Life Lesson

Here’s what no one tells you about danger: it shows you care.

It shows professionalism.

It signals intent of impact.

An uber driver that drives slow and patient may get you there, but I’d bet you’ll tip the one that goes a few MPH over the speed limit more.

The coworker who does exactly what they are supposed to is a great colleague to have. But a better one takes a little whack at doing what wasn’t asked.

The examples are endless. Dangerously endless.

Stay Positive & Live Dangerously (In Low Dosage)

Asking questions is underrated.

It’s not having answers that makes you stand out as much.

It’s not having answers that proves you the leader you are.

It’s not having answers that makes the work better.

No one ever says “Damn, I’m so happy you shared the answer.”

But they do say “Damn, I’m so happy you asked that question.”

Stay Positive & You Know What To Do

How urgent is that ask?

How important is it to you?

How much impact will it have on the audience?

What’s the likelihood that they’ll remember it in two weeks?

What’s the likelihood that you’ll remember it in two weeks?

How aligned is it to your mission, OKR, goal?

What you’ll find is that the actual rating doesn’t matter to your effort as much as pausing to rate it does.

If you want to end your day feeling fulfilled, rate your work throughout the day.

Stay Positive & I’d Give Writing This Post A 9

I’m a fan of the expression that when one door closes another opens.

But it misses a dose of reality in between it.

Most doors of opportunity are locked.

Which implies you need a key.

And the key to a new door is shaped with how you close the other.

How an owner closes their brewery is indicative of the opportunity to follow.

A friend of mine recently sunset his monthly marketing educational networking series (after 6 years) and it couldn’t have been done in a more classy and heartfelt way. He has a well-fashioned key for the next endeavor.

How we react to a door closing on us is no different than one we close ourselves, either.

The more intentional you can be about the closing of a door, the better the key you’re branding for the next door.

All to say… the door that opens? That’s all on us.

Stay Positive & What Key Are You Shaping?

Not everything you do can make you feel better or more fulfilled in the day.

Some of it, however, is done to prevent feeling worse later.

(Ever wonder why procrastination doesn’t actually feel good? It’s the emotional reaction of future regret.)

It has been a bit since I’ve read Daniel Pink’s The Power of Regret, but I highly recommend it. As a result, I’ve been able to actually feel a bit better each day by doing the things that don’t quite make me feel fulfilled in and of themselves, but I now acknowledge the power doing it has over the reduced feeling of future regret.

It’s a bit of a game, really. We’re all playing whether we want to or not.

Stay Positive & Your Turn

When people say that your word is everything; that they put all their trust in your word; maybe even a non-verbal word (handshake, for example) what they are actually doing is trusting the action of your word.

I’ve found that I have a better experience with others when I switch out “you have my word” for “I promise I’ll do X” because it’s the X that actually matters. The doing. The did. The done.

Here’s the thing about words: when they don’t work out for ourselves, they’re pretty easy to discard.

“Yea, sorry.” More words.

Truth be told… words are only as powerful as the actions that follow. No action = no power.

Stay Positive & Words Matter, But What Matters More…..

A little suffering is a good thing.

So is a little tension.

A little frustration.

All the emotions we’d dub as bad, are actually good in light moderation; if used in conjunction with other emotions; if understood as controllable.

Next time you notice the emotion, it might be better to appreciate it for what it is.

Stay Positive & Do Not Feed The Animal, Though