by Kirby Hasseman
In a rare date night, my wife and I went to the movies to see “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The new movie, about the band Queen, was entertaining and eye opening. Lead singer, Freddie Mercury, was played extremely well by Rami Malek. And it was super cool to get the backstory around some of their iconic songs and how they all came together. I am no movie critic, but I thought it was worth watching…especially if you are a music lover. The next day, I was struck by a few things about the movie that stuck with me. Here are 3 things that Bohemian Rhapsody reminded me. Being Authentic Is Hard: When most of us think of Freddie Mercury today, we visualize the larger than life performer on stage. Though that was a part of him, it was certainly not all of him. The movie showed Freddie struggle with his family (he changed his name), his faith, his sexuality and his own loneliness. Though we see him now as a trailblazer (and he was), it was far from easy. But the world is different because he was (and Queen was) authentic. Creative Discord Is Good: The movie showcases the creative process of the band well. There are moments of fun and inspiration. But there are also moments of yelling. At one points, when Freddie works on a project on his own, he finds he misses the process. He points out to the group that when everyone just “did what he said,” the music wasn’t has good. Sometimes we try to get rid of that discord…and we shouldn’t. Fortune Favors The Bold: Queen was amazingly talented and unconventional. They were known for pushing boundaries in every way…and their music shows it. They refused to be put “in a box” as a musical style. So they experimented with different styles of music and ways to record it. They refused to go with convention. By charting their own path, Queen created a compilation of music like no other. Go watch the movie. Or don’t. But today will be filled with some of Queen’s greatest hits playing in the office. Make sure you never miss an update! Sign up for our VIP Newsletter here!
by Kirby Hasseman
We live in an amazing time. Regardless of what dream you want to chase, you have access to unlimited information about the topic. You can find articles, podcasts and videos explaining just about any topic under the sun. You just need to “google it.” *Want to fix the plumbing on your sink? You can find a great video on youtube. *Want to be a better parent? The internet is filled with articles and blogs on the topic. *Need to get in better shape? Find an event to train for, and the training plan, right online. In addition, the internet has broken down walls allowing just about anyone to into spaces that were, in the past, blocked off. If you want to create a video series, start a podcast or even write a book, you don’t need anyone else’s permission. You just need to have the courage and moxy to DO it. Like I said, we live in an amazing time. So what are you doing with it? Are you scouring the web for articles, videos, and podcasts about the topic you are passionate about? Are you looking for events to attend that will help you grow and understand more on your topic? Do you work to find books to help you grow? If not, you have to ask yourself, what’s holding you back? It’s not the technology. The barriers to entry and information have been taken down. You can find the information, the people, and the software you need. But are you willing to invest? Are you willing to invest the time to learn? Are you will to spend the time to grow? 5 years from now you will be same person you are today, except for the people you meet and the books you read. What are you doing today to be a better you tomorrow? Make sure you never miss an update! Sign up for our VIP newsletter today. It’s a little investment and it costs nothing. We put together our posts in one email each week. Sign up here.
by Kirby Hasseman
Several years ago at the PPAI Expo in Las Vegas, Seth Godin was the keynote speaker. He was thoughtful and terrific. In addition, after the keynote, Seth was gracious enough to do a question and answer session with a smaller group and I got to be a part of it. During that smaller session, Dale Denham from Geiger asked him about his legendary blog that he famously writes for every day. Point blank Dale asked him, “How do you write every day?” Without missing a beat, Seth said, “How do you talk everyday?” We all laughed, but the point was made. You can do nearly anything every single day…if you really want to do it. I thought of that exchange when I started writing this blog. On May 31st I wrote the first one and thought, “I am going to write one every day for a month.” It wasn’t easy. But that first month went fast. So did the second month. The effort was not that bad…and the results were fun to track. But recently it’s become tougher. My schedule has filled up. The season is busier. We are lower on staff. We have a huge new project (to be announced here soon). These are most often the times (for me) when I ask “Is it worth it? Does anyone really care?” Enter another lesson from Seth. I read his blog regularly. And this week, this one hit me. This post, about daily blogging, talks about the habit and the value in it. He says that most people that start the habit of daily blogging are happy they did it…if they stick with it. What does this mean to you? I think it means that if you have something you want to do, you can. Whether it’s a fitness goal, a sales goal, a goal to meditate or blog…you can do it. It just takes the discipline to block out the voices that tell you that you can’t…and to keep hitting “publish.” P.S. I am really excited that next Wednesday Seth Godin will be a guest on Delivering Marketing Joy! He will be talking about many topics, including his new book! Please check it out and help me spread the word! Make sure you never miss a daily update. Sign up here to become our VIP!
