Questions

Garth Beyer

I’ve written a lot about questions, about too many questions, and how questions define us.

Today, yet again, the opportunity to stand out, to define myself, and to show my spirit came through being able to ask a question to a panel of experts.

I am positive that you have been reminded that you never truly know who is in your audience, who is in ear shot, who is watching you. If there is someone you are trying to stand out to, asking the right question can actually leave a larger impact than giving a good answer.

Too often we are not rewarded for our end results. But, always are we acknowledged for our curiosity, our determination, our walk out on that plank.

                                “The best creative solutions don’t come from                                                   finding good answers to the questions that are presented.

They come from inventing new questions.” – Seth Godin

Stay Positive & Believe It Or Not, I’ll Have More Questions For You Tomorrow

Garth E. Beyer

How You Know That You Are Doing What You Need To

Garth Beyer

If this is at all confusing, it’s because you have a difficult time accepting it. The same went for me at first.

***

When there are things that you would rather be doing or that you just want to do, perhaps going to the art museum, hanging around the park more often, or reading more, you know that you have to keep doing what you’re doing.

That craving – when you are actually busy – to do other things (and sometimes even to do nothing) means you’re on the right track and that you need to keep going.

Our minds direct our attention towards things that we would rather be doing because what we are doing is hard work. Our brain wants to distract us, wants to pull our attention toward something more entertaining (and less productive). Often referred to as the lizard brain, this subconscious mental effort for distraction is a cloak of fear. The more we get on the path of productivity, reaching our goals, putting in emotional labor, and putting ourselves and our art out there, the more fear sets in and the lizard brain starts working in every way possible.

The most popular way clearly being the desire to do something more fun than what you are currently doing.

When really, if what you have to be focusing on now didn’t exist, you wouldn’t really be doing what you think you would rather be doing now. You’d be doing nothing.

 

Stay Positive & Outsmart Your Brain. Push Through

Garth E. Beyer

Two Options To Productivity

Garth Beyer

The real worker, the true productive worker gives herself two options when in the zone, in the workplace. Break or Hack

Break a few rules. Break the status-quo. Break the task into smaller steps. Break the consistency and add some more mistakes. Break her back to make it work. Break it down to understand it better. Break away from reality.

or

Hack the job to make it more efficient. Hack your work so you can do more of what makes you happy. Hack away at everything that is holding you back. Hack into the flow.

Both options lead to a productive – very productive – work day.

 

Stay Positive & You Just May Not Even Consider It Work

Garth E. Beyer

Until You Stumble

Garth Beyer

Keep on going and you will stumble on to something remarkable. Notice how I didn’t say that you will find a treasure chest. Notice how I didn’t say you would stop in front of and look up at your reward. Notice how I didn’t say that you would meet your goal face-to-face. No.

We race so quickly to our goals, that when we fall, we never notice the X on the ground. We get back up and keep racing, leaving whatever reward (which often comes in the form of a lesson – at least at the early stages -) on the ground.

 

Stay Positive & Look Where You Stumble Before You Get Going Again

Garth E. Beyer

A Tip Or Two About Asking Questions

Garth Beyer

Why is it that people refuse to ask questions unless they are reallllly good questions. (Yes, this post also applies to yesterdays post: asking for help)

Moreover, why is it that people refuse to think hard enough until they come up with a realllly good question.

Questions do much more than receive answers, they open doors – millions of them – and opportunities too.

The quickest way to get someone (professor, step-family, good-looking person sitting by you) to know and remember your name, ask them a question. The quickest way to an answer, to the solution of a problem, ask questions. The quickest way to learning what you need to know to get what you want … you guessed it, ask a question.

Rarely in life is “the quickest way” ever “the best way.”

But when it comes to asking questions, it is.

 

Stay Positive & Ask Away To Your Goals

Garth E. Beyer

A Not So Gentle Reminder

Garth Beyer

Those who care most about you, don’t care whether you ask for their help, assistance, input, opinion, or need. What I know is that you, I, and most people forget that 99% of the time, the people who care about us are more happy to help us than we ever are being helped.

The two most used reasons you never ask for help:

1. You don’t want to be looked down upon by possibly asking too much.

2. You forget that there are people all around you caring, willing to help.

To the first, realize that you would only ever ask something from someone who cares about you. No one asks someone who doesn’t care about them for something. (If they do, it always goes ignored. The same result as not asking at all.) Then think of all the people that care about you. Don’t measure it. Don’t categorize them by the degree in which they care about you. Don’t group them into those who really care about you because they are family or who don’t care too much because they are just friends. No. The miraculous light that rarely gets shined on the idea of asking for help from those who care about you is that no matter how much they care, they will all be willing to do the same thing for you. Yes, it may take a bit more persuasion and communication of the benefit, but they always will. I could ask my friend that I haven’t seen in years to loan me a grand to fix up my car or I could ask my close uncle. Same result.

To the second: now is when the not so gentle reminder comes in. If you forget that there are people all around you that care about you, it’s not their fault for not showing it. No. It’s your fault for not making it so that they are happy to show they care. It’s your fault for not making them feel good about caring about you. This is where the give-and-take of the world originates. If I ask my friend, who cares about me, to loan me a grand to fix up my car, and I blow $800 at a casino, do you think my friend is going to boast about helping me when I blew most of the money away?

To ask for help is to not only tell yourself, but the person who is helping you too, that you will make them happy that they helped, happy that they cared, and happy that it was all worth it.

The most interesting aspect to asking for help is that it’s one of the strongest paths to growth. Asking for help is far from selfish because in order to reap the benefits, you have to think of yourself and the person helping you. And when you do that, it creates a ripple effect around both of you.

 

Stay Positive & Test It For Yourself, Find Who You Can Help

Garth E. Beyer