Different experiences are necessary for growth. Without adventure, how can you see the world in a new way?
You’re not expected to like everything. The important thing is that you do, acquire more information, and grow.
Have you placed yourself in a new situation recently?
If you’ve felt it, you know magic happens when the right people enter a space.
Sometimes it’s serendipity; most of the time there’s a driving force.
I want to encourage you to take part in what Seth Godin has dubbed the Connection Economy — to use your most meaningful relationships to inspire you to create art, contribute to your community, and nourish the connections in your own life.
Deepen the connections in your world and start conversations that matter.
I’m thrilled by the prospect of sharing my passion and work. The capacity for what can happen when the right people come together is unlimited and largely untapped. Call this six-week program whatever you want: a book club, a group, an experiment, an adventure.
There are people in your world who need to meet.
Your efforts to organize this program may change someone’s life, but it’s up to you to make it happen. There are people out there who are stuck (as you may have discovered, paths are rarely straight and laid out). Be present and challenge each other with kindness and care.
We all have something unique to share. Let’s help each other do the tough work.
Questions? Successes? Let me know how it goes.
Step 1. Form a group.
Sure, you can do this alone. But a group offers support, accountability, and the ability to help you up your game. You want people who can call you out, people who can serve as your cohort and personal network as you advance your ideas forward. Your group is your sounding board, letting you know when you’re on track and gently nudging you when you’re off.
It doesn’t matter how many are in your group; it could be one other person or four. Call up a few friends and send out emails, “Will you try something new with me?”
Step 2. Time and place.
Face time can’t be substituted. Choose one location and meet consistently, each week. Settle on the details and commit. Six weeks. No excuses.
Respect everyone’s time. Everyone is busy. Make each other a priority.
Step 3. Finalize your reading list.
I’ve listed several books for you to use as a starting block. Recommended, but by no means required. If you have a book that has been especially influential to you, use that one instead.
Sample book list:
Linchpin
Poke the Box workbook
Superconnect
Business Model Generation
E Myth Revisited
4 Hour Work Week
Creatively Independent
Make Your Idea Matter
Host an unforgettable dinner party
Step 4: Homework (Projects & Exercises):
The activities suggested are designed to get you out of your comfort zone, inspire you, and reinforce what you’re reading. If you feel inclined to add your own twist, please do.
Most importantly, set aside time to make writing a priority. I’ve listed a few prompts to encourage you and provide creative direction. Again, use what is helpful and improve what isn’t. Not everything will work for everyone.
Week 1
Reading: Bernadette Jiwa’s Make Your Idea Matter
Project: Go find a journal that inspires you. Buy it from that indie book store you’ve always wanted to check out, look for something inspiring while you’re waiting in line, make it yourself.
Writing exercise: Set your alarm for ten minutes. Choose one:
Discuss: What is the difference between dreaming and storytelling? Do you set aside time to create and dream? What stories do you tell yourself? To others?
Week 2
Reading: Tim Ferriss’ 4 Hour Work Week
Project: Do something new this week. Cook dinner with veggies from the local market. Sign up for a class. Explore a new neighborhood. Get lost in a library.
Writing exercise: If you could do anything, anywhere, what would it be?
Discuss: How do you define work/life balance? Is a distinction necessary?
Week 3
Reading: Seth Godin’s Poke the Box workbook
Project: Print out the workbook. Plan thirty minutes of uninterrupted time to complete.
Writing exercise: Notice any areas of hesitation while you’re completing the workbook. Is there a particular topic that seems more challenging than others?
Discuss: What obstacles stop you from shipping? How are you getting in your own way?
Week 4
Reading: Project Exponential’s Host an unforgettable dinner party
Project: Schedule a lunch date or host a dinner party.
Writing exercise: Set your alarm for ten minutes. Choose one:
Discuss: Talk about how teams are formed and what kind of environments contribute to their growth. What kind of people belong on your Dream Team? Who inspires you?
Week 5
Reading: Jess Pillmores’s Creatively Independent
Project: Challenge yourself to write the first draft of your very own ebook.
Writing exercise: Consider the uniqueness that you, and only you, bring to your work, your relationships, your family. What separates you from competition? What is that one trait that singles you out?
Discuss: How do you stay inspired while working on a big [exhausting] project? What tricks and techniques have you found to be most helpful when setting big goals?
Week 6
Reading: E Myth Revisited and/or Business Model Generation
Project: Brainstorm how you might turn $10 into $100.
Writing exercise: Write out a sample business plan. What would you do if you had no excuses, no responsibilities? Journey back to the days of mowing lawns, selling lemonade, babysitting. What would change if today was your last day at your current job?
Discuss: Would things be different if you consistently set aside time to write, dream, explore, learn?
We’re exposed now more than ever before.
Our steps are easily trackable, our buying decisions traceable with the click of a mouse. We document our lives on film for our friends and the world to see. We post our professional accomplishments on open social networks. We look for validation and response from what we show the world, from names printed in magazines to recognition in the neighborhood coffee stop.
Yet we can hide like never before.
We have unlimited options to conceal our true identity, forsaking vulnerability and connection for a clean, manufactured image. With so many distractions for us to choose from, we can hide from ourselves, busying our focus from concentrating on things that matter and topics we know to be pertinent.
Our priorities become lost to routine and inefficiency.
It’s easier to distract ourselves than sit down and get to the real, gritty work.
It’s easy to check email and Facebook regularly.
It’s hard to focus on making big things happen.
It’s easy to sprinkle business cards around a room.
It’s hard to develop meaningful rapport.
It’s easy to leave a meeting without speaking up.
It’s difficult to put your ideas on the line.
It’s easy to attend a party not having learned anyone’s name.
It’s difficult to make intentional introductions.
It’s easy to speak on a panel.
It’s hard to create an experience that changes the way someone feels.
It’s easy to manufacture the same item over and over again.
It’s difficult to create a once-in-a-lifetime work of art.
Seth Godin recently reminded me of questions I can’t afford not to answer:
Is this making me uncomfortable, pushing me to grow? Or am I hiding?
Each day we have a series of choices that, when combined, contribute to the story we tell ourselves and the world.
The moment at take off, when you’re unsure of what lies ahead.
That one decision that could branch into 15,000 possibilities.
That YES! that sets your life on an entirely new path.
The uncertainty that comes from doing something different.
The quickening of your heart as you step into the unknown.
Have you scared yourself lately?
Some people live on the edge of what’s possible. They defy expectations and buck norms.
Some people follow what has come before. They do what they are told and stay in line.
Some people wander aimlessly. They dream about “what if” and believe success finds the lucky. They attribute greatness to others, failing to see it in themselves.
The difference lies in the acknowledgement of your worth, the realization of your strengths, confidence in your unique talents (for nobody does it quite like you), and the conversion of belief into action. Pick yours.
This may sound hokey, but stay with me.
If you were an outside observer watching the events of your life on a movie screen, would you enjoy what was playing?
When we’re able to remove ourselves and consider our decisions objectively, we gain valuable information. Our emotions no longer dictate action. By stepping back, we can better identify the path we’re traveling on.
Are you moving closer towards your goals and the person you hope to be? Are you creating something you’re proud of?
Envision your life on film.
People are watching.
