Attitude

This Week’s To-Do List

Garth Beyer
  • Never stop improving
  • Learn the power of participative leadership
  • Share better choices
  • Have a position and support it
  • Anticipate counterarguments
  • Play the game differently
  • Motivate yourself with competition
  • Command the lectern
  • Collect feedback on your current project
  • If you don’t have a project, start one
  • Shine under scrutiny
  • Practice civility
  • Isolate your problems
  • Formulate workable solutions
  • Speak to the heart, with logic, with authority
  • Connect the audience with each other
  • Create prior credibility
  • Forget the “next big thing”
  • Adapt your story to the listener
  • Make buying less risky
  • Create momentum
  • Prepare dynamic meetings
  • Speak to outside groups
  • Value you
  • Keep your edge
  • Express your inner entrepreneur early
  • Embrace problems creatively
  • Pursue passion
  • Face the fear
  • Conquer hopelessness
  • Make a small difference
  • Determine your best time of day
  • List a handful of goals
  • Commit to a peak performance partner
  • Journal
  • Take a time out and get grounded
  • Narrow your focus
  • Take personal responsibility for everything
  • Remember your “why”
  • Outsource
  • Ask questions
  • Ask more questions
  • Autograph your excellence
  • Manifest several new ideas to keep the big idea going
  • Perform twenty mental push ups
  • Free your imagination
  • Find enthusiastic support
  • Don’t expect anything in return
  • Remember all the basics apply
  • Laugh a bit louder
  • Be human
  • Workout/Exercise
  • Practice prepared cleverness and unprepared cleverness
  • Keep being yourself
  • Punctuate and pause
  • Remain humble and teachable
  • Delegate
  • Create room at the top for other potential leaders
  • Accept, overcome, and adapt
  • Track time or find a way to make sleepless nights worth staying awake for
  • Do a vice check
  • Pump up the visuals
  • Focus on what you have, not on what you’ve lost
  • Keep moving – it’s harder to hit a moving target
  • Take breaks to do some cost cutting
  • Get ready to be wrong
  • Try

 

Stay Positive & Now You Have A To-Do List For Life

(It’s long, I know. But so is life)

Garth E. Beyer

Unlocking Potential: Interview #5

Garth Beyer

I love when people ask questions. But I’ve missed a huge part of the process. Like many others, I have always taken an exciting interest in answering questions and the discussion that follows, but I haven’t necessarily focused on the question-asking. It wasn’t until I spoke with Michelle that I learned there can be so much more to the questions that are asked in addition to the answers one may receive.

Michelle was trained in the criminal justice system at an early age and learned the importance of asking questions through clinical training (she’s a licensed social worker). As a probation officer, she relied heavily on facilitating conversations with clients in order to develop productive working relationships. And, you guessed it, asking questions was a big part of that.

Have you considered how business, social media, and finding connections is primarily fostered by the right questions? Can you imagine creating a job of your dreams based on assessment, questioning, and curiosity? Michelle is not only living proof, but lively proof that you can get the right answers if you ask the right questions. She excitedly participated in my Unlocking Potential interview, adding a fresh, unique addition to my series. (You can view the others here)

Enjoy.

Interview: Michelle Welsch

GB: I would love to know what you think your passion, or your life purpose is. You have this fire, this passion that is evident. What fuels it?

My passion has always been people. I love to learn about what makes people tick and hear their stories, learning about their world and how they see things. I’m fortunate that the work that I do helps people share their stories with others. Connecting people only amplifies that. I like watching people make strides professionally and personally, and I like to think I help people do this through observation, helping people own and recognize their own brand story and introducing others who might enhance their work. My focus has mostly been, “How can I help others?” — I had never seen myself in the driver’s seat, always walking alongside people and businesses and companies I might help reach their goals. But with Project Exponential, I’ve realized I’m now steering my own ship.

GB: I see that many of your writings and blog posts are inspirational and talk about courage and challenge. Do you write everyday? Do you see writing as a practice?

