Pick a Direction - Page 8 of 28 - How do you expect to finish if you never start?Pick a Direction

Sink or Swim – How To Be More Marketable

I’m a terrible swimmer.

My waist tends to sink every time I find a rhythm in the water. My breaths aren’t consistent. I forget to kick regularly. My preferred stroke is the doggy paddle. It’s just not a natural “thing” for me to do.

It is such a great workout, though!

Twenty minutes in the pool makes my legs wobbly, lights my back up, and takes the wind out of me more so than an hour-long run. It seems I’m a glutton for punishment. It’s not natural, but I do it anyway.

Being an entrepreneur is a lot like jumping in the deep end of the pool for a swim.

Where NOT To Find Your Identity

f250 Here in South Carolina, trucks are a big deal. They say a lot about who you are and what’s important to you.

A nice work truck shows people you’re a professional, but can still get dirty and haul things when needed. A well kept, slightly older truck implies you’re the kind of guy who takes care of your things and values classic quality over the latest trends.

I pulled out behind a jacked up F-250 with 36″ tires and a tattered American flag flying from the metal diamond plate toolbox the other day. The white paint was covered in fresh mud and the exhaust was loud enough to wake the neighborhood. I’ll skip the temptation to talk about an inferiority complex and comment on this bro’s identity instead.

His attitude was all over his vehicle and he likes to be noticed. He wanted people to think he’s outdoorsy, tough, and doesn’t mind getting dirty. As he passed me in my station wagon, he was grinning from ear to ear, just enjoying his truck and his exhaust pipes.

Composing 2015

Alice: I was just wondering if you could help me find my way.
Cheshire Cat: Well that depends on where you want to get to.
Alice: Oh, it really doesn’t matter, as long as…
Cheshire Cat: Then it really doesn’t matter which way you go.
– Alice in Wonderland (1951)

In early 2014 I typed a post titled What One Word Will Define Your Year? in which I pre-labeled the year ahead of me. This exercise, used to help you visualize the road ahead, helped me focus my intentions in 2014.

If you can’t tell by now, I have big plans for 2015 and it’s imperative I stay focused. This drill helps put a theme to everything that needs to get done. It’s a way of thinking through the year and bundling it all together.

Just as a company has core values that help drive decisions, this “theme” will help me stay in line with what I feel is important during this season of life.

How To Accomplish More in 2015 (My Goals)

How To Accomplish More I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, New Year’s “Resolutions” are a waste of time.

Yearly Goals, however, are something I highly value. I firmly believe that once you set your mind to something, the only thing that can stop you is you. There is no other time in history which has offered more resources or connectivity than right now. This goal setting process (I’ll be sharing the full monty in a couple months if you’d like to learn how to accomplish more) helps me define my year and set my focus.

WRITE IT DOWN

It starts with reflection and moves on to action steps. You’re currently reading something in between those two pillars: the act of writing it down. Many people’s New Year’s Resolutions dissipate because they don’t put their thoughts into a physical form. That, plus the fact most resolutions are vague and unmeasurable = resolutions broken in record time.

Writing down your thoughts is one of the most powerful activities you can do if you’re trying to figure something out. This goes for work problems, relational challenges, daddy issues, and especially your goals. You have over 50,000 thoughts per day. The only thing that separates the junk from the gems are what you choose to articulate in a physical form, i.e. write down your goals if you are serious about them.

7 Things I Learned By Having A Transformational Year

“The average man is a conformist, accepting miseries and disasters with the stoicism of a cow standing in the rain.”
– Colin Wilson

When 2014 began, I was determined NOT to be a cow standing in the rain. I labeled it a transformational year and it has been just that. Since I started this blogging journey I have shared tons of personal stories, successes, and failures. 1 year ago I shared my goals for 2014 in an effort to keep myself accountable.

I didn’t want 2014 to be “just another year” in my life. It wasn’t. Not by a long shot.

2014’s List of Goals

~~Volunteering~~
~~Speed Reading~~
~~Building a TV Stand~~
~~Writing an eBook~~
Sprint Triathlon
~~Monetizing the Blog~~
~~Finish 40 Books~~

As you can see, I crossed off almost everything I set out to do this year. I couldn’t be happier about reviewing this list and re-reading my post about goals from last January. It shows me how far I’ve come as a writer (mainly how far I still have to go) as well as how my focus has shifted from last year.

Why We Sacrifice Pride (and why it’s worth it)

Getting what we want in life takes sacrifice.

Some people sacrifice comfort to pursue dreams. Others sacrifice pay, opting for more time with the family. Still some forgo opportunities today, in favor of potential tomorrow.

What we’re willing to live without says a lot about who we are. We live in a day and age when we can have nearly anything we want, anytime we want. This era of ultimate convenience allows us instant access to nearly every bit of information conceivable with the push of a button. So if we’re living without something, that decision is likely intentional.

For example, I don’t watch TV. It’s not because I don’t enjoy TV or that I can’t afford it. It’s that I would rather spend my time doing more productive or rewarding activities.

The Artisan vs. The Amateur

Scene One:

The designer scrolls through to the sidebar widget. He doesn’t like it. He tests it: fully functional. He tweaks the color, adjusts the width, and he ultimately comes to the conclusion it is “pretty good.”

He’s not charging premium prices and he only knows how to do so much. He’s his own engineer and there is more work to be done. His skill and his resources are finite. He’s satisfied so he moves to the next task after 30 minutes of fidgeting.

Scene Two:

The exact same sidebar, the exact same functional pieces in place, but a different designer. This one comes to the conclusion “pretty good” isn’t good enough for him.

He continues to try new ideas, not just recycled ones he’s tried before. He gets out of his comfort zone and asks his engineers what else is possible. He plays with the idea of eliminating the sidebar altogether and going for a minimalist look. He does research on other sites for inspiration. Ultimately, after 2 hours, he decides it is better than “pretty good.” It is ready to ship.

Naturally, the second designer produces a better sidebar. The first delivers a functional product that gets the job done, but it’s not quite a pretty or smooth as the second.

Why The Rich Don’t Work For Money

One of the best things I did for myself at the beginning of 2014 was set a goal to read 40 books. This simple challenge has opened me up to new ideas, new theories, and new perspectives. I’ve learned so much and I’ve been able to apply so many of these new lessons to my life.

One way I can be grateful to the authors is to share these revelations and inspirations as they wreck my current world-view. I want to share something that has inspired me to experiment with new ideas, challenge my current situation, and encouraged me to gain a deeper knowledge of many subjects.

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