After overcoming the initial jitters of zero visibility and irrational shark attack fears, I aimed for a building on the horizon and started my freestyle stroke, breathing every two strokes. This is where I learned firsthand why sighting — lifting my head to check my course — is so crucial.

I'd tried sighting a few times in the pool, but it always seemed to mess up my stroke rhythm. Since I felt I was swimming straight and wanted to cover more distance smoothly, I didn't sight until about ten minutes in. When I finally did, I was shocked at how off course I was. I had wasted a lot of time and energy not making much progress. I ended up needing to sight every few stokes just to stay somewhat on track.

Reflecting on this, I saw a parallel with pursuing goals in life.

My Takeaway: Sight Often to Avoid the Illusion of Progress

In both swimming and life, it's surprisingly easy to get caught up in immediate tasks that we lose sight of our true goal. Are your efforts directed towards reaching your objectives or are you just so busy that you don't realize that you're swimming off course? Are you aware of the currents in your life that may be pushing you unexpectedly sideways and adjusting early enough to ensure you're still on track?

Sighting in open water involves briefly lifting your head out of the water to check your alignment with a distant marker. It's a deliberate act that ensures you're heading in the right direction. Similarly, in life, we need moments of reflection and assessment. Regularly stepping back to evaluate our progress against our long-term goals helps us course-correct before we drift too far off course.

Take a moment to sight right now. Look at the emails in your inbox or check the meetings on your calendar this week, and ask yourself whether or not what you're doing is leading you to where you want to go. Just as in swimming, regular sighting can keep you on track, ensuring you reach your true destination in the shortest possible way.

The post Navigating Life’s Currents: One Important Lesson from Open Water Swimming appeared first on Embrace Possibility.

(click on book cover for more details)

Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck-Why Some Thrive Despite Them All by Jim Collins

• Published: October 2011
• ISBN-10: 0062120999
• EP Rating: 5 out of 5 (must read for business leaders)

EP Main Takeaway: Great leaders reject the idea that forces outside their control or chance events will determine their results. They accept full responsibility and maintain fanatic discipline, empirical creativity, and productive paranoia. They attract others by having a goal that is bigger than any one individual.

Our notes:

Great by Choice - best leaders (10X) didn't predict the future

• They observed what worked, figure out why it worked and built their company around these proven foundations
  • Not more risk-taking, bold, or visionary
  • More disciplined, empirical and paranoid
• Need to be able to scale innovation, not just be innovative
• Figure out when to go fast and when not to; not all about going super fast
• Change on the outside doesn't necessarily mean change on the inside

Race to the South Pole - 1911

Roald Amundsen vs Robert Falcon Scott - Roald wins because he prepares properly by:

• learning from practical experience what works (apprenticed with Eskimos)
• preparing with intensity all the time so he was ready if he and his team needed to dig deep
• setting buffers for unseen events
• presuming bad events will happen and having contingency plans

Qualities of a 10X leader

1. Fanatic discipline: shows consistency of action; rejects pressure to conform in ways incompatible with values, performance standards, and long-term aspirations

• 20-Mile March: set both lower and upper bound on growth;
  • Two discomforts: unwavering commitment to high performance and holding back in good conditions;
  • Designed and self-imposed by the enterprise; performance marker must be achieved with consistency ***
• Helps build confidence to perform well in adverse circumstances;
• Reduces likelihood of catastrophe and helps you exert self-control;
  • Don't blame circumstance or environment; don't overextend yourself
• Never too late to start the march

2. Empirical creativity: during times of uncertainty, look at empirical evidence, not to other people; rely on direct observation and practical experimentation and build deeper empirical foundation for decisions and actions**

• 10X companies are not always more innovative but they always deliver (Intel delivers)
• Blend creative intensity with relentless discipline
• Fire bullets, then fire cannonballs - figure out what works then pile on
  • Bullets are low risk, low cost, and low distraction
  • Convert to cannonballs with successful ideas
  • Beware of uncalibrated cannonballs with good outcomes because it encourages the use of bad processes
• You will only know if something works through empirical validation, not pure analysis
• Don't let discipline inhibit creativity or creativity to erode discipline

