Incomia

Can people really make money doing what they love? It depends on whom you ask. Some people say, “Absolutely!” Others say, “It’s unrealistic.” And some say the better question is, “What’s the best way to make a profit by meeting a specific need in the marketplace?” Except why do you have to settle for either/or—passion or profit—when you could go for both/and? Going for both allows you to say, “Yes, I can make money doing what I love” and “Yes, I can make a profit by meeting a real need in the marketplace.” Before you make the bold move to embrace a both/and mindset though, you need to ask yourself the most important question: What kind work would I love? Here are four questions you can ask yourself to get unstuck and to find work that fits your passions: 1. What are your thats? There are two types of powerful “that” questions to determine your work love language. The first is an internal question. Think of the times you’ve said, I’d really like to do that! What are those “thats...

Rewinders, you’re not having déjà vu. We’re talking about a totally different movie this week. It’s not The Internship . It’s The Intern . And it’s great. I’m excited to talk about this one for a few reasons, one of which is that the rom-com queen, Nancy Meyers, wrote and directed it. In other words, you already know this film is going to have a lot of good kitchens, beautiful clothing and real people having real, human problems. The Intern does not disappoint in that regard. But the film also has something many viewers might not expect: a deep and enlightening exploration of transference, complete with some takeaways we can all use to develop ourselves into the people we ultimately want to become. Welcome back to SUCCESS Movie Rewind , the only podcast talking about how one of Sigmund Freud’s foundational concepts applies to a 2015 dramedy. Let’s do it.  Transference is a tool. First, the obligatory plot outline: Retired executive Ben Whittaker (Robert De Niro) gets a gig a...

My life is good. I’m busy and accomplished. I should feel grateful. Instead, I feel disconnected and directionless. What should I do? First of all, what you’re feeling is normal. The idea that something has to be wrong in your life for you to feel down or disconnected is just another facet of perfectionism placed on women. About a year ago, I was working on initiatives to further my brand . There were brand kits and content strategies and speaking engagements. It was creative and exciting, but suddenly, I was drowning in a sea of and this, and this, and this. I couldn’t see myself through the chaos. So I took a step back and asked one simple question: What is my intention here? Too often, we become passengers in our lives. We say yes to new things without even realizing whether we want them or whether they’re good for us. We continue saying yes, piling on so many things that the sheer busyness of our schedule drowns out any chance of reflection and purposeful creation. We’re bles...

In 2010, celebrated Pixar director Pete Docter decided to make an animated film about the wild and woolly emotions of an 11-year-old girl named Riley. He knew the rough outlines of the story he wanted to tell. The film would open with Riley, uprooted from her Minnesota hometown and plunked down in a new house and school in San Francisco, while also caught in the emotional storm of incoming adolescence. So far, so good. But Docter faced a creative puzzle. He wanted to depict Riley’s feelings as lovable animated characters running a control center in her brain, shaping her memories and daily life. But which feelings? Psychologists told him that we have up to 27 different emotions . But you can’t tell a good story about so many different characters. Docter needed to narrow it down, and to pick one emotion as the main protagonist. He considered a few different emotions for the starring role, then decided to place Fear at the center of the movie, alongside Joy; partly, he says, because...

Have you ever seen a bungee run? No, there’s no punch line. That’s a real question. A bungee run is one of those huge inflatable games you see at carnivals or kids’ birthday parties. It’s a game where two players run as fast and as far as they can with bungee cords strapped to their backs. The object is to get as close to the end of the inflatable track as possible before the bungee cord snaps you back to the starting point. It occurred to me recently that when we talk about success in life—about achieving the goals we set for ourselves—that the road to success is sometimes like a bungee run. When we enter the race, we muster all our strength to get us to the goal, but, inevitably, something snaps us back before we get there. And the snap isn’t always pretty. The bungee cords—or the things that snap us back from success—are what I refer to as personal constraints. These are behaviors that hold you back and keep you from achieving greater success, performance and fulfillment. Here’s...

“Oh my God, you’re gorgeous!” Mally Roncal exclaims as our Zoom interview begins. Her excitement is infectious, and I confess I put makeup on just for her. You can’t meet a celebrity makeup artist and beauty-brand entrepreneur without applying a little mascara. Except, as I would soon learn, you can. It’s no secret society has inflexible standards for what it deems “beautiful.” Women should be skinny, yet curvy. Men should be strong and never vulnerable. And to be anything outside of those lines is othered, and less than. Coupled with 24/7 access to filtered highlight reels on social media, the urge to compare yourself to others can be all but consuming. It’s something Roncal sees often. “You don’t know how many times someone has sat down in my chair, celebrity or not, and all of a sudden every insecurity comes out,” she says. “They’re pointing out blemishes and wrinkles, things I never would have noticed.” It’s an important reminder: A majority of the time, the things we’re focused...

