First Things

Did you know that at least 60% of your communication is non-verbal?  Research indicates it might go as high as 93%.  That is a lot!  If we are going to become better communicators … assertive communicators … we can’t ignore the role that body language plays.  Vanessa Van Edwards of Science of People joins me to […] The post #037 – Body Language 101 with Vanessa Van Edwards (Assertiveness Pt 8) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Before we get to the assertiveness skills, there are a few last steps to consider.  You need to lay the groundwork for change in your life. Before we embark on strategies to put more assertive styles of communication in our lives, we want to go over a few more suggestions to think about assertiveness, relationships, […] The post #036 – Preparing for Change (Assertiveness Pt 7) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Now that we have covered stinking thinking that prevents us from establishing assertive styles of communication, how can you replace your thoughts with beliefs that push you toward assertiveness? In a previous episode, we talked about the overall aspects of Stinking Thinking.  Last week, we talked about how this applies to assertiveness.  Now, what types […] The post #035 – Replace Your Thoughts (Assertiveness Pt 6) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Whatever your mind can conceive and believe it can achieve. – Napoleon Hill In a previous episode, we talked about the overall aspects of Stinking Thinking.  How does Stinking Thinking apply to the topic of Assertiveness?  What are some examples of stinking thinking that can thwart our attempts to develop an assertive style of communication? […] The post #034 – Stinking Thinking (Assertiveness Pt 5) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction. – Albert Einstein Seems obvious, only an idiot would try to keep doing the same thing and expect different results, right? But the truth is I’m guilty of it, my friends are guilty, my family are guilty and I […] The post #033 – Social Barriers (Assertiveness Pt 4) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Stress is inevitable. A stress barrier can be a great inhibitor to establishing a habit of assertiveness.  Stress walks in and out of our lives on a regular basis. And it can easily walk all over us unless we take action. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to minimize and cope with stress. […] The post #032 – Stress Barrier (Assertiveness Pt 3) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

What exactly is assertiveness?  What is the difference between assertiveness vs aggressiveness?  What about passivity or being passive-aggressive? Many people believe that assertive and aggressive behavior means the same thing. The first step in managing difficult people at work is to clear up this confusion.  What is the difference in assertiveness vs aggressiveness? Click to […] The post #031 – Assertiveness vs Aggressiveness (Assertiveness Pt 2) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

For most of my life, I wasn’t assertive enough at work (I’m usually assertive enough in my personal life, but even there, I’m not always assertive enough). I was scared to death to speak in public. I’d often allow others to walk all over me, often ending in disastrous work situations. I was usually willing […] The post #030 – Assertiveness Pt 1: Introduction [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Timothy Moser is the host of the ACE Productivity podcast as well as blogging on his AceProductivity.com site.  Timothy has been a long supporter of my show, and has tremendous insights on experimenting in life. I find the idea of experimenting with life not only fun, but essential for true productivity.  I recently caught up […] The post #029 – Timothy Moser Interview: Your Life an Experiment [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

We have spent over two months talking about the issue of procrastination.  Now, let’s hear from the man who wrote the book!  Neil Fiore is interviewed in this episode. This is an older interview of Neil’s, and in it he covers many of the fundamental ideas of the Now Habit and overcoming procrastination. Click to […] The post #028 – Neil Fiore Interview (The Now Habit Pt 11) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

What about dealing with procrastinators?  It is one thing to learn how to personally overcome procrastination. But how do we handle living in a world dominated by procrastination? By knowing the techniques to overcome procrastination, you are already at a huge advantage in dealing with procrastinators. A key idea is to not be a “dictator” […] The post #027 – Dealing with Procrastinators (The Now Habit Pt 10) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

We have covered all of the major techniques for overcoming procrastination. But now … what about dealing with setbacks? What should we do with failure in this area? Does that mean we are hopeless to overcome procrastination? Not at all!!  All it means is that you have let procrastination become an “8 line highway” in […] The post #026 – Dealing with Setbacks (The Now Habit Pt 9) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Basketball intrigues me … especially when the player shoots free throws.  Have you ever seen this craziness?  People waving signs, pictures, big heads … just in an attempt to distract the player.  Yet the great players seem to enter a new dimension … a flow state … and not even see the distractions. Have your ever lost yourself […] The post #025 – Working in the Flow State (The Now Habit Pt 8) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

We’ve talked about guilt-free play to overcome procrastination.  We’ve talked about a “reverse calendar” to overcome procrastination.  How do we merge these two ideas together for an overall strategy to deal with procrastination? The answer provided in the Now Habit is to use the “Unschedule.”  This is an innovative use of calendar planning that provides […] The post #024 – The UNschedule (The Now Habit Pt 7) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Many of us face roadblocks.  How do we overcome blocks to action?  How can we get unstuck when we feel overwhelmed with a task and procrastination is a natural response to the stress? In this episode, we look at various roadblocks that tempt us toward procrastination, as well as tools to help in overcoming blocks.  […] The post #023 – Overcoming Blocks (The Now Habit Pt 6) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Do you have guilt-free play? Or do you see your life more as if it is “on hold” until you accomplish something? In this episode, we look at what I consider one of the most exciting topics that Neil Fiore covers in The Now Habit.  That is, some of us think we are so busy we […] The post #022 – Guilt-Free Play (The Now Habit Pt 5) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

We continue our discussion on procrastination by discussing the issue of how to talk to yourself. Want to know what a person really believes and feels? Listen to what they talk about. Our speech reveals our deepest beliefs. Can we use this to our advantage to overcome procrastination? In short … YES.  But, it isn’t […] The post #021 – How to Talk to Yourself (The Now Habit Pt 4) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

We discuss the issue of how we procrastinate. By identifying the source of our problem, we were able to break the big job of “getting organized” into less threatening, bite-sized pieces. With the Now Habit tools, we are able to replace self-criticism, become productive, and have fun in life. Many of us use our performance […] The post #020 – How We Procrastinate (The Now Habit Pt 3) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Have you ever thought about why we procrastinate? What is behind this? What is the motivation? Is it just a matter about us being lazy … or is there something more than that happening? Many of us use our performance as “mirrors”.  Instead of them being an expression of who we are … an expression […] The post #019 – Why We Procrastinate (The Now Habit Pt 2) [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.

Defining procrastination properly is a vital step to overcome it.  Procrastination is a habit you develop to cope with anxiety about starting or completing a task. … tasks that are boring or overwhelming. We begin a multi-week study on procrastination, inspired by The Now Habit by Neil Fiore.  Your first step toward breaking the procrastination […] The post #018 – The Now Habit Pt 1: Defining Procrastination [Podcast] appeared first on First Things.