I am finally reading Daily Rituals, Mason Currey’s wonderful collection of the rituals and practices of history’s greatest creative minds. My initial thought was that I am drinking far too little and am not odd enough to be successful, but that’s besides the point.

I also began thinking about what may be written of me. If think of myself as successful writer in the future, what would my day look like? How would I arrange my time and tasks? This is an interesting prompt, and helped clarify how I like to work, even if what I need to be working on isn’t as clear.

I encourage you to write your own daily rituals, it will help bring your work back to purpose and clarity when you’re adrift.

Matt Ragland (b. 1983)

Ragland feels writing in the morning is best, and strives to wake around 5:30 am. “I enjoy waking up, shuffling around the house with my dog, brewing the coffee, making eggs for Morgan. It’s vital to have time to think through the activities of the day before they rush upon you”. His wife Morgan is a nurse, and they often wake at the same time to enjoy the first cup of coffee together before she went to her shift. If she’s not working that day, he wakes up around 6:30 am.

But once these activities pass, Ragland feels a pressing desire to begin. If he is on a specific project or book, he will write 500–1000 words in this first dash. This takes an hour or so, depending on the level of what he calls “mental groaning”. If he is between projects, he will choose a prompt and begin there.

Around 8:00 am, the first dash of writing completed, he sets to making breakfast and another cup of coffee. Healthy eating is important to Ragland, he feels good food fuels good writing. His first meal is not a meal at all, but a smoothie. This concoction includes almond milk, protein powder, kale and/or spinach, frozen bananas, and fruit. Once he downs the drink it’s back to work “running digital errands”.

After a period of errand running and housekeeping, Ragland may feel himself becoming dull. This signals the time for exercise, something else he feels is necessary to creative success. “A lean body results in a sharp mind, unless you become obsessive about your look and not your work”. He rotates his disciplines between running, cycling, and weight training.

After exercise, Ragland enjoys his first real meal of the day, brunch. It consists of eggs, a veggie or bean patty, with bacon or sausage thrown in. He tells friends the inclusion of bacon is in direct correlation to the success of his books. When they are selling, he can buy bacon. When sales slow, it meant he needed to publish something new so he can once again include bacon.

Once he finishes brunch, he settles back in to writing, battling for another dash of 500–1000 words.

The absolute minimum for the day is 1,500 words, even if it’s garbage. Writing is an all-out war on my lazy side.

By this time his dog is restless and demanding a walk, so they walk the neighborhood while he listens to an audiobook or podcast.

I find it difficult to work based on a definitive schedule, and try to pay attention to my energy so I’m not burnt out by noon. The difficulty is discerning between low creative energy and outright laziness or procrastination.

Afternoons are open for meetings and collaboration, something Ragland actively seeks. “I’m an extrovert, if I don’t have anyone to perform around I become uninspired”. But after lunch he will always try to take a short nap, never more than 30 minutes. Upon rising, he will perform a few progressions of yoga to “shake himself back up”, along with more coffee.

If there are no meetings, the afternoons filled with reading, sketching, and other disciplines. These related disciplines include wood working, playing music, tuning bicycles, and cooking. Some are integral to the “business of writing”, and some exist only to fill the creative well. Throughout life, Ragland has believed in the power of relative creativity.

By taking your mind off the primary discipline for a while, solutions and ideas will present themselves in a curious fashion.

Ragland’s primary creative struggle in life is a lack of focus. He often says the challenge is not a lack of ideas, but the discipline to choose one and execute it. He will often spend months working on several small projects, then reflect and see little progress on any of them. These are the only times he falls to anxiety and stress, regretting he had not chosen one idea and seen it through to completion. This lack of focus could also extend to a loss of motivation to exercise, eat well, even romance!

A loss of clarity and purpose exposes all the worst traits in my life.

To fight the urge to divert his attention, he will make to-do lists and have Morgan or a friend check them off. This includes showing progress of his work, and he discovered the shame of disappointing them is motivation enough.

Morgan arrives home at 7:30 pm, and dinner will be ready or in progress. They enjoy cooking together and often share a drink before, during, and after the meal. Following dinner they tidy up the house and catch up on the events of the day. On days Morgan does not work, she helps him focus on work, often reading and editing his writing. They also share many meals with friends, and note how important a strong and caring community is in their lives.

During the week, they always try to be in bed by 10:00 pm, either reading or watching an episode of their favorite shows. Ragland prefers reading, believing it sets his mind at ease, and results in a better night’s sleep.

On sleeping, Ragland also has a sleep ritual he follows, which Morgan calls Matt’s Five Rules of Falling Asleep. He defined the rules after she shared her troubles falling asleep. He replied it was easy, you just follow these five rules.

1. Lay down
2. Close your eyes
3. Be still
4. Take deep breaths
5. Fall asleep

When Morgan told him they didn’t work, and she still wasn’t falling asleep easily, he replied “Of course they work, you’re just not following rule five!”

photo credit: deathtostockphoto.com

Have you ever been on a quest?

