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Six Keys to Being Excellent at Anything

Six Keys to Being Excellent at Anything
I've been playing tennis for nearly five decades. I love the game and I hit the ball well, but I'm far from the player I wish I were. I've been thinking about this a lot the past couple of weeks, because I've taken the opportunity, for the first time in many years, to play tennis nearly every day. And almost certainly could be, even though I'm 58 years old. During the past year, I've read no fewer than five books--and a raft of scientific research--which powerfully challenge that assumption (see below for a list). We've found, in our work with executives at dozens of organizations, that it's possible to build any given skill or capacity in the same systematic way we do a muscle: push past your comfort zone, and then rest. Like everyone who studies performance, I'm indebted to the extraordinary Anders Ericsson, arguably the world's leading researcher into high performance. There is something wonderfully empowering about this. Pursue what you love. Talent Is Overrated by Geoffrey Colvin.

Steal these Android tips and tricks | Digital Crave - Yahoo! You don't need a degree in software engineering to get more out of your Android smartphone. Regardless of the kind of Android phone you're packing — be it from Samsung, HTC, LG, Motorola or Sony, to name a few makers — we've got a handful of helpful ways to unlock the capabilities of your favorite handset. Unless otherwise specified, it also shouldn't matter what version of Android you're running on your smartphone, with the most popular today being Android 2.3 ("Gingerbread") or the latest release, Android 4.0 ("Ice Cream Sandwich"). Many of these tips and tricks will work on Android-based tablets (including those powered by Android 3.x, a.k.a. Oh, and if you have any tips of your own, feel free to share them with others below in the Comments section. Text or talk Hi mom! If there's someone you call a lot, there's an easy way to set up a "quick dial" for them on your Android device. Cutting corners Flash, on demand Siri, Shmiri Speak easy Say cheese Wild about widgets Screen dream Freeze frame

101 Conversation Starters People Love Below are 101 types of conversation starters to use on your first date, at a party, in business, with guys or girls, or on family and friends. The 101 great conversation openers are simple and effective. Do not be fooled. The most important point to remember when using any conversation starter is they aim to start the conversation. “Ice-breakers” break the ice; they don’t heat up the planet and make mother nature flourish. Conversation openers are not intended to make people laugh or get people to like you. What Makes a Great Conversation Starter? Watch this video for an amazing exercise you can do with me to create over 30 conversation starters that work for you The best conversation starters are situation-specific. ‘Ice-breakers’ break the ice; they don’t heat up the planet and make mother nature flourish. Here’s an exercise to help you develop excellent openers. Having done that, you already have 30 amazing conversation starters. Conversation Starters Anyone can Use in Any Situation

Color Psychology by David Johnson Like death and taxes, there is no escaping color. It is ubiquitous. Yet what does it all mean? Colors often have different meanings in various cultures. Black Black is the color of authority and power. White Brides wear white to symbolize innocence and purity. Red The most emotionally intense color, red stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. The most romantic color, pink, is more tranquilizing. Blue The color of the sky and the ocean, blue is one of the most popular colors. Green Currently the most popular decorating color, green symbolizes nature. Yellow Cheerful sunny yellow is an attention getter. Purple The color of royalty, purple connotes luxury, wealth, and sophistication. Brown Solid, reliable brown is the color of earth and is abundant in nature. Colors of the Flag In the U.S. flag, white stands for purity and innocence. Food for Thought While blue is one of the most popular colors it is one of the least appetizing.

The Chromatic Typewriter Washington-based painter Tyree Callahan modified a 1937 Underwood Standard typewriter, replacing the letters and keys with color pads and hued labels to create a functional “painting” device called the Chromatic Typewriter. Callahan submitted the beautiful typewriter as part of the 2012 West Prize competition, an annual art prize that’s determined by popular vote. I don’t know how practical painting an image with a color typewriter is, but if Keira Rathbone can do it… (via dark silence in suburbia)

Top 7 Most Inspiring Bicycle Quotes Quotes are great for capturing the essence of notable, hilarious or remarkable ideas. What they omit in detail, they make up for in impact. So in no particular order, we've compiled 7 of our favorite quotes about the varied world of bikes and cycling, a topic full of grace and humor. Read on. 1. - Iris Murdoch 2. - U.S. 3. - Bill Nye 4. - Pee-Wee Herman 5. - Jim McGurn 6. - Lennard Zinn 7. - H.G.

