Tag Archives: A Keen Mind

F.E.A.R.

This one will be short and sweet for all of us that need to hear it.

How does fear come to life for you?

  • False evidence appearing real 
  • Frantic effort to appear recovered 
  • Future events already ruined 
  • Fear expressed allows relief 

I’ve personally been afraid of many things in my life…and yet, none of them have come to be. Sunday is a good day to face what we believe to be true and let these thoughts hit the light of day!

PS – this post was inspired by the Tim Ferriss podcast and guest Anne Lamott. A terrific listen and worth the time.

GREENLIGHTS and Harvard Business Review Collide

I recently read Matthew McConaughey’s book, “Greenlights” and I loved it. The whimsical storytelling was easy to read and found myself laughing out loud numerous times. At some points, I was left shaking my head asking myself, “Is this true? Can’t be! Did he really do that??!”

More importantly, I found the exercise of Matthew finding his “greenlights” incredibly enlightening and took it as a personal challenge. Matthew went on many journey’s in his life, looking to “find his frequency” when he was lost personally. I got to thinking…why don’t I do the same?

I dove back into old notebooks. Notebooks I’d been keeping for years…in search of my own Green Lights. I began pouring through old sketches, business plans, ideas, notes to myself and challenging questions. Here’s a 10-year snapshot of the notebooks and journals kept.

I was in search search of finding my frequency

  • Where was I having the MOST fun in my career?
  • Who was I working with? What did they have in common?
  • What projects did I effortlessly dive into?
  • Where did I lose track of time because I was so deep in work?
  • Where did ample challenge, best meet energy to tackle it?
  • Where were the BIGGEST WINNERS? What projects, campaigns, or teams produced exponential output?

Success leaves clues. Follow the breadcrumbs of history and you’ll find them!

Consequently, and almost simultaneously I read the following post from the Harvard Business Review: 5 Questions to Help Your Employees Find Their Inner Purpose. What a WONDERFUL intersection of chance and insightfulness. I

I challenge you to pause here. Did you click the HBR link above? You really need to. You owe it to yourself and your team. It’s more important now than ever. COVID set people off their frequency. Everyone is trying to relearn, reimagine and recalibrate their life.

This is the exercise for exactly that!

Here is the kicker. Your responses to “The 5 Questions” from HBR, have to be in writing. Your writing, not someone else’s. This could be either hand written or typed out on a keyboard, but you have to put them in writing because the exercise will challenge you to truly think about your answers. Your mind will know if you’re writing bullshit, and you’ll rewrite it.

The feeling this produces is fulfilling. A feeling of self-awareness meeting satisfaction of the truth. Like stepping out of a dark room and the sunshine hits you in the face feeling. Step into it!

Final step of the journey…Share unapologetically! There is no fear in showcasing your best self.

Best of luck in the journey of recalibration and finding your frequency!

If Unsure, Connect

Last year, I labeled the Coronavirus pandemic, “The Great Accelerator” for the immediate changes expedited within our lives, businesses, travel, education and all things day to day life. Change which seemingly felt on the five year horizon, was brought to our doorstep in light speed. In turn, behaviors changed over night.

The pandemic also brought with it a tremendous amount of uncertainty. Our health. Our financial futures. Our careers. What would be left when it ended?

I promise you large amounts of uncertainty are alive and well within many individuals. Fear hangs around long enough and it starts to feel normal. This isn’t right.

What I’d like to tell all the readers is fear lives in everyone. Uncertainty, lives in everyone. Sure, some are better at hiding it than others…but it’s there.

I’ll also tell you I’ve personally become very comfortable with the idea that NO ONE has it all figured out. No one is operating a master playbook whereas every page plays out like the acts of a master play.

So what does one do with lingering or consistent uncertainty?
Connect.

Resist the urge of pushing away, into isolation where 2020 led us…and pull instead.

Let your uncertainties, or fears or anxieties hit oxygen via the most basic of human needs. Communication. The rest will melt away. I could use this advice probably more than most.