Maybe it’s been a while since you thought of life in those terms. As kids, we think of everyday occurrences as quests and adventures. When I was young, my friends and I would build forts, chop down trees, ride to Wal-Mart, and other short-term quests. We knew what to do and set our minds to the task.

When I was 9, I ran away from home. The journey didn’t last long, maybe two hours. I lacked provisions, a map, and a clear goal of what I was doing. I was 9. I hurried home in time for dinner, and all was well. I don’t know if my mom even noticed I had set off to see the world, and only saw a new part of the neighborhood.

That memory triggers a scene in the Hobbit, where Bilbo is struggling to decide on leaving his cozy hobbit hole. Gandalf looks down at him and says,

Chris Guillebeau is a person who knows about quests. In the past ten years, he has visited every country in the world, all 193! On the journey, he learned countless lessons on what drives purpose and meaning.

Last week, I had the pleasure of listening to Chris share those lessons and stories from his quest. In his new book The Happiness of Pursuit (win this book here), he shares the essential elements of quest.

The front door exists in our hearts and minds too. We stand out on the porch and wonder what’s out in the wild. Adventure, struggle, conflict, success, and utter failure. We don’t know what to expect outside, so we turn and go back in to what’s comfortable.

The quest sticks with us though, it won’t be quiet on our porch. Tell it to go away, and keeps returning. It finds the loose window and wiggles back in. The quest has chosen you, and will not allow you to forget it.

If I don’t at least try, I will always regret it – Chris Guillebeau

All meaningful quests are like this. There is an element of failure. But that doesn’t mean we stay on the porch. It reminds me of another favorite Hobbit quote. We’re in the same scene, covering the same question of whether Bilbo answers the call to adventure.

Gandalf: You’ll have a tale or two to tell when you come back
Bilbo: Can you promise that I’ll come back?
Gandalf: No. But if you do, you will not be the same

The journey we go on transforms us. Chris points out the start and end of a quest are just a small par of the journey, and everything in the middle is what transforms us!

Undertaking a quest is more than stories to share. I begin because I know it has the power to change me. Everyone wants to change the world, and there is honor in that hope.

But to change the world I must begin by changing myself. And to do that I have to step outside the door and allow the journey to transform my life. There is pain, struggle, happiness, and hope. Without a clear goal and purpose, it’s difficult to find the strength to continue. A calling greater than my own little plans drives the quest, and incredible people step in and help when all seems lost.

At the culmination of the quest, there is still more to do. There is a community of people in your life that need to hear your story. The gift (and responsibility) you bear is sharing the experience with others. Support their quests, give advice and support when they lose sight. Keep their eyes fixed on the goal.

This is what Chris and countless other people doing with their life’s work. They have a profound impact on my story and the ways I share it. I want to share their wisdom with you, and so I’m giving away seven of the best books on crafting your life’s story.

Here’s how you win the giveaway:

Click this link to visit the giveaway page

This free giveaway is a little different. Instead of hiding this contest and hoping you’re one of ten people to register, sharing the link will increase your chance of winning! You will receive a personal “lucky link” to share on social media or with your own email list. For each person that signs up through your link, you will be entered three more times!

Sound good? Click here to enter

The Books

1. The Happiness of Pursuit, by Chris Guillebeau

Why it helps us: See above. 100% worth your time.

2. Wrecked, by Jeff Goins

Why it helps us: A key point in our journey is being out of what is comfortable and normal. It’s when life is uncomfortable and abnormal when we have the greatest opportunity to grow. Jeff shows us the stories that wreck us are the stories which shape us.

3. Packing Light, by Allison Vesterfelt

Why it helps us: A lot of times, we feel stuck by our choices. Ways we live, jobs we take, things we buy. It’s easy to throw our hands in the air and believe we can’t make a change. The quest is too big and audacious. Allison was in this place several years ago, feeling the weight of choices keeping her down. Then she embarked on her own quest of visiting all 50 states. It’s a marvelous read on how we can steadily cut away the things in life that control us.

4. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, by Donald Miller

Why it helps us: Donald wrote this several years after his best-selling memoir, Blue Like Jazz. He was stuck after success, after a quest had been fulfilled. He wasn’t living the kind of story he wrote about. He embarked on his own quest, to cycle across the United States. This quest, combined with the process of turning Blue Like Jazz in to a movie, showed him the elements of powerful stories, and how they could be applied in all our lives.

5. Daring Greatly, by Brene Brown

Why it helps us: The messy, dirty, vulnerable parts of our story are often the most difficult to share. We feel pressure to keep up appearances and show everything is fine. Brene helps us peel back the layers of shame to tell the full story of who we really are. She states that becoming more vulnerable is the best way to create whole-hearted families and communities.

