When I was preparing to interview Jordan Harbinger (now the host of The Jordan Harbinger Show, at the time the host of The Art of Charm podcast), I planned to focus this episode on overcoming blindspots. In fact, I begin by telling the story about my big blindspot in relation to the Top 50 iTunes podcast The Art of Charm that has more than 1.5 million downloads per month. Yet, the conversation with Jordan was so rich that I decided to rename the podcast. I changed it from "Overcoming Blindspots", to "Blindspots, First Impressions and People Skills." It’s about learning the art of charm with - the social dynamics expert and entrepreneur - Jordan Harbinger. We spoke about: My initial blindspot in regards to The Art of Charm podcast Importance of first impressions We can’t prevent people from judging us, yet, we have some control over first impressions How to manage how people perceive us The blank canvas analogy Importance of non-verbal communication Jordan’s blindspots Why Jordan decided to start his podcast more than a decade ago How Jordan learned how to master people skills Importance of the growth mindset The big takeaway is:You can learn people skills, even master them. Also, check:https://www.jordanharbinger.com/

I recorded this MINDSET ZONE episode, on the Fourth of July, Independence Day, in the US. We commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776. This was when the American colonies declared themselves as a new nation, the United States of America, no longer part of the British Empire. Independence can be seen as self-government, self-determination, self-sufficiency, autonomy, and freedom. These are certainly inspiring values to live for. For my father, who passed away 6 years ago, independence was one of his core values. He raised me and always reminded me about the value of being independent. I’m grateful for this. Without doubt, being independent has been one guidepost I hold dear. Yet, I have to admit that when I hold this value above everything else, I limit my possibilities. Why? Because we can achieve much more through team work, than we can only by ourselves. Even in competitive individual sports such as running, swimming, tennis, the peak performers don’t do it alone, they have a team to support them. Steven R. Covey says it best, in his well-known book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: "On the maturity continuum dependence is the paradigm of you—you take care of me; you come through for me; you didn’t come through; I blame you for the results.Independence is the paradigm of I—I can do it; I am responsible; I am self-reliant; I can choose.Interdependence is the paradigm of we—we can do it; we can cooperate; we can combine our talents and abilities and create something greater together.Dependent people need others to get what they want.Independent people can get what they want through their own effort.Interdependent people combine their own efforts with the efforts of others to achieve their greatest success." Where do you place yourself on this continuum scale? After my thirties, and now in forties, I'm finally moving towards interdependence with my family and as an entrepreneur. This allows me to enjoy everyday life more and achieve better results. I thrive through Interdependence :) Love to read your comments.

In this episode, I had the pleasure to interview Monique Y. Wells. Monique is a productivity expert, and loves to coach women entrepreneurs who want their businesses to support their ideal lifestyles. Monique writes regularly for the Huffington Post. There she published recently a three-article series where she interviewed several entrepreneurs in the "expert arena” - coaches, consultants, authors, speakers, online marketers – about their experiences of six or seven figure business growth. This interview focused on mindset shifts around productivity, balance and entrepreneurship (namely what usually happen for the solo-preneurs to be able to survive the start-up phase, and grow their business to the six or seven figure mark.) In our conversation we spoke about: What Is Productivity?Productivity Is More Than Getting Things DoneNew Definition of BalanceProductivity Mindset Shifts in Entrepreneurship: From Start-Up to High 5 Figures From High 5 figures to 6 Figures, and Beyond "If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."-  Old African Proverb Links:Click here for Monique Y. Wells three-article series published on the Huffington Post: Learn more about Monique Y. Wells at MakingProductivityEasy.com

In episode 26 of the MINDSET ZONE podcast where the topic was “Do People Really Change?”, I spoke about a Greek philosopher called Heraclitus who said: "No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man." Heraclitus believed everything is in constant flow, everything always changes. I thought about this when I watched a short video from Martha Beck, a popular life coach and author. She shared her strategy to deal with major life transitions. Martha begins with the perspective that “all life is transitory” and if we accept that, we can better deal with unexpected changes. When life throws us a curve ball, it’s vital to press the pause button, and be able to see the situation from a wider perspective – to see the big picture. This is easier said than done, and often we need support to be able to do this. Eagle View This can be called taking the eagle view. This birds eye view enables us to see the bigger picture and decide what’s really important. Yet, we have to return to the earth and like a small mouse, walk one step at a time. Mouse View As Martha Beck says, sometimes we have to reduce things to very small bites. One day at the time, in some cases, is too overwhelming. One minute at a time or even smaller bites - such as one breath at a time. Here is how Martha Beck explains it: jQLeadBrite("#leadplayer_video_element_5587BDCE1EE81").leadplayer(false, "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"); I love the Eagle and Mouse analogy, because really articulates the paradox we have to embrace to thrive and evolve in our lives. Yes. We have to be able to see the big picture. To be that eagle that soars above and sees with clarity where she want to go. Yet, we can not fly to our goal. We have to come down to earth and walk toward it. We often have to climb many hills, overcome many obstacle, one at a time, while we keep the bigger vision in our head and heart. In practical terms, we have to transition as needed between an eagle and a mouse. Love to hear your thoughts about this.

