It’s 4:15 PM, and I think the Superbowl has started, but we never watch, so I’m not sure. I’m aware that this is a form of national sacrilege. Instead, I’m sitting in my writing room, having just re-warmed the coffee for the 4th time, and after a busy weekend, am settling in to write. My Dad used to say, “keep your head straight,” and even on the good days, that’s great advice. In this moment, it’s helping me remember that all is well – I just have too much that I WANT to do. And out of all the things I WANT to do, this is at the top of the list.
Reading right now: The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris, it’s outstanding. Get it now. I can’t quite understand how he had so much wisdom at the tender age of 29, nor how he was able to see around the corners of convention and build his life. There is a reason that it became a best seller – it blends great ideas with actual, step-by-step how-to. He shares his process in detail. This book is a instrument that can be used and applied in so many areas of business and life – and is an important tool in my ever-expanding toolbox.
A little taste:
- Ferris introduces the concept of reviewing your life and determining how to apply the art of Definition, Elimination, Automation, and Liberation (DEAL) to create a better, more fulfilling and flexible existence.
- He talks about how selective ignorance and developing a low-information diet can free up time and energy for bigger, more significant life projects.
- How batching tasks can streamline our long to-do lists and can cut the “set-up” time and cognitive labor created by switching gears.
- How to use email to define work issues and reduce and avoid unnecessary meetings.
- How to ask your boss to work remotely.
- How to find and use a virtual assistant and why you should consider it (even if you aren’t rich).
Comfort Challenge
Presented throughout the book, comfort challenges suggest specific actions
that the reader can take to develop their tolerance for discomfort – which can
build the muscles needed to demand MORE from life. If you are someone who knows deep inside that
you have more capacity, more creativity, and are not yet maximized, this book will
catalyze your thinking. It defines what
first or next steps to take.
Entrepreneurial
Spirit
The definition of entrepreneur is “one who organizes, manages and assumes
the risks of a business or enterprise” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary,
retrieved 2-3-19).
I believe that we all have capacity for entrepreneurial
spirit, and that we are responsible for crafting the lives that we want. And while there are many things out of our
control, we often hold onto ideas that are self-limiting. I encourage anyone who hears that whisper of
an idea to put the story of why you can’t pursue the idea on the shelf for a
bit, step into a comfort challenge, think like an entrepreneur and organize,
manage and assume the risk of the enterprise that is your life. I’m all in for that – I’ve got bigger things
I want to do. Don’t you? Happy
experimenting!
Note: I’m on a huge Tim Ferris kick these days – and his podcasts are also great. The variety of topics discussed, the quality of the guests, the ideas and methods for approaching life – it’s fascinating, entertaining, lengthy, but all good stuff. Check it out!
Thank you, Tim Ferris! So appreciative!
Resources:
Website/Podcast: https://tim.blog/