3. Productive Paranoia: "fear should guide you but it should be latent" (Bill Gates);

• Don't believe your hype or in your invincibility; Believe 100% that conditions will turn against you without warning and prepare for it; channel paranoia into productive action
• Build cash reserves and buffers to prepare for the unexpected: start and keep this from the beginning
• Bound risk and know where your death line is - important to stay in for the long haul
• Ask: how much time do I have before my risk profile changes?
  • Minutes, days, weeks, years?
  • Faster is not always better - take time to see how an uncertain situation unfolds but be ready to act fast
• Zoom out then zoom into remain hyper-vigilant to changing conditions
  • Are there new conditions? Does it change our plans?
  • "Think first even when you need to think fast"
  • What is the worst case scenario? What are the consequences and our contingencies?
• Create and use a SMaC recipe to execute your strategy: Specific, Methodical and Consistent
  • Operating instructions - includes both Dos and Don'ts
  • Be stoic about what you cannot control but exert extreme control when you can - be SMaC!**
  • Try not to change your SMaC often (like Constitution - ok to question and challenge but rarely change)
• Figure out what works, understand why it works and use that info to understand when to change and when not to change
  • "Is our recipe not working because we lost discipline or has our circumstances fundamentally change?"
  • "The Signature of mediocrity is not an unwillingness to change; the signature of mediocrity is chronic inconsistency."
• Embrace consistency and change, both at the same time

The role of luck: 

• 10xers get a higher return from luck than others
  • Getting a high return on luck requires throwing yourself at the luck event with ferocious intensity, disrupting your life and not letting up**
  • When bad luck happens, "10Xers use difficulty as a catalyst to deepen purpose, recommit to values, increase discipline, respond with creativity and heighten productive paranoia"
  • Don't count on luck to win

Level 5 ambition: channel ego and intensity into something larger and more enduring than yourself - focus on your cause, your company, your work; Choose goals by impact, contribution, and purpose if you want to attract others to help.

The post Great by Choice by Jim Collins appeared first on Embrace Possibility.

7 continents,

49,599 miles later,

I'm home.

This trip around the world was amazing in many ways - the food, the sights, the people ...

but all of that was to be expected from a trip like this.

What I didn't expect was to learn a few life lessons that have changed the way I look at both the world and life.

Here are the realizations that I've brought home with me from this trip:

The World Doesn't Stop Turning

Before going on the trip, I was nervous. Being away for 2 months, many times without internet, scared me. I thought to myself,

...my blog is going to lose readers, my business is going to lose momentum, what is my family going to do if something goes wrong. Maybe I shouldn't go...

Now that I'm back from my trip, I realized that the world didn't end. I actually had more readers on my blog while I was away than when I was actively writing articles. That's when I realized that the world kept on spinning and will continue to do so with or without me.

This was both a relief and a bit unnerving.

Do I really matter? (This question also came up after reading Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything)

If my absence didn't make a difference, does my presence?

I thought about this for a while and concluded that ...

... it does.

It does to those who are around me. My family, my friends, my readers and all the people I have and will come into contact with in my life.

We often want to see ourselves as the linchpin holding everything together. It makes us feel important when other people depend on us. This is why it is so common for us to use the excuse - "I can't step away or (fill in the blank) is going to end up in catastrophe". Perhaps it's ego or maybe it's a deep sense of responsibility but more likely than not, we're just making excuses for something we are scared to do.

So what was my takeaway from all of this?

First, know your priorities and what is really important to you.

Next, do what is most important to you no matter what. 

Last, periodically check to make sure you are still doing what matters the most to you.

If you think your company is going to go bankrupt because you decided not to work overtime and spend that time with your family, you're probably wrong. They'll be fine with or without you. If you love working and you'll rather do that than spend time with your family, then by all means, do so.

