A Few to Remember
From this article: https://baditaflorin.medium.com/unlocking-the-power-of-the-chatgpt-revolution-100-use-cases-to-try-before-you-are-fired-979e5986814c
I like that I can just noodle like this.
I asked it to teach me some useful business phrases in Spanish. Eat it, Duolingo. ;)
Well, I had to check.
That's enough for right now.
The Procedurally Generated Son Returns
I'm writing here for the first time in a long time. Why? Because of ChatGPT. Because it's pretty wild. It's a "chat to _____" kind of tool where you can type out a request and get some really interesting feedback. What kind? This article covers it better than I want to, because that's not my goal.
Instead, I wanted to keep a running list of ideas I've had about it, and share some of that with you. If you're not getting my weekly newsletter these days, then you'll probably feel a bit lost. I talked about it there a lot the last few weeks.
I haven't felt this way about a technology in years. This is the good stuff. At least so far. Just like anything, it could implode.
Stick with me?
On the Occasion of my 52nd Birthday
Okay, so first off, my birthday was yesterday, but I was at a conference in Las Vegas, and I flew back on a red eye. That's not an excuse. I could post yesterday if I wanted to, but I'm not even sure. I haven't blogged in whenever. Why should I? I've got a newsletter. I've got two.
Blogs are dead.
Or are they?
That's all you get. I'm writing it in my newsletters.
Chris Brogan Joins Appfire as Chief of Staff
Yeah, so I'm taking a role inside a privately held company for a little while as Chief of Staff. That means that I report directly to the CEO and am responsible for keeping the Executive team rolling along nicely, leading strategy initiatives, and communicating with the board externally and with all the various other teams internally.
I haven't worked for any other company since 2009, so that's interesting, but I don't really mind/care/think much about it. I'm really tuned into the mission. That's what got me excited. Well, that and the fact that I get to work with all the C-level titles and do all kinds of executive leadership development.
Am I still going to write books, keynote speeches, etc? Yes.
Just also doing this really fun-ass job with my friend and now boss, Randall Ward.
Carry on.
Company Culture at a Distance
To build a strong company culture for all employees challenges leaders when working from home (WFH) becomes the norm. Most leaders say that "corporate culture" ranks very high up on their list of priorities, but if I looked at 100 managers' budgets, I'd find almost no money at all dedicated to creating a culture (or even reinforcing the existing one). Further, if you ask most employees to describe the culture of their workplace, they'll rarely say what the bosses wish they'd highlight as competitive advantages based on the culture.
Core Values Are The Heart of Culture
Does your company value fast? Are your norms based around accuracy above all else? Is this a top-down organization or a performance culture? Without knowing this, how on earth would you communicate it out to your remote or even local teams?
If empowerment is important, for instance, your desired culture won't emphasize a hierarchy. If you want a culture of innovation, then reward failure every bit as much as success. Teamwork thrives when every employee values accountability and a culture of leadership.
Start here:
- Work either with the senior team or the whole organization to draft what you believe the core values of the team should be.
- Highlight any inconsistencies where you'll have to improve the culture to match the goal.
- Keep these values posted visibly and talk about them in alignment with projects, briefings and updates. For your work from home (WFH) employees, mail out postcards with the values printed on them.
Successful Culture Tips for Remote Workers
We must adapt some values for remote work anyway. If trust is a core value, then "always available" employees runs counter to that. Just because leaders panic now that "butt in chair" management can't be monitored, if you say trust matters, don't force countless status meetings and ultra fast response times.
Instead, motivate and reinforce the leadership and communications values of your organization and point out that you want team members to send their own status updates to match company culture goals.
Employee retention comes from the feeling that employees are understood, seen, and valued. This requires leadership to connect and communicate and deliver even more feedback and praise while employees work remotely. When the team isn't gathered, it's easy to feel invisible and left out. Add extra "attaboy" experiences where it makes sense.
