February 2012
6 posts
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Aim to fail
“We want to take your muscles to failure,” my trainer said to me earlier today.
Soon after that statement, she changed her wording and said, “Actually, we want to take them to fatigue.”
“What’s the difference?” I said, “I love failing.”
Surprised at my response, she asked for clarification. A client of hers had reacted so negatively to the...
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Why I Secretly LOVE the Question "Where Do You See...
“Where do you see yourself in five years?”
I typically hate this question.
First off, it’s a classic interview question designed to test your commitment or loyalty to the organization that is thinking about hiring you. (And this often breeds dishonesty.)
Second, it tends to elicit a list of future milestones and hopeful accomplishments.
Neither of those are a sustaining...
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Letting Go: The Power of Closing Doors
Just five months ago, I had a major panic attack in my TriBeCa apartment. In the middle of hosting a weekly meeting with my team, my body began shutting down. I couldn’t breath properly and I felt such deep anger and anxiety that I didn’t know who I was in that moment. Tears began to form and I escaped to my bedroom to lie down.
As I lay in my bed, trying to catch my breath, my...
January 2012
12 posts
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The Unconventional Academy: Unleash Potential,...
Last week, my dear friend Teju called me and asked a very important question. He said, “Amber, what is your vision for the Passion Experiment? Where do you see it going?”
“Oh, that’s easy,” I said, “I dream of creating an unconventional academy where the aim is to awaken and unleash that which exists inside of each individual.”
I then went on to...
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The Power of Truth: What if, Feeling Free, and...
“Don’t be so hard on yourself when you write,” said one of my best friends a few minutes ago. “Please be unfiltered, crazy-good-shenanigans, morning-pages-style Amber,” she said. “Just let it out.”
Hmm. Interesting. I didn’t realize I was being hard on myself. In fact, I didn’t realize I wasn’t “letting it out.”
But wait, am I being easy on myself? Am I letting it out?
Shit. No. Not really....
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Cut the Bullshit: Radical honesty, living naked,...
Imagine if we lived radically honest and naked lives.
We told the truth, all the time. We stopped dancing on eggshells. We eliminated secrets. We cut out the filters between our brains and our mouths.
Instead of a passive “no worries,” we tell our friend he pissed us off. We stop saying “let’s get together soon” to distant friends when we don’t mean it....
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No One Cares What You Do: The Importance of Why...
“No one cares what you do. They care why you do it.”
That’s the premise of one of my favorite books, Start With Why, by Simon Sinek. In this book, Simon talks about how great leaders inspire action. He explains how the most innovative and influential people and organizations have an uncanny ability to articulate the why of their existence.
For example, Martin Luther King...
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The fastest ship in the world, relishing in...
I’m writing this on the fastest ship in the world. I’m sitting in my cabin, sailing from the Bahamas back to Florida. Outside my window, I see waves furiously crashing against the ship and I feel myself swaying back and forth, back and forth.
I just spent the last four days with Daniel Epstein, founder of the Unreasonable Institute, exploring a business opportunity between Semester...
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On behavior change, knowing what (or who) you...
I still remember the moment I came across Buster Benson’s blog and work a few years ago. As I read his words and beliefs, I felt this strong visceral reaction to the point of goosebumps. The more I furiously clicked around his site, the more I found myself jumping up and yelling “YES!!!!”
Buster is one of those rare people who knows exactly why he exists which manifests in...
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The success of you, eliminating haters, and other...
I’ve always hated stupid rules.
“You can’t go to the bathroom unless you ask for permission.”
“Raise your hand before speaking.”
“Don’t talk to strangers.”
“Don’t get hurt.”
“Never give up.”
These rules are why our education system breeds people to be employees. It’s these ways of thinking that create...
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True Life: Working with Seth Godin, Crying at...
There are critical, life-altering moments in every person’s life. I define critical and life-altering as the times that challenge my core beliefs and ways of thinking. These are the experiences that push me the most, often times frustrate me the most, but also, in reflecting back, teach me an enormous amount about who I am and what matters.
One such experience like this was The Domino...
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The Unconventional Dictionary
I propose a new kind of dictionary. One that is founded on the belief that we don’t have to live how others expect us to and that we should instead live our own ideal life.
Why? Because far too often I hear people say “yes” for the wrong reasons. I hear people putting themselves down for “procrastinating” when they don’t understand the underlying reasons. I...
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December 2011
24 posts
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Commit to the Right Things
Imagine a world without a speed limit.
Where human potential is not governed by what we’re told to be, the only fear is not giving enough, and the urge to share your gift cannot be restricted. This is the world I’ve imagined since I was a little girl. It’s only recently that I’ve had the guts to commit to this dream. For a while I was afraid.
Afraid that people would...
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The Journey is the Reward
Three years ago, I decided to use myself as a guinea pig to see what’s possible in realizing dreams.
Since then, I’ve dedicated myself to helping people wake up motivated and fall asleep fulfilled because they’re fearlessly giving their gifts to the world. In reality, I’ve been dedicated to helping myself wake up motivated and fall asleep fulfilled because I’m...
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What's next? I'm building a membership site and...
Nothing makes my blood boil more than unhappy and unfulfilled people who have so much potential. It breaks my heart when I see someone who hates their job and dreads their day ahead because of a lack of purpose. It kills me when I see people exchange true passions and natural talents for a false sense of security and a desire for approval.
Because of this, for most of my life, people have come...
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How to Break Up With a Company you Love
Imagine meeting an amazing person who you see yourself dating. This person is attractive, super smart, passionate, dedicated and they care about making the world a better place. They make you feel excited and happy and loved. Do you go for it or back off for fear of it not working out?
If you’re anything like me, you go for it.
What happens when after a month, you realize that despite...
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“Feelings of limitless horizons opening up to the vision, the feeling of being...”
– I love peak experiences.
Maslow Self Actualization - unlearn.
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“Some of the most life-shaping decisions you’ll make during this time will be...”
– RELEVANT Magazine - 11 Things to Know at 25(ish)
Two questions that people often ask me include, “What do you think the meaning of life is?” and “How do you discover your passion?”
Here’s my take: We don’t just “discover our passion.” We experience it. We live for the question of understanding our deepest, truest and most inspired self and we throw ourselves into the world to experience the...
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“All the sadness and drama you have lived in your life was rooted in making...”
– Don Miguel Ruiz
November 2011
20 posts
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Ready to make moves?
Two weeks ago, Nathaniel Koloc entered my life. Since then, we’ve been on a non-stop value creation marathon. My productivity has skyrocketed, priorities have shifted and with his help, the impossible and unclear becomes simple and tangible. With a shared purpose of helping people fulfill their full potential, he’s the how to my why, helping me develop structure and process in my...
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“The wrong answer is the right answer in search of a different question. Collect...”
– Incomplete Manifesto for Growth
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“Whatever you wish you were receiving from others today, it will be much more...”
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