At times, you simply can’t think of an analogy, and you reach for something that’s been used many times before. However, there’s zero fun in using a tired analogy. How can you take this rather overused analogy and turn it into something with oomph? Let’s find out.

The Power of Analogies (Part 2): How to use everyday life to create stunning analogies Probably the biggest mistake that most of us make is that we try to find analogies. We sit down at a desk and wrack our brains trying to find an analogy that's just right. Instead, we end up with analogies that have been used repeatedly by other people. Or analogy doesn't seem fresh—and certainly not memorable. Yet, there are dozens if not hundreds of analogies waiting for us round the corner. And by that I mean literally round the corner. It's a secret waiting for us in plain sight. Let's find out how to go about creating those analogies by the dozen!

When we sit down to write an article, or design a presentation, we tend to slip in an analogy. However, most of the analogies that we seem to come up with a "boring and tired". The reason why we struggle so much is because we're going about it the wrong way. And allergies – in general – should be written backwards. How do you write an analogy going backwards? That's what we'll find out in this episode.

We start on a learning journey and then we quickly get lost. Why is this the case? We might have systems in place, reminders that keep going off, but we still don’t have a clear understanding of what will get us to a level of fluency. This level of fluency is called “base level of success”. Unless, you and I know the base level, we simply practice, and while we get better, we don’t get very good at a skill. Well, it’s about time.

When you go for a meal, you follow a sequence. When you are part of a wedding ceremony, there’s also a sequence. Sequences allow us to follow a thread, but it also gives the client a clear pathway. In this episode we look at the power of sequences, how to implement one and why you may want to change your sequence as technology moves forward. Let’s go!

The Internet has and will always be a great source of getting clients. However, if you notice, it’s also a very crowded space. There’s a place that’s a lot less busy. It’s called “the world offline”. Here’s why you need to do some exploration away from your computer.

We continue on our two part series of why adults struggle with learning. And this time around, we have an unusual enemy. The enemy is “vocabulary”. How can that be the case?

We all believe that languages should be learned early, and we’re not wrong. However, most adult learning is based on a school system that’s boring and plainly illogical. Why do adults struggle so much? The short answer is that they don’t learn like kids. The question is: what do kids do differently that makes learning so enduring? Let’s find out.

In most cases, you can increase your prices by as much as 15% by moving from left to right. But what if you wanted to increase your prices by, say, 20%, instead. Well, then you move from right to left. What does all of this right, left, right mean? Well, listen to the podcast and it will make sense in a few minutes.

Giving a presentation is often nerve wracking. You know you need to relax but you are driving yourself up the wall. The usual way to solve the problem seems to be that you need to practise more. You practise, practise, and practise, but the stress won’t go away. So what does reduce the pain? It’s simpler than you’d think.

When we get into a learning situation, we’re usually excited. Then, almost immediately we feel unsure. We stumble along, not keen to move ahead. What’s happening in our brain? I’ll tell you what: a pain map is being created. This pain map is because of a lack of good instructional design. How do we avoid creating this pain map for our kids and especially for our clients? Let’s find out

When we fall behind, the core instinct is to catch up. In most cases, that’s a strategy that stresses us out, and achieves very little. It feels like one foot inside and another outside. But is there a better method? Try the “next sunrise” method and see how well it works for you..

We are told time and time again that we need to practice. That we need to work hard. That’s usually a load of rubbish. Learning depends less on you as a learner and more on how the learning is designed. Here’s an understanding of how “prompts” in learning make the client eager to get to and finish an assignment, even if the learning journey is extremely long and complicated.

You've probably heard it before: I am bad at names. I don't remember names so well. But are you truly bad at names? Or is it something that we all say? In this podcast you can test yourself and figure out how impressive your memory really happens to be. Best of all, you will never say that you're bad at names – or even have a bad memory. Your perception of memory will change quite substantially. Let's go, shall we?

We all struggle with information. We’re almost always behind, always making notes, trying to catch up. Should we cut back on information completely? Is that the solution? Or is there a simpler, more elegant way to relax and take in endless amounts of information? Let’s find out

When you read a book about negotiation, it seems like you should be able to get exactly what you want. However, when you go out into the real world, your negotiating turns to custard. Others don't seem to agree with your terms, and you're left hanging. Often this problem arises because of a simple set of stages that we ignore. In this podcast, we look at those three stages and see how they boost our negotiating power, without us doing anything extraordinary.

When we create information, we tend to think of a single book, a single article—and may I say—a single podcast. That system works fine, but there's a method that is far superior. It's called a series. Here's why a series works so much better and how to go about creating a series of series.

We don't always realise it, but we go through precise psychological stages when we are becoming entrepreneurs. The biggest problem is that one stage is more deadly than all the other stages put together. It's the stage where we lose control because we are driven by outside forces. How do we know which stage we are in? And how do we prepare ourselves for the stage that is going to seriously rock the boat?

On any given day we will have some amount of chaos. And someday the chaos is just looking outside the door, but other days it forces its way through with an intensity that's hard to control. It seems like we are always juggling too many things, but there is a method where we can manage chaos in a less frustrating manner. Let's find out how we can look at chaos differently so that, in general, we have mostly wonderful days.

We often want to help others. It's a great trait to have in a world that is rather selfish. Yet, it can be a terrible idea when you're communicating with friends and clients.

People rarely want your help. What do they want instead?

 Listen to the "hug, hear, and help" method to change the way you see the world and also the way the world sees you.

 

Next Up: The Not So Obvious Angles For Succeeding In Life

Sometimes we think that we're just wasting our time writing articles or recording a podcast. Or maybe even the advice we give seems to go nowhere. You'd be surprised to know that you're making an impact beyond your wildest imagination

Do you feel like you're in the world where everybody is just angry with each other? How do you cope with a situation where you don't agree with the other person? You may not agree with their politics, their way of life, and you may have no intention of going over to the other side. The answer to most "aggressive conversations" is simpler than you would expect. And it's also a lot more fun and you get to stay friends. Let's find out how.

While writing an article, report or book, you're more than likely to need a metaphor. In fact, you may need at least a dozen. The problem with metaphors is that they're usually very predictable. How do you take a "boring method" and make a metaphor quite exciting? Let's find out.

The quickest way to get out of a rut is to have a deadline.

The moment you don't have a deadline, you're in trouble. Soon, that blip becomes a blurb, which becomes a balabooza that you can't control.

How do you get out of a rut quickly—really quickly?

Let's find out in this episode.

 

Next Step: Listen to—How To Get Unstuck Bit By Bit (And Why Speeding It Up Doesn’t Usually Work)

 

 

We all want to praise others, but sometimes, it seems extremely difficult to do so. 

This is why we often resort to something like "great job" or "that's cool. And Facebook has trained us to just "like" everything. This means that the person you're praising rarely feels the impact of that praise. 

In this episode we'll look at how to go about praising someone, and especially how to give praise when you don't have much to say.

 

Next: Let's look at

How To Introduce Yourself At An Event (Without Describing Your Achievements)