Emphasize cultural values often in communication. "As keeping our customer well informed is very important to us, we ask that the customer never go more than an hour without a status update until their problem is resolved." Make the norms match the daily language. "It's only a win if all your teammates also feel confident that they can lead if you're away for a few days. Can we train them up to feel even more prepared?"
Remote work thrives on everyone acting accountable to their projects, their teammates, and their leadership. Reinforce this wherever possible.
"Play" is Part of Company Culture
Or it should be. Developing a culture with many remote employees means that spontaneous hallway conversations are at a minimum. While the whole Zoom Cocktail Hour experience feels a bit tired already, finding ways to build in non-essential interactions becomes vital for successful culture.
Even working memes into company culture would help. As we build desired culture elements, leave in personal interactions, family talk, and all that. It's vital. Again, people want to feel seen and understood. They want to know that their contributions belong. And part of this involves a sense of acceptance as a whole person and not just the role at hand.
Work Culture is a Verb
Remote workers have tasks and schedules and meetings and status assignments. None of these have a "build culture" task assigned to it. That means it's up to you as a leader to keep culture in mind at every turn. With your knowledge that company culture improves employee retention, speeds instructional comprehension, and encourages stronger team dynamics, it becomes your project to keep it rolling forward at every turn. It's simple but not easy. But the payoff is quite worth the effort in this regard.
StoryLeader™ is built around helping leaders use stories to improve their skills around remote leadership. If you want to talk about training concepts, get in touch.
Mitch Joel is a Wizard
I did a 3 part video series with my pal, Mitch Joel. He's so smart and I just wanted to dig in and get his smarts.
You'll learn so much if you dig into these!
How Do You Absorb Information Best?
I just released a new episode of my podcast, the first in a little while. Just before I hit record, I decided to also record it as a video show (and I use the term "show" loosely as it's just a multi-camera talking head thing). But I did it for a reason. Some of us prefer to read text (like this). Others prefer audio because they're on the go. Still others prefer video so they can watch when they have a moment to absorb something new.
How do YOU absorb information?
That's the video (embedded above, if you can't see anything, maybe click here.) I used that same video to create the audio player below:
It's essentially the same thing, but for some of you, audio is the way to go. For others, it's all about the video footage. Still others prefer text and only text. (Obviously, if you have a hearing or sight impediment, you'll align your preferences accordingly.) Which is it for you?
Should you produce material for all the various media types?
This becomes interesting because ultimately, this can be as simple as what I did: record once and split off the audio file. But that creates a challenge.
- People prefer audio lengths of 20 minutes or more.
- People prefer video lengths of 10 minutes or 20 tops.
- People only want to read for 300-500 words tops.
If you create something ONCE, you either have to make your videos twice as long as preferred or make your audios half as long as preferred. The (nearly obvious) trick for making this still work is as follows: shoot a 10 minute video, peel out that audio, dump it into GarageBand or Audacity, and create another 10+ minutes of content to go with it. THEN you have what you can go with.
Oh. But wait. There's a frequency issue. People PREFER daily videos. They are tuned for weekly podcast episodes. Can you create daily videos and weekly podcasts? Sure. But then you're going to have to mix and match your production methods a tiny bit.
Should you even be thinking this way?
Yes. That's the short answer. People want to consume your content where they want to get it. I offer a YouTube channel, a podcast, a blog, and an amazing newsletter. Why? Because I need to reach my buyers where they are. I'd do the same for clients (and have). It's a powerful way to make it all happen.
So, what's it going to be for you?
Sell Clean
In July of 2006, I first learned of Humpy Wheeler, one of the foremost promotors of NASCAR. He was a guest on NPR's news quiz show, "Wait Wait! Don't Tell Me!" And what he did thrilled me.
