Life Lesson

Checking if we’ve crossed the line is simply good standards.

Is the social post we’re about to publish crossing the line?

Is the work we’re giving away for free too much?

Are we over charging? Undercharging?

The beauty is that in most cases we’re drawing the line for ourselves based on the information and world views we have.

But there’s always a line.

Stay Positive & Consider Dancing By It Rather Than Crossing It

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When there’s no deadline, the space of almost done can be deadly.

Almost done is very rarely about the work itself; it’s about the mental state of the creator.

We’re not ready to share this with the world yet. We’re not ready to hear if people hate it. We’re not ready to be judged, assessed and given candor that may create even more work for us.

Alas, being almost done prevents others from getting value out of the work we should be shipping. And that’s just rude, right?

Stay Positive & Sign And Deliver

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There’s very little that got me as much experience, connections and knowledge than playing my student card when I was in college. It got me into talking to CEOs, reporters, owners and dozens of people who would have otherwise said “no.”

When big shifts happen in the world, it puts a card in our hand. It’s a card we can use when we pivot and change our work, or process or culture (for the better, of course!).

We’ve had a few cards put in our hand over the last few months. Cards we may not have asked for or wanted, but cards that offer us the chance to play up or double down; a chance to lean into progress we hadn’t been able to; an opportunity to change things for the better.

Stay Positive & Cards Are Only Effective When Played

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It can also be a journey or a challenge or a dance.

It can be whatever we label it.

But one thing is for certain: It’s not going to be easy.

The moment there is contentedness, the next moment will be upheaval. The moment there is momentum, the next moment there is a bump in the road.

The trick then–since there’s always going to be a hiccup or change of tune–is to work toward controlling it.

If provided a void, the universe will work to fill it.

But when you make your next challenge yourself; to expand into outdoor seating, to pursue online ordering, to surprise and delight 10 people per week, to bring in a new vendor, to coordinate a digital festival … that’s when progress is made with intention rather than reaction.

And more often than not, the growth you produce from the changes and challenges you make often puts you at an advantage against the external forces you don’t have control over.

Think of it like getting ahead of the universal and competitive curve.

All for trying something new, crafting with intention and caring more than you did yesterday but not nearly as much as tomorrow.

Stay Positive & It’s Hard, But It’s Also Simple

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Double down.

Double check.

Double tap.

Double play.

Double edge.

Double click.

Double team.

Double duty.

Two is better than one, and providing someone reassurance at the end of an exchange by double checking the work is the best gift you could give.

Stay Positive & Double Clap

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It’s common knowledge that there’s always room for improvement.

The challenge is typically what to improve?

Close your eyes and listen. What can you do to make what is heard better? How can you appeal to what people hear (upbeat jazz music?) or what people don’t hear (eliminate echoes or the AC unit’s buzzing)?

Now close your eyes and plug your ears and take a deep breath through your nose. What do you smell? How can you appeal to what people experience through scent? Do you light candles or purchase a new purifier to clean the air?

And so on. Onward through the senses.

When you make improvements to all the senses, that’s when you level up. That’s when you focus on adding value rather than trying to best a competitor.

Stay Positive & Appeal To The Senses, Not The Masses

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It’s hard to listen to anything that follows the word “everyone” because it’s simply not true.

“But everyone loves that brand.”

“Everyone is saying it’s safe to go out.”

“Everyone knows the earth is round.”

We show our lack of empathy when we think it’s everyone. In fact, it’s even a little disrespectful to the some that really do fit what follows.

Some people is better than everyone, anyway.

Some is more personal. Some is seen. Some can be nimble and create the change they seek to make. Some can tip the scale.

There’s no such thing as an “everyone” concept.

There’s no need for everyone, either.

Stay Positive & Some Will Do

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