Refrigeration Mentor founder Trevor Matthews returns to the HVAC School podcast to talk about personal development and training, including tips for learning in HVAC/R.

When you're looking at a problem in the field or in training, it pays to take a step back, cool down, and reevaluate your mindset. Trevor recommends thinking about the worst-case scenario and seeing how you can either prevent it or grow from it. It's good to walk away for a little bit anytime you feel like you're overanalyzing anything so that you don't make blunders.

Trevor has found that reading books is one of the best ways to learn about HVAC/R. HVAC/R professionals can greatly benefit from investing in themselves and setting up their own self-directed training programs. Trainers and mentors can't be the only ones motivating HVAC/R professionals, holding them accountable, and stimulating their growth.

Many times, our own limiting beliefs of ourselves hold us back, and we need to convince ourselves that we can learn difficult things, even if it isn't easy. We can also limit our ratio of entertainment to education; focusing more on the latter can greatly benefit your personal development.

Setting educational goals is also difficult when we work long hours and simply don't have the time or energy to invest in ourselves. The industry needs reform, and reform that raises base rates and prevents an over-reliance on overtime might also attract some new professionals to the field.

Trevor and Bryan also discuss:

• Trevor's new podcast
• Clearing your head
• Books about doing the hard things first
• Autodidactism and "learning how to learn"
• Subconscious cost-benefit analysis
• The industry's addiction to overtime
• Helpful books and podcasts for personal development
• Getting rid of "tunnel vision"

Recommended book/podcast list:

• Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy
• How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• QBQ! The Question Behind the Question: Practicing Personal Accountability at Work and in Life by John G. Miller
• Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
• Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
• Mastery by Robert Greene
• Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't by Jim Collins
• Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins
• Entreleadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches by Dave Ramsey
• Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle
• Discipline Without Punishment: The Proven Strategy That Turns Problem Employees Into Superior Performers by Dick Grote
• Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
• Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert T. Kiyosaki
• The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason
• The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis
• Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• The 5 AM Miracle Podcast
• The Mindvalley Podcast
• Hidden Brain Podcast

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