GarthBox

You’ve finally been given it or it’s been sitting around for ages.

You finally got the promotion or you’re sitting on finishing the presentation deck.

You’ve got the permission or you have a deadline that’s weeks away.

Whether it’s new or old, you’ve got to do something with it.

And if you’re afraid, then set an expiration date. If you don’t do anything with it in two weeks, then toss it. Move on.

Either way, you’ll take action and action is what we need more of.

Stay Positive & Keep Moving Forward

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Edit: I just realized this is a lot like Godin’s recent post. Funny how that happens.

Chalk up another experience as being extremely mediocre.

The server had zero emotion. Almost robotic. There were pamphlets all over the floor. Menus were wrongly labeled. (They happened to be out of a prized item which added to the disappointment.)

The only difference between that experience and one with rich employee engagement and enthusiasm, attention to detail, and proactive action is that the boss wasn’t there in the first scenario.

Funnily, the best experiences I’ve had didn’t have the boss there, either. Instead someone chose to act as if they were the boss, to take responsibility and put in the emotional labor.

The only difference between an extremely mediocre experience and a remarkable one is showing up, whether you have the title of boss or not.

Stay Positive & Be The Boss (Of Yourself)

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The energy in a room isn’t the result of the decisions being made.

The energy you have to complete a workout or start a new daily habit isn’t the result of how well the workout or habit went.

The energy you bring in influences what happens. Not the other way around.

When in doubt, find ways to influence the energy.

Read something inspiring, take a deep breath, remember someone who means the world to you and you want to impress.

Whatever it takes, influence the energy. But please don’t sit and wait for the energy to magically appear.

Stay Positive & The Energy In The Room Is The Energy You Bring

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When you think about your target, it’s almost certain you’re leaving someone out.

And that’s a good thing. You don’t need to appeal to many, only a few.

Some people investing a lot can keep a business going indefinitely.

However, the oft forgotten group of people are some on the side. Some that you can make a positive impact on. Some that aren’t far or too difficult for you to reach.

It doesn’t make sense to forget those on the edge.

They’re often the ones that can change everything.

Stay Positive & Reach Out

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Fans are fickle.

One moment they’re rallying behind you and the next minute they’ve turned into a mob.

One day it seems they’re cheering for your success and encouraging you through the lows and the next day they’ve disintegrated – they found another shiny object.

I’ll say it again, fans are fickle.

People, though, people are generous. They thrive on long term commitments and stick by you as you keep your promises (and forgive you when you fumble).

You can shake their hands and interact face to face.

People are an investment. Fans, not so much.

Stay Positive & Seek People, Not Fans

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There’s a secret way fear speaks out to keep you safe, to prevent you from taking a risk, from putting yourself out there.

It involves the feeling of being busy.

There’s a dopamine release when someone acknowledges that you appear slammed.

Being busy makes us feel needed, valued, and preemptively appreciated.

But the busy we’re being isn’t moving the meaningful work forward. It’s not playing on the edges of “What if.” And it’s definitely not requiring any emotional labor.

Spending time and investing it are two different things.

Unfortunately, appearing that we’ve bitten off more than we can chew takes precedence over actually biting off more than we can chew.

Stay Positive & Watch Out For It

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Buy In: Before execution, you have to have buy in from all the right stakeholders. It might hurt your timeline to get it, but not having buy in and needing to change things down the road will hurt the timeline more.

Permission: There are two types of audiences you’re working with. Those you want permission from and those you have permission from. Be sure your ideas don’t try to impact two vastly different audiences at once.

The Ask: When in doubt, you can ask. Ask for what you need, ask about ideas outside of scope, ask about changing the timeline, ask questions that give you greater insight into your target.

Stay Positive & Questions Save More Time Than Answers Do

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