The world has fundamentally changed, and waiting for things to return to "normal" isn't a strategy - it's a trap. My guest Rick Yvanovitch, serial entrepreneur and author of "Business as Unusual: How to Thrive in the New Renaissance," learned this firsthand during COVID lockdowns in Vietnam. As experts and entrepreneurs building our personal brands, we need frameworks that help us thrive in this "business as unusual" world while maintaining balance across all areas of our lives.

Three Key Areas We Explored:

🏰 The Castle Framework for Life Balance

Rick's powerful alternative to the Wheel of Life uses a castle metaphor where seven buildings represent different life aspects. Unlike the rigid wheel demanding perfect balance, your castle can be uniquely shaped with towers of different heights based on your priorities. The key insight: we all know when we're out of balance, even if we can't define perfect balance.

💪 Strengths vs. Weaknesses: The Strategic Approach

Instead of working on weaknesses, Rick advocates doubling down on strengths while solving for critical weaknesses that could derail you. Since you like your strengths and you're good at them, there's no resistance to improvement. His solution for people management as an introvert? Using psychometrics as a "mathematical formula for people."

🎯 Breaking Through Success Thermostats

We explored internal success limits - that psychological thermostat keeping us at certain levels. The solution involves coaching to identify blind spots and raise that internal bar. Like sports teams, sometimes you need different coaches for different growth stages.

Three Actions You Can Take:

📚 Read "The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olson - Rick calls this one of the most important books he's ever read, focusing on seven-step principles that have become his philosophy of life.

📧 Subscribe to Rick's Newsletter - "Business as Unusual TLDR" focuses on leadership challenges with simple acronyms and coaching-style exercises to help you practice solutions.

🤝 Connect and Ask - Rick encourages reaching out on LinkedIn. As he says, "If you want anything, if you need anything, just ask." Building relationships and seeking guidance is how we grow.

More from Rick : https://www.rickyvanovich.com/

Ricks Book : https://amzn.to/4pZkLvT

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