Mind Tools Videos - Training Videos from Mind Tools Leadership What is Leadership? Find out what makes a great leader, and learn how you can improve your leadership skills. Team Management Building an Effective Team Watch this video to learn about the steps you can take to create and maintain a productive and efficient team. Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing Find out how help your new team become effective, quickly, in this short video. Team-Building Exercises Find out how to plan team-building activities that actually work, in this short video. Avoiding Micromanagement Learn how to stop micromanaging, with this short video. The GROW Model One key role of any leader is to coach team members to achieve their best. Strategy The Boston Matrix In this short video, learn how to use the Boston Matrix to decide which of your products you should focus investment on. What is Strategy? Find out about the three levels of strategy, in this video. The Marketing Mix and 4 Ps Find out how you can use the 4Ps to help you kick-start your marketing campaign. 5 Whys

Headphones Mixing? Speakers Mixing? Both? By Roey Izhaki | Audio Undone By Guest Blogger Categories: Mixing Techniques Headphones vs. speakers – the theory When listening on headphones, both the left and right ears are fed exclusively with the corresponding channel. This means that the left-channel signal reaches the left ear only, and the right-channel signal reaches the right ear only. With speakers, however, this is not the case. • Sounds from one speaker can mask sounds from the other. • Overall smearing of the image for any sounds not panned to the extremes. None of this happens with headphones, but stereo was conceived with speakers in mind, and for many decades now music has been made assuming playback through speakers. The key difference between listening to music through speakers and headphones has to do with the way our brain localizes sounds. In the way pan pots are designed, when one pans from the center to the left, one should expect the location of the sound to correspond to the pot movement. The advantages The disadvantages

The Astounding Design Of Eixample, Barcelona Constructed in the early 20th century, Eixample is a district of the Spanish city of Barcelona known for the urban planning that divided the district into octagonal blocks. Influenced by a range of schools of architecture, Eixample Barcelona was designed in a grid pattern with long streets, wide avenues, and rounded street corners. Despite being in the center of a thriving European metropolis, the district provides improved living conditions for inhabitants including extensive sun light, improved ventilation, and more open green space for public use. And of course, the result from the grid-like structure is astounding from above: Inspirational Bicycle Quotes The oldest and best collection of famous, inspirational bicycle quotes on the web. Riding a bicycle is one of the great metaphors for how to live life, thus these timeless, wonderful quotable quotes. Please submit your favorite inspirational bike quote. Life is like riding a bicycle. I thought of that while riding my bicycle. ~ Albert Einstein My two personal favorites. Bicycle Quotation QUIZ Riding a bicycle is one of the greatest metaphors for living life. I never met a bicycle I didn’t like.~ Answer To bike, or not to bike: that is NOT a question. ~ AnswerBicycles are a girl’s best friend. ~ AnswerNearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him a bicycle. ~ Answer More quiz questions. New favorite bicycle quotes: Good thing riding a bicycle is as easy as riding a bicycle. ~ Becca Droz Marriage is a wonderful invention; but then again, so is a bicycle repair kit. ~ Billy Connolly Ride as much or as little, or as long or as short as you feel. ~ H.G.

Bros and Hos: Relationship Foes? | Hooking Up Smart When we want something, we employ strategy to help us get it (hopefully). It might not be a sound, well thought-out strategy, but we choose one path or another. Obviously, our chances for success are greatest if we have considered all the angles. One of the most important factors to consider in any strategy is competition. Your ability to get what you want will be affected by: who else wants it, and who doesn’t want you to have it. In business, when we talk about competitors we identify the specific players in a given market and their niche within the industry. It’s the same with relationships. In the realm of social transactions, defining the competition is tricky. You will need to be flexible and prepared to respond to different types of competitive pressures. Bros: Male Competition Have you noticed that even the biggest jerks get lots of girls if they’re good looking? If you are going to hook up, be selective. As you succeed, you will experience some pushback from the peer group.

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