiences and ask yourself what you could do better next time. Reference back often so you don't repeat patterns. You can learn something from everything you do, good or bad. The only source of knowledge is experience.

7. Success is a series of small wins.
It can be hard to build momentum, so start with small wins. The best way to have a sustainable successful year is to secure small wins because small wins, small differences, often make a huge difference.

8. Action speaks louder than words. 

To be a successful leader you have to be out there--you have to hit the ground running, taking action, taking risks. If not, you will find yourself growing stagnant and stale. If you wait until you are ready, you may be waiting for the rest of your career.

9. Find the balance.
Last, but definitely not least, learn to take care of yourself. Keep balance. Eat healthy foods and exercise each day, even if it's just a brisk walk. Make time for the people and things you love outside of work.

You can make this your year, but it takes skillful leadership to make it happen. It all starts with you--with knowing yourself, learning daily, and sharing that knowledge with others. Then when the difficult days come, and they will, you will be prepared. 

6 Traits of Emotionally Wealthy People

Success is a moving target.  We continually have to work harder and smarter if we want to make it to the 'C' Suite. The next raise is right around the corner. If we can just get that promotion, then we'll be happy.

But we never are.  Even if we get the raise and the promotion. The brass ring is always just out of reach. The pursuit of happiness is an elusive dream. The reason for this fruitless tail-chase is because monetary wealth, corporate upward mobility, and the acquisition of things does not create happiness.

Happiness is the byproduct of emotional wealth.  You can't buy it.  You build it yourself, from within. Hour by hour. Day by day.  Do you want to be happy? Adopt these traits of emotionally wealthy people:

1. Decide to be happy.

It's a decision. You can accept your circumstances with grace and forbearance; continuing to move forward. Look around and see, truly see, how much you have been blessed.  Your life is not perfect and it never will be.  Be happy where you are today, and where you will be tomorrow.

2. Stop complaining. 

Yes, you complain.  Make a conscious decision to speak only positive things.  You'll be pleasantly surprised how everyone around you reacts.

Start complimenting people. Find something nice to say, even to strangers.

3. Pray.  Or meditate. 

Do this first thing every morning and several times throughout the day.  Move your consciousness away from yourself. 

4. Be kind.

There is rarely a good excuse for unkindness. If you treat people well, you will feel better about yourself and about others. 

5. Invest in other people.

Putting other people's needs above our own is an innate part of who we are as human beings.  We are always at our best, and feel our best when we serve others. 

6. Read books. Not self-help, how-to-succeed-in-business books.  Pick up a well-reviewed novel and get lost in it. 

These small activities, if practiced purposefully, will open the door to real happiness. And it won't cost you a thing.

27 Super Easy Life Hacks of Highly Successful People

While luck plays a role in our successes and our failures, I personally believe that for the most part, we make our own luck. That is, there are certain things we can do to give our success a gentle nudge (or a hard push) in the right direction. Here are 27 habits of extremely successful people.

1. They acknowledge and address their mistakes in a prompt manner.

2. They define their well-being by internal fulfillment, not material validation (like money, cars, houses, etc.).

3. They overcome fear of leaving their comfort zones by knowing that the best way to grow is to delve into the unknown.

4. They acknowledge negative energy, but remain positive at heart.

5. They say "no" to taking on too many things (instead of multitasking life away).

6. They constantly perform above their own (and other people's) expectations.

7. They know when to take a break. They make time to care for themselves regardless of however focused they may be.

8. They give important decisions lots of thought instead of acting in an emotionally heated moment.

9. They are grateful for the things they have. They strive to give back to those who do not possess as much.

10. They value memories, stories, and people--not material things.

11. They pick the harder path because, even if it gets them to the same end goal, they know they will grow more.

12. They surround themselves with people who inspire them.

13. They are never anything less than absolutely genuine.

14. They keep on keeping on--even when things seem headed toward rock bottom--because they know patience is the most underrated key to success.

15. They are unapologetic about being who they are.

16. Their passion pushes them to be in a state of constant growth, emphasizing that it's about the journey rather than the destination.

17. They look for inspiration in the small, everyday aspects of life--finding joy in what many would consider mundane.

18. They show respect to everyone, even those who don't offer the same in return.

19. They talk things over with others in order to get a well-rounded opinion. They don't stand for being narrow-minded.

20. They jump over hurdles of doubt and failure, pursuing their dreams in spite all the negative emotions they may feel along the way.21. They never compare themselves to their competition, only to themselves.

