What are you working on these days?
It could be a:
- A project at work.
- A project at home.
- A vacation you’re planning.
- A trick you’re teaching your dog.
- A workout program you’re using.
- A book you’re reading.
- A show you’re watching.
Life is better when you can answer that question immediately.
There are so many things to work on. “Same shit different day” is not one of them.
- Dishonest men will be dishonest. Smart ones become attorneys.
- Neurotic men will be neurotic. Smart ones write every day.
- Compulsive men will be compulsive. Smart ones are clean freaks.
The river has to flow somewhere. Might as well channel it in the right direction.
Think you’re ready for a baby? Get a dog.
Think you’re ready for a dog? Get a plant.
Think you’re ready for a plant? Great. Go get one.
Soon, you’ll be well on your way to being ready for a baby.
Baby steps, People.
Tough acts to follow don’t need to be so tough.
- Godfather II didn’t try to outdo the epic wedding, baptism and mass murders. They went to Italy and Tahoe.
- Kenichi Ebina didn’t try to outdo his video game performance. He performed solo (sort of).
- Robert Plant didn’t try to outdo Led Zeppelin. He sang duets with Allison Krauss.
How many movies, TV shows, bands, books and performers, should have heeded this advice?
Godfather III, Hangover II and III, Dexter seasons 5 through the end. Ugh.
Following tough acts is okay. But something small is the only way to follow.
NOTE: The Kenichi Ebina video is a case in point (and awesome). Performance 1 is at 2:28. This principal is explained at 4:13. Performance 2 follows.
I love Seth Godin’s blog. If you don’t subscribe to it, you should. You’ll learn about business, life and other good things. Kinda like this blog (cough).
If you subscribe to Seth’s blog long enough, you’ll see the one mistake Seth makes every week. Every morning, you’ll get an email with the day’s blog post. And after a while, no matter how much you appreciate the content, you’ll begin to ignore the email. It happened to me, and it will happen to you. Its consistent delivery, every morning at 5AM becomes noise.
- Yields diminishing returns.
- Dilutes the purpose.
- Exhausts all parties involved.
Seth could benefit from a break. His readers could, too. One day per week would be enough.
Look in the mirror. Even if you aren’t writing a daily blog, you are doing a daily something. Facebook looking / posting. Clean eating. Working.
So how do you avoid producing, becoming, and delivering noise?
Keep doing what you’re doing. Write a thought-provoking blog. Eat clean. Do good work.
Just take a break.
A good doorman:
- Greets people he knows he knows.
- Helps strangers with no hesitation.
- Asks “How was your day?” to anyone who might want to be asked.
- Appreciates his job.
- Appreciates you.
- Moves around during work.
- Talks with hand gestures.
- Lends a hand.
- Keeps secrets.
- Talks to the mailman.
- Likes dogs.
- Dresses well.
- Laughs a lot.
- Shows patience.
- Plays on your team.
Alas, not all doormen are good doormen.
Might as well lead by example.
Instead of a grand opening, why not try a soft opening. Fewer people, less hype, less risk.
With a soft opening:
- Mistakes are seen by fewer people.
- Participants feel closer to you and your brand.
- Highlights and lowlights are easier to consider when nimble.
Books, blogs, movies, restaurants, small-businesses, relationships, TV shows, domiciles, etc. are all similar in this respect.
Start slow with a soft opening.
Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
Looking for a new job?
Here are your choices:
- Sell yourself. Explain how you’re better than your current company. Show how poorly you were treated. Give examples of how overqualified you are.
- Sell your current company. Explain how great your time with them has been. Show how well they treated you. Give examples of great things your teams did.
Choice 2 gets you:
- Higher paying opportunities.
- More opportunities.
- An open door to return with your current company.
Yes, a small percentage of old colleagues (ones most financially affected by your departure) will treat with you ignorance and contempt. But you get that any time you get a new job.
Might as well go with Choice 2.
When in doubt, just think about what Lucy would do.
- Seeing someone you’ve missed? Jump, wag and give tons of love.
- Meeting new friends? Approach gently and make the other feel comfortable.
- Been sitting still for too long? Get up and stretch.
- Playing ball in the park? Leave it all on the field.
- Feeling sick? Don’t let anyone know.
- Just got fed? Say thank you.
Love, exercise and appreciation.
During my days flying every week:
- A middle-aged entrepreneur said I should sell high-value, high-margin products as softly as possible. Boy, was he right!
- A young personal wellness coach said he saw big things from me. He still emails me periodically to see if I’ve made it big.
- A husband and wife, both scientists from rural Florida taught me about the perils of farm-raised fish. They were one of the first subscribers to Life is NOYOKE.
- Two strangers left me alone, mostly, while I juggled 50 note cards with research for the book I was writing. The strangers varied, but they were all helpful in special ways.
For every reason flying brought me the pain, there was one that made it worth it.
Lemons, lemonade, People.