The thought of running a marathon, 26.2188 miles, to me, is absurd. The thought barely makes sense to me. You mean to tell me that humans can run that far without dying?!
The thought of starting a daily vlog is laughable. I tried last year, I made it 19 days and quit. It was a full-time job.
I want to get in shape. So, I should start by going to the gym 5 days a week and tracking my macro-nutrient intake, right? No.
Baby Steps
One of my three words for 2018 is Adapt.
Adaptation doesn’t happen instantaneously. It’s a process.
At one point in time, I was writing on this blog daily. I was putting out a weekly podcast. I was servicing clients. But, my world looked very different back then. I had different goals, different responsibilities, and a different support system.
I looked over the different projects that I’m working on or want to work on…
- This blog
- The Variety Show
- Shareable
- The From The Future blog (and podcast, and video)
- My book: The Lovable Leader
- My Speaking Career
- My Youtube channel, Instagram Profile, and general social media presence…
The list goes on and on. How does one find the time to succeed amidst ambitious undertakings?
One. Mile. At a time.
The Problem with Big Goals
The problem with big goals is that the goals are big. So, they feel big, and that can feel overwhelming…so why start?
The only way I’ve found to confront that is to take it one step at a time.
I want to write on this blog more frequently. To do this, I can’t hold myself to the standards of my past (daily). I can, however, commit to once per week. So, that’s what I’m going to do.
I can’t put out a podcast on the Variety Show every week…not yet. But I can plan and prioritize it so that when I start, I can keep up with consistently publishing new episodes.
I can’t produce Shareable episodes like I used to, because my producer has a new role, that consumes a lot more of her time. So, I have to adapt. I’ll release weekly, I’ll find a new intern. I’ll figure out where I’ll record from now on.
Why not just let it all go?
Some might ask:
“Why not just forget about some of these projects?”
“Cut a few of them. It’s not like all of these projects make you a lot of money, why bother?”
Well…
Why I Create
I’ve seen too many stories about people whose time comes too soon. We all have a limited amount of time on this earth. While we’re here, we choose how we want to spend it.
- We can try to make the most money.
- We can try to acquire the most power.
- We can try to help the most people.
- We can keep to ourselves.
- We can just choose to run out the clock with a modest, and happy life.
- We can become immortal by doing everything we can to avoid being forgotten after we’re gone.
My greatest desire is to change the world for the better, and I couldn’t give two shits if I’m remembered for it, so long as it happens. To date, I don’t feel like I’ve lived up to 3% of the potential I have to make the world better. And while I don’t think that my blog or podcast will change the world, it’s my start toward having an impact.
And this is why I am so hard on myself when I don’t write. This is why I’m constantly playing with a chip on my shoulder. Because in the end, what really matters? What matters is what you leave behind.
So, I’m taking it one step at a time.
I’ll be posting on Mondays from now on.
And here’s what else (and how you can help)
1. I want to sit on the board for a non-profit that works to eradicate homelessness. If you have connections, please introduce me. Homelessness breaks my fucking heart.
2. I want to spend more time creating content and helping people, so if you have something you’re trying to accomplish, tell me about it. It does not matter if I personally can help you, I can possibly connect you to someone. But if I can help, I want to know how I can best serve you. Otherwise, I’m just coming up with a bunch of BS that I think you want to hear about and being self-serving. That’s not what I’m about.
3. Engage with me. I don’t mean this is the shitty social media marketer way. I mean honestly and authentically, help me know that I’m not shouting into a vacuum. Comment on my posts, help me find more of my audience that’s just like YOU, feed me ideas for how I can help more people. I’ve spent way too much time acquiring knowledge to let it sit idly in my mind not helping as many people as I can.
Thanks for reading. Let’s do this together. One. Mile. At a time.
I appreciate you.
-Jeff