You can write everyday, but that doesn’t mean you have to publish every day. It’s valuable to get into the habit of writing. That moment of brilliance will never come if you’re waiting. You could be waiting a very long time for that perfect moment. The perfect circumstance will probably never happen, and then you’ll never finish anything. Just get in the habit of writing ideas, notes, quotes, observations about things you see that inspire you. You have to practice seeing the world in a way that corresponds to words. You learn to verbalize and communicate in a different way and how to transfer your thoughts onto paper. While practice can make the process more fluid, with anything there are ebbs and flows. I try to aim for moderation. Often times those moments when you think you have nothing to say are the important moments when you have to force yourself to write anyway.

GB: I have to ask, is there a book in store?

I’ve flirted with this idea, but we’ll see. It might be a fun goal. Recently I came across Austin Kleon’s advice: “Write the book you’d want to read.” I’m not entirely sure what I’d write about just yet. I’d need to have more of a concrete idea before I really consider.

GB: I just finished reading Keri Smith’s book: Living Out Loud. She mentions all great female writers have an intrinsically unique connection to nature. I’ve seen some recent photos of a trip to Peru on your twitter feed. Are the outdoors important to you?

I grew up in Colorado where the outdoors are an integral part of life. When I first moved to New York, I thought I was going to have to give that up. But I found Discover Outdoors and the Upper West Side, surrounded by Riverside Park, Morningside Park, and Central Park. Being outside has always been super important to me. I get the best ideas when I’m outside and running around. The ideas always happen when I’m someplace in Central Park, and then I have to repeat it over and over in my head until I can come home and write it down. I think that’s when the best moments happen, when you’re in a different environment.

GB: Now I’m going to shift the subject a bit. What’s it like working with Seth Godin? Do people equate you with him?

Working with Seth has been some of the most rewarding work I’ve done. He’s incredible to work with. With Seth, his work is his. It’s about picking yourself and creating your own name.

GB: You’ve certainly done that. How have your past experiences impacted your work?

My resume is a little nontraditional. I’ve managed to draw valuable lessons from a variety of environments — the court room, the South Bronx, higher ed settings, and clinical therapeutic settings. My transition from social work into the corporate, business world started really slowly. When I freelanced for Interbrand, I was a consultant in this very buttoned up corporate world, but I would often teach people the same skills I would teach, let’s say in probation or to disadvantaged youth, how to be genuine, human and approachable when communicating. My experience there acted as a type of “mini-MBA” and showed me what skills I could bring from my former career path into this new world of business and tech.

GB: It seems your consulting work helped lay the foundation for the creation of Project Exponential: the transition, the growth, the learning, the insight, and most importantly, the transferring of skills. I’m so curious about what you do. After looking through Project Exponential’s website, I immediately related to your passion, mind-set and way of thinking. I imagine you’re someone who likes to dabble in a little bit of everything (most of us who strive for success do). Is that why you make events where really different people come together?

When I first began to make the career switch, I started wondering what kinds of work people would do if they borrowed from a different industry — whether it would be better, more interesting, more creative. I started sending email introductions to people I had encountered who had similar interests or parallel work. Sometimes best intentions fall flat, and the intended coffee dates wouldn’t always happen. So I began selecting individuals and extending invitations to unique locations I had reserved throughout New York City. I wanted to run my fingers horizontally through industry verticals.

GB: So what happens during a Project Exponential event?

It’s always different, depending on who is there and what kind of space I choose to complement the group. The venues change; it could be a private room in a trendy restaurant where attendees have to walk through the kitchen, past the chef and the dishwashers to find it. I’ve held some at wine shops that separate part of the store for us while we are there. I’ve also hosted attendees in a basement dining room, and they’re treated to a four course meal. It’s an experience.

Before events, I spend time with each attendee, learning more about their work and creative process. It’s kind of like an assessment. I create specific, tailored exercises for each event so that people can learn more about each others work. One of my favorite parts of my work is to find the balance of structure, easing anxieties of being in a foreign place with strangers and creating the backdrop for serendipity to take place.

GB: Your understanding how to create problems and questions specifically to each group you curated is extraordinary. You’ve stepped away from traditional networking conventions. Why is it important to you to protect the names and titles of those attending?

I want to create a space where everyone’s on the same playing field. This anonymity allows people the freedom to step away from their work and whatever preconceived notions or judgements someone might have about what they do for one evening and connect with others in a meaningful way. There are plenty of events that list of the names of attendees. You go, hoping to meet specific people there and may walk way with a few business cards that, if you’re lucky, turn into something remarkable. You may also miss meeting a handful of incredible people who didn’t have the job or the title you wanted to see.

