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Invisible Cardboard

April 6, 2011 in A Typical Wednesday, Misc with 0 Comments

There are a million books out there that tell us the importance of thinking outside the box. I’ve read hundreds of them.

The ultimate benefit of those books comes when you realize you don’t really need to read very many of them, because the box is really just an artificially, self-imposed restriction you’ve placed on yourself. The box is what you decide is your reality. Tony Robbins calls them limiting beliefs.

The box is how you gauge your situation or your business at the present moment.

Is your business doing poorly because of a bad economy? Is your business stuck in the box, or is your business doing poorly because you’ve chosen to accept it and do nothing about it? Surely, you could never attempt such a unique outside-the-box method of increasing your business, could you? Not you. Stay Stuck.

Are you angry at your current situation? Frustrated that you can’t get that pay raise or that gig you’ve been applying for. Is it because you’re stuck in the box or is it because you choose to watch six hours of Dancing With The Stars every night?

The box, fortunately for us, is a fictitious confine. It’s devastating because the box is so powerful, we all find ourselves struggling with the invisible cardboard walls on a daily basis. I know I do.

Take one step to the left or one step to the right. Take one step forward or one step back.

Basically, a single step in any direction and you’re out of the box.

Try it.

Okay, you’re out. Now what?

Weak and Powerless

September 1, 2010 in A Typical Wednesday, Fun Stuff, Life with 0 Comments

On Wednesdays, I always seem to write just whatever pops into my head – or go off on a bit of a tangent. I’ve created a new category for these posts and I’m calling it “A Typical Wednesday.”

Hope you enjoy them.

Somewhere along the route of history, we sold ourselves out.

We gave into all kinds of fear. We created things like the all-inclusive travel industry – a farce of a way to “find yourself” and rid yourself of your problems, even if it was for only a week or two at a time. We’ve created entire industries that act as coping mechanisms for our addictions.

We’re addicted to a drug called security.

But we’ll often chalk it up as “just the way things are.”

This is what Seuss called the Waiting Place. It’s the place where most of us go as a crutch. It may be dark and dreary, but it’s the safest place to be, after all – you just wait.

We’re so dependant on the drug that even when an opportunity falls right into our lap, we often miss it. We’re blind to it. We’re paralyzed by it. We’re so weak and powerless that at that moment, we have nothing to rely on. We’re locked in a mental prison and we built the walls.

But realistically, we’re just so damn scared of going off the drug, or peaking beyond the curtain of the Waiting Place, we give in, give up, and wait.

The key is to start looking beyond the curtain even if it’s just a peek here or a peek there. It has to be an ongoing process. You’ve got to start now.

Then one day, when nobody’s looking, you quietly slip behind the curtain and you’re off. Never to return to that damn place again.

Start peeking now.

Give & Take

August 25, 2010 in A Typical Wednesday, Life with 0 Comments

It must be Wednesday. Here’s what I was thinking about a few minutes ago – I  figured two short posts in one day was OK. :-)

The more you give to the world, the more the world will give you in return.

And the more you take, the more the world will resist.

Most of us live our lives as takers. We are always striving to take a bit more here and there to further ourselves. Of course, we’re not really furthering ourselves. We’re furthering our egos and the representation of what we call “ourselves.”

And when we choose to live this way, the world constantly resists our efforts by knocking us down and presenting us with new challenges. The harder we push, the stronger the resistance gets.

But when you let go and start giving instead of always taking, something interesting starts to happen. The world starts giving back. It starts rewarding you in various ways. Things suddenly start going your way.

Let go and give. Give unselfishly.  Give without the desire to receive something in return. Give anything. Try it and see what happens.

Are you a giver or a taker?

I’ll Out-Ship you.

June 16, 2010 in A Typical Wednesday, Linchpin with 5 Comments

I’m in a mood today. I’m not sure why or what sparked it, but I’m going with it. It must be a Wednesday thing, because the same thing happened last Wednesday.

You might not like it. It might make you uncomfortable. It might make you a little uneasy with me.

I’m apologizing in advance. I don’t know what brought it on. This seems to happen only on the occasions that the lizard is just as fired up as I am.

Perhaps my idea of blogging everyday is silly. I mean, who am I to think I might have something even slightly meaningful to say each and every single day….geeez…

Who am I kidding?

But you know what? I’m going to do it. I’m going to hit the publish button every single day.

You keep virtually plowing through your pretend farm, tending to your virtual crops, and I’ll keep shipping.

Maybe, just maybe, I’ll eventually get good at it. Blogging is something that has interested me for years. And for years, I could never get around to doing it consistently. I had excuses galore. And when I did blog, my grammar and spelling was atrocious. I can imagine my elementary school teachers cringing from ear to ear.

But I’m the one laughing now. Because I know I’ll prevail.

I think it’s like anything else in life. If you’re not willing to put in the time and practice on a consistent basis, you’re not going to get good at it. It’s really that simple.

Whatever your skill is, you’ve got to be willing to practice it and do it even on the days every bone in your body is telling you to skip it.

Remember – art isn’t just about drawing, painting, or sculpting. Your art is what you do, and everything you put into it.

If your art is owning and operating your ice cream shop, so be it.

If your art is operating a hot dog joint, so be it.

Daily regimented practice is the key.

Who knows? A year from now, I might get really good at this. You keep harvesting your digital crop, and I’ll keep seeding mine.

P.S. Here’s something new and a simple request for you.

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Thanks,
Noah