Something I'm learning

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<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/246e2120-a9d8-4ca7-8d55-e90e0bd7d225/group-fill.png" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/246e2120-a9d8-4ca7-8d55-e90e0bd7d225/group-fill.png" width="40px" /> Something I’m learning:

The mood you allow yourself to have will affect your day, your work, those around you and will ultimately be a significant determining factor in your happiness.

Controlling my emotions was something I was pretty terrible at as a kid. I was angry all the time. Come to find out, I was angry cause my surroundings didn't live up to my expectations. Now a few years later, my surroundings have changed a lot, but my expectations have grown with them. It can be fairly cyclical.

Something that my friend Todd and I say to each other regularly is "Control the controllables, release the rest". Typically it is said to one another in a moment of frustration because of something not being done "the right way" (I.E., the way I might want it), or it is said when we are overwhelmed. The takeaway from the phrase is always a helpful reminder of how much I can control and how little I can control. While I can't control other people, I can ultimately control myself. My actions, my reactions, my habits, the words I say, and the demeanor I take. While this is still something I have a long way to go on, the progress over the past ten years is pretty stark. One of my favorite quotes is, "All the real benefits in life come from compound interest". This area might just be one of the best examples of that principle.

—— 02*.22.22*

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“At the end of the day, you are a combination of your habits and the people you spend the most time with.” - Naval Ravikant

I keep going back through my notes and writings to remember all that has happened over the last twelve months. I am not one to remember all the good and accomplishments unless I travel back in time and review the good and the bad. I am thumbing back through my calendar and remembering projects and events that I have either forgotten about or wouldn't have claimed happened this year. This act of reflection is wildly grounding as it forces me to realign my thoughts with the reality of what has happened. The year pushed me. A lot of growth happened through challenges. Health habits developed, living situation changed, team and financials have grown, projects are larger in scope and greater in quantity than any year prior, relationships better aligned, and talents/skills have grown. It certainly hasn't come without challenges, but there has been a lot of betterment.

Amid a lot of books, articles, and podcasts I've consumed this year one of my favorites was a book called The Almanac of Naval Ravikant. Admittedly the name is not super enticing, but the content was fascinating. One of the many topics he discussed was habitual behavior. The book emphasizes how the people in our lives and the habits we form will be the determining factors for our trajectory. Not just business or financial trajectory, but the trajectory of our health and happiness.

The emotion that manifests as I pour over my journey of 2021 is gratitude for these habits and people. It makes me a little teary-eyed, to be honest. This past year has not been devoid of challenges, but it has been filled with the deepening of healthy relationships, learning better habits, and the growth of skills. I have had late nights, relational strife, logistical frustration, cluelessness, and plenty of anger. But every single one of those situations and feelings has been outweighed by easy evenings, project breakthroughs, relational growth, clarity, and happiness. I am so grateful to the people in my life that has helped me be a better person through all of those things.

—— 12*.29.21*

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Curation is a form of creation.

While reading the book Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleona, a concept that stood out to me was this: Curation is a form of creation. Creativity is often subtraction. It isn’t just about the things we choose to put in, it’s the things we choose to leave out.

After reading that book I was sent a post that laid out the idea as two different creative "styles". People are often more well-versed or attune to one style or another, though most have both and fall someone along the line. It looked like this:

Adaptation <——————> Innovation

I've figured out I'm pretty far on the left side of the line. But this concept has helped me work well with people who fall further on the right side of the line. However the most important takeaway I have is that creativity is expressed in different styles but prevalent in all people. Creativity is simply different ways to attack a problem.

—— 12*.14.21*

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Clear is kind.

Clarity allows progression in one way or another. If you’re not clear things linger, sometimes fester, confuse, and can often cause division. I’m learning to speak clearly, lovingly, and effectively (getting there quickly). It’s a balancing act.

—— 11*.23.21*

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You can do anything well, just not everything.

A common theme of life that has been infiltrating its way into my conversations as of late is that oftentimes you need to say no to good things in order to say yes to great things. The idea is nowhere close to new, but it is emphasized more and more every day as our choices in life seem to always be expanding. Not only does technology continue to expand our knowledge of what we COULD do, but since workplace expectations have shifted so drastically our ability to decide more details of our schedules and lives has allowed us even more choices in life. To sum up, we got a lot of choices in our day-to-day life.

I was chatting with my friend @ericbrwn a few days ago and one of the things he said stuck out to me. "There is a common theme with everyone who we are talking to lately. Everyone is tired."

Lord knows I am finding myself in a cycle of being tired. Partially that is because I tend to run my margins way too thin. Partially it's because I am in a season where more than usual seems to be going on at work. But something I am figuring out is I am tired because I don't feel like I am doing all that I could be or should be. I look at those around me and see so many talented people doing so many talented things. I hop online and see people I don't know doing so many great things. This might come off wrong to some people, but I know that I can do a lot of the cool things I see those around me doing. I know that I have the capability or potential to do those things. I just don't seem to have the time. There arent enough productive hours in the day.

I'm reading a book right now by Carey Nieuwhof in which it says, “Thriving calls for a wholehearted embrace not of more but of less, done well”. The hard thing about this quote is that it means giving up on really good things. It means saying that as much as I would like to do that, I won't. That, however, seems to be a small price to pay to wholeheartedly embrace the thing that you are meant to do. To be able to have peace watching other people do great things that you know is not a part of your great work. It's an acquired skill, to say the least.

—— 9*.10.21*

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• Consistently reading is the ultimate level up.

• Talent is for the lucky, for everyone else, discipline is the only path to success.

• Iteration will lead you to a better outcome than the search for perfection.

• We are always communicating. Lack of communication is in itself telling people something.

• The mood you allow yourself to have will effect your day, your work, those around you. This works both positively and negatively.

• Purpose → Peace → True Happiness —— 8*.21.21*

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Compound interest applies just as much to creativity as it does to finances.

—— 7*.10.21*

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Leadership is equally as much about setting the example about what NOT to do as it is about setting the example of what TO do.

IP: Kristen Arp —— 7*.01.21*

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When I was growing up my mom always told me, “You have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Listen twice as much as you speak”.

That lesson is ringing true now more than ever.

IP: My Mom. —— 6*.28.21*

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At the end of the day, you are a combination of your habits and the people you spend the most time with.

IP: Naval (and many other smart people)

—— 6*.23.21*

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Something running well without you is vastly more impressive than running something well.

—— 06.19.21

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Calm common sense decision-making usually turns out better than fear-based / insecure decision-making.

I try hard to check my mental posture before forming opinions and making decisions. Every. Single. Day.

IP: Clark Campbell —— 04*.30.21*

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Just always write it down.

—— 04*.25.21*

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Just always write it down.

—— 04*.25.21*

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“Better” is only truly better within the context of its usability. If the better product is less usable to you or your organization it might not be better for you.

—— 02*.28.21*

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The keystone habit that will positively impact every single area of your life is to surround yourself with people BETTER and DIFFERENT than you are.

/ Better - “Of a more excellent or effective type or quality.”

/ Different - “Not the same as another or each other; unlike in nature, form, or quality.”

Finding people that fit one or both of these two categories means that you will be pushed. Pushed to think differently, pushed to evaluate your current thought process, pushed to analyze things you do and do not agree with, pushed to be better, and pushed to gain humility.

I’m grateful for these people in my life.

—— 02*.27.21*

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An individual’s want is often not the same as their ask.

—— 02*.24.21*

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If you want your feedback to be respected and received, you must respect the feedback you receive.

—— 02*.22.21*

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