GarthBox

I’m all for deadlines.

Self-prescribed deadlines and asking others to give you one.

Deadlines with rewards that come after and deadlines with something unpleasant if we don’t meet them.

Alarms set with deadlines and the accountability of having others follow up with your progress.

But most importantly, I’m all for deadlines that get moved when it’s going to make the work stronger or better resonate with the target of the work.

When a family member passes or you (or someone else) is absolutely crushed with a thousand other deadlines.

When we learn something new about the worldview of the people we’re making the work for.

When we’re given a new tool to make the work better than we thought we could–but we just need another day or two.

There are plenty of right reasons to keep a deadline, but it’s worth remembering there are plenty of right reasons to move one, too.

Stay Positive & It’s What Makes Project Management An Art

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Consistency is the hallmark of the successful.

But it’s not just a consistency of how they say things or why they’re seeking to make the change they are–it’s about the consistency of behaviors.

Consider the last time you chose to not go with your gut. You were likely upset with your decision. That’s because your behavior in that moment was inconsistent.

The gut is nice because we feel it when we don’t listen to it, but it takes more mental awareness to notice when we’ve skipped an opportunity to be generous or passed on the chance to deeply listen to a customer’s story.

Stay Positive & We Must Show Up, Every Day

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The two areas that you need to have the most expertise in order for an idea to be successful are in your self and in your target.

Below are a handful of prompts (in no particular order) I’ve come across and that have been most helpful to me in ensuring I’ve tightened and targeted my ideas for success.

Go ahead and do the work of answering all of them, you’ll be thankful you did.

• My product is for people who believe_____.
• Who loves what you do?
• Who has the problem you can solve?
• I will focus on people who want ____.
• Who tells their friends?
• I promise that engaging with what I make will help you get _____.
• We made this because _______.
• Who makes you care?
• People need this because _______.
• Who is your muse, your right customer, your reason?
• Who waits in line?
• We do it this way because _______.
• We want to appeal to this customer because _______.
• Who can you help?
• This is the right thing to do because _______.
• Who buys the lot?
• Our company exists because _______.

Stay Positive & The Only Wrong Answer Is Not Answering

Photo credit and likely a HT to Seth, Bernadette and any others I may have seen these prompts from.

The start of any worthy endeavor is going to suck to a degree. It’s going to be full of risk and worry and a lot of hard work (sometimes called grunt work). You’re going to have a lot of eyes judging you and you will feel the pressure.

The finish is a lot of the same. You’re going to be exhausted and completely done. It’s going to be a lot more work (to make sure all you’ve done doesn’t unfurl and go to waste) and putting a bow and ribbon on things takes finesse when we feel like we’ve got nothing left to give.

Somehow, though, we’ve treated everything between the start and finish like we would either of the two. We carry the stresses during the journey rather than finding our flow and putting your blinders on to all the forces that work against us.

Don’t let the journey be like the destination or the starting line, you’re supposed to enjoy the work you’re pouring your heart into.

Stay Positive & Keep Soaring

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If you’re concerned that your audience is too small, that you’re tribe is too slim, that you’re following isn’t large enough to support your brand and business–you might be right.

More often than not, though, it’s not a matter of having too small of a target, it’s a matter of not providing enough value (and charging the right amount for that value).

Some charities thrive off having two thousand people donating $1, but they don’t need to. And we’re learning that fewer organizations are getting by with this method.

Better to find 20 people who care to give $200 or to show up to your venue more than the average or to find your offering so valuable that they simply have to bring a friend with them every time.

Before you consider the need to get bigger, it may be worth looking at how you can provide more value to those who have already raised their hand.

Stay Positive & Better, Not More

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We have our plans, trajectories and to-dos, but little do we prepare for the unexpected.

The unexpected good of a very generous tip or unexpected interaction with a stranger that happens to make our day.

Nor do we prepare for the unexpected bad of a death of a close one or losing our wallet.

Perhaps, if we spent a little more time expecting the unexpected (on both sides of the spectrum), life might be enjoyed just a little bit more.

Stay Positive & What Do You Expect?

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Generosity gets you a lot in life.

It makes us feel fulfilled, it encourages others we are generous to to give as well, and in the times that we make mistakes, those we have been generous to are often more forgiving than those we have not been generous to.

For brands, the more generous they can be to their customers, the more loyal they become and the more they talk to others about the brand.

For relationships, generosity fills one with love and appreciation and shuns away any doubts they may have had about where it’s all going.

That being said, if you’re going anywhere or doing anything in life (who isn’t?), it’s worth making sure you have something to give. Here are a few things that can do the trick:

• High fives
• Compliments
• Stickers
• An out-of-state beer you picked up
• Your ears
• Time
• A handwritten note
• Candy bar
• A cafe t-shirt
• Did I mention high fives?

Stay Positive & ✋

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