Story Signals

Inspiring interviews and lessons learned on living with purpose, clarity, and meaning

Eric Zimmer teaches us why and how we should feed the Good Wolf

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TOYF_LightEric Zimmer is the host of The One You Feed podcast, one of the top shows on iTunes and one I listen to on a regular basis. An aspect of this interview I really enjoyed was Eric’s skill as a storyteller, and he shares a couple of his favorite parables with us. I really appreciated his vulnerability with some of the messy parts of his story, and that’s a vital aspect of any story we’re living. The messiness is what teaches us and brings us together as people, and I’m thankful Eric brought that darkness to light.

 Now, of all the lessons and stories Eric shared, these three really stood out.

What you’ll learn

  1. Avoiding the negative self-talk is an integral part of our stories. When we can recognize it, name it, and even talk back a little, we decrease it’s power and allow our good wolf to feed!

  2. We all have the tendency to be addicted to something. Don’t get caught thinking that just because you’re not hooked on drugs or alcohol that something else isn’t battling for your time and attention. We can be addicted to money, status, power, possessions, and countless other things. It’s important to have a community around you to help stay in check.

  3. Clean the lens of your perspective regularly, and frame your choices in the mindset of what will make me happy in the long run, not what will make me comfortable now.

Listen here

Resources mentioned in the show

Connect with Eric & The One You Feed

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Thanks for checking out this episode of Story Signals. If you’d like to be notified when a new 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.

  2. Share with a friend! I would be very appreciate of your recommendations to family, friends, and social networks. If you mention me, @MattRagland, or @StorySignals on Twitter, I’ll be sure and retweet the share! Just share StorySignals.com – StorySignals.com/itunes – StorySignals.com/stitcher.

How to Effectively Use Storytelling in your Work and Life

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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

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.

  2. Share with a friend! I would be very appreciate of your recommendations to family, friends, and social networks. If you mention me, @MattRagland, or @StorySignals on Twitter, I’ll be sure and retweet the share! Just share StorySignals.com – StorySignals.com/itunes – StorySignals.com/stitcher.

Allison Vesterfelt shares her story of Road Trips, Relationships, and Packing Light

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fb1I’m so glad to have Allison Vestefelt on this week’s episode of Story Signals. Allison is a writer who has recently moved from Portland to Nashville, and she has an incredible story to share with us today. Her book, Packing Light, has become a best-seller, and we talk about her road trip to all 50 states, her personal journey to becoming a published writer, and all the messiness that comes with being in great relationships. I loved the book, the messages of courage, risk, sacrifice, and relationships all spoke to me at a very important time in my life.

Allison shared a lot of wisdom and great advice for us on our own journeys, especially when we feel a little stuck in the same-old-same-old. We talked about pursuing your calling, bravery, a willingness to get out in to the party, and the delicate balance between taking action and trusting in the big picture. Again, there are so many great stories and takeaways from the interview, but here are the three points that really stood out to me.

What You’ll Learn

  1. Take small steps towards your goals, instead of being intimidated by the bigness of it. Break it down to smaller goals you can accomplish weekly or daily, and go from there! This leverages the “winner effect” we talked about.
  2. Ask yourself “what would I do if I could anything”? What unique gifts do you have that can serve the greater good? Is there a way for you to begin pursuing this in small ways?
  3. Remember that the journey is the reward. We need to appreciate the adventure while we’re living it, and not make the end goal the only part we enjoy or are fulfilled by.

Listen Here

Great Quotes

Creating good art is waking up every day and getting over yourself.

There is nothing more humbling than putting your art out into the world.

What would you do if you could do anything?

Resources

Connect with Allison & Say Thanks!

Want more? Stay in the Story Signals community!

Thanks for checking out this episode of Story Signals. If you’d like to be notified when a new 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.