22. They are innovative and unafraid to try things nobody ever has before.

23. They do not make excuses for themselves.

24. They pour their entire heart into everything they do.

25. They merge professional passions with the ones in their hearts, finding careers which allow them to be excited about what they do.

26. They never stop growing.

27. They love openly, boundlessly, and without restraint.

11 Affirmations Successful People Repeat Every Single Day

Accomplishments are based on actions, not on thoughts--yet the thought is always father to the deed. Achievement starts with an idea, a perspective, a point of view, or even just an attitude. (Ideas, perspectives, and points of view like these, for starters.)

Here are some of the things extraordinarily successful people say every day--and how those statements spur them to take actions that lead to even greater success:

1. "I can't do everything today, but I can take one small step."

You have plans. You have goals. You have ideas. Who cares? You have nothing until you actually do something.

 

Every day, we let hesitation and uncertainty stop us from acting on our ideas. Pick one plan, one goal, or one idea. And get started. Take one small step. (For example, here's how to start a small business while still keeping your full time job.)

The first step is by far the hardest. Successive steps are always easier.

2. "I will do what no one else is willing to do."

Often the easiest way to be different is to do the things other people refuse to do.

So pick one thing other people won't do. It can be simple. It can be small. It doesn't matter. Whatever it is, do it. You'll instantly be a little different from the rest of the pack.

Then keep going. Every day, think of one thing to do that no one else is willing to do.

After a week, you'll be uncommon. After a month, you'll be special. After a year, you'll be incredible, and you definitely won't be like anyone else. (And, in the process, you will develop remarkable determination and willpower.)

3. "I will face a fear."

The most paralyzing fear is fear of the unknown (at least, it is for me).

Yet nothing ever turns out to be as hard or as scary as we think. Plus, it's incredibly exciting to overcome a fear. You get that "I can't believe I just did that!" rush, a thrill you may not have experienced for a long time.

Every day, do one thing a little scary, whether physically or emotionally. (If you need a quick boost of confidence to get you going, here are some simple tricks that really work.) Trust that you will figure out how to overcome any problems that arise.

Because you will.

4. "I will appreciate someone unappreciated."

Some jobs require more effort than skill. Delivering packages, bagging groceries, checking out customers -- the tasks themselves are relatively easy. The difference is in the effort.

So do more than say a reflexive "thanks" to someone who does a thankless job. Smile. Make eye contact. Exchange a kind word.

All around you are people who work hard with little or no recognition. Vow to be the person who recognizes at least one of them every day.

Not only will you give respect, you'll earn the best kind of respect -- the respect that comes from making a difference, however fleeting, in another person's life.

5. "I will listen 10 times more than I speak."

I used to talk a lot. I thought I was insightful and clever and witty and, well, I thought I was a real hoot. Occasionally, very occasionally, I might even have been one of those things.

Most of the time I was not.

Genuinely confident people (here's how to tell if you're one of them) don't feel the need to talk. While I hate when it happens, I still sometimes realize I'm not talking because the other person is interested in what I have to say but because I'm interested in what I have to say. (Ick.)

Never speak just to please yourself. When you do, you please no one.

6. "I will not care what other people think."

Most of the time, we should worry about what other people think--but not if it stands in the way of living the lives we really want to live.

If you really want to start a business -- which you can do in just a few hours, mind you -- but you're worried that people might say you're crazy, do it anyway. Pick one thing you haven't tried because you're concerned about what other people would think or say and just go do it.

It's your life. Live it your way.

7. "I will answer the question that wasn't asked."

Sometimes people are hesitant. Sometimes they're insecure. Sometimes they're shy. Whatever the reason, sometimes people will ask a different question than the one they really want you to answer.

One employee might ask whether you think he should take a few college courses. What he really wants to know is whether you see him as able to grow in your organization; he hopes you'll say you do and he hopes you'll share the reasons why.

Your husband might ask if you thought the woman at the party was flirting with him. What he really wants to know is if you still think he's flirt-worthy and attractive; he hopes you'll say you do, and he'll love when you share the reasons why.

Behind many questions is an unasked question.

Pay attention so you can answer that question too -- because that is the answer the other person doesn't just want but needs.

8. "I will be OK with less than perfect."

