I know you think everybody has “it” figured out, but you’re wrong! Everybody encounters times where they need to figure “it” out. Because things change. Circumstances change. Situations change.
Life isn’t static.
Sometimes we feel like we’re in the ocean and the waves are constantly tossing us about. If things are calm, experience has taught us that it won’t last long.
There are a number of effective steps we can take when we’re faced with challenges to “figure it out.” Today, let me give you just 5 of them. I have found these helpful. No, I’m not a ninja at these, but I do know they work. My inadequate use of them doesn’t mean they’re ineffective. It just means I’m a lot like you. Sometimes the resistance beats me.
The world is full of guys and gals, but somehow my wife and I ended up together. We were attracted to each other, made a connection and after three years of dating, I asked her to marry me. She wasn’t the only girl in the world, but to me she was unique, different and remarkable. In a good way.
How many brands of cars, shoes, ketchup, sunglasses or razor blades do we need?
How many people do we need to encourage us and teach us how to blog? Or do online video? Or podcast?
How many iPhone apps do we need?
All these choices. It makes no sense…
Until you start to think about how attraction works in our lives. Why do I love Heinz ketchup but I hate Hunt’s? Because Heinz tastes better to me. Heinz is different and I prefer that difference!
Be uniquely yourself. Embrace whatever it is that makes you different. People may not notice, at first. Or for awhile. But stick with it.
Over time, if you’ll remain true to who you are…and you’ll tweak things as you go (something we’ve all got to do to figure out what works)…you’ll accomplish two important things. One, you’ll repell the people who don’t like your uniqueness. It’s a necessary step that can be painful, but don’t fret about it. You have to carve out your own space. There’s not enough room for people who don’t find your uniqueness attractive. Besides, you don’t want to change to fit what they’re looking for, do you? Me, neither.
Two, you’ll attract the people who are looking for somebody just like you. In fact, you’ll attract people who are looking for YOU. They just don’t know it until crossing paths with you.
Don’t spend all your time trying to be better. Start spending more time trying to stand out.
Don’t fight it. Don’t talk yourself out of it. Just do it.
This is the nearest Bass Pro Shop Outdoor World. It’s in Grapevine, Texas. They do retail right! I speak as a retail expert, not an outdoorsman.
No, today’s show isn’t about hunting or fishing. If you’re a hunter or a fisherman you’ll be disappointed, but thankful. I’ve got nothing of value to share in those areas ’cause I’m an inexperienced idiot in both areas. But…
I have spent enough time inside Outdoor World to be impressed and to understand the lure (pun intended).
We’ve all got our own temptations. Things that draw us in and captivate us…sometimes for hours on end.
Distraction and focus are two very popular topics because they’re so universal. They’re also at the heart of this Outdoor World story.
There are many things I’d like to change about my schedule, work flow and efficiency.
And I’m a guy who is pretty bent toward such activities, but it’s hard to get on track and even harder to stay there.
I’ve got lots of books on productivity. I read lots of blogs on productivity. And yes, I listen to Erik J. Fisher‘s new podcast Beyond The To-Do List. By the way, it’s a terrific podcast and I enjoy listening to what other people do.
Lately, a few things have compelled me wrestle my schedule to the ground. Again. Seems like I no sooner pin it down…then it gets back up and kicks my butt. Schedules are tough to create and even tougher to keep.
Here are my current motivators:
One, I juggle way too many books at one time. It’s a life long habit, but one that I’d like to change.
Two, and this one is much more difficult…I’d like to figure out a way to schedule better sleep habits. That may not be possible, but I need to try!
Three, I need to produce the podcast and release it the same day (and time) each week. This one is probably the easiest of the three.
Ryan Drean is a Dallas-based radio imaging expert who podcasts at Ryan On The Radio. I’m not in his space, but I enjoy his podcasts. He admits that a sporadic schedule rules his podcasting. Since I use iTunes to catch the podcasts I listen to, it doesn’t much matter to me when folks produce their shows. But it would be nice to hear Ryan more often. Then again, there’s the power of keeping ’em coming back for more.
It brings to mind the two parts of a schedule: a) when we produce, create, build, etc. and b) when we consume, read, watch or listen.
How do YOU consume content? Blogs, podcasts, videos, magazines, books, music, TV…content happens in more formats today than ever before!
Do you use an RSS reader? Do you use a podcast catcher like iTunes or Stitcher?
Do you schedule consumption of stuff or do you just snag it when it arrives (many people do)?
Do you schedule social media?
If you’re in sales, do you schedule making sales calls? If you’re a designer, artist or other creative type – do you wait for inspiration or do you report to work?
So many questions that we all need to spend more time answering. And if you’re like me you need to revisit what you’re currently doing because deep down, you know you could do a better job of managing your schedule (your time, your calendar).
No matter how organized or efficient I may be, it never takes very long before the schedule or process I’ve established is thrown out the window. It’s the nature of entropy. Over time everything decays. Nothing improves over time on its own.
I’ve made up my mind that every 2 weeks I need to re-examine my schedule including when and how I get things done. For me, entropy can begin to rule that quickly so I want to keep knocking it down before it gets back up, fully on its feet and slays me.
