Life Lesson

The energy in a room isn’t the result of the decisions being made.

The energy you have to complete a workout or start a new daily habit isn’t the result of how well the workout or habit went.

The energy you bring in influences what happens. Not the other way around.

When in doubt, find ways to influence the energy.

Read something inspiring, take a deep breath, remember someone who means the world to you and you want to impress.

Whatever it takes, influence the energy. But please don’t sit and wait for the energy to magically appear.

Stay Positive & The Energy In The Room Is The Energy You Bring

Photo credit

When you think about your target, it’s almost certain you’re leaving someone out.

And that’s a good thing. You don’t need to appeal to many, only a few.

Some people investing a lot can keep a business going indefinitely.

However, the oft forgotten group of people are some on the side. Some that you can make a positive impact on. Some that aren’t far or too difficult for you to reach.

It doesn’t make sense to forget those on the edge.

They’re often the ones that can change everything.

Stay Positive & Reach Out

Photo credit

Fans are fickle.

One moment they’re rallying behind you and the next minute they’ve turned into a mob.

One day it seems they’re cheering for your success and encouraging you through the lows and the next day they’ve disintegrated – they found another shiny object.

I’ll say it again, fans are fickle.

People, though, people are generous. They thrive on long term commitments and stick by you as you keep your promises (and forgive you when you fumble).

You can shake their hands and interact face to face.

People are an investment. Fans, not so much.

Stay Positive & Seek People, Not Fans

Photo credit

There’s a secret way fear speaks out to keep you safe, to prevent you from taking a risk, from putting yourself out there.

It involves the feeling of being busy.

There’s a dopamine release when someone acknowledges that you appear slammed.

Being busy makes us feel needed, valued, and preemptively appreciated.

But the busy we’re being isn’t moving the meaningful work forward. It’s not playing on the edges of “What if.” And it’s definitely not requiring any emotional labor.

Spending time and investing it are two different things.

Unfortunately, appearing that we’ve bitten off more than we can chew takes precedence over actually biting off more than we can chew.

Stay Positive & Watch Out For It

Photo credit

Buy In: Before execution, you have to have buy in from all the right stakeholders. It might hurt your timeline to get it, but not having buy in and needing to change things down the road will hurt the timeline more.

Permission: There are two types of audiences you’re working with. Those you want permission from and those you have permission from. Be sure your ideas don’t try to impact two vastly different audiences at once.

The Ask: When in doubt, you can ask. Ask for what you need, ask about ideas outside of scope, ask about changing the timeline, ask questions that give you greater insight into your target.

Stay Positive & Questions Save More Time Than Answers Do

Photo credit

If you think about it, everything that can be done by a single person has already been done.

Everything new requires a team.

Whether you’re working close with a partner or you’re filling your significant other in (and getting some kind words of encouragement in return) at the end of the day, it’s a team effort.

While it can sometimes lead work to get stuck or set back, there’s no better action than you can take than to let them know (whoever “them” is for your project).

Alas, know that this is different than asking for permission or seeking reassurance prior to taking an action.

Better to let them know you’ve leaped, what you’ve done, what you’ve learned, what you’ve completed ahead of schedule, what you’re struggling with, what you fear and what excites you.

The more you let them know and the more they let you know, the more you can help each other.

Proactive communication is key.

Stay Positive & More (Communication) The Merrier

Photo credit

The best reaction to a challenge you can have is to completely disregard.

Disregard the fear and anxiousness of diving in.

Disregard those who don’t think you can accomplish the task.

Disregard the external naysayers, and the internal one.

To have complete disregard is quite possibly the best way to not discount the work that needs to be done.

Responsibility can stay. The rest can be disregarded.

Stay Positive & In Kind Regards

Photo credit