Yes, you only get one chance to make a first impression. Yes, perfection is the only acceptable outcome. Unfortunately, no product or service is ever perfect, and no project or initiative is perfectly planned. In fact, the quest for perfection can often be your worst enemy.

Work hard, do great work, do your best, and let it go. Your customers and colleagues will tell you what needs to be improved, and that means you'll get to make improvements that actually matter to people.

You can't accomplish anything until you let go. Do your best, let go, and then trust that you'll work hard to overcome any shortcomings.

9. "I will try to do better."

We've all screwed up. We all have things we could have done better. Words. Actions. Omissions. Failing to step up, step in, or be supportive.

Successful people don't expect to be perfect, but they do think they can always be better.

So think back on yesterday. Think about what went well. Then think about what didn't go as well as it could have and take ownership. Take responsibility.

And promise yourself that today you will do a lot better.

10. "The one thing I can always do is outwork them."

Like Jimmy Spithill, skipper of America's Cup-winning Oracle Team USA, said, "Rarely have I seen a situation where doing less than the other guy is a good strategy."

You may not be as experienced, as well funded, as well connected, as talented, but you can always outthink, out hustle, and outwork everyone else. The extra mile is a vast, unpopulated wasteland--everyone talks about the extra mile, but few people go there.

Even when everything else seems stacked against you, effort and persistence can still be your competitive advantages--and they may be the only advantages you truly need.

11. "I will stop and smell my roses."

You have big plans and big goals. And you're never satisfied, because satisfaction breeds complacency.

Unfortunately, most of the time that means you're unhappy, because you think more about what you have not achieved, have not done, and do not have. (Of course, the key is to instead do things that make you happy more often.)

Take a moment and think about what you do have, both professionally and especially personally.

At this moment, you have more than you once could ever dream possible.

Sure, always strive for more, but always take a moment to realize that all the things you have, especially your relationships, are more important than anything you hope to have.

Unlike a want, what you have isn't a hope, a wish, or a dream. What you already have is real.

10 Qualities of People With High Emotional Intelligence

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to have an unlimited amount of success in both their personal and professional lives? It could be because they possess high emotional intelligence.

According to Psychology Today, "Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others." This usually involves:

• emotional awareness, which includes the ability to identify your own emotions as well as those of others;
• the ability to harness emotions and apply them to tasks such as problem solving;
• the ability to manage your emotions, such as being able to calm down when you're upset.

If you want to know if you have a high emotional intelligence (EI) or want to work on strengthening your EI in order to succeed in life and your career, here are 10 qualities that people with high EI all share.

1. They're not perfectionists.

Being a perfectionist can get in the way of completing tasks and achieving goals since it can lead to having trouble getting started, procrastinating, and looking for the right answer when there isn't one. This is why people with EI aren't perfectionists. They realize that perfection doesn't exist and push forward. If they make a mistake, they'll make adjustments and learn from it. This is one I personally have to work on daily as I tend to be a little more perfectionist.

2. They know how to balance work and play.

Working 24/7 and not taking care of yourself adds unnecessary stress and health problems to your life. Because of this, people with EI know when it's time to work and when to play. For example, if they need to disconnect from the world for a couple of hours, or even an entire weekend, they will because they need the time to unplug to reduce the stress levels.

3. They embrace change.

Instead of dreading change, emotionally intelligent people realize that change is a part of life. Being afraid of change hinders success, so they adapt to the changes around them and always have a plan in place should any sort of change occur.

4. They don't get easily distracted.

People with high EI have the ability to pay attention to the task at hand and aren't easily distracted by their surroundings, such as text or random thought.

5. They're empathetic.

Daniel Goleman, psychologist and author of Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence, told The Huffington Post that empathy is one of the five components of emotional intelligence. In fact, being able to relate to others, show compassion, and take the time to help someone are all crucial components of EI. Additionally, being empathic makes people with EI curious about other people and and leads them to ask lots of questions whenever they meet someone new.

6. They know their strengths and weaknesses.

Emotionally intelligent people know what they're good at and what they're not so great at. They've not just accepted their strengths and weaknesses; they also know how to leverage their strengths and weaknesses by working with the right people in the right situation.

7. They're self-motivated.

Were you that ambitious and hard-working kid who was motivated to achieve a goal--and not just because there was a reward at the end? Being a real go-getter, even at a young age, is another quality possessed by people with EI.