  2. Share with a friend! I would be very appreciate of your recommendations to family, friends, and social networks. If you mention me, @MattRagland, or @StorySignals on Twitter, I’ll be sure and retweet the share! Just share StorySignals.com – StorySignals.com/itunes – StorySignals.com/stitcher.

Joshua Becker helps us on the journey of living with less

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Joshua Becker writes and shares his wisdom at BecomingMinimalist.com, a wonderful site full of stories and ways to begin your journey of living with less. He’s the author of Simplify, Clutter Free with Kids, and other great books. This interview is packed with stories and advice that will challenge you and even leave you a little frustrated. Why? Because the truth is that many of us have too much stuff, and spend our time on things we don’t care that much about.

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For Joshua, the moment of clarity came when he was cleaning out his garage, trying to organize all of his stuff, much of which he couldn’t remember why he bought in the first place. While this was happening, his 5 year old son was playing in the backyard, and Joshua was frustrated at how long the garage project was taking. He took a moment to share this with his neighbor, who surveyed the pile and said the words that changed his life.

Well, maybe you don’t need this much stuff.

This was a turning point, when a guide had the wisdom and courage to point out a problem and offer a solution (albeit simple and concise). Joshua realized that none of his stuff was bringing him lasting happiness, in fact it was distracting him from the the things that did make him happy and fulfilled!

Joshua points out the danger of cluttering our homes with stuff is more than simply the physical space it occupies, but the mental space it accumulates! When we have a lot of stuff, we have to organize, clean, maintain, and finally replace all of that stuff, and that takes up great physical and mental energy which could be better spent. Joshua shares so many good lessons and tips for us, and I can’t wait for you to hear it. But to me, three lessons really stood out.

What You’ll Learn

  1. The possessions we accumulate will never make us happy simply by owning them. What makes us happy are the relationships, experiences, and contributions we make to the world.
  2. A journey of living with less is not simply about making fewer things the meaning of your life. It’s about intentionally asking yourself each day what brings life to you and your community, and pursuing those life-giving actions, not filling your life with more stuff.
  3. Whatever we think is going to be the end-all-be-all solution to our discontent and unhappiness will routinely disappoint us, unless we can learn to be happy, content, and fulfilled with what we already are blessed with. While many people focus on physical possessions, this can also include travel, power/promotions at work, wealth, and anything else that we may try and make the end goal.

Listen here

If you’re joining us at Story Signals for the first time, welcome! The show focuses on lessons we can learn on living with purpose, clarity, and meaning. There are several ways to subscribe and listen, including on your smartphone or computer. Check out your options here.

Great Quotes

All the things we own and accumulate are not bringing us lasting happiness. Even worse, they are distracting us from the things that do bring us happiness.
It’s not until we start to remove unnecessary things and pursuits from our lives that we can find the freedom to start living the story we want to live.

Resource list

Where to connect with Guest

Want more? Stay in the Story Signals community!

Thanks for checking out this episode of Story Signals. If you’d like to be notified when a new 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.

  2. Share with a friend! I would be very appreciate of your recommendations to family, friends, and social networks. If you mention me, @MattRagland, or @StorySignals on Twitter, I’ll be sure and retweet the share! Just share StorySignals.com – StorySignals.com/itunes – StorySignals.com/stitcher.

Jon Gordon shares the power of a positive culture, and the most importance choice you make each day

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Our guest this week on Story Signals is Jon Gordon, best-selling author of nine books (soon to be ten), including the Energy Bus, Soup, and Training Camp. Jon is also a speaker and consultant to businesses, professional sports teams, and school systems. I’m so glad to have him on the show, and am thankful for the time he spent with us.

If you’re joining us at Story Signals for the first time, welcome! The show focuses on lessons we can learn on living with purpose, clarity, and meaning. There are several ways to subscribe and listen, including on your smartphone or computer. Check out your options here.

jongordon-quote3 In this interview, Jon shares so many good lessons and tips for us, and I can’t wait for you to hear it. We cover topics like company and community culture, including a few actionable steps for how we can be a catalyst for change. We also discuss the practice of writing, how prevelant fear is in the creative process, starting a movement, and so much more. But to me, three lessons really stood out.

