One of the pitfalls in the start up world is to plan too far ahead, focus on the glory, the victory, the champagne and not necessarily the dirt, grime and sweat that gets you there. It’s a mistake to look too far ahead as you can only focus on one link in the chain that gets you to where you want to go.
Today
Don’t get me wrong, talking about the “big plan” is always an inspiring talk and one that is needed to get people to focus on the why we’re going through the sour before it turns sweet – especially over a few beers. It also could be daunting and this leads to downgrading those aspirations to something more “achievable” so you don’t become overwhelmed and shut down.
This is why today is the most important day of your life. It’s the only day you can control, be the change you want to see in the world, and focus on action.
Silver Lining
I spoke to the awesome, Jacco vanderKooij, today and asked him how his Monday was. He said he got his car broken into and the thief took his mobile hotspot. “Oh, that’s not a great way to start the week!” to which he responded, “It’s great, we were looking to get out of our T-Mobile contract anyway so this worked out for us!”
What a lesson! Life is not what happens to you, it’s how you react to it – and if you live in the realm of action, dwelling seems like a waste of time. The pessimist sees difficulty, the optimist sees opportunity in difficulty.
Reconnect with now
The breath, the sounds, the moment – take a minute and reconnect with it. Yes, it sounds like I’m taking my new meditation habit too seriously but it helps you overcome taking a situation, a problem or yourself too seriously.
Now is small, it’s achievable and leads to amazing changes if focused on consistently.
Start with a win
You can be hard on yourself and focus on the main goal of the day as your focus – or you can get an early win to start the day. My win? Making my bed. It’s not hard and it sets the tone for the day.
What you do early in the day sets the context for the rest of your day. We’ve all had those days where we’re running behind to seemingly everything in the day and it all started with the snooze button.
Never give up
Everyone looks for quick fixes. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that “normal” doesn’t get you to amazing. One approach rarely works, you have to bob and weave as the punches of life come at you in different directions. Once you circle the problem in different perspectives you get a complete vision of it and its weaknesses, now it’s time to get perspective from people who have done it before as well as folks who have been successful dealing with different types of problems and how they overcame them.
Life is a video game. Only in this game there’s no up up down down left right left right b a start. Get back up, keep going.
Most troubles never happen
Fear is real but most of it never happens. If it happens, it won’t be as painful as you think rather an opportunity hidden in the middle of it all. Worrying is a waste of time – just take care of today and nail it.
“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of an old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened” – Winston Churchill
Lightbulb moments are all around us 