There is no right or wrong. There is only your choice (and of course, your consequences). Life is what you make it so make it your own.

There is Only the Present

(Walking around Sultanahmet in Istanbul thinking to myself)

... I should've gone to the Blue Mosque this morning. Where should I go tomorrow? What should I do when I get to Budapest ...

When you take a long trip like this, it's easy to constantly think about what is next and forget to enjoy the present moment. I was guilty of this several times during my trip.

What's crazy is that if I didn't catch myself, I would have spent the full two-months worried about where to go next instead of actually enjoying the incredible experience right in front of me. Since I was also the photographer, I was especially susceptible to this.

Having returned from my trip, I realized that I spend a lot of time in the present thinking about what I'm planning to do tomorrow or what I did in the past. I rarely get to enjoy what's happening in the present. Knowing that, I've tried to focus more on the present through meditation. I now meditate 10 minutes every day and I notice the difference. I am more self-aware and attuned to my thoughts.

Living in the present doesn't mean you shouldn't plan or reflect on your past. Both of these activities are very important. Just make sure that you're consciously carving out time to do it so it becomes an activity in the present. What you don't want is to drift into the past or future when you really should be living your life in the present.

So how do you know when you are wasting your present thinking about the past or future? Just pay attention to what you say to yourself and others. Here are some words that usually signal past or future thinking:

Past: Would've, Should've, Could've, Next time, Why didn't I ...

Future: Next week, Next year, Tomorrow, I plan to, When I ... 

If you hear these words or phrases, stop and focus on what is happening around you. Ask yourself:

Where am I?

Who is around me now?

Am I breathing in or out?

What should I be doing?

Did I intend to reflect about the past or plan for the future?

Asking yourself these questions may seem strange and a bit extreme but if you don't become sensitive to where you are focusing, you'll probably spend most of your life thinking about the past and the future and not living any part of it.

Here are three quotes that sum it up beautifully:

"One problem with gazing too frequently into the past is that we may turn around to find the future has run out on us."

-Michael Cibenko

"Forever is composed of nows."  

-Emily Dickinson

"With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future.  I live now." 

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's Normal for Things to Go Wrong

Despite this subheading, our trip went rather smoothly despite all the logistical issues that could have gone wrong. We even had great weather. So what did I learn from this experience? 

Things tend to go wrong when you don't want them to go wrong

This is Murphy's law. 

I believe our trip was smooth because we expected something to go wrong. When you expect things to be rocky and they are, you become more resourceful because your mind is not clouded by disappointment. You knew something was coming.

Don't confuse this type of thinking for pessimism. You're not expecting only negative outcomes. You're just being flexible enough to allow room for things to go wrong. 

The passenger that gets sick on the train.

The computer that crashes right before you saved your work.

The rain that crashes your wedding.

We can't control the world around us but we can control our reaction.

Although contingency plans are helpful, you can never fully prepare for the unexpected. The best way to get ready is to practice being flexible.

How do you react when things don't go as expected? Do you just get mad or are you thinking about what to do next?

Follow Bruce Lee's great advice to "be water, my friend". Water doesn't stop when there is an obstacle. It will go around, over, under, or any other way until it gets through. It persists until it reaches where it needs to go. 

So here are my lessons learned in a nutshell:

1. Do what makes you happy and stop using the "I'm a linchpin" excuse to boost your own importance and to hide your fear of failure.
2. Always be in the present moment even when thinking about the past and future.
3. Allow room for things to go wrong so when they do, you'll be thinking about next steps and not how unlucky you are.

What are some lessons you've learned while traveling?

For those interested, here are some pictures from my trip:

You can see more pictures at robertchen.com.

The post What a Trip Around the World Taught Me appeared first on Embrace Possibility.

There is a simple formula for success:

All you have to do is ...

...think, feel and act like a successful person.

That's it.

So why aren't more people successful?

