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Tribe Conference 2018: Notes and Quotes

Screen Shot 2018-10-30 at 9.43.39 PM

Anne and Me

This past weekend, I attended the Tribe Conference for the second time. I loved it so much last year that I signed up on the spot for 2018. And, wow, this year was even better!

It’s mostly a writer’s conference, but there are lots of creative and artsy people there, which makes it even more fun. Plus, my friend Anne of TrueNorth Freedom Project came along this year! I love attending conferences regardless, but it’s always better with friends.

There are a few reasons why I think #TribeConf is a great event, and stands out from many others. First of all, the speakers are very generous. It’s quite common for them to bring freebies for the audience like books and online courses. Second, many of the speakers hang out at the event before and after their talk. They don’t all swoop in and out just for their portion. Third, other “professionals” attend this event. I saw several well-known speakers posting on social media as attendees. Fourth, it’s usually pretty evident that at lot of the speakers are friends of Jeff Goins, the host, and that just makes for a fun and relaxed atmosphere. And, finally, it’s only about 500 people, so you get to meet a lot of people, as well as the speakers.

Since you guys didn’t get to attend with me, I took lots of notes, and wanted to share them with you. I hope you learn something or feel inspired like I did!

 

  • You cannot avoid rejection and do your greatest work.
  • You cannot make work for everyone and someone. Focus on the one.
    • Who is my work for? How will I think about my work?
  • A brand is a promise.
  • You get more opportunities by saying yes to everything.
  • The secret to being a master is to always keep the mindset of an apprentice.
  • Fall in love with the idea of eventually. Don’t give your success live and die deadlines.
  • It’s about time I _______________. (What goal do you need to start working toward?)
  • “We artificially escalate the consequences of failure.”
  • If you’re doing work that matters, you’ll have rough edges.
  • If you do work that is different, you’re doing something dangerous and worthwhile.
  • People will question your differences now, and celebrate them when you succeed.
  • Once we become good at something, it’s easy to embrace COMFORT and stop growing.
    • You can succeed your way into failure.
    • You can accomplish a task and fail anyway.
    • Adopt new ways to challenge yourself.
    • The creative path is one of growth and resistance.
    • Building a body of work: discovery, emulation, divergence, and crisis
      • At crisis, you can either go back and start over, or stay there and let your work die.
    • Where are my comfort traps?
  • Fear holds us back from creating.
    • Where is fear paralyzing you?
    • Fear is often disguised as wisdom, but it also looks like opportunity.
  • Identify your productive passion.
    • Passion has to do with the outcome, not the task.
    • Passion doesn’t mean easy. If fact, it means pain.
    • “Here I stand” is what it represents.
      • What angers you?
      • What makes you cry?
      • What gives you hope?
  • Define your battles.
    • You can’t fulfill them all.
  • Make something you love everyday for someone who will love it. <— THIS!
  • Are you creating a body of work that reflects who you are rather than your compromises?
  • People will always follow your physical cues, and that’s what they’ll believe.
  • Watch the “power stance” TED Talk
    • Fake it till you become it.
  • What’s the problem you solve?
    • What would your audience say? What keeps them awake? What’s their internal monologue?
    • Think several layers deep.
    • What happens if that problem isn’t solved?
    • It has to be their perspective, not yours!
    • Why is this a problem? Keep dialing down.
    • Use their words.
  • Creative Sandbox Way Guideposts:
    • There is no wrong.
    • Think process, not product.
    • Think quantity, not quality.
    • Think tiny and daily.
    • If you are stuck, just start (anywhere).
    • When in doubt, ask WHAT IF?
    • Take the riskier path.
    • Dismiss all gremlins.
    • Spring the comparison trap.
    • Practice self-awareness and self-compassion.
  • Other people see your work for what it is. You see your work for what it isn’t.
