What To Do First When It’s Hard
The hard stuff is usually depicted in movies and other media as some kind of grueling, physical test of will.It’s a race, or a hockey game, or a POW camp.While this can be true for some things, it’s usually not.More likely, the hard stuff is something social, emotional, or psychological.Usually, the hard stuff is just simply: the thing you’re avoiding.It doesn’t have to look hard. It just has to make you feel like you’d like to avoid it.If you’re afraid of it, that’s probably a good sign that you’ve sniffed out the hard stuff successfully.
So what do you do?
Stop me if it’s obvious by now . . .Break it into smaller pieces and then do the first one as soon as you start your day.Building a habit of small actions will accumulate like compounding interest.
2 Minute Action:
What’s the thing you’re dreading doing today?Do it right now.You might not be able to do the whole thing in 2 minutes, and that’s fine.Just start.Putting your shorts on is generally the hardest part of going to the gym.
If You Want Respect, Do This
We can all agree that we should respect others.Respect their opinions, respect their time, respect their space, blah blah blah.Yet, I've found that few people can name discrete actions that are respectful.Let's take a typical office meeting as a quick scenario.
Try this:
- Before every meeting, ask if anyone has an obligation immediately afterward. Let them speak first so they don't risk missing anything if the meeting runs late.
- When answering a question, use an appropriate amount of detail to stay relevant to the people in the room. It'll also help prevent people from falling asleep.
- Instead of waiting for the speaker to stop talking so you can make your point, try responding to what they've said and roll it into your point. It'll make conflicts easier and it'll help others actually begin to listen to what you've said, too.
This is respecting others' points of view and respecting others' time.
2 Minute Action
Who is someone in your life you respect?Can you text/call/tell them right now?Chances are, the more you treat others with respect, the more you'll also be respected.It's hard work to do this consistently, but it's worth the effort.
All This Talk About "Intention"
I've been hearing a lot of people use the word "intention," lately.
- We need to be intentional about the way we treat customers.
- We need to be intentional about the way we use our smart devices.
- We need to be intentional about the way we spend our resources.
Basically, the word intentional just means being "aware of why we're doing this."This is another one of those concepts that's simple but not easy.Who are our customers and why do they like us? How might we make their experience better in order to improve retention, loyalty, and product reviews?Why am I looking at my phone? Am I trying to accomplish a task, relax and unplug, or reach out to someone? Would getting distracted help or decrease my chances of doing what I want? Am I in control of my attention and the content that is shaping my thoughts?Am I using our marketing dollars on an outcome that is measurable and valuable? Am I buying something that won't be useful 6 months from now? Am I spending my time on something that isn't moving me in the direction of my dreams?Asking and answering these questions takes time and a lot of effort. It's hard.Seems simple, but it's incredible how many people are moving through life without giving their behavior a reality-check.It's easier to just move through without spending all the mental energy.Mindlessly checking our phones, saying "yes" or "no" is easier than engaging our customers with a smile.Spending money on something right now will let you go faster today, but you may have to buy it again later if you didn't get the right specs.Calibrating our "why do we get up in the morning" with our actions for the day is a powerful habit.It only leads you where you want to go.
2 Minute Action
What are 3 things that you need to accomplish today?Why do you need to do them?What would happen if you didn't do them?What's the worst thing that could happen?How likely is that? Is it really that bad?I'm not saying "don't do the things you need to do, today."I'm saying: be clear about why. If you have too many days in a row where you're not sure why you're checking off these boxes, that's a good sign you might need to recalibrate your trajectory.