Read This If You Think You're A Rebel
Someone said something to me yesterday.
He was talking about his attitude and how it matured as he got older.
He mentioned that early in his journey he felt like a rebel. He was out there making things, sometimes without guidance, sometimes without intention, and certainly without permission.
A rebel is someone who opposes things. They may not have a reason other than some general discontent with authority.
But then, this person mentioned that something happened to his mindset as he began to experience the results of his effort as he moved through life.
He developed intentions, purpose, and importantly, a plan.
He said, "instead of being just a rebel, I became a renegade."
A renegade is someone who changes beliefs based on new information, often endures social ex-communication or stigma, and commits to a new belief or way of being.
Part of this commitment is taking calculated action on those beliefs.
How will you turn your work, attitude, or mindset into action?
Are you a rebel or a renegade?
2 Minute Action
Here are some ways you can turn an idea or intention into an actionable plan:
- If you're having trouble turning an idea into action, take 2 minutes to "phone a friend" and ask them to hold you accountable to a small goal. Let them text you to remind you, or you can offer to do them a favor if you bail on your goal. (I had a friend who wrote a $1000 check to a trusted friend and said he could cash it if he failed to take action.)
- Set a block on your calendar that is reserved for just one part of your project and invite a friend to join you.
The First Thing You Should Do Everyday To Be Successful
The skills you need will come with time and effort.What's more important is your attitude, your aptitude, and what you believe in.
These things can be said as these questions:
- How will you react when things go terribly wrong?
- What are you capable of?
- What will motivate you intrinsically?
2 Minute Action
It's basically never a bad idea to be in a positive mindset.Take 2 minutes to think of all the reasons you will excel, today.Now think about the thing you least want to do.Do that first.
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.