A Reminder to Appreciate Life

October 7, 2014 by Leave a Comment
A Reminder to Appreciate Life

My mom and me.

In my last post I wrote about some of my experience at INBOUND 2014. This marketing conference in Boston was inspiring and rewarding in more ways than one. First, it was great to see and hear so many wonderful people sharing their insights. I also connected with others who feel the same way I do about our role in making the world a better place and the amazing work yet ahead. It also confirmed that I’m on the right path.

I was on an extreme high after that experience. I felt energized creatively, spiritually, and emotionally. I was happy to share the experience with my friends and family once I returned home.
A few days after my return my mom got sick. Real sick. She had a severe case of pneumonia. Then the phone call from my sister, “you might want to think about coming up here.” Her tone said it all. I left with my wife within the hour to head to Tomah. It was a long two and a half hour drive to say the least. I wasn’t ready to say good-bye to mom yet, but that was a possible scenario once I arrived.
We surprised mom at the hospital. She seemed to be okay. The next day she was doing worse and was transferred to the Mayo Clinic in La Crosse. By the time she arrived she wasn’t breathing on her own and needed 100% oxygen. She was also heavily sedated. It was gut-wrenching to see my mom incapacitated with all the tubes, IVs, and machines hooked up to her.
It reminded me that life is fragile and to appreciate life; every second of every day. Thankfully mom is is on the road to recovery after spending six days in the ICU.
I was with my sister’s family and was able to spend time with my three and a half year old niece and three month old nephew. I thought about everything they’ll get to experience growing up and how I hope they appreciate life as it happens.
The time I spent up there wasn’t taken for granted. It was a reminder to appreciate life and soak up each and every experience. You never know what could happen next.

 

Filed Under: Life Lessons Tagged With:

Lessons from INBOUND 2014

September 23, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Lessons from INBOUND14

With Simon Sinek at INBOUND14.

Last week I joined 10,000 other marketers from around the globe in Boston for INBOUND 2014. It’s the largest conference of its kind for inbound marketers. Not only were there great speakers and the brightest minds sharing their expertise about marketing inside and out, but inspirational leaders as well. I’d like to share some lessons from three of these inspirational keynote speakers.

Simon Sinek – Author of Start With Why and Leaders Eat Last.
I can’t even begin to say how excited I was that Simon Sinek was speaking at this conference. Since first learning about him a few years ago I have become a huge fan of his work. Do yourself a favor and check out his books and watch his TED Talks. His talk about leadership did not disappoint. A few highlights:
“Leaders take care of the people, people take care of the numbers.”
“It’s not about the metrics, it’s about the tree in the distance.” Meaning we need to have something to strive for. The striving for is the part that brings us together for a common goal. You need a vision.
The sacrifice of being a leader is time and energy.
I was thrilled to be able to sit in on a question and answer session with him after his keynote, and I was lucky enough to meet him during a book signing. When I started telling him a story about my work experience and my own downsizing, he stopped signing my book to look me in the eyes as I spoke. He gave me 100% of his attention. He is a fantastically brilliant, and humble person, and possesses a great sense of humor. It was an honor to hear him speak and meet him.
Malcolm Gladwell – Author of Outliers, The Tipping Point, David and Goliath and others.
He gave a wonder talk on the 3 components needed for transformation.
1) Attitude – Needed for you to change habits of mind. The proper attitude also gives you the courage to be independent.
2) Imagination – You need this in order to re-frame the problem. If you re-frame the problem, the solution is possible.
3) Urgency – Allows you to push yourself harder and faster than you would normally. This gives you speed to the market your competitors can’t match.
Shiza Shahid – Founder of the Malala Fund
She gave a powerful talk on what is needed to change the world. She said, “We are the caretakers of our combined human destiny.”
She also spoke about our power to create change, “You can change what you cannot accept.”
She also gave perhaps one of the most moving lines I’ve heard in a while, “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.” We don’t need to rely on others; we have the power to make the world a better place.
Those are a few of the highlights; of the many I took with me. My week in Boston was about being inspired, making great friends, and learning some new marketing lessons. What a transformational week. I can’t wait to see what I can accomplish until INBOUND 2015 takes place.
Filed Under: Inspiration, Marketing Tagged With: ,

The Difference Between Pros and Amateurs

September 9, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The Difference Between Pros & AmateursI play golf maybe once a week. My goal is to break 90, but I’m struggling to accomplish that. At times I’m getting closer, others it’s far off. I also have to take into account that the golf season in Wisconsin is six months long. By the time spring rolls around, I’m rusty and it takes months to get my swing back.

