Entitlement is a disgusting disease that destroys our ability to reach our dreams. You may not even realize it. None of us like to think of ourselves as entitled. Yet, we see all the time that when people don’t achieve their dreams it has nothing to do with not being smart enough or not having access to information or tools. […]
None of us like to think that we make excuses, but we do. One of my business partners, Dustin Hillis, defines excuses in this way: “Any reason you didn’t do what you said you do.” I love that definition because it’s transparent, powerful, and most important of all, it’s inescapable. It’s inescapable from accountability. There’s no way to dodge it. […]
After delivering a keynote speaking presentation last week a man comes up to me and asks, “Rory what could I do immediately to increase my self-discipline?” It’s a good question, and the best answer is pretty simple but before I share the answer with you it’s valuable to understand the context of the answer. I think this particular man, and most […]
If you’ve never heard of the marshmallow test, it’s worth knowing about. From Wikipedia: The Stanford marshmallow experiment was a series of studies on delayed gratification in the late 1960s and early 1970s led by psychologist Walter Mischel, then a professor at Stanford University. In these studies, a child was offered a choice between one small reward (a marshmallow) provided […]
Hard work is not the key to success; it’s merely the price of admission. For the ultra successful, hard work is a given. Hard work is the expectation. Hard work is a mandatory pre requisite for success. But hard work alone doesn’t guarantee success. Because you can be working hard at the wrong things and it won’t produce the fruit […]
One of the most important habits of developing consistent high performance in your life is to put your self-esteem into your work habits rather than your production. The reason is because we want our confidence tied to things that we can control rather than things we can’t. Production often fluctuates up and down but our effort, work ethic, and intensity […]
“Cheat days” don’t work. Because “cheat days” fly directly in the face of what actually creates sustainable behavior change. The concept of a “cheat day” is that you “reward” yourself for one day as the result of “depriving” yourself for all the other days. But cheat days don’t reward you; they ruin you. Not only is it just a waste […]
“I’m SO busy.” You hear it all the time. In fact we hear it so much, we should all just assume that everyone is that way and we can all stop saying it. Because there is a maximum level of busy. There are only 168 hours in a week, and if every single hour is planned and occupied, then you’ve […]
People say all the time “I never gossip” but unfortunately many of them are mistaken. They do participate in gossip, they just don’t realize it. Because we think of gossiping as “telling” secrets we’ve heard; but there’s more to it than that. To listen to gossip is to participate in gossip. Why? Because when you listen to gossip you create […]
There are a lot of factors to consider when it comes to deciding what our next career move is going to be. Things like: How much money will I make? Will my job be safe and steady? Is there opportunity for advancement? Over the years I’ve begun to notice a theme and difference in those who end up both happy […]
Stephen Hanselman began his career as a bookseller 30 years ago and refined his passion for publishing at Harvard Divinity School, where he served as director of the bookstore. After graduating Harvard in 1986 with a Master of Theological Studies degree, he founded Divinitas Books, a specialty chain and direct-mail operation. After selling his business in 1991, he joined HarperSanFrancisco. […]
The first action step for becoming more productive is to write out your vision. Write out in specific detail what you want your life or business to look like in 5 years. The clearer you see your vision, the more obvious you will see your priorities. Priorities are not a matter of right and wrong or good and bad. Priorities […]
Today I am tired. I feel defeated. I’m overwhelmed by the incessant and never ending stream of emails. I feel beaten down by the daunting list of tasks and projects that come in faster than I can keep up with them. How is it that no matter how hard I work or how long I work I can never seem […]
Matt Mayberry, a former NFL linebacker for the Chicago Bears, is currently one of the most read columnists for Entrepreneur Magazine, as well as an acclaimed keynote speaker and peak performance strategist. He also writes for Fortune Magazine. As the CEO of Matt Mayberry Enterprises, a training and consulting company, he specializes in maximizing the performance of individuals and organizations all over the […]
There is a problem with many people in the world today. They are quitters. They quit too easily. They give up too soon. They bail without much of a fight. Sure they create problems for those left behind once they quit. They leave their friends, their teams, their employers, their spouses or whoever behind to pick up the pieces. But […]
It is amazing to me how vulnerable even long-term romantic relationships are at any given point. I think too often we place an undue amount of credit on the amount of time we have had a relationship. We assume that just because we have been with someone for a long time that our relationship is somehow more protected than that […]
Anger is a dangerous form of indulgence. I was once again reminded of this when recently I made the mistake of having an (ineffective) conversation based out of my anger instead of out of reason. Afterwards it occurred to me that while feeling angry is certainly a very natural emotion, we must realize it is still an emotion. And one […]
Angie Moss is a 25 year sales and sales management veteran with nationally recognized success spanning several different industries including real estate finance, healthcare, insurance, and printing/publishing. Brad Moore started in the mortgage business in 2009 and started Southwestern Coaching in February of 2015. Brad is now the Vice President of BancorpSouth Wealth Management Financial Advisor, Infinex Investments, Inc. Show Highlights: […]
Just yesterday I received this question from a reader: Rory, I have been benefiting from your insight (very appreciative I found your information!) and I am seeking to implement the principles you share. I am amazed. I was thinking: you run Southwestern Consulting, you generate enormous amounts of actionable content, you have speaking engagements… all the while having a family […]
“If I decide to POP (Procrastinate on Purpose) an activity, where do I store it so that I don’t forget about it later?” This has become a question I have been receiving regularly as it relates to Multiplying Time. I will answer for myself personally, not on behalf of all Multipliers. Though I suspect many of them would have similar […]
Delegating means empowering someone with the resources they need to complete a worthwhile task. Deflecting is forwarding something along just so you don’t have to deal with it. When you delegate you invest the energy to make sure the tools, training, and instructions are provided for the receiver. When you deflect you merely throw a giant messy pile at someone […]
