I’d imagine that most football coaches take it for granted that their players want to win above all else. It doesn’t seem to make sense that anyone would put in the grueling effort and the time it takes to be competitive if they weren’t dead-set on winning. But speaking from personal experience, I know that …
When we look back on our past, we see our lives with a sense of clarity that we typically miss in the present moment. It can be so obvious to see what we’ve done well and where we could’ve potentially done better. Even if you’re like me and wouldn’t necessary want to change anything that …
Being good at something doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for improvement, and having opportunities to grow doesn’t mean that you aren’t already good. It’s a long game that requires constant reflection and progress. -Brandon
Some people see a stumble as a display of poor coordination. I see the opposite. Walking in a straight line is easy. If you pay attention to your surroundings and never move too fast, it shouldn’t be hard to walk without fear of falling. But inevitably, you’ll stumble, or knock something over, or otherwise be …
Project timelines slip. Whether it’s a construction plan, a large report that needs to be completed, or a team development project; it’s fairly safe to say that a project won’t be delivered on time. Even when we try to be conservative, we still underestimate timelines. Why? There are several contributing factors including our inability to …
Sometimes a simple heuristic can go a long way to make decisions easier. If someone asks me for something and tries to use time pressure to force my hand (“I need an answer today“) then my answer is almost always the same. If I’m truly not sure about whether I want to take on the request, …
Some of the most rewarding experiences can come from helping others. Tutoring, coaching, and mentoring are a few great ways to make an impact on someone’s life. But sometimes we devote so much effort on these activities that we fail to properly take care of ourselves. We let our physical or mental health begin to …
Some people are cheery and informal face to face, but they write like a lawyer through emails. Others are cold and stoic in real life, but they cover every message with smilies and exclamation points. And still others are cordial in person or on the phone, but they suddenly get the courage to be direct …
How often do we underestimate how much we dislike an experience? We suffer through a dreadful camping weekend or a long movie, only to find ourselves doing the same thing not long after. We seem to forget the agonizing boredom, or other discomfort that we experience. The psychologist Daniel Kahneman explained this phenomenon with a famous …
The Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be the worst team in the NBA. The Golden State Warriors are one of the best teams ever. But over the course of one trip up and down the court, it’s not unlikely for the Cavs to outscore the Warriors. Actually, the odds of either team winning a single exchange …