by Kirby Hasseman
I admire people who have accomplished big things. I think most of us do. Whether with jealousy or admiration, we look at them and are impressed with what they have done (or are doing). And when we see people that have accomplished things like we want, it’s natural that we want to “get their roadmap.” We want to borrow what they have done, so it can naturally lead to what we want too. That makes sense. The problem with this is, we tend to look at the destination on the map…not so much the journey. We look at the apex of the mountain…not the trails. We want to catapult to the gourmet dinner by using the microwave. The more I study people I admire (and we have more and more access to them now), the more I understand that it’s not about the end goal. As Jeff Haden writes today about teen driver Hallie Deegan, the most driven people focus on obsessively on the process. Hallie wants to become a professional driver, so she is not focused on things that don’t move her toward that goal every day.
*When I ask her if she worries about someday looking back on on things she didn’t get to experience, she’s quick to answer.
“If I wanted to do the ‘typical’ things other people my age do,” she says, “I would. I want to train. I want to get better. In my mind, if there is something I want to do well… I don’t want to waste time doing things that won’t help me.”
I love this. The reality is, most people put in average (or below average) effort toward their goals, and then wonder why they are getting average results. If you want to achieve something special, you have to act special. You have to do what most people are unwilling to do. In his most recent vlog, Casey Neistat explains his daily routine. What is he doing at 5am? He is working. Oh…and then he talks to Navy Seal Jocko Willink about why this works. So regardless of what you are trying to accomplish, it’s about the work. Set the big goal. That’s very important. But the step that most people skip is the daily work you need to do to get there. What is that? What do you need to do (that most people are unwilling to do) to move you toward it? Now. Go do that. Every day. We are posting new content every day. Make sure you never miss an update! Sign up for our VIP newsletter. We want to provide you motivation and inspiration to get you moving toward your goals. Sign up below.
by Kirby Hasseman
We have a fun business. That’s why we say we “Deliver Marketing Joy.” When you receive something from us (if we get it right) you get a little piece of Christmas morning. We hear stories of teams gathering around a box to see the latest goodies that have arrived. That is so cool. We do fun stuff. As I have heard PPAI’s Paul Bellantone say, “It’s the only kind of marketing that your clients actually thank you for!” One of our challenges, however, is the diverse range of products and services we do offer. Being in this business, it’s easy to get pigeon-holed. We can become the “t-shirt guy” or the “pen gal,” or “weird guy who sells calendars.” Titles can be tough. 🙂 With approximately a million products to showcase, it’s hard to let our clients know ALL the things we offer. So how about a test? Did you know? Here are a few product categories where we shine. Custom Awards: A great way to make employees and team members feel appreciated is with a custom award program. Yes…we do that. We even helped one of our clients create a really cool award program for their top customers. Read more here. Regardless of who you want to recognize, a cool custom award could be the perfect way to leave an impression. Print: From flyers to calendars to business cards, we work to be a one-stop marketing solution. And with a full time graphic designer, we can help you look good! I mean, we know you look good, but we can help translate that to paper! Signage: One of the reasons I love our Trade show is that it gives people a chance to see this up close. We have a full selection of trade show displays, banners and so much more. Oh…and that design capability is super important here too. Food Gifts: This is a great time of year to talk about this! During the holiday season, food gifts are a great item for offices. Not only is it personal, but it’s shareable. And though you might normally think of the local grocery store (they are great) or a big box store (not so great at this), we can be a great option for personalized food gifts during the holidays. And those are just a few things you might not have known we offered. It’s not your fault! It’s hard to keep track. Make sure you never miss an update, or a product category! Sign up for our VIP newsletter. How does it work? We gather all of the content we create and send one email per week to catch you up! Sign up below.
