GarthBox

There are plenty of signs to look for that you’re doing work that matters.

Of course, at first notice the signs might have warning tape and be outlined in bold red.

That’s your lizard brain’s doing in attempt to get you to stand still.

But your dreams and your influence on others dies when you stand still.

So notice the signs for what they actually mean: That you’re making an impact, trying something that might not work, and digging deeper toward something that might be 10x the work you’ve already put in–and ultimately worth it.

Once you recognize those signs for what they are, be sure to recognize the one’s for achievement.

Almost no one gets fulfillment when they say “That was easy,” they merely get off the hook.

“That was difficult, but I did it.” Now that’s powerful stuff.

 

Stay Positive & Follow The Signs

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When it comes to patience, you don’t need more; you just need less impatience.

A cutthroat diet might work in the short-term, but you don’t need to overdo the healthy food; you just need less of the junk.

You don’t need to try a hundred different ways to grow closer to your significant other; you just need to give that person less of a hard time.

You can fight fire with fire, to over-correct, do a complete 180 … but it’s damaging, it breeds unhappiness and, in the long run, it typically doesn’t work out.

Better to do less of what’s causing the pain or fear.

 

Stay Positive & Less Creates More

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When it comes to something new, our default setting is to forgo it.

When there’s a large reward, our default reaction is to feel risk then avoid it.

When we feel we’re at the brink of success, our default response is self-sabotage.

When we feel like we’re onto something, our default intuition is to run in the opposite direction.

Going into the new year, try ignoring your default.

If you’re consistent enough, you might just end the year with a new, better default.

But, of course, you know what your default reaction is to that …

 

Stay Positive & Lean In

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Put all the facts out there. Write what you want to say. Make the point clear.

It’s the moment when all of that is on paper that divides those who are going to make an impact and those are going to be told “No.”

Those who will end up revising or scrapping the writing all-together are those who stop after they’ve written what they’ve wanted to write.

Those who will see their writing be appreciated and have an impact are those who go back through their writing and layer it in a way that others will actually want to read it.

It’s so rare people read as it is. Having a stronger point won’t get them to read it from start to finish, but telling an entertaining story, putting them in it right away; that’s when you have a chance.

A great gut check is if you enjoy reading what you wrote and don’t mind reading it again or if you merely want to get it off your to-do list and move on.

 

Stay Positive & Write For Someone, Not Just To Them

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It doesn’t do much to dwell on the past, unless it’s to remember what it taught you.

It’s easy to get lost in the present, to have every moment consumed with busywork and to forget why you started something in the first place.

As fun as it is to think in the future, more often than not, we think wrong and far too long about it.

Each moment of every day, we’re in one of these three time frames of thought. When we become stuck in one, that’s when problems arise.

Better to have a slider effect; to jump frame to frame as it benefits you and those around you.

My sweet spot? That leap from busy work to a future-mindset and back to busy work. The foresight it provides makes the work ultimately better.

 

Stay Positive & Jump Jump Jump Jump Around

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Knowing the average of something doesn’t help you.

It might quiet your lizard brain, might make you feel comfortable, but it doesn’t help you grow.

Better to look for the outliers, the trends, the patterns. Focus in and then slowly take a step back.

Knowing that sales are up an average of 3% year over year is about as worthless of information as me saying the average number of followers that engage with a brand is .05%.

Finding the outlier that three stores in particular are exceeding so greatly as to increase the sales by 3% year over year … now that’s important information.

Knowing that one fan tweets at your brand more than the rest combined … that’s an insight to be leveraged.

Find the long tail, the outliers … they’re more important than the average.

 

Stay Positive & Move Beyond The Average

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“Those statistics don’t apply to me” isn’t a strong argument, because they do apply. They do.

That’s the beauty of science; there’s no arguing it.

There is, however, a different way of looking at it.

Instead of resisting the statistics that one in five businesses fail in the first year, 50% of marriages end in divorce, and 3 of 5 of your friends are actually holding you back, you can focus your attention on the statistics that shine a different light.

You can be four of the five businesses that succeed, half the marriages that last and spend more time with the 2 friends who are helping you forward. No doubt, you attract more of what you put your attention to.

You’re more than a statistic. You’re the statistic that you decide to be, work toward, and invest in.

 

Stay Positive & What Did You Say Your Chances Were Again?

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