by Kirby Hasseman
If you have ever trained for a race (like a 5K for example) you know that the training involves doing just a little more than you are able to do. You might start at a walk in order to get your body used to moving. Then you work up to a 5 or 10 minute jog the next day. As the days become weeks, you push yourself to the point where you are running for 30 minutes straight. You might not be winning the race…but you can finish! You went from not being able to run 1/4 mile, to being able to comfortably finish running 3 miles in a row. In other words, you go from “there’s no way I could do that” to “I can do it today…and tomorrow too.” That’s why physical fitness often creates great metaphors for life. The most successful people, in any area of life, are the ones that are willing to consistently make themselves uncomfortable. Some people do this because other people tell them to do it. They go to work when others tell them to go, even though it’s early (or late) and they do it every day. They do the tasks that are hard. Often they work within a common vision to create something. Those who are willing to do this over and over and over become the world’s best and most dedicated employees. Others are able to force themselves into the unknown. These are the people, with little or no supervision, do the things that most people are unable or unwilling to do. They make the prospecting calls every day, calling people they don’t know. They create the video and put it out into the world. They create the company, and take on the risk to try to make it happen. They get up an hour early to lace up their shoes and work out. Either way, they know the thing they want to achieve will take them being uncomfortable…a lot. Then they do it anyway. The interesting thing is, just like in the 5K, if you continually push yourself to do the uncomfortable, it becomes easier. The task that was agonizing can become mundane. The thing you dreaded can become routine. When that happens, you have probably broken through a barrier in performance that will lift you up. And then it might be time to get uncomfortable again. P.S. If you are looking for a race to make you uncomfortable (but still be a ton of fun) you can check out the Hasseman Brewing 3.17 Mile Run on St. Paddy’s Day in Coshocton. There will be great SWAG and beer! It will be hosted at the Coshocton Yard. Register here! Make sure you never miss an update. Sign up for our VIP newsletter here. We send one email per week with all of the content from the week. Feel free to sign up today.
by Kirby Hasseman
We do a lot of video for ourselves and for our clients at Hasseman Marketing. In doing so, I get the chance to interview a lot of smart people. It’s one of the perks of the job. On the other hand, most people I talk to don’t WANT to be interviewed. Don’t get me wrong. They are okay with it. They are even quite good at it. But most of them did not wake up thinking “I can’t wait to put a camera and lights in my face so I can answer random questions!” That means that, no matter how passionate and smart they are, sometimes people get stuck. They know what to say. But in that moment, they struggle with how to articulate it. As a person that talks on podcasts, videos and presentations, I totally get it. Sometimes the words just don’t come out right. In these moments I try to redirect the conversation with the same basic question. It starts with “What’s the best thing about…” I stumbled upon this trick early in my career as I was fumbling for questions. When I asked people about “the best thing” about the project they were working on, they brightened up. They were able to re-frame the conversation in their mind and look at it from 10,000 feet. The question also seemed to allow them to think about their project from a pure passion perspective. Now I know the science backs this up. By resetting their mindset about the project (no matter what that project is) so they think about “what is best about” they insert a layer of positivity into the discussion. They are reminded about why they are working on the project in the first place. It also gives them the simple gift of getting them out of the weeds. So the next time you want to take a conversation to the next level, you might try this technique. Want a job? Ask the interviewer “What’s the best thing about working here?” Want to learn more about a prospect? “What the best thing about working in this position?” You get the idea. It will get the person talking and the conversation going…and you might be more interested too! P.S. Need more questions? I wrote this blog about 20 great questions to ask. Make sure you never miss an update. Sign up for our VIP newsletter here.
by Kirby Hasseman
Today was a snow day. I know, that’s not a huge revelation on February 1st in Ohio. The winter that had started out very mild, has turned more harsh over the last couple of weeks. So when I got the call this morning to alert me that school was cancelled, it was not a huge surprise. The call came a about 15 minutes before my scheduled alarm was set to go off. And, as I processed the information, I realized that my morning appointment had cancelled yesterday. My morning had just opened up. I stood up and turned my alarm off. Then I crawled back into bed and snuggled under the covers with my lovely bride…and smiled. It was a “little moment of celebration.” In business and in life, we are taught to celebrate the huge victories. If you win the big game, land the huge client, graduate, get married, or get that job, we throw a party. These are special moments and they should be celebrated. But moments like that are, well, special. That means they are (by definition) rare. They don’t come along that often. And while they are fun to celebrate in that moment (and great to shoot for) they don’t provide many opportunities for satisfaction. In the middle of grinding for a big goal, I think it’s important to give yourself reasons to celebrate along the way. These moments of happiness and gratitude can help to boost you when you need it. In addition, they can help to provide some level of fulfillment along the way. These “little moments of celebration” can help you with that. Now don’t get me wrong. It’s not a daily time to be lazy. It’s a simple time to take a breath and take stock. Then, after reflecting on how far you have come, or how much you have to be thankful for, you can get back to work. Make sure you never miss an update or a chance for a “little celebration.” Sign up to become our VIP! Each week we send a list of the content we have created to provide you value. Sign up for that here.
