Jeff Hilimire's Blog, page 3

The promise of America requires empathy

I hope you’re doing well, and that you’re able to be as safe as possible right now.

I’ve been thinking a lot about America lately. What America is, what it isn’t, and what it could (and should) be.

America is a promise. It’s a promise that a free society can work with all sorts of people. That we can come together to form one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

How much of that statement do you actually believe about our country? 

Liberty and justice…for all? When those words were written, if you were a person of color or a female, you did not share the same liberty and justice as white men. Most of the authors and signers literally owned other people. 

Right from the start there was a disingenuousness that simply cannot be ignored. 

Indivisible? Hardly. We can’t even come together around wearing masks to fight a deadly virus.

One thing I’ve come to learn, however, is that even though we’re a mess, that doesn’t mean that America isn’t worth fighting for. 

Over the last few years, like many of you I’m guessing, I found myself quite down at one point. At many points, actually. But one time in particular I posted something on some social channel about how I was feeling, and a good friend (who’s now running for City Council President, please consider supporting him!) sent me a text and said, “I don’t know how to handle a down Hilimire. Let me know how I can help.”

When we spoke, he reminded me about the power of the American promise. And even though the words the founding fathers wrote were certainly not true then, and are still not today, the spirit of them is something we can aspire toward. And quite simply, no other country is trying to do this, so it’s worth fighting for.

That said…

America requires EMPATHY to have a chance of working

If you lack empathy – the ability to understand and share the feelings of another – then how can you possibly believe in “justice for all”? Without empathy, you believe in “justice for me and (in some cases) mine”. 

It’s the reason people should have been wearing a mask during COVID. Not for you, but so you don’t infect others. Wearing a mask only feels pointless or “unconstitutional” if you can’t imagine for a moment that you might get someone else sick and affect their life.

Case in point

Last summer, we bought a Black Lives Matter sign and put it up in our yard. It is still there today. 

A few times we’ve had someone put a letter in our mailbox talking about how terrible we were for having that sign, how “blue lives” and “all lives” matter, and how we should be ashamed of ourselves. 

It didn’t bother me that much, and honestly, I expected someone to steal it at some point. Luckily, that hasn’t happened. Yet.

One day during the peak of the pandemic, we had our groceries delivered to our front door. We were (and still are given the Delta variant) very cautious about anyone in our family catching COVID, as two of our children have serious health conditions. On top of being a potentially deadly virus on it’s own, the risks to those two children are simply too great.

The person who delivered our groceries was a black woman. She knocked after setting the groceries down and I came to the door where we exchanged a wave and I called out a “Thank you!” as she made her way back down our walkway. 

After a few minutes, she came back to the door and knocked. I walked back out and she said to me through her mask, “Thank you for believing that my life matters.”

I can’t remember what I said in response, but what I do remember is standing there crying for several minutes as she pulled away.

Even though I have the sign, I still can’t appreciate what it feels like to believe your life does not matter as much as other people’s. My heart hurt for her in ways I simply can’t explain.

Fast-forward many months later…

I received a text from a relative. Frankly, I didn’t even know he had my cell number, so this would consistute our very first text exchange. In his text, he shared a graphic of crime increasing in Buckhead since 2020. (Complete with a big Fox News logo in the bottom right corner.) His message stated that this crime was one of the “unintended consequences” of supporting BLM, and it was probably time to take down the sign in my yard. We have never talked about race, or crime, and he hasn’t been to my house since I put up the BLM sign last year. 

I did not respond, because…what do you say to that? I’m not going to change his mind any more than he’s going to change mine, and I have better ways to spend my time fighting against racism (like helping to found The A Pledge). Instead, I made a donation to Black Lives Matter (I wanted to make it in his name because I’m petty like that, but alas, the site doesn’t allow it). 

The Point

It’s not that hard. It’s really not. If my relative could spend just 30 minutes with the woman who came to my door, I’m certain his heart would start to evolve. If he could hear her story and try to imagine what her life is like, he wouldn’t be able to help but start to rethink his views on such things.

