Life Lesson

You can go on and on about all the reasons you’re at where you’re at with your work and not further along.

You can spend 10 minutes convincing people why the rest of your presentation is important before you start it.

You can belabor caveating that the work isn’t final or polished yet.

Or, you know, you can get right into it; get comfortable with being vulnerable; trusting your audience; wowing with what you do have.

It’s all a work in progress anyway.

“Here. I made this.” goes a much longer way than paragraphs of upfront, caveats and a prologue.

Stay Positive & Short & Sweet

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Hearing those words usually defines a barrier or disconnect.

What was intended wasn’t received.

The narrative is being told differently than we hoped for.

It’s usually the result of closed-mindedness.

Someone didn’t have the guts or care to get diverse feedback on the platform, people or way of doing business before it was shared.

The solution isn’t more spin; it’s restarting in an effort to build something more meaningful; something that makes it clear you/the business/the brand cares.

Stay Positive & Lead Past It

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In asking others for help, one can’t expect them to start, to build the foundation, to set the stage.

That work is on us.

But when we do it; when we invest the time and energy in setting others up to help us, it’s ridiculous how much more help, ideas, thoughts and care we get.

Then again it makes sense.

It’s easier to care more when we can tell how much it matters to someone.

Stay Positive & What Goes Around…

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Instead of being overwhelmed with your workload.

Instead of being frustrated with events in your life.

Instead of feeling like you want to break down and cry.

Ask someone close to you how they are doing.

Chances are they are not having their best day.

Just yesterday I asked a coworker how the heck she was managing the workload + home life – and I only knew half of what she was working on and just that was a lot.

“One more thing and I’m going to break down and cry. I had my melt down yesterday and now I’m just trying to take it one thing at a time.”

Shit.

Ask about others and listen. It not only makes our problems seem smaller, but it gives us motivated compassion to do work that helps others.

And as ol’ Zig always said. “The key to having everything you want in life is to help enough people get what they want in life.”

Stay Positive & Don’t Struggle In A Silo

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The talented, the powerful and the awesome keep a beginner’s mind no matter how expert they become.

A beginner’s mind remains humble; it doesn’t know everything.

A beginner’s mind keeps curious; passionate to learn and grow.

A beginner’s mind offers forgiveness; a free pass to fail and learn and fail again.

A beginner’s mind provides the push to connect; to ask for help, to collaborate more often with others and to learn from the best (and, I suppose, the worst, too).

All that growth potential is possible by hanging status up at the door and keeping a beginner’s mind.

Stay Positive & Always As If You’re Starting

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Reaching out to someone can be a miracle in disguise.

It could also get them to think you’re up to something. It could backfire and put more work on your plate. It could take more time than you thought it would.

But, again, it could lead to a new idea, a fresh connection, a conversation that makes your life, work, relationship smoother.

There’s always a risk in reaching out.

But there’s always reward, too.

Stay Positive & After All, This Is The Connection Economy

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Do you love him?

Tell me a thought that’s been stunk in your head these days?

What’s been the biggest challenge this week?

For what in your life do you feel most grateful?

Tell me about an experience that completely changed you?

Is there anything that is too serious to joke about?

How long will you accept the reasoning “we’ve always done it this way”?

So many tough questions. Meaningful questions. Important questions.

Just as important are the answers we give or listening to the answers of others.

Q&A isn’t just the most important part of a webinar, it’s the most important part of the work environment, family, relationships and everything else that involves us interacting with others.

Stay Positive & Ask More

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