Tell your lizard (brain) to shut up.

Faced with the opportunity to become the category of one, we almost always hesitate, almost always compromise, almost always dumb it down to play it a little bit safer

If you hear my idea but don't believe it, that's not your fault; it's mine. If you see my new product but don't buy it, that's my failure, not yours. If you attend my presentation and you're bored, that's my fault too.

Understanding the mythology of your partner, your customer and your audience is far more important than watching the instant replay of what actually happened.

Competent people are the most resistant to change

Canoeing was hard and scary, and the wind could blow you across the lake if you did it wrong. After a year of not doing it right, I could talk to people and get them to sit up straight, take different kinds of chances, to breathe differently, to engage in the moment in the boat. And I changed them, and I changed me in the process.

If you're not willing to get your 'worst one ever' out of the way, how will you possibly do better than that?