8. They don't dwell in the past.

People with high EI don't have the time to dwell in the past because they're too busy contemplating the possibilities that tomorrow will bring. They don't let past mistakes consume them with negativity. They don't hold grudges. Both add stress and prevent us from moving forward.

9. They focus on the positive.

Emotionally intelligent people would rather devote their time and energy to solving a problem. Instead of harping on the negative, they look at the positive and what they have control over. Furthermore, they also spend their time with other positive people and not the people who constantly complain.

10. They set boundaries.

While people with high EI may seem like pushovers because of their politeness and compassion, they actually have the power to establish boundaries. For example, they know how to say no to others. The reason? It prevents them from getting overwhelmed, burned out, and stressed because they have too many commitments. Instead, they're aware that saying no frees them up from completing previous commitments.

6 Incredibly Important Body Language Cues When You First Meet Someone

I'm just getting back from a tech trade show in Las Vegas where I had to meet dozens of people, some for the first time. Many were contacts who know me only as the person on the receiving end of an email or phone call. Others I've met only a few times. And a few are on a first-name basis; I consider them friends.

One thing I noticed is that there are certain body language cues people send when you first meet them. A few are obvious; others require a bit more perception.

1. Arms open slightly and ready to hug.

It's often hard to tell if you should hug at first. After all, we usually hug people we know really well or haven't seen in a while. Yet, if you have established rapport even over email, it might make perfect sense to greet each other in a warm but brief embrace. Again and again, my contacts who looked like they wanted to greet me that way usually had their arms open slightly, not pinned to their sides.

2. Fake smile or real smile.

This one is a bit more subtle, but you can see it of you look closely. People who smile in a real way do more than just "smile with their eyes"--they look you straight in the eye as if to inform you that the smile is real. (Fake smilers look away quickly.) I noticed another clue. A real smile is an invitation to talk a bit longer--there is genuine interest and a desire to connect a bit more. A fake smile fades quickly. A real smile is always followed up by some genuine questions and signs of interest.

3. The awkward quick handshake.

Be careful with this one. If you shake hands and the other person makes it as quick as possible, it means you might have a conflict with that person or there's some other sign of trouble. Maybe that person doesn't like you or doesn't want to make a deeper connection. A lightening fast handshake says please don't take up any more of my time.

4. The side glance.

Here's another subtle body language clue. If you meet someone and that person immediately looks to the side, it usually means there's a problem in the relationship. Friends greet each other warmly and look each other in the eye. If there's a conflict, the person is too busy, or just doesn't want to spend much time talking, the side glance is a way to look for an escape route.

5. Over-nodding.

In just a few cases, I noticed my contact would start nodding at what I was saying too often. It's another sign that you might be someone who is causing some annoyance or taking up too much time. It's almost as though the frequent nod is a cue to hurry up, to get on with what you're saying, and to give the person something meatier to digest that doesn't require so much nodding.

6. The lean-in move.

More than any other gesture after first meeting someone, I noticed a few people made a point to lean in toward me as an act of showing respect and interest. It was amazing how many people did this one gesture and how it makes you feel like you can show more trust. You can confide in them, because they have leaned in a little to make the job a bit easier.

07 Smart Habits of the Most Successful Leaders

It's easy to get caught up in the energy and uncertainty--living moment to moment.

Even among the panics and joys of your enterprise's life, you can be constructing the bedrock of all your later success.

Here's how:

1. Prioritize what's truly important.

When you know what's important to you, you know what to spend your time on. Say no to distractions and busy work, and yes to things that keep you focused and help you succeed.

2. Build on strengths.

You likely know your strengths already--but if not, start assessing them now. They will differentiate you from the rest of the pack, allowing you to create a clear direction and move forward to producing the right results.

3. Be tenacious.

Perseverance is part of every great success story. As Steve Jobs said, "I'm convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance." If something isn't going well, keep at it. Because every great enterprise has its roots in tenacity.

4. Make the commitment.

If something is going to get done, it is ultimately up to you. Even the things you delegate can be handled in a way that hands along a commitment and not just the task. The little choices you make every day lead to the final results you are working toward to be successful.

5. Keep learning.

Whether you're failing or succeeding, there are lessons all around you if you pay attention and keep your mind open. You can learn from them and make sure they don't happen in your professional and personal life again.

