I hit a milestone yesterday – 50 checkins to the Lift App “Be Grateful for Something or Someone.” Now, this wasn’t my own plan to join the group – actually, Mandy urged me after I got her hooked on Lift.
My checkins are pretty consistent, and most of my comments relate to family and friends, more often than not related to Mandy and the kids. Enough said.
Interestingly enough – I got an email from Erin Frey at Lift the other day as well, that our data was used in a recent post on their Medium blog. I love the takeaway that gratitude motivates you to do good deeds for others, even strangers. This is especially helpful as I’m in transition from CLA to my newest endeavor. I’m amazed every day for how people have come through to help in ways I could have never expected. I’m grateful. Thank you.
I’ve been wanting to write more for years. It has been spotty at best, but committing to manageable steps is where to start.
Each of us have tons of great thoughts, ideas, notes, businesses, plans, goals, and actions coursing through our mind on a daily basis. Where do you collect those thoughts to review and move on them? When do you act? How do you manage them? Who do you work with? What does success look like?
That’s what my 100 words look like today. What’s your stepping stone to a greater goal?
Yes, I’m an Evernote geek and use it for a variety of reasons, like GTD, minutes via Kustomnote, projects, brainfarts, and more. Even when I’m driving, I have a notepad next to me to jot down thoughts. Best part is … Continue reading →
How can you #unplug with an iPhone and computer on the coffee table, Dish Network on the screen, stack of newspapers on the floor, and a few books and magazines strewn about?
Try turning them off.
I’m not perfect, but for a week on the lake, I did my best to keep the technology turned off and only respond to the most important messages. Yeah, I did a few check-ins, posted the #100playgrounds on Instabook, and streamed NPR from time to time, but overall, I was able to unplug.
It was hard looking at my Lift App every few days and realize I wasn’t hitting my targets for writing, but I did save some ideas for future reference and took pages of notes in Evernote for GTD.
The recharge was good and made me realize that being focused on the meaningful things in life is most important. Perspective is two and a half years of work being whittled down to a small box of paper, while a week unplugged fills a lifetime of memories that no one can take away.
Now turn it off and focus on yourself, family, friends, and live your life to the fullest.
I’ve always been the kind of guy to eschew the well traveled road. In fact, I had a sign over my door in the dorms at Iowa State that said “Nevermind the Mainstream.”
A large number of my choices, and directions in life have followed this calling and lead to my years of involvement with bicycle racing in the metro. A handful of friends in our 20’s decided that if we weren’t going to move somewhere with a vibrant bike racing culture, we’d just build it ourselves.
Race promotion should be less like selling tickets to a Miley Cyrus concert and more like putting together an elaborate pig roast for your 200 closest friends. – Velonews
To this day, I don’t know how we did it, nor how stupid we were for thinking we could pull it off, but it worked and lives on. We didn’t want to be the biggest or the best. We just wanted something to be there. We saw a need and we built something to fill that void by leading and volunteering. Thankfully, others have stepped in and stepped up their commitment over the years to foster a great community.
I’m still amazed this is eight years old. I have a framed one behind me.
I’m interested in the disparity between “what’s in it for me” and “where can I help.” Often the answer lies in the good feeling after pitching in. Then doing it again.
Since I’ve got a little free time on my hands this summer, I figure that besides rekindling my off-and-on blogging for the past decade, I could have some fun with the kids, too. Inspired by This Wild Idea, I figured visiting 100 playgrounds this summer wouldn’t be too hard to achieve. We’ll be traveling quite a bit throughout the midwest, so we can tie in geography, ecology, math, science, reading, and also local bike rides, hikes, picnics and more. We’ve already been to parks in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. Maddie is keeping a journal, and I’m tracking via Evernote, Instagram, and Tumblr.
The rules:
Both kids must be at the playground at the same time
A few minutes of play is fine
Each playground only counts once – unless under construction
I fell off the “100 words a day” bandwagon shortly after committing to it, but I knew that would probably happen anyway.
