by Kirby Hasseman
It was several years ago and I had just come from a community meeting. I walked into a local retailer and started talking to the nice woman behind the counter. The topic changed to the local “First Fridays” event that was hosted on Main Street.
The idea of the event was simple. The First Friday of each month, retailers would stay open later, there would be food, and entertainment on Main Street and (hopefully) people would come down and enjoy. I loved the concept of the event and was involved with helping to plan it.
The woman started to make suggestions about the event. It went something like this…
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“They need to have it earlier in the day.”
“They need to start it sooner in the year.”
“They need to have more food.”
They. They. They. They.
Having just come from a meeting about First Fridays, I stopped her.
“Here’s the thing. I am a part of “they.” We are starting a new group called “we.” You are welcome to be a part of it.”
She had a confused look on her face, so I explained. “It’s not an exclusive group. We don’t get paid. Frankly, we don’t often even get invited! It’s just a group of people willing to do something.”
The conversation ended there.
That’s how it happens so often. There is a long list of people willing to bitch, moan and complain about things. This group does not like how things are and are willing to tell everyone about it. But when asked to help, they get quiet or disappear.
Don’t be that guy or gal.
If you see something that you are frustrated with in your community, start considering what YOU can do about it. Sure, it might be calling “the authorities.” But it might be something you can do on your own.
Are they weeds too high downtown? You could pull them.
Does one of your neighbors let their grass grow too high? You could help them mow it.
Is there trash along the side of the road? You could pick it up.
You may not want to. You may even be thinking “that’s not my job.” Maybe not. But you COULD do it. So if you could do it, and you don’t do it…it’s a choice.
The same is true for any area of your life. If you want something to change, you could wait around for someone to change it for you. Or, you could figure out what needs to change, and take action yourself.
It’s your choice. Choose wisely.
by Kirby Hasseman
I was on the phone with our web designer, Eric Dingler, the other day and I realized something. Eric just finished a new web design for a client and we were talking about re-designing our own site as well. He was listening to my ideas on things I wanted to include and making suggestions. Then he spent some time telling me about website podcasts he listens to, and their advice on the matter. He excitedly told me about a new “tricks and tips” he could work into our site. That was when it hit me.
The best people to work with are the ones that are constantly learning and honing their craft.
Always. It never stops.
Then I looked around my office and noticed the same thing with our designer Josh. He is always looking at design. Sure, he went to school for design and he has the background and the chops. But he follows designers, he studies their work, he enjoys the conversation. He is honing his craft.
The question is…what are you working on? What do you want to become great at? If you will or if you won’t can be answered by whether or not you are continually learning or studying your craft. Want to be a fitness expert? Yes, of course you have to put in the work. You have to work on your own diet and your own fitness. But are you reading the latest blogs? Are you up on the latest workouts?
Want to stand out in Content Marketing? It’s not just about creating content (though that is super important). It’s also about studying other masters to see what is working and what is not? Want to lead in sales? It’s not just about making the sales calls (though that is where it starts). You need to continually be reading articles, books, and blogs on the topic. You have to get re-inspired and re-imagined to continue to be the best.
Do you want to be great at something or are you just saying it? A simple self-audit will tell you the truth if you let it. You are passionate about what you work at and study. Look at your calendar and study your time. That will tell you the truth. Make sure you never miss an update! It’s a great time to become a VIP! Sign up here for our weekly email with all of our content.
by Kirby Hasseman
There is a powerful story from 7 Habits of Highly Effective People where Steven Covey was speaking to a group. After the talk, a man came up to Mr. Covey and said “My wife and I are close to a divorce. We just don’t love each other anymore. What should I do?”
Covey told the man, “You need to LOVE her.”
The man was confused. “But you don’t understand,” he said. “We just don’t FEEL that way anymore.”
Covey explained, “That’s the problem. Love is not a feeling. Love is an action.” Covey went onto explain that the husband needed to get back to taking action in consistent with love. He needed to do things for her. He needed to serve her. He needed to LOVE her. It’s an action.
I was reminded about this at a church service recently when our pastor declared that “Compassion is NOT a feeling. It’s an action!” I agree. Way too many times in life, we feel things and hope that is enough. It almost never is. It is imperative, in nearly every area of our lives, to take more action. The thing that is holding most people back in their work, dreams, relationships, fitness and more…is action. Most of us dream about what we want. We think a lot about what others have that we don’t. We might even take the extra step and write down the sincere wishes we have in our life. Heck, we might even meditate or pray in hopes the universe will bring them to us!
What we don’t do is take action.
If we are not seeing enough change, we are not taking enough action.
So if you want your spouse to know that you love them…LOVE them. If you want your team to know you have compassion for them…SHOW them. If you want your community to know you care about it…GIVE something. It’s not about thoughts. It’s not about dreams. It’s about action. Take some.
