GarthBox

My SO, before giving anything to me, likes to preface it with a lot of cautionary notes.

You may not like it, it’s something really small, I couldn’t decide between this or that and I got this and I hope it’s okay, and so on.

I catch myself doing the same when I’m delivering message strategies to clients or when I share great work.

I want to tell a client of mine that the message strategy could change, that it’s a movable strategy, one that’s guaranteed to change with new data.

What does that say about my confidence in the work?

We try last second to lower expectations, to share or shake off the responsibility, the ownership, and, in doing so, we forfeit the credit too.

 

Stay Positive & Stop Letting Yourself Off The Hook

Inspiration is a fickle source of energy.

Here’s the secret about it.

It shows up when you command it to.

It shows up when you do.

It shows up when you quit waiting for it.

 

Stay Positive & Go Commando

I’m no martyr. Not when it comes to long form writing, at least.

Or 60 slide presentation decks or 5 page reviews of movies or never-ending RPGs.

One of the few moments I listened as a kid was when I was told what I created was too long.

Making it shorter allowed me to spend less time on fluffing it up, it stopped me from hiding, it forced me to take more responsibility.

I’ve made a habit since middle school to write less, hang around less in meetings, present less than what’s prompted. I make things shorter. That’s not to say it’s easier. Quite the opposite.

In the end, though, short is ultimately more pleasing and easy for others (as well as yourself) to enjoy.

Above all, remember you’re creating something for another human who only has 24 hours in their day. How much of that time do you want to take away?

 

Stay Positive & Don’t Waste Their (Or Your) Time

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Certain things have to happen for you to maximize anything.

The sandwich shop wants to maximize so they get more efficient, they begin timing their deliveries, they take out the interesting spices in the lineup, they simplify the names of subs from “The Godfather” to “italian sub.”

The fault in maximizing is you settle, you work to fit in, you devalue your product until it satisfies the average joe (who just so happens to go through life expecting crap). So, really, you’re turning the value you deliver to a few people into crap so you can make more, deliver more, sell more.

Don’t try to sell the most of anything. We have enough crap.

 

Stay Positive & Why Not Try Raising The Bar? Sell To Fewer? Make Things More Remarkable?

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Your character matters when selling, when applying for a job, when marketing, when interacting with a tribe.

So does what you value and your passion and your grit.

However, what I’ve seen time and time again is what most people (leaders, bosses, teachers, influential marketers, CEOs) want is someone who promptly seeks help or counsel when needed from appropriate people.

There’s no waiting until last second. There’s no asking your buddy because you’re afraid to ask your boss. There’s no giving up because you can’t do it alone.

Seeking the right help at the right time says more about you then what you’ll have created in the end.

 

Stay Positive & Attain The Quality

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More importantly, nothing lasts forever if you don’t want it to.

The rut you’re in doesn’t have to last.

The job you’re doing doesn’t have to last.

Why would you not try, do, love, care, make something new?

If you don’t like it, it doesn’t have to last forever.

I think to the time I wanted to try splitting logs for this orphanage in Cambodia. The girl (yes, girl about half my age) handed me an axe. I tried it. I was (somewhat) successful for a short period of time. Many would see taking the axe as a commitment to split all the wood. Not the case.

I gave the axe back to her and she went back to showing me up while all the other kids laughed at me. It was cute.

Or this buddy I’m mentoring through the Madison reading project. It’s new. It’s scary. It’s challenging. (Yes, being a mentor is hard. Who would have guessed?) Yet, I don’t have to do it forever. Nor do you. Nor does anyone.

Don’t let the fear of commitment, of permanency, stop you from trying something new. Things last as long as you want them to, often times shorter than you want them to.

 

Stay Positive & You Only Fail When You Don’t Try

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