by Kirby Hasseman
When you are beginning a new project (in any phase of your life), you need to learn a lot. There is likely new terminology, procedures, new relationships, and more. You will also need to plan. What are the next steps? What might they look like? How many steps will there be? Are there books I should read or videos I should watch? It can be overwhelming.
The problem with many projects in life is they get “stuck” in the learning phase. We go from being totally excited about the opportunity, to being frozen. We don’t know what we don’t know. And as we learn more about the project, we can become paralyzed with the fear that we don’t know enough.
At some point you need to take action.
In my experience, most endeavors don’t fail because the participants don’t know enough. They fail because those involved don’t take enough action.
Here’s a harsh secret: most of your goals will take more activity than you anticipate. If you think it will take two weeks, it will likely take 3 or 4. It’s hard to estimate when you don’t know. So the sooner you start the better. And, if you take the wrong action, you will learn quickly! Then, with that new knowledge, you can take new action to move the project in the right direction.
That’s right. You will actually learn more (in many cases) by taking action.
What often holds us back is plain old fear. It’s natural. No one wants to look stupid or to fail. So here is my rule of thumb. If I find myself feeling fear, it’s a hint to me that I am on the right track. Your brain is trying to keep you comfortable. And as we have discussed before, your goal is usually just on the other side of comfort.
So if you are stuck on a new project because you feel you are not ready, it might be time to lean into the fear.
Take the next right step. Then navigate the next step from there.
If you want a next step from here, then sign up for our VIP list! You can do that here. We send out a weekly email to catch you up on all of the content from each week!
by Kirby Hasseman
How you start each day matters. No matter who you are, taking control of your thoughts and emotions during the first waking moments of your day can have a huge impact on your life. It impacts you thoughts and emotions, which ultimately helps to improve your productivity, choices and happiness. It’s huge. That’s why I am constantly looking for good things to put in my head first thing. It’s a part of a very intentional routine (you can listen about that on the DMJ pocast here). Today I want to share a cool video, podcast, etc. that you might enjoy as well.
I am a fan of Ed Mylett. If he sounds familar, I have mentioned him here before. But recently Ed interviewed Dean Graziosi and it fired me up! I highly recommend watching or listening to this interview…but here are a few takeaways that inspired me. You Don’t Have to Have It Figured Out: Dean tells the story here of how he started his infomercial business. He set up the camera crew and was so nervous he had them come back the next day. He didn’t know how to edit the piece and then he didn’t have any idea on how to get it on the air. He didn’t have it figured out. He figured it out on the way. You can too. Pay the Success Tax: What if your struggles were just part of a “tax” you had to pay to show you were willing to put in the work? Dean talks about the idea that these setbacks are a part of every journey and how you can change your mindset about them. Powerful. Create Bigger Problems: This was probably my favorite concept in here. Ed and Dean discuss that most people have small problems. Yet the stress in your life is still there. They assert that the stress in big problems and small problems are the same. If you want bigger success, you need to strive for bigger problems. This was an eye opener for me. These are just 3 takeaways. If you want to be inspired, or start your day off right, I encourage you to spend the time on this piece of content today! Enjoy! One way to fill your brain with good each day is to subscribe to our VIP list! We send out the daily content from this site once a week…then you can catch up when you want! Sign up here!