by Kirby Hasseman
Do you ever wake up stressed in the middle of the night and struggle to fall back asleep? Your mind starts to race about things that happened yesterday or are due tomorrow and you just can’t shut it off. Asking for a friend. I think most of us have had a night like that. Many of us have more than one. But for me, when I wake up and start to work on the problem, my anxiety goes down. The challenge might still exist, but my focus changes from all of what could happen to what I can do about it. I have shifted to my “circle of influence.” Stephen Covey talks about this concept in his amazing book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” Covey explains that everyone has a circle of influence where they have direct control. Inside this circle, they can have a big impact on their day, and ultimately, their life. The challenge is, many of us spend a lot of our time focused outside of that circle. We worry and we fret over the economy, the President, other people’s opinions, and even the weather. These (and so many other things) are outside of our circle of influence. They create stress and worry and (most importantly) we can’t do ANYTHING about them. It’s a waste of time and energy. This is the inspiration for today’s VLOG. There are 3 things that I don’t pay any attention to. They are outside of my circle of influence.
That’s why, when people ask me, “what’s the weather supposed to be like tomorrow,” I can honestly say “I have no idea.” I found that the weather forecast was a source of constant frustration for me. That may be silly, but I either didn’t like what was supposed to happen, or it was not what was predicted. Most importantly, I couldn’t do anything about it. So I shut it off. What are those things in your world? What is a source of frustration for you that you can’t do anything about? It might be time to focus on your “circle of influence.” Make sure you never miss an update! Sign up to become a VIP. We send out one email per week to catch you up on all of the content! You can sign up here.
by Kirby Hasseman
We all have “that voice.” I have talked about it before. We all have that voice that spends time telling us that we are not good enough, or smart enough, or not ready. We hear that voice the loudest when we are about ready to try something new or challenging. That voice is fear. That voice is insecurity. It’s a voice we all have. But what do we DO with it? Seth Godin, in his great book “What to do when it’s your turn (and it’s always your turn)” talks about this when he asks “where do you put the tired?” He points out that when people run a marathon, there will be a time when you get tired. There are no books on how to run a marathon WITHOUT getting tired. When you run 26.2 miles, you will get tired. So what do you do with the tired? The same point is true for fear and insecurity. There is no way to create or challenge yourself or try something new without hearing that voice. So what do you do with it? From what I can tell, people do one of a few things when confronted with “that voice.” Run Away: When faced with something that scares people, sometimes they just completely avoid anything to do with it. They feel if they don’t know about or see it, that opportunity will not exist. The problem with this group is they will never achieve what they could in life. By avoiding their fears, they avoid their potential too. Curl Up: Sometimes the fear just stops them. They don’t leave the area. They just watch others do what they want to do and wish. The challenge here is this leads to a life of jealousy. They will constantly be watching people doing the things they would love to do…but won’t. When you see people who are mean-spirited and judgmental online, I always consider this group. Fake It Till You Make It: You see this group full of bravado. They feel like if they are brash and confident enough on the outside, we won’t know they hear the voice. This has been me many times in my life. Though this is preferred to the first two, because at least they are leaning in, it is hard to sustain. I think the goal for this group is to start here, and then grow to a place where you don’t have to fake it anymore. Ignore the Voice: These people still hear that voice, but they choose to push forward anyway. They know it might not work. They know there is a chance of failure. But they find a place to “put the fear.” This is, generally, the group that creates long term value and content and success. Which one are you? If you are like most of us, you have been all of these in different areas of your life. But now that you recognize it…what will you be today…and tomorrow? Where will you put “that voice?” Make sure you never miss an update! Each week we send out one email with all of the content of the week! It’s our VIP list and you can sign up here.