  • Avoiding video is like avoiding a handshake in 2018.
  • Don’t keep the best stuff to yourself.
    • Give it away, and people will still pay you for it later.
  • Be relevant, authentic, and advocate for your brand.
  • Choose your channel:
    • Context is important. Every channel doesn’t work the same way.
    • Example…YouTube: You seek out content (video image and title are important to grabbing initial intention)
    • Example…FB: You just show up (it’s auto-play and there is no audio)
  • Sustain Your Strategy
    • Consistency is key.
    • Average lifespan: Twitter (18 minutes), Facebook (5 hours), Instagram (21 hours), LinkedIn (24 hours), YouTube (20 days)
    • YouTube should be done once per week.
  • Content: Think Hub, Hero, and Help
    • Hub satisfies the content you promised, and will be at least 60% of the content.
    • Hero is for mainstream and subscribers, which is the wildly popular stuff that will be about 10% of the time.
    • Help is for subscribers and and a searching audience, and will about 30% of the time. Here is where you’re trying to get shown in search results.
    • Check out Lowe’s as an example, though they don’t follow the percentages precisely.
      • Behind The Design vs The Weekender vs How To
  • One perfect viewer
    • Make someone feel like you made the content just for them.
  • A book is the key that opens the door to Narnia.
  • Books legitimize you in your industry.
  • 70% of books are bought on Amazon.
  • How to find and refine your book idea for maximum impact:
    • No ideas:
      • What is your expertise
      • What are your most popular topics on your blog?
      • What makes you different?
      • What convos do you have over and over?
      • What are the misconceptions in your industry?
    • Too many ideas:
      • What can I finish the fastest?
      • Most likely to finish?
      • Which idea will make me happy?
        • Prioritize the first two questions.
  • How to write a draft in as little as a weekend:
    • Learn to mind map.
    • Write out everything you know on the topic. (words and phrases)
    • Organize ideas in 4-7 groups, and then into 10-12 chapters.
    • Use the sections to organize into an order/sequence.
    • Mind map, outline, write….repeat per chapter.
  • Marketing your book
    • Get a good cover that grabs attention. (Good art and easy-to-read title. Can people tell after looking at it quickly what it’s about?)
    • Build a launch team
    • Get reviews
  • Use the “look inside” feature on Amazon to get subscribers. He does audiobook version for free. Video series is a good idea, too.
    • He likes to say Amazon is for buyers. Google is for browsers.
  • The truth:
    • You don’t need a ton of marketing for your product.
    • You don’t need a traditional publisher.
    • You need to learn marketing.
  • Put yourself into communities, virtual and real life, where you can use your craft.
  • Community will help you succeed.
  • You can’t stand out and fit in at the same time.
  • Show up around your work with energy. People can feel it.
  • Mindset is everything.
  • Celebrate your weirdness.
  • You build something one brick at a time.
  • Craft first, but not craft only.
  • A mindfulness practice is what all high-performers have in common. Learn to fill your mind with good things.
  • Build remarkable – something people will remark on
    • Brand is the gut feeling people have about you and your organization. It’s not what you say it is, it’s what they say it is.
  • Brand design is the intersection of business context, objectives, and story.
  • Make sure your business has a plan.
  • Brand Value Proposition
    • My/our ______ helps ______ who want to ______ by _____ and _____.
      • My/our (products or services) hep (target customer) who want to (relieve pain) by (selling points) and (creating gains).
  • Stay humble.
    • Learn often from outside your circle.
  • Focus on your uniqueness. Be yourself.
  • Don’t argue with your words.
  • Dream big. Start small. Keep moving.
  • The Master Communicator’s Secret Weapon: Improv
  • 3 Improve Concepts
    • Lead with acceptance (Yes, and…)
    • Become a better listener (listen is an anagram for silent)
    • Don’t fear failure
  • L.I.S.T.E.N.
    • Look interested
    • Involve yourself by responding
    • Stay on target (the person you’re talking to)