To conclude my series of podcast episodes about the importance of “Focusing”, I was honored to interview Greg McKeown, author of the New York Times Best Seller Book - Essentialism: the Disciplined Pursuit of Less. Greg has taught at companies that include Apple, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Salesforce, and Pixar. He is also an amazing keynote speaker that I had the opportunity to meet at the ICON15– The InfusionSoft Annual Conference held in Phoenix, Arizona. Here are some of the topics we spoke about: What is “Essentialism”?Information and opinion overloadEmails in mobile devices as a distractionDiscern between the vital few and the trivial manyBecoming an essentialist is not an event, it’s a processImportance of pressing the pause buttonSmall changes produce big resultsThe power of a short breathing exerciseThe paradox of successEssentialism is not one more thingEssentialism is a journeyThree Simple Daily Practices to Become an Essentialist: Press the pause button - Breath slowly for 3 breaths Top Six Priorities - Focus on the first one: The Priority Write Down Five Successful Trade-offs and Celebrate that! Next steps: Listen to the book: EssentialismRead the book: Essentialism

I can’t stop focusing on focus :) First it was the interview with Omar Zenhom - episode 35 of this podcast titled “Focus To Succeed" Then, it was last show – episode 36 - about "Focus Without Focus." Today, I decided to speak about “Unfocus to Focus." During my conversation with Omar, he spoke about an interesting phenomenon that happens when we are on vacation, and not thinking about our to-do lists. This situation creates space that allows us to see our priorities with more clarity. It also creates opportunities to see new ideas and revisit old ideas with new eyes. Thankfully, we don’t have to wait for our next vacation to experience this. Most likely... We can think about situations where we frenetically tried to find a solution - How can I solve this?This is impossible to solve? Then, after a night's sleep, or under the shower, suddenly, things become clear, we have an insight for a possible solution. What was impossible, suddenly becomes possible. Often only when we unfocus from the problem or challenge, we relax enough to see new possibilities and solutions. This is the phenomenon I’m focusing in this episode, Positive Psychology has an explanation for it. Positive Psychology The positivity researcher Barbara Fredrickson, argues that positive emotions such as joy, gratitude, serenity, curiosity, hope, pride, amusement, inspirations, awe, and love, open our hearts and our minds, which makes us more receptive and more creative. Positive emotions open our awareness to a wider range of thoughts, potentials, and actions. Sun light signals to a flower that it’s time to open – positive emotions affect us in the same way - they open us to new possibilities. Let’s think of an opposite situation. Most likely, you can remember a situation where you felt overwhelmed. For instance, you are on a deadline, things are halfway done. Then you need a certain document to finish what you are working on and you cannot find it. You panic, you search your desk, your office - nothing. In the middle of this, a friend calls, you speak with her and relax. You even laugh at one of her jokes. When you hang up, your eyes wander a little and then suddenly stop at a specific place, because they notice something – there it is, the missing document. When we are under tension our vision is restricted figuratively and literally. We see no solutions to our problems, we don't find the object that was supposed to be there. When we relax, we are more open, our vision expands, we begin to see challenges from a different perspective. We are aware of more possibilities, we can see more. So, there are times that we need to focus to succeed. There are also times that we need to be unfocused :) When we are unfocused and relaxed we can envision new possibilities, and decide our priority – where we want to focus next. Unfocus to focus At first, it can look like a paradox, but if we transcend the apparent contradiction, we expand what's possible.

Last episode I interviewed Omar Zenhom about how to “Focus To Succeed."  Afterwards, several ideas emerged for me that led to the topic "Focus Without Focus." “Focus to Succeed” only works when we are focused on the essential projects that help us move forward. Our focus has to be on target. Moreover, if we take focus as the acronym F.O.C.U.S – Follow One Course Until Success – we should intentionally strategize about the "One Course” to be sure that it take us where we want to go. This concept is especially meaningful for me, because I can focus easily, but not always on the right direction. I consider myself a workaholic, because I’m truly compelled to do my work. I love what I do. It’s so easy to get in the work mode and stay there. Yet – and this is the dark side of workaholism – it’s very easy for me to get busy and focus my attention on chores that aren't that important – they don’t help me finish a project, or they help me finish a project, but not the project I should be working on. It’s easy to get stuck in busyness This was one of my mindset blindspots.  It was a turning point when I realized that busyness can be a form of procrastination. There is instant gratification by checking off our To-Do List. Yet, if this list keeps us on the proverbial hamster wheel, we will not move to where we want to go. So nowadays, a try to avoid being focus without focus by taking timeouts to reflect about: 1- My overall goals 2- How specific projects can help achieve those goals 3- Why to achieve those goals is so meaningful for me. I force myself not to have too many major goals at any one time, because this helps me to keep my priorities clear. Another turning point, was when I read the book Essentialism, from Greg McKeown, and learned that when the word “priority" came into the English language in the 1400s, it was used in the singular form only. It meant the very first thing. And it was used in the singular for more than five hundred years. Only in the 1900s, did it begin to be common to talk about “priorities." I find it powerful to force myself to pick a priority for my business week. That helps me to have a clear goal that I set my mind to achieve. For instance, every week I write down the answer to this question: If I could get nothing else done this week but ONE THING, what one thing would I choose to do?What one thing would make me happy and proud? In conclusion, the main culprit that keeps us stuck in the focus without focus is not to know our priority. This awereness helped me move from a busyness mindset to a more intentional mindset – and took my business to the next level. How about you? Do you find yourself also focused without focus? Do you have your priority crystal clear? As always, I love to hear your comments and learn about your experiences.