Terence Lester, a social justice advocate, author, entrepreneur, and friend, has taught me that, “Proximity Changes Everything”. The closer people can be to one another, the more empathy is created.

And this country – no, this world – cannot work the way we want it to without empathy.

I hope you’re happy,

Jeff

The post The promise of America requires empathy appeared first on Begin the Begin.

You can’t lead if you don’t know where you’re going

Summer is almost over and little by little, we’re getting back to something resembling normal. We spent last week in Montreat, NC, and it was absolutely something that I needed to round out the summer.

Montreat is a small, cutest-thing-ever of a town located in the North Carolina mountains, three and a half hours from Atlanta. It’s both a college town (Montreat College) and a Presbyterian retreat/conference area, with old buildings and even older homes (the one we stayed in was built in 1908!) intertwined along roads and paths, complete with rivers and streams and the small but perfect Lake Susan.

We spent much of the week exploring the town, and on one particular day my youngest daughter, Hannah, got out ahead of us and, not knowing where we were going, took a confident turn left instead of right.

“Hannah, it’s this way,” I called out as I led the rest of the family to the right. As she caught up to us and retook her place at the front of the pack, I said to her, “Hannah, you know, you can’t really lead if you don’t know where we’re going. Didn’t you wonder where we’re trying to go?”

She laughed and, taking a step back so that we were side-by-see, grabbed my hand and said, “I just wanted everyone to follow me!”

In a big family like ours, with her being the second youngest, I totally get that. I shared our destination with her and she once again jumped out in front of us, excited to be the one to lead for once.

How can you lead if you don’t know where you‘re going?

Hannah eventually led us to the Robert Lake Park, which is without a doubt my favorite park on the planet. Several streams converge amongst three different playground areas, giving kids an unlimited number of things to do. My favorite thing to do there is read a book while listening to the rushing water (I read two books during the trip, numbers 34 and 35 for the year), occasionally pushing this kid on a swing or lifting that kid up to reach the monkey bars.

After getting settled into one of the picnic tables, I reflected on Hannah’s willingness to lead with no idea where she was headed. At first glance, this could be seen as a problem relegated to the young and inexperienced. After all, why would anyone think they could lead if they didn’t know where they were headed?

If there is such a thing, I’m what you might call a student of leadership. And I like to contribute my own thoughts to the space, having written two books on leadership and with another one coming out in September (more details below). 

I find that more often than not, people leading a team, division, or even an entire company, often don’t really know where they’re headed. Sure, you might know what objectives you have this week, this month, or even this year. But if you don’t know where your team should ultimately be headed, then you can’t be sure the work you’re doing today will get you there.

This is why I write so much about PVTV – Purpose, Vision, Tenets, & Values. It is my preferred framework to figure out what your team is ultimately trying to accomplish (and how you will accomplish it). 

Whatever your method is, please make sure that if you’re leading people, you know where you’re headed. Leadership, in my mind, is a massive responsibility, and thus should be taken seriously. 

The captain of a ship must know the ultimate destination, otherwise the map makes no sense.

This also applies to your life!

The most important thing I can leave with you — and in fact, it is the same thing I tell every group I get a chance to talk with — is that you simply must find your personal Purpose. 

Not knowing my Purpose earlier in life is the only regret I truly have.

Your Purpose will guide you through life, helping you understand what’s special about you, why you’re here on this planet, the change you want to make in the world, and how you’re going to go after it!

My simple formula for finding your Purpose:

Step 1: Understand what your superpower is. (What are you truly exceptional at and love doing?)

Step 2: Define the change you want to see in the world. (What do you get fired up about fixing in our society? What wrong do you want to see righted?)

Step 3: Put those together into as succinct a statement as you possibly can. (Take your time with this. Let it sit with you, play with it, and share it with people that care about you until you land on something that just feels right.)

Here’s what mine looks like. Good luck!

The Point

Whether it’s your team, your company, your life, or even your family on a hike, if you don’t know where you’re headed — and you can’t clearly communicate that to the people following you — then you really shouldn’t be leading. 