    • Test your understanding
    • Evaluate the message
    • Neutralize the feelings (ex: heated argument)
  • “Yes, and….” so you can
    • Open doors to new opportunities
    • Empower your team and improve the culture
    • Become open-minded and innovate
  • Listen better, so you can
    • Become a master communicator
    • Make everyone who talks feel special
    • Increase revenue
  • Don’t fear failure, so you can
    • Become a non-conformist and original thinker
    • Become an admired leader
    • Take risks
  • “With God and Google, you are unstoppable!”
  • How to Get What You Want
    • What holds us back isn’t a lack of knowledge, it’s our thoughts.
    • How to overcome procrastination:
      • 10/10/10 analysis
        • Think about something big you want or want to do.
        • Ask yourself, “How will I feel about this in 10 minutes?”
        • …in 10 weeks?
        • …in 10 months?
      • Once you see the benefits increase and obstacles decrease, you can move forward.
    • How to move forward with confidence:
      • Show up.
      • Be real.
      • Love others.
      • Don’t quit.
    • If you keep waiting for your dream to feel easy, you’ll never stop waiting.
  • “Eat This Poem” – blog and cookbook
  • Writing in the margins – finding the spare time to make things happen over time
  • “Follow your curiosity.” – Elizabeth Gilbert
  • Figure out where to prioritize, and be okay with holding off on other stuff, at least for now.
  • Don’t wait for permission to create your work.
  • Most creators don’t have a marketing plan
  • Marketing isn’t about closing a sale, it’s about opening a relationship
  • 3 identities to every brand
    • Visual
    • Verbal
    • Value
    • Does your brand send a mixed message? Think about if you saw a Walmart slogan on a Louis Vuitton ad.
  • “Success is sequential, not simultaneous.” – Gary W. Keller
    • 7 Steps to Build a Powerful Personal Brand
      • Personal story
        • The messenger is more important than the message.
        • Movement —> Marketing —> Money
        • When you work on your movement, marketing is easy.
      • Platform
        • Most people try to start here.
      • Positioning
        • Your relationship to your competitors
      • Product
        • This is determine by the previous steps.
      • Price
        • Also determined by everything above.
      • Pitch
        • Verbal identity
      • Partners
        • People who want to share and recommend you
  • Think about your products or services. Then add a zero to your most expensive one. Market your product at that level, and also know what you could give someone if they wanted to pay you that much money.
  • Live your message. Love your work. Leave your mark.
  • Check out his latest book, “Running Down a Dream”
  • We all have fears around putting our work out into the world, but how rational are those fears?
  • Even people at the top of their game get scared.
    • We always think if we get good enough at something we won’t be afraid anymore, but that’s not true.
    • We can also get bored if we get really good at something.
  • We need to say out loud what our souls are silently screaming, because it may give someone else the courage to do the same.
  • We are supposed to put our work out in the world for those who came before us, as well as those who will come after us.
  • In order to win in the game, you have to be in the game.
  • Know who your audience is.
    • You can even have a less than perfect product depending on who your audience is and what they’ll pay for. They may just be waiting on you to create something.
  • Research
    • What do people want?
  • Validate
    • Will they pay for it?
  • Secret Sauce
    • ex: How to _____ without _____ (people want pleasure without pain)
    • Three things to focus on: who, what, and how (audience, topic, sales)
    • 6 ingredients
      • A deep and specific topic (ex: spray marketed to keep black cars clean)
        • 4 deep technique (ex: writers – self-publishing – software – scrivener) This is how he got to his Scrivener how to product.
      • A real pain or problem
        • They need to really feel the pain!
        • What happens if they don’t ____. (This is the gap you fill.)
      • Urgent in nature
        • If there are seven categories that define problems, strive to hit in the top three.
      • Willing to pay
      • Ability to pay
