Friday Links 08-07-03

From the Web

Study Matrix Blog – A reader sent me a link to an interesting blog recently.  Adam writes interesting personal development articles, but has the unique twist of putting his thoughts into mindmaps.  I suggest visiting to anyone who likes a visual dissection of ideas.

Getting Started is Overrated – Forget the, “Ready, Fire, Aim” approach.  Cal Newport suggests that getting started is an overrated ability and that focused (and sometimes hesitant) action is a smarter approach.  He explains, “For every successful entrepreneur, or writer, or blogger, or actor, there are dozens of others who did get started but then flamed out. Some people lack the right talents. For many more, the pursuit, once past that initial stage of generic, heady enthusiasm, simply lost its attraction and their interest waned.”

I agree with Cal that action without some lasting commitment and motivation is often wasted.  But, I also know many people who sit around doing nothing, staying inside their comfort zones.  In some ways, Cal’s thoughts echo my own when I wrote about people becoming over-motivated when trying to change habits.  The initial spur to act needs to be followed by more than just enthusiasm.

From the Archives

People Remember Your Screw-Ups, Not When You Help -  “People expect you to fulfill your promises. Going out of your way to keep a commitment isn’t going to be remembered. But people will remember when you screw-up. Even if the screw-up is accidental, that broken commitment is going to linger for a lot longer than a spectacular success.”

From the Shelf

The Bounce Back Book – Karen Salmansohn has a new book about how to get over adversity.  I was featured on Salmansohn’s radio show, Be Happy Dammit!, last year.  The book is chock full of tips for staying afloat during setbacks.   The book has a rubber cover (perfect for bouncing) and each page is beautifully illustrated with ideas on each page.