6. The Alchemist, by Paulo Cohello

Why it helps us: This short parable follows the journey of a young man on a quest. Along the way, he finds wealth, poverty, friends, enemies, love, and heartbreak. In the end, he learns how each experience and sacrifice has led to him fulfilling his personal legend. Also the most recommended book from guests of the Story Signals podcast.

7. The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield

Why it helps us: A short little book on overcoming the internal resistance which plagues us all. Pressfield focuses on the creative process, but there are many lessons in this book for any goal you wish to achieve. Another book I hear shared and recommended as a must-read.

Ready to enter? Click here

The contest runs from Monday, September 22 at 7:00 am EST to Sunday, September 28 at 11:45 pm EST. You must live in the United States or Canada to win (sorry, shipping overseas is too much). You must be 21 and up to win. Full rules can be found on the giveaway page.

Yesterday I led a workshop for a group of Vanderbilt students. We talked about story, and how they can use the elements of story in a speaking opportunity they have. It was similar to my presentation at Podcamp Nashville, but with a lot more background and research thrown in. My hope is for them to understand how to build a compelling story that connects with the audience, guides them, and shows a few actionable ways to begin.

If you would like for me to hold a similar workshop for your organization, let’s talk!

During the workshop, I kept referencing books that have been important to me and shaped my story. I received blank stares for each book I referenced. To be fair, I would not have read these books in college. I didn’t read many books I wasn’t assigned, and the ones I did weren’t of the self-help or motivational variety.

At the same time, not many people told me what books they believed would be important in my growth and development. Now 30, I have a list I recommend to people, especially people in their twenties. Those listening (or reading) may not pick up any of the books right away, or for several years! But it’s not the work of the guide to take action (that’s the hero’s task), the guide must present the plan for action. If you’re in your early twenties, here’s the plan.

Daring Greatly – by Brene Brown

To Sell is Human & A Whole New Mind – by Dan Pink

The War of Art – by Steven Pressfield

The Sketchnote Handbook & The Sketchnote Workbook – by Mike Rohde

Tribes & Linchpin – by Seth Godin

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years – by Donald Miller

The Obstacle is the Way – by Ryan Holliday

The Alchemist – by Paulo Coelho

Creativity, Inc – by Ed Catmull

The Personal MBA – by Josh Kaufman

The No Complaining Rule – by Jon Gordon

The 4 Hour Chef – by Tim Ferriss

Steal like an Artist – by Austin Kleon

Presentation Zen – by Garr Reynolds

Rework – by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Bird by Bird – by Anne Lamotte

The Power of Habit – by Charles Duhigg

Brain Rules – John Medina

The Art of Innovation – by Thomas Kelly

The In Between – by Jeff Goins

Have any books to add? Please share in the comments! 

Image credit: Chris @ Shutterhacks

Last month, I was a finalist for the platform builder job at HelpScout. I didn’t end up getting the job, I learned so much in the process. I’ll be clear, it was disappointing. I wanted the job, had convinced myself that I was going to get it. It was my dream job, and was going to solve several problems for me. I had written a story before all the characters had their say, and the script flip was almost more than I could bear.

Disappointment is a part of life. How we respond to disappointment, and use it to transform our future, is a key marker in our stories. Look back over your own life. Where and when did you not get something you wanted, only to have it lead to an opportunity or relationship you treasure? Auditing pain is painful, so I often avoid it. But diving in may deliver some of the best lessons I’ve ever learned.

Find yourself

I’ve been all over the professional map the past 18 months. Writer, web designer, brand strategist, coach, teacher, box shipper, sketch artist, adventure guide, fitness guru, and a few other ideas that never took form. That showed in my interview. I believe there’s value to having a diverse skill set, but it was clear I hadn’t focused my skills around a particular focus or niche.

If I was going to give myself advice 18 months ago, it would have been to focus on just one idea. Thinking about how much further along I would have been now is one of the most frustrating parts of this experience. The second best time to decide? Now.

Highlight the unusual

Greg Ciotti (also at SparringMind.com) was brilliant and brutal in his editing process. Seeing my pitch article transform between version one and two was incredible. I remember looking over the two versions and thinking “that first draft sucked”. One of the best pieces of advice he gave me was to highlight the unusual elements of a story, then drill down to show readers why it works. For example, in the first draft of my Backcountry article, I gave equal screen time to live chat and Gearhead features.

Greg went off on me (in the editorial sense), and well-deserved! No one cares about generic live chat features, but Gearheads are a way of connecting with customers I had never seen before. They encourage relationships, collaboration, and eventually, Backcountry’s bottom line.

Keep your writing crisp & clear

Much of my writing (and speaking) can stray towards conversational. Crisp and clear is better. One way to hack this is by using the Hemingway editor. It helps clear up your writing, looking for adverbs, cluttered sentences, and passive style. Try it out here.

Prove it

One of the downfalls in the relentless quest to deliver content is a lack of proof. Using case studies, research, and user feedback is a tremendous way to differentiate your writing from those who are just sharing an opinion. Back your opinion up with some proof. Another way to use proof is to show how you changed positions over time, in essence debunking your own beliefs. Thinking “because of this, then that” is a good way to begin any project.

