I had the privilege of hearing the late Charlie “Tremendous” Jones several years ago, and he is famous for saying…

“You are the same today as you’ll be in five years except for two things, the books you read and the people you meet.”

I’ve read quite a few books, and I want to keep reading more and more to learn…and pass along those learnings. I’ve started giving away books to the incredible people that I serve through 8TRACKstudios. Yesterday, I ordered several books through Amazon, and they arrived today. Rather than simply handing them off in their nakedness, I wrapped each book in kraft paper and jute string, and then I attached a typed, personal note.

Books I’m Mailing Tomorrow

Love Is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends
Tim Sanders does an incredible job of teaching us how to be a lovecat – sharing our knowledge, network, and compassion.

Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool’s Guide to Surviving with Grace
After spending years at the hairball called Hallmark, the author shares how to survive in a corporation without losing your soul.

The Red Rubber Ball at Work: Elevate Your Game Through the Hidden Power of Play
Kevin Carroll is one of the most inspiring people I’ve ever heard speak. All of his “red rubber ball” books give me a tingly feeling inside.

Current Books I’m Reading
Right now, I’m reading these books and look forward to passing (some of) them along to other clients…

The 4-Hour Workweek, Expanded and Updated
I’ve read this book by Tim Ferris about 5 times, and I get something new out of it everytime. I LOVE this book. It continues to illuminate my mind to new ways of “working” so that I’ll actually enjoy life…and not just work it away.

Rework
This book sucked. Don’t buy it. It’s a business book by the people at 37signals, and it’s common sense.

Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality
I just started reading this, and it’s proving to be good so far.

How about you?
What are you reading?
What are you giving away?

I had the opportunity to hang out with a passionate leader today who is seeking to make a positive impact in the city of Riverside, CA. For over five hours, we talked about vision, strategy, and resources as we drove around the city. I loved how focused he was on his vision, and yet he was still looking to get even more focused.

Without a focused vision, there’s no telling where you’ll end up.
Do you care where your life, family, or business is going?
My guess is that you do…but do you have a vision?

A vision is simply a mental picture of a preferable future.

Without vision, your life will…

• Generally consist of surviving and not thriving.
• Usually be focused on living for the weekend.
• Often get stuck in a rut or bounce around from one thing to the next.
• Rarely be satisfying or enriching.

With a vision, your life will…

• Consist of living for something bigger than yourself.
• Be focused on something that gives you purpose.
• Make a positive impact on the lives of others.
• Be fulfilling and meaningful.

Do you have a vision?

Is it to raise amazing, gifted kids to be creative leaders?
Is it to start a business and provide hundreds of jobs?
Is it to revolutionize your industry?
Is it to transform your neighborhood?
Is it to start a non-profit to change a village on the other side of the world?

What is it?

There always seems to be something on a to-do list that’s been there way too long. You know the one. It’s that task or project that’s face is darkened and seems to be hiding around the corner. You know it’s there, but you’re scared to death what will happen when you step around the bend and look it in the face.

Ironically, the face of that task always seems more vicious when you haven’t seen it in the light of day. What holds you back from peering around the corner is called procrastination.

For me, that’s recently included…

• Completing a complex business proposal – I felt like it was going to take forever and that I wouldn’t be able to price it appropriately…not true…it only took me 2 hours.
• Fixing the shower – The shower in our master bath has been unusable for years, and I just finally hired a contractor to re-model it.
• Writing a book – I ended up writing two books last year, and I’m finishing up my third one next month.
• Re-designing the 8TRACKstudios website – I was weighed down by the idea of starting over.
• Prepping our taxes – um…this one is still around the corner…gotta knock it out this week!

Over the past year, I’ve come to the realization that it’s just never as bad as I tell myself. I think it’s going to be unbelievably painful, take an enormous amount of time, and potentially derail my entire day. Rarely is this actually true. 9 times out of 10, I finish the project way faster than I ever imagined.

How to Overcome Procrastination

1. Don’t think about it – just get started!
   The worst thing I can do is start “thinking” about a project without actually getting started. It’s like standing outside the room of the project with the door closed as I envision how horrible it’s going to be. If I think long enough about how painful the task is, the longer that door will remain shut. Just jump in…whatever that means for the project!
   .
2. Break the project down into smaller tasks.
   Open up a document and start making a list of the different components of the project. Even though all these tasks may be in your head, getting them down on paper will free you up to see that you’ll actually be able to accomplish them. A list of tasks is much more “doable” than a giant project living in your head.
   .
3. Prioritize which tasks should be done first.
   Start numbering those tasks now. Which ones need to be done first? How about the ones that can wait until the end?
   .
4. Ask for help!
   If there is something that someone else can do, ask for help! Ask for a volunteer. Call in a favor. Hire someone! Do whatever it takes to get people on your team to knock out the project. At the very least, just call someone to talk over the project to get some support.
   .
5. Set a timer.
   Determine a set amount of time that you’ll work on the project for that particular day. If all you can handle is 15 minutes, set a timer, and get started! Or, maybe it’s 2 hours like me…and you might actually finish it early.

Procrastination sucks the creativity and life out of anyone. If we want to prevent getting stuck in life and business, we need to learn how to overcome the short-term discomfort. It’s rarely that bad.

When my friend John and I were in New York last week, we connected with some new friends. As we talked about their dreams for the future, it become clear that one of them was languishing in her job even though it was a great stepping stone right out of college. She absolutely hates going to work, and she is barely making a living. In fact, she can make 4 or 5 times as much money working as a waitress at a swanky New York club.

Wanna know what I told her to do?
“Quit your JOB!”