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by Kirby Hasseman
It’s Monday. Many people start off the week with a feeling of dread. But it doesn’t have to be that way! How can you get your Monday (and ultimately your week) off on the right foot? Here are a few simple tips that will help you start to love Monday!
Own the First 60 Seconds: The fact is, most of us start our day living in the past. We wake up and are immediately worried about the actions of yesterday or the problems coming up. That’s no formula for happiness or success. Take a deep breath and bring yourself into the now. Read more about this here.
Have a Good Routine: We all have routines that govern our life. Studies will tell you that between 60% and 70% of the decisions you make each day are on auto-pilot. So spend some time to create routines that serve you. Drink water. Exercise. Read. Whatever feeds your brain and your soul. Make that a part of your every day. Put IN Some Good: Which leads you to get some sources of inspiration that help to feed that brain first thing in the morning. My sources include Gary Vaynerchuck, Seth Godin, Ed Mylett and more. But if you need another, check out my Youtube Channel and subscribe. Our goal is to provide some education and inspiration as well!
Push Out Some Good: Another great way to get your mindset kicked off in the right direction is to simply do some good first thing. For me, it might be writing a blog post. My creative juices get flowing and I hope to affect some positive change. It might be sending a thank you card or email or text. Push out some good…it will make you feel great!
Chart a Course For Action: Now it’s time to be intentional. Don’t just let the day happen to you. Spend some time and chart a few things you want to get done today. Creating a short list of “must do’s” can help keep you on track when the whirlwind of the day hits! It’s time to take Monday back! Try a few of these simple steps to get you off on the right foot to attack your week! Now…let’s go do this!
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by Kirby Hasseman
One question I get regularly is “how do you stay positive?”
Most of the time I struggle to really answer this question. There are several reasons why. 1. I don’t always “feel” positive. I have the same negative voices that everyone has. They are constantly in my head, reminding me of my failures and frustrations. 2. It’s who I am.
On the other hand, I have been working on being more positive for a long time. At this point, I don’t know if it’s genetic, or if it comes from a long focus. But it is (now) my default position. So it’s a little bit like asking someone “why do you like food, or running, or whatever?” The answer is often, “I don’t know, I just do.”
With that being said, I was thinking about this question the other day and realized that I do one thing that does help me set my mind right first thing in the morning. The concept is simple and foundational. Just like in a house, the foundation of your day is super important. It doesn’t matter what your house looks like. It might be straight out of a movie. The house might be huge and have all of the amenities in the world. But it doesn’t matter if you have heated floors, huge windows and a 5 car garage, if your foundation is not done right, that house will crumble.
The same is true for your day.
That’s why it’s so critical for me to own the first 60 seconds. Most people wake up and immediately start to relive yesterday. They look back at the stresses and failures of yesterday and their heart starts to race. Their mind starts to fill with dread and stress and BOOM…you are done. You are living in the past. The day is no longer yours. (The same is true if you immediately jump to the stresses of the upcoming day). I have those voices too. But when I feel that stress start to flood my mind when I first awake, I do two things.
1. I take a few deep breaths to calm myself.
2. Then I go through a simple gratitude exercise.
I think of the things in my life that I am grateful for or excited about. They might be my daughters or my co-workers or my wife or my bed. They might be projects at work, or people who have helped me. Whatever. I take a full minute to try and re-calibrate my mind and get it ready to attack the day with a different, more productive, mindset. For me, this is the foundation of the day. So try it for the next week and let me know how it works for you. Set the right foundation and the rest of your day will improve.
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by Kirby Hasseman
As humans, we have a very specific problem. Well maybe not ALL humans. This just applies to the ones that want to evolve and grow and change. And the fact that you are reading a blog, tells me you are one of “those people.” The problem has to do with Certainty and unCertainty.
As humans we are constantly looking to create certainty in our lives. We want to create the airtight plans. We want to select the “best” way to do something. We really want to know the outcome of any endeavor before we actually take the leap. If we can’t know and predict success (with certainty), many of us don’t want to take action at all.
The problem, of course, starts with this; there is no certainty. In no area of life is there really certainty. We cannot predict the future. We don’t know how long we are going to live. We can’t ensure the gamble will work. We can’t ever be totally certain…of anything. We are chasing a ghost.
Ironically the only thing that is really certain…is uncertainty.
Here’s the other thing, uncertainty is where the magic happens. If you want to learn anything new, that comes in the land of uncertainty. If you want to level up at work, there is no specific path that guarantees success. If you want to create a business, write a book, run a marathon, or date the person of your dreams, you are going to have to willingly and earnestly lean into an area that will be completely uncertain.
So that’s the paradox. We seek a level of certainty that is unattainable. We avoid the uncertainty, because it makes us uncomfortable. But our personal and professional growth comes when we embrace the uncertainty of life…and lean in.
Take the leap. Make the call. Put in the work. It might not work. The outcome is not certain. And that, my friends, is perfect.
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