      • Something you can be passionate about
  • Affiliates
    • Who else will promote?
  • Exponential growth
    • It comes once all of these things are in place.
  • Find the audience, don’t build the audience.
    • Where do they hang out?
    • Listen to them!
    • What are people complaining about?
  • Where you might get stuck
    • I’m not an expert. (ex: Frank Abagnale was asked how he was such a good teacher on a subject he knew little about, and he said he just read one chapter ahead)
    • I’m don’t have time.
      • Find it in bits. It adds up.
    • I don’t have the tools.
      • Start with what you have.
  • Customer + Product = Awesome person who can do great stuff
  • I help _____ so that _______.
  • What’s the problem you solve?
  • Hire a business coach.
  • Mindset is vital.
  • Get okay with being uncomfortable.
  • She used FB ads to give a discount and get them on her list. Then they bought merch.
  • They story isn’t how brilliant you are. It’s the hard and embarrassing stuff.
  • Content
    • I know how that feels. (ex: empathy, what do you feel comfortable sharing)
    • I need to know this. (ex: how to)
    • I know about this. (ex: easy content like yes/no or multiple choice)
    • This is what I think. (ex: opinion)
  • How can you make everything about your audience?
    • She wanted to promote speaking gigs, so she gave behind-the-scenes on how she puts together a talk.
      • Brad talks into 5-7 minute blocks around a point or story and then storyboard them.
    • When sharing new content, try to start a conversation. Then lead into the post, and share it with those who participate.
  • Everything is a content opportunity!
  • Show, don’t tell.
    • Where does your life intersect your business?
    • What are the stories you share repeatedly?
    • Where in your story do people lean in?
  • Tell the stories people want to hear, not the stories you want to share.
  • Works with Millennials and consults with others about them
  • When it’s all too much…
    • Having a good agent wasn’t enough.
    • What would my work look like if I were okay just being me?
      • Sometimes the best strategy is just the one you will follow.
  • Obsessive Comparison Disorder
    • It’s hard to create anything worth creating if you’re expecting to be affirmed and applauded in the process of creating it.
    • The world is desperately hungry for your signature sauce.
    • What are my failures and personal pain revealing to me about my purpose?
    • Failure doesn’t ruin your story. Failure helps you write it.
    • We don’t connect over present perfection. We connect over shared pain. Will you have the courage to go first?
    • Who will I not be able to help if I give up now?
  • “You need to take responsibility for your own success.” – JB
    • I wanted to begin with people who campaigned me, but I needed to put myself first. People came alongside me later.
  • Your book title and subtitle are extremely important in nonfiction. – CA
  • It’s easy to think about the things you haven’t done or success you haven’t attainted. But remember that there was a time when where you are sitting now was out of reach.
  • “Fully Alive” book turned documentary on Netflix
  • Humility is different than denying the gifts God gave you.
  • 1) The greatest characters of a communicator is having a purpose.
    • To communicate effectively, speak with a specific, singular purpose in every presentation you deliver.
    • Great communication is the intersection of your presentation and people’s wants/needs/benefits…and moves them to action.
    • If you don’t have a purpose in mind, one will subconsciously be assigned to you.
    • “A sermon should be a bullet and not buckshot.” – Haddon Robinson
    • Your speech can ONLY be enabling (how) or persuasive (why).
  • 2) Great communicators have a plan.
    • Have a powerful opening and closing.
  • 3) Great communicators communicate with passion.
    • Powerful illustrations
    • Establish eye contact.
    • Maximize the power of your voice.
    • Let your face match your words.
    • Be your own best critic.
    • Have a passion for excellence.
    • Have a passion for life.
  • Think about:
    • What is my ultimate purpose?
    • What is my plan to get there?
    • What do I do next?
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Tribe Conference 2017 Notes & Quotes

