Welcome to the Deploy Yourself Newsletter. Every two weeks I share about what impactful coaching and leadership look like. I also share the most insightful lessons and stories I encountered in the last two weeks. You can also read this issue online.

Things That Stop Us From Achieving What We Really Want

  • Not saying NO to unimportant things so that we can focus on the most imp ones
  • Eating and drinking poorly
  • Playing the victim – Blaming instead of taking responsibility
  • Letting news and social media turn into a dopamine addiction
  • Not surrounding ourselves with people who inspire and challenge us, and not afraid to tell the truth to our face

If what you read above made you realize something deep, hit reply, and share the insight that you had? .

Articles and Stories Which Have Fascinated Me

One

20 Books That All Leaders Should Read In 2020

” I’m constantly surprised by the number of leaders and managers who say they’re too busy to read. Leaders who don’t have time to read are leaders who don’t make time to learn.

Organizational pyschologist at Wharton, Adam Grant, selects 20 books that could have a lasting impact on you this year

The major themes are problem-solving, relationships, rhythms of work and life, identity, and happiness.”

From World Economic Forum – 20 books that all leaders should read in 2020

Two

Reasonable or Unreasonable? What Kind of Goals Do You Set?

We all have our definitions of what is reasonable and what is not.  At first sight, it seems silly to aim for goals you doubt you can achieve. You know what’s reasonable and what is not, and you set reasonable goals for yourself.

This sounds like a fine approach, but is it?

Setting unreasonable goals could, in fact, be the better choice. We constantly underestimate our abilities due to risk aversion and impostor syndrome – which has been proven by research.

After aiming for unreasonable goals (irrespective of the result) we are left with more knowledge and lessons. That itself is a good reward. If you can look at things this way, going after unreasonable goals will leave you wiser and more experienced, even if you fall short.

In short, the most important benefit of going for unreasonable goals is that it will help you expand as a person.

From an article from my desk titled Why Unreasonable Goals Are Better For Your Growth And Success?

Three

68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice by Kevin Kelly

Published earlier this year, you must read this – 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice. If you prefer to watch in on video, he also recorded himself and is now available on Youtube.

That’s it for now. If you have any questions, just hit reply. All the best,

Sumit

(Twitter) @SumitGupta
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