So you want to be a creator?  You have ideas . You think of them before you go to sleep. You’ve mentioned them at cocktail parties, to your spouse, to friends who have started businesses, to fellow engineers, to people who play guitar or do comedy at open mic nights. You have a family member who is a screenwriter. You’ve heard yourself say sheepishly, “I’ve had this idea… ” or “Can I tell you my idea… “ and then your voice peters out.  Or maybe you’re not sure you have ideas. You sense that there could be one or two innovations in your pocket.  But what do you know from creativity? What business do you have pursuing the big and little C-words? Does it have anything to do with you?  Before I tell you that you know more than you think you do and that the steps are much more accessible then you imagine, I must first explain the hidden barrier. I refer here to the D-words. There’s the big D-word, Doubt. Then there’s the little D-word—disgust.  Yes, creativity m...

When I say Think and Grow Rich , what comes to your mind? Almost everyone in sales and those interested in personal development have read this classic by Napoleon Hill at least once. And almost everyone who’s read it has a positive comment. Many (like me) will say that it was a “turning point in my life.” Everyone has a turning point in their quest for lifelong learning . Everyone has their aha In their personal development, it’s what you choose to listen to, watch or read that enhances your understanding of your life and teaches you what you need to do to succeed. Hill’s 1937 quote sets the standard. “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” And once you have the information, it’s all about what you are willing to do to take advantage of it. Most people know Hill was the author of Think and Grow Rich . But the person Hill emulated and studied? Not many know that. Orison Swett Marden was the leading positive-attitude genius of the 20th century. Well-kno...

Let’s be honest: When you think about what defines a CEO or business leader, empathy and openness probably aren’t the first traits that come to mind. In fact, you probably imagine the opposite—an almost Machiavellian, win-at-any-cost attitude. Although this outlook may yield short-term results, psychologist and author Dr. Adam Bandelli says that it’s actually the ability to build relationships with others that enables long-term leadership success. “So what we found in the research was that Machiavellian leaders are really good at getting short-term goals done, maybe for a quarter or for six months… but that’s not going to work in the long-term,” explains Bandelli in a recent conversation with Brilliant Thoughts ’ editor and host Tristan Ahumada. “Relationally intelligent leaders, on the other hand… because the focus is on building strong, long-term relationships, this idea of intentionality and authenticity is there.” In his new book, Relational Intelligence , Bandelli explains ho...

Emma Grede is the CEO and co-founder of Good American, a fully inclusive fashion brand she launched in 2016 alongside Khloé Kardashian. In 2022, Grede and Good American created Good Inc., an incubator initiative dedicated to inclusivity by providing resources and mentorship to emerging talent in fashion. Grede is also a founding partner of SKIMS, a solutions-oriented shapewear brand, and co-founder of Safely, an accessible, plant-powered cleaning brand. She is currently a recurring Shark on ABC’s Shark Tank , making her the first Black woman to appear in the investment chairs. As an advocate for inclusive representation, Grede also serves as chairwoman of the Fifteen Percent Pledge and as a trustee and board member of Women for Women International and Baby2Baby. The best leaders support their teams’ happiness by… prioritizing them. The best way for me to serve both our customers and my shareholders is to ensure my team is happy and able to thrive . This enables them to do the best w...

Elena Cardone has many titles: entrepreneur, speaker, podcaster, best-selling author, mother, investor, actress, competitive sport shooter, wife, trained mixed-martial arts fighter, witty conversationalist, model—the list goes on. She is someone who, by many definitions, has it all. But it would be too easy, too trite, too painfully distilled to write a story about a powerful woman who symbolizes to other women that they, too, can “have it all” if they just learn an impossible balancing act, all while finding time to advocate for other women and still look like some version of their 25-year-old selves. Cardone does believe women can build their own version of an empire, but the oversold idea of balance is a filtered image of reality. Your life is your life, she says. Your life isn’t a pie chart of work, family, personal health, wealth building and personal interests—it’s just your life. When you separate the pieces to make individual time for each, you’ll always come up short and ...

More damage is done by worrying than by what is being worried about. This is because over 90% of all worries never come to pass. Over the years, I have made a deliberate point of not worrying. If something happens at work or at home that would normally be a cause for concern, I have learned to say, “I’m going to wait to worry.” Then when I objectively and realistically address the issue, the “obvious” need for worrying goes away. For me to enjoy life, remain healthy and be full of peace , worry cannot be part of my daily routine. I’ve seen its disastrous effects on the lives of people and their children. Here are a few of the side effects of worrying: Self-doubt Worrying is a downward spiral that focuses on the negative and why things cannot be done versus why things can be done. It is a sinkhole, a debilitating attitude and a terrible habit. Mediocrity Capable people who worry are rendered incapable of accomplishing their intended goal. Worry makes you peck around on the ground...