The poster above may be a relic of World War II, but the notion of keeping secrets to preserve the advantage dates from much further back. The ancient "Art of War" by Sun Tzu includes the advice "[c]onceal your dispositions, and your condition will remain secret, which leads to victory." More recently, the passage of the Patriot Act has shown the importance that global leaders place on protecting their own...
Experience, as they say, is what you get immediately after you need it. No doubt you've experienced this unfortunate truth many times in your life; I certainly have. That's the beauty of training. It allows us to learn from the mistakes of others, rather than having to make our own (not that any teenager in the world is going to believe that). Fortunately for us both, we live in a...
When's the last time you did something without procrastinating, even for a minute? With so many distractions in our high-data culture, it can be hard to retain your focus on any one project for long stretches of time. That's not always a bad thing - some people are simply happier with a lot of different things occupying their attention at the same time. For others, that can be overwhelming -...
Whether you're struggling with being productive, or a productive person who wants to increase that productivity still further, there are a few simple tricks and techniques I've picked up over the years to get my mind on track and get down to business. It's easy to procrastinate (and I've heard it said that the things you spend your time doing when you procrastinate are the things you should try to...
Maybe you don't have a smartphone. If not, this is your day off. Go out and have a beer or two and ruminate on the simple, unencumbered life you've chosen. For the rest of us, put the phone down for a minute and take a look at this article. A smartphone is a powerful device for productivity - and equally as powerful a device of distraction. If you're anything like...
Since I began my time on this blog, I have (for the most part) always tried to take the optimistic view. And with good reason, as that's how I feel. You are going to succeed. It is not a matter of if, it is simply a matter of when. But I like my optimism with a healthy dose of pragmatism, and that's something we'll touch on a bit today. After...
This is going to be a touchy subject for some. I will do my absolute best to be as sensitive on this subject as possible, but I am not a perfect human being (none of us are), so I may inadvertently word something in a way that some might consider offensive. For this, I apologize. I assure you, it is not my intention. I would also like to add that...
I've spoken a lot about various personality traits over the course of my time writing this blog. It takes a certain kind of person to cast off the shackles of the 9-5 world and strike out on their own on the path to PIE. You need to be motivated. Confident. Professional. Intelligent. Creative. But one specific personality trait I haven't really touched on, and will today, is patience. And in...
I want to try a little experiment with you all. If you own a smartphone (and you should), pick it up, and go to your phone's application store (Blackberry App World, Google Play, Apple's App Store, etc). Now take a look at the most downloaded apps. More specifically, take a look at the prices. Notice anything? Apps generally fall into three categories. Free, which is, well, pretty obvious. Premium, which...
The title really says it all, doesn't it? There have been numerous studies done over the years that people are more likely to listen to someone who exudes an air of confidence. This is actually proven scientific fact. So it should be a bit of a no-brainer that this is something you should be doing at all times, to go along with your consummate professionalism, leadership skills, sense of timing, organizational...