I have seen magic take place at Exponential events; people are following up with coffee dates, planning bike rides, helping each other with business ideas and expanding their networks. I’ve watched design directors brainstorm with entrepreneurs, athletes mix with CEOs, and writers engage in hearty conversation with bankers. My aim is to use this momentum to inspire others to do the same, step out of their industries and put themselves in new environments where boundaries can be crossed. I want people to ask, “How can I disrupt things?” and make something happen.

GB: What has been a highlight of your work with Project Exponential?

I take a lot of time putting each group together. With each event, I consider who needs to meet and at what point during the evening this connection might take place. Connections and common interests aren’t always clear, but it’s up to me to connect the dots. If I’m honest, there’s a quite a bit of anxiety for me in delivering something magical for each attendee, but it’s incredibly rewarding to watch two people interact in the way I had envisioned. I try to focus on providing the backdrop for magic to occur and let the people take care of the rest.

GB: What inspired you to make this career change? What got you going and what’s propelled you forward?

The move from the social good world to what I’m doing now was intentional but not necessarily direct. I knew that I needed to take specific action to get into the next realm and took small, manageable steps. With Exponential, it took more coaxing and courage, and I had to make the decision to commit to it. Seth’s work helped quite a bit.

We grow up learning that we have to find the job, do the work, and get paid. Suddenly it clicked: “What a minute, I can create this dream job I’ve been searching for.” And then it’s a matter of jumping. At first, it’s a bit of a bungee jump feeling — exciting and scary but you can’t wait to see what happens.

GB: How do you try to live your life? Are there any quotes that have inspired you?

“Leap, and the net will appear.” -John Burroughs

You have to take risks. No decision in life is irreversible. It’s much better to go and do and figure out how to fix it, and you’ll feel that much more satisfied with having tried it. You just have to do it. Jump. Go. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the wrong direction, you may end up with a more scenic, memorable ride. Just go. That’s how I ended up in New York.

Look and see how you can shake things up, be fearless. Whether it’s walking home from work a different way, trying a new restaurant, placing yourself in a new environment to meet new people, inviting random people to your house — just open that space for different things to come your way. It doesn’t have to be huge.

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You can find Michelle and her work online, most recently here. I have also shared a few of my favorites below.

You can ask Michelle questions of your own on twitter @redheadlefthand or send her an email at info@projectexponential.com.

To learn more about her project, visit www.projectexponential.com.

 

Stay Positive & #impresario

Garth E. Beyer

Everyone

Garth Beyer
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Everyone has their problems, their battles, their emotions, their wars, and their own issues. Realizing this, knowing this, understanding this does not mean to put you to inaction. It does not mean to hold back, to deal, to settle, to not complain, to not feel.

Humans need to be better and if there is one way that is more available to us than not doing anything, it is doing something. It is taking action, reacting more passionately, releasing our empathy, our sympathy, our hopes that others can win their battles.

It is to encourage your neighbor, your tribe member, a stranger, that you not only acknowledged that they are having their problems, but that you have their back, support them and encourage them.

Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines. – Robert H. Schuller

If there is one thing humans have the biggest habit of, it’s creating a mess of our lives, of making more problems and provoking difficult situations to arise. We’re not stupid, we just kind-of suck but we are aware that we can do better. We just have to act on it.

Everyone has their problems. It’s up to you to offer solutions because doing so starts an endless cycle of understanding, encouragement, togetherness and above all, -not less problems, life would be boring without them- but more solutions. And that gets us somewhere.

 

Stay Positive & I Feel Good For You Son

Garth E. Beyer

You’ll Never Reach Success By Being Careful

Garth Beyer
My option for being careful was either to keep a distance and eat raw chicken or put it close and deal with a few burnt parts.

 

A lot of things can happen when you aren’t being careful.

Juice getting spilled on the counter. The cereal bag being ripped down the sides. You curbed the car making that turn. You got pranked with gum that tastes like pepper. The screw was dropped down the drain. You accidentally spelled “duck” wrong in your term paper. And so much more.

