Clunky Flow

As a mountain biker, I can tell you that some days I flow on the trail and other days I feel clunky. Recently I found myself in a crazy good flow state...hitting all the turns with ease and speed.

Then...my front tire suddenly washed out and I was laying in the dirt in an instant. I hopped up uninjured (thanks yoga), found my water bottle in the weeds and rolled away in less than 20 sec.

In a moment I went from flow to clunky. My rhythm was gone, my confidence rattled, and I began to doubt.

Doubt is dangerous when you’re moving fast. Doubt gives birth to more doubt. Doubt changes what you expect. Expecting to hit the next turn with the perfect line and speed is now in question.

The next time you crash...notice the doubt that comes up. No need to run it off...dance with it. It doesn’t rule you when you call it what it is.

Go make your mark!

Social Media Is A Waste

That was the tape in my head. I resented it because it would suck me in and the dopamine hits would keep me there. Good job Zuck.

A few years ago I changed my mind.

Imagine having access to what your great great granddad was thinking. What was he feeling? What were his passions...What was important to him? What were his struggles?

100 years from now posterity will be checking. They will have it all…

Are you digitally silent? That might be okay but what will the next few generations wish they had from you? Anything you want to say to them?

Start documenting now...somewhere...they’ll find it.

Behind The Bananas

Imagine a good friend invites you to the lake. You love the lake almost as much as your friendship.

He likes having you along because you know how to back a trailer. Launching the boat is a choreographed dance of precise actions. Everyone will be watching in awe.

As the weekend approaches, the text convo about the perfect weather and the new wakeboard is bolstering anticipation. You’re both pumped. As your pulling out your swim trunks your wife reminds you about brunch with her mother. The blood drops out of our head.

What will you say? You panic and tell him you have the flu.

The disappointment and guilt is palpable. Your wife sends you on a grocery run to grab some veggies for the casserole and there...HE...is.

You dive behind the bananas before he sees you and you stay there for a few minutes regretting your fake flu.

Owning your mistakes is hard but people pleasing is harder.

"You Didn't Build That..."

I’ll never forget the feelings of anger come over me when Obama said that about small business owners. It felt like an attack on hard work.

But was it?

Perhaps he was pointing out all the things that cleared the path so that my hard work would pay off. It would be pretty hard to make our businesses thrive in Ethiopia.

Seeing the opportunity, taking the risk, and executing is hard work. Take time to notice the support you do have.

The platform you build your legacy on didn’t just appear out of thin air.

Your circumstances can rule you or fuel you. Your choice.

Comission Breath

People can feel "agenda" from a mile away.

Agenda isn’t bad...it’s just obvious. Being subjected to someone else’s agenda can feel yucky.

As soon as someone is feeling convinced, they default to “no.” This is the marketer’s conundrum.

The honest agenda is to sell you something. If the agenda is to close the deal for the deal’s sake...it becomes convincing. All the “yucky” dissolves when the agenda is to help instead of take.

Lottery Mindset

Why are we so attracted to the idea of a shortcut, a hack, or a hot tip?

The human brain defaults to preserving bandwidth, so anytime it can avoid pain or seek pleasure...it will. Doing hard things requires us to disagree with our hardwiring and burn mental calories to solve, create, and connect.

Going the extra mile and having a good work ethic isn’t natural. Money generally follows smart effort.

5.6 Billion was spent on Lotto tickets last year and the state pocketed 1.4 Billion. It seems like a tax for people who want a quick fix to their financial situation.

Ever notice what happens to the short cutters who win big?

Pro Tip: Don’t search for the “hack”...it’s mostly fools gold.

Y2K

The nation was on edge. The popularized web was less than a decade old. Most computers weren't programmed with 1/1/2000 as a date.

What did it mean?

Would Wall Street glitch? Would we lose power for an hour? A week? What was going to meltdown?

How do we prepare?

Do you ever think about survival? Imagine all things electronic frying at once. No cars, phones, or lights. What do you stock up on?

Maybe that’s the wrong question.

The world would instantly become a barter system. What assets do you have? What would be valuable that you can specialize in?

Maybe you don’t really need to “stock up.” Instead of hoarding spam, you might think about what value you can add to the masses. The resources between your ears can help you stay alive.

Survival of the fittest is helpful only when a bear is chasing you and you’re slightly faster than your friend.

News Flash

Don’t spend time listening to the major news sources.

Your time is far too valuable. You likely have trusted friends who will condense it into bite-sized data points so you don’t have to wade through what “they” deem newsworthy.

Ask yourself...what is the currency of news?

The answer: Outrage

They sell the ads to the highest bidder. Outrage can hold your attention and your attention is being sold. Sports commentators work the same way.

Say inflammatory things and watch the fans take the bait. Don’t let “them” distract you from making your mark.

No Problem

No Problem

When someone sends good vibes your way, don’t bounce.

Pause, and allow the vibe to transact. Deflecting a thank you with a “no problem” flattens the vibe.

“You’re welcome” opens the gate, it says “I heard you” and “I needed that.”

Look Outside

Look Outside.

Gratitude disrupts sadness.

Tricking yourself by acting happy when you’re sad is just a trick.

Asking yourself “Who can I be thankful for?” lights the fuse to consider the answer. Over time it will re-frame the internal narrative.

Gratitude tends to dissolve depression. Circumstances are worth noting but noticing “awesome” in people is more useful.

Pro Tip: Let them know…

1k/Year

Get 1000 hours of "deep work" done every year.  

Deep work is new, durable, and perhaps eliminates a pocket of toil.

It’s truly creative work that improves the world around you.

No deep creative work includes maintenance or reaction. The deep work is where your rare abilities are living.

Go make your mark!

No

Say “no” to almost everything unless you are just getting started.

Create the margin to say yes so resentment doesn’t build against the things you should’ve said “no” to.

If it’s not Hell YES...then it’s “no”

This way...when a cool thing comes up, there is no pause.

Solve In Your Sleep

Make the first hour of the day about output only.

The previous day, your conscious mind was filled with endless problems to solve. If you slept well the night before, your unconscious mind was solving.

Journal these solutions first thing...before you respond to anything.

Responding is a THIEF.

Your creative value to the world is too important to get lost in the shadows of response.Give yourself 60 minutes.

Pro Tip: Try writing yourself a question on a post-it before you get in bed.

Let the solving begin!