Why should I care?

A natural progression of highlighting the unusual, ask yourself why the reader should care about this article. Of course you must know the reader’s needs and struggles by this point. I didn’t know HelpScout’s user profile at this point, and don’t spend enough time thinking about it for my own projects. Whether in your work or side projects, always think about why this matters to your primary reader. It will change the way you create content. You’ll probably create less, but the quality and usefulness will increase.

Know what you’re getting in to

As much as I prepared for the interview (reading every blog post, listening to interviews), I still didn’t know what I was getting in to. When Greg asked me about CRM strategies, I had no answer. This happened a few times during the interviews. While you can’t prep for every answer, it revealed that I didn’t have my head wrapped around the job.

What could I have done? What can you do? Here are a few thoughts:

1. Ask more questions – what do they expect?
2. Read between the lines – how do people in similar roles accomplish their work? Find out!
3. Remember IFTTT (if this then that) – more than a useful tool, asking yourself, “if this exists, then I need to produce that” is a helpful way to peel back the layers on what you’re getting yourself in to.

Once you discover these answers, it’s easier to show how you will produce the desired results.

Present your strategies

Looking back, I kick myself for not doing this during the interview. I was reactive, not proactive. I waited to answer questions, and didn’t have any strategies or plans for how I would do the job. As mentioned above, this should have been obvious, since I was applying to a startup that valued autonomy and self-sufficiency. I shoulda-coulda-woulda had a plan, instead I made up answers and smiled a lot.

<blank> won’t solve your problems

I had a whole list of problems I thought this job would solve. Professional status, more money, startup street cred, a fun topic for dinner parties, etc. In a year of starts, stops, and challenges, this job was going to set me on the right track. I was ready to define myself by work again, something I know won’t last.

If you don’t already believe you’re enough before the job/relationship/school is a reality, you’re not going to feel it after either. We must find fulfillment and meaning internally before asking people and organizations to provide it for us externally.

What’s next…

First, HelpScout is publishing my article, which you can read here. It’s a case study on how Backcountry.com (an outdoor adventure retailer) creates an exceptional customer experience. I’ll be grateful if you choose to share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+. Extra points if you tag me in your post (@MattRagland)!

The focus of the next several months will be helping brands tell their story with clarity and purpose. I will also continue to throw myself in to the podcast, it’s not going anywhere! I want to help people and brands define the customer story cycle, moving from interest to contribution.

In a nutshell, I desire to do work that helps people and organizations grow and develop.

A final lesson I’ve learned is that I don’t have to be an independent founder or entrepreneur. I really enjoy being a part of a team and shared purpose.

If you’ve read this article and want me all to yourself, let’s talk. I’m open to opportunities. Email Matt@StorySignals.com, or on twitter @MattRagland.

I recently had the honor of presenting on storytelling at Podcamp Nashville, and I’m so grateful to everyone who came out to the event. Speaking is always a good challenge and learning experience for me, and this session was no different. It was my first run on this slide deck and structure, I’ve talked about story before, but wanted to give this talk more structure, action, and examples. Overall, I was very pleased with the result and the feedback was great, but I know there was plenty I could work on. Enjoy all the resources and let me know if I can help with anything!

Video of the Presentation

Audio of the Presentation

Download the audio: How to Effectively Use Storytelling in Your Life and Work

Slide Deck

Story Structure of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Chipotle uses storytelling in their Back to the Start ad

Resources used

• The Hero’s Journey, by Joseph Campbell
• How to Tell a Story, by Donald Miller (free ebook)
• Pixar’s 22 Rules to Storytelling
• Melanie Green & Tim Brock’s research on stories
• Daring Greatly, by Brene Brown
• Start with Why, by Simon Sinek
• Camp Rockmont for Boys

Want more? Stay in the Story Signals community!

Thanks for checking out this post on Story Signals. If you’d like to be notified when a new podcast episode is available, here’s the ultimate list of resources to get started. After, there are 2 easy ways to stay involved and keep listening.

1. If you think Story Signals is deserving, leave a 5 star rating on iTunes or Stitcher. Click here for iTunes, and click “View in iTunes” – “Reviews & Ratings” – “Write a Review” (see the screenshots). For Stitcher, click here.

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I’m a worker.

After ending my contract in the coveted year-round summer camp field (think 500 acres and housing included), I moved to Nashville with my wife and was looking forward to living off savings and becoming a writer.

This plan lasted about two weeks. Looking back, two reasons jump out immediately.

One, I like to work. If I wasn’t married, I’d be a workaholic. I like enjoy being in action, creating, and being around people. Two weeks around the house with nothing to contribute to drove me nuts much quicker than I thought. Men need something to be a part of, a bigger picture for us to be a part of, and I was feeling it big time.

