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I would have tacos anytime: breakfast, lunch & dinner. For you, maybe red velvet cake is what you crave.

By evolution, we are drawn to the things, actions and context that gives us pleasure. Naturally, we try to avoid those things that cause us pain or put us in danger (almost all of us, if we are not pathologically ill).

But, interestingly, even if we all share some basic definitions, each individual finds pleasure and/or pain in her own different set of elements.

So if there are differences in those metrics, it means they are defined individually, whether it may be by one’s context or one’s decision, or both.

Let’s say we can define our own metrics. What would you choose? You can decide to find pleasure and thrive in friction (very handy since friction is all around us).

If your goal is to be fit, then you define pleasure as the feeling of exhaustion and soreness.

If your goal is to get some skills, you define pleasure as curiosity fulfilled and new knowledge acquired.

It takes time to let it sink in the subconscious, but repetition, repetition, repetition…and let dopamine do it’s job.

The very same KPIs than 2 years ago….

They used to work. You were measuring the stuff that let you know if your company was moving in the right direction. But I think we may agree that the world has changed. So why haven’t your dashboard also changed?

I mean, come on, what are you trying to do? Do you want people to behave just like 3 years ago? You can’t ask your people to try new things, to get different outcomes, if you are measuring them the same.

It is time to revisit all your controls and your performance indicators.

Please don’t refrain yourself when you are watching the iceberg approaching.

Your boss and peers will be grateful with you if you ask for help when you know you won’t make the deadline or the expected outcome; when there is still time to do something about it.

The greatest anger, and what causes more visceral reactions, like firing someone, it’s when the next question arises: why didn’t you say something?

So avoid putting yourself in that position. It is better for everybody.

And if they end up hating the messenger, then you know you shouldn’t be around that kind of people.

When a new business or project finds its way to your desk, you should see it as a brand new topic in its entirety.

After the obvious research in some sites, articles and books (if you are thorough), there is now a mandatory need to keep digging.

You might think you are done with all the research and conceptualization. Now imagine how many millions of people are out there who, just like you, are trying to implement a new idea, at the same time.

If you can imagine a bunch of people pursuing the same niche, then you know what you have to do: The gold is not in shallow ground. Keep digging my friend.

Comes a really hard phase: brutal honesty with yourself and your team.

You guys will have to evaluate if what you thought about your business as strengths and your commercial promise are actually valuable out there.

You might be in love with your products, you could have the most inspiring mission or purpose, but you could also be wrong about everything and not being valuable or needed by anyone.

It is better to realize this today than tomorrow.

How many times have you started a task without being convinced it would reach the desired outcome?

How many of those times, the results were surprisingly positive? Let me guess…almost zero?

The auto fulfilled prophecy of failure is something very much tangible. You can see it in world championships, in stereotypes of all kinds, and you can see it in your very own life.

Gratefully, there is also the auto fulfilled prophecy of success. It means believing before hand that the outcome might be positive.

Of course, just remain grounded. Given the present conditions (of skills, resources, goals, etc.) it pays to be positive, if there is any room for it. Remember, delusion is not a bug, it is failure to see reality.

It is hard. And so inefficient.

Even if fear may be a force that moves you (such as fear of loosing your job, or not having enough to provide one’s family), there is a moment in time where you must leave that fear aside and start executing from a positive mindset.

You could even come and go from fear to positive: fear triggers & positive implements, but you must not stay in fear mode.

The thing about your brain in fear is that it won’t perform at it’s best.

It will reduce your option, narrowing them to a form of fight, freeze or flee.

But today’s world is tackled with creativity, empathy, lateral thought, pattern recognition, large amounts of data processing to mention a few.

And all those skills will hardly be accessible to you from fear.

Tesla is allowed to sell tequila. You know you would buy if it wasn’t sold out.

And he can do crazy shit too. He can sell flamethrowers. Sold out too.

And if SpaceX came out with fashion products, I would be the first in line to get an astronaut jacket.

Just as Seth Godin can sell seminars and like BMW can sell headphones, once you build a community strong enough around a brand, you are allowed to offer almost anything.

As long as it doesn’t goes against your core values and brand promise, your brand evangelists will make sure your new offer is a new need.

1: The inner world: You owe only to yourself.

2: The social reality: You try to be in a certain position in relation to others.

3: The spiritual sphere: You are part of all and you should try to do your part.

Master the first one and the second one will be less determinant.

Self discipline and commitment. Introspection and self respect. That’s for the inner world.

The second one depends deeply on your wants and goals.

It might work or it might fail. Be empathetic to understand what is needed to be able to produce something worthy for someone else.

The third realm is still a mystery for most of us. For me is yet to be discovered how will I fit in all that there is.

It is ironic but it does exist.

People that truly, really love you, they don’t want to see you hurt.

And they, unaware of the second order damage, try to convince you that you should not risk yourself to failure and shame.

And out of love you listen to them.

“Yeah, probably you are right. I could get burned.” And you put your wings away.

It takes a lot of effort and candor to be able to tell those you love and love you most: “Thanks, and because I honor your love, I have to do this”.