No One Cares About Your Idea as Much as You

Photo by Sara-Ji

I wish I could claim that I said it first.

I can’t.

But as soon as I heard it, I knew I’d lived it.

Mario Schulzke Founder of IdeaMensch said it first.  I met Mario at the Boulder IdeaMensch.

Mario set out to travel to the lower 48 States and hear and help spread our ideas.  His passion was to help you bring your ideas to life.

Guess what he found?

Read what he wrote this fall

Nobody cares as much about your idea as you do

I spent 10 years in corporate America. There you cared about your job, your income, your co-workers and then maybe a little bit about the company or idea you’re clocking in for every day. But when push comes to shove, there are always things more important than the company, the idea or the product.

When you’re an entrepreneur, you’re the holder of the idea. It’s your company, your product, your baby – your game to win or lose.

Being a first time entrepreneur, this is a completely new experience for me. If I have a bad day, we’ll have a bad day. If I give up, we stop.

Mario banging away at the keys from the road

Be ready to carry the vision by yourself

Thus the lesson, we had better be ready to carry the vision without the prerequisite that other people are:

  • As passionate
  • As unrelenting
  • As visionary
  • As excited
  • As optimistic
  • As supportive
  • As impatient

As you and I must be in order to succeed.

You see it is:

Most people simply prefer
to be inspired by other people.

Most people don’t choose to live an inspired life.
But you are not most people.
How many people have you met who are willing to travel the 48 states by car, city-by-city hoping that people will show up at each entrepreneurial huddle?
Meet Mario Schulzke.
Can you imagine how many hotel rooms, how many couches he slept on, how many times he wondered “what the hell am I doing?”
I can.

He has met with over 1,200 Entrepreneurs, CEO’s, Artists, and the like

Ask Mario about his favorite interview?

mario@ideamensch.com

I’ll let you know when I find him and what he has to say.

Why Your Work Should be Art?

I have a fierce commitment to the belief that our Work is our Art.

What we do and most especially how we do it can either be stiff robotic toil or deeply human and poetic.

By pouring our heart, soul and passion into our Work it becomes Art.

Your not an Artist if…

Sadly, Work is simply toil for most people.  I believe there are two converging elements that make this reality occur.

Required ingredients (external factors):

#1 Take one part bad Work Environment with a double heaping of Bad Leadership.

That alone can make it tough to view your Work as your Art.

You instead are stuck watching the clock, trying to keep your head low and out of harms way.

Attitude is your contribution

There is an equal part ingredient that you add, Attitude (internal factor).

#2 Heaping portions of bad interpretations and blame

-They made me feel this way.

-They don’t inspire me.

-I am not excited about what I do.

“Art is not a gene or a specific talent.”

Seth Godin says it very well in his new book The Icarus Deception. Taken from the Amazon expert.

What are you afraid of?  The old rules: Play it safe. Stay in your comfort zone. Find an institution, a job, a set of rules to stick to. Keep your head down. Don’t fly too close to the sun.The new truth: It’s better to be sorry than safe. You need to fly higher than ever.

In his bravest and most challenging book yet, Seth Godin shows how we can thrive in an econ­omy that rewards art, not compliance. He explains why true innovators focus on trust, remarkabil­ity, leadership, and stories that spread. And he makes a passionate argument for why you should be treating your work as art.

Art is not a gene or a specific talent. It’s an attitude, available to anyone who has a vision that others don’t, and the guts to do something about it. Steve Jobs was an artist. So were Henry Ford and Martin Luther King Jr.

To work like an artist means investing in the things that scale: creativity, emotional labor, and grit. The path of the artist isn’t for the faint of heart—but Godin shows why it’s your only chance to stand up, stand out, and make a difference.

The time to seize new ground and work without a map is now. So what are you going to do?

Start making Art and stop making excuses.

References:

  • Kickstarter campaign where The Icarus Deception was funded.  Watch the video. 
  • Mike Field-Artist turned clothing line creator merging Sport, Life and Art together.  Podcast to follow.

5 Reasons Why You Should Start Creating in Your Garage

Walt Disney’s first advertisement

I started working on that (animated short) in the garage
while I was still working for the film studio.  