I was watching one of the PGA events on TV recently and the pro golfers were out practicing every element of their game before playing their round. They spend hours practicing before competing in a tournament, not to mention the practice rounds earlier in the week to get a feel for the course.

I go out once a week (without having practiced) expecting to play a flawless game. That’s an unrealistic expectation. In order to go out and perform at a high level I should practice the skills to get me to a place where that is possible. Sure, the stars may align and everything could go my way, but odds are not in my favor.
If we want to become good at something we need to practice. That’s the difference between pros and amateurs. Pros practice to keep up their mastery. Amateurs work to get to a certain level of comfort and once that is achieved practice is forgotten.
There are things I’m good at. I’ve spent my time to develop those skills. We all have talents that we’ve honed with practice. Lots of it. Malcolm Gladwell has stated that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to master something. We can’t expect to be great at something without putting in that sort of time commitment.
What about those people who look like things come effortlessly to them? The truth is it’s not natural talent. It took determination and hard work. Respect the time and effort they devoted to their talent. We didn’t see them struggle, sweat, and work when no one was watching. We see the results. Looking at the box score is looking at the result, Earning a degree is a result.
High achievers sacrificed a lot. They could have used those 10,000 hours to party with friends or watch TV, but they didn’t.
Think of the things you’re good at. How much time did you devote to gain that level of expertise? More than you think. If you don’t spend the time to get better, you can’t expect to go pro.
Filed Under: Life Lessons, Motivation Tagged With: , ,

Stop Doing Things That Aren’t Good For You

August 26, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Stop Doing Things That Aren't Good For YouI ate Kentucky Fried Chicken twice when I was younger and threw up immediately afterwards both times. I always joked that my body didn’t agree with one of the 11 herbs and spices. I never tried it again and have never been tempted to. I know KFC is bad for me, so it’s not an option. 

We often do things that aren’t good for us, sometimes repeatedly. Why don’t we stop? For me, eating at KFC was easy to stop. I know the pattern – eat KFC, throw up. I had a physical reaction that I didn’t want to go through again. But, we often put ourselves in the same emotional patterns. We can’t stop the cycle for some reason.
If you threw up every time you made a bad decision, I guarantee you that you wouldn’t make the same mistake again. The pattern would be broken. But, because the pain isn’t physical we’ll continue to do what we always do.
Here are 3 ways to stop doing things that aren’t good for you:
1) Act as if your life depended on your decision to stop. I remember a story my grandpa used to tell about how he decided to stop smoking and drinking. He said he went in for a checkup and the doctor told him to quit or he’d die. My grandpa quit that day and didn’t have a cigarette or drop of alcohol for the remaining 25 plus years of his life.
If you think something will kill you, you’ll think about it differently. If you’re scared enough, you’ll stop.
2) Take decision-making away from yourself. We often have too much time and too many choices to make good decisions. Often, we let our emotions control our lives and we end up making poor decisions. There’s a reason why those “What Would Jesus Do?” bracelets are so popular. It takes the decision away from you and gives it to Jesus.
If you follow a plan or path set up by a coach, mentor, or hero, you’ll make decisions based on what they’d do. Plan so there’s no room for deviation. We often suffer from self-inflicted anxiety because we put ourselves in the same bad situations. When we’re confronted with a situation we panic and think, “What should I do?” Follow some else’s plan and you’ll be amazed how that helps you.
3) Trust your gut. You know deep down when something is wrong. You sense it. Later you’ll say to yourself, “I knew it.” Instead of waiting until after the fact, realize what your senses are telling you in the moment they’re kicking in. When you sense something, walk away. It’s not over-reacting when you feel uneasy, it’s your body telling you to watch out based on experience. Listen to it.
Has anything else worked for you? How long did it take for you to give up something bad? It’s not easy, find someone to be a cheerleader. Better yet, be a cheerleader for someone else. Helping them may just end up helping you.
Filed Under: Life Lessons, Motivation Tagged With:

Don’t Lose Sight of the Real Heroes

August 19, 2014 by 2 Comments

 

Medal of Honor Ryan Pitts

Photo courtesy of Department of Defense (Defense.gov)

I was watching the ABC Nightly News a few weeks ago when they ran a story on Medal of Honor recipient Ryan Pitts. During the segment, they mentioned that he was one of nine living recipients. There was footage of him with the President and of him standing at a podium, but nothing he said was broadcast. He had to go through an incredible ordeal in Afghanistan to get it and there was nothing from him. His words didn’t mean anything apparently.   

