GarthBox

And I really do mean not fun. Not when it’s merely hard or challenging.

When it’s not fun, perhaps it’s time to tag in a friend to help. (Misery loves that company!)

When it’s not fun… it’s time to ask Chatgpt to do the work for you or better yet, inspire you with ways to make the task fun if it can’t do the work for you (hell, maybe ask it even if it can do the work for you).

When it’s not fun, consider reflecting on the why of what you’re doing that isn’t fun. Perhaps you merely forgot.

When something’s not fun; the job isn’t to push through, it’s to reflect and redirect.

Stay Positive & If You’re Going Through Hell…Why?

There’s a spectrum of traffic quality.

There’s traffic on the road. Not fun.

Then there’s website traffic. That’s good stuff.

Then you have IMO the best kind of traffic: foot traffic.

Where on the spectrum do you spend the most time focusing on/creating?

Stay Positive & Beep Beep

By all means, if you can simply notice how big of a sigh you just made, go take a walk.

If you can notice your hands shaking. Blood boiling. Or say out lout “what the fuck.” Go take a walk.

If you’ve hit a road block; stared at your screen without typing for more than 10 minutes; if you’ve retyped that message five times and still have not hit send… go take a walk.

More often than not, you’ll find the path through the hardest stuff starts with a walk around your block.

Stay Positive & Notice When It’s Time To Get Your Steps In

We often hear the phrase “working hard or hardly working,” as if these two states are mutually exclusive. But in reality, it’s not an “either-or” situation. Life’s outcomes are more about cause and effect, best understood through the lens of “if-then” thinking.

Take the saying: “If you work hard, then you can hardly work.” This highlights that hard work leads to creating opportunities where you don’t have to constantly grind. It’s not about choosing between two extremes—hard work versus relaxation—but about understanding how one leads to the other.

In life, “if-then” logic prevails. If you invest in your skills today, then you reap the rewards of efficiency tomorrow. If you build strong relationships, then you’ll find support when needed. It’s a mindset shift from seeing situations as binary to recognizing the flow of actions and consequences.

Embracing this “if-then” approach helps us see how our efforts compound over time, transforming challenges into pathways for success. It’s not about where you are now but where your actions can lead you.

So, the next time someone asks, “Are you working hard or hardly working?” smile and know that if you’re working hard, then the rewards are coming. And if the answer is “hardly working” – recognize that you likely earned it. No guilt necessary.

Stay Positive & What’s Next?

It’s not just good practice for when crossing the road.

Best to read that email once more before sending.

Look over your shoulder before saying what you’re about to say.

Confirm that someone heard you right.

Consider what you’re trading for the time to work on your project.

The list goes on.

And, ya know, I should probably take another look at the list.

Stay Positive & Go Ahead, Once More Helps More Than It Hurts

There’s a few things on your list you know you should complete today.

Focus on the list.

When you want to add something to it, you can once it’s complete. Focus on the list.

When you want to take a break, you can once you’re finished. Focus on the list.

When you want to respond to that text; when there’s a distraction calling your name (when do the New York Rangers play next?); when you remember you were going to do something in the house you forgot about yesterday…. you can once the list is all checked off.

Focus on the list.

Stay Positive & What Are You Doing Still Reading This Post… Focus On The List.

Thanks is sort of like a fist bump. You don’t go to sleep thinking how great of a fist bump you got today.

A simple “thank you” may be something that sits with you a bit longer. It’s enough to carry actual meaning that makes it through the facade of a person.

Then there’s something like “I appreciate you.” Just typing it makes me feel good. This is the kind of thank you that’s a two-way street. When we say it, we both feel good.

There’s a spectrum of thanks. What are you giving out most often?

Stay Positive & Gratitude Is A Gift