by Kirby Hasseman
Tell me if this sounds familiar to you. You invest the time and money to attend an educational event in your industry. You struggle to get all of your work done in advance, so you can “really focus” while you are there. (With me so far?) Great news! You attend the event and it really speaks to you! You leave the conference fired up. You are committed to making real change in your office…and in your business. You head back to the office…and…nothing. Either you can’t convince your team, or you can’t convince your boss, or you can’t focus. Whatever. The amazing and inspiring plans you have fade away…into the whirlwind of your day to day. Sound familiar? Yeah. Me too. I had this happen enough times. So I came up with a few strategies to get more ideas implemented in my business. Here are a few thoughts… One Big Idea: I recently attended an event called Skucamp (I talk about that here) and my head was swimming. It was almost too much! So I decided that I needed to settle on just one idea that I could implement. I made a list so I could move on after I knocked #1 off the list. But my goal was to start with just one idea. That helped me not be overwhelmed and focus. Take an Extra Day: My wife and I attended an event called an EME. It’s like speed-dating for business. We had approximately 48 (20 minute) meetings, one after another. The event takes 2.5 days and you leave completely exhausted. It’s truly like drinking from a firehose. Amy and I had done the events before, and the results were okay. Then one year we decided to take an extra day. We sat around the pool and discussed all our notes from the previous three days. It was amazingly productive and we left with a plan. It was a total game changer for that event for us. Keep the Journal Book: Many events you attend will give you some sort of custom journal book for taking notes at the event. I love these. And in order to keep the “mojo” going after the event, I keep using it. It helps me to reconnect to the event mentally, and gives me quick access to the notes I took. Those are just a few ideas for getting back into the swing of things after a big event. What are yours? Make sure you never miss an update! Sign up for our VIP newsletter by signing up below!
by Kirby Hasseman
I am a big fan of Seth Godin. There are a ton of reasons why. He is an original thinker. He is a great author. He is a consistent content creator (I talk about his unreasonable blog here). But I also find that I love Seth’s work because he says things that I want to share. For years, he has written something on his blog and I read it and say “yes!” I feel compelled to share it with everyone…or at least people I care about. I had that experience yesterday. I was on a run and was listening to Seth’s podcast called Akimbo. This episode, called “You’re it” is on “getting picked. You see, in the past, the only way (or at least the best way) to succeed was to be picked. You submitted your book, you auditioned, you hoped and you prayed. But the success of your project or your career was ultimately in the hands of someone else. Someone else had to decide. Today it’s different. As Seth so eloquently points out in this podcast, the internet changed everything. You can publish that book on your own. You can share your idea. You can start your own comedy troop. You don’t have to wait for someone else to choose. You get to choose. So as you start today, it’s time to decide. Are you going to wait to see if someone chooses you? Or are you going to take the leap? Are you going to put in the work? It’s scary. Because if it doesn’t work, there is no one else to blame. But it can’t work if you don’t try. Like Seth, I hope you will try. Oh…and one more shot…you can listen here. Make sure you never miss an update! Each week we send out an email with all of the content we have created in one place! You can sign up below.
by Kirby Hasseman
“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Wayne Dyer. Have you ever noticed that what you put your attention on grows? It’s true. When you put your focus and time and attention on a specific thing, it tends to show up everywhere. There is plenty of science to back it up. But great thinkers have been telling us this for years. From Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich) to Wayne Dyer to Stephen Covey, all of them have told us that what we focus on, we get. Wayne Dyer says it like this, “What you really, really want in life, you tend to get. And what you really, really DON’T want in life, you also tend to get.” Both of them have your concentrated attention. “Once you realize that what you think about expands in your life, you get really careful about what you think about!” Part of it is simply us telling our subconscious brains what is important. For example, you find exactly the new car you want. You take it home, thinking it’s a one of a kind. Then you start to see it (or ones just like it) everywhere! Why? Because your brain knows this car is important…so it points it out. The same is true in your relationships. If you constantly focus on the things you don’t like in your relationships…they will continue to expand. Stephen Covey talks about this in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. He tells a husband to stop fixating on the things he doesn’t like in his spouse. Instead, start focusing on the things you love…and then they will expand. In his book “Becoming Supernatural,” Dr. Joe Dispenza talks about this in great detail. He says that most of us spend most of our time and attention (especially the very first part of our day) thinking and stressing and worrying about the past. So those past stresses and worries show up more and more. Is it any wonder that most people live the same day of their lives over and over? So what can we do? How do we break the routine? Let’s take the time to be intentional. Let’s make a mental change on what we put our time and attention on. Instead of focusing (all the time) on what stresses us, what worries us, or what annoys us, let’s spend some time thinking about the opposite. Today let’s think about: What are we grateful for? What excited us? What do we love about our life? What is it that we want to create? How can we be generous and make a difference? If what we think about expands in our life, let’s be intentional about what we focus on. Let’s work to create a life that we want to live! Make sure you never miss an update! It’s a great time to sign up for our VIP newsletter. We send out one email per week with all of the content we create in one place! Sign up today!
