GarthBox

You might not need to use the glue, but when you do, it’s nice to have it on hand.

As with anything, you don’t need it – and then you do.

It’s worth being prepared in as many capacities as possible as it relates to the work that’s in motion. (Obviously you’d run yourself rugged to prepare for everything in life. Nope. This is about zeroing in on the project in front of you.)

Not having glue on hand means that you’ll have to repair what doesn’t stick, spend time going to find the glue, paying for the glue when you thought you were done investing in the work and so on.

There’s a lot of work that has to happen when you don’t have glue on hand.

And in case it doesn’t go without typing, glue can mean a lot of things: Friends, care, supporters, feedback, polish, proofers, time, passion, tools, and maybe, just maybe, actual glue.

Stay Positive & Get The Best Glue

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We’re going to feel incompetent before we reach our next level. Our journey will always involve it. Incompetence and thus discomfort. And then, you know, “overnight” we’re there.

It’s a feeling of difficulty and frustration, but there’s inherent flow to it – we know that we’ll be better on the other side.

That’s still novice thinking, though. The pros know that once we’re at the next level, it’s time to seek out the incompetence and discomfort to get to the next.

And the next. And the next. And the next. All for the legacy of the change we’re seeking to make; for making something better for better’s sake.

Stay Positive & Work Hard At The Hard Work

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Pareto’s principle is only as effective as you shape it to be.

The fact that 80% account for 20% of the sales.

Or 20% of your core audience buys from you more frequently than 80% of your audience.

The same 80/20 goes for newsletter readers. Tippers. Supporters. And so on.

There’s a core audience there.

You can certainly keep delivering on your promise for them. Keep hoping they stay. Maybe give them a little extra love so they do.

Or you can enable them to help shape your future. To adapt, to grow, to be better.

You don’t need to poll the masses when you’ve got a core team right there willing to provide input.

The core cares. Why wouldn’t you leverage them?

Stay Positive & Engage The Core

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You screw up and make a mistake. “Yes, and next time I’ll do X, Y and Z differently.”

You want to show another person you care for them. “Yes, I do love you, and I’ll plan to show you that I do today and every day.”

You want to become a professional. “Yes, I am a writer, and I will write every single day to prove it.”

Anything less than “Yes, and” is a form of hiding; a narrative that blocks us from moving forward.

Stay Positive & Yes, And I’ll Be Writing Again For You Tomorrow

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You can wait until the going gets tough to express your gratitude.

You can wait for a holiday or milestone.

You can wait until you get something out of it.

Gratitude works perfectly well in those situations.

But let’s not forget it works perfectly well in every other situation, too.

When things are going smoothly. When there’s no holiday or milestone. When it’s tied to a moment, not a receipt of something.

Stay Positive & Don’t Wait To Express It

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The best writers read their work out loud before they submit it. Doing so helps them catch phrases that look okay, but sound weird. It helps them catch more proofing mistakes. Doing it also helps them double down on what’s most important. No more and no fewer words than they need.

When a boxer is learning new moves, each move is often numbered to help them coordinate combos. What helps the boxer out most though isn’t thinking about the numbers, it’s saying it out loud as she performs the combo. There’s far less mess up, far less downtime and much more speed and growth of endurance.

When you’re ready to make a commitment; it’s far better to say it out loud, too. It gathers accountability, defines what the ego will work toward and solidifies the commitment in our mind. Anything less is just thinking about it.

Stay Positive & Say It

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The beauty about feedback and reflection is that there’s no reason to wait for it.

No need to wait to hold a reflection session until after the project is complete. No need to wait until tonight to review the day you had. No need to wait for a 1-1 to ask for feedback.

The sooner the reflection, the sooner you can get back on balance, the sooner you can pivot, the sooner you can get ahead. In doing so, there’s less waste; less wasted time and less worry.

It’s not just that you don’t need to wait to reflect, you’ll benefit more by not.

Stay Positive & Quick, Reflect

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