GarthBox

It’s fairly common knowledge that smiling at a stranger is contagious.

We know that doing something nice sets a chain reaction.

Thing is, I think we often forget all the ways we have the opportunity to be generous. No, I’m not about to write a thousand of them, but I’m confident there are. Here’s a smattering to get started.

A friendly email or text.

A 40% tip or surprise venmo.

Shipping a book to someone.

Dropping off a baked good or picking up a special six-pack for someone

And here’s an important reminder: if you think that maybe the person doesn’t deserve it, that’s all the more reason to do it. Remember how we agreed at the start of how generosity is contagious?

It has to start with someone.

Stay Positive & You?

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I pulled up to a gas station pump to fill the tank. There was a person filling up their car at the pump in front of me. They noticed my car and asked if it was a durango. I said yes, that we had just gotten it.

He then went out to share his story about how he picked his car up for a few thousand dollars at a local dealer on the west side of the city we were driving through. He shared the miles per gallon he gets. He also shared how he would never buy new.

On paper, with his story, he had a better deal on his vehicle than mine. No doubt about that.

What he failed to notice is that we have different stories.

Mine is one about the safety of my family and having the highest degree of confidence in our vehicle getting us from point A to point B without any hiccups. Mine is one about having space for all of our things + our 83 pound Bernese mountain dog.

On paper, with my story, I had the better deal on my vehicle than his. No doubt about that.

If you’re just striking conversation at a gas pump, sharing stories is fun. But if you’re trying to market your story and have others buy in, it’s worth focusing on their story first – chances are it’s vastly different than the one you’re telling.

Stay Positive & It Always Starts With Listening

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Sometimes we call it a strength. Sometimes it’s defined as a personality type. Sometimes we list it as a skill on LinkedIn.

There’s a laundry list of options available for what your top attribute can be.

At the core of a top attribute though is care.

You can’t be curious or have attention to detail unless you care. You can’t have a towering skill of leadership if you don’t care.

The best statement you can hear from someone is not how well they can use a Shirogami knife or that they have an exceptional eye for design; it’s that they give a damn.

Stay Positive & Is It Clear You Do?

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Do you not have the time or are you not making the time?

You don’t have a life, right? That’s something you make.

You can’t really have friends. You make those.

All things good are made and then it’s work to maintain or build them up.

There’s no ownership, other than owning the process of making more or making better.

It’s far easier to source the problem and the solution when we see things as self-made rather than self-have.

Stay Positive & What’ll You Make Today?

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Lest we forget, when we shine a light on a problem, we don’t make it more visible to just us, we make it visible to others, too.

Same can be said for being a light.

Stay Positive & Shine On

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I’d like to argue that good design doesn’t get noticed or appreciated.

That kind of design is seamless, intuitive and accessible.

There’s sexy design; design with appeal and intent on creating a wow factor. Design that’s for tradeshows; design to be used by .000001 percent of the population; design created with the point of breaking a mold; design that is meant to be noticed.

But good design? Good design is meant to go unnoticed or unappreciated because it either 1. helps to communicate the story of a brand (which is about the brand, not about the design) or 2. helps someone achieve their desired action in the smoothest way possible.

No one walks through a door thinking the door design was really good. But damn, when you push a door that is pull-only, you get a feel for what bad design is.

Stay Positive & Sometimes Going Unnoticed Is The Point

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The magic number for trying something new is a month. 30 days is enough to see if it sticks; it’s long enough to toy around with adjustments and improvements; it’s long enough to feel committed to it. It takes 30 days for habit to form – and the same can be said for a meaningful project.

Effective relationships are built around three layers of conversation. The first is a shared goal and vision. The second is talking through the hiccups of flubbers along the way together. And the third is downright fun stuff – it might not even be tied to the project you’re collaborating on. You need all three layers of conversation to feel fulfilled working together.

20 seconds is the amount of time before the lizard brain starts to really convince you to not do the thing you should do. In 20 seconds, all the excuses for inaction will come top of mind. That’s all it takes for the mental feet to hit the brakes. Said, differently, the easiest time to act is in the first 20 seconds of the idea arising.

Stay Positive & Play To Win

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