6. Be decisive.

Waffling and second-guessing accomplish nothing but wasting time. By all means, plan, analyze, and be thoughtful and intentional about what you do--but when the time comes to make a decision, make it firmly. Don't look back or second-guess yourself. Because every great enterprise needs a decisive leader.

7. Take care of yourself.

When you honor your relationship with yourself, you give yourself what you need. And from there, you can reach to help others get to what they need, and then together you can accomplish great things together.

As with any business, the best way to start out is to focus on the fundamentals. Start today to incorporate these key principles into your enterprise--and your life--and see what a difference this year will make.

05 New Habits That Will Lead to Ultimate Success

It's your first day back at work after the break. Poor you! It's also a Monday, which makes it even worse. If the coffee-maker broke, it would not come as a surprise. You stumble into your first meeting of the new year, slump in your chair, and wish lunch would come faster. That's no way to start the year. Here's a better approach.

1. Be intentional about mentoring.

Something happens to you when you mentor someone. I've written about this before, and it should be something that's already on your radar. There are two things I learned about mentoring in 2015. One is that you and the mentor must be totally committed to the process. It's a waste of time otherwise. The second is that mentoring teaches you as much as it teaches the person being mentored. That's because, when you give away what you have learned, it becomes a living and breathing thing. It takes physical form. Passing on what you know is one of the most rewarding things you will ever do. It will make your year.

2. View overachieving as a way to help others.

This is a brand-new concept to me and one I'm still grappling with. When you achieve great success, think about how that impacts others. I've heard it said that the most gratifying thing about starting a company is that it helps others, sometimes just in the form of a paycheck or a regular place to work. Being wildly successful spreads the success around. Other people benefit. It's more than just contagious, it's downright philanthropic. When you achieve great success, it spills over and that's one of the best feelings ever in business.

3. Stop lying to yourself.

Want to have a better year? Start fessing up to your own inconsistencies and failures. You can't really change and grow until you admit mistakes. You can't really move past a foible in life until you embrace it, unwrap it, dissect it, and learn from it. Stop reading right now and take a quick pause. What's chaining you down? Anger? Resentment? Bitterness? Admit your faults and you will be on a clear path to overcoming them and finding greater joy this year.

4. Forget the past.

We all do something really strange with our regrets. We hold onto them. We think by mulling over that failed business relationship or tragic financial decision that we can somehow resurrect something useful. Have you ever been able to do that? Mulling over failure doesn't help anyone. Take what you can from the mistakes, admit them, but then move on. You will not just have a better year. You will also become a better person in general. Loosen your grip on the past.

5. Choose happiness on a daily basis.

I heard a talk recently just after New Year's where someone was about to talk about a serious conflict. He started out by smiling and telling jokes. It seemed a little out of place until I realized he had totally decided to not allow the conflict to impact his attitude. It was as separate from him as a piece of clothing or a watch on your wrist. It was outside of his realm of thought, an experience he had but not something he would let define him. If you want to have a better year, consider becoming an emotional separatist. Be happy because of who you are, not what you've experienced. Be happy because you want that to be what defines you.

10 Reasons Why a Mentor is a Must

As an entrepreneur, it's exciting to go it alone and create something on your own. However, the reality is that, while you have a great idea, you may not know exactly what you should be doing with your business at which times to develop it into a sustainable business.

I've had several mentors over the years and learned a large amount of valuable lessons from each and every one of them. From not making certain business decisions to fostering certain partnerships, a mentor can help guide you through your entrepreneurial journey.

Here are ten other reasons why you need someone like a mentor:

1. Mentors provide information and knowledge. As Benjamin Franklin said, "Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn." When I was starting out, I had no idea what was involved in running a business, including making a business plan, budgeting, handling daily operations, making strategic decisions or running a marketing campaign. With a mentor there from the start, I tapped into a wealth of knowledge that got me up to speed faster and shortened that learning curve.

2. Mentors can see where we need to improve where we often cannot. Movie maker George Lucas noted, "Mentors have a way of seeing more of our faults that we would like. It's the only way we grow." They will always be brutally honest with you and tell you exactly how it is rather than downplay any weaknesses they see in you.

This constructive criticism that my mentor offered helped me to see things in myself that I could not recognize. I appreciated that insight because I didn't want someone to pad my ego. (Well, I did want someone to pad my ego, but I had to decide that the business was more important.) Instead, I wanted to know exactly where I was lacking so I could improve those areas.

