Squeezing It In

What you’re able to squeeze in can be your differentiator.

Do you squeeze in time to see a friend or see an extra patient?

Do you squeeze in education each day – reading, learning a new language, etc.,?

Do you squeeze in a moment to tell your significant other what you appreciate them amid all the tasks and to-dos of the day?

It’s not magic to make time, but it is magic when you make time.

Stay Positive & Time To Exercise Your Time

There Wasn’t A Way

It’s a downward spiral to think “Mannn, if only I had gotten them involved sooner.”

Sooner would have brought its own problems. You’ll get questions you can’t answer. Problems will be brought up that you’re not ready to tackle. You’ll still miss having all the people involved.

Now, on the other hand, not involving them at all is a big problem.

But involving them somewhere in the middle? That’s the point. It’s supposed to produce tension that you can handle, problems that are solvable, and a vision that’s easier to communicate. (After all, it’s always easier to get people to provide feedback to an idea than it is to get them to come up with one.)

So, no. There wasn’t a way to involve them sooner. Not in a meaningful way, anyway.

Stay Positive & The Past Is Past

The Moment It’s Stressful

The moment you realize you’re stressed about something, think about something that’s more stressful.

As traumatizing as it was, any time I face a stressful situation, I force myself to remember what it was like in the delivery room and NICU for both of our girls. I can’t not think of everything else being lighter after thinking of that.

Almost every emotion we feel, comparing it to another hurts more than it helps us.

Except for stress. Aside from squeezing a stressball or going for a walk, the best action you can take to overcome it is to think of something even more stressful.

Cake walks are only cake walks after knowing what a death march is like.

Polarizing? That’s the point.

Stay Positive & Shock The Stress System

The Best In (Your) Class

If you want to rank #1, classify your novel in a very niche category.

If you want to be the best in search results, optimize your site for a very niche long tail keyword.

If you want to be known for something at work, invest in being irreplaceable in one very niche aspect to your role.

The group classes are already filled. You’ve gotta now be the best in yours.

Stay Positive & “He was number one!”

Doubling Down With Data

When you’ve got your gut telling you something, gone are the days that that’s enough to support action.

Data is too accessible today and the kind of feelings we have gut reactions to are more meaningful than they used to be.

If your gut is telling you something, remember that leaders are credited for it when they work fast to support it with data and then take action.

Ever notice it’s rare that meaningful decisions are based on guts? Because they don’t have to be.

Stay Positive & Data With Gut Over Only Gut Any Day

Less May Not Be Fun

Less may be easier. Less may be more manageable. But less may also be less fun.

It’s worth a pause the next time you say or think of saying the words: “let me take this off your plate.”

It’s human nature that overcoming challenges bring people more joy than overcoming, well, a non-challenge.

If there’s panic and pain and failures; then yea, it makes sense to lessen the load.

But a slight squeak? A complaint here and there? A little vent?

That’s a signal that they’ll celebrate the achievement more, not a signal to be saved.

Stay Positive & It’s A Fine Line, But That’s Where Leaders Dance