GarthBox

When you wake up at your alarm, you decided to wake up at that time the night before when you set it. In that moment, however, you face a new decision: how you’re going to wake up.

Will you do it with gusto and excitement for the day?

When you accept a job interview, you’ve decided to meet a company and be peppered with questions. In the moment of being peppered with questions, however, you have the privilege of making a new decision: how you’re going to answer them.

Do you answer with confidence and contagious joy?

There’s a lot we decide to do… and a lot more that we forget that we also get to decide how we do it.

Stay Positive & With A Smile?

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Advice is fun. Conversations are great. Handshakes are the bridge to loyalty.

But giving someone something to try manifests magic.

There’s nothing as vulnerably connective as “here I/we made this, give it a try.”

Pro tip is this: don’t go anywhere or meet anyone without having something to offer them to try.

Maybe it’s an intro to your book. Maybe it’s some hot sauce a friend gave you. Maybe it’s the skateboard you have in your garage. Something. Anything.

Stay Positive & Make The Connection

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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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