She is miserable, and she isn’t cut out to work in the corporate environment which means alot of hours, alot of sucking up, and alot of waiting for people to step aside so you can work your way up the ladder. For some, it works. For her, she’ll never make it in my estimation.

She is an entrepreneur. She wants to do her own thing. She wants to live out her dreams. Granted…she is right out of college, but she has skills.

Are you bored with your job?
Or, are you just plain sick of it altogether?

For many of us, the work “job” now has a connotation of putting in the time in order to get paid. It feels like jumping through someone else’s hoops in order to move up an arbitrary ladder. It can feel like a duty or obligation rather than a calling or passion. Have you ever thought about quitting? Think about it!

QUIT YOUR J-O-B and…

• BECOME A FULL-TIME VOLUNTEER in your workplace.
  Write your resignation letter, but don’t tell your boss. When you show up at work tomorrow, you are now a full-time volunteer. You’re there for the sole purpose of “serving” the people around you. It’s not about what you’re trying to accomplish. It’s not about you anymore, and it’s not about doing your job out of obligation. Now, it’s about your clients, co-workers, employees, and boss. Ask them how you can help them. Find out what would make their job easier, better, or more fulfilling. Ultimately, help them win! See how your perspective starts to change. See if your “job” takes on a whole new look and feel. By the way, when you get your paycheck, you’ll now be blown away that they actually pay you for volunteering!
  .
• START A CAREER.
  What if you decided that you never wanted another job again? What if you committed to never doing something for money that you didn’t love? Maybe it’s crazy to quit your job before you find what you really want to do…but have you even started to think about the path of your life? If you’re sick of your job, then why are you willing to just live with it? As my relatives say in the South, “Sometimes a dog would rather sit and howl about a thorn in his foot than actually get up and have his owner do something about it.” Pick up the 2010 version of What Color Is Your Parachute? and start to figure out what you want to do that would be fulfilling. Ask the One who made you what you were designed to do…then listen.
  .
• LAUNCH A NEW BUSINESS.
  What if you absolutely HAD to start a business that allowed you to live out your passion? What if you pushed beyond all the fears and actually did it? Once again, you might be nuts to quit your job first and then start the business. Maybe, you should be starting it right now on the side! Maybe you should get The 4-Hour Workweek and be inspired to do your own thing. What have you always dreamed of doing? Making and selling a product? Starting your own graphic design business? Becoming a writer? If you REALLY wanted to make it, I believe you can. Do you?

I love the fact that I don’t have a J-O-B, and I’m making it work. Two years ago, I jumped off the deep end of life, and I didn’t have an income at all. I had $3,000, a credit card, no place to live, and now job. Unfortunately, I racked up quite a bit of debt on the card in my “survival” mode, but I’ll definitely be able to pay it off this year. Although I’d never recommend doing what I did, I love the ultimate results and what I’m doing now. By running my own marketing and photography companies, I’m able to support my family and free up my time. I absolutely love working with the 8TRACKstudios team members to serve our clients, and I’m so happy to have all the freedom to create resources that motivate and inspire others. Every day when I wake up, I commit myself to serving the people I work with…my clients and my team members. It’s not about me. It’s about blessing them with a great experiences and services.

How about you?
Are you ready to quit your J-O-B?

It may be…

• an incredible hook.
• a strategic diagram.
• a powerful metaphor.
• a captivating visual concept.

Whatever it is…it emerges from the give and take of creative brainstorming where people are encouraged to loosen up their brains and allow their creative juices to flow. Unfortunately, there is oftentimes someone in the room that doesn’t want people to open up their minds, because they already have everything figured out.

Confession…I have been that person many times.

To those who have been in the room with me in those moments, I apologize. I admit that I have shut people down. I have blown off great ideas, because I already had THE idea. I have stepped over mediocre ideas without affirming their inherent value, and I have been known to completely obliterate stupid ideas without being sensitive to the feelings of those who brought them to the table.

Now that I’m not stuck in the culture of a particular organization, I have a unique vantage point as I orbit around the hairball called a “corporation.” I don’t really come to the table with an idea to sell to everyone…I’m there to listen and serve the client by drawing out of them what’s already there. I have the privilege of helping them communicate their message clearly and creatively.

Back to the boardroom…he just wouldn’t let anyone have their say.

“What if we _________________?” said the mid-level manager.

“Mmmm…noooooot reeaaally gonna work….” replied the VP.

It happened over and over in a myriad of ways. Come to find out…people are just tired of being shut down by this person so they’ve quit throwing out ideas. That’s what happens in a culture when a particularly powerful person is closed to new ideas.

Unfortunately, we can quickly label that person as a jerk or any other number of negative descriptors. We don’t want to work with them, and they become known as a pain in the rear. We begin to speak negatively about them to others, and now they’ve been ostracized unknowingly.

All the while, there is a positive intention embedded in that person’s efforts according to my friend, Jim Haley. He says that every person has a positive intention…even in the midst of the greatest challenges within an organization.

• Do you think the VP was intentionally trying to sabotage the meeting?
• Do you think he was intentionally trying to make people feel ‘less than?’
• Do you think he was out to squash the creativity of the project?

Doubtful.

My guess is that his positive intention was just the opposite. I bet everything within him wanted us to create the best possible marketing initiative, and his positive intention was to help us come up with a great idea…which just happened to be his.

When I start to see the positive intention in his thought process (and life), I can allow compassion to well up within myself. I can see that he wasn’t out to “get” anyone in the room, and I no longer feel threatened. I can focus on the fact that we’re both working toward the same thing.

As you think about your life and business, do you need to see the positive intention in someone?