Author: Garth Beyer

There’s a near 70-year-old woman who is moving to panama to live her life because it’s affordable as heck to do so.

There’s a volleyball player that serves from the edge opposite of where everyone else serves.

There’s a professional that puts a “fodder” section at the end of her project briefs so people may be inspired by ideas she has that didn’t quite fit other sections in the brief.

When you think of it, the norm is smaller than we think, so getting outside the norm is easier than we think, too.

We don’t have to do something insane to be different or create a competitive advantage for ourselves.

Sometimes taking a few steps to the left, sharing our thoughts and living outside our bubble is all it takes to stand out and make a difference.

Stay Positive & Meet You Outisde

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In most occurrences of an armed intrusion, most people freeze.

When given a decision of a lifetime, most people freeze.

If we’re called on to do something we’ve never done before, most of us freeze.

While there’s a way to prevent analysis paralysis; there is no way to prevent the fear that comes with a decision or the ownership we must take when we choose (or not choose) something.

As it is, the way to prevent analysis paralysis is to role play as much as possible.

To consider all the unexpected possibilities.

Make the unfamiliar familiar.

Only then can we skip the freeze.

Stay Positive & Work That Imagination (For The Good And The Bad)

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There’s a plan for your future already.

That leaves us with a few options.

We can let things unfold.

We can fight the concept and say there’s no plan.

Or

We can choose to influence the future by designing and working with a map we make ourselves.

Stay Positive & Draw It Out

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There’s still a significant return on your investment in traditional advertising.

But when I say traditional advertising, I don’t mean ads in the paper or getting in your neighborhood’s newsletter.

Traditional in the sense of promoting your brand in person.

Going to events to connect with others. Inviting those you want to be customers over for a grill out. Knocking on doors – not to drop off a mailer, but to introduce yourself.

Being out there in person might not appear to have as significant or as quick of a return on your investment, but if you’re in it for the long-run, then it pays dividends.

Are there more you can connect with? More that you can do for others?

Because that’s as traditional as you can get.

Stay Positive & Show Up

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Having your head down saves you from distractions.

It keeps you focused on what’s in front of you, too.

But having your head down also removes the potential for you to interact with others.

It keeps you from connecting.

And if we know anything about “making it” in this world, it’s that we’ll never make it alone with our head down.

Stay Positive & Having Your Head Down Is Just Hiding

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When you’re thankful for someone, you can’t also be mad at them.

When you’re appreciative of the way things are, you can’t also be frustrated with them.

When you’re full of gratitude, you can’t also be full of fear, worry, shame, etc.

You can try running from or outworking an emotion you really don’t want to experience.

Or you can practice gratitude.

Stay Positive & Helps Even More When You Write What Your Thankful For

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When you take ownership of something, your attitude shifts.

You care more than you did before about it. You manage it better. You show it off and share it with others. You make the most of it.

Interestingly, there’s not much that dictates ownership of something.

It’s not like you’re showing the car title to people or revealing the name you had sewn onto the inside of the jacket or the letter that was addressed to you along with the package.

It goes to show that we can take ownership of nearly anything we want.

Like the project we’ve been putting off or training a new hire.

We can take ownership of making the city we live in a better place or reading books that make difference.

We can own our mornings, our meetings, our bodies and our relationships if we choose to.

Ownership might be more selfless than we ever thought it to be.

Stay Positive & Own it

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