TribeConfThis past weekend I attended my first Tribe Conference in Franklin, Tenn. Unofficially sponsored by various local donut companies, because they got mentioned from the stage so often, this gathering for writers is the brainchild of Jeff Goins. It was only my second writer’s conference, and even though I’m probably not quite the target audience for the group, which focuses mostly on book authors, I really enjoyed it. In fact, I’ve already signed up for next year!

If you’ve been reading this blog for a few months or longer, you’ve likely seen other conference notes on here. I attend a lot of conferences. I LOVE conferences. I’d attend one every month if I could. But the events I usually take part in for my business are often centered on social justice, leadership, entrepreneurship or other business topics. Of course, I write all the time for myself and my clients, but this was a bit of a different slant, which was great, because it meant my brain was working in a different way. So, it was lovely to be around other writers for a few days.

I believe that one of the hallmarks of a great conference is when you see the speakers hanging out with attendees and taking notes—and I definitely saw that at #TribeConf. A couple of the speakers even noted that they had previously purchased tickets to this year’s event not knowing they’d be on stage! Another great indicator. So, if you’re a writer, I’d encourage you to look into this annual gathering.

Below you’ll find all the things I scratched down in my notebook, and I hope you find them helpful.

Jeff Goins, founder of Tribe Conference

  • “Isn’t it interesting that we have to learn shame, but we are born knowing how to dance.”
  • “Real artists don’t have to starve.” (His latest book.)
  • “You may have to ‘behave’ as a writer, before you ‘believe’ you’re a writer.”
  • Conference rules: Be present. Be helpful. Be brave.
  • Most of our failures are invisible to others, but they consume us.
  • “Why does your definition of success not include struggle?” – Jeff’s therapist (for the times we get caught up in what’s going wrong)

Rachel Bagby

  • Check out her Dekaaz for how to reduce complex thoughts and concepts to 10 syllables.

Marsha Shandur, storyteller

  • Author of Off the Mic: The World’s Best Stand-Up Comedians Get Serious About Comedy
  • Marsha taught us how to not be awkward at conferences and in networking. 🙂
  • “Networking is just talking to people you like about things you’re both interested in.”
  • Your storytelling must be vulnerable. (How did you feel? Name the emotion. What was your internal monologue at the time?)

Pamela Slim, small business coach and author of Body of Work: Finding the Thread the Ties Your Story Together

  • Think about your beloved readers.
    • What problems do they face around your topic?
    • What do they aspire to?
    • “Do not define your audience by your demographics; define them by their problems.” – Susan Baier
    • Who do they admire?
    • Where do they go for answers?
    • What do they read?
    • Be the weirdo in the room.
    • What can I create that will solve their problems and light them up?

SESSION 1: HONING YOUR VOICE

Jonathan Fields, serial entrepreneur and growth strategest

  • The Good Life Project and Camp Good Life
  • Author of How to Live a Good Life: Soulful Stories, Surprising Science, and Practical Wisdom
  • “WHAT you say will usually be similar to someone else. HOW you say it will be unique. It’s your voice that makes it different.”
  • “Better input means better output. What are you putting into your process?”
  • You cannot respond appropriately to a “bid” you can’t see. – Gottman Study (a bid is an attempt at getting someone’s attention)
  • “Exquisite attention” allows people to rise to the occasion. – Walk to Listen book
  • People respond not to text, but subtext.

Ishita Gupta, consultant and publisher of Fear.Less Magazine

  • How to Turn Your Mess Into Your Message
    • To find your voice, you have to use your voice.
    • To find your voice, amplify your quirks.
    • Keeping your mess from the world may be slowing your work/art.
    • Her coach tells her, “New level. New devil.” Every success comes with a new challenge.
    • Confidence isn’t a personality trait. It’s a learned skill.
    • Do the scary thing.
    • Use your life and story. Start with solving your own problems and struggles. Others will identify.

Chris Marlow, Help One Now

SESSION 2: ESTABLISHING YOUR PLATFORM

Tsh Oxenreider, The Art of Simple

  • Author of At Home in the World: Reflections on Belonging While Wandering the Globe
    •  Traveling
      • Gives you empathy.
      • Gets you out of a rut.
      • Slows you down. (Provides forced essentialism.)
      • Gives you more perspective.
      • Is good for you as a person. Your audience wants your authenticity.
  • Listen to your frustration. “What am I doing right now because I’m supposed to?”
  • Listen to your life.
  • Dream and scheme.
  • Take the leap and make a plan.
  • Do one thing that breaks the rules.