A few minutes later they ran a story on “Weird Al” Yankovic. He was interviewed. His words were more important than those of a Medal of Honor recipient. Frankly, it was embarrassing. “Weird Al” was a bigger story than Medal of Honor recipient Ryan Pitts.
A few days later, Ryan Pitts was on the Late Show with David Letterman where he got to share his experience. I somehow knew I could count on Dave. Nine of Pitts’ fellow soldiers did not make it back from the mission they were on. As you would expect a hero to do, Pitts downplayed his role and his injuries.
Pitts was in Milwaukee recently to share his story at the VA Hospital. He was also interviewed on the CBS 58 News during his visit. Locally he was a bigger story than he was nationally.
I live in a country where I can do what I want, thanks to people like Pitts and everyone who came before him. But, do I spend my time on important things? Or do I waste my time on trivial things that don’t matter? I’m not saying we shouldn’t have our guilty pleasures, we all need something to help us unwind and just enjoy life. We need to recognize when it’s all too much so we don’t lose sight of the real heroes in our lives. You might even know some personally. Honor them if you get the chance.
Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: ,

Robin Williams and The Artist’s Soul

August 12, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Robin Williams and the Artist's SoulThe death of Robin Williams has deeply saddened me. I feel sorry for his family, and for those of us affected by his work. But, I mostly feel sorry for him. Artists like Robin Williams give, and give, and give, and yet he didn’t feel like he got enough back out of life to live. 

We take for granted that artists are there to inspire us, make us laugh, make us cry, help us fall in love, and get over falling out of love. They give up more than we know. The artist’s soul is fed by giving, by creating, by going where most of us fear going. They are open and honest and feel and experience life to the extremes. We love where they take us.
Artists are in a spotlight that few of us will be under. Sure, artists get fortune and fame, but as we’ve seen over and over again; that is not what life is about. That does not provide true happiness and fulfillment.

I remember when I read about the suicide of Del Shannon back in 1990. That hit me hard, though at the time I wasn’t familiar with his body of work except for “Runaway.” I thought it was tragic that someone who had given of himself so freely couldn’t find satisfaction or happiness.
I have felt the same way with other artists that have ended their lives, but Williams’ death hurts much more because of the amount of joy he brought to me. Reading the countless tributes, I know he affected others just as much. There’s a sense of guilt with that as well. He gave so much, but I couldn’t do anything for him, like I could do anything for him since I didn’t know him personally. It’s funny how we just take, and think our interaction is complete with the purchase of a ticket or CD.
What I can do is admire and respect artists who give everything to entertain us. When someone exhibits behavior we question, we have no idea what that person is dealing with, we can appreciate their life without judgment. I can love those around me and encourage them through this journey called life.
I feel like Robin Williams was a comet that could only shine for so long before burning out. He gave what he could, and it was time to move on. He will truly be missed and I hope he has found what he was looking for.
Filed Under: Inspiration, Life Lessons Tagged With: ,

Do It Today. Do It Now.

August 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Do It Today. Do It Now.Over the weekend, I made a quick trip up to Sparta to meet my 6-week-old nephew. I wanted to be able to see him while he was still a baby, plus it’s been a while since I’d seen my niece, sister, brother-in-law, and my parents. But, I had a limited amount of time that worked in my schedule. I had a day to visit since I had some other things I needed to do in Milwaukee.

I could have pushed the trip off and waited until I had more time. I spoke with someone about a job on Friday, sent some samples of my work and said she’d be in touch with me early the next week. If I had made my plans based on the fact that I could miss a call from her I would’t have made the trip. She didn’t call while I was gone and I would have wasted the opportunity to visit with my family.
How much of life do we put off in anticipation of something else happening? I’m starting to learn that it’s better to just do what’s important at the moment and adjust to anything that comes up later.
A great example of this is when my wife and I took a trip to Paris and London. We had an hour before we had to board our train to Paris. I thought about just hanging out, but the British Library was a few blocks down the street. There were some hand-written lyrics from the Beatles I wanted to see, so I thought I’d give it a go.
The first thing I saw when I entered the room were pages from Leonardo da Vinci’s notebook. I saw Lewis Carroll’s diary that had the beginnings of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, scores by Mozart and Handel in their own hand, the Gutenberg Bible, oh, yeah, and this little thing called the Magna Carta! Not to mention that Beatles’ lyrics. The amount of history I took in, in just an hour was amazing. If I had thought that I can’t possibly do anything in an hour I would have missed that entire experience.
We need to put as much life as we can into life. We can’t wait for the perfect time or more time. We each have 24 hours a day to work with. Our days are limited. We need to use them wisely.
Start with whatever amount of time you can. If you want to write a book – write an hour a day. If you want to lose weight – workout for a 30 minutes a day. If you want to catch up with a friend – make a phone call and chat for 15 minutes. No amount of time is ever wasted. You don’t need a month’s worth of time in order to do something. Do it today. Do it now. Spend the next five minutes writing down what you’ve put off for too long. And then spend an hour doing it!
Filed Under: Inspiration, Life Lessons Tagged With: ,

What I Did at WordCamp Milwaukee 2014

July 29, 2014 by Leave a Comment

What I Did at WordCampWordCamp – the name conjures up an idyllic scene in the deep woods fighting off mosquitoes, making smores, and discussing the attributes and origins of words. Although Idyllic (in beautiful downtown Milwaukee), WordCamp is an event where people gather to learn about WordPress, the open source platform that 20% of the world’s websites run on. 