Sell Clean
Humpy talked about running the motor speedway about 12 miles away from the theater where the episode was being filmed. He asked, "You want to come? I've got tickets in my pocket."Here's where I have to stop explain something.In my memory, I recall host Peter Sagal asking if he was inviting people for free. When I replayed the episode, that part doesn't appear. Was this post-episode editing, or do I remember it wrong. (If you know me, it's the memory.) But I'm going to tell you the story the way I remember it, not necessarily the way it was.Humpy asked, "You want to come? I've got tickets in my pocket." Peter Sagal asked, "You mean for free?" Humpy said back, "No, for sale."What I love about this is that Humpy Wheeler doesn't apologize one bit. He sells a product he believes is of great value.That's the story for today. Sell clean. Believe in what you sell. Be clear that you're selling it. Be clear WHAT you're selling. And sell it often.
GoDaddy Conveniently Deletes My Fiance's New Domain Purchase
After years of supporting GoDaddy (even through their rough times with public relations), I might be done defending them because of something they did to my fiance, Jacqueline.
GoDaddy Deletes a Domain Purchased From Their Site
So here's the story. On Tuesday the 5th, Jacqueline calls me all excited and tells me that GoDaddy has new .health domains available. She purchases "woman.health" right then and there. She's very excited about it. The price was $99.99 though Jacq had a coupon to drop it to 80.17. You can see that the purchase went through. Here's the email confirmation:Today, GoDaddy sends Jacq an email with the "helpful" subject line "We deleted some items for you." As if they're somehow doing her a favor. Look:
Note how the email says "If this is a mistake, please contact us." Well yes it's a mistake. This wasn't Jacq's request. GoDaddy changed their mind on the price.
Customer Service Doesn't Help
Jacq proceeds to call "Breanna" who says that the domain was priced wrong. She puts Jacq on hold. She says it's priced wrong. There's nothing they can do. They can't keep the sale because it's not their policy. She says it's Icann's problem, and their price. And so they put it back on sale on the site. Here it is back on GoDaddy for $649:
(Mind you, Jacq bought it from GoDaddy.)Breanna goes on to say that all .health domains cost a minimum of $500. Jacq says that's crazy and proceeds to look up a bunch:
So clearly this isn't accurate, either.Breanna says "I don't know. That must be incorrect." Jacq asks if maybe there are more domains priced wrong? She couldn't answer.Jacq asked for a supervisor. Hold. Breanna says she can't find a supervisor, but that even if she could find one, they wouldn't be able to help her anyway, because they couldn't honor the price, either.
No Resolution. GoDaddy Doesn't Help
Now, I realize that this story will be published and lots of people will see this. So I panicked, because I realized that ultimately, Jacq wants this domain, so maybe I shouldn't make a blog post talking about this without first securing the domain.GoDaddy lets me buy it. Here it is:
So think about this.
- Jacq buys the domain for $80.17
- GoDaddy PULLS THE DOMAIN purchase from her account and emails her of this a day after the fact.
- GoDaddy puts the domain back up for sale for $649.
- I'm able to buy the domain Jacq thought she secured.
- GoDaddy customer service says they can't do anything about this. And blames Icann.
So, do you think I can recommend GoDaddy as a domain registrar? Do you think I feel really comfortable with all MY domains being registered there, given this experience?Jacq has over 100 domains registered there. I have a dozen or so. It won't be exactly easy moving everything off, but what else can we do? Seems difficult to want to trust a company that does what they did and then couldn't offer resolution.What would you do?
Part 2 Coming Soon
In a subsequent post, I'll tell you what any company of any size can do to avoid this example of bad customer service, and I'll also share how this problem is resolved (or not).
What My Son Teaches Me About Life
I asked my son Harold how he'd describe himself and he said, "I don't know. There isn't one word that describes me. I like gaming and stuff, and making music, and all that other stuff. There's just not one word." I can tell you what word he'd never use: autistic. Harold's a very high functioning kid and the challenges of autism aren't really his concern. He just works around them. BUT there's stuff there that we can learn from and it's important.
