Why phantom rules hold you back (and what to do about it)

Why phantom rules hold you back (and what to do about it)Why phantom rules hold you back (and what to do about it)In her brilliant book,Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert tells the fable of a great saint who would lead his followers in meditation. There was a slight problem. Just as the followers were dropping into their zen moment, they would get disrupted by a cat who would walk through the temple meowing and purring and bothering everyone.The saint came up with a simple solution He began to tie the cat to a pole during meditation sessions. This solution quickly developed into a ritual Tie the cat to the pole first, meditate second.When the cat eventually died (of natural causes), a religious crisis ensued. What were the followers supposed to do? How could theypossiblymeditate without tying the cat to the pole?This story illustrates what I call phantom rules. These are rules that you cant see. Theyre habits and behaviors that have unnecessarily rigidified into dogma. Theyre unlike writte n rules, which are visible. The written rules appear right there in the standard operating procedures and can be amended or deleted.Although written rules can be stubborn to change, phantom rules are even more stubborn. Theyre the silent killers that constrain ur thinking and keep us inside an invisible fence without us even being aware of it. They turn us into a rat trapped in aSkinner box, pressing the same lever over and over again- except we designed the box and were free to venture out at any time. Were perfectly capable of meditating without the cat, but we dont realize it.We then make things worse by defending our boxes and self-imposed limitations.We could do things differently, we say,but our supply chain, our software, our budget, our skillset, our education, this-or-that doesnt allow it.As the saying goes, argue for your limitations, and you get to keep them.In all affairs, British philosopher Bertrand Russell writes, its a healthy thing now and then to hang a question fr uchtfleisch on the things you take for granted. To expose these phantom rules, spend a day questioning everything you do- from the route you drive to work to the software you use to send emails. With each commitment, each assumption, each budget item, ask yourselfWhat if this werent true? Why am I doing it this way? Can I get rid of this or replace it with something better?Be careful if you find yourself coming up with multiple reasons to keep something. By invoking more than one reason, as Nassim Taleb observes, you are trying to convince yourself to do something.Demand current- not historical- supporting evidence. Many of our routines and procedures were developed in response to problems that no longer exist. But the immune response remains long after the pathogen leaves.The best way to expose phantom rules is to violate them. Go for a seeming moonshot you dont think youll achieve. Ask for a raise you dont think you deserve. Apply for a job you dont think youll get.Youll find, aft er all, that itispossible to meditate without the cat.Ozan Varol is a rocket scientist turned law professor and bestselling author.Click hereto download a free copy of his e-book, The Contrarian Handbook 8 Principles for Innovating Your Thinking. Along with your free e-book, youll get the Weekly Contrarian - a newsletter that challenges conventional wisdom and changes the way we look at the world (plus access to exclusive content for subscribers only).Thisarticlefirst appeared onOzanVarol.com.