What You’ll Learn

  1. The importance of being a lifelong learner.
  2. How vital a positive culture is in your company and community.
  3. The most important choice we make every day, and how it shapes our actions.

Listen here

JON_GORDONGreat Quotes

If you’re fearful of failure, you’ll never be the success you long to be.

Each day, we make a choice between faith and fear. Both believe in a future that hasn’t happened yet. So choose faith!

When your work is about others, and not you, it becomes a movement!

Resource list

Where to connect with Jon

Want more? Stay in the Story Signals community!

Thanks for checking out this episode of Story Signals. If you’d like to be notified when a new 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.

  2. Share with a friend! I would be very appreciate of your recommendations to family, friends, and social networks. If you mention me, @MattRagland, or @StorySignals on Twitter, I’ll be sure and retweet the share! Just share StorySignals.com – StorySignals.com/itunes – StorySignals.com/stitcher.

Can Any Job Be Meaningful? Lessons from Slinging Cardboard at UPS

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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.

Branden Harvey tells stories through photographs and does what gives him the “willies”

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I’m really excited to have photographer Branden Harvey on this episode of Story Signals. Branden is an immensely talented photographer and storyteller, and is one of the best I’ve seen at having the courage and skill of drawing out the stories of other people. Let me give you an example:

Branden is the creator of the instagram movement #storyportrait, and proudly states on his profile his belief that your story matters. He does this by essentially sharing instagram long-form, digging in to the life and story of the people he’s photographing. But the reach of #storyportrait has grown beyond Branden, and over 16,000 people have submitted their own stories using the hashtag.

branden-quotelink

If you’re joining us at Story Signals for the first time, welcome! The show focuses on lessons we can learn on living with purpose, clarity, and meaning. There are several ways to subscribe and listen, including on your smartphone or computer. Check out your options here.

Besids his succes at building community on Instagram, Branden is also a sought-after wedding and fashion photographer, and spent the majority of 2013 traveling around the USA , plus visiting the Phillipines and China. Branden has a lot going on, and I was very grateful he spent a little time sharing his story with us.

Speaking of which, I know you’ll learn a lot from Branden is this episode. We talk a lot about creativity, facing fear, the value of mentors, and balancing art with social connection. But to me, three lessons really stood out.

What You’ll Learn

  1. Why Branden turned down his first big fashion shoot, and how he got it back.
  2. How to dig in to people’s stories and find out more about what makes them different and special.
  3. The defining characteristic of who Branden calls the “secretly incredibly people of the world”.

Listen here

Great Quotes

I want to live a life that demands an explantion.

Do what gives your stomach the willies.

The pitfall of modern artists is working to impress people on social media when we should be working to make better art.

Resource list

Where to connect with Branden

Want more? Stay in the Story Signals community!

Thanks for checking out this episode of Story Signals. If you’d like to be notified when a new 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.

  2. Share with a friend! I would be very appreciate of your recommendations to family, friends, and social networks. If you mention me, @MattRagland, or @StorySignals on Twitter, I’ll be sure and retweet the share! Just share StorySignals.com – StorySignals.com/itunes – StorySignals.com/stitcher.

Benny Hsu talks about taking responsibility, creative focus, and the power of limiting beliefs

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I’m happy to have Benny Hsu of Get Busy Living on Story Signals this week, he’s a great guy and a fellow Jacksonville native. Benny is an app developer, author, speaker, and podcaster, making his online home at GetBusyLivingBlog.com. I’ve really enjoyed Benny’s writing and storytelling ability over the past couple of years, and it’s plain to see he’s a guy who communicates well and helps people change their lives.

