“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”
— Phil Jackson

The team is not your enemy. As frustrating as individual members of the team may be, those individuals aren’t your enemy either.

Sometimes your boss seems like an enemy. They’re confrontational. They don’t communicate intent. They micromanage. “Get out of the way and let me do my job!”

Sometimes a subordinate seems like an enemy. They can’t see the big picture. They’re over-focused on details. They don’t do what I want the way I would do it. “Just figure it out and get things done already!”

Sometimes a peer seems like an enemy. They nitpick every solution. They overcomplicate everything. They can’t keep up with the rest of us. “Stop bugging me, I’m trying to get stuff done!”

Guess what? You won’t win on your own. You need the team, and every member of the team is supposed to be working together towards the same goal. That’s how you’ll win.

The enemy is out there, somewhere else. They’re outside the team and they’re competing for the same prize. They’re smart and hard-working, too, so this team better bring its A-game if you want to win.

Stop looking at your teammates as adversaries and start looking at each member as a critical asset. If you want to be part of an elite team of high performers, you need to positively engage with the whole team and understand the challenges they face. You need to figure out how you can help resolve issues for your peers, your subordinates, and, yes, your boss too. Be the person who makes everyone around you better.

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”
— Bruce Lee

Being consistent doesn’t mean you never change. Being consistent means that you produce the same quality output despite any change.

Consistency is moving forward despite any resistance, improving every day, and getting the job done even when it isn’t fun. It means showing up, adapting to new circumstances, and executing no matter what.

“Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it.”
— Mahatma Gandhi

When someone is passive-aggressive with you, it can be frustrating or hurtful. So here are a couple of tips for dealing with those situations.

1. Don’t be passive-aggressive or a jerk in response.
2. Assume this person has the best intentions, and try to diffuse the tension.
3. Check your ego, be humble, and focus on developing a better relationship.

“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.”
— Alexander Graham Bell

Modern smartphones are amazing pieces of innovation and technology. However, as with so many technological advancements, they’re a two-edged sword. On the one hand, we’re carrying a device around in our pockets that a few years ago was nearly impossible to imagine. On the other hand, our smartphones are great at distracting us from the important things we need to focus on.

Think about it. We’re interrupted whenever we get an email or a text, whenever an alarm or timer goes off, and for calendar events. Then there’s also all of our apps. Twitter, Slack, LinkedIn, YouTube, and many others provide lots of alerts, to say nothing about stock trading apps, news apps, and more.

It’s not bad to know what’s going on, and some alerts can be useful. Of course, you can and should turn off any notifications that aren’t helpful. Every time we lose focus, we’re less efficient and less effective.

There’s a simple solution to this chaos. Turn on do not disturb. Maybe not always, but sometimes. Consider scheduling do not disturb for some regular time without interruptions. Then put your smartphone aside and do something meaningful.

“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
— Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Less is quiet. More is noisy.
Less is simple. More is complicated.
Less is elegant. More is gaudy.
Less is focused. More is distracted.
Less is productive. More is busy.

Don’t live life always chasing more.

“I choose to live by choice, not by chance.”
—  Miyamoto Musashi

Each day is filled with opportunities. The problem is that sometimes we don’t see those opportunities because we’re distracted by the daily grind. We miss what could be because we only see what we expect.

Well, maybe it’s time to start expecting the unexpected.

It starts with the realization that you have choices. You don’t have to do the same thing you’ve always done. Just because other people do it that way, doesn’t mean you have to follow suit. If only you do what everybody else does, you’ll always be average.

So start shaking things up. Try chocolate instead of vanilla. Maybe you’ll like it. Maybe you won’t. Either way, you just changed your story.

“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”
― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A simple way to get more out of each day is to eliminate distractions. Here are a couple of suggestions.

1. Watch one less hour of Netflix, YouTube, or whatever it is you watch.
2. Read less online. Don’t go down the rabbit hole and spend hours reading clickbait.
3. Stop checking email all day. At the very least, put your phone on silent for a couple of hours each evening.
4. Skip optional events. Stop worrying about missing out.

Sometimes, to add good things, you need to subtract some unimportant ones first.

“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.”
― John Pierpont Morgan

Do you want to make more money? Add more value.

Do you want to improve your friendships? Add more value.

Do you want more opportunities? Add more value.

Want a better marriage? Add more value.

How do you add more value? Start by improving yourself. Level up your skills and your knowledge, focus your efforts and conquer your fears. And most importantly, do the difficult things and stay disciplined.

“Rule number one is, don’t sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it’s all small stuff.
― Robert Eliot

In every environment, if you perform meaningful work, you will feel stress. Since there’s no way to avoid it, the only practical thing to do is figure out how to deal with that stress.

I’m sure there’s lots of useful advice already out there. Things like mental exercises, proper nutrition, and a good night’s sleep are helpful in many cases, but sometimes, you just need to face the immediate challenge in front of you. Here’s my advice for dealing with those situations.

1. Figure out what’s actually important. You need to get out of the weeds for a minute and see the whole situation.
2. Determine what you can control. Don’t worry about anything outside of your control.
3. Prioritize the problems that you can control.
4. Tackle the first problem. When you’ve taken care of that one, move on to the next. Repeat until the situation is resolved.

And remember, don’t forget to smile.

“A rose started off a bud, a bird started off an egg, and a forest started off a seed.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

Dell started in a dorm room. So did Facebook and Google. HP, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Disney were all operated out of garages at their early stages. Under Armour began its existence in a basement. Virgin Group and Epic Games started as basement operations too. The first Harley Davidson motorcycle was built in a shed.

Don’t let yourself be held back by embarrassment about your starting point. That’s just the beginning of your story. The most important part of your story is what you’re creating and the people you’re empowering. Keep going!