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It’s safe to focus on things that we can control. Often though, the things that really matter are just beyond our control. So by default, these things are not safe. They’re not easily found and they’re not easily fought for. But there is one thing that is a constant consistency about things that matter: when you do find them and you do start fighting for them, they will not be easily ignored.

“Most organizations go too slowly, study things too much, work to not matter too much, because mattering is a good way to get noticed and getting noticed might get you into trouble.”
-Seth Godin

To matter is to be exposed and out in the open.
Open to judgement.
Open to criticism.
Open to trouble.

Focusing on things that matter is the key to escaping mediocrity. Continuously putting things on your plate every day that get you closer to your goals is what will cause you to win. Not mattering may not necessarily mean “Not Successful” but it certainly will always mean “Not Mattering.”

I choose to matter and to chase after things that matter. Because if mattering means being open, exposed and different; standing for something while everyone else sits. Then the alternative is being restricted, safe, and the same. Yeah, I choose mattering.

What do you choose?

Happy Tuesday!

Chris

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The path isn’t clear. Well, at least not all of it. Likely though, that the opening to the path is obvious. You’ve probably walked past it on several occasions noting it’s existence but never daring to see what comes next. But you know why it’s not clear right? You know why there’s not a clearly marked trail through the wilderness. It’s because everyone (including you, until now) always walks the one that’s been beaten and worn. Everybody ignores the new path until….

Until someone like you comes along and makes the new one more clear. Someone like you comes and defines the new path and shows everyone where it leads. Someone like you brushes back those first few frail branches on the new path. Pushes through the brush and fights through the thorns.

No one can ignore it now. It’s the new way.

You know you’ve seen it. You know you have caught the faintest glimpse of what your own wilderness looks like. Can I give you some advice?

Go.

Run after it with everything you have.
Start right now.

Are you running yet?
are-you-running-yet

Happy Thursday!

Chris

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If you intend to make someone fall in love with your product or service, then you need to understand you are also going to offend someone in the process. Stop pretending what you make is for everyone. If it is to be successful, it simply cannot be for everyone.

So, who’s it for?

That’s the question we have to answer is we want people to fall in love. Don’t just try to make everybody happy. Make me love you, or offend me.

Happy Friday!

Chris

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I’m reading ReWork by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier this morning and I like it. It’s already made me mad which is sometimes a good quality for a book to have. Better than only reading books that just happen to agree with everything you agree with.

Anyway, I wanted to drop this quote on you guys because it was what I needed to read this morning. Maybe you need to read it too?

“This is your life’s work. Do you want to build just another Me-Too product or do you want to shake things up? What you do is your legacy. Don’t sit around and wait for someone else to make the change you want to see.”

Notice how he didn’t say “What you think about all day is your legacy.” or “Your dreams are your legacy.”? No, what you do is your legacy. Don’t just keep making the same things. Don’t wait for change. Not to go all Gandhi on you but you can be that change. You can be the one to make the change you want to see. You don’t need permission. Give up the “Me-Too” projects and products. This is your life’s work we’re talking about here! Make something only you can make.
gandhi, be the change you want to see in the world, rework.

I needed to read that this morning.  Did you?

Happy Tuesday!

Chris

P.S. I want to know what you guys are reading or what you want to read this year. Leave a comment and let’s talk about the books you’ve liked this year so far and one’s your excited about.

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  • Amy - I loved that book! I need to re-read it. I’m currently readying “I Will Teach You to Be Rich” and “Make it Happen”….I have such a huge reading list this year. Keep sharing what you’re reading!ReplyCancel

    • Chris Creed - Nice! Thanks Amy! We’re working through the Make It Happen book too! Thanks for sharing!ReplyCancel

  • Chris Scott - I’ve been digging into a lot of marketing and UX books lately- Badass: Making Users Awesome (fantastic), Email Marketing that Doesn’t Suck and Launch are the most recent. Made to Stick is up next, I think.ReplyCancel

    • Chris Creed - Man, I have those on the list as well. Hadn’t heard of Badass yet though haha! Sounds like something I’d like 🙂ReplyCancel

I was working through Lara Casey’s book Make It Happen with Jen last week while we were on a short retreat (Which you can read about here) and one of the questions she asks in the book is: “What didn’t work for you last year?”

Here’s the short list for me:

Not Reading Enough
Lack of Structure
Comparison
Self-Inflicted Busyness

I want to expand a bit on that last one. What is self-inflicted busyness? Well, for me it’s when I wake up stressed about all the things that are in my head and how there’s not enough time to do it all. So I do one thing for a bit. Then I jump to something else as it pops into my head. What I end up with is a flustered mess of half-assery.

How could I do it differently? I’m experimenting right now with three different things to help me focus.

1. Brain Dump.

For as many times as I’ve heard it described, I’ve actually never done it until this year. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, a “brain dump” is where you sit down for a set amount of time (10-15 minutes) and write down (with a pen and paper) everything that comes into your head. Everything you’ve been thinking about, worrying about, avoiding. Everything. And once it’s all out, then it doesn’t have to live in your brain anymore. Which means you get to go to sleep faster tonight.

2. Selecting tasks for today.

I use the data collected from the brain dump to feed my action steps for my daily work. I’ve been using this Getting Things Done “Moleskine Hack” by Tac Anderson to provide the frame work for this. Basically I write down:

3 things I need to do today
3 things I need to work on today
3 other things I did today.  (retrospective)

Writing these things down takes my mind of the “Big List” and helps me focus on just 3 items, 3 projects. At the end of the day, I reflect on the progress and ideally make the list for the next day. (Though, I have been doing this in the mornings after I read and write for a bit.)

3. Make a schedule. 

Again, using the GTD Moleskine hack framework, I make a schedule in my notebook to provide a rough outline of my day. To open up the schedule and see where I am time wise has been a huge help. I write down the time from 5am-10pm on the left hand side of the page and just map out my day the best I can. Because I’ve found that if I don’t tell my time where to go, it just goes wherever it pleases to whomever beckons. 

(Notice that this poses a fix for two of the things on my “Didn’t Work” list. Structure and Busyness.)
self-inflicted-busyness, GTD Hack, Getting Things Done

I think we have negative thoughts towards busy because our version of busy is usually self-inflicted. Busy only equals “bad” when we’re not actually getting any work done towards our goals. We like to be busy for the sake of busy because it makes us feel like we’re making progress. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather actually make progress than just experience the feeling of progress.

 

I’d love to hear your structures you have in place to make sure your getting the right things done! Let’s talk about it!

Happy Friday!

Chris

 

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