Harold is a Multi-Hyphenated Guy
Like everyone working in the world today, Harold has lots of pursuits. He plays video games. He modifies indie games, changing their skins and music. He's a very accomplished music maker (at last count, he'd published just under 200 pieces on Soundcloud - yes, I said 200). That's what he focuses on. He consumes media. He makes entertainment and media projects. To him, they're one in the same. You watch it. You make it. You listen to it. You make it. You play it. You make it. They're the same thing to Harold.
Autism is Actually Quite a Powerful Tool
I'll tell you one thing about Harold's autism, or how it manifests in him: he's determined. If we say we're going to New York City, he's going to ask about it until he knows it's on the calendar. If we lay out a plan to take a train, but then we decide to take a car, that's going to risk tripping things up unless there's a good explanation and a decent space for transition.
Harold also doesn't mince words much. If he likes something, he won't go on and on about it. He'll just say he likes it. I asked him what he loved about the New York Trip. Harold said "Everything." (That's his answer all the time, except in the very rare occasion that he loves something more than he imagined.)
He also either does something or doesn't. He doesn't talk about it endlessly like lots of people (me!) would. He just does it. Or he doesn't. I look up to him for that.
Harold has a vast wealth of knowledge on topics that interest him. DETAIL and depth just waiting to be referenced. I know that when he asks someone at a retro gaming store some esoteric question about a random product that only existed for a few weeks back in 1987, he knows exactly what he's talking about. He stumped the counter guy at videogamesnewyork a bunch of times before he stopped asking him questions and just asked me to Google instead.
Harold's All About What He's Into
Okay, so he's 11. The real world hasn't gotten too far into the way. But I know that his mind seems to work in one mode only: that thing I'm into. He can get worried about things sometimes (like everyone), but that's like a fraction of a percent of the time Harold puts into his brain power over his real interests. The world according to Harold is about 90% his interests and 10% the "bullshit overhead" that life puts in the way.
Imagine if YOU Operated That Way?
And when I say "you," I mostly mean me. Imagine if you pursued whatever it was you felt like doing and you created as much as you consumed. What if you were straightforward and determined about what you wanted to do? What if you just did what you were planning to do instead of talking about it so much? And what if you stored up all kinds of knowledge to use on topics that mattered a lot to you?
I know I'd be down for it.
Wait Where Did Yesterday Go
It's practically September, you know. The year is almost over. How much did you accomplish? Can you measure it in any way? Do you have any markers? I'll tell you straight out that I didn't do nearly enough to cover myself in this regard. I didn't track it well enough.
Wait: Where Did Yesterday Go?
To the positive, I've worked really hard at following the 20 Minute Plan. That means that I've put 3 hours of work towards my priorities in every single day. To the minus, I still didn't tighten up my goals enough, nor did I work a big enough and meaningful enough plan.
I worked from my 3 words and continue to do so, but I have to do even more to turn this into something actionable.
Time. We treat time as if it's infinite, and money as if it's finite. The opposite is true. Whatever days we spend not executing on what we say matters are days wasted.
If your family matters and you spend the day with them, that's not time wasted. If the beach brings you pleasure, time there is not wasted. It's that other time. It's the "eating hot dogs when you could be eating a filet" time.
Day One
Any time you feel yourself slipping, just start again. Start. Relentlessly start. Until you hit the finish line. But that means having a finish line. If you want to win, you have to know what winning means to you. Life and games with endless worlds and boundaryless expanses aren't our way. We must make things finite.
I don't know where yesterday went. It's gone. But it's time to work on now, on tomorrow, and on the plans that aren't yet solid enough. Join me.
More on this in my newsletter on Sunday. Get it, if you don't already?