Two, I like being around people, and have always been in very people-centric roles in my previous work with camps, sports teams, and community centers. At Camp Rockmont, the experience of being around a daily buzz of 400 campers and 100 staff cultivates the necessity of creating order out of chaos, and I thrived in it.

Camp ruined me because it was so meaningful.

Maybe you’ve had a similar experience, whether at school, church, non-profits, community center, you name it. One of the great gifts the next generation of change-makers is going to be remembered for is the willingness and stubborness to have their work matter.

So, when a few weeks passed in Nashville and I had been dutifully typing away on the blog, the old itch to be around people doing meaningful work wanted to be scratched.

I applied to work at companies I felt were doing meaningful, fun work. Who were changing the way businesses communicated with people, were radically transparent, and empowered others. I signed up to be a substitute teacher, but the guy with zero teaching experience usually isn’t first on the call list.

Plus, I realized how much I despised seeing money leave my bank account without having any money coming in.

Lowering my full time expectations, I applied to jobs I thought would be interesting for a time, e.g. coffeeshops, breweries, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and REI.

What followed was a whole lotta thanks, but no thanks.

Granted, I hadn’t applied to jobs I didn’t find meaningful and interesting, but that was against what I felt was purpose, what made me special. I didn’t do just anything, I did work that mattered.

Then Rick called. He said he knew a guy that could get me a job. Soon after, I was talking to Carl, and he was offering me a job over the phone. Part-time, good pay, and flexible hours. In fact, the job was everything I was looking for at the time, except for one aspect.

Meaning.

The job was at a UPS store; you know the ones, with the pack-and-ship guarantee? No, I didn’t even get to wear the short brown shorts, ride in the truck, and feel the wind against my… well anyway, it was just a job at a retail store without much intrinsic meaning besides paying the bills.

I took the job.

Working was (and is) difficult at times, because meaning and purpose doesn’t jump out at you the same way you see a young man grapple with homesickness, or the light bulb go off for someone at an event, or the athlete you coach running their best time.

I had to go looking for it.

The bible says “seek and you will find” and I’ve found that to be true in my pursuit of meaningful work. When we are active participants in creating the environment and culture we want to see at a workplace, meaning presents itself. If you think about the meaning behind your work, you can find it.

The biggest purpose I found at UPS was staring me right in the face, and it was in the things people brought in to have me safely pack and ship them to the next destination. I’ve shipped birthday gifts, baby announcements, engagement rings, art from dying grandparents, first-edition books, pictures of presidents, and heirloom christmas decorations. The person hands them to me and entrusts that I will do my part to keep this little piece of their story alive and intact. This is the primary meaning I found behind the work, just waiting on me to realize it.

Past the primaries, I now believe we can find meaning and purpose in any role we play in life. My friend Eric works at a Wendy’s, and he says he finds purpose in the opportunity to feed people and put a smile on their face.

We create or ignore meaning every day.

Each of us has the opportunity to do this every day, to smile at the person across from us and ask how their day is going. Maybe you’re providing the food for a first date, or coffee for a big meeting, or sending rubber ducks to parents for a birth announcement. Trust me, it’s there.

The people you work with can provide incredible meaning and opportunity to encourage and support others. Listening to them, pitching in with cleaning, sharing your dessert, or helping with something with no expectation of return. When we can impact the lives of those around us, they in turn feel empowered to do the same for others.

Making space.

The space you work in provides a tremendous opportunity for impact. I’m not the world’s cleanest person (ask my wife), but people feel more at ease in a clean environment, especially when working and shopping. Think about from a customer perspective; do you feel better or worse about the places you shop in that are drab and dirty?

Space that is clean and cared for reflects the mindset that if the employees care about the dust and trash, they care about you too. It may seem a little silly writing it out, but I think you’ll agree it’s true. Be the person who helps set that space for others. It gives them room to concentrate on what they care about, which shouldn’t be the cleanliness of the room.

Your community vs. the World

Too often I get caught up in wanting to change the world, and I don’t even try to change the place I’m in now, or the mindset I have. I realize the more I try to be a positive catalyst for change in my work, family, and community, more good seems to come from that. I think it’s because for all the ways we’ve become inter-connected around the world, we’re still meant to have meaningful work and relationships with people are around us.

I know I’m not going to be at the UPS store forever. But for the time I’m here, I want to make a difference. I want to get each box and envelope where it’s supposed to go, and stay intact. To make people smile, relax, and feel at ease. To set the space where they can do all of those things, even in just a few minutes.

That’s meaning enough for me.

When you begin to write with intention and regularity, you’ll quickly notice the difficult balance of writing for the practice and writing with a focus. When your blog is young, it’s tempting to write about anything and everything that crosses your mind. The pros of the general curation model are that you feel free to write about a variety of topics, and thus can (ideally) crank out more work. I followed this path the first several months of MattRagland.com, with a vague focus on lifestyle management, priorities, and personal development.

