Why should you keep going when it doesn’t look like you’re making any progress?
That’s a question that all of us face when we’re working on a long-term project that doesn’t result in immediate success.
I recently received a great reminder of the power of persistence in a group of podcasters of which Ivy and I are members.
Read MoreI had a whole other topic planned for this week’s post. I even have a draft. But as I sat down to finish it, my mind went blank. Problem-solving thoughts began to float in my mind, “Okay, I only have about two hours right now. Maybe I could check some other things off my to-do list. Or maybe I have an old post I wrote forever ago and never shared.”
And suddenly I realized two things: 1.) I sat down this morning to stay focused and create a blog post, and that is exactly what I’m going to do. 2.) The way I accomplish that goal is up to me, and it’s okay not to finish the blog post I originally planned on.
Read MoreI recently watched an amazing TED Talk entitled “How to stop screwing yourself over” where Mel Robbins introduces the concept of “parenting ourselves.” She says that as children we had someone there to stop us from playing too many video games, eating lots of junk food, or from staying inside on a beautiful weekend day. Our parents set boundaries and guided us with our best interests in mind, and they pushed us when we would not have pushed ourselves.
Just think about it. When you were little, would you have come inside from playing when the streetlights came on and washed up for dinner all by yourself? Heck no! You did it because you knew it was expected of you.
Read More“I am the most unlikely looking rapper you may have ever seen. There probably aren’t that many nerdy white kids from Hickory, NC, who did a PhD on hip-hop or deliver hip-hop motivational assemblies to students.”
These were the hard-won opening lines I delivered for my talk at TEDx Hickory yesterday. While the anxiety and terror of the experience are still fresh, I’d love to share some advice that I wish I had found on the internet during the TEDx writing process.
Read MoreThere is nothing more beautiful or intoxicating than feeling like you are on the right path. I don’t mean when you know the best strategy or which action step to take next. That is a wonderful feeling too, but it is nothing compared to when your true self, creativity, and passion are being honored like never before. I’m talking about the path when you feel clear, peaceful, happy and determined.
Read MoreSo you want to be an entrepreneur.
You will take a pay cut.
You will work for months on a project that doesn’t connect with your audience.
You will get screwed over by anyone you can imagine (investors, staff, board members, your dog, etc.)
You will work 18-hour days.
You will sit for 18 hours and not do anything productive.
...
But...
Read MoreWhy do we feel like worrying about something makes us better prepared for it?
As a student, I used to worry all the time about tests.
As an adult, I worry about work and finances.
As a perfectionist, I worry about all of the things I’m not doing perfectly.
Something about the worry feels productive. Somewhere along the line, I think I internalized a story that says, “If you care about something, you worry about it.”
Read MoreSometimes people ask me how I can just freestyle rap in front of any audience. They say things like, “I’d never have the courage/confidence/craziness to trust myself to make up a rhyme on the spot that wasn’t terrible.”
The reality is that I don’t think I have a lot of courage either. I’ve just changed the question I ask myself before I start to rap.
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