The self-help industry is one of the largest fast growing sectors, however, by definition, if it was working, it should be shrinking in sales not growing.
We all thrive on growth. It is the foundation of living. Careers, companies and even our relationships and marriages must grow. If a marriage isn't growing, it's dead. So is your career.
So what prevents us from growing? The answer is quite simple, look in the mirror and point...
Fear of failure, of getting hurt, believing we are fragile makes us train like losers. I call it training with marshmallows and pillows.
When I was in high school, the best coach I ever had was Coach Hudson. He was a wrestling coach that commanded respect and pushed everyone beyond what they believed they could do. Practice was grueling. He would turn up the temperature in the room past 90 degrees, makes us wear weights, headgear, everything imaginable to punish us while training. We wrestled like champions in game time -- it was so comfortable compared to practice. He won championships, had the longest winning record in our high school's history.
Josh Waitzkin, world chess champion wrote a great book The Art of Learning and talked of how he would stress himself while practicing chess. He would play the most annoying music while trying to concentrate. It worked. He became a champion faster than most.
Have you tried to test your confidence, test your humility after no sleep, not eating and being completely depleted of energy? Or must you have all of it before you are able to muster up a win.
So ask yourself... how hard do you train? Are you training with marshmallows and pillows? Are you training to be a loser or a winner?
Charlie Kim is Founder & CEO of Next Jump, a technology company headquartered in New York City. What sets Next Jump apart is their culture and focus on human capital, defined by: Better Me + Better You = Better Us. Follow Charlie on Twitter @CharlieYKim