I know whenever I’m stuck with a problem, or I’m anxious about uncertainty, the ONLY thing that really brings me out of it is the connecting through others.

I’m very hopeful to say we’re nearing the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. What we’re just getting started with…is the all important restart. Think about rebooting your computer. It’s not a singular button and seconds later things are refreshed anew.

No. It takes a reset and time. It takes a reboot and the machine needs to recalibrate for a fresh start. I think we’re in the year of recalibration. We all heard “the new normal” enough in 2020 to throw up. At least I did. But some of the newly found normalcy of it all stuck.

As we move deeper into this recalibration, start with human to human connection. This is a wonderful example where “more for the sake of more” is TRULY, a good thing!

Connection. We’ve all been missing it in a MAJOR way.

State Your Intentions

I believe this is one of the most powerful pieces of advice I can give anyone on tribe following this content.

STATE. YOUR. INTENTIONS.

I’ve been fortunate enough to follow some really solid advice in my life, and for the most part I can’t really tell you where it came from. I can only tell you what it’s given back to me…which is everything.

  • When I was 21 interning at a job (unpaid as an intern) I stated my goal (and wrote it down) to be the youngest Account Executive the company had seen to date. Less than two years later it happened. It was just before I turned 24. A year or two later I was managing the largest piece of business we had. 
  • Just prior to 30, I stated the need to expand our company’s offering at the time and the need to acquire talent in the digital field. I wrote that message to an old friend on 2/27/2012. I still have the email saved. Less than a year later, the acquisition of this company was complete and we were off and running with an entirely new product line. Looking back, this was one of the most fun times of my career. ~Cheers TargetClick.  
  • After the previous accomplishment, I felt the burning desire to own something. My eyes were opened.I wasn’t going to continue on working my tail off for only what was left over. I needed to be on the other side of the deal. I needed a seat at the table and began my search. It was mid 2014. In 2015 I made the transition and after putting in a year of solid growth, my intentions were rewarded. I owned a piece…and a piece is more than zero. As luck would have it, almost a year after this, we sold our business to a much larger firm in the space. Something I couldn’t have imagined only a few years prior. Until I stated my intentions to OWN. 
  • My newest intentional ask revolved around relationships and the real estate space. I’d been devouring books, audio, and lessons on real estate ownership but I had one big problem…I still didn’t own or operate anything. So, what did I do? I called my banker. Stated what I was looking to do, and ask that they connect me with another customer of the bank, one who was already operating in the space. Preferably someone my age. Fast-forward to today, we own and invest in multiple pieces of real estate with a few more deals in the works. Each producing monthly cashflow. Reading another book wasn’t going to get me across this threshold.  

In each of these examples, I stated my intentions clearly, and was committed to their outcomes. This is vitally important. I was committed to their outcomes and was prepared to take LARGE action. 

Here’s what won’t work.

  1. Who you tell matters. “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear”~Buddha. Try telling a bum on the street your intentions to become wealthy…can he help you? Not likely. Who you tell matters what resources will present themselves. My advice, tell someone who has what you want, or is doing what you’re doing! 
  2. Lack of Commitment. Running around flapping your gums about what you want to do is wasteful if you aren’t 100% committed. These people are a blow hard. Big hat, no cattle. People do pay attention and they’ll know it’s fake. To note each of the examples above, I was ALL IN on bursting through the door once the opportunity presented itself. No going back. State intent, find guidance, and act! 

I continue to use and coach this strategy today as I go about mapping out the journey that is life. 

ACTION ITEM: You have to get insanely intentional about your life. Know exactly what you want. For you. Not anyone else. You don’t have to know exactly where to find it. In my experience, the world has a funny way of presenting itself once you know what it is you want and are committed to the pursuit!

If I Want to Be ______________

I started using this open-ended statement a few years back as I pondered what progress in my life looked like and where I wanted to go. Knowing there is much in life that is undoubtably out of our control, I looked to better understand and therefore control the focus of my efforts.