Sean McCabe, Building an Audience

  • Author of Overlap: Start a Business While Working a Full-Time Job
  • He developed a writing habit of writing 1,000 words per day. Now he writes over 1 million per year. He wrote a 75,000-word book in 15 days!
  • He wrote and created hand-lettering for two years before anyone really noticed.
  • “What if you created as much as you consume?”
    • “I’m tired of reading about the achievements of others.” – Game of Thrones character
  • You have to show up and keep practicing.
    • Get the imperfect words out.
    • You can’t edit what you haven’t written.
    • Your best work is ahead.
      • Studied famous composers. Almost all of them didn’t have their most popular pieces until 10 years into their career. A few had them at years eight or nine, but only a couple, and none prior.
  • Keys to Building an Audience:
    • Curation (kind) – Selectively project a focused thing. Simplify.
    • Consistency (frequency)
    • Quality (value) – Make something remarkable.
    • Time (patience)
  • AudienceBuildingCourse.com
  • Show up everyday. Publish at least weekly. (Daily to stay top of mind.)
  • Doing your normal work is not how to get better. You have to identify your weak spots to improve them. Deliberate practice makes you better.
  • Motivation is a result of doing.

Leslie Newman, Journey to Imperfect

  • “Courage sets things in motion. Determination keeps them going.”

Crystal Paine, Money Saving Mom

  • Author of Say Goodbye to Survival Mode: 9 Simple Strategies to Stress Less, Sleep More, and Restore Your Passion for Life
  • 3 Countercultural Lessons to Building Your Business Without Killing Your Soul
    • Ditch the Hustle
      • Why do we live as if we are a slave to our Inbox? We’re self-employed!
      • Rest is the new hustle.
    • Determine your boundaries.
      • Create a framework for decision-making.
        • Is this commitment in line with my goals for this year?
        • Am I excited about it?
        • Do I have the time, capacity, and energy for it?
        • Are my “people” on board? (ex: family)
    • Dare to focus and finish.
      • One project at a time. (She commits to one thing to learn and one task to complete each week.)

Benjamin Hardy, the #1 Writer on Medium.com

  • Author of How to Consciously Design Your Ideal Future
  • Medium.com tips:
    • Headlines are important.
    • Be bold in your message.
    • Good, easy to read layouts (ex: short paragraphs and using headings)
    • Real, raw emotions work well.
    • Make sure there is a Call to Action in the post. (Must be easy.)
      • Sending to landing page is ok.

Shaunta Grimes, author and teacher at WhatIsAPlot.com

  • Author of Viral Nation series
  • “A story well told can change the world.”
  • “Your books may be your babies, but be prepared to move on to the next one. Your first one may not be successful, and sometimes it takes an entire body of work to get noticed.”

Leo Babauta, ZenHabits.net

  • Author of Essential Zen Habits: Mastering the Art of Change, Briefly
  • The Habits That Built My Blog
    • Solitude
      • Your best work is done in solitude. (including without the internet)
      • Write daily.
    • Connection
      • Get to know your readers.
      • Focus on their problems.
      • Help as much as you can.
      • Put them at the heart of every decision.
      • Put yourself into their shoes.
      • Connect with fellow bloggers.
    • Joy
      • Change lives.
      • Motivate people.
      • Make a connection.
      • Help them move past their fears.
    • Fear
      • Overcome procrastination.
      • Be okay with uncertainty.
      • Find the joy.
      • Relish the groundlessness.
  • How I Build the Habits
    • Have a why and a passion
    • Audience = accountability, connection, and community
    • Start small and lower the barriers to the habit.
    • Set up a positive environment.
    • Deal with the uncertainty.

SESSION 3: EXPANDING YOUR REACH

Dan Miller

  • 48 Days to the Work You Love: Preparing for the New Normal
  • “We become what we think about.”
  • Invest 3% of your income into your success. – Brian Tracy.
    • At $50K, bump it up to 5%.
  • Don’t wait until things are perfect to put your work out there. Try things, get feedback, and edit.
  • Check out The Lean Startup
  • When you’re trying new things, find someone to coach you.

