How often are you performing a gap analysis? A gap analysis may be the single most powerful tool you have available to you today. And yes, that includes every piece of AI, smart phone, laptop, desktop, etc. Why? Because it engages the most powerful supercomputer on the planet. Your brain!

Have you ever read The Tao of Seneca?  It’s a collection of Seneca’s writings that Tim Ferriss offers for free on his site.  If you don’t have it feel free to grab yourself a copy here. I’ve got the audible version and I enjoy listening to it on my morning walks. This morning, I was listening to Letter 89 - On The Parts of Philosophy.  Here are a couple of excerpts I felt were relevant to reflect on today:

Have you ever gotten stuck trying to figure out what to write or say? As someone who creates daily content it happens to me all the time. Some people call it writer's block, some refer to it as the curse of the blank page. For those who record video it’s the subtle blink of the red light flashing back at you. You see the blank page. You notice the lights gone red and then… Poof! It’s like the lights go out and suddenly you’re stuck inside your head. Just you and your thoughts. The cursor flashes on the screen almost as if it’s daring you to engage your keyboard. It taunts your ego...

Have you ever taken the time to think about the questions you ask yourself? They say the quality of your questions dictates the quality of the response you receive. I.e. if you’re not getting the response you want, ask a better question(s). Questions have a direct correlation to your success. They help you determine good decisions from bad decisions. High quality vs. low quality. Right from wrong. Questions are the set of filters you use to make decisions. Whether you consciously ask yourself the questions or not, they’re there. And they’re guiding your decisions each step of the way. In Reflection 051, I shared The Fifth Key Assumption of NLP - The Map Is Not The Territory. In essence, your map is the set of filters you’ve created for yourself throughout the years. And without good filters, the system gets clogged. It gets bogged down. So, a key question is: how do I ask better questions so I can create better filters?

Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought, "I need a resource to do “x”. Whether you wanted a tool to do a job, a person to perform a task, or a system to simplify a process. Sometimes all we need is a new way of thinking. As Dean Graziosi like’s to say, we need to focus through the lens of opportunity not obstacles. Here’s an example:

Have you ever heard of the phrase “lead from the front”. It’s a common phrase in military vernacular, but it’s less common with civilians. It means that when you’re the leader, you go first. You’re the first in and the last out. You lead the way through your actions and the example you set. It doesn’t mean that you have to be out front in a literal sense, but it does mean you set the bar. As another infamous phrase says: “as goes the leader so goes the team”. I bring this up because earlier today I recorded a podcast with my good friend Walter Crosby.