Actually, there are so many more things that can happen when you aren’t careful that I just have to continue…

You managed to standout at the board meeting. The reward, the gift, the acknowledgment came to you. You got inspired. A memory that you will always look back on and cherish was created. You got lost and found a new restaurant. You took a risk… and succeeded.

Those who achieve their goals, who make something of their lives, who are “successful” are no more careful than you and I. Actually, they are less careful.

They understand that the more they fit everything into a schedule, the more they are patient and careful with every social interaction, every small contract and every gift, the less creative and energized they are. Less potential is unleashed this way.

In being obsessively careful, you are preventing miracles from happening, putting a stop to unexpected delights and memorable surprises to occur. In being careful you are saying to the world and everyone around you that you want to play it safe, that you don’t want any turbulence and above all that you don’t want to make any risks, even if taking a risk meant succeeding.

 

Stay Positive & Think Twice Next Time You Tell Someone To Be Careful

Garth E. Beyer

 

 

Dimensions Of Your Programming

Garth Beyer

As most things in the world, the more you understand something, the easier it is to excel or improve it.

With that in mind, here are the four dimensions of every persons programming.

Beliefs: I would go so far as to agree with the statistic that at least 60% of people on the planet still believe the world is flat. While it may not necessarily be true – I haven’t gotten around to asking everyone yet – the concept behind it is worth putting all your faiths in one basket for.

The point is that it’s almost as if it’s human nature to believe something indefinitely upon hearing it. It’s as if I walked into a party, picked a guy out and told everyone else that his occupation is being a clown, or that he is carrying a knife or that he stuffs his pants.  99% of the people I tell will believe me.

If the subject in question appeals to their common sense and I appear to be an honest person, then their sold. Right then, right there. No chance to change their mind, especially given the fact they will either avoid the guy or kick him out.

Beliefs stick and just like the janitors at a middle school, you have to tip the desk over and scrape the gum off from time to time and start fresh.

Behaviors: Humans are addicted to stimulation when it comes to behavior. So much that regardless if something is internal or external, conscious or subconscious, or overt or covert, every person will always side on the most stimulative behavior.

Nor does it matter whether someone is an introvert or extrovert as both are aiming for the same feeling of stimulation despite it is from different activities. It is humans behavior to lean in the direction of the most stimulative experience. Why is this bad? This makes you predictable.

Every now and then, we have to do things we don’t want to. It’s actually a good thing because it makes us unpredictable and those who try using your predictability to earn a greedy income are filled with regret for ever thinking they could understand you.

Intellectual Experience: Of course, stimulation doesn’t just end with behaviors, it begins with them. It is through those unpredictably stimulating occurrences where you gather intellectual experiences.

But wait, intellectual experience does not come directly from the stimulation, it comes from the understanding of it.

When you pay close attention to detail, analyze it and deduce that there is a lesson to be learned from it, that is when you increase your intellectual experience. It is not necessarily being able to have a large vocabulary, being able to synthesize an equation and deduce a problem or ace a pop quiz.

Then again, those never hurt either.

Consequences: Consequences are what define morality, character, integrity and righteousness. They direct every persons life toward either “good” or “bad”. If you don’t know the meaning or power of consequences, you definitely haven’t made any choices, taken any risks or started a brouhaha. Go do that. Now.

 

Stay Positive & Improvement Follows Understanding (It’s In Our Programming)

Garth E. Beyer

Unlocking Potential: Interview #4

Garth Beyer

It’s the weird ones you have to look out for in this world, really and truly. They are the ones that know how to live life, know how to express themselves and know more about success than the most popular person in school.

You are now entering the fourth interview in the Unlocking Potential series. You can view the third here, second here and first here. If you haven’t yet noticed, part of the Unlocking Potential series is to bring out more of the weirdness. John Le, who you will meet in a few seconds, may not seem weird to you, that’s good because you’ve embraced your own weirdness but for the majority, he may seem “different”.

One way I see weirdness is like this. An average American can travel to any other country in the world and they will without a doubt get a large amount of culture shock. The American who understands different cultures and embraces them can travel nearly anywhere without getting hit with a bad case of culture shock. What is comes down to is whether you want to avoid everything outside of America or embrace it. Which one lives life to the fullest? Which one has real experience? Which one has a greater insight into the world?

