Blog of Susmit.

Look at what people spend their conversations on. It says a lot about where they're headed. Some people talk about vision. Others talk about people: who did what, who said what, who got lucky. One keeps your eyes on where you're going, and the other keeps them on everyone else. Then there's action. Some people do the work first and talk about it later. Others dream and scheme for years and never actually start. A plan you never act on is just a daydream. Your circle matters too. Some people surround themselves with success-minded people who push them forward. Others pick the people who tell them what they want to hear. Comfort feels nice, but it rarely makes you grow. Even money gets two different conversations. One side talks about using money to make more money. The other talks about using it to buy stuff they don't need. None of this takes talent or a lucky break. It takes a few habits: think bigger, start before you feel ready, choose your people carefully, ...

 I recently read Mark Minervini's "Mindset Secrets for Winning." Five ideas from it stuck with me: self-image, visualization, handling pressure, sleep, and empathy. Self-image Minervini says high achievers protect their self-image, especially on off-days. When a practice session is going badly, they cut it short instead of sinking into a rut. When it is going well, they let it run, because that drives the success deep into the nervous system. He calls this "perfect practice," and says it builds skill and confidence together. After a good session, focus on what went well. Visualization and mental rehearsal Mental training matters as much as physical training. The book cites Soviet athletes who split their time between the two, and Harvard research in which students who visualized a task in advance performed with nearly 100% accuracy, against 55% for those who did not. There are three kinds of imagery: internal (what you see through your own eyes), external (watch...