Be a Fred

A great read! How To Be A Fred by Thomas Yuschak is a quick read. And well worth it. The concept I wanted to share was how Yuschak defines pressure as different than stress. For me, this was what stuck. "Stress is a physiological response to pressure but it's not the pressure itself. Pressure sets the level of urgency, the level of importance, the level of visibility." We aren't so evolved that on some internal level, in our reptilian brains, our reaction to day to day pressure is akin to a lion attacking us. It's important to separate pressure from stress. It's vital, I would say. If we separate the two, we can best identify the pressure points from our reaction. Then we can use the pressure constructively while alleviating life-destroying stress. 3 Key Concepts: "Pressure can be a powerful motivator whereas stress can leave us uncaring." "Pressure can bring out the best in us whereas stress can bring out the worst." "Pressure can raise us to a higher level of performance whereas stress can shut us down almost completely." And lastly, "To avoid letting pressure transform into stress, we'll have to learn to separate our emotions from the pressure we're under." The way we can do this is to understand our priorities and not allow the day to day to distract us from them. Yuschak suggests we take the time to imagine ourselves looking back on this time. How would we minimize our regrets? What would feel satisfying? From there we can establish Short Term Life Priorities, and Short Term Career Priorities. We can also establish Long Term priorities in both areas. This will keep us on track. Perhaps we can all use a little Fred. Have a great week selling! If you want to buy the book, get it here.