The problem though was in the vagueness of my writing. I wrote about topics that interest me, and I have a passion for. I’d write about spirituality, writing, sports, outdoors, business, productivity, personal matters, education, creativity, and more. All of those are topics worth tackling and wrestling over, however they didn’t give readers a clear reason as to why they should stick around. I didn’t have a focus on I was writing about on a post-to-post basis, and thus didn’t give them a compelling reason to keep reading or even come back.

When you want to write, the 1st step is to begin writing. 

In the past, I would get bogged down in over-thinking my writing, making the process of starting more difficult than it had to be. Simply starting, and hitting publish over and over, is a key part of narrowing your focus. Write about lots of topics, and see what resonates with you, where your passion can meet the needs of others. Just start.

Now, very smart people have written very good pieces on what to do, and I encourage you to check them out. CopyBlogger, ProBlogger, Jeff Goins, Chris Guillebeau, and several more are available to you. Just do some digging and don’t be afraid to ask!

Here’s the catch though; you don’t need to share everything you write.

Again, here’s the paradox. I began my blog by writing about anything I could, just to get words on screen. But I was serving up a diluted message, and readers didn’t know what to latch on to. I couldn’t lead a tribe because I didn’t know where anyone was going. But you can’t just sit around waiting for inspiration to strike, you have to get to work and keep practicing. So where’s the balance?

One option is to keep a journal, where you can steadily practice your writing without the pressure of sharing something you feel comfortable with. The audience is you, and the practice is active. Now, many people try and start a journal and fail (like me), for a variety of reasons. My primary reasons are a lack of accountability (no one gets upset if I don’t journal) and the presence of ego (I want the social proof and affirmation).

Another option is to write on a shared platform like Medium. I don’t recommend using this as a primary platform/home, you still need a personal basecamp to share your focused writing.  What a community like Medium does is give your random posts a home by sharing them in collections. In some ways, you can think of it as an always-on guest post resource. I recommend Medium because of the curated collections and the simple beauty of their layout. Get an account here.

You need to find a focus, mission, and answer the question of “Why?”

There is certainly flexibility around your mission, but your mission needs to frame your blog and why it exists. My first big guest post was for the Buffer blog, and people who clicked through probably thought: “This guy wrote about productivity and organization, but most of what I see here is about spirituality, writing, and running.”

I first thought, “I know people who write general, personal blogs. There’s Leo from Zen Habits, the Minimalists, Tim Ferriss, or Joel Runyon“. This is true, but when I thought about it more, I realized that each of these writers has a focus and mission to their sites.

• Leo – Simplicity and Peace
• Minimalists – Um, Minimalism
• Tim Ferriss – Lifestyle Design
• Joel Runyon – Doing impossible things, telling a story

The other direction to take is to have a very specific focus to your blog, like Nerd Fitness, The Art of Manliness, No Meat Athlete, or Smart Football. These authors craft their sites around specific content and topics, leaving the generalities to others. They are about the details! Yes, there is flexibility within their topic, but everything points back to their focus.

How did I start to narrow down the topics? As mentioned before, it was thanks to Jeff Goins’ Intentional Blogging course (free, register here) , I was able to visually get down what interested me. There was a lot, as you can see.

As you can see, the focus of my blog and yours is important. If we want to “turn pro”, as Steven Pressfield talks about, we need to decide what the focus and mission of our work is. It’s fine to have a general blog that shares about your life, and communicates with friends and family.

But that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about doing the work, creating value and connections for others, and being a professional. 

Once you’ve found your focus, get to it. You may need to buy a new domain name, and the process of generating content begins again. Make sure you pick a mission that resonates with you, because without that internal drive, the grinding days will feel that much worse, and your great days will not feel that great.

Do what you love, even if it makes you less money. Passion, flexibility, and simplicity are better. 

Have a great day.

In August 2014, I began to think of myself as a true entrepreneur.

The feeling lasted a couple of weeks. Then began the roller coaster ride of struggle, success, self-doubt, and high-fives.

Let me be clear, this isn’t a “what I wish I knew seven months ago” type of post, because many entrepreneurs have been very open and honest about the struggles and challenges of startups. I simply didn’t believe them.

Since I graduated the University of Florida in December 2006 until August 2014, I had been employed for all but 12 hours of that span. When I switched jobs from startup sports marketer and coach to summer camp assistant director, I spent the night with my old roommate, hitched a ride from Atlanta to Asheville, and was right back in the saddle. For 6.5 years, I had never missed a paycheck.

In fact, I was ready to be on my own. A steady informational diet of Seth Godin, Pat Flynn, Jason Fried, Eric Ries, Joel & Leo, and Gary Vaynerchuk had built the mindset that I was ready to strike out on my own, build a business, and be location independent. I was tired of being told all five W’s and the H:

• What to do
• When to do it
• Where to do it
• Who to do it for
• Why I/we do it
• How to do it

Sound familiar? The whole live-anywhere-do-anything entrepreneur ethos was ripe for the taking, and I was going to take it.

