Get Out. Get Moving. Start.

Action always beats intention.

A dream you don’t have to fight for isn’t a dream—it’s a nap. One changes your afternoon. The other changes your world. Keep fighting.

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37 words about writing a book.

Creativity March 30, 2012 • Comments

Writing a book is simple.

All you do is take a road trip to your soul and document the journey along the way for people who might need to take a road trip to their soul too.

 

The two sentences above are how I originally wrote this post. Then I talked with my wife about the book I was writing and she said, “Good grief. You’re writing this book like a dog pulling a sled. You’re dragging this important book behind you. You need to write this book like a dog jumping into a pool. Have fun! Otherwise, you’re going to end up with a really miserable book.”

She was right.

If you’re going to write a book or start a business or go back to school, make sure you have fun. The world has enough dogs pulling miserable sleds. Be a dog that jumps in the pool.

 

The greatest danger bloggers face.

Blogging March 28, 2012 • Comments

I have a hard time paying attention at church.

Why?

Because for more than four years, I’ve written a blog about church.

In order to keep up with the self-imposed content demands of my blog, I had to become a content machine. I had to train myself to see church and worship and Sunday not for what they are, but for what they could be.

I had to develop “blog goggles.”

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Does the world need your dream?

FinishYear/ Quitter March 26, 2012 • Comments

Every dreamer is afraid that the world doesn’t really need whatever it is they are working on.

I’m afraid of that right now as I write my book.

The fear is that your dream will prove to be about as necessary to the world as the items in the Sky Mall catalog. (Does anyone need a showerhead that has a built-in neon light to change the color of the water? No, no they don’t.)

But let me give you a quick response to this fear that has helped me continue marching through the project I’m engaged in right now.

Does the world need your dream?

Maybe. Maybe not. But that doesn’t matter yet. Why?

Because you need it.

The book you’re writing is extremely critical to you.

The dream you’re growing is wildly necessary for you.

The question of whether the world needs it is moot. You need it. To do it. To complete it. To wrestle the demon of doubt and know that you made it through.

“Does the world need your dream?” is the wrong question to ask first. The right question is “Do I need this dream?” And if the answer is “yes,” and it should be if you’re working on the right thing, then keep working.

VIDEO: The thumb test.

Blogging/ Creativity March 23, 2012 • Comments

How do you write a blog that is unique to you? How do you design a product that is unique to your company? How do you create anything that is unique to who you are and what you do?

Here in a 90 second video I explain the thumb test, something I learned working in advertising. (What I don’t explain is how to not have the opening frame look incredibly goofy. Look at my crazy half smile. Ridiculous.) Big shout out to Patrick Tohill for putting together the video!

Question:
If you put your thumb over your last blog post, book idea or project, would it pass the thumb test?

How to have shorter meetings.

Random March 21, 2012 • Comments

I don’t know anyone who absolutely loves meetings.

I’ve never heard anyone ever say the phrase, “I don’t have enough meetings each week.”

I’ve never met anyone who felt more productive because they attended more meetings.

If anything, I’ve heard countless people say, “I was in meetings all day and didn’t get any ‘real’ work done.”

So what’s the solution to this meeting dilemma? It isn’t to stop having meetings. Some of them can be critical to the success of a project.

The answer is to have shorter meetings.

Or, rather, to meet like a sea captain.

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The hardest part of writing a book.

Creativity/ Writing March 19, 2012 • Comments

Right now, I’m in the beginning stages of writing my fourth book. And though I’ve learned the lesson I am going to share with you a million times, it hit me last week as if I’d never seen it before in my entire life.

The hardest part of writing a book is that every good book hides behind a bad book.

To write a good book, you have to write your way through a bad book first.

Scratch that. Let’s make that a horrible book.

And you know this is true. We’ve heard brilliant authors like Anne Lamott share this wisdom time and time again, but I promise when you sit down to start a new book you will think:

“Every sentence must be perfect.”

“I can’t waste time on this first draft.”

“I can’t throw away any of these words, they have to start great.”

But the truth is, for me and for you and for anyone who will ever write a good book, they are very easy to find.

They’re hiding behind the shadow of a bad book.

That’s where they are. Write your way through them. Go find them. Clear the bad book out of the way so you can get to the good one.

Question:
Have you ever struggled with perfectionism?

How to take a compliment.

Leadership March 16, 2012 • Comments

If you complimented me in the last 36 years, I’d like to apologize to you.

Chances are, when you said something kind to me, I immediately deflected your words.

If you said, “Great job on that speech, book, or helping an old lady across the street,” here is how I responded:

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