Embracing culture shock is a lot like embracing weirdness.

After all, we are all a bit weird aren’t we? And that’s a good thing.

Interview: John Le

In high school I had a favorite teacher who knew how to make a class fun, or at least she was okay with my friend (not John) and I making it fun. She was one of those teachers that you go back and visit and that’s exactly what I did, but I didn’t go back and visit after school or during study hall, I went during one of her classes. Of course I made it my goal to make a ruckus while there. But it was during a couple of the classes that I went back and realized someone was already making a ruckus. That is when I met John Le. I was quick to admire him for his openness, wit and downright honesty.

Q: Thank you so much for participating in this interview. Would you like to give the readers a short bio?

I was born and grew up in Rockford, Illinois, and attended the local schools through the RPS205 “Gifted” program for the intellectually advanced students. I grew up in a humble family, my parents had to work multiple jobs to make ends meet, so I had plenty of time on my hands to think and grown creatively. I attended high school at Belvidere North High School ’12, graduated with High Honors, and this coming Fall/Winter semester, I will be attending Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois with a focus in Chemistry. My ultimate goal in life is to become a chemist that formulates cosmetic products.

Q: Let’s jump into some questions. What is your passion?

I have a personal passion for the sciences and arts. I plan on pursuing a job related to the field of chemistry, possibly cosmetic chemistry, in the future as a life-long career. On the art front, I plan on privately pursuing portrait photography as a means of emotional expression. I will not work in the art field for a living because I personally disagree with the thought of creating art on demand. I would rather spend time and let a piece of work develop at its own natural pace, rather than mechanically turning out cookie-cutter corporate art that are not unique in their own respect.

Q: What skills do you need to be successful?

Tenacity, motivation, honesty  & common sense.

I could write for endless ages about the skills necessary for success and achievement, but I think my short list of four words should suffice for the common reader.

Q: Which side of your brain do you use more often?

Neither, I am an individual that lingers on the blurred divide of the two hemispheres of the brain. The left side of the brain is said to be of scientific and mathematic manners, and I am a person that is interested in such and exhibit traits that characterize this side of the brain. Such traits would be an affinity for the familiar, categorization, analytical thought process, use of strategy, and pragmatic.

Right minded people are said to be creative, free-spirited, passionate with boundless imagination; I too exhibit these traits alongside those of my “left-brain” personality. Most of my teachers and mentors say that I am a walking oxymoron, a combination of two opposite ideas. I would most likely [think] that this is true.

Q: What or who is your biggest inspiration?

I would say that my biggest inspiration in life is the late British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, founder of the eponymous house of fashion. McQueen juxtaposed strength and fragility in his designs, and made what was once ugly once again beautiful. He was a lotus, a special individual that  could cultivate beauty from common things.

Q: What is art?

I personally think that art, and the definition of art is subjective. What I might view as beautiful may be deemed hideous by another person, but I think that is the beauty in the world of art, different viewpoints are to be had on the same piece of work. It’s very interesting to unravel people’s minds and figure out what they find beautiful, and the reasons that they find certain ideas or images pleasing to the mind or eye.

To be curt, I think the form of the human body is art in itself. Far too many people are offended by the naked human, and this amazes me, for we are all the same beneath our socially constructed idea of  “clothes”.

Do you have a product you want to create that has never been thought of before?

http://www.vat19.com/  Enough said on that subject. Seriously, just check out the website.

In case you were wondering, NO(!), I am not being compensated to advertise the website, I just think that this website has every weird product that has ever been thought of.

On an entirely unrealistic level, I would like to create tiny devices that would be utilized in a medical setting to repair bodies of patients that ordinary human precision could not do. These microscopic “robots” would mend human flesh and bone. Imagine a bucket of silver robotic spiders being poured over a tragic wound like a shattered face, or a broken leg, and then watching these tiny robots healing your body right before your eyes. Amazing, right? Right.

Q: What makes you standout?

I think the fact that I am very blunt with my thoughts and speech truly makes me stand out in today’s society where all taboo subjects that everyone questions is quietly swept under the rug of propriety for the sake of society’s general comfort. Sometimes I have a bad habit of speaking my mind openly on subjects that make people feel very uncomfortable, and it gets me in a few “hot-water-debates” sometimes, irregardless I never blame myself for the fact that others do not feel at ease when certain subjects are talked about in public. The only people that dislike me for speaking the truth are those that are living a lie, until then, I will continue to speak the truth. No sugar to sweeten the subject, or any frills to make any unappealing subject for palatable for the common mind.