Frank McKinley, author and tribe builder

Jackie Bledsoe, author focused on marriage

SESSION 4: GOING PRO

Ryan Holiday, Meditations on Strategy and Life

  • Author of Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work That Lasts
  • If you want to keep your happy employees, pay the unhappy ones to leave.
  • The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing book – get it
  • How to Last
    • Do the work.
      • If you can rush through it, it’s probably not made to last.
    • Uniqueness
      • Where does your work fit into the market?
      • Where is the least competition? Where can you have the monopoly?
      • What’s the book that only you can write?
    • Timelessness
      • “Focus on the things that don’t change.” – Jeff Bezos
      • Fine the timelessness in the timely.
    • Effectiveness
      • This is the _______ that does ________ for __________.
      • “It’s not what a book is, but what it does.” – Niki Papadopolos
    • Community
      • Who is this for? You have to get your audience right.
    • Time
      • This isn’t an overnight success.
      • Put more time into marketing than creating it. But spend plenty of time creating something great.
      • It’s easier to keep something going than to start and stop.
      • It keeps you humble to keep working.
      • Always taking on hard projects keeps your ego in check.

Natalie Brenner, author of This Undeserved Life: Uncovering the Gifts of Grief and the Fullness of Life

  • She decided to self-publish. (Used Create Space)
  • $3,000 can create a quality self-published book according to Guy Kawaski. This is Natalie’s breakdown:
    • $1,600 for editor
    • $400 for interior layout
    • $300 for cover and social media images
    • What’s left bought the ISBN number and things like that.
  • She recommends Amazon Advantage for pre-orders.

Jon Acuff, author and speaker

  • He recommends Grant Snider’s The Shape of Ideas
  • Has a new book called Finish.
  • 92% of New Year’s resolutions fail, according to a Scranton University study.
  • Your remember incomplete goals more than complete goals. – The Zeigarnik Effect
  • 1. Get the size right.
    • We often believe we can get more done in less time than we actually can.
    • Cut the goal in half to make it 63% more successful.
  • 2. Make it fun if you want it done.
    • We think it needs to be a bad experience to benefit us. (ex: running for exercise when we hate it)
    • We typically measure satisfaction and performance, but we should make fun a metric.
    • Two main types of motivation: Reward and fear.
      • If you want a new idea, finish an old one. (ex: He had the money for new ski boots, but wouldn’t let himself buy them until this book was done.)
  • Eliminate your secret rules.
    • We have secret, unspoken, maybe unconscious things that hold us back.
    • Borrow someone else’s diploma. Learn from others and don’t reinvent the wheel when you don’t have to.
    • Don’t snub a formula. See what works.
    • You’ll never finish if you don’t know the rules.
  • The future belongs to finishers.

 

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Plywood Presents Conference: My Favorite Quotes

Plywood ProgramThis week I attended Plywood Presents again. I missed it last year, but it was good to be back. I’ve always loved their tagline, “We will be known for the problems we solve.”

It was a great couple of days, and I wanted to share my favorite quotes.

 

Clint Smith III, Poet, Educator, Researcher

  • I didn’t take any notes during his session because it was a series of spoken word performances and explanations. I’m not usually a big spoken word/poetry fan, mostly because I probably just don’t get it, but I REALLY loved this guy. He was incredible, and I was able to connect with what he was saying. Check out my favorite piece, “My Father is an Oyster.”

Jeremy Cowart, Artist, Photographer and Humanitarian

  • “If you’re alive, if you’re breathing. We need you. You can do anything.”
  • I didn’t really take notes here either. It was really just this guy telling his story, but it was a fantastic presentation, and he has a terrific story. Plywood is not a Christian conference, but there are many Christians there. Jeremy’s presentation was built on how he felt like he couldn’t do anything right as a kid, but his parents instilled Philippians 4:13 into his head, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” And once that message took root, he has done some really remarkable things.