I hope you’re happy,

Jeff

PS – I will never look at bears the same way again 

The post You can’t lead if you don’t know where you’re going appeared first on Begin the Begin.

Obstacles are my allies

Twelve months of a global pandemic. Remember when we thought we might have to work from home for 4-5 weeks, and how crazy that seemed? 

In reading the book, Alpha Girls (more on this book below), one of the women that the book focuses on has a phrase that I simply loved: 

Obstacles are my allies.

Being a female in Silicon Valley over the last 30+ years, she had to embrace this mentality otherwise the weight of the roadblocks she faced would have crushed her. She persevered because she used those obstacles to her advantage. 

Shortly after I read that phrase, I was walking with my three youngest children on a path in the woods near our house. We came across a log that was blocking our way, and I saw an opportunity to teach my kids a life lesson. (Yes, sometimes they roll their eyes when I do this, but between us, part of my hope is that when they’re older they’ll share some of these lessons with their kids — ‘my dad always said…’ — that kinda thing .)

So I pointed out that while this log blocking our path was indeed an obstacle, my philosophy in life is to try to think of an obstacle as an opportunity to improve my situation. I asked what they thought could be done to change this problem into a solution.

After some back and forth, one of them suggested that we turn the log sideways and use it as a guide rail for the side of the path that was on a steep incline. “That way, when we walk on this part of the trail, no one will fall down the hill,” my daughter said.

I moved the log into position and it worked just the way my daughter suggested. As we continued down the path, I once again reinforced the lesson to my children, saying, “In life, there will always be things blocking the path we are on. It’s up to us to either find a way around or use the obstacle to grow stronger and enhance the journey.”

I think I only saw one eye roll

2020 felt like one giant obstacle

There’s no part of me that would ever suggest that the pandemic has been a good thing for the world. If I had the chance, I’d make a Thanos-like snap of my fingers and go back to last year and erase COVID-19 from the record books.

Alas, without such powers, the only way forward is through, and I thought I’d provide one example of how the giant obstacle of the pandemic became an ally for one part of my life.

I started my first nonprofit, 48in48, in 2015. From our first event in October of 2015 to the last event we hosted prior to the pandemic (October of 2019), every event was similar: hundreds of people working in very close quarters all weekend building 48 nonprofit websites. 

And then the world changed, and if someone were to suggest the idea of getting hundreds of people together for an in-person event it would sound more like a new Stephen King novel than an actual possibility. (Side note: King’s latest novel, Later, is terrific.)

However, 48in48’s Executive Director, Sima Parekh, saw this as an opportunity rather than an immovable obstacle. She matched up the biggest challenge with our organization (the logistics of hosting city-specific events) with the reality that in-person events were not possible and decided to test out a virtual event. The overriding belief had been that the magic of 48in48 was tied to the community of volunteers being together, in-person. And so in the past, any time the idea of virtual events was suggested, it was quickly shot down as being in direct contrast with what made our organization great.

Sure enough, after a few small test runs (MVPs, to use startup vernacular), we hosted our first global virtual event in October of 2020, and wouldn’t you know it was the most successful event we’ve ever had (500+ volunteers across 15 countries built 63 nonprofit websites in 48 hours)! And in 2021, we have six events planned, all virtual. (I talk more about this in a recent podcast episode.)

Here’s what the event looked like:

That is just one example of how an obstacle turned into an ally in my life. As an entrepreneur, I’ve always had to take the hits and figure out how to turn them into something positive. This, my wife would probably say, is one of my best and yet most annoying qualities.

The point is, we can’t control what comes our way, but we can control how we react to those things. Are you someone that sees a log crossing your path as a reason to quit, or do you see that log as a way to make your journey that much better? 