The story since then? Simply days of hard work, great experiences, cussing at myself in the woods, depression, elation, flexibility, demands, and patience.

I didn’t believe I would be just as pressed for time, meeting the needs and demands of clients. I was location-independent, but not time-independent.

I didn’t believe I would need to work part-time, and feel the embarassment of telling people at parties that while I’m an entreprenuer, I also sling cardboard for UPS.

I didn’t believe I would suddenly try to abandon my startup hopes and look for a job, placing my self-worth in someone else’s hands, wanting them to tell me I was good enough, smart enough to work for them.

I didn’t believe I would mentally rely on the affirmation of other people, or be jealous of their success.

I didn’t believe I would take so long to figure what I should concentrate on, and be so willing to jump at any opportunity. I’ve called myself a web developer, writer, brand manager, social media marketer, artist, podcaster, and growth hacker. Which doesn’t include my “legitimate” side jobs at UPS, substitute teaching, and Lyft.

I didn’t think I’d be running through the woods cussing myself out for being selfish and lazy, then laying awake at night thinking about client projects.

I didn’t think I’d be so tentative and desperate in pricing, and willing to price my talent so low, and then work really hard.

I didn’t think adjusting my buying habits would be so difficult, since I had convinced myself I was “above” such consumerism and worldliness. If you asked me now, I could rattle off list of things I want to possess.

Finally, I didn’t think the mental challenges of building a business and getting work done would be as daunting as they are.

What I do know now is very similar to other lessons I’ve learned in my life. Most lessons need to be learned personally, in the struggle and success of the arena. We cannot sit in the stands and only read about what those daring greatly are doing, their tactics and advice. Of course, doing so is immeasurably helpful, but as Mike Tyson famously said,

Everyone has a plan until they get punched

I’ve been getting punched, but now I’m punching back. There’s no substitute for getting the in the ring and seeing what you’re made of. Train hard, do your research, and have people in your corner, but eventually you’ll need to step in to the arena and dare greatly.

I believe that with my whole heart.

Did this resonate with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts and stories. Please leave a comment below, or connect on Twitter. And yes, I drew the picture, impressed?

As people actively engaged in creative work, we are aware of the force which attempts to distract us at any cost. Steven Pressfield calls this force The Resistance, Seth Godin termed it The Lizard Brain, and Brene Brown pictures a little gremlin. In all of its forms, the Resistance is one of the most destructive forces in our world, and has robbed us of countless works of art, acts of kindness, and basic happiness.

In my own work, I’ve noticed five ways the Resistance attacks us in our work and personal life. Whether the day’s calling is to write, record, or engage, the Resistance is lying in wait to patiently offer up displacement activities. In order to know thine enemy, you must know how they work.

Mindless

This type of distraction is the low-hanging fruit of the Resistance. Stupid distractions are the kind where nothing constructive is being done or learned. They include all types of social media, web browsing, video games, personal emails, pleasure reading, and more. The encouraging part of stupid distractions is how quickly you can realize what you’re doing is stupid, and get yourself back on track. When you’re creating art, browsing through Facebook’s news feed or diving in to the black hole of Reddit is stupid. Mentally pull yourself back and keep working.

Busy Work

This is where the Resistance begins to deploy better tactics. Busy work can include activities such as cleaning the house, doing the dishes, work-related emails and administrative tasks, giving the dog a bath, updating your calendar, and so on. The deception and brilliance used by the Resistance is that all of these tasks have an important place in your life. But that place is not when you should be working. I only ever volunteer to sweep or do the dishes when I should be working instead. Do the work, then the dishes. Not the other way around (click to tweet that).

Self-Improvement

As you continue to deflect the attacks of the Resistance, progress will remain difficult, because the attacks will continue to improve. The siren song of self-improvement is a powerful track for creatives, because it’s part of the reason we are able to do what we do. We know there is value in reading that book or blog post, listening to that podcast or signing up for that class. But when we delay or diminish our creative output in the name of self-improvement, it’s a lie and an excuse. I would argue that even exercise, for all of its benefits on energy, productivity, and brain function, is still the work of the Resistance when it detracts from your work.

Self-Doubt

One of the final stands of the Resistance is blatant and brutal self-doubt. Take heart, because the little gremlin is getting desperate. You begin to hear and feel like you’re not good enough, smart enough, creative enough, well connected enough, funny enough, generally not enough to do what you’ve been called to do. And none of it’s true. When I begin to hear the little gremlin spew self-doubt, I try to think of Marianne Williamson’s wonderful quote from A Return to Love:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.”

Shadow

The shadow career is relatively quiet and content type of Resistance. This patient type of attack was also coined by Pressfield, who describes the shadow career as the addiction we nurture instead of the work we are passionate about. Perhaps you are passionate about writing, but too addicted to money or status to downgrade your car, apartment, and clothes and start writing in earnest. The change doesn’t need to be that drastic, but if you’re passionate about a type of work or art, then start doing something about it and stop talking about it.

