Tag: #yourturnchallenge

#YourTurnTakeaways

For the last seven days, I’ve made it a point to “ship” something (a blog) every day, regardless of my schedule, how I feel, etc. No excuses.

In starting 2015, I thought publishing two posts per week would be a good starting point – so to suddenly do three and a half times that kind of fired me up. My internally competitive self said, “We can do anything for a week!”

And I’m glad I did, because I think it helped in a few different ways.

  1. I’m still green in the world of blogging, so it gave me an opportunity to find other people sharing content I can relate to. I’ll take their personal sites and twitter handles away from this and gladly follow along in their dialogue.
  2. It gave me an even greater desire to ship new content. When I have a thought to share, there’s no point in holding it back for the right time – I can just write it up and let it go. I’m now more confident in the fact that I’ll have another thought come along sooner rather than later and be able to ship even more expeditiously.
  3. The #yourturnchallenge has also taught me that I still have a long way to go in being able to produce content efficiently. It makes me want to continue streamlining my thoughts to get to the real crux of what I want to say. Becoming a “writer” is going to take lots of edits and re-edits! But the more I ship, the more practice I’ll get.
  4. Lastly, I would say that the #yourturnchallenge is another real world example of how a simple idea can create a tribe. So often, I think that it would take a huge infrastructure and all sorts of resources I don’t have. The reality is, technology makes it easier than ever to share your message and find people to follow. Kudos to Winnie!

So if you want to change your diet, change your spending habits, change your temper, change your prayer life or change anything…I would like to challenge you to give it a week. Start on a Monday. Work through Sunday. Find a group of people to support you, encourage you and hold you accountable. Anyone can do something for a week!

And it won’t be long until the next post is up, so check back often or be sure to subscribe to my email newsletter!

The Last Time I Surprised Myself

The last time I can really remember being surprised by myself was during a run a few weeks ago. I had completed a marathon in mid-November and was starting to get back into a regular running routine (needed recovery + holiday time, you know?).

My wife was with me and as we approached the last hill before our place, I told her I was going to sprint up it just to see how my legs felt.

Surprise – I flew.

Faster than I maybe ever have.

And it felt awesome.

I waited for her at the top and the first thing she said was, “You just flew up that hill…” with a bit of surprise in her voice. Neither of us understood why.

For me, it was kind of nice to know that the time I took off hadn’t caused me to regress. But it also caught me off guard that all of the long, steady runs during marathon training may have had unintended effects on my short sprinting abilities. (Disclaimer: I’m not a sports scientist by any means, so there may very well be studies out there showing that’s 100% impossible. I just know I was surprised by it.)

When I think about applying that unintended “result” to my everyday life, though, I can’t help but think that as I’m concentrating on and working regularly in one area, it may be subconsciously strengthening another area. Meaning, the hard work I’m doing for “project A” will eventually trickle into a future project when I least expect it.

Ultimately, I would hope that’s how it supposed to be; every activity we do and challenge we complete becomes a building block to make us bigger and stronger. Otherwise, I may need to reevaluate what I’m doing to better use my time.

Unstick The Stuck

Feeling stuck is frustrating. For me, it can happen both in creating new promotional marketing ideas at work or in trying to produce fresh blog content.

In both situations, I’ve come to find that there are two courses of action that help me get unstuck and back on the path to momentum.

  1. Gather inspiration (aka research)
    I love to read and listen to podcasts. I’ve found that all it takes is one line from someone else to really get my imagination going or to spur on a thought that has a life of its own. This is typically more applicable to blogging, but it also helps when trying to brainstorm new marketing elements for my territory.

    As a side note, I keep a journal, send texts and record voice memos to make sure I remember the inspiration as soon as it hits. This is key!

  2. Start big picture
    I’ve found that I can sometimes get bogged down in the details. When I take a step back and look at what I’m really trying to accomplish, it helps me at least put something down on paper. From there, I write down whatever comes to me and begin to create a list of options.

    I think it’s easier to filter down to the final message/idea than to start with a microscope and feel heavily constrained.

Why We Don’t Ask Questions – Part 1

If there’s no such thing as a dumb question, why do we so often feel paralyzed with fear to ask them?

ask a question

For me, I think it’s often caused by one of two things: a fear of being told no or a fear of being proven that I wasn’t listening. So let’s analyze the first fear of asking questions and see if there’s any way to overcome it.

A Fear of Being Told No
I’m confident I know when this fear started. Second grade.

Do-You-Like-Me

How many times do you wish you had asked a question because it would have benefited you? It could be asking someone on a date, asking for a raise or asking for a discount at the store. For whatever reason, we clam up, don’t think we’re worth it or figure they’re trained to say no. But how do you know if you never ask?

True story
It took me approximately six months to convince my wife to go out with me.

a.k.a. I was told no more than once.

#worthit

Another true story
When buying my wife a new coat, I found a local shop and half-jokingly asked, “Any chance there’s a 20% discount for people shopping here for the first time?” He smiled and said yes, in fact, there was.

#moneyinthebank

But what if I had been told no? Did that thought cross my mind? Absolutely.

How to work through it
In his book, Quitter, Jon Acuff talks about how quickly we can let our fears spiral out of control. Like, if I ask this person out and she says no, she’ll probably post about it on facebook and every friend of mine will ridicule me and think I’m a loser for getting shot down, so they won’t ever ask me to hang out with them again because I’ll be that desperate guy that’s always hitting on their friends and then I’ll be ostracized and have no friends so I’ll sit at home on Friday nights trying to make creative memes with kittens.

