How to Outperform Yourself

Not such a long time ago, in a conference room not so far, far away, I remember being incredibly nervous about presenting to a roomful of seasoned attorneys and professionals. I was allotted a minimum of time (maybe 3 minutes) in which to deliver a maximum impact. My boss was there, my boss's boss, friends and acquaintances - all eyes would be on me.

Have you ever been plagued by self-doubt going into a big opportunity? Big sale, big speech, big interview? You picture others performing at a much higher level than you and worry that even if you deliver your best, you will not impress. This is a serious problem.

Fortunately, there is a free, low-calorie method to help you perform above and beyond your own expectations (or for many of us, self-imposed limitations) for yourself. I jokingly call it "Channeling Liam Neeson." My wife teases me about my bromance with Liam. He's played some amazing characters - Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars, Bryan Mills in Taken, and let's not forget, Bad Cop in the Lego Movie. But seriously, it's about embodying the persona of someone who you know would handle the situation masterfully.

You see, when you are inexperienced and haven't yet developed enough confidence, you often feel you have no template for success. And when your reaction is to be plagued by self-doubt, you've already boxed yourself into a poor to mediocre performance.

Instead of struggling though it with uncertainty, flip a mental switch and become a character that you know would just kill it. Embody his or her attitude, demeanor, body language and style. Have them serve as your template to guide you and ultimately help you perform at a higher level than you thought possible.

In reality, this is less acting and more a shift in perspective, because it is ultimately you in the room, at the table, or on the spot. And if a character doesn't appeal to you, try a role model or mentor. Many musicians, martial artists, and professionals initially start out by imitating their teachers. In fact, sometimes the imitation is so intense that they imitate every tick and mannerism - even ones that have nothing to do with the performance! Along the way a funny thing happens - you start to internalize and assimilate their abilities as your own. You are no longer imitating. You have arrived. It isn't Liam up there and it isn't me pretending to be Liam. It's just me and he is merely a bridge to help me realize my full potential.

So now we're back in that conference room, the previous presenter is wrapping up and I'm about to be introduced. There are many Liam Neeson characters to choose from, but I go with Bryan Mills from Taken. Cool under fire, deadly efficient, and in charge of any situation. As I switch into Liam-mode, my breathing slows as I imagine his would, my senses sharpen, and my resolve increases exponentially. Three minutes later I had left a trail of light-hearted laughs, memorable catch phrases and still living, well-informed colleagues. Mission accomplished.

So the next time you don't feel up to the task, channel Liam (or another appropriate persona), kick some butt and "that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you, but if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you..."

Next post next Saturday, 6:30 a.m.

Peekabo Streaming Video

One of my more questionable characteristics, which I totally own up to, is my stamina for watching copious amounts of television and movies. I never met a good or bad movie I wouldn't watch. Probably my low point came when during law school final exams, my roommate and I watched all of Leprechaun 3, which is a really, really, really bad movie.

So when DVR was introduced it was love at first sight. And streaming services like Netflix and HBO Now are right up my alley. One downside to these streaming services and DVR is that you get so used to not having commercials or being able to Fast Forward (or as Adrian Monk says, "picture go fast") through them that you have a lot less patience with commercials.

I recently binge-watched the first season of Mr. Robot on the USA app. It wasn't available anywhere else and each episode has several commercials throughout. It's free so I can't complain too much about the presence of the commercials, but it seems like they rotate the same two or three commercials all the time and you can't skip them.

My first solution was to simply look away while the commercial plays. This wasn't great because now I felt like I was getting subliminal audio messages. Then I decided to also unplug my headphones. The problem with this approach is that sometimes I lost track of how much time had passed and it would be a pain to backtrack to the right point right after the commercial. Surely there is a better method.

What I ended up discovering is that Apple devices have unintentionally provided the perfect EZPZ commercial neutralizer. So now when the commercial starts, you can just mute the volume and swipe up from the bottom of the iPhone to activate Control Center. What you end up seeing during the commercial is a bunch of silhouettes in the background.

For example, this is a frequently advertised men's product.

This is one for a U.S. cell phone. Can you tell which one by the color at the bottom?

You can usually tell when the show is starting again so at that point, you just swipe down, turn up the volume, and voila, a more EZPZ way to skip through commercials!

Now what if you have terrible timing? Or can't stand the uncertainty? This is where the peekaboo comes in. If you pull down slowly, just a bit, you'll see the edge of the screen, which will give you a better indication of whether the show has started or not. 

There's nothing wrong with watching the commercials and their existence supports the content. But as for me, I can't stand being subjected to the same lame and sometimes, targeted commercials over and over again. Great for the marketers, not so much for me. So next time you want to avoid seeing something on your screen, try the peekabo technique.

Happy watching!

Next post next Saturday, 6:30 a.m.

Where is Your Gaze?

When learning to ride a motorcycle you quickly realize that where you look has an huge effect on where the bike goes. In a natural way, your weight and body make minute, almost imperceptible adjustments that prompt the bike to follow your gaze. For example, if you are making a turn a bit too wide and at risk of hitting the curb, the worst thing you can do is stare at the curb you are trying to avoid. Instead, you should look away from the curb and towards the place where you'd like to end up instead. 

Similarly, where we place our attention in life will influence the results. Our minds have a funny way of creating self-fulfilling prophecies. When we obsess over all the hurdles and negatives, we lose the chance to see the solutions. Fixated on challenges to finish your degree? Wondering why you are always finding yourself in destructive relationships?

The problem for most of us, is we don't have a clear picture of where we want to go and who we want to be. So by default we just bob along whatever the current of life presents to us and the problems take most of our attention. The thing is, it doesn't have to be this way.

When you commit fully to doing, becoming, achieving something, your entire being mobilizes to make that happen. You may still ask yourself questions about problems, but now they are in the context of how do you overcome them to reach your desired destination. And the great thing if you ask yourself questions and let your mind work on it over time, it has the marvelous ability to come up with good answers.

So look towards where you want to be so you can set yourself up to get there.

Next post next Saturday, 6:30 a.m.