Category: Expectations
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Open up about your problems
When Ryan Leslie lost his million dollar court case in 2013, the government froze his bank accounts. He found this out when his payment for a breakfast sandwich at his local bodega was declined. In order for him to feel like he could retain control of his finances, he started doing business through a decentralized…
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Be somebody else’s good luck
My friend Peter recently wrote about the power of reaching out to two contacts—former clients, industry friends, other agencies, old friends, investors, etc.—per week. It’s clear to him that this is one of the most valuable things he could be doing for his businesses. He writes, “The network that brings us leads, talent, knowledge, and…
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Three ways of seeing reality
Coming to terms with reality, and working with it—not against it, or distorting it—is generally good advice. It’ll help you get to where you want to go. Here are three ways to discern between what’s real and what you are imagining (or desiring, stressing over, or overthinking): “Reality doesn’t need you to help operate it.”…
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“Impossible” may just be a problem you haven’t solved yet
One of my goals for this blog is to build up a queue of posts. Ideally, it’s maybe a month’s or season’s worth of posts. This queue makes publishing here every day much more relaxing, and I can experience less worry about falling behind a schedule (which has happened!). Until this week, that goal felt…
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Be mindful of what you look for, because you might find it
During the first few weeks Terry Crews was on set for The Expendables, he felt miserable. While the actors were in the major action scenes, his character was playing a minor role. He was brought in as a replacement for Wesley Snipes, and chosen for the role because of his muscles. He sat around in…
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Realistic vs. dream jobs
When you’re choosing to commit to a client or employer, your realistic option may actually be a worse fit for you than your dream option. There are all sorts of reasons for this. For example, if you’re looking for a new client, maybe you have more in common with your dream client—shared references, experiences, values,…
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A letter from the past
8 years ago, I wrote a letter to my 35-year-old self. I expected to find it embarrassing (some of it is!), so I was surprised to find that there was some good stuff in there. I really emphasized, “Your opinion of you is really the only [thing] that matters.” In a way, I told myself…
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Old friends
Old friends know the past versions of you very well. However, those experiences and images make it difficult for them to see new versions of you. If they are opposed to change, and don’t want to lose you as a friend, your desire to grow in a different direction will feel painful to them. They…
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Ambition demands sacrifice
In How to Get Rich, Felix Dennis makes the case that unless your demons are driving you to get rich, you should probably not try it. He writes, “Whether the sacrifices involved – not only your own, but those you will ask of your family, present or future – are worth the tyranny that such…
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“Return on Investment”
One key to surviving in business is to make sure the money you put into it is producing (or going to produce) a larger amount of money. There are a lot of ways to measure this—one simple one is known as “Return on Investment” (ROI for short). The calculation is simple: “Net Return” divided by…