Focusing on your strengths is much easier than keeping your weaknesses in check. But this exactly what you need to do. For example, the smartest person who lacks empathy and humility will seem arrogant and cold.

What to do: If you want to adapt to the real world and make a strong impression, celebrate your strengths, but also make a point to identify your weaknesses. Knowing your shortcomings may drive you to get better at it.

Rewards usually offer a short-term boost. But the effect wears off, and the negative consequence of them remain: they reduce a person’s longer-term motivation to continue the project.

When money is used as an external reward for some activity, the subjects lose intrinsic interest for the activity.

To stimulate your mind, read something you’d never have touched otherwise. Pay attention not only to the story but to the particular problems the author has to deal with.

Try to connect those problems to the problems you face in your own field.

Turn the tables on your discomfort. Think of networking as an opportunity to give rather than to receive. Being a giver is the best strategy for building a valuable network that is saturated with reciprocity.

Even if you doubt you have something valuable to offer, you probably have more to offer than you realise.

• Ask questions. Instead of thinking of selling yourself, focus on the other person. Invite someone to share about themselves by asking open-ended questions.


• Listen well. Give all your attention to your conversations, listen without interruption, and follow up with open and thoughtful questions.


• Share experiences and perspectives. Fresh eyes or different perceptions are invaluable.


• Send a thoughtful follow-up with an article, notice of an event, etc, that they might appreciate.

1. To Create Magic in the World, Own the Magic within Yourself.
2. Collect Miraculous Experiences over Material Things.
3. Failure Inflates Fearlessness.
4. Proper Use of Your Primal Power Creates Your Personal Utopia.
5. Avoid Bad People.
6. Money Is the Fruit of Generosity, Not Scarcity.
7. Optimal Health Maximizes Your Power to Produce Magic.
8. Continue Raising Your Life Standards Toward Absolute World-Class.
9. Deep Love Yields Unconquerable Joy.
10. Heaven on Earth Is a State, Not a Place.
11. Tomorrow Is a Bonus, Not a Right.

If you shift your focus on the present moment (working, driving, cleaning, whatever it is), you will start to feel time as more abundant.

Mindfulness is a great tool to deepen and balance your days. But you don't necessarily need it. Just make sure to invest more attention in present-moment experience.

• Downtime aids insights


• It helps recharge the energy needed to work deeply


• The work that evening downtime replaces is usually not that important

It's important to have a shutdown ritual, to ensure that every incomplete activity has been reviewed and that for each you have confirmed that either you have a plan you will follow for its completion, or it’s wirrten down and saved in a place where it will be revisited.

When you’re not feeling your best for whatever reason it's impossible to interact with people at your highest level of charisma.

Even if you try to look happy, your face will betray you by subtly showing signs of your hidden emotions. It is much better to opt out of going to a unnecessary event than it is to show up and be unable to give people your best self.