Mindset Ideas

Are You Struggling to Move Forward?

Sometimes, we're our own worst enemy—standing in our own way! 

Maybe you're thinking of starting a business or book or blog or anything, but you're stuck in the "some day" or "thinking about it" stage. 

Maybe you started that thing but it's stalled and isn't really moving forward. The day-to-day is happening but the excitement and fire are gone. You've gotten bogged down in survival mode or simply doing all the steps—wash, rinse, repeat. 

How to Move On
A recent podcast episode from Joe Pulizzi inspired today's post with some suggestions that may energize you. The suggestions noted here were listed in his podcast as excerpts from his new book, Burn the Playbook. It is definitely on my buy list after listening to the podcast. Purchasing from Joe directly gives you a ton of extra resources. As he notes in his podcast, there's no need to implement all of his mindset ideas at once—that's a perfect recipe for failure. Instead, pick one. Start there.

6 Mindset Shifts - Joe Pulizzi

• From drifting to goal driven
• Lean into your crazy
• From tilt to mastery of repetition
• Create before you consume
• Get better friends
• Sell every day

From Drifting to Goal Driven
Goals are anchors. Write them. Speak them. Track them. You'll get further than if you have none and float along. "If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there" as the Cheshire Cat effectively told Alice in Wonderland. 

Joe suggests reviewing your BIG goal weekly, if not morning and night, to really ingrain it. Weigh every decision against that goal. Does your action serve to get closer to your goal? 

• Write like you've achieved your goal: "I PUBLISHED my book," "I RECORDED 52 podcasts" (reflects weekly podcast schedule), "I LOST 30 pounds" - you get the idea. Joe shares Billy Joel's goal was to "Play music every day and pay the bills." It doesn't need to be fancy.
• Misogi Challenge: This is a method for goal setting based on an ancient Japanese ritual explained well on this blog post. The idea is to choose one big audacious goal that pushes you outside of your comfort zone. Make it so big that there's a 50/50 chance you won't achieve it, while focusing on growth, not competition. 
• 60/60/1 Goal Challenge: The idea is for the first 60 minutes of every day x 60 days, focus on ONE big high-priority goal. No surfing social media. No diversions - those can wait. If your focus is on health, it may be when you get your walk, run, or exercise accomplished. 

Lean into Your Crazy
Identify your "tilt" as Joe calls it. Find your unique set of skills, quirks, and passions. "I help (who) with (what) so they can benefit (how)."

From Tilt to Mastery of Repetition
"Repetition is branding, not redundancy" - Joe Pulizzi. We've all heard various numbers of how often you need to say something before someone actually hears it, anywhere from 7-20x!

Create Before You Consume
This is along the 60/60/1 goal idea. Even if you don't follow that philosophy, focus on your goal before you indulge in social media or surfing the news or random entertainment. Focus for your first hour on what you aim to achieve. Consider a time audit for a week to see where you have opportunities to be more focused, capturing those mindless surfing times or how frequently you're checking email. 

Get Better Friends
This one cracks me up, but he has a point! You are who you surround yourself with. Be inspired by being with inspiring people who challenge you to do more or be better. Joe flips this and suggests your crew determines your ceiling - I like that. Build your core group of friends intentionally. Joe suggests a few types:

• Truth Teller​: someone who can and will be brutally honest with you
• Super Fan: we all need a cheerleader in our corner!
• Expert: a mentor, someone a bit further ahead than you are
• Peer: someone in the thick of it as you are, someone to commiserate with
• Connector: a networker, someone who knows a lot of people and can get you introduced

Sell Every Day!
Somewhere along the line, we grew up thinking sales is icky. "Sales" is no more than sharing your opportunity with others! Why wouldn't just the right person want and need to work with you! If you're in business for yourself, you're obligated to share the news. Don't think of it as selling if you're getting hung up on that word. 

How Is Your Year Going?
We're starting Q4 - fourth quarter of the year. No one says you need to start goals on January 1. You can start them any time—including now—or take this opportunity to update what you may have going. 

I'd love to hear how you're doing on your goals! I'd be thrilled to be someone you can run some ideas by if you're looking to bounce some ideas off of someone. Let's Chat or find me on LinkedIn! 

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