If I knew what I wanted, how could I get a roadmap to get there? Who would know and who walked a similar path?

What followed was a pretty simple exercise of fill in the blank.

If I want to be _____________ ,

Then I must do, what _____________ people do.

Choose MUST DO > Want to.

If I want to be ____________,

  • Healthy
  • More Christian
  • Physically Fit
  • Wealthy
  • Great Parent
  • An Owner of Multiple Businesses
  • Well Read
  • Less Anxious
  • More Flexible
  • Real Estate Owner
  • Financially Free
  • Well Traveled

Then I must do what _____________, people do.

By refocusing my efforts toward a more well-defined target, mentors and examples became abundant. I found there’s nearly a 100% chance, where I want to go…someone asked a similar question and walked a similar (if not the same) path.

Does this make achieving a goal any easier?

Not sure. If you believe information is hard to come by, then yes, this would be a step in the right direction of making the process easier.

That said, we almost all have access to the same information in the palm of our hand. So action is undoubtably the winner here. MUST DO > Want to.

Now the hard part. The mentors I’ve found didn’t happen upon their skills and they didn’t luck into their existence. It was earned.

Once you define, don’t forget to ask, “How did you do that?”

Here’s to defining and earning!

ISO: Energy Builders

Tell me you’ve been there…I know I have.

You get to the end of the day, and you’re wiped out. Just. Plain. Tired. Your brain might as well be mush. Why am I soooooo drained?

You may even be a touch irritable and you can’t exactly pinpoint why? Why do I feel this way? What did I do today to feel this way?

I’ll challenge you to think about the question of feeling…with a twist. Gain perspective into WHO time is spent with vs. exclusively WHAT you’re spending your time on.

Recently, I was listening to Jim Collins, a guest on the Tim Ferriss Show (episode 361). Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, Great by Choice, and Built to Last, keeps a daily +/- spreadsheet log based on how he feels from that day’s efforts. Personally I find this very interesting as I’m always trying to tune into just how I feel about a meeting, situation or encounter.

Back to Collins and his spreadsheet.

Jim’s daily scoring goes as follows [-2, -1, 0, +1, +2]. A score of +2 is a great day, +1 is a good day, 0 is a ‘meh’ day, -1 is a net negative day, -2 is a bad day. He then sorts his spreadsheet, looking over long periods of time, does more of the things that cause a +2 day and fewer of the things that cause a -2 day.

He pays attention to those things that give him energy and positivity.

This is where I offer the reader a plot twist. Jim pays deep attention into where he spends his time. My parlay to that bet isn’t inclusive to only WHAT time is spent doing, but looking to the additive (or subtractive) nature of with whom?

Everybody knows an energy suck!

Energy sucks are largely unavoidable and come in different forms. If possible, the goal is to avoid these people at all cost like a root canal. No one goes looking for a root canal nor do they enjoy the hours in the chair.

  • The Ego Monster – These energy sucks take, take, take, because they are the black hole to conversation. Everything in the end, is swallowed up by them and is about them. I’ll add “toppers” to this group as well. You did something? They inevitably did it BIGGER and BETTER. Heck, might as well throw the “assholes” in here too!
  • Negative Nancy – Name says it all doesn’t it. The perfect cloud for any sunny day. Run forrest run from negative Nancy. She has a sister as well. Saturday Night Live did a skit for her titled, “Debbie Downer”
  • No-Mo-Joe – This person is low energy. Low drive. Low ambition. Hang around them and I’m certain you’ll feel sleepy too. Don’t worry too much about what can be done better, the world happens entirely to No-Mo-Joe and there isn’t much to be done about it.
  • The Stressor – This unique group is habitually worried about worrying. Although they may seem like a Negative Nancy on the surface, they really are just anxious about being anxious. Careful as this could rub off on you. I can’t think of a long list of people satisfied with being more anxious.