In this episode, I interviewed a fellow podcaster - Omar Zenhom. Omar is the Co-Founder of Business Republic, where he, and his partner Nicole Baldinu, started an alternative business education program called The $100 MBA – a culmination  of his years in business and education. They also offer daily, free 10-minute business lessons with their podcast The $100 MBA Show, that I highly recommend you subscribe to. In our conversation we spoke about: Mindset shifts necessary to keep our focus to succeed“Focus" as the most important word in business and success in generalWhy it’s so difficult for most people to be focusedFear of failure and being overwhelmedHow to avoid being overwhelmedImage of the electrical bulb and the laser beamSuspend disbelief in order to focusF.O.C.U.S - Follow One Course Until SuccessHow do we know we are on the right “Course"How to readjust your focusHow to reframe the failure experienceGo for No!Shut off distractionsThe Rule of FivesImportance of saying "No"How to get back on trackAnd much more... Love to hear your comments. LINKS:http://100MBA.nethttp://WebinarNinja.coEpisode 3 - Failure and The Way to Success

– Listen to this interview to find out how to win a copy of the documentary “Viktor & I”– jQLeadBrite("#leadplayer_video_element_5554E39D9C43F").leadplayer(false, "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"); Movie Trailer: Viktor & I, An Alexander Vesely In this episode, I spoke with Alexander Vesely about his grandfather, Viktor Frankl. Viktor Emil Frankl, M.D., Ph.D. (1905-1997) is considered by many as one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th century. He was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist, as well as a Holocaust survivor. Frankl is known by many via his best-selling book Man's Search For Meaning. Alex Vesely is an Austrian-born filmmaker and trained psychotherapist. His movie – "Viktor & I” – is an impactful documentary about his eminent grandfather, Viktor Frankl. For three years, he traveled the world to bring us this insightful look at Viktor Frankl through the eyes of those closest to him. In our conversation we discussed: - How to introduce the life work of Viktor Frankl to the next generation - What is logotherapy - How logotherapy can help people on their journey of personal development - How Viktor Frankl spoke about despair (despair is suffering without meaning: d=s-m) - The core of resilience and the role of meaning - How Alex realized that his grandfather was the famous Viktor Frankl - How the experience of being Frankl’s grandson shaped him - How Frankl lived the maximum “The salvation of man is through love and in love” in his personal life and that of his family - How does one surrender judgment in order to practice forgiveness - How Viktor Frankl spoke about Responsibility 4-Min Video: Frankl at a conference in Toronto jQLeadBrite("#leadplayer_video_element_5409F8EA6F5DE").leadplayer(false, "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"); Links: Movie "Viktor & I" Man’s Search for Meaning Related Episodes: 007: Searching for Meaning – Are You Aiming High Enough? 008: React or Create – Your Choice

In this episode, you will listen to an interview with Pamela Slim, author of Escape from Cubicle Nation and the Body of Work. Pamela Slim is an award-winning author, speaker and business consultant who has been an entrepreneur for eighteen years. Pam is a passionate, engaging speaker with proven advice for building careers in the “New World of Work” – a world filled with economic instability, rapid change, increased demands on leadership, work-life balance pressures and 24-hour a day social media sharing. Our conversation focused on her last book: Body of Work: Finding the Thread That Ties Your Story Together. We discussed: - Body of Work - definition - Need for a new type of career advice - Finding the thread that ties your story together “You need to tell a story about your own body of work, in a context that will make sense for the work you want to get.” – Pam Slim - Ethical and effective story telling “More and more people, by choice or by force, don’t have a straight-line story for their work experience.” – Pam Slim - Mindset shift needed to succeed in our rapid changing world “Craft a story that explains your highest values, your strengths, and the value you can provide to the audience you care about influencing.” – Pam Slim - Importance of defining our roots - We can have more than one singular life purpose - Our work recipes and ingredients - A definition of success “Don't aim at success–the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one's surrender to a person other than oneself.”― Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning More about Pam Slim at: http://pamelaslim.com