Kat Cole, Group President of Focus Brands

  • “The people closest to the action will know what to do before the leadership every time.”
  • “Leaders are resourceful, creative and get it done no matter what.”
  • “If you really believe something is right, say yes and figure it out. But you have to be willing to do the work.” #hustlemuscle
  • “You succeed faster in life when you see the patterns. And you have to know where you fit into it. You have to be not only smart, but aware.”
  • “Work with different teams more often to see patterns emerge faster.”
  • “If you’re thinking of bailing on something in life, make sure you have a compelling alternative.”
  • “When you get criticized, assume for one minute they’re right. Take a hard look and see if it changes you’re mind or solidifies your position.”
  • “You need a culture where employees are proud and grateful. That comes organically, but can be nurtured. You can’t force it.”
  • “My best lessons have come from my humanitarian work.”
  • “We all have limited resources. Focus on things that are small enough to change but big enough to matter. You have to really pay attention to find the right size.”
  • “If not me, who? If not now, when?” – Kat’s mom

Scott Holfort, Founder of ColsenKeane Leather Goods

  • “Monotony and boredom can fuel your passion. Rest in them for a while and see where they take you.”

Blake Howard, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Matchstic

  • “To have courage, reject indifference.”
  • “Relentlessly create. Quantity over quality to keep moving forward and refining.”
  • “Choose the right context. We become like those we surround ourselves with.”
  • “Have the hard conversations upfront so that the easy stuff will follow. If you have the easy conversations first, it will only get harder.”
  • You have to have courage to listen.”

Richard Swenson, Author, Educator and Researcher

  • I plan on getting his book called, “Margin.” Actually, all of his books sound great. Just wish they were on Audible!
  • “You can do extreme things, but then you need to rest.”
  • “There is a boxing match happening between your limits and progress.”
  • “There are 2 trillion URLs, 150K products in Walmart, 55K combinations at Starbucks, people check their smartphones 150x per day, and there are over 68K medical codes.” Information overload!
  • “Stress is the way we adapt to change.”
  • “You have all the clocks and we have all the time.” a man in Malawi he met

Alex Torrey, Co-Founder of Umano Clothing

  • “Social entrepreneurship means you don’t have to choose between doing well and doing good.”

Jeff Goins, Writer and Author

  • “You can’t plan your purpose.”
  • “Before I can tell my life what I want to do with it, I have to listen to what my life is telling me.” – Parker Palmer via Jeff Goins
  • “Activity follows identity.”
  • “You aren’t guaranteed success.”
  • “What makes life extraordinary aren’t the chances we get, but what we do with it.”
  • “Successful people are smart enough build on their failures, not deny them.”
  • “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” – Viktor Frankl via Jeff Goins
  • “Share your failures more.”
  • “You can’t wait to feel brave. It’s not something that happens to you. It happens when you make the decision to push through the challenge.”
  • “Success is always a story of community, not an individual.”


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2013 Reading List

books

It was a great year for reading! I’ve already made it through 44 books this year, which is double last year’s reach of 22 books. I’m pretty proud! By the time I finish this year, I’ll hit 47. It’s by far a personal record. If I had a gold star, I’d give it to myself. 😉

And just so we’re clear, by reading I mean listening. I get through almost all of my books via Audible.com. It’s fantastic, especially if you have a long commute like I do. Highly recommend. It takes a little getting used to, especially if you are not typically an auditory learner. So, yes, there is plenty of tuning out and rewinding in the beginning. But now that I’m used to it, I love it. It makes car time so much better.

An interesting trend for me this year was fiction. I don’t generally read much fiction. Because I really don’t like to read, I typically read nonfiction in order to learn. It’s more of a means to an end because I like learning. But this year, I sort of got hooked on fiction books. And I already have several more planned to begin 2014, namely the Divergent series since the movie looks good.

Without further adieu, here’s what got my attention this year:

I’m currently listening to The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkein since the second movie comes out next week. And then, I have two Advent books I’m trying to get through before the end of the year: Advent Conspiracy by Rick McKinley, Chris Seay and Greg Holder and God is in the Manger by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I think these three will be an excellent way to finish out the year.

Did you read any good books this year?

What should I put on my list for next year?

 

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