Infographic How Your Personality Impacts Your Career

Infographic How Your Personality Impacts Your CareerInfographic How Your Personality Impacts Your Career10Have you ever wondered if your personality impacts your career? If the choices you make professionally are somehow driven by a deeper personal need? If this is a new concept you are now exploring, you may be shocked to learn about some recent findings.The surprising, yet unsurprising results of a recent study conducted by Truity show that personality does play into professional goals, choices, opportunities, and successes. The study surveyed 25,759 people and came back with results covering the 16 MBTI personality schriftarts. The personality types are based on the following four styles Extrovert vs. Introvert Thinker vs. Feeler Sensor vs. Intuitive and Judger vs. Perceiver.By looking at the different personality types, the study welches able to show which personality types were the highest earners, most satisfied with their jobs, and most likely to manage others. Because some pe rsonality types are more likely to be men than women, the study also looked at the differences in gender, and it was shown that gender had little impact on the results.Below are a few of the takeaways from the Truity study, and the full infographic.Extroverts report better job satisfaction than introverts.Thinkers supervise more people than feelers.Intuitives are more likely to be self-employed than sensors.Judgers earn more money than perceivers.ENTJ and ESTJ personality types have the highest average incomes.ESFJ and ENFJ experience the most job satisfaction.ENTJ and ESTJ are most likely to supervise others.INFP, ISFJ, and ESFP are more likely to be stay-at-home parents.ENTP, ENFP, and INTP are more likely to be entrepreneurs.ISFP are most likely to be unemployed.The findings of the study are quite intriguing and can be highly useful when starting a new career or transforming the one you have. Those who are more apt to being alone might prefer remote work over those who need to in teract with others frequently. The results can also help you determine which fields may or may not be a good fit. For those more introverted, a sales job might not be a good fit, while for an extrovert, it might be perfect.While personality type is great to consider when making career choices, it doesnt have to be a complete deal breaker. As humans, we can make conscious decisions that consider the implications on every facet of our lives. Understanding your personality type isnt meant to lead you down a certain path, but to support and drive you through your chosen one.Readers, how do you think your personality impacts your career? Do you think personality is a factor in career choice, opportunities, and successes? Share with us below(click infographic to view larger version)

Engineering the Stadium Experience

Engineering the Stadium Experience Engineering the Stadium Experience You stand there with your very fashionable foam finger, your hot dog, and a t-shirt that shows the team you root for. Or possibly bleed for. But did you ever wonder about the people who helped that stadium become reality, the ones who created your experience?Some of them are mechanical engineers.Plumbing Is CriticalDuane Pinnix and his company RMF Engineering helped make MT T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens, happen. The first thing you have to understand is that stadiums are large projects, not something that takes a couple monthsit might be two to four years, says Pinnix, president of RMF. From an engineering standpoint, people dont realize what main areas we work on.In the case of the Ravens stadium, one of those is plumbing. Its actually a huge part, as big as hospitals or labs but not as many system types as those, says Pinnix. One big difference between a sporting venue and other facilities is acco mmodating toilet facilities. In laboratories or hospitals, everyone doesnt use the rest room at the same time a sporting event is quite the opposite. We had to test with tons of people using it at once. I think it was 40,000, he says. Good thing we did. There were problems. We found obstructions in drainage lines. It was valuable testing for the first game, so only clean water would come out of the bottom drains.Pinnix says as much as 50% of the stadium hits the restroom in a 30-minute time period. That makes water supply and drainage critical.RMF Engineering team working on M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. Photo source RMF.comEnergy Analysis Is KeyAnother major undertaking for the Ravens Stadium was on the energy services side. A new emergency power plant between the Baltimore Orioles and Baltimore Ravens facilities created a need for lifecycle costing on how to serve both of them. That all came down to energy analysis and also looking at the field drainage only five feet a bove the flood plain, he says.As far as air specifications, according to his companys web site The HVAC systems deliver low temperature chilled water (36 degrees F), low temperature air (45 degrees F) and heating hot water (200 degrees F) to over thirty air-handling systems providing 600,000 cfm of conditioned and ventilation air for the facility.Pinnix says the longevity of the building and its electrical systems definitely dont match up. Systems are designed to have about 20 years of longevity whereas the structure is designed for a 50-100-year lifespan. Its important to have fixtures that are sustainable long-term, public lighting thats efficient, he says. According to the companys web site The electrical design included dual incoming 15,000-volt services from the local utility, and fourteen facility owned and maintained 4,160-volt substations located throughout the stadium. The emergency electrical loads for the stadium are supplied from a generator plant which is located on the site outside of the building.Pinnix says engineers bring organization to a stadium project. Our job is to get involved and firm up schedules that tie to an opening day, he says. And the recognition of when its done is seeing thousands of fans out there.Eric Butterman is an independent writer.The first thing you have to understand is that stadiums are large projects, not something that takes a couple monthsit might be two to four years.Duane Pinnix, president, RMF Engineering