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Road time.
Hours spent traveling from one customer to the next.
Time to and from the appointment, the errand, the visit.
Use and savor this time.
Podcasts.
Resonating message.
One specific phrase.
“Build Something That Will Be Missed.”
New Focus.
New Purpose.
Build.
Build again.
Keep building.
What will they miss?
Breakfast with a few close friends is always welcome on my calendar. During yet another snow storm, we made our way out to find a new place to eat. The one friend came from far away, the other from right down the road.
We talked. We connected. We laughed.
One friend is always traveling, and has great stories.
The other friend is a Serial Entrepreneur. They are always coming up with new ideas, new businesses, new ways to make something happen.
As we were eating our food, the Serial Entrepreneur gave us both small packages. Homemade soaps in nicely decorated packaging. Not only have they been experimenting with making soaps, they have already started selling them.
While reading Seth Godin’s new book “What to do when it’s your turn (and it’s always your turn)” I was reminded of this other friend.
They are always taking an idea and running with it.
They try, fail, try again, succeed, think of something else, and keep moving.
Did they wait for someone to tell them it was their turn? No, they just keep doing.
Do they have all the answers? No.
Do they have a complete plan with all the details before the move? No again.
Do they take risks? You betcha.
Did they wait for everything to be perfect before they shipped? Nope.
Do they do more in a few years than most of us will do in our lives? Yes.
After breakfast I thanked this friend for the lesson: Keep Trying New Things, Take the Risk, and Ship.
I wonder what their [your] next idea will be?
During the holidays it is hard to say “this is my favorite gift.” Undoubtably someone will wonder why their gift didn’t make the list, and then the comparing will begin. In order to thwart this comparison and potential hurt feelings, let’s simply agree that certain gifts stir our souls. Often this stirring is not a reflection of cost or value, but because the giver connected with us in a way that went deep and said “I know you.”
A few months ago, we hosted a get-together at our house for an educational experiment. Seth Godin announced a relational educational initiative where people get together and learn together.
The first class focused us on picking ourselves, overcoming fear, and learning to “ship.” Shipping as Seth describes it is the act of getting our product, idea, proposal, or whatever off the ground and out the door. The class ended with each of us completing the handy “SHIPIT Journal” that helped us work through the obstacles that typically prevent us from moving forward.
While opening gifts this year, I opened a small shelf organizer for magazines. It was black with a little metal tab. The kind of organizer that you may find on library shelves.
After thanking the giver, I thought to myself…“That is cute, but are my magazines in such disarray that I need some organization?” Also, we had started the second Seth Godin class based on the work of Gretchen Rubin and the Happiness Project and a big part of our discussions were based on cleaning up clutter in our lives, homes, and surroundings. My first impression connected this gift to the second class.
It was then that I found the note. Tucked inside the organizer was the real reason for the gift. There were only four words, but those four words touched my soul. The giver instantly changed a simple gift into a memorable one.
The ordinary organizer had transformed into something more. This simple black box with a metal handle was now the place where accomplishments would reside. This box was now the monument, the official record, or the proof of shipping, overcoming obstacles, fears, and doubts.
To the Giver: Thank you for transforming something so simple into a lasting memory.
To All of Us: Connect with others when we can in the simplest but meaningful ways.
To the Universe: I shipped!
(Image Courtesy of http://ydtalk.com)
Over the past few weeks I have been part of an experiment. A learning experiment. Seth Godin, one of the coolest people on the planet recently announced a new way of learning: Learning Together.
Beyond creative, the Krypton Community College (with its cool narwhal mascot) is an experience in learning with other people. The first class was centered on help to move past (or dance with) our fears, pick ourselves, and move projects forward. Part of an early assignment included interviewing people who brought something into the world and how fear played a role in the process.
The thought of asking pretty amazing and accomplished people about fear was scary in itself.
What if these folks didn’t really experience fear?
Maybe fear is just what the rest of us feel.
Was that what sets them apart in their success?
Maybe that is why I am not as successful.
I pressed on and scheduled an interview anyway (dancing with my own fear). When the questions moved away from the details of what this person had accomplished to how they felt and dealt with any fears that were part of the process, an amazing story emerged.
I learned that this person had to give a talk on a technical topic to hundreds of experts in this field. This person was not a technical expert on the subject at hand, but was part of trying to raise awareness, address challenges, offer solutions, and help increase funding for this issue.
Speaking to this crowd did bring fear (which surprised me because they are so confident). Fear of not being credible, or coming across in a way that would not acknowledge the depth of knowledge in the room and limit the receptivity to these new ideas.
So, they called their dad for advice. I will let them tell the rest in their own words:
My dad’s stellar advice on how to handle presenting information to a group of providers who were twice my age and real experts in the issue was to start off my presentation by joking that I was actually going to teach them how to throw the javelin.
It worked like a charm. I started to get into the stance, told them I was intimidated by their knowledge and expertise and recognized they knew the field much better than I did. So, I said that I’d changed up my plan for the presentation and was teaching javelin instead since I was the expert in that.
They all laughed, and were super supportive when I actually got into the real presentation. I also felt way more comfortable. And, throughout our time together a number of them became great thought partners/mentors/teachers and took me under their wing.
I think acknowledging my fears, owning them, and accepting them really helped start our work off on the right foot, and rather than feeling skeptical the group wanted to help me and later felt more comfortable sharing their fears about the work we were doing.
Great advice for any of us wrestling with our next project, idea, task, or talk.
Acknowledge the fear.
Own the fear.
Accept the fear.
And begin by Throwing the Javelin.
Here are a few suggestions of some potential books that come to mind. These books have either been on my nightstand for a while and need a good reading, or have been recommended to me by others:
1. The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin – http://www.happiness-project.com/, seems like an interesting concept and may be an interesting journey together.
2. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell – http://www.gladwell.com/, I have read Outliers, What the Dog Saw, and Blink and this in next on my list. He is one of the greatest writers of our time, and tells amazing stories.
3. The Brain and Emotional Intelligence: New Insights – Daniel Goleman http://danielgoleman.info/, or Magnificent Mind at Any Age – Dr. Daniel Amen. Both are looking at how our minds work and the role of our emotional state and how we react to others.
4. Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us – Seth Godin http://www.sethgodin.com/sg/ about leading small groups.
Those are my top picks, again I am open to your suggestions. In order for this to work, once we find a book, I think we need at least 10 people to commit to doing this together. If you are in, let us know, if you want to wait until we pick a book, that is okay too. But for you adventurous types, go ahead and jump in now! Take the leap, it will be worth it.
Carl Weber Consulting 