GarthBox

Our story is not what we say to others or what our “about us” description reads.

It’s not even what others say about us, either.

It’s not the store hours or the neon lights.

It’s not the reviews or what’s written in the ads we run.

Our story is all the things we do. The names we remember, the cleanliness, the events we hold, the promises we make and stand by.

It’s the way we greet someone and the way we turn others down.

It’s what we do that’s worth a review and who we make ads for.

Our story is all the things we do.

And what makes the story stronger is when we do them consistently.

No short cuts. No days skipped. No broken promises.

Stay Positive & That’s Story

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Your chances are slim of doing it right the first time.

It’s a perfectionist mind-set and one of hiding.

The truth is that even if you feel like it was right, it could still have been better, more right.

What matters is that we do the first time and then a second and a third.

Each time we make it more right.

It might never be perfect, but at least we didn’t let that stop us from 1. starting and 2. adapting.

Stay Positive & Focus On Better

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Where there’s an absence of vulnerability, there is no courage.

If there’s no risk, there is no courage.

If there’s no emotional investment (read: emotional labor), there is no courage.

Yet, we all believe that we need to have courage in this life. We want to be courageous. We admire it and value it. We urge others to have it and they urge us.

And so we must make the trade-off that comes with being courageous, don’t we?

Stay Positive & A Little Discomfort, But A Big Reward

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If you feel fear, then you’re on to something.

If you feel like …

you’re asking too many questions

you’re caring too much

you’re getting too many involved

you’re leading without permission

you’ve taken too much responsibility

you’ve bitten off more than you can chew

then you’re on to something.

Stay Positive & Keep Going

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Instead of coming up with excuses to stop the work, I like to come up with ones that keep the emotional labor going. Excuses like:

I don’t have time to feel stressed.

People are counting on me to deliver.

I’d be mad if someone screwed me over by not showing up.

It’s the right things to do.

They’ll see the big picture in the end, I just need to get there.

They’re going to judge me if I stop.

Losing isn’t even an option.

Stay Positive & It’s All A Mind (And Heart) Game

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When you’re faced with an insane challenge, pause and consider talking to someone who might be able to help – or at least make you feel like you’re not at it alone.

When you’re stuck in a rut or in the tiny – nearly unmeaningful – details of a project, pause and consider talking to someone that can help pull you out.

When you wonder how the heck your going to accomplish your goal or ship that project, remember all the people waiting for you to do it.

Whether you’re lost or found, winning or losing, up or down, worried or determined, find a way to tie it back to the people.

The people are everything.

Stay Positive & If You Can’t Find That Person, Be It For Someone

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The story you thought of telling, but decided against is of no benefit to those for whom it may have resonated with.

We have a lot of stories, but when we filter them, we prevent people from connecting with us, learning from them, escaping in them and appreciating them.

Just because you don’t like the story, doesn’t mean someone won’t get something out of it.

So go ahead and share. Share all the stories. The highs. The lows. The stories that feel insignificant and the ones that make you proud.

Could you imagine if half of the stories we’ve heard and read and been part of throughout the years never happened because someone else thought it wasn’t good enough to share?

Stay Positive & No Shame, Share Away

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