Great Beginnings Start in the Garage

Walt Disney started creating his animated shorts in his garage while he still had a day job.

The world was forever changed because of his unwavering commitment to bring his ideas to life.

You dream about changing the world for good.  And yet you aren’t making any headway on your master plan.

You have this secret hope that you might receive a FedEx package with an invitation inside that reads,

You are cordially invited to begin doing the work of your dreams;
Please report to duty on Monday morning.

Come on?

Instead of waiting for that mythical invitation to pursue your life’s passion,
you should start working in the garage today.

It is the best hope you have.

How am I so sure? 

This summer my family and I were in San Francisco and we visited the Walt Disney Family Museum (Read more on the museum).

Listen to the podcast interview.

On the wall there was one quote that lured me to quickly write it down.

I started working on that …..in the garage.

In the early 1920’s Walt Disney was working in Los Angeles, CA for a film studio.

  • His name was not yet in neon lights.
  • His dreams had not yet been realized.
  • While he still had a day job.
  • While he was putting food on the table.
  • While he was a freelancer trading hours for a day’s wage.

  • He was secretly working in the garage on his best stuff.

Walt Disney altered American family history because he started tinkering in the garage.

I think you should start altering the trajectory of your future by creating in your garage.

Why your best work is born in the garage?

1) No one is watching.

That’s right.  No one is over your shoulder watching you work asking if you are done yet.  You have the opportunity to work on your craft without anyone else witnessing your creation.

2) There is no pressure.

You don’t have a deadline.  You are free of obligation to deliver a finished work.  There are no customers tapping their toes waiting on your final product.

3) Your livelihood does not count on it.

When decoupling your livelihood from your craft there is an immense amount of pressure relieved.  So what if you mess it up?  So what if it sucks?
So what if you start over 52 times?

Paying your mortgage is not tied to the result.

4) You will never have more passion than you do right now.

Never again will you be so unadulterated in your view of this project.

The purity of your passion is like that of a Hawaiian black sand beach
just after a volcano erupted virgin lava onto her shore.

Yep that damn sexy.

Think of the welled up desire that you have to pour out onto the paper, the sculpture, the wood, or the guitar strings.

When else will you possess this poetic a prose?

5) The rent is cheap

The garage looks pretty affordable compared to a two-year lease for an office.  Pause and appreciate the luxury of being nimble, thrifty and dynamic.

Once you hire a bunch of people and start spending all of your time meeting with attorneys and accountants everything changes.

Bonus advice: You already have a Thing

A good friend advised me that the best time to start working on your next thing is right now while you have a thing.   

Isn’t that great advice?

The garage is perfect. 

The garage is the perfect figurative or physical place for you to start honing your craft.

Where would the world be if Walt Disney had not started tinkering with animation in his garage?

Where will we be if you don’t start in your garage?

Other compelling nudges for you to start:

Everyone is waiting on you.

Start doing the job you wish you had.

Do you feel like you are playing for the farm team?

What do you think you have to loose?

5 Reasons Why You Should Start Creating in Your Garage (Like Walt Disney)?

“I started working on that (animated short) in the garage
while I was still working for the film studio.” Walt Disney  

Great Beginnings Start in the Garage

Walt Disney started creating his animated shorts in his garage while he still had a day job.

The world was forever changed because of his unwavering commitment to bring his ideas to life.

You dream about changing the world for good.  And yet you aren’t making any headway on your master plan.

You have this secret hope that you might receive a FedEx package with an invitation inside that reads,

You are cordially invited to begin doing the work of your dreams;
Please report to duty on Monday morning.

Come on?

Instead of waiting for that mythical invitation to pursue your life’s passion,
you should start working in the garage today.

It is the best hope you have.

How am I so sure? 

This summer my family and I were in San Francisco and we visited the Walt Disney Family Museum (Read more on the museum).

Listen to the podcast interview.

On the wall there was one quote that lured me to quickly write it down.

I started working on that …..in the garage.

In the early 1920’s Walt Disney was working in Los Angeles, CA for a film studio.