If you’re joining us at Story Signals for the first time, welcome! The show focuses on lessons we can learn on living with purpose, clarity, and meaning. There are several ways to subscribe and listen, including on your smartphone or computer. Check out your options here.

benny-fb1

After spending a few years in the family restaurant business, Benny was ready to make a change, and the change was initiated by a letter he wrote to his past and future self. Those letters, along with inspiration from Pat Flynn, helped Benny take action and create a change in his life. Enter iPhone app Photo365. Long story short (you’ll hear it on the show), Benny made $30,000 in 30 days on Photo365! His life was changed, though the success wasn’t what he expected.

Back to the interview… Benny shares so many good lessons and tips for us, and I can’t wait for you to hear it. We cover topics like responsibility, habits, internal struggle, family dynamics, creative focus, and so much more. But to me, three lessons really stood out.

  1. You have to take responsibility for your own life and begin taking action. Sitting around and wishing things will change is not the same as intentionally moving towards the change you wish to see.

  2. Focus on one big project at a time. This is where you will see the fastest and most valuable results, whether the project works out or not. It’s difficult to work on several big projects at once, because then you’ll be spread too thin to put the full force of your creativity into the mission.

  3. Don’t limit your beliefs. Remember the story Benny told? Since no one told the student the statistics problem was impossible, he approached it as entirely possible! Jeff Goins talked about this in episode 10 as well, further emphasizing the point of not placing limiting beliefs on ourselves or other people.

Listen here

Great Quotes

My life turned when I realized I had to take responsibility for what was happening in my life. To stop blaming other people and situations, and to start taking meaningful action.

My overnight success was 5 years in the making

Get Busy Livin’ or Get Busy Dyin’ – Red from the Shawshank Redemption

GetBusyLiving300250Resources

Connect and Say Thanks!

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Finding Your Focus

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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.

Focus_by_Pyr0_de

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.

Jeff Goins talks about the responsibility of contribution, and why life is not about you

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I’m really excited to have Jeff Goins on this week’s episode of Story Signals. Jeff is a writer, speaker, and teacher who has had a big influence on me and my own writing. In fact, his blog, GoinsWriter.com, was one of the first places I landed to learn about writing and the bigger picture of connecting through a blog. Since that day in 2011, I’ve always received good advice from Jeff, whether online or in-person, and it’s my pleasure to have him on Story Signals.

If you’re joining us at Story Signals for the first time, welcome! The show focuses on lessons we can learn on living with purpose, clarity, and meaning. There are several ways to subscribe and listen, including on your smartphone or computer. Check out your options here.

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Jeff’s circle of influence has grown exponentially since I began learning from him, and the world is a better place for it. He describes himself as a writer who helps other writers succeed. In fact, if you’re looking for a free writing/blogging class, Jeff’s Intentional Blogging course is a great way to start. He generously shares his experience and expertise with everyone, and I simply know Jeff’s class will change how you write and connect with people.

Back to the interview… Jeff shares so many good lessons and tips for us, and I can’t wait for you to hear it. We cover topics like creativity, contribution, boring times, dealing with failure and success, overcoming inner battles, and so much more. But to me, three lessons really stood out.

What You’ll Learn

  1. You have a responsibility to steward and serve others through your unique gifts, and how to find areas to do this in.
  2. Don’t reject yourself before even beginning the conversation with someone. How often do we give up and reject ourselves before the interaction happens? Simply present yourself or your idea in an honest and open way, and see what happens!
  3. Life is not about you. This is such an important lesson, but so easy for us to ignore and forget! We feel the need to take what’s ours, and look out for number one. But instead of going in to a situation thinking “what can I get?” think “what can I give?” I believe you’ll see your relationships and interactions change, and your needs still met.

Listen here

Great Quotes

It’s your life’s task to be who you are

Find something obvious to you and share it with others

You were born to create something, and that is your life, the story you are writing of your life

Resources

Where to Connect

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Want to help Story Signals hit the front page of iTunes podcasts? Here are 3 quick ways to help.

  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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