This is when I like to take a step back and think of a few of the most EPIC energy sucks I know. We all have them. I smile ear-to-ear thinking about how little time I spend with them anymore.

Now, the inevitable question must be asked. Zac, “What if I can’t avoid the energy suck in my day? I work with them. Or better yet, they’re family!!!” The answer is simple. Limit interaction. Be brief. Get what you need and don’t be sucked in. Your energy level will hate you for it. As tough as it sounds, it’s the right thing to do.

Be on a mission to add energy to your day.

I’m personally much more in tune to how my day is scheduled and WHO it is scheduled with. If I know I’m going to run into a couple back-to-back energy sucks, I’ve got to plan a rebound call or chat with an energy builder. It’s as simple as more (+), and less (-) every day. I won’t be perfect, but if you read anything I put out, I’m very bullish on momentum. Momentum builds up and tears down. Be a builder.

Who are energy builders?

  • Energy builders bring a smile to your face just by hearing their voice
  • Energy builders add value and stimulate deeper conversation with you
  • Energy builders talk about ideas and progress, not people
  • Energy builders challenge you to think bigger, take more action and live bolder lives
  • Energy builders ask thoughtful questions and engage you by listening to what you really have to say.

I’m incredibly fortunate to have a ton of energy builders I can connect with. Some are family. Many are close friends. Some are clients past and present. Each has their own recipe to build me back up and getting me moving toward progress again.

As I close on this topic, pay close attention not only to how you’re spending your time, but WHO you’re investing that time with.

For those looking for the final plot twist here it is. As you complete reading this post, be on the lookout for energy sucks. Also, it needs to be abundantly clear. Whose list are you or I on?

Am I an energy suck???

Or am I an energy builder!?!


GRIT

I’ve been thinking a good deal about what perspectives this pandemic can offer? What am I actively learning from what’s happening? 

I was speaking with a physician last week and he used the word, “grit” to describe a behavior to pay attention to during COVID. It hit me like a blindside block and I’m not too certain I heard most of the rest of what he said as I thought it was so profound. 

COVID is testing our: health, children, jobs, relationships, patience, finances, and the list goes on and on…

COVID is testing our resolve. COVID is our generation’s GRIT test…if you can choose to see it that way. 

If you choose to see it, you can see this very resolve showing itself all over in wide arranging scenarios.

For example, yesterday was Halloween. Today, the internet was ON FIRE with photos and videos of people committed to continuing the tradition of Halloween with unique and creative solutions to deliver “the prize” (Candy) to our kids who were seeking some normalcy in the midst of a pandemic.

  • I saw people who fashioned tubes/chutes/gutters used to send candy toward their onlookers with a little help from gravity 
  • I saw a medieval style catapult constructed to launch candy to awaiting trick-or-treaters with bags held wide open
  • I saw row of bags attached to a fence with clothes pins holding individual treats to be taken one-by-one by ghosts and ghouls 

ALL of this, is GRIT. 

Resolve to not let a pandemic get the best of us.  Creatively focused to “embrace the suck” as the Navy Seals say, and find a way.  Schools have done it. Businesses, hospitals, restaurants, professional sports are all finding creative ways evolve. 

I find stoicism healthy here. The stoics would teach us to observe reality as it is, and not as we want it to be. But then move. Move forward. 

Floods will rob us of one thing, fire of another. These are conditions of our existence which we cannot change. What we can do is adopt a noble spirit, such a spirit as befits a good person, so that we may bear up bravely under all that fortune sends us and bring our wills into tune with nature’s.
– Seneca, Letters from a Stoic 

The pandemic has certainly thrown all of us off what was once considered our  “normal” day-to-day modus operandi. It’s also showing us where our resolve is. 

I’m a self confessed optimist. I DO believe there is a way through and it very likely won’t be easy. Not in the least. That said, the way forward lives with the people and their ingenuity. I certainly believe in that.  

Instead of looking for ease of passage.  Lean into grit. 

Where is your grit today? 

Ditch New Year’s Resolutions for This!

