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.
I hate telling people no.
Regardless of the request, I feel like I am disappointing them, failing them, and letting them down.
So instead, I say “yes” a lot and then secretly hate the person who’s requested something from me. Or I say yes and then break my commitment at the last second.
Both of those options suck.
Last week I wrote an idea called “Some beats none.” The concept was that fear often tells you that you have to be perfect. That if you can’t run 5 miles you shouldn’t bother running 2. Or if you can’t write a whole chapter of your book today you shouldn’t write half.
But some beats none.
I gave you my email address (jon at jonacuff.com) and said, “Let’s combine my words with your art and have some fun.”
Dozens of people responded, and here’s one of my favorites. A graphic designer named Lindsey Tipple created it. You should follow her on Twitter and check our her portfolio. She is awesome!
Source: Uploaded by user via lindseytip on Pinterest
I tweet. A lot. (You can follow me @jonacuff.) And I’ve noticed something about Twitter viruses recently.
We all know how Twitter viruses work.
A spammer sends you a direct message (The Twitter version of an email.) In the message is a link. When you click on the link, it takes you to a page that looks like the login page to Twitter. You login with your name and password at which point the spammer has control of your account. They then proceed to send a direct message to each of your friends as if they were you. (You can only DM people who follow you.)
The most successful Twitter viruses try to claim that someone is spreading horrible rumors about you. In a moment of panic you click the link, give up your password, and the virus has won.
You think it won’t happen to you, but it happened to 17 of my friends on Twitter. So to make sure you don’t get tricked, here are the statements that fooled them. If you see one of these in a direct message, do not click the link.
Do you remember the Segway? Of course you do! You’ve probably got a couple of them in your garage right now. Remember when we all used to walk? With our feet? That was so ridiculous! Things sure have changed since the Segway came out.
Only they haven’t. Despite the hype, the product was a dismal failure. Despite what all the experts said, it never really blew up. And smart people really thought it was going to be huge! Take this quote from a Segway enthusiast:
“If enough people see the machine, you won’t have to convince them to architect cities around it. It’ll just happen.” (Page 146, The Dumbest Moments in Business History)
The other day I was in bed and didn’t want to get up to run.
My goal was to run 4 miles, but I had slept in and didn’t have enough time left to do that.
Fear told me “It’s 4 miles or nothing. You’ve already missed the window to run. If you do less than your goal, it doesn’t count.”
But then I remembered something really simple that I scribbled down on a note.
The Japandroids are a two man band.
They make loud, fun rock n roll.
Recently, Pitchfork interviewed them about about their new album. The interview was great, but one question stuck out to me. They were asking the band about other musicians who seem to have almost mythic back stories. Here is the question and the answer:
I saw this sign recently at a pizza shop in Portland, Maine. I asked the cashier if I could please take a photo of it despite the ironic overtones of that action. She said yes.
Last week, the guy I work for, Dave Ramsey, asked me if I wanted to be awesome.
My answer was “yes.”
He said there are 3 keys to being awesome:
Know what this is?
The number of times I walked my kids to school in August.
Know how many times I want to do it this year?
50.
Know why I wrote it down?
Because I tend to ignore things I don’t write down.
(Today’s guest post is by Jamie Kocur. You can follow Jamie on Twitter or read more of her writing at RebootingWorship.)
Before ever walking through the doors of my first Quitter conference, I was fully aware of my dream that had been stagnant for too long: songwriting. I loved music and wanted to express my emotions and experiences through song. I expected to leave the conference with the tools and encouragement to pursue that dream.
I did not expect to leave with a second dream, but I rediscovered a second passion: writing.
Now what?
Suddenly I had twice the amount of work in front of me, twice the amount of hustle needed. Time devoted to one dream was time taken from the other. It was hard to balance.
How do you effectively pursue two dreams at once? I’m still learning, but here are a few things I’ve picked up on the journey.
Pursuing two dreams doesn’t have to be overwhelming. If your dreams are really important, you’ll make time for them. Some days are filled with productivity. Some days are filled with frustration. The end product is fulfilling and so worth it.
For more great writing from Jamie, check out her blog!