Category: Turning Stories
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Progress happens between practice sessions
In response to my post on voluntary discomfort, marginalia_nu writes: I think expectations matter quite a lot. For example, when practicing a practical skill, the actual practice session itself will likely suck. Not only will you see no progress, you may even feel you’re going backwards. You’ll also get mentally and physically tired and quickly…
Herbert Lui
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Creative competition
A recording artist had started writing a book about creative work. Not long after, he read The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. “Every page made me feel better about my own artistic pursuits,” the artist writes. Then, doubt came over him. Rick’s book was so good that the artist wondered if he needed to write…
Herbert Lui
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What I got out of business school
In university, I attended a business school. It was good, with a decent reputation, nothing fancy enough to name drop. I picked it because I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do after studying, and the skills seemed flexible enough to apply to all sorts of jobs. Worst case, maybe I would be able…
Herbert Lui
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Stop trying to fill an acceptance shaped hole with ambition
If you tune into any type of media—traditional, social—you will receive the message that success will fix everything. Except it doesn’t work. Success promises to make you happy, but it can’t. You don’t need to look very far to see a successful person do something a happy person would not. The next time you crave…
Herbert Lui
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Turn a difference of kind into a difference of degree
“Once you start making things, once you take that leap, you have the same status as any other artist,” Questlove writes in Creative Quest. “I’m not saying that you’re as good. I’m not saying that you’re as important. But all of a sudden it’s a difference of degree rather than a difference of kind.” If…
Herbert Lui
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Patience creates new possibilities
If there was a recipe for making sure I don’t sleep well, a high dose of caffeine would be a key ingredient. The first hour is great—then stress, anxiety, and rumination surge, continuing through the night. The advantage is, I won’t stop working. The disadvantage is, I can’t stop or rest, even if I wanted…
Herbert Lui
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Make space for projects that show momentum, by quitting the ones that don’t
One of my friends is an entrepreneur with a wide ranging portfolio that spans real estate, franchises, ecommerce stores, and software. Some of these businesses have seen dramatic growth. Whenever we chat, he’ll describe a new business—often two or three—that he’s directly working on. I pay attention because I always learn something new. Sometimes, I…
Herbert Lui
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Restraint, and a better no
At the start of each year, some people choose a word or motto intended to be a theme. I’m usually not one of them. However, the word, “Restraint,” came to me last year, so I made that a focus. It has remained the word for this year. While I’d made progress, I felt like there…
Herbert Lui
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Leadership looks sweet and tastes bitter
One way to define a leader is someone who understands what needs to be done, and gets it done. Another way to say this: a leader sets a goal, makes a plan to achieve it, and executes on that plan. A person doesn’t need a job title or power to become a leader. They take…
Herbert Lui
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Stacking the deck to win
What’s the most important thing an executive coach can do to succeed? Choosing the right clients. More specifically, choosing to only work with leaders who demonstrate a high potential of success before the engagement. In order to do this, the coach needs to qualify potential clients very intentionally. They decline to work with anyone who…
Herbert Lui