3. Mentors find ways to stimulate our personal and professional growth. Another famous movie director explained, "The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves." My mentor would often pose questions for me to think about and ask me to come back with answers later.

He would also set various goals for me and let me loose to see if I could accomplish them on my own, all the while watching from a distance to see how these projects helped me to develop. He then made a point to sit down and tell me what he'd observed about me through the project process, what he thought was worth keeping - and definitely what he would immediately throw out. He also focused on character and values, which nurtured my personal growth as well as my leadership abilities.

4. Mentors offer encouragement and help keep us going. Inspirational entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey stated, "A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself." They are there no matter what and offer moral support sprinkled heavily with cheerleading. There were times that, if there wasn't a mentor there for me, I could have easily, "caved-in," emotionally, or given up on the business. However, I had a mentor and each one I had wouldn't let me stop but provided the encouragement and guidance that gave me hope and confidence that I could do whatever was asked of me.

5. Mentors are disciplinarians that create necessary boundaries that we cannot set for ourselves. I experienced a lot of tough love from my mentor. He did this because he understood that being an entrepreneur can be challenging when it comes to self-motivation and self-discipline. He took on this role of parent to teach me good work habits and provided the boundaries for me to work within. This solidified my work ethic, sharpened my focus, (I really missed some important essentials), and clarified my priorities in a way that I could not do on my own.

6. Mentors are sounding boards so we can bounce ideas off them for an unfiltered opinion. When I started, I had numerous ideas for all types of business ventures and products. I relayed all of these to my mentor who then helped me see which ones had potential and why others were better left alone. I appreciated his candor because I might have otherwise pursued a business idea that had no legs.

7. Mentors are trusted advisers. In the world of business, it can be hard to know who to trust - and that you can trust someone, especially with proprietary information or intellectual property. Since he was an objective third-party with no stake in any idea or venture, he was happy to let me know what he thought. In return, I knew that he would keep everything I told him confidential rather than sell it to someone else or steal an idea from me.

8. Mentors can be connectors. Playing a dual role of teacher and connector, a mentor can provide access to those within your industry that are willing to invest in your company, offer their skills and expertise, introduce you to talent that can fuel your business and help you get closer to your target audience. My mentor willingly shared his network with me, taking me to events and making introductions that led to many opportunities I would not have otherwise had.

9. Mentors have the experiences you can learn from to prevent making the same mistakes beginners make. Starting a business is challenging enough, so if you can skip doing things the hard way, why wouldn't you? A mentor has been there, right where you are, and has made numerous mistakes that they can now use as a basis for helping others to skip the devastating effects of not knowing.

I am all about doing things smarter, so my mentor shared many stories about the mistakes he made along the way that became learning lessons for me minus the pain and lost resources that come from making those mistakes.

10. Mentors are free, which makes them priceless in more ways than one. Typically, a mentoring relationship will grow organically through connections within your industry and network. A mentor does not do it for the money. Instead, they are driven by the satisfaction of helping another entrepreneur, paying it forward from a similar experience they had when starting their own business.

I feel fortunate enough to have had this experience and am now in a position to return the favor to others that are just starting out. Not only is the price right, but your mentor is also providing priceless access to everything noted on this list and more.

Having a mentor is not a sign of weakness; it shows you are smart enough and are driven enough to succeed.

5 Amazing Leadership Lessons You Can Learn From Playing Volleyball

Playing volleyball teaches you a number of lessons that are applicable to life both on and off the court. Volleyball is an amazing game with lots of little subtleties to it that make it really enjoyable to watch, especially once you know what's going on. I've played volleyball almost my whole life, and still play every week! Along the way, I've learned a lot from the game and my teammates.

Communicating in a Helpful Way

As in any team sport, communication is key. Because players on a volleyball court are relatively close together (and only with people from their team), they're able to communicate with each other quickly and efficiently. This includes things like helping front row hitters swing towards an empty spot or alerting a blocker that there's a tip coming over instead of a hard hit or helping the setter know when you're ready to hit (which can also distract the opposing team). Additionally, because you only get 3 attempts to get the ball over, it's extremely important to communicate who is getting the ball. Some of the worst point losses are those where a ball drops and no one goes for it because everyone assumes "someone else is going to get it". With good communication, you know where everyone on the court is and what they're doing.