Q: What advice or life lessons would you give to someone with an interest in your field?

For any young man or woman pursuing the fields of science or visual arts, you’re a special person for wanting to help this sick world and helping it to be a better person through scientific work and also filling it with beautiful art.

Addressing those specifically interested in the sciences, there are not many people that care enough to make the world a better place in the long run, rather, they choose to fulfill their own desires for the sake of personal gain, which by all means is fine, but you are remarkably special because you are doing a service for all of mankind by uncovering new knowledge that is necessary for the survival of our species. Do not allow others to mock your choice of the path you plan on taking, because they are most likely too afraid to take the one that you’re going to leave a blazing trail of glory on.

For those interested in the arts, I want you to never lose your inspiration. Personally, I view the best inspiration as intrinsic, coming from within, only you can have the unique power to express the universe that is confined to the cells of your brain. Art takes time to fully ripen and mature, and I want you to always let your art to mature at it’s own rate, though I do not agree with the idea of creating art for money, I want you to be able to share your art with the world. Never let money impede on your artistic process. Never be afraid of any subject matter, or to try something unconventional, it will almost always end up more beautiful in its own manner than you would have possibly ever imagined.

Q: Define your life purpose in 11 words?

Never abandon your dreams due to obstacles, they’re opportunities in disguise.

(this subtext doesn’t count, but the above sentence is my life motto and purpose)

Q: What quality does a person need in order to achieve living their passion?

Personally, the most important quality/trait/what-have-you that a person needs to achieve living their passion is tenacity in the face of adversity. Let me break it down, a person must still want a certain goal in their life to come true even if nobody in their surroundings believes them. (This idea might be redundant in this interview, and I want to stress that every time it is mentioned, it is used in the utmost importance of inspiring the people of the world) Millions upon millions have lost hope in their wildest dreams because some person in this world told them that it was impossible, or that they would never be able to achieve something so great in their lifetime. I always think that these people are seriously wrong, and incorrect with their judgement on the subject. Only the dreamer can shape their own wishes, not another person. Who told these idiots that they had the right of imposing their will over a person? Whoever you are, if you’re still reading this, I don’t want you to give up on your wildest dreams, they might come true one day!

Q: Do you have any art you would want to share?

I have a simple(and small) photography portfolio that can be viewed at; http://johnle815.carbonmade.com/ (user friendly!)

For the art-minded folk; http://johnle815.deviantart.com/   This portfolio will have the bulk of my portfolio added to it, slowly, but surely.

My stream of consciousness using photos; http://johnle815.tumblr.com/ (potentially NSFW, I guess people are afraid of the human form in all of its infinite splendor)

Q: Any last comments?

Yes, I do have a few last comments. If you ever want to bribe me to do anything, legal(!) of course, feel free to dangle a few steak tacos and fruit slushies in front of my face. I’m quite serious…..

(You can contact John Le at Viet611Forever@aol.com or visit his profiles listed above)

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Stay Positive & Ever Hear That After Being Shocked Enough Times It Starts To Feel Good?

Garth E. Beyer

Questioning Error Correction

Garth Beyer

What if we corrected all the errors in the world? Would we be perfect?

If you answered yes, do you really believe it?

Does correcting errors bring out potential? Or merely suppress it and endorse mediocre?

If we got every student to get an A in each subject, would we have a world of inspired geniuses or a world of people who are just good enough in every area?

Getting a juggler to never make an error kind of defeats the purpose of a juggler doesn’t it?

If error correction is your goal, are you saying that being at a specific prescribed weight is worth giving up the slightly off track, but happy, minor error eating habits you have?

Do you think it’s fair to train one person to correctly do 10 tasks or 10 people to not only correct one task each, but to bring their creativity to that one task as well?

Only focusing on error correction kind of destroys any potential, any chance of growth of creativity and of art doesn’t it?

 

Stay Positive & Why Correct The Bad When You Can Amplify The Good?

Garth E. Beyer