The Right Kind of Advertising
Matthew McConaughey is smart, and so are the people at Wild Turkey, a Kentucky maker of bourbon. They approached the actor to be the celebrity spokesman for their product. You've seen it a million times before. But Matthew wanted more. He said that he wanted to dig in and get his hands in the clay of it all, to be a bigger part of the story and not just a character in it.So now he's their creative director. His first project? This six minute documentary. It starts out the way you'd expect, but I like just how quickly it goes into the details of the people behind the drink. It's easy to forget that every product has a story, but that's where McConaughey can prove his mettle. His job is to show us why this bourbon is what it's meant to be.
The Right Kind of Advertising
There are two ways to advertise: fling products at people who might be potential buyers, or seek to build connections and potential relationships with those who see themselves as belonging with certain people, with a certain product.
Cynics will say "He's getting paid. It's just a job." But I can tell you that we pick and choose our jobs and we choose the brands where we align. For every Lincoln and Wild Turkey, there are hundreds of products and services that McConaughey turned down.
I love the brands I work with and I love other brands I've yet to work with but support because I see them doing great things. I want to build bridges between the products and services I love and the people I think will benefit from using them. I see that in McConaughey's project, as well as his getting the chance to direct a short film (even if it's a documentary-style ad).
Seek out those brands and businesses where you feel you belong. Be more conscious about where you spend your money and where you don't. And support the brands that tell stories you want to be a part of.
That's some of what we work on with the Insiders. And you could do the same.
Busy is a Trap
Every Monday, I shoot a little video to the members of my Owner Insider group to help them in some way. We're on a mission in there: to help you put more wins on your board. I wanted to share one of my "Monday Nudge" videos to show you what that looks like, but also to tell you what I'm telling my Insiders: "busy" is a trap.Can't see the video? Click HereAnd if you're interested in what we really do with Insiders besides eat apples, peek at this.
Habits - It's Not What You Think
A lot of folks are starting off their year with a bright smile and a look of determination. They're posting their "three in a row" photos and their "back at it" statements. That's all wonderful. We need a few extra steps, if you want to be talking about those habits at the end of the year.
Habits Require Systems
Doing something for 22 times in a row does definitely improve your ability to pick up a new habit, but what REALLY charges the whole shebang is putting systems into place.
Change your life so that it supports the habit. You want to run early every morning? Set a "no matter what" bedtime (and only allow for 1 monthly rule breaking).
You want to see more sales? Set a "10 calls a day" system up. Write down the steps. Keep a list of steps to take, like a mini project plan, in place. (We go into this inside the 20 Minute Plan JUMPSTART.)
Habits Require Restarts
You will falter. You will fail. It'll happen sooner than later. Start again. I have a personal mantra "Day One." I say it when I mess up. Every day is day one. It means "start now." It means "Okay, you fell down. Get up."
Habits Require Less Emotion and More Work
If you spend your time wrapped up in pride and guilt, you're not working on the work. You're considering whether to praise or criticize yourself. Neither is helpful. Praise and criticism are the devil.
Habits Require Reward
If your goal is "Lose 50 Pounds" then aim for dropping one waist size in your pants. Aim for noticing your favorite shirt is loose. Aim for that "hey, a line I've not seen in a while" moment in the mirror.
Habits Require Completion (but Continuance)
Lots of people get "good enough itis" on the way to their goals. I lost 30 of the 50. Good enough. I made 10 calls a day for 40 days. Good enough.
Hit the goal. And then keep up the work.
Habits Require Maintenance
If you're going to stay powerful, you have to do those things that power you up. Habits are what keep the top people the top people. They never stop training for their wins. They never stop the efforts that got them to their goals. They keep moving forward.
Talk More With Me About This Weekly
2016 is a big year at Owner Media Group, the year of Personal Leadership. If you don't think of yourself as much of a leader, I'm here to change that. Get my newsletter to jump on board.I'm over here working on habits. You?
Get Something In Their Hands
If you procrastinate because you're waiting for something to be perfect, you're missing an amazing opportunity.