It's because they think, feel and act based on their guess of what a successful person thinks, feels and acts like. Unfortunately, their guess is usually wrong and they end up thinking, feeling and acting in a way that does not help them become successful.

So what is the lesson here?

Don't assume or speculate. If you want to find out how successful people think, feel and act,

Just Ask Them.

There are out there, more accessible than ever and willing to give back by sharing their experiences. All you have to do is ask and then model how they think, feel and act. How do they tackle tough situations? What is their definition of failure? How do they handle setbacks?

The great part about modeling is that you can cherry pick the qualities you want and ignore the qualities you don't want.

But what if I really can't find anyone to model?

Enter the Modeling Success Series.

In this series, I will be posting exclusive interviews with people I consider to be extraordinary and successful who I model myself after. We all have different definitions of success and extraordinary so it is for you to decide how valuable each article in the series is to you. If you have any nominations, feel free to send them my way.

I am honored to kick off this series with Leo Babauta.

Leo is a simplicity blogger & author. He created Zen Habits, a Top 25 blog (according to TIME magazine) with 200,000 subscribers, mnmlist.com, and the best-selling books focus, The Power of Less, and Zen To Done.

Babauta is a former journalist of 18 years, a husband, father of six children, and in 2010 moved from Guam to San Francisco, where he leads a simple life.

You can check out his full bio here.

Due to our busy schedules, we conducted this interview via email so the interview will be presented in a questions and answers format.

Here is the interview:

Robert: Hi Leo, what are some of the things you are working on these days and how do you decide what you want to focus your energy on?

Leo: I’ve been working with a group of readers who’ve joined my Sea Change Program -- a membership program designed to help people change their lives, gradually but completely. As an example, we had a two-month course called The Mindful Diet, where they learned to change their eating habits by eating mindfully, and soon I’ll be running a course called Unprocrastination. I focus my energy on things that excite me, and that I think will help people most.

Robert: What would you say are the major contributors to your success? Were any of these unexpected?

Leo: I’ve learned to focus my energy on the things that matter -- creating content that people want, rather than focusing on stats, SEO, social media, etc. I think my writing about simplicity and habits tapped into a need that was out there that I completely didn’t realize until Zen Habits started taking off (in the first six months). So yes, this was completely unexpected.

Robert: Was there a distinct moment on your journey when you went from faith that everything will work out to absolute certainty? If so, what made it possible to make that shift?

Leo: I never had faith or certainty that things would work out, and still don’t. I don’t believe in worrying about what might happen as a result of my efforts, as it’s impossible to know -- I prefer to focus on the efforts. I do know that I quit my day job a year after starting Zen Habits, because I’d paid off my debt and was making as much money as I’d made in my regular job … but even at that point, I had no idea whether it would work out. I still don’t, except that if I’m enjoying what I’m doing, then things have already worked out.

Robert: What are you thinking about when you are writing your blog and creating products and services?

Leo: I think about the reader. I think about what problems the reader might be facing that I can help with, based on my experiences. Then I do my utmost to help. That’s all I do, ever.

Robert: You are certainly very productive (creating a successful blog, raising 6 kids, actively exercising, writing best-selling books, creating content for your membership site, etc.). How do you prevent these activities from distracting each other and what have you noticed are your most effective ways to get things done?

Leo: I do one thing at a time, and focus only on that. Single-tasking is the most effective way for me to get anything done.

Robert: What advice would you give someone who feels underrated and not sure if it is possible for them to live their life to the fullest?

Leo: It’s impossible to know if you going to live life to the fullest, so don’t worry about that. You might live an amazing life, but how would you know if you lived it to the fullest? Maybe there was more you could have done? Instead, focus on enjoying the present moment, and doing what you’re passionate about right now. If you live life as a series of happy, content, passionate moments, you can’t say you did anything wrong.

Robert: Thanks Leo!

So what will I model?

