The greater good must come first
What distinguishes us from most animals is the ability to work together for mutual benefit—a much larger benefit than when we put ourselves first. We all need to make a buck and pay our mortgages, but does someone else really have to give up something so that we can get? No.
Our world is facing some serious challenges right now. Sticking with the blind, self-interested pursuit of money, where I put me first and you second, does nothing to solve our collective problems. Fear is what drives selfishness. When we all put ourselves first, we’ll all be last.
There’s no fate but what we make
No one is a prisoner to fate. No one’s life has been predetermined. You make choices moment by moment that define you.
No one is going to come along and fix my problems — it’s up to me to find solutions. And I can’t imagine letting any self-appointed “expert” or similarly flawed person dictate my destiny or “interpret” the world for me.
Two big lies I try to avoid: “no one else has gone through this,” and “things will always be this way.”
Personal is professional
Who you are as a person defines who you are as a professional. This seems obvious enough, but many people (my generation in particular) try to separate the two. I personally prefer working with people I’d prefer to hang out with. In fact, while I don’t need to be friends with all my clients, I’d rather further the business of my friends.
If you’re that kind of person who only seeks out “vendors,” you won’t get my best work, whatever you’re paying me. Life is short — do we really want to just have transactional relationships?
Own your shit
I try hard to own my mistakes, something that occasionally requires some very humbling ego-swallowing. The ability to take responsibility for our actions is what makes us adults. Sadly I keep running into “grown-ups” that can’t seem to grasp that. And the ability to own one’s mistakes only comes from having good data.
You can’t make good decisions from bad data
It’s super-easy to deceive oneself. And if I’m not honest with myself, how can I possibly make the right decisions? If I simply go with information that “feels good,” rather than actual facts, I’m stupidly putting feelings over logic. I see this happening among a huge number of people these days. It’s weak-minded thinking.
I have to be open to facts and data — even if it’s not data I want to acknowledge. Because if I can’t be open to making mistakes, how can I expect others to?
Life is short — so be thankful
Life is painfully short. It flashes past in an instant. We often obsess over unimportant details and stumbles instead of cherishing the good.
Gratitude affects attitude. Consider the privilege and positive things in your life, even if you feel like you’re on the bottom rung of a very tall ladder. There’s always someone who has things worse. Use your privilege to pull them up. There’s plenty for everyone.
Eric is an amazing mix of incredibly intelligent, thoroughly experienced, incredibly honest, and extremely humble. This mix makes him an amazing teacher, great in presentations/sales, and the guy everyone in the office wants to work with.
Eric is extremely dedicated to his work and will do whatever it takes to make sure the end result far exceeds everyones expectations. I have never worked with someone that is able to think big picture like Eric but still make sure all the details are taken care of.
I am just honored I was able to work with him and for what I have learned during my time with him.