Why Try To Get Out Of Your Box, When You Can Use What's In It?
We can be quick to say that we’ve got the wrong rock.
Or get frustrated because we’re the only one pushing it.
Or that we might have the wrong hill.
But more often than not …
It’s the right rock. The right hill. And we’ve got the right power to accomplish the task.
All we need to do is keep pushing.
Stay Positive & Keep Pushing
Photo credit
People don’t want just a cup of coffee.
They don’t want just a streaming service.
They don’t want just a car wash.
It’s the same for those serving, too.
They don’t want to just serve a cup of coffee.
They don’t want to just support a streaming service.
They don’t want to give just wash a car.
Everyone wants meaning, and meaning comes through a sense of place and connection.
A heartfelt “hello” goes a long way for both parties.
A meaningful extra touch and a genuine interest in another’s story also goes a long way.
Stay Positive & More Meaning, Please
Photo credit
No matter how much faster than the speed limit you go, you won’t possibly save that much time. Not only that, it’s a huge safety risk for a little bit of a time saving.
A chair you build for five cents cheaper might break 3 x as often as the original. Not only that, the customers who bought it won’t be back.
The irony is that the small costs often have the biggest savings.
Paying a little bit more for the better tasting ingredients.
Taking a breathe before you hit send on the email.
Sending a birthday card rather than a text.
Stay Positive & The Little Costs Matter
Photo credit
There’s a bagel shop opening downtown. And they only need 100 transactions per day to pay for their operations–to exist.
It’s not 100 transactions from anyone, though, it’s from the devotees, the bagel lovers who love to share their love for bagels, who buy batches at once.
If they only got the average Joe who comes in once a year or the newbie who heard they just opened and wants to see what it’s about-their transaction helps in the moment, but it doesn’t set the bagel shop up for long term success.
In order for them to be successful with average Joe’s, they would need 1,000 of them every day. Achievable, maybe, but likely far more stressful.
Then again, it depends on what sort of business you’re trying to build.
Are you a non-profit fueled by 10,000 people donating $2 or by two people donating $10,000?
Are you a crafty mom in search of 100,000 followers who like your content or 100 followers who buy it?
Once we know, once we decide, we can lean into it.
The only losing battle is one wherein we try to be both.
Stay Positive & Choosers Are Winners
Photo credit
We know when others don’t care much about a project. We can tell because they don’t provide constructive feedback.
If they are shooting ideas down left and right or not giving feedback at all – perhaps just approving to keep it moving – then we know they aren’t putting heart into it.
The folks who can riff on changes for longer than expected, those who pick at the details, those who gut check that it’s making strategic sense at every step, those who provide meaningful feedback … there’s no doubt in hell that they care.
Interestingly enough, if we notice this in others, it’s likely they notice it in us, too.
If we’re not willing to stand up and provide constructive feedback, why are we reviewing at all?
Stay Positive & More Care, Please
Photo credit
When it comes to the future, as Seth Godin says, the only guarantee is that it will surprise us.
When it comes to a plan, the only guarantee is that it won’t work out exactly as planned.
When it comes to projections, the only guarantee is that you’ll be off by an unforeseen amount.
When it comes to making predictions, the only guarantee is that you’ll be bewildered when then becomes now.
That’s the only guarantee.
Stay Positive & Are You Ready For It?
Photo credit
I’m not entirely sure why we all race so fast to make sure there’s nothing on our plate.
We throw ourselves at tiny tasks to complete them and remove them.
The goal isn’t to enjoy the work, the goal is to have no more work to do.
But when have we ever been satisfied with an empty plate – metaphorically or literally?
Empty plates are boring.
It’s much better to have too much on your plate because then you can share and feel full(filled) and you can have purpose and make a difference.
By all means, keep doing things that remove what’s on your plate, but please don’t stop adding more of what matters on.
Progress is defined by both how much we take off and put on.
Stay Positive & Another Serving Then, Yea?
Photo credit
