GarthBox

Getting too large of a bonus causes stress and financial frustration for what to do with it. On paper, it looks great, but in its application it begins to take hold of too much mental space and rationalization. (It’s nice, don’t get me wrong, but it comes with its elements of not-nice, too.)

Rewarding yourself with full week off may seem like it would be enjoyable, until you realize that you need to start planning what you’ll do to make the full week feel worth it; a stressful task itself and even more frustrating when the week passes by and you’re left feeling unfulfilled with it.

Giving someone an entire cake might appear as a gift, but in reality it becomes work for them. When will they eat it all? Should they share it? With who? Will the others be upset that they didn’t share it with them? Is that buttercream frosting?

A series of right-sized bonuses will do. A day off will do. A slice of cake will do.

Not only will it do, but it will do much better than too much of a good thing.

Stay Positive & Just A Bite

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On your path to earning trust, you can get out ahead if you can find a mutual introduction.

Six degrees of separation is in the past, so you don’t even have to work to hard at finding a mutual friend of someone who might be able to help you (or better yet, who you might be able to help).

It simply requires the vulnerability to reach out to those you know and share where you’re struggling (or how you want/can help another) and watch the connections be made time and time again.

Stay Positive & The World Is Smaller Than You Think

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Bonuses. Trust. Responsibility. Care.

They’re all things people want and appreciate.

But the thing they need?

For us to remember that we’re all human.

When we zero in on our humanity, the rest of what we deserve tends to follow.

Stay Positive & Human

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Any good group starts off with good people. The kind of people that if they were in any other group, they would be doing the bulk of the work. But this isn’t any other group.

Then the group gets the most out of itself by asking questions, in both directions. Questions of generous skepticism of others’ ideas as well as questions of areas that one needs help in.

Lastly the group understands the change they are wanting to collectively make. No change, then there’s no point in getting together.

It’s quite a simple recipe, except what I failed to mention is that it also requires two parts guts, three parts curiosity, four cups of care and enough vulnerability to taste.

Stay Positive & Best Recipe Around

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If you don’t plan on contributing or using anything from it, then the answer is simply: don’t go.

But it warrants a push of “can you contribute anything to the meeting?” and “can I learn anything from this meeting that might be able to help me on my course?”

If the answer is yes to either, then show up and make it happen.

There’s more to contribute and more to learn than what first meets the eye.

And, of course, this goes for more than meetings: get togethers, events, seminars, happy hours, email threads, instead message channels, and so on.

Stay Positive & Use Your Attitude To Your (And Others’!) Advantage

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Measuring input can be fairly simple.

You’ve got to put X amount of time in to do thing A and Y amount of time to do thing B. Naturally we gravitate to whatever is the shortest input. And this might work for putting a dent in to-do lists, but not always when you want to make a dent in change or impact or reward.

Measuring output can be much more difficult, but worth it.

A handwritten card (input) might take longer, but it has a far greater impact on the person (output) than if you were to send a mass email that you put two minutes into drafting.

One measurement isn’t always better to choose, but it’s worth knowing which measurement you’re really making decisions based on.

Stay Positive & This For That

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Big ideas draw a lot to their light.

You’ll draw the skeptics out from hiding. The naysayers and gremlins, too.

You’ll draw the worry from family and friends.

You’ll draw the curiosity of acquaintances and community members and neighbors.

You’ll draw the requests of charities and nonprofits.

And most fortuitously, you’ll draw the generous, too.

These aren’t signs to turn off the light; they’re signs to shine it brighter.

Stay Positive & Shine On

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