The other day, I challenged you and I to finish something that mattered to us in 2012. A book, a conversation, a home improvement project, a job change, anything at all.
I’m writing a new book and committed to finishing that. And as we start to work on our projects, it’s important to ask one question:
A few years ago, I learned a parenting trick that changed my life. It wasn’t complicated. I didn’t find it buried in one of those 400-page-long, zero-pictures parenting books that you often assume everyone has read but you. It’s not even that long. You can master this trick in 4 seconds. What is it?
Someone once told me that the secret to being humble is remembering that it’s not all about you.
“It’s” meaning the world, the day, the conversation at a coffee shop, the traffic jam you’re stuck in, etc.
My friend said that in order to really believe it’s not all about you, you have to believe that everyone is more interesting than you. The person who cleans your room at a hotel, the guy next to you in traffic, the businessman who sits next to you on a plane. Everyone.
I thought this was an impossible feat. And honestly, kind of dumb advice.
(As I wrote recently, I’m going to end the year with the top 5 posts from 2011. Today kicks off with number #5. See you on Sunday, January 1 for Finish Year!)
A few weeks ago, I was supposed to run in an event called “The Warrior Dash.” It’s a 5K obstacle course that involves mud, fire, water and Viking helmets. I’d signed up for it months ago. But 24 hours before the event, I decided not to go.
Why?
Sometimes, I like to pretend I am confident, but that’s not entirely true.
How do I know?
Well, for the last 12 years, if someone closed a door at work in an office or a conference room, I thought I was getting fired.
My assumption was that they shut the door so that they could talk about firing me. Even if I didn’t know the team members having a meeting, my first thought was that I should go ahead and pack up my stuff.
I don’t think that makes me a “glass is half empty” kind of guy. I think that makes me a “glass is half empty and the half that is there is scorpions” kind of guy.
My philosophy with life was this:
Cloudless skies make for boring sunsets.
Easy adventures make for boring stories.
Right now, if your dream job is taking too long, if your business is not skyrocketing, if your plans are not coming together perfectly, don’t quit.
Why?
Sometimes, people get in my ear. Not literally, but metaphorically. And under the guise of advice, they’ll say some interesting things.
Here is something I’ve heard a few times:
“Wow, I’m surprised you joined Dave Ramsey’s team. You could be doing all of this blog and book stuff on your own by now. Why didn’t you just start your own thing?”
Someone once told me that the secret to being humble is remembering that it’s not all about you.
“It’s” meaning the world, the day, the conversation at a coffee shop, the traffic jam you’re stuck in, etc.
My friend said that in order to really believe it’s not all about you, you have to believe that everyone is more interesting than you. The person who cleans your room at a hotel, the guy next to you in traffic, the businessman who sits next to you on a plane. Everyone.
I thought this was an impossible feat. And honestly, kind of dumb advice.
A few weeks ago, I saw Bill Cosby speak at a conference.
He was brilliant.
He did more with one story and twenty minutes than some speakers do with 1,000 stories and a 1,000 hours of stage time.
And, at the end of the speech, he dropped some knowledge about the secret of hustle that I haven’t been able to shake. Here’s what he said:
I recently had the chance to interview Nancy Duarte. She’s the New York Times best-selling author of two amazing books about storytelling, Slide:ology and Resonate. She also runs a design firm and helps massive clients like Pepsi, Cisco and Twitter tell their stories.
During the interview, she said something about failure and creativity that was really powerful.