Find Your Reason to Hustle

Time is All We Have. Time is the Most Precious Commodity.

I have to admit that I got really low yesterday.  I mean, more down than I've been in a long time.  I just didn't feel like a success yesterday, and it first it was kind of a pity party, but as I processed it out, I realized that it was really about knowing that I haven't made the best use of my time.  And I'm talking on a big scale, not just in the "did I get my To Do list done this week?" sense of things.

I'm going to be 36 years old in March.  Most of the time, it feels like I just got out of college yesterday, but that isn't the case.  Not even close.  That was fourteen years ago!  And it has flown by, and now I realize that I can't get that time back.  It's spent, and there is no sense that it was put to the best possible use.

I've had good health all this time.  I've been safe financially, physically, but in some ways I've been living in a kind of haze.  When you get comfortable... that's how it happens.  A routine develops.  Eating and sleeping and watching way too much TV.  Did you know the average American now watches 31 hours of TV each week?  We lose an entire day each week, more than a month of each year, sitting and watching a stupid box.  And time just keeps ticking away.

There are people out there living their passions, inventing things and creating art and music and doing good work that helps others... but I'm all caught up on Battlestar Galactica, so I've got that going for me. 

There has to be an increased awareness of time, and the value of time.  I've got to appreciate the time I have now while I'm healthy and able to do things.  I've got to use the time I have now in a more productive, constructive way.  I have to make this time count.  Now.

Failure Presents an Opportunity

Last night I held a seminar for people who wanted to create more successful New Year's resolutions.  I booked a function room at a local hotel, paid for a direct mail campaign to reach out to people in the community who might benefit from such a seminar, and I reached out to all my clients and connections through social media.

One person attended.

I was disheartened, to say the least.  When I woke up this morning, I really felt like taking the day off.  I've been running my own business for almost six years, now, and sometimes there are these moments when it feels like it won't go to the next level.  I left a safe job at a state university and sold my car to start this business.  When failures like last night's seminar occur, it's difficult to feel like it's all worth it.

But then I get past that initial emotional reaction, step back, and look at the bigger picture.  Here I am, almost six years after I started, and I'm still going.  I don't answer to anyone but myself.  I have complete control over my failure or my success.  It's nobody's fault but mine that last night didn't work like I hoped it would.  I can either pout about that, or learn from it.  That's my CHOICE.

I'm going to do a seminar again in three months, and I'm going to do it better next time.  I'm going to learn from my mistakes, make the proper adjustments, and do a better job of marketing and promoting.  I'm going to fail forward.  You just watch me.

My Wood Splitting Zen Moment

I recently had a tree cut down in my back yard, a large silver maple.  It had become diseased in a spot that I feared would make it more susceptible to falling one day, and it was close enough to my house to be a concern.  When the tree service cut it down, most of the wood was in excellent shape, but we don't burn wood at our house.  My neighbor told me he had a friend who did, and I told him his friend could have the wood for free.  Cord wood isn't cheap anymore; the man showed up at my house within an hour of being offered the wood.

At its thickest parts, the maple was over two feet thick.  I worked at my desk by a window as the man worked on splitting some sections that were about 20 inches across.  He was driving two metal wedges into the piece using a sledgehammer to get it to split apart, and taking a lot of swings to do so.  Then, when he got it to split in half, he would split those pieces using a maul.

My father's voice crept into my ear. 

"You gotta' hit it right on the edge.  Once it pops, you're all set."

I spent a fair amount of my youth cutting wood with my father.  We always had a wood stove growing up, and Dad loved to work in the woods and harvest our own fuel.  He loved the money he saved from not having to buy as much oil, but he also loved the work itself.  I hated it.  It was boring and hard and not fun at all to me.  Even now, as I looked out the window, I fought the urge to go out, but just couldn't resist.  I threw on some shoes and a sweatshirt and headed out back.

"How's it going?" I asked.

"These lower portions are so big... really tough to get apart" he replied.

"Let me show you something" I said.  "You're putting your wedges inside too much.  In fact, you really don't even need the wedges.  You just need to hit it right on the edge and pop the outside layer."  He looked at me incredulously.  My neighbor had told me he was an engineer.  He saw his use of the wedges as a reasonable arrangement of force and leverage and all that.

I picked up the maul, took a swing, and landed a bit too much on the inside of the piece.  It left a mark, but bounced.  My next swing landed right next to it.  Another bounce.  The third swing, though, caught the piece right on the outside edge, and a loud pop rang out from the wood.  A ten inch crack appeared from where I struck the wood into the center.  I struck another blow on the other side of the piece, and it fell into two halves.  In four swings I had done what took him over twenty using the two wedges.  The look on his face was priceless.  I repeated the process on two more pieces, just to show him it wasn't a fluke.  It took even less swings on those.  Then I headed back inside.

