365QOD- Day1135

One Drip at a Time

“Drip…drip...drip”- progress towards a goal

I believe that most of us want things to happen too quickly.  We want to jump in and simply get it done.   AT times this position is so unrealistic that it causes us extreme stress. 

For a moment visualize a bucket under a faucet.  Drip..drip..drip.. the water comes down steadily.  Eventually you have to empty the bucket because it is heavy and full. 

I believe in baby steps.  These are daily actions that seen so insignificant that anyone and everyone could do them.  Unfortunately most stop and do none of them small insignificant acts needed to progress towards a goal.

I just got through writing a 469 page book on Lean Capital Project Management in Petrochemical Plants.  Yes you read that correctly.  469 pages of stuff.  If anyone would have told me that I would need to write a 469 page book I would probably stop and say no. 

But each day I write a little bit and after a while those small drops become a force and a product.  It is no different than this blog.  365 daily drops become a book.  

These baby steps are the key to getting anything done.  Trust me...

Today’s question is:

“What baby steps did you take towards your large goal?”

365QOD - Day595

“Man I need a vacation”- the call of a frustrated co-worker

This is something that we often say out loud.  And I do believe that leaving for more than a week at a time provides time to re-charge one’s batteries.  Most people usually take one week at most when they go away from their routine.

An alternative to a traditional vacation was presented in a Fast Company article by Joss Whedon: You need a creative shift, not a vacation.  It suggests that a change of creative direction could serve to re-charge us. 

I believe that the author is correct.  I might be so tired of working on a multi-step project that it feels like it has used up all of my energy.  So when done, I will attempt a simpler project that is creatively different that will still get my creative juices going BUT offer the mind a shift.

Today’s question is:

“Have you ever taken a ‘creating’ vacation?”

365QOD-Day398

"... and then it all went to hell.."- a frustrated person

I noticed a pattern the other day.  After my two half-marathon races I took a week off followed by a 3 mi weekend run, 7 mile weekend run, and a 10 mi weekend run.   Man the 3 mi seemed more difficult than the 13.1 half marathon. 

This morning while driving to work I was listening to an audio book- Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.  I love his work BUT I had a hard time focusing on it.  Hum...

In the past I used to listen to audio books instead of the radio.  BUT for the last couple of months I have let myself slip.  So what happened?  Now I have a hard time focusing on the book while driving.

It seems to me that we can quickly build up our endurance in both mental and physical arenas BUT we can also even more quickly lose the endurance.  The answer is to never stop or take smaller rests between events.

Today's question is:
"How do you not lose your endurance?"

365QOD-Day322

"It was the worst of times; it led to the best of times"- Chris Prentiss

I recently re-read the book Zen and the Art of Happiness by Chris Prentiss.  I had read the book about a year ago and figured while being stuck on a five hour flight to read something.  It took two hours.

After the flight I thought about how true this phrase has been in my life.  Going through the valleys always prepares me for the peaks.  I just have to make sure that I keep my feet moving forward by not getting stuck looking back.

Today's question is:
"Are you in a valley or on a peak?"

365QOD-Day300

"WOW!"- my rejoice at reaching the 300 post

When we start any endevor that will require continuous actions we start with success in mind.  When something takes many steps to complete or even daily tasks to complete then that success become a challange.

As Jim Rohn cautions, "If something is easy to do, it is easy not to do". 

For the last 300 days my posts have regularly published.  There were a few that published a day late BUT they did publish.  Most of them were early.  I tend to write in spurts.  I might write daily.  Often times I write several posts in one sitting.  Which is scary when you think about the variety from one post to another.

Again, it would have been easy to just stop writing.  The reason why I didn't?  It fulfills my need for a creative outlet.  I feel good after writing a post. 

It is nice to know that many people I do not even know regularly read my posts.  I tried to write from the heart and about what I learn.  maybe those appeal to you guys.

After 300 posts... all I can say is THANKS

Today's question is:
"What is easy to do that you did not do today?"

365QOD-Day289

"One of the most common mistakes when we are just beginning a project is to set lofty goals from a resting stop.  With images of fame and success dancing in our heads, we set the bar too high, fail to make the grade, and quit because we are discouraged.  Instead build momentum by starting with small, achievable goals, and work from there."-Andy Swan

... from a resting stop. In other words sitting down thinking.  Thinking is free and fun.  Generating ideas make you feel great.

BUT!  Ideas are cheap.  They are like brain crack.  Addictive and you can not stop once you get hooked on creating them.

However, success is not based on how many ideas you have.  It is based on how many you successfully executed.  So..... start with small, achievable goals, and work from there

Today's question is:
"What are your small, achievable goals or are you on crack?(...brain crack that is)

365QOD-Day282

"Prosperity is a Latin word, it means 'to be in the flow'.  And everyone of us in the flow when we are thinking right, talking right, acting right, and living right.  We get the right results, right here, and right now.  

And when you think negatively, you're into immobilization.  

When you are thinking positively and correctly, you are into immobilization and start taking right action to get right results!"- Mark Victor Hansen

I believe that the idea of flow is critical to understand.  When searching for a passion one needs to identify the last time one felt in the 'flow'.  This is a time when time just flowed and you did notice that hours have passed yet you felt full of energy.  Think of your last two weeks specifically and identify times when this felt true. If you have not felt it during the last two weeks then go back farther but note that it might be a weaker signal.

I do agree that when in flow you are thinking right, talking right, acting right, and living right.  Everything just clicks.  I have found that in my life when working on creative tasks I enter the state of flow.  It can be at home, at work, and even just running.

Today's question is:
"Are you in the flow?"

365QOD-Day169

I recently was shuffling through some old printouts.  I came across an article on the Art of Momentum
http://the99percent.com/tips/6815/The-Art-of-Momentum-Why-Your-Ideas-Need-Speed
that I want to explore in the next four posts.

 Know that momentum takes time to build. 

Andy Swan provides an idea that I found to be very insightful.  He says that of the most common mistakes is to “set lofty goals from a resting start.”  Amazing!

How many times have you made plans about something big while resting and believing that tomorrow you will start the progress towards your lofty goal?  Tomorrow comes you start, next day comes you continue, but after a few days you stop.  Your momentum was from a resting stop.  You only had a little bit of momentum

Now imagine you get an idea and immediately start by doing something little towards it.  Next day you stretch yourself by doing something a little bigger.  Third day you stretch a little more and this continues for a while.  You are most likely going to continue working towards the goal.  Your momentum is growing.

Don’t hold back. When it comes to creative execution, the key is to get moving, and keep moving.

I tried to visualize this and the graph below is what I came up with.

 Initially, the effort needed might feel large.  As you keep moving, it gets easier to keep up.  After a while you will feel slightly behind and needing a larger effort to close the gap.  Towards the end your effort will feel large because you will experience resistance to finish.

Today's question is:

"What is the baby step you must achieve today and the little baby stretches you can achieve in the next few days to build your momentum?"