Everything I create, I do at least twice. I publish projects all the time that are good, but maybe something doesn't work the way I thought it would when it's in the hands of others. People know me by now and they say, "Hey, this doesn't make sense." Next thing you know, there's a better version of the product available for them (and everyone who now benefits from that person's suggestion).
Prototype With Intent
Put "good enough" in their hands. In MANY cases, people don't need perfect. Sure, there are times when you've got to deliver. A wedding cake has to be perfect. Surgery should be perfect. If you're building a house, you want it all to line up right (measure twice and cut once or something).
But if you're working on delivery and you're stuck on the "it might not be good enough," then put it out there to at least a few people. Make it cheaper than what others will pay when you get the quality right. Give the first bunch of people free upgrades (I give everyone free upgrades, but that's me).
And then deliver value with intent to make it even better.
Procrastination Isn't Helping Anyone
You know something that others need to know. And you're holding it back because of an onslaught of "what-ifs." My course, Online Course Maker started out as decent, then I remade it so that it was better, and then I really added a lot of value to it so that it's utterly worthwhile. If I had waited, I'd have missed a half a year of help and ideas, a half a year of revenue, and several hundred people would've missed half a year to get a jumpstart on the people who put off picking up that course.
You're not helping anyone when you wait. Again, unless you're a surgeon or something where you only have one shot to do it well. If not? Get it out there.Put something in their hands.
Look Up
It's so easy to get mired in what's wrong, what isn't working, just how BUSY you are. But you have to look up. You have to see that big expansive sky. And you have to take big deep breaths.
Look Up
I was feeling a bit gloomy for the last few days, I'm going to admit to you. It came from the realization that people seem to react a lot more positively to the "Hey look at this shiny thing!" bloggers and media makers of the world. We LOVE hearing about all the "new" that's out there, and if you talk loudly and excitably about "NEW!" to people then you'll get a lot of attention.
But what I've come to realize is that if you tell people "Okay, this is going to take some work, but you're going to love what you see when you put in that effort," a lot of folks have checked out when they saw the word "work." It's the broccoli of messages. "Hey, you get successful for working hard." Crickets.
LOOK at this new selfie drone and live video channel! Woo! *Balloons fall. Confetti cannons go off.*
But Work Isn't Gloomy
Champions and leaders all put in the time. They all know what it takes to get there. And they sell that as the path for YOU to take.
But the magic trick of it is the looking up. When we're striving to reach our goal, when the pieces aren't entirely lining up but we sense that they will, we have to look up at that big blue sky, take a deep breath to fill our lungs, and we have to force a smile for the fortune and opportunity we have been granted. We are FREE to pursue these great opportunities and we have the pleasure and honor to serve great people and help THEM grow.
What's not to love about that?
Here's What's New and Shiny
You know what's new and shiny? People! Great people doing wonderful things. Wonderful people finding ways to take their confidence and apply it to the challenges they want to solve. People like this Forbes list of top YouTube stars who make millions by entertaining and informing. People like DC Central Kitchen for bringing fresh fruits and vegetables to inner city convenience stores because people deserve good food options. Or a Romanian immigrant to Montreal working on getting us to fly.
We're in a world where we get to create shiny and new all the time!
Look up! Be excited about what we CAN do, but then do it. Do something about it. Make the steps necessary to be able to breathe that amazing fresh air and look at that beautiful blue sky and think, "Wow, I really can help some people today!"
That's what's new and shiny to me. The software? Those are the sneakers that I wore when I won the race. Did the sneakers win the race? No. Me!
Look up!
You Will Never See Us Coming
I was talking with the ever smart Jeff Brown who does the Read to Lead Podcast (one of my favorites), and we were talking about how podcasting is just booming. Jeff runs a Podcaster Academy. I co-founded PodCamp, etc. It's a big topic these days.
Jeff said that once at his former job in radio, someone said, "You can't kill radio. No one will ever listen to a traffic report on a podcast."