Fathers teach their sons a lot of things, and they don't always explain why.  Often times it's just "do this."  In my youth, I got angry in these moments, but today I understand that my father was trying to give me a wide array of skills so that I could do things for myself.  Cutting wood has always been a good example of that.  Very few people cut their own wood today, but those who do save a lot of money and provide themselves and their families with heat.  Choosing to invest your time and energy instead of your money is hustling, and it frees up your money to go to something else. 

Thanks, Dad.

Jared Aronson Brings Humor to his Hustle

Jared Aronson is a pretty impressive person.  He is the owner of Madhouse Tees.  I first met Jared at a craft fair a couple of years ago, where he had a booth set up to sell his t-shirts.  I was immediately struck by his, um, different... sense of humor.  He really has a fresh take on things.

When I wanted to have my own t-shirt design to promote my work as a stage hypnotist, I went to Jared.  I just knew that he would come up with something that other people would think was cool and fun, and he did.  But Jared's story is about more than t-shirts.

Jared was diagnosed with a form of muscular dystrophy at four-years-old. Even though he's confined to a wheelchair and on a ventilator he continues to design and run Madhouse Tees. He creates his designs using a software program that allows him to draw using a trackball mouse. The passion Jared has for his company and product is fueled by his love for laughter and making others laugh too. Jared wants to educate the world about physical limitations by saying, “Just because you have a disability doesn’t mean you don’t have creativity and passion.”  I think he's got it spot on.

Drop on by Madhouse Tees website and check out Jared's work. 

Drew Brees Sets a Great Example of the Power of Hustle

Drew Brees is a millionaire, he's famous, and he's got a lot of things going for him.  He uses his privilege to make the world a better place.  Read this article by Peter King to learn about how one man is a shining example of the power of hustle.

Generation X Joins in the Recession Grumbling

An article by the Associated Press reports that Generation X, the 32-44 year-olds wedged in between the Baby Boomers and Gen Y youth, are jumping on the "this recession insn't fair" bandwagon.  That's no surprise.  Why should any generation be immune to the way things have gone economically?  What's interesting is the particular perspective that Gen X'ers have.

The Boomers got whacked by this whole thing right when they should have been retiring and living the good life.  They lost so much when the stock market went south that now they have to keep working.  It's understandable that they be frustrated and sad.

The Gen Y crowd is angry because they can't find jobs, since the boomers aren't retiring.  They're also angry because they didn't think they would have to take entry-level jobs (part of their much criticized personality of entitlement).  I can absolutely see how that would be anxiety-producing.

The Gen X'ers, in contrast, have already started their careers, and many have held multiple jobs by now.  They should be taking over in upper management as the Boomers retire, but they aren't getting to do so.  Plus, they're losing jobs in downsizing, and having to make the choice between doing the same job for someone else at less pay than they used to do it for, or losing that job opportunity to a Gen Y kid who is willing to start at that lower pay (yes, there are a few of them).

Everybody's going to feel this thing somehow.  Nobody's going to be truly immune.  Some of us are just going to feel it less than others.  But you've got to stop looking for someone to blame, and start looking at what you can do to improve your own situation.  Reduce your spending, eliminate your debt, and don't let your ego get in the way of how you earn money.   

Randy Pausch Teaches Us About Achieving our Childhood Dreams

Every now and then I re-watch this video of Randy Pausch lecturing at Carnegie Mellon.  Pausch's "Last Lecture" has become famous worldwide, and for good reason.  If you haven't seen it before, make the time to watch it now.

How's Your Golf Game? Need Inspiration? Meet Butch Lumpkin.

The vast majority of golfers, worldwide, shoot over 100.  Butch Lumpkin shoots in the 70's.  Did I mention that he has no arms?  Get a little perspective on life.  Watch this video.

"Crush It" Essay Contest Winner Announced

Monica Everdyke left a perfectly "safe" job working for a college to start her own photography business.  She works another job at an entertainment agency to supplement her income, and still finds the time to coach softball.  If that's not hustle, I don't know what is. 

I talk with people regularly about their vision of a more gratifying life, and it's really common for them to not pursue that life because of the risk involved.  Anything worth having is worth taking a risk!  Monica gets it, and that's why she's changing her life.  And she's going to crush it.

As the winner of our essay contest, Monica will get a free copy of Gary Vaynerchuk's book, "Crush It."  I'm confident that Gary's book will inspire Monica and help her take her business to the next level.

Teenager Shows that Entrepreneurial Spirit is Ageless

"Here's the deal:  if you want it badly enough, the money is there, the success is there, and the fulfillment is there.  All you have to do is take it.  So quit whining, quit crying, quit with the excuses."

-Gary Vaynerchuk, in his book "Crush It"

We live in the greatest country in the world when it comes to entrepreneurship.  If you have a good idea and are willing to hustle, you can make big things happen.  This article in Spirit Magazine is a great example.

Leanna Archer was eight years old when she first asked her parents about starting a business.  Today her company grosses about $100,000 selling her family recipe for hair pomade.  She's 13 years old.

If Leanna can do it, so can you.