• Single tasking - Do one thing at a time
• Focusing on the audience and solving their issues
• Live more in the present moment and stop worrying about whether things will work out

The post Modeling Success Series – Leo Babauta – #1 appeared first on Embrace Possibility.

Yoga Instructor: Breathe in through your nose ... breathe out through your nose.

Me: (thinking) in through my nose ... out through my ... this is interesting, I am going to do this when I get back to New York ... wait ... I should pay attention ... in through my nose ... out through ... I can't believe how much pee an elephant has, it was like turning on a faucet ...

Yoga Instructor: Breathe in through your nose ... breathe out through your feet.

Me: (thinking) in through my nose .... out through my feet ... in through my ... can't wait till breakfast, they always have a nice selection here ... I wonder how they choose what goes on the menu ... wait ... I should be concentrating on my breathing ... in through nose, out through feet ... how interesting that I am feeling something coming out of my feet ... I still can't believe they gave me a foot massage last night without washing my feet first ... nasty ...

Yoga Instructor: Breathe in through your nose ... breath out through your body.

And the pattern continues. I begin thinking about my breathing but then I get distracted. What's frustrating is I don't even notice my mind wander until it's been at it for some time.

After the yoga session, I decided to ask my yoga instructor about this issue. He went on to explain that the mind is like a wild horse that needs to be tamed. When it goes off course, you must reign it back in. Through practice, you will be able to fully control your mind and meditation is the taming of your mind.

I thought this was a very fitting analogy and I am currently learning more about and beginning to practice meditation. My mind tends to get distracted when I am working on my projects and I will be more productive if I can increase my concentration.

People perceive multitasking as being efficient but research has shown that multitasking actually reduces productivity. If someone is doing two complex tasks, there is actually no such thing as multitasking. That person is toggling between the two activities and not doing them simultaneously as the word multitasking would imply.

Normally I would have finished the last paragraph in a minute or two but because I am watching an octopus attacking a diver on tv (Caught on Camera 2 - Into the Deep) in my hotel room, it is taking about 10 minutes. I had to constantly find my train of thought by reading over what I just wrote.

Recently, I have been working on my focus and I believe that the next step for me is to tame my mind. I plan to do so by:

1. Meditating for 10 minutes every day after I wake up

2. Learn more about meditation and mindfulness

I will use a very simple meditation program by first concentrating on my breathing and to catch my mind wandering so I can reign it back in to concentrate on my breathing.

Feel free to share your methods or thoughts on meditation and the taming of the mind.

The post How to Tame Your Mind appeared first on Embrace Possibility.

One of my biggest struggles is finishing something that I started.

I would always be excited and have all this energy in the beginning, but like a child with a new toy, the excitement fades away and the goal doesn't seem worth doing anymore so I would just give it up and move on to the next exciting thing.

Although there is nothing wrong with having a lot of ideas, I wasn't accomplishing the things I wanted to achieve by starting so many new projects and goals. I was actually diluting my efforts and wasting  my time because I would never reach my desired outcome.

I have now learned a great way to stick to my goals. It came to me after I heard this classic story:

It's the middle ages and there were 3 stone masons hard at work when a visitor stopped and asks each of them "What are you doing?"

The first stone mason said in a harsh voice, "Can't you see? I'm carrying rocks!"

The second stone mason replied in a more resigned voice, "I'm building a wall."

The last stone mason responded with enthusiasm, "I am building a beautiful cathedral that will glorify God for centuries to come."

Who do you think felt the most fulfilled? Who would you bet on to achieve their goal?

Now every time I set or evaluate a goal, I ask myself the question "What are you doing?" and I listen to my answer. I have discovered personally that when I see the bigger purpose behind my goals, it is much easier to do what it takes to achieve it even if I don't feel like doing it. If the goal doesn't have a bigger purpose, then it is not worth doing because I've come to learn that time is my most precious resource.

So ... what are you doing?

The post How to Stick to Your Goals Even If You Never Could appeared first on Embrace Possibility.