Making Quick, Strategic Decisions

Volleyball is a really, really fast paced game. When teaching, we always tell students to make sure they're in a "ready position" (ie, their knees are slightly bent, they're on the balls of their feet, hands out slightly in front of them ready to pass with forearms or fingertips). This is because if you have to transition from standing up straight down to a good passing position, you've already delayed yourself by a split second, which can be the difference between making and missing a pass. Same applies for hitting - when you're in the air, you only have a certain amount of time to swing, so you better either know where you're swinging beforehand or decide when you're in the air. As a setter, my job is to make sure that plays are made and our offense is running. It's impossible for me to decide (before the play) every single set that I'm going to make. I usually try to call the first one or make eye contact with one of my players, but because the game varies so much, you have to be able to make a quick decision on where to put the ball. Front row hitters have a lot of advantages because they can jump and maybe use the block, but maybe you set someone in the backrow because the other team has a big blocker. Or, maybe you trick the other team and tip the ball. But, of course, the most crucial time that this is important is when you have a bad pass and need to turn it into something good.

Trust and Highlighting Strengths of Your Teammates

At a high level, volleyball is a game where recognizing and trusting your teammates' abilities. You need to be able to trust that everyone else has good skills and, in an emergency, can step up to help out. But, it's in your best interest to not micromanage your teammates - instead, you need to find ways to build them up, encourage them to be confident, and set them up to succeed. I've seen some players get really frustrated with someone having a bad day or not playing up to standard. Instead of helping them or giving them encouragement, they'll reach in front of them or try to "hide" them on the court. While overexerting yourself and trying to do everything can sometimes help, you risk annoying your teammates and causing confusion on the court. Instead, it's important to find the balance between trusting them to take care of their portion of the court and helping them when they're in a tough spot. You start to recognize how important everyone's skills are and how the different parts fit together. This translates into the workplace, too! I think being a setter on a bunch of different kinds of teams has helped me understand how to lead teams in student organizations and at work. Setters typically wait for someone to pass the ball to them so that they can set up a hitter. This means I have to trust the passer to get the ball and then turn it into something that highlights the hitter. While I can micromanage the passer, there's no way for me to do it for them and means I have to delegate that responsibility to them. Relinquishing some of that control can be hard for leaders and managers, but it's an important skill for the team's success and morale.

Playing When You're Down

Volleyball teaches determination and tenacity. I've been on teams that have sunk their own ship, even when they're ahead. You start losing a couple of points and all of a sudden either you're behind or the lead is lost. It can be completely demoralizing... or you can call the time out, rally with your team, and work it out. The difference between the most and least enjoyable teams I've played on has been how the team plays when they're behind. Those that give up and settle are the ones that are less fun. Win or lose, games are a lot of fun when everyone is working and going for the ball. I've worked on a lot of teams across various activities, but I think I learned the most about "comebacks" from volleyball teams. The difference between giving up and fighting through adversity is very noticeable in volleyball. I've seen this from the lens of a team captain and as a player, too. Being the captain of a volleyball team teaches you about moments like these and how to rally the team, even if you're worried or scared. I learned a lot about putting my team's success before my own fear from being a volleyball captain.

Accepting and Owning Your Mistakes

No one likes playing with someone who thinks they're perfect. This is true in real life, too! Playing a team sport teaches you how to work with other people. When you make a mistake on the court, you've got to own up and say something like "I'll get it next time" instead of blaming the ball, the court, the lights, or whatever else. This carries over to situations off the court, too! If something I do doesn't go perfectly at work, it's not helpful for me to look for someone to blame or to blame the technology or my coworkers. Instead, I feel like I've gained more respect from my coworkers and teammates by being willing to acknowledge when something isn't perfect and offering a solution to make things better.

All in all, volleyball is an amazing sport. I highly recommend trying it out if you haven't! You'll learn a lot from it as a team sport, and it's a lot of fun. I've played on a number of volleyball teams in different settings such as club, high school team, college intramural teams, sand tournaments, and recreational teams as an adult. Across these different leagues, I've played on co-ed and women's teams as well as on teams where I knew every person and trained with them, to free agents that met on the day of the first game. Every team has been different and I've learned something new with every team I've played on. Though I'm still young and have many more games to play, I have learned a lot of great lessons from volleyball so far and can't wait to learn more!