Tag: december

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Yourself, Be Yourself – Lessons from December 2017

Being Yourself Takes Courage

I don’t think I realized how much work it takes to infuse yourself into your work.

Instead of a month dedicated to the concept, at some point, I realized that it is a decision that happens, moment to moment, hour by hour, and day by day. Being yourself is hard because the rest of most of our world doesn’t like it because it makes you hard to predict.

It is far easier to make sure someone says the “right thing.” Because if they say the “right thing” they are more likely to dress the “right way.” If you “dress” the “right way” they are more likely to buy the “right stuff.”

Sooner than later, you have a profile of a segment of the population, and life becomes much more predictable.

Predictability means persuasion.

So, keeping a lid on individuality is a priority of many a social structure. The cost of that cap is lost innovation, creativity, and courage.

So, ask yourself this question.

Are you bringing your full self to this conversation? If not, how do I bring just a little bit more?

Build that muscle.

Becuase once you stop being afraid of being unpredictable, you can concentrate that energy on making an impact on projects that matter.

Books – My Goodreads Account

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Be Prepared! What I Learned In December 2015

I never got that ‘prepared’ thing

Being prepared never struck me as something that I needed to do. I loved the idea of playing the game off the cuff. Preparing is for people who aren’t in it for real, B players who think they got it, but they don’t.

I am glad you get older, so you learn how you get to see how wrong you were when you were younger.

I made this blog completely ahead of schedule this month. I cut my videos ahead, and I did my newsletters ahead of schedule. Just that alone allowed me to batch my work and experiment, which I think created a better blog to follow (hey…pictures and big type). Being prepared facilitated the change.

That was the big lesson this month, that preparation allows you freedom. I never would have come up with that idea unless I prepare, which gave me time to sit back and look at this blog holistically, instead of trying to create posts. So, come prepared.

Wins for the month

  • Production Time –  Wow, I didn’t notice how much time you add by doing things early. I got a chance to take a holistic look at the things I did, and they came out better.
    • Lesson: Try to get as much out as early as possible, and take a look at it before you get it into the world.
  • Questions – Being prepared leads to better questions. Do the reading and get that much more effective.
    • Lesson: Ask questions constantly. Ask questions before, during and after if you can. They make you sound better, and you learn a lot more.
  • Content–I saw everything get better.I opened up new avenues (hello Tumblr,LinkedIn,and Instagram), and learning every day through experimentation.
    • Lesson: A holistic view gives you a wide berth, then you connect. Content also feeds on itself. Produce more and more gets produced.

Losses for the month

  • Calendar  – I still haven’t done this one yet. I kicked it for a few days, but then I lost it again.
    • Lesson: Try different angles. There is more than one way.
  • Buffer–I got weird about this. I don’t know if it’s the right way anymore, but I never pursued this.
    • Lesson: Take more time to focus on the things that don’t feel right. 

Important Posts

Books

Videos

 

Note: Still experimenting with this post. I took out the notes for the other themes. Thinking about how do I add them here with more value than just a list. Added videos….so version 1.3? 

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So, Let’s Prepare – December’s Theme is Preparation

[bctt tweet=”I am not known for my preparation. “]

We are running into the end of the year, no better time to focus on preparation.

People who know me are already shaking their heads.

I always lived on the edge, using my intuition and trying to read people. I am admitting now, 28 years later, that I could work on it.

Trying to live on the edge of intuition hurts sometimes. I slow down , trying to find a ledge for me to mentally grab on to.

For example, socially I start very slow. I use my intuition to plug-in, and after a few minutes, we are off to the races. When I prepare, it is different, I feel confident and I have a starting point. I still need a little burn in time, but I get to talk with you until it makes sense.

This is the same with everything I do, and I miss out on opportunities. As I try to improve this year, learning some better preparation skills, even just getting a baseline, will make the next year better.

Subthemes

  • Production Time– What happens when I do things in advance? How do I do when I have some real lead time? How do I get the get the habits to create that?
  • Calendar/ Buffer – A calendar is important for preparation. I have to get real comfortable with something I don’t use as often as I could. What stops me? How do I maximize my calendar? There are a ton of ways to skin a cat, a calendar isn’t much different.
  • The Map Is Not The Territory– I do not want to become a slave to the preparation. One thing I enjoy about the way I work is my intuition. How do I not get lost?

 

Those are the big three topics that I want to hit, but with everything in life, things change with the minute. If you think you can help in any way, please reach out with suggestions through Twitter @TheHonorableAT.

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