  • His name was not yet in neon lights.
  • His dreams had not yet been realized.
  • While he still had a day job.
  • While he was putting food on the table.
  • While he was a freelancer trading hours for a day’s wage.

  • He was secretly working in the garage on his best stuff.

Walt Disney altered American family history because he started tinkering in the garage.

I think you should start altering the trajectory of your future by creating in your garage.

Why your best work is born in the garage?

1) No one is watching.

That’s right.  No one is over your shoulder watching you work asking if you are done yet.  You have the opportunity to work on your craft without anyone else witnessing your creation.

2) There is no pressure.

You don’t have a deadline.  You are free of obligation to deliver a finished work.  There are no customers tapping their toes waiting on your final product.

3) Your livelihood does not count on it.

When decoupling your livelihood from your craft there is an immense amount of pressure relieved.  So what if you mess it up?  So what if it sucks?
So what if you start over 52 times?

Paying your mortgage is not tied to the result.

4) You will never have more passion than you do right now.

Never again will you be so unadulterated in your view of this project.

The purity of your passion is like that of a Hawaiian black sand beach
just after a volcano erupted virgin lava onto her shore.

Yep that damn sexy.

Think of the welled up desire that you have to pour out onto the paper, the sculpture, the wood, or the guitar strings.

When else will you possess this poetic a prose?

5) The rent is cheap

The garage looks pretty affordable compared to a two-year lease for an office.  Pause and appreciate the luxury of being nimble, thrifty and dynamic.

Once you hire a bunch of people and start spending all of your time meeting with attorneys and accountants everything changes.

Bonus advice: You already have a Thing

A good friend advised me that the best time to start working on your next thing is right now while you have a thing.   

Isn’t that great advice?

The garage is perfect. 

The garage is the perfect figurative or physical place for you to start honing your craft.

Where would the world be if Walt Disney had not started tinkering with animation in his garage?

Where will we be if you don’t start in your garage?

Other compelling nudges for you to start:

Everyone is waiting on you.

Start doing the job you wish you had.

Do you feel like you are playing for the farm team?

What do you think you have to loose?

Don’t Quit Your Job. Fire Your Boss. (Instead)

I know you already don’t believe me.

DOWNLOAD FREE EBOOK HERE.

You could hardly read the entire title before you rolled your eyes and said yeah right.

What if it were possible?  Yes, to actually fire your boss.

Download Your FREE copy

Coming Soon – January 2013

I’ve been toiling over this storyline for many years myself

And I believe I’ve found a crack in the foundation that exposed a weakness in the system.

My creative team and I are applying the final polish coat, but I want to squeak out a little teaser.

Don’t Quit Your Job. Fire Your Boss. is for you if…

  • You want to know how to enjoy going to work each day.
  • You feel confident that your career is too important to approach it with apathy.
  • You want to gain greater influence at work.
  • You’re ready to explore new alternatives for finding recognition for your contribution.

A couple of experts

Before you push the eject button, think of the hassle of brushing up your resume, looking for a new job, going through the interviews, evaluating benefits packages, and comparing compensation.

Let’s face it: The biggest gain in changing jobs is that you will restart the clock on a new set of challenges, a new pairing of relationships, and a new boss.

  • What if I told you that this is not the answer that you are really searching for?
  • What if the solution is that you actually need to fire your boss instead?

The unwritten contract

Most people sign an unwritten contract every day. They trade a paycheck for predictability.

Here is the trade most people make: Boss, you give me a predictable every-two-week paycheck, health insurance, projects to work on, lunch breaks, and a Christmas party, and I’ll give you my will, my dignity, my freedom of choice, my security, my sleep, and my future plans for my life.

I am looking forward to sharing the rest of Don’t Quit Your Job. Fire Your Boss. with you next month.

Any reactions would be helpful to hear.

Thanks-Aaron 

*Disclaimer-This is not a pitch for buying my (whatever) for three easy payments of $19.95.  

Plain and simply a helpful guide for everyman.  

Everyone is Waiting on You

Everyone is waiting on you to be the real you the best version of you.

You may not believe it nor even have evidence that other people would notice.

