Prepare yourself to excel in high-stakes moments through positive self-talk, deep breathing and cold exposure

After clarifying your core values, craft a vision story that engages your survival, emotional and logical mind. Start with what’s happening now. What makes you happy or sad? What events led to where you are now? What do you hope for in the future? 

Core values – such as freedom, security or compassion – shape your personal identity and guide you toward meaningful goals. Reflect on them to provide a powerful source of internal validation and intrinsic motivation; they help you stay calm under pressure and push forward with your best work.

To achieve long-term goals, consistent action is necessary, and the CAR method can help. CAR stands for commitment, action and repetition. Now that you have a vision for your future life that you’ve written down, make a commitment to reach a specific milestone on your journey and share it with ot...

Next, take immediate action through one small step, and establish repetition by creating routines and rituals. Routines should be non-negotiable and easy to do, and can be stacked on top of existing habits. For example, if you already drink coffee in the morning, reflect on your core values while...

“When you choose routines that create and support your future story, you can shift your identity and become the person you want to be. ”

Finally, regularly visualize your ideal future and reflect on your vision story to maintain focus and help you reach your goals.

“If you want to build a deeper conversation and lift the other person, you must listen so thoughtfully that the barriers and armor of standard conversation disappear.”

To define your core values, start with what you want and work backward to discover why you want it. For example, if you want to earn more money, is it because you want to support your family or travel the world? If the former, you may value security; if the latter, freedom. In either case, write ...

1. Define your character – Write down a list of “I am” statements that describe how you see yourself. 
2. Understand your current challenges – Focus on your daily life and write down your current challenges. How do they affect you?
3. Identify your North Star – Craft a clear vision,...

Use the five-step PRO system to inspire for action:

1. Problem – Engage the survival mind by focusing on problems, concerns and worries mentees find important
2. Promise – Unlock the emotional mind by using “what-if” statements to describe the promis...

• Personal – When crafting a message, make it personally relevant to the audience
• Images – People remember images remarkably well. In fact, a few days after being shown 2,500 images, people recalled them with 90% accuracy
• Tangible – Make your message more tangible by using lang...

To ensure people listen to and act on your message, emphasize congruence, emotional intention and body language. Congruence means aligning your words, tone, expressions and gestures to create a clear message. Or, as writers say, “show don’t tell” – if you say you’re excited, look excited. Emotion...

Archetypes are universal patterns of behavior you can use to harness your potential. Explore and embrace.

The Lift method focuses on six archetypes: 

• Shield – This archetype defends people and principles.
• Showtime – This archetype provides inspiration, motivation and mome...

• Clarify and reinforce your core values.
• Create a compelling vision story.
• Embody multiple archetypes to expand your identity.
• Position yourself as a mentor inspiring a hero on their journey.
• Lift others by asking questions and listening deeply.
• Develop...