If you’re not learning, not realizing significant insights about your work, you’re working too fast.
Stay Positive & Don’t Go A Day Without Letting A Lesson Sink In
Your Fears
The fears you have right now, the ones you can fully imagine, completely see happening, and are worried are true; the fears that are making you question someone’s true personality; the fears that are making you think of 15 different backup plans; the dialogue you’re constructing in your mind for the conversation you fear may happen; it’s urgent, but it’s not real.
Instead of prepping for the loud, the dangerous, the potential negative outcomes, perhaps…just perhaps take a look at the achievable option you’re ignoring.
Stay Positive & Show The Yin Some Yang
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Leap And Recognition
It’s not what you create that people are encapsulated by. It is the leap you’ve taken to put a piece of work, a piece of you out there that they can’t help but appreciate, respect and awe over.
If you’re not getting enough recognition, you’re not taking a large enough leap.
Stay Positive & Maybe Get A Running Start
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How To Make Hard Work Smoother And Success Easier
I’ve tackled some large projects, some valuable pitches, and some heavy team building strategies over the last few years. What has made my practice flow and get me to quickly reach various successes (milestones I defined for myself) has been to have a single target I want to reach. Let me explain,
- If you want to work at a PR agency, choose one and make that your primary focus.
- If you want to be a blogger, choose your corner of the internet and put all your worry, anxiousness, concern, and attention into it, and not any other corner.
- If you want to travel to Nepal, put all you’ve got into making that happen.
BUT, be casually (not actively) open to new, different opportunities.
The benefit of working like this is that because you’re so focused on one thing, it makes anything and everything else seem nearly effortless.
- It’s painless to go into and interview at an agency you’re not 100 percent sold on and rock the heck out of the interview because you don’t see it as a defining moment in your life.
- When you’re focused on your corner of the internet, you’re more likely to get published on other outlets because you didn’t over think the writing you’ve submitted to them. You save the over thinking for what you publish on your blog.
- It’s easy to “apply and see what happens” for a trip to Cambodia, even though your primary target is Nepal.
When you’re so focused on achieving one goal, you’re more carefree, open, vulnerable, true, and authentic when it comes to other related options. When you have your one target, it makes hitting any other targets much easier.
The best projects I’ve landed were ones I never truly aimed for, thus never stressed about.
Bonus tip: If you’ve got a big pitch or event you’re hosting or project you’re selling at a certain time of day. Plan something larger to do after, something that scares you more. It’s the same concept as described above. When you set a lofty target or goal for yourself, it makes everything else much easier.
Stay Positive & How Will You Use This Life Hack To Your Advantage?
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Assorted Links
1) The beginning of the end of storytelling (read) Focus on making a story worth talking about instead of telling (shouting) a story.
2) The interview you need to read each morning (read) Address your fear right out of bed.
3) Are anthropologists better than you think? (read) An honest perspective on how we confuse “what can be translated into print well” with “what is important and interesting.”
4) This is why you don’t have a mentor (read) By far the best article on mentorship I’ve read.
5) I am Chris (read) We’ve all had an issue with being asked “What do you do?” I’m still tackling how to answer it. Chris makes a strong argument here.
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The Best Way To Secure Success For Tomorrow
…is to secure success today.
Instead of creating, writing, designing for those who may not arrive tomorrow, care for those who show up today.
Instead of spending time stocking the walls for tomorrow, figure out how you can create an experience people can’t help but remark about today.
We lose sight of success when we look at tomorrow at the expense of today.
Stay Positive & “I’m here now, give me a reason to bring someone back with me tomorrow.”
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The Most Important Mindset For Building Your Skill Set
There’s a particular mindset that makes you indispensable, a true linchpin.
It is a commitment to see a project through.
I’ve had (emphasis on past tense) team members who started a project with me, but then ran away when real work was in order.
We’ve all had people tell us they will do something, then fail to do it.
I’ve made my own mistakes of sitting back, too. A perfect example is Curb Magazine.
As managing editor, I’m involved in the entire process of making a magazine from scratch. From philosophy ideation, all the way through the launch and distribution of the final product. I work with four different teams (editorial, online, creative, and business) to reach distribution.
After we submit our design to the press house, and before distribution, the press house gives our publisher a proof copy of what they will print. Instead of getting involved in the last proofing process (the last chance to make any corrections to the magazine), I let my other team leaders handle it.
I didn’t see the process through, and, as a result of leaving the rest of the project to them (and no insult to their talent), two words are missing at the bottom of the first page of my story in the printed version of the magazine… all 10,000 of our one-time printed version. #lessonlearned
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All of the skills businesses, companies, agencies, and leaders look for… they all make up the mindset of one’s commitment to a project, to their work, to passion.
When you get in the habit of seeing things all the way through, there’s no doubt you learn and strengthen all the skills employers and team members look for.
When you don’t follow through, you bring everyone down and hold yourself back.
Stay Positive & They’re Not Kidding When They Say Success Is A Mindset, Not A Skill List
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