You Will Never See Us Coming
What the guy didn't know was that podcasting didn't have to replace traffic reports. Waze did. So we no longer have to suffer through morning drive time formula to hope to catch a word or two about the road we're likely already on because now an app does that so much better, and we can just listen to the shows we like instead.That's how innovation actually works. It's rarely a direct port from one experience to another. That person felt that traffic was the "secret sauce" of terrestrial radio, but that's so far from the truth, it's hilarious. For a certain demographic right now, maybe? But that's not even as true as it used to be. Look how rare it is to see someone of ANY age without a smart phone. From babies to the ancient ones, smart phones (and thus the ability to make your own traffic report) are ubiquitous.Innovation works that way. Learning and knowledge are rarely linear. These moments jump tracks.So what do you do with this?
Focus on the Needs
People don't need cars. They need to get from one place to another. People don't need "phones." They need to communicate. People don't need "cities" *or* "suburbs." They need a place to put their things and a place to sleep and a place to eat.Jacq and I stayed in a beautiful cabin this past weekend because Airbnb makes it easier. If I need a place to gather myself in NYC, I can use Breather to find something very specific.Focus on the needs and the intentions and you'll get closer to understanding where the universe is headed. Not always, but enough times. Or even once. If you're the person way ahead of the curve, then you win.
What I've Come to Learn About Learning
I've come to learn that I'm somewhat different than other people when it comes to learning. I'm there for the candy bar, not the wrapper. And yet, I understand it, after the fact. Let me explain.
People Want Their Learning to LOOK Very Formal
In my experience, I find that the best lessons I've ever learned came during "between official moments" experiences, after hours, in the back rooms, quietly over coffee somewhere, or in other very informal places. When we talk openly versus with all the polish is where the best lessons come, OR SO I BELIEVE MYSELF.
One point made about my recent webinar was that I should have had better lighting. Okay, maybe. But I've got to tell you a story. I was away from home. The hotel that charged me $20 for their "best" wifi also said when I called them to report that the wifi was spotty at best, "Well, that's how it goes." So, then Derek Edmond of KOMARKETING did the unthinkably kind offer of letting Jacq and I use his offices after hours without him around. Best wifi I've ever used. It was like in the future there.
But yes, the lighting wasn't an official studio lighting.
People Want Their Learning to be Very Linear
I understand this one. People want there to be a start, a summary, the details, another summary, etc. They want to learn in a very straight line.
I totally get that. I'm fascinated by taking the questions where they go. My style is a bit more: start here, follow this spine, but allow the learning to flow somewhat organically. I think I'm very much alone on this one.
Ultimately, People are Right and I'm Wrong
If I want you to try my delicious candy bar and I bring you a brown lump in a baggie, you're not going to try it.That's the lesson for the day. MY aesthetic isn't yours.That said, thanks to the 500+ people who participated, and for the dozens who have already started their first lesson of the course already (which has a nicer wrapper).I learn every day.
Find Intensity
I'll admit it. I'm obsessed at the moment with this video with CT Fletcher, Kai Greene, and Dana Linn Bailey. (NOTE: this video is FULL of curse words, so if you're a bit sensitive to such, do not push play). I'm obsessed for a reason. I'm thinking a lot about intensity.
The Vast Distance Between "Doing" and Intensity
I've been working on my fitness for a while. Those of you who follow me on Instagram have been subjected to my sweaty selfies for years. But two major changes have happened back to back, and in them, I've found a lesson (two!) to share with you.
Stick to the Plan - the first big mistake I've made over the last 3 years (sigh, when I think about that) is that I kept waffling between plans. The moment I STUCK to one plan (even if it's not the PERFECT plan), everything got better. Improvements were obvious and almost instantaneous. I've been doing a very specific workout plan for the last seven weeks, and suddenly EVERYTHING is showing progress.