It’s that time of year again. New Year. New Start. Even a new decade to press the reset button!

Image result for restart button

I think the reset button is a good thing.

Conversely, I think New Year’s resolutions are a tremendous waste of time. 

Lets face it…they’ve been proven not to work. Over, and over, and over again. Over 90% fail.  < – – – – That’s NOT good.

I’ve been wickedly fortunate in my career to have the ability to interact with some incredibly successful business and business leaders. What do businesses use to ensure they’re on track? 

I can promise you one thing, they don’t set New Year’s resolutions. 

They keep score of key business metrics. The good ones have a SCORECARD. A simple set of KEY metrics driving their business. 

So, that’s exactly what I’ve done here. Created my own personal scorecard. This scorecard is slightly different though. My scorecard is based on operational excellence personally. Optimal health, sleep, reduced stress, effective exercise, and so on.

What critical efforts do I need to invest in, so that I continue to  operate in a peak state?  For me, I’ve narrowed it down into four simple actions and appropriate monthly frequencies needed to be operating at a high level. 

  1. Meditation – Pretty simple. I stretch and work a breathing routine before bed…I sleep better. Period.  Better sleep, better attitude, better energy, better mood! Every other day and I’ll be operating at 100%
  2. Exercise – Kid’s schedules and travel can make this difficult, but 10 is VERY doable for me. Tired for all the right reasons leads to better sleep. See points above 
  3. Church – This is quite honestly good for my soul. I’m more at ease after I attend church. Certainly more grateful and more appreciative for all the blessings my family has. Goal is three out of four weeks a month
  4. Books – This one keeps me learning and fresh. Keeps me curious and generating new ideas from the lessons learned elsewhere.  One hard copy to turn pages and take notes, and one audible copy to knock out while exercising or traveling. 

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Scorecard-2.png

If you’re curious what “peak state” is for me it is pretty simple.  Optimal energy, derived from solid sleep, at the result of a really fulfilling and challenging day. 

My scorecard helps to: eliminate stress, reduce inflammation in my body, challenge me mentally and physically, and keeps me accountable in a highly visual way (< – – – Which I’m ALL about!!). Get selfish. This is about you! 

Complete a task, cross it off. 

ACTION ITEM: Ditch the resolution! Think, what makes me operate at a high level?  What do I need and at what frequency? No more than five critical efforts.

I’m going to bet if you give it a little thought, you’ll find it. 

What Do John Harbaugh & Kirk Ferentz Know About Reinvention?

Two legendary coaches. Two different journeys. Two wonderful examples of what reinvention can do for a career. Especially when your back is against the wall.

I got to thinking about these two great leaders after watching Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens torch NFL teams in the final weeks of November. Soon they’d find themselves atop the AFC standings. How did they get here?

How did the Ravens get here after benching Super Bowl winning quarterback Joe Flacco just a short year ago? What a tough decision!

John Harbaugh, a Super Bowl winning coach…was on the hot seat. Is it time to fire John Harbaugh the Baltimore faithful asked?

It was time for reinvention. The drafting of a duel threat QB, retooling the offense mid-season, and getting more “analytics” involved in their real-time game decision making.

Comparatively, in 2014 the University of Iowa and head coach Kirk Ferentz were coming off a very mediocre 7-6 season which included a blowout bowl loss to Tennessee. The fan base was ready to move on.

The votes were in. FIRE FERENTZ < – – – the articles said. This one specifically rang in the new year of 2015.

Stay the course and persevere? Or change? Sweeping change!

Changes in the staff, practice schedules, more aggressive play calling on 4th down, and a new QB led Iowa to their first ever undefeated 12-0 regular season in 2015!

The answer. Don’t settle for mediocrity and REINVENT!

ACTION ITEM: As they say in the Movie Rounders, “Fold or hang tough. Call, or Raise?” Stay the course and persevere, or change? Fortune favors the bold and answers you’re looking for are probably available to those who choose to see them.