You don’t just have to be a web developer to get something out of it. Though I’d say two-thirds of everyone attending works in web dev, there are tracks for marketing, blogging and content, design, business, and user and general information. Basically, something for everyone, from the expert to the person just starting out.
WordCamp is a great community more than anything else. It’s a great place to reconnect with friends, meet new people, learn about WordPress, marketing, blogging and tons more, and give back to the community. And, that’s exactly what I did at WordCamp Milwaukee 2014.
Reconnect with friends: One of the first things I did, even before the event, was reconnect with people I met last year to confirm they were attending. Some were, some weren’t. On the morning of the first day I tweeted out to Tom Kepler, a web developer from the Chicago area who I met last year, to find out where he was. Once there, we had a great time catching up and deepening our friendship.
Meet new people: Throughout the day people would introduce themselves. I would too. You’d get to know each other quickly; “I’m a developer at so and so company,” or “I’m a freelance designer.” I introduced myself as a writer or partner at Glass Fish Creative, a business I’m just starting designed to help small businesses and entrepreneurs with their marketing. Many people shared their own stories of going out on their own. It was great to find out what everyone’s take was on freelancing and working for someone else.
There was also a great after-party down the street at the Hilton City Center. It gave us an opportunity to mingle with others we hadn’t had a chance to meet during the day.
Learn about WordPress: Session after session was filled with valuable information. Who knew non-profits could get free website hosting or that there are ways to make using public Wi-Fi safer?
Learning didn’t just happen during sessions; people were sharing ideas in between sessions, during lunch, in the Happiness Bar area (no drinking was involved, it was a room where experts were available to answer your questions about WordPress).
Give back to the community: During one session on non-profits, the speaker commented about a hackathon that took place the day before for a local group called My Sista’s KeepHer that helps young women find their identify through writing workshops. He mentioned that they needed help with content and blog posts. That was right up my alley, so I ended up writing a blog post, some other content, and fixing some SEO issues. In one weekend, they went from not having a website, to having one where they can spread the word and take donations. It felt great to give back and be a small part of that.
As I was leaving Sunday night, I walked out with one of the speakers I saw earlier in the day and told him how much I enjoyed his session. He asked what I was going to implement right away and I told him my brain was a little foggy and couldn’t think of anything right then. He mentioned that he had trouble focusing during the last two sessions of the day as well. That’s WordCamp, there’s so much to take in, in such a short amount of time that it’ll take a while to process it all, but what a great way to spend a weekend.
Are there any events that you’ve planned as part of your summer? How will you, or how did you, spend your time?
Filed Under: Marketing Tagged With: ,

6 Ways to Recharge Your Batteries

July 22, 2014 by Leave a Comment

6 Ways to Recharge Your BatteriesWhen life is draining energy from you, how do you get it back? When you need to be at your best you can’t afford to let up, but sometimes that’s exactly what you need to do. 

We’ve all had those days where, as soon as one item gets checked off the to-do list another pops up. You can get mentally and physically wiped out. How do you keep going when you feel like you’re about to keel over?
Here are six ways to recharge your batteries when they’re nearing empty.
1) Take a nap. A good 20-30 minute nap can do wonders. In many parts of the world, and some forward thinking companies here, this is built into the work day.
2) Go for a walk. It’s always a good idea to get some fresh air. It gets the blood circulating and you can focus on something else for a while. You’ll come back ready tackle your next challenge.
3) Read. Pick up a book and fill your head with other people’s stories, ideas, and motivational words. It could just spur some new ideas of your own.
4) Listen to music. What music makes you want to rock out to some air drums or air guitar? Put that music on. Let that music fuel your next creative burst.
5) Watch a TED talk. These insightful 20 minute nuggets of inspiration will pump you up. Be careful to watch just one. One can quickly turn into three very easily.
6) Grab a drink, or bite to eat, with someone who inspires you. There’s nothing like connecting with someone face-to-face who makes you think differently and helps elevate your game to the next level. Plan these get together as part of your week. You’ll be glad you did.
Have any of these worked for you? What else have you done to recharge your batteries? Next time you feel you’re about to nod off, find an activity to power-up and rock it the rest of the day!
Filed Under: Inspiration, Motivation Tagged With: ,