The Resistance loves to have us talk incessantly about our hobbies and interests but never do anything about them, no matter the interest. We engage in displacement activities and shadow careers because they give us some type of fulfillment, but in the end they slowly and steadily rob us of our true calling.

The Next Step

There’s one last trick to understanding the temptation of these attacks. None of these activities are inherently bad. Social media receives a bad rap sometimes, but it’s an incredible way to connect and build a platform. Of course you should keep a clean home (and happy spouse) and exercise. But those activities shouldn’t displace your calling. When the time has come to work, you shouldn’t decide now is the time to mow the grass. It’s time to do the work. Mow the grass when it’s time to mow the grass. Exercise when it’s time to exercise, and here’s a mind-bender… don’t write when it’s time to exercise!

What lies at the center is discipline. The discipline to do what is important now. The Resistance wants you to be undisciplined, unhappy, and unfulfilled.

Overcoming the Resistance isn’t easy, or beaten once and rid of it for life. The Resistance is patient, and has eternity to come back when we are complacent, cocky, or desperate. However, once we understand the little gremlin’s tactics, we have an advantage. We can recognize the attacks, and respond accordingly. Spend this week recognizing the attacks, and make a conscious choice to do the work. Next week, I’ll share the five tactics I’ve used to fight back, and keep my best work at the forefront. Keep fighting everyone, the world needs it.

Icon designed by Angela Dinh  for The Noun Project

In the past few months, I’ve reached to many well known speakers, writers, entrepreneurs; for two reasons.

1. Ask to help and/or assist

Whether I believed I could help with a website, blog, conference, or social media, I presented a few options and in many cases my offer was accepted.

2. I wanted to be in their club

More than a guest post, volunteer position, or even a job, I basically wanted to be in their club. The cool kids, the world-changers, the minimalists, the adventurers, and so on. I spent too much creative time thinking when I would receive the email or phone call saying I was in.

Sadly, I was still waiting to be picked.

In October, I was at Donald Miller’s Storyline Conference, and he was speaking about struggle and transformation. Donald had just moved to Nashville, and honestly he was a person I hoped would invite me into his club of cool guys and world-changers. I had a feeling (which I wasn’t paying attention to) I wouldn’t join his club, and then the thought struck me.

What if I’m the person I’ve been waiting for?

The thought was simultaneously terrifying and thrilling. What if I’m the change, the leader, the one who helps people grow, develop, and make a difference? Instead of waiting to be picked, I plant my own stake in the ground and begin building, connecting, and helping others?

Story Signals is a public action towards picking myself. I’ve loved podcasts for a few years, and look up to podcasters like Pat Flynn, John Lee Dumas, Jeff Sanders, Cliff Ravenscraft, and others. Again, I hoped one day I would go to New Media Expo, high-five everyone, and talk about the cool stuff we’re doing. For me it’s hard to separate the affirmation of others  as a measuring stick for my work, and my meaning.

The decision to be the person you’ve been waiting for isn’t an egotistical choice, far from it! You are actually deciding to be who you really are, one action at a time. I’ve found it’s more egotistical to wait for someone to pick you! In the mindset of waiting to be picked, you’re in a constant fight of trying to measure up to someone else’s expectations, and consequently the qualifications of those you’re competing with. I can’t count how many times I looked at another person and thought “I’m better at what they’re doing than they are, why did they get picked?”

My experience since Storyline has also led me to try and figure out how to become that person, which has been wrought with frustration and shiny-object syndrome. Despite this, I believe I know how to change. The decision and resulting actions are possibly the most rewarding and challenging I’ve ever faced. Here’s the result of my findings.

Step 1: Decide what you’re going to do

Step 2: Start doing it

Step 3: Keep doing it

Instead of trying to find the perfect match and be the perfect person, just start doing one of the things you really care about. Whatever IT is, IT won’t be perfect. Neither are you, your marriage, your kids, or the weather. I was and still am terrified the first few episodes of Story Signals will flop. That listeners will hear the sound quality, lack of cool music, filled pauses, and go somewhere else, laughing at me. But that doesn’t matter right now. What matters is shipping, putting my work on the line and continuing to grind. Because I can’t wait for someone to call me and tell me it’s good enough.

In the end, you must make a choice. Stop waiting for someone cool to call you up and invite you in to their secret club. It’s not going to happen. You are the person you’ve been waiting for.

So start acting like it.

P.S. – After writing this, I will email it to my list, post to social media, and promote it for several days. Each day, I will hope it goes viral, is retweeted by a cool person with lots of followers, and otherwise give me the satisfaction of being picked. This is natural, but I think the key is to not be consumed by the affirmation of others. You’re enough, and you’ll need to be reminded every day. You can be the person you’ve been waiting for.

Images designed by Ahmed Sagarwala  and Simple Icons for the Noun Project