Author: Garth Beyer

It’s fun when multiple choice questions have “none of the above” as an option.

Most of the time, when it’s the right choice, it’s blatantly obvious.

But in real life, it’s not because most of the time on a test, we know what the answer is supposed to be, but life? Not so much.

So we default to picking out of the options available instead of saying they’re not for us and treading our own path and discovering what the answer behind “none of the above” is for us.

But is picking from what’s available really the right answer?

Stay Positive & Life Is Not A Scantron Test

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If you want an idea elevated, it’s better to share it in the room with people (even half baked) than to put it in an email (even fully baked).

If you want someone to feel how considerate your appreciation is, it’s better to call them on the phone than it is to text.

If you want an apology to be taken seriously, it’s better to say it out loud in person (or video) than it is to write a note.

Type works, but not as well as talking does.

Which is your default?

Stay Positive & I Probably Should Have Made This Post A Voice Recording, Huh?

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No matter the goal you have, the career, the hustle dream – it’s going to be hard.

And the reason it’s hard is that anyone who wants what you want to give already has it.

So why bother?

Because you might (hopefully) offer it in a different way.

And different is hard to do.

Stay Positive & Different, But Meaningful

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The songs that catch on aren’t solely ones that repeat every lyric and rhythm; the ones that do have a beat of repetition.

It’s almost in the background, but in the foreground enough just to be noticed and appreciated.

It’s the familiarity and consistency that people crave while still giving them unfamiliar notes and lyrics.

It’s like letting them out in an ocean with a rope and each beat of repetition is a little tug to remind them you’ve got them.

Business works the same way.

It’s the routine people experience that gives them the confidence and reassurance to continue exploring whatever new offering your business might have on the table.

Without that beat of repetition, though, everything feels new all the time.

This is effective for the innovators and early adopters, but there needs to be a beat of repetition if you ever wish to cross the chasm to the early and late majority.

Stay Positive & It Starts With Showing Up Every Day

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To get into the nitty gritty of the work, to build momentum, to understand all the outside influences on the inside work – it’s likely going to take you hours.

Thinking it’ll take any less, be it from your ego or a helping hand or historic experience, is setting yourself up for frustration.

It’s far better to be surprised when something takes less time than you anticipate.

Just as the only guarantee about a plan is that it won’t go as planned; the only guarantee about how fast you can do something is the faster you think you can, the more likely it’ll take longer. (To do it right, anyway).

Go at it with the right mindset though, and you’ll enjoy the delight that comes with completing something sooner than you thought.

Stay Positive & Or, You Know, Toss The Clock Altogether?

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You can disregard NFTs, the mayoral vote happening in your area, the NextDoor app and the Pantone color of the year.

But doing so prevents you from another avenue to connect with your tribe. Not your entire tribe, but a few of them. The few is where you begin.

On the other hand, there’s no way that you can deeply invest yourself in every innovation, technology, political or marketing shift. Not wholeheartedly, anyway.

So the path forward – being forward – is a frustrating one because it requires you to test the waters, lean in categories you’re unfamiliar with and see what works.

You’re not dipping your toes in, but you’re not cannon balling either – you’re entering with intention.

Stay Positive & The Water Is Fine (Once You’re In)

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One of the many magical elements of marketing is that if done right, it can make something feel new again.

It’s like taking a toy from your toddler and hiding it away for a few weeks until they forget about it and then you give it back and they feel like it’s new. Double the joy and zero cost investment on your end.

Marketing done right has the same effect (and same minimal investment).

The concept sounds easy, but the practice of it is hard, which is what makes marketing valuable.

Starbucks holiday cups are the same cups, but they feel new because of the design. Seth Godin’s blog is the same blog you read yesterday, but it feels new because he shared something different since yesterday. The bagel shop stands out because they’ve rotated their cream cheese special (or with the current shortage, a cream cheese replacement) from last week.

New is about being nuanced and detailed. It’s about taking a step closer to the edge from where you were.

Leaps work, too, but not always.

Anyway, there’s a difference between making something new and making something feel like it’s new. One is an innovators responsibility, the other a marketer’s.

Stay Positive & Some Say It’s A New Way Of Marketing

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