3 Ways to Get Ready for a Major League Tryout (or for a Major Life Change)

July 15, 2014 by Leave a Comment
3 Ways to Get Ready for a Major League TryoutWhen I was in my early teens, my dream was to play Major League Baseball. I used to eat, sleep, and dream baseball; I still have dreams where I’m playing. I thought I was pretty good and if I had kept up with it who knows what might have happened. In my late teens, music took over my life and baseball took a backseat.
When Robin Yount retired in February 1994, it marked the end of an era; the last piece of the team that I grew up with and loved was really gone. Who was going to replace Robin Yount? I felt that center field should be taken over by someone local, someone who understood what taking over that position meant, and I was the perfect person to do it. So, I decided I was going to get myself in shape and try out at County Stadium and take over Robin’s spot in center field.
In order to accomplish that goal I knew I needed to get myself ready physically, mentally, and emotionally. But, I knew I didn’t have much time to get ready since the Brewers had tryouts every July. That only gave me five months to get ready.
Here are the three ways I got myself ready for a Major League tryout:
First, I needed to get myself in shape physically. I started running. The first time I went out, I was out of breath after three blocks. It was kind of shocking since I had considered myself an athlete. After going out on daily runs, it didn’t take long until I was able to run a couple of miles no problem.
The other part of my game I needed to work on since I hadn’t played baseball in 10 years was to go to the batting cage. I played softball a couple of times a week, but hitting a baseball is completely different. I was going regularly to the batting cage to hone my skills. I needed to become a hitter again.
The second part was to get myself mentally prepared. I had to get into a baseball mindset. I went over scenarios in my head. I visualized games where I had played well. I also re-read Charlie Lau’s The Art of Hitting .300. It was like my bible growing up, and anyone who wants to be a great hitter should read it.
The final piece was to get myself ready emotionally. I knew it was a long shot to make the team. I hadn’t played consistently for about 10 years. There were going to be players there that were at the top of their game. I decided that above all else, I was going to have fun with the tryout.
As spring rolled into summer I was getting ready. I saw a flyer at the batting cage announcing a tryout with the Philadelphia Phillies at Nathan Hale High School in West Allis at the end of June; just a month before the Brewers tryout. I figured this was a great way to gauge where I was before I tried out for the Brewers and see what I needed to work on.
When I showed up the morning of the tryout, there were about 90 players gathered; a lot of them teenagers. I could see they were nervous as we lined up to register. This was probably the biggest thing in their lives up until that moment. Since I knew I was a long shot I started making jokes and having fun. I wasn’t nervous at all.
The tryout started well. The first thing the scouts did was time us running. I was one of the 10 fastest guys there. I saw scouts looking at me and comparing notes. Major league scouts were talking about me! Things were looking up.
Next, I went to the outfield and took some fly balls. I started joking around some more. Channel 4 had a reporter and cameraman there. They saw how I was making everyone laugh. They asked me for an interview which I was happy to do.
It was my turn and I took some fly balls in right field. My arm was hurting but I didn’t want to hold myself out of this part of the try out, but in hindsight it wasn’t the best move. I was supposed to catch the ball and throw it to third base but when I caught the ball I quickly bounced it into second base and it slowly rolled to third. The next was barely better, at least it bounced around short.
I went in to hit. It was near the end of the day and there weren’t any catchers and the pitcher wasn’t throwing strikes but it didn’t matter, I was swinging anyway. I got wood on a few of them that I popped up in the infield, but no solid hits. What started out so well, ended quietly. I walked to the parking lot, without any scouts running after me, and saw one of my friends waiting for me. We talked about the entire experience. I had a Major League tryout!
Channel 4 did a spot on the tryout for the 6:00 news cast. It was really cool to see myself on TV taking fly balls and being interviewed. I had fun like I had set out to do and I had made a bunch of kids, who were nervous as heck, relax a little. I felt that I had done what I set out to do.
Since I knew I wasn’t going to improve my game much more in the next few weeks, I decided to skip the tryout with the Brewers; although I should have done it just to say I walked on the same field as so many great players.
If there’s something you’re pursuing make sure you are prepared physically, mentally, and emotionally for the experience. If things go your way, you’ll be ready to perform at a high level, and if things don’t go as planned at least you can take away something positive from the experience to help you grow as a person. You may even make a few people laugh in the process and end up on TV.
Filed Under: Inspiration, Life Lessons, Motivation Tagged With: ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »