by Helena Escalante | Growth, Mindset, Planning, Productivity, Resources, Tools
TODAY’S IDEA:
“Success comes from persistently improving and inventing, not from persistently doing what is not working.”
— From Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur, by Derek Sivers.
The idea of persistence and dogged determination has been ingrained in us from a very young age. While there is enormous merit in being persistent, we have to make sure that said persistence will take us somewhere: sometimes we are just trying to fit a round peg in a square hole.
We do have to try (or see someone trying) to fit the proverbial round peg at least once into the square hole to realize it won’t work. Substitute this for whatever is not working in your business or life. Once you realize that this is not working for you or anyone involved, improve, switch, redesign, reinvent, modify… experiment and iterate again and again until you get it right. As Leadership Guru John C. Maxwell so wisely says: “Fail early, fail often, but always fail forward.”
By failing “forward” you know that you will learn something and apply that learning to the next iteration of whatever you are doing. Eventually, like Edison*, you’ll find the formula that works. As Derek aptly says in his book:
“Success comes from persistently improving and inventing, not from persistently doing what is not working […] Don’t waste years fighting uphill battles against locked doors. Improve or invent until you get a huge response.”
How do you know it’s finally right? Derek says that your clients will tell you: “Wow! Yes! I need this! I’d be happy to pay you to do this!” Or depending on what you’re doing, you may get any other positive expression of love, gratitude and/or desire to acquire.
* The story goes that Thomas Edison, the inventor of the incandescent filament for light bulbs, experimented and failed ten thousand times before finding the one that worked. When asked about it he said: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
ACTION:
TODAY: What is a proverbial round peg that you’re dealing with now? Ask WHY 5 times to see what’s the real reason why you’re not moving forward. What is one action that you can take today, (even if it’s just scheduling time in your calendar to deal with this next week) that will move you towards improving what is currently not working?
FUTURE: Grab a journal and take inventory of some—or all—of these areas of your life (the ones that apply to you): physical, intellectual, social, financial, spiritual, marital, parental, emotional, professional, and your hobbies. I’m sure you’re determined to make all of them work, right? (I hope so!) Where are you banging your head against a wall trying to make something work, but it’s just not happening? Write down a few experiments you’d like to try. Write the time/place/date where you will take action, then take action and see if your experiments work to improve the issue. If not, ask WHY 5 times to see what’s the real reason, write it down and try new experiments. Note: the experiments you try can be big, but I suggest breaking them down into small, manageable chunks. It’s easier when the chunks are not earth-shattering, enormously time consuming or eat up a month’s budget: minor tweaks work too.
I’ll share with you a couple of examples of small tweaks that worked for me recently:
- My husband and I, for a while, tried to have a “date night” on Wednesdays… dismal failure. Work and everyday obligations got in the way. The experiment? Switched it to Saturday mornings. The result? It’s just fantastic because we don’t have to worry about work the next day, and we can tackle any pending issues over the rest of the weekend.
- I was going crazy with one of my client’s electronic billing systems. I do some work for this client on and off; so it’s not often enough to remember clearly how to deal with the convoluted system, but often enough to deal with the system to the point of annoyance. Then I read somewhere that it’s worth establishing a system for anything that you do more than TWO times. Eureka! What a concept… eye-opening indeed! The experiment? Create a system. My “system” became a cheat sheet where I detailed the process—step-by-step—that I needed to follow every time. The result? Smooth sailing every time now that I use my client’s system. Voilà! No more frustration.
So now it’s your turn. Try out inventing, experimenting, improving, enhancing… and let me know how it goes!
by Helena Escalante | Goals, Growth, Leadership, Mindset
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 5 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Stop waiting and pick yourself
I’ve heard and read this idea many times, and I don’t know where it originated, but I’m so glad it’s been going around because it is so wise and so true!
Sometimes we find ourselves waiting for something: permission, or the right time to come, or to get the right title/designation, or for people to see us differently… or, or, or… who knows. But that is simply a hurdle of our own making on our way to where we want to go.
This reminds me of the description of “The Waiting Place” in Dr. Seuss’ beloved book Oh, the Places You’ll Go!: (click on the book
The Waiting Place…
…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or the waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for the wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
NO!
That’s not for you!
No more waiting around. No one but YOU has to choose YOU as a passionate and capable individual to do what you want to do. And no one but YOU has to believe in YOU that YOU can do it. Take the lead in your life. When you change your mindset and start believing that you are indeed capable, this triggers a whole process that enables you to have the confidence you need because you are not waiting for anyone to anoint you as worthy. Furthermore, you’ll be able to find the resources you need and to overcome the obstacles you’ll face without reverting to The Waiting Place.
Please note that I’m NOT saying that by you choosing yourself you’ll magically transform into what you want. No. No. No. You still have to put in the hours and do the work to make it happen. The difference is that you will believe and prove to yourself that you can do it. And every achievement along the way (no matter how small) and every milestone will further reiterate that you can—and you will—reach your goal.
Remember to keep asking yourself: If not you, who? If not now, when? The answer will always lead back to you and now. And I’ll be here cheering for your success!
ACTION:
TODAY: Pick yourself and (re)commit to what you want to do this year. What one thing can you do today (even if it’s just to take 30 seconds to write a plan on the back of a napkin) that will move you towards your goal(s)?
FUTURE: Funny enough, 33 days have passed since the beginning of the year and (counting today) there are 333 days left. So in the spirit of Count Von Count’s Number 3, let’s look at 3 things:
- Take time to reflect on where you have been “waiting.”
- Ask WHY three five times to see what’s got you stuck and determine to pick yourself as the one to get you out of the proverbial waiting mode. What do you need to do to snap out of the waiting funk?
- Once you’re no longer in waiting mode, (re)start or continue where you left off on your goals/rituals for this year.
One last thing: let me know if you’d like to be a part of a Facebook group for accountability and goals. I have heard from a few gurupies who are interested, so we may start small but mighty!
by Helena Escalante | Mindset, Planning, Productivity, Time
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 50 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: TGIF*: Reframing the weekend
–From What the Most Successful People Do on the Weekend, a short guide included in What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast: How to Achieve More at Work and at Home by Laura Vanderkam
One of the many wonderful insights about this book is the idea of reframing the way we look at a weekend: from 6 pm on Friday when we leave work and the weekend “officially” starts to Monday at 6 am when the alarm clock goes off, we have 60 (sixty!) hours. Even if we sleep 24 hours, that leaves us with 36 hours to play, do chores, tackle our to-do list or all or this plus anything else we want to do. Thirty-six hours is almost the same amount of time as a week in a full-time job!
Laura’s point in reframing the weekend this way is the importance of planning: what gets scheduled gets done. Planning and scheduling ahead will result in your devoting the time to the activities that will help you achieve your goals, big or small. This is the best way to ensure that those goals will be met and you will be able to check them off your to-do or you bucket list. From cleaning your sock drawer to training to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, you can do it if you only plan for it.
For those of you that may be groaning now about the idea of planning your leisure time, Laura says: “people have a visceral reaction to the word ‘plan’ that makes them think of things they don’t want to do. I’m suggesting planning things that [they] want to do. […] I don’t want to fill every hour […] but there is a wide gap between planning every minute and planning nothing.”
The key is to do it ahead of time. I’m so guilty of waiting until Saturday morning to start planning, and by then, it’s already Saturday afternoon when the weekend “starts.” With a bit of planning ahead (hint, hint, today is Thursday, the weekend starts tomorrow at 6!) we can make the most out of our time and have a super productive, super fun, or super _______ (fill in the blank) weekend. And yes, you can use the word relaxing in there – it’s part of it if you decide to make it so. The important thing is to plan ahead to use our time wisely, according to our needs and wants.
So let’s not wait any longer to get going! What are you going to do with your 60 hours this weekend? Let me know. Happy planning and happy weekend! 🙂
ACTION:
TODAY: Take 10-15 minutes to plan your weekend from 6 pm on Friday to 6 am on Monday (or whatever schedule works for you around this new way of seeing the weekend). Schedule it in your calendar: you can be as rigid or as flexible with your time, as long as you plan your main activities.
FUTURE: Schedule a recurring time on your calendar for Wednesdays or Thursdays every week to plan for the weekend ahead. Try this out and tweak it to fit your schedule and lifestyle until you find what suits you best. Then set up a calendar reminder in 3 months to email me and let me know how this is going for you!
*For our international gurupies who may not be familiar with the acronym TGIF, it means Thank God It’s Friday!
by Helena Escalante | Goals, Habits, Networking, Time
TODAY’S IDEA:
Networking is everywhere.
–From Build Your Dream Network: Forging Powerful Relationships in a Hyper-Connected World by J. Kelly Hoey.
Nowadays, we all have a digital footprint, whether personal, professional or both. Think of it as your brand. Everything you do either confirms and reaffirms or questions and breaks your brand. Why not be intentional about building it every chance you get?
Kelly says that “networking is everywhere.” “Successful networking requires understanding the immense power of regular daily activities to connect with someone else” so as to build a meaning, powerful and mutually beneficial (personal or professional) relationship. This will cement your brand firmly in the other person’s mind.
From your email’s signature line and the voice mail that you leave for someone, to the headline that you use on LinkedIn and your headshot, as well as what you say when you participate on a Twitter chat, don’t let any opportunity escape where you can build a positive brand and a positive networking experience for you and for all involved! For instance, Kelly gives practical advice and focuses on the power of small actions as a way to make them count too (not all networking has to take endless hours), here are some examples of actions taken from the book.
“If you have…
- 45 seconds: take the stairs as a way to lengthen your conversation and get to know a colleague or a client that came to your office.
- 2 minutes: post a LinkedIn update that can lead to new business generation.
- 5 minutes: draft an email and reconnect with a sales prospect.
- 15 minutes: ride the subway or do a video chat with an investor.
- 20 minutes: grab a cup of coffee while you do an informational job interview.
- 60 minutes: write a weekly newsletter and update a social network.”
The book is a gem! It gives very practical advice on how to be intentional when it comes to networking; and on how to do it in a way that does not take away from your work and personal activities, but that, on the contrary, enhances those activities for your success.
ACTION:
TODAY: Set your intention for networking: Want new clients? A new job? Are you seeking a mentor/mentee? Select whatever you want and need to get done with the power of networking over the next 6-12 months (yes, human relationships take time to build…). Then, depending on the amount of time you have today, pick an action from the list of examples above, customize it to your needs and apply it to your intention. There’s no better time than NOW to get started, remember the Chinese proverb: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
FUTURE: [I’m assuming that you are already setting time aside to network intentionally and with some frequency and regularity, if you are not, let me know and I’ll help you with some ideas.] The action that I recommend is to focus on creating a daily habit. Depending on how much time you have, schedule a little bit of time to network via small actions. Build the habit over a month or two and assess how much value it adds to your life, I’m sure it’ll be substantial! Imagine: if you touch base with one person per workday, that’s an average of 200-250 people a year whose relationship you’ve started to build, continue to strengthen, or rekindled the friendship or work relationship that existed in the past.
Give it a shot and let me know how it goes!
by Helena Escalante | Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Tools
TODAY’S IDEA:
Rule Number 6.
–From The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life, by Rozamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander.
I must preface this post by saying that this book is one of my favorites and I think it should be in the hands of every person in the whole wide world! I cannot recommend it enough. Also, the audio book is a treasure, because it’s filled with beautiful music thanks to Ben Zander, who serves as musical director of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (on the date of publication of this post).
There is no better way to explain today’s idea, Rule Number 6, than to quote this masterful story directly from the book:
«Two prime ministers are sitting in a room discussing affairs of state. Suddenly a man bursts in, apoplectic with fury, shouting and stamping and banging his fist on the desk. The resident prime minister admonishes him: “Peter,” he says, “kindly remember Rule Number 6,” whereupon Peter is instantly restored to complete calm, apologizes, and withdraws. The politicians return to their conversation, only to be interrupted yet again twenty minutes later by an hysterical woman gesticulating wildly, her hair flying. Again the intruder is greeted with the words: “Marie, please remember Rule Number 6.” Complete calm descends once more, and she too withdraws with a bow and an apology. When the scene is repeated for a third time, the visiting prime minister addresses his colleague: “My dear friend, I’ve seen many things in my life, but never anything as remarkable as this. Would you be willing to share with me the secret of Rule Number 6?” “Very simple,” replies the resident prime minister. “Rule Number 6 is ‘Don’t take yourself so g—damn seriously.'” “Ah,” says his visitor, “that is a fine rule.” After a moment of pondering, he inquires, “And what, may I ask, are the other rules?”
“There aren’t any.”»
Don’t you just LOVE Rule Number 6? I know I do. Whenever I’m all worked up about something, I think of Rule Number 6 and I laugh out loud, even if I’m by myself (thank goodness my dog doesn’t speak, otherwise the stories about me he would tell!).
Rule Number 6 snaps me immediately out of whatever funk I’m in. It makes me look for another angle to solve a problem or a different way to make things happen. It also helps me make a positive experience out of whatever may be happening at that moment (and that I consider too important and too serious).
Another way in which I’ve come to apply Rule Number 6 is by thinking this: if I may be able to look back in the future and laugh at what I’m going through right now, what prevents me from laughing at it this very moment? How can I make that mindshift now and shorten the time it takes to get to the laughter and the lessons learned? Easier said than done, but a worthwhile exercise every time I’ve tried.
ACTION:
(NOTE: One of our gurupies* had a great idea: to give actions in bite-size pieces; some sort of “Today’s action is….” for those of you that don’t have much time. I think this is brilliant and I’m implementing it right away. Also, for those of you that may want to continue applying the action in the future, I’m also including things you can do if you want to explore a bit more. Let me know how you like this new approach, and of course, I welcome ALL your ideas and suggestions with open arms!)
TODAY: Share the story of Rule Number 6 with your world; I’m sure they’ll love it. Make a point of keeping it in mind throughout the day and seeing the many ways in which you can apply it (or in which it could serve others to apply it!).
FUTURE: Ask your family, friends and colleagues to remind you of Rule Number 6 when you need it. Ask if you can do the same for them. It will eventually become a habit to invoke Rule Number 6 and find new ways of seeing things. You’ll be less stressed and much happier.
Happy RuleNumberSixing! 😀
* Gurupie = blend of guru and groupie = how we fondly refer to the EntreGurus’ community, because we all follow the ideas of the gurus.