I’ve been keeping a running journal in Evernote the past few years of ideas, thoughts, brainstorms, and Someday/Maybe stuff. I’ve got quite a repository under “blog” alone numbering 45 separate notes today. This is a great place to jog my memory, work out ideas, and delete the crap.
Friday, June 14 was both my 39th birthday and leaving CliftonLarsonAllen LLP. It is interesting to look at the yin and yang of personal and professional milestones in the same day. While celebrating on the one hand, there is a sense of loss on the other. In an instance like this, hopes and fears are together, joined as one.
Sunday, June 16 was both my 14th anniversary of my Crohn’s Disease diagnosis and Father’s Day. Again, a weird combination. I guess that is where very good doctors helped me make sure I’d be around to see the joys of my life, my wife, kids, and family, and remember that waking up in the cardiac ICU of Mercy is better than the alternative.
With that, the happy accident of the day was going back home to the Marty’s Schwinn Cyclery / Iowa Bike and Fitness reunion. “We did so much with so little,” was the theme of the day, seeing friends come back together to tell stories of struggle, commitment, sacrifice, and building a skill set that pays off to this day. We all have much to be proud of and can trace it back to one family giving each of us a chance to shine.
Overall, the weekend was awesome, and is just the foothold necessary to have an exciting summer with the family, friends, and searching for new opportunities along the way. The habits and desire that got me to where I am today remind me that I’ve got a long way to go, and am ready for the adventure. I’ve been there before and the ride ahead will be an exciting one.
Quoting Ferris Bueller, “life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around once and awhile, you could miss it.” Go be awesome.
The last few months have been pretty amazing as I dove head-first into research on habits, how they’re formed, and broken.
Last night I went through my checklist on Lift and found that with over 1,030 checkins, some small and large habits have taken hold. I’m drinking more water than ever before, lifting weights more than I have in years, flossing regularly, making sure I email family, review my GTD lists, and live a healthier life.
I’ve had “write 100 words a day” on my to-do list for awhile, so here it goes.
The start of 2013 is a nice place to take stock of things I have been cutting down and finally ready to hit the delete button.
Wall Street Journal – I've got newsprint in my blood having written and worked for print media since in elementary school. I've flung papers, been a writer, ad salesperson, recruiter, and marketer in the industry. However, I just don't have time anymore to pick up the WSJ. I love the great in-depth pieces and think it is enjoyable reading, but I just can't commit the thirty minutes daily to digest the paper. Sorry big guy.
Social Media – I need to delete a handful of accounts. Still trying to decide which ones are going to bite the bullet between FourSquare, Pinterest, Instagram, and Google+. It isn't that I don't enjoy them, but I'm feeling a little bit of social fatigue.
Social buying – I enjoyed a few deals from the local and national deals, but realized pretty quickly that they're not beneficial for business owners. I'm on the outlook for a one-to-one relationship with businesses that I work with, and a deal isn't always needed to earn my dollars. I'm looking for value.
Reward cards – If I get asked one more time to join a rewards club, I'm going to scream. I don't give a rat's… about buying ten and getting one free. I remember a decade ago that I had a rewards card at Java Joe's and despite buying a pound a week, I never got a free pound. Your card isn't getting in my wallet. See the previous bullet for why.
Additionally, I've taken stock of the following:
If I can cook better than you, I'm not coming to your restaurant.
If I wish I could that time back, I'm not going to spend it in the first place.
If I wish I would have that money back, I'm not going to spend it in the first place.
If I think I'm going to feel bad after eating or drinking something, I won't waste my time with it.
My mantra, via The Minimalists, is "live intentionally."
I've been a huge Evernote user ever since Zachary Mannheimer was interviewed in Forbes a few years ago. I call it my "sticky paper" in the sense that I don't have an idea twice – it goes directly to Evernote.
How does it go to Evernote? Via iPhone, iPad, desktop client, email, or Twitter… pretty cool, eh?
But what happens from there? Magic. That's where David Allen's Getting Things Done steps into clean up my info and make it actionable.
Now I could go into the minutiae, but I'll leave with one parting thought. What would you do if you could Google Your Brain to solve problems creatively by taking advantage of small and significant changes like Evernote? Search via Evernote makes it happen.
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