Work with Intensity - there's a vast difference between doing the work and tearing the work apart. By magnifying my level of effort and intensity, by pushing my mental barriers as hard as I can, my physical abilities are amplifying much faster and with more deep results.
I Command You to Grow
This video is absolutely silly:Until you do it. Until you work right alongside Ms Olympia Dana Linn Bailey and the man I *HOPE* takes the 2014 Olympia, Kai Greene, and the man himself, CT Fletcher. Until you're right there in the grind with them, until you're whispering at your biceps "because I said so," until you force yourself to do set after set after set and with an immense amount of repetitions unlike your typical workout, you just won't know. You won't have felt it. But once you do, you'll know what that feels like and you'll do it again. And again.
The Naysayers
This comes from something that Grant Cardone covers in The 10X Rule. People will tell you why you can't do this. Someone will tell me I'm in danger of overtraining. (Precious few humans are in danger of overtraining, for the record.) People will tell YOU that you're working too hard, that you "deserve" a break. The word "deserve" coming from others is code for "I'm not doing nearly as much as you're doing." (tweet that?) It's your path. Take it just as hard and as driving as you can stand.
And Then, Find Another Gear
If you'd asked me a week ago about my progress in the gym, I'd have told you that I was on a whole new level. If you asked me that question yesterday, I'd say, "Well, I thought I was at a whole new level, but NOW I'm at a whole new level." What do you think my answer will be like in a few more months? Yeah. Exactly.
Do NOT stop. Do not think "okay, good. I did it." "Did" is just an invitation to a new "do." ( Quite tweetable!) Are you ready for more "do?" Find intensity.
27 Tweets to Annoy Geeks and Nerds
Want to really upset some nerdy types? Use any of these tweets on them (it's totally okay if NONE of this makes sense to you - just try it!). And if few or none of these seem wrong to you, well, that okay, too. Points if you get each of the references.
- Hal Jordan wasn't the original Green Arrow, you know!
- I don't care what anyone says. Capt. Mal Reynolds was the best captain in Star Fleet.
- Everyone knows Bantha walk side by side to overstate their numbers.
- Spider-man's mutant healing powers get messed up by Kryptonite. Duh!
- Little known fact: Frank Zappa voiced and controlled the Yoda puppet in Star Wars.
- Did you know the Simpsons first appeared as a short on Modern Family?
- Harry Potter was the most famous hobbit of them all, after Frodo.
- In Catching Fire, Kitty Pryde has to go back to fight again in District 9.
- They never did explain why Chewbacca was the only tall ewok.
- Did you know if you start The Wizard of Oz and play Pearl Jam's 10, they line up perfectly?
- The only original Transformer not to be cast in the Michael Bay movie was Gollum.
- Though Mark Ruffalo did a good job in the Avengers, it would've been cool to see Lou Diamond Phillips again.
- I think we're all adjusting to the news of Ben Kingsley as the new Batman, right?
- Some people actually believe that Captain Kirk was the first Jedi and not Captain Pike. Psssh.
- I like Team Jacob better because I'm not into zombies.
- I love how Stan Lee gets a cameo in every DC movie.
- Jar Jar was the best thing that ever happened to Star Trek.
- If Han Solo and Leia were brother and sister, why didn't Voldemort seem to know that?
- Stormtroopers were way better robots than the Daleks. Duh!
- As Sylar would say on Star Wars, "Live long and proper."
- You keep using that word. I think you know what I'm trying to say.
- The only GI Joe character they stayed accurate to in the film was Snake Plissken.
- "Come with me, if you want to live." - ED209 from Independence Day.
- We need to achieve a speed of 88.1 miles per hour to go through the Stargate.
- As Indiana Jones would say, "Never tell me the odds."
- Thor was one of the cooler Greek gods, so I'm glad they made two movies with him.
- It's cool how Jack Ryan is in that new Ender's Game movie.
A "regular" post will appear in the next day or so. So long and thanks for all the towels. Maybe I'm overtired. :)