GarthBox

There are two types of carrots you can dangle for motivation.

The first is a candied version. It’s sweet. It’s an incentive. It’s instant gratification. It’s a reward. It works but not as effectively and not as long-term as the other type of carrot.

The second is a healthy version. It’s growth. It’s fulfillment. It’s an investment. It’s the kind that brings more joy getting it than having it.

Stay Positive & Choose Your Motivation Accordingly

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It’s true you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

But I’d argue that equation is missing a component.

You’re actually the average of the five people you spend the most time with PLUS the average of the five people you spend a little time with.

It’s those who you don’t spend day in and day out with that can offer truly unique perspectives, ideas and inspiration.

Often times more magic can happen over lunch with someone outside your circle than someone inside.

Those who create the most change do so with the energy of those within their bubble and outside it.

Stay Positive & Lunch Date?

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Caring more about the work than anyone else in the room (and being okay that no one will care as much as you).

Learning something new (and bonus points if it’s difficult, but still bonus points if it’s easy as long as you apply it in a new way or teach someone else).

Treating different people differently (and by this, I mean understanding the the problem you’re solving is going to be different person to person).

Reminding yourself and your team of your values or why you exist (and understanding that it might feel old or stale to you, but not the new people learning about your project or brand for the first time).

Stay Positive & The Hard Stuff Is Always Worth Doing

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There’s only one good answer to the question of how you can do it all…

Drip by drip by drip.

Someone doesn’t sleep in on daylight savings time. They see it as an extra hour to work on their craft. Drip.

Someone doesn’t sign up for Twitter and thus saves the time they otherwise would have wasted doom scrolling. Drip.

Someone decides to work from home and no longer has to commute to and fro. Drip. Drip.

Those doing what you perceive as a lot? They’re doing it with the same 24 hours.

A few may have dedicated work windows to really find their flow, but more often than not, they’re sneaking little pockets of time here and there. Drip. Drip. Drip.

Stay Positive & You’re One Drip Away From Being Ahead Of 90% Of Others

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It’s frustrating to think through all the things that could break.

It’s annoying to collect and store items and connections and plan B and Cs. They take space (often times physical, but always mental).

But there’s one huge reason to do it – and the reason is not that you’ll wish you had a backup when you need it.

The reason is that time spent trying to fix something or devise a plan B when something doesn’t go according to plan is time that could have better put toward making something better, surprising and delighting, and ensuring that you’re offering more value than a person anticipates.

Sure, from time to time, brands elevate from how magically they fix a problem, but that’s like winning the lottery. A huge reward, but a huge-er risk that’s unnecessary and more disastrous.

Stay Positive & Prepare (So You Can Focus On Over-delivering)

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In nearly ever entrepreneurial group I visit, there’s always someone concerned with another stealing their idea. Here’s a quick list of why it doesn’t matter.

1. Anyone that could possibly steal your idea and turn it into reality before you undoubtedly needs to pitch it to someone for their approval or investment. And… to pitch it, they need to put a lot of work into it.
2. If someone cared about the idea you have as much as you, they would have done it already.
3. Even if someone does steal your idea and executes it before you, there’s a 100% chance that it won’t match what you envisioned. (They’ll go through the process of choosing a different contractor/vendor, different staff, different designs, different missions and core values, different everything.)
4. If someone wants to steal your idea, I say good. You’ve got two choices, hide and don’t execute your idea or find a way to make yours even better than theirs.
5. Along those same lines, let them steal the idea so you can watch what NOT to do with your idea.
6. No one has gotten rich off an idea. Anyone can have the same idea as you and neither will benefit. That is, unless someone acts on it.
7. If someone seems interested in stealing your idea, get to know them. They might become the best partner or supporter of that idea.
8. You will have to share your idea to the world before it truly comes to fruition. You’ll want people to sign up in advance or the media will want to know what you’re planning or you’ll need to pitch it to some investors or people at your work are going to ask what you did over the weekend.

If you need more reasons to not care about an idea getting stolen, let me know.

Stay Positive & Better To Simply Focus On Bringing The Idea To Life

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Is it the weather impacting your knee or the stress?

Is it his fault or her fault?

Is it better to develop this kind of content or that kind of content?

Or often puts a wedge into progress. It’s far better to connect dots and build bridges than it is to create islands with an or statement.

“And” is magic.

There’s a reason it’s used in improv and effective team building strategies. There’s a reason it encourages us to see the big picture. There’s a reason it elevates ideas and solutions.

“Or” might get you where you want to go. Eventually.

“And” will get you there much more quickly and with more joy to the journey.

Stay Positive & …..

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