The truth is it is up to you.

Like Natalie we have to risk stepping into that place of being Anonymously Extraordinary.   

In 2011 seventeen year old Natalie Warne gave an inspirational talk at TEDxTeen.  I found her interview to be extremely wise.

Natalie Warne TedxTeen 2011

I had been extraordinary all along.

You can find more on Natalie at the above links and on twitter @nataliewarne.

Some of the highlights from her talk:

  • Living your passion

Not because of the fame or the fortune but because that is what makes your heart sing.  (Tweet this)

  • Be extraordinary

In the small monotonousness acts of every day I have to remind myself to be extraordinary.(Tweet this)

  • When I am seen

It was not just that one moment.  It was simply the moment when the rest of the world saw what I knew to be true. (Tweet this)

  • Run the risk

Dare to matter. Dare to hope.  (Tweet this)

  • Anonymous impact

Anonymous extra-ordinaries selfishly and vigorously fighting for what they believe in.  (Tweet this)

  • It is never too late

You can change the world today.  You’re never too young, never too old.  (Tweet this)

7 Reasons Why You Should Bet on Yourself?

Photo by Images_of_Money

Warren Buffett said
Invest in what you know.  

Buffett may have been speaking about investing money in markets that you know or understand.

The principle is the same for your career.

Bet on yourself.

What other investment do you know of that has as high a rate of return as investing in you?

Answer- None. 

You are the best investment there is.

Listen.

I am speaking to the deepest part of you,

that inner voice that knows a bet on you is better than

the wagon that you are currently hitched to.

  1. You are more powerful than you believe.
  2. You are more influential than you think.
  3. Invest a dollar, an hour, an ounce of emotional energy in yourself.
  4. You will never loose.
  5. Markets are volatile.  You are steady.
  6. Money is fleeting.  You are constant.
  7. Risk equals reward and sometimes just a good story.

How Much is a Good Name Worth?

Photo by yardenxanthe (creative commons)

There is an ancient saying; a good name is more desirable than great riches.

A good name is portable. 

A good name precedes you.

A good name takes years and years of consistency to build.

You cannot buy a good name.

But you can be paid well because of your good name.

A lifetime commitment to building a good name is the same as dollar cost averaging in investing.

Over time, you will win.

Your mom was right when she taught you.

Tell the truth, even when it hurts.

Be on time.

Smile.

Be kind to everyone.

Listen with your ears, not your mouth.

And the wealth of your life will exceed your expectations. 

To be esteemed is better than silver or gold. 

How Hours of Investment Improve Your Chance of Success?

Accelerated success

Have you read Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell?

Malcolm’s research he found that by spending 10,000 hours in your craft, art, sport, profession or skill that investment can be a significant accelerator for success.

Translated that is equivalent to five years of a full-time forty hour work week.

We tend to say an Athlete or Artist or professional person makes it look easy.

Easy is very relative. 

Most people are never willing to invest the time it takes to arrive at that it looks easy point.

Showing up is not the same.

Doing the hard work is where the differentiation exists.

Am I willing, are you willing to invest the hours and do the work to become (fill in the blank)?

We tend to start with desires like I want to be a writer or I want to be wealthy or I want to be in a good shape.

The desire of obtaining the dream is too often far from the daily behavior.

Start today.

Put in the hours.

What are you going to start today?

Every day is not a harvest

Are you doing the work, but not seeing a return?

Not everyday is powerful or memorable.  Nor is everyday worth repeating.

Everyday is a strand in the DNA of our life.
Connected.  Inspired.  Necessary.

Every day is not a harvest.  Many days are simple.

Photo credit by Peter Kaminski
  • Dig the hole.
  • Plant the seed.
  • Water the seed.

You are doing the work but, there are no buds or spring time green of new life?

Then one day, when you wake

The daily grind of what was formerly fruitless now bears an abundant harvest.

Keep doing what seems ordinary.  Keep doing the extra-ordinary but is unseen.

Life, work, relationships, health and wellness are all subject to this master.

Faithfully do the work with the belief that one day the harvest will come.

And it will.

What are you working on that seems void of fruit?