Wow. That escalated quickly, huh? But it’s true. We so quickly draw out worse-than-worst-case-scenarios and let them stick with us. In reality, those things only happen in romantic comedies (which aren’t reality…).

So let’s take a deep breath and analyze this rationally.

If I asked someone out and they said no, one of two things are likely to happen.
1. It might be a little awkward the next time I see them, but I’ll live and that’ll pass.
Or
2. I’ll give it time and keep wearing them down (see: true story #1 above).

Either way, life isn’t going to end.

I won’t be subjected to making witty kitty memes for the rest of my days.

But the big stuff…
Touché. If you’re going to ask for something serious, like a raise, that half-joking question to a sales clerk won’t cut it. You have to do your homework. Have reasoning behind your ask. Serious questions require serious thought. You have to be earnest in your preparation. But even if the answer is no, it’s important to keep our imaginations in check.

Really think through the “consequences” logically and try to debunk that fear that’s holding you back.

There is a freedom that comes with knowing your world isn’t going to end by being told no. Egos will get bruised. Dreams might be crushed (see: American Idol). But in my own experience, it’s always been more liberating to ask the question and know than to always wonder “what if…”

We’ll analyze the second fear in another post, but until next time…have you found yourself overcoming the hesitation to ask a question? What was the result? Let me know in the comments below!

Pump The Brakes

veronicasalt

Do you remember Veruca Salt from Willy Wanka? Little Miss “I Want It Now!”

The original movie was made in 1971, but it sometimes feels like society has only adopted the sentiment more fervently as time goes on.

Personally, I’d like for us to consider the importance of accepting delayed gratification.

I heard a speaker last night talk about how common it is for us to look at someone else’s popularity or wealth and say, “I wish I had that”, or, “If I could be them for a day”. But what we don’t realize is that in most instances they put in years of work and sacrifice to get to that point – and most people wouldn’t be willing to do that part of the equation.

We only want the glitz and glamour.

There seems to be a disconnect in understanding that living on a budget allows you to save and keeps you out of debt.

Or that if you want to build your own business you might have to put hours in both before and after your full-time job to get it started.

Or that to be a better spouse it takes sacrifice and honest communication and a willingness to support each other’s dreams.

Our minds are so quick to look at a other people and say, “I want it now!” without giving a single thought to the reality of what it would actually take to achieve. And I fall into this trap as often as the next guy. It’s a slippery slope and easy to do.

So I say let’s find out what our friends and loved ones really want to do; what’s really important to them. Then let’s encourage them to stay the course!

Save for that vacation. Train for that marathon. Pay off that debt. Finish that degree. Start that blog. Open that Etsy shop.

Online communities like #yourturnchallenge, MyBlogU and countless others do it for strangers, so let’s spread that long-term vision to those closest to us and pump the brakes on unfulfilling instant gratification.

Something Important

It’s not always the easiest thing to get to. In fact, it’s typically the first casualty of my schedule when planning my day. But exercise is a must for me – typically a good run or bike ride – but I would actually be up for any sort of challenge.

It helps clear my head.

It gives me time to think.

It provides me with an opportunity to push myself and see measurable progress.

In college, I began running to be able to spend time with my now wife…so it also gave me a foot in the door! Training for full and half marathons together has become challenge we tackle as a team.

Exercise, for me, has far more benefits that just keeping the heart rate up.

Yogi Teachings

diving

Yogi.

The Latin derivative for “yoga” (not really).

Until recently, a yogi was a person whose exercise of choice was one that I completely misunderstood and was more likely to eschew than attempt. You see, if I were to describe myself in one word, “flexible” would not be that word.

One teacher, though, Earl, has really struck a chord with me in helping to see how getting through the physical demands of this ancient practice are applicable to everyday work.

Gently Push the Envelope
One of the key takeaways for me is Earl’s insistence on small, measurable progress; the thought that raising your toe one half inch higher…one inch higher…two inches higher, will make you progress that much further. It’s a small distance, a measurable hurt and a needed reminder.

I find myself wanting to constantly make large strides in life, be it in my professional or personal goals. The truth is, however, I have to work for it and make the small efforts each day to really get where I want to go. I have to remind myself that the little bit of pain now will pay much larger dividends in the future.

Smile
I know, this sounds like a super yoga-hippy thing to say, doesn’t it? There were times during class, though, that the tension and effort of everyone in the room was palpable. Muscles are tensed, eyes are focused and no one wants to fall. But with a witty comment from Earl or a reminder to “raise the corners of our mouth” you could sense a small weight being lifted off your shoulder.

Real life projects can have the same effect on me. Things get hectic and I feel like I’m trying to run in five directions. I get so focused, I forget to really digest what I’m doing to keep it in perspective. When I was an intern for Kohl’s Department Stores, it was commonly said by employees that they loved what they did and they worked hard, but at the end of the day “they knew that they sold underwear”. Seeing as I’m not the President, I have to remember not to take myself so seriously sometimes.

Lead by Example
I am a 100% novice when it comes to yoga, so half the words that get used in a class are absolutely foreign to me (Chatarunga. Ukatasana. YouseewhereI’mcomingfrom?). Fortunately, Earl takes time show the class exactly what they should be doing, as well as common pit-falls to avoid.

I would never expect a leader hold my hand in every situation – that would be inefficient on all accounts – but when I’m stepping into something new and trying to make myself better, it helps get a little advice from someone that’s been there before.

The truth is, every situation in life can be an opportunity to lead, and applying one of these three principles to the situation you’re in a simple way to start

So how about you…do you have activities that help you stay grounded and keep the rest of the world in perspective? I’d love to hear about them!