It’s in your control, and I believe in you :)

Recommendations: 1 app + 1 bookApp: Fantastical

I made a fairly recent return to the Apple ecosystem (having been a Google Pixel user for years), and one of the benefits has been that I can finally use Fantastical. It’s going to sound insane, but Fantastical is a calendar app that comes with a monthly fee. Why pay for something that comes free with every computer, tablet, and phone you buy? The main reason for me, aside from the beautiful UI, is that it allows for the combination of calendar items and Apple Reminders (my preferred to-do app) in one view. It might sound crazy, but my calendar essentially dictates my life, and that’s a killer feature I can’t live without.

Book: Alpha Girls

I mentioned the book, Good Company, in my last post, so this time I thought I’d share the great joy I had in reading Alpha Girls by Julian Guthrie. The subtitle says it all: The women upstarts who took on Silicon Valley’s male culture and made the deals of a lifetime. I enjoyed reading the stories of these women, and it helped remind me that the business world still heavily favors men, and we need to recognize that and get to work changing it. A great line from this book:

The best revolutionaries are not the people who hate the dictators but [those] who empathize with the victims.

(Here’s a list of all the books I’ve read this year.)

The post Obstacles are my allies appeared first on Begin the Begin.

30+ favorite books of my podcast guests

I’m a big reader. But truth be told, I haven’t always been. Around 2015 I got the bug, and ever since then I’ve read at least 30 books per year.

I like to hold actual books in my hand, read on my Kindle, or listen to audiobooks through my phone. (But not all at once, I’m not a teenager.)

There are books that I read simply for fun (see: Stephen King and John Sandford) and books that have fundamentally changed me as a person. 

And so, being a “voracious reader” as one of my friends likes to call it, I’m always curious to hear what other people are reading. On my podcast, Begin the Begin, I always end the interview with one final question: What are some of your favorite books of all time?

As you scan through the books below, I’d love to hear which of these you’ve read, and what books you’d list as some of your favorites of all time!

The 30+ favorite books of my podcast guestsErin Arnheim – CEO of Legacy Collective (podcast)

Seven + Present Over Perfect + Everybody Always

Karen Beavor – CEO of Georgia Center for Nonprofits (podcast)

The Riches of this Land

Mitali Chakraborty – CEO and founder of Youth Jobs Connect (podcast)

The Little Engine that Could + Roadtrip Nation + It’s About Damn Time

Darryl Cobbin – Founder of Brand Positioning Doctors + The A Pledge (podcast)

The Hard Thing About Hard Things + As a Man Thinketh + As a Woman Thinketh

Penny Collins – CEO of Women in Technology (podcast)

The Shack + The Harry Potter series

Elaine Dinos – Founder of Kindred Lane (podcast)

The Alchemist

Dr. Lakeysha Hallmon – Founder and CEO of Atlanta Village Market (podcast)

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People + Scared to Leave + Good Company

Jen Hatmaker – Co-founder of Legacy Collective (podcast)

The Secret Garden + Me Talk Pretty One Day + The Middle Place

Drew Hawkins – Director of Digital Marketing at Womble Bond Dickinson (podcast)

White Fragility + The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Dan Holm – Senior Director, Digital Platforms & Innovation at Subway (podcast)

Unbroken + The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?

Medina Jett – CEO of Jett Speaks (podcast)

Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most + Be Greater: Why Being Enough is No Longer an Option

Titania Jordan – CPO of Bark (podcast)

Radical Candor

Terence Lester – Founder of Love Beyond Walls (podcast)

The Color of Law + Democracy in Black + Lies My Teacher Told Me + The Mis-Education of the Negro

Helene Lollis – President and CEO of Pathbuilders (podcast)

Anything by Patrick Lencioni + The Alchemist

Maggie Patton – Co-founder of Bitsys (podcast)

Ramona and her Mother + Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day + Girls on the Edge + Boys Adrift

Jabari Paul – US Activism Manager at Ben & Jerry’s (podcast)

Listed authors: Toni Morrison + Maya Angelou + Zora Neale Hurston

Paul Snyder – EVP Stewardship at Tillamook (podcast)

Anything by Shakespeare + Factfulness

Kyle Stapleton – Culture & Experience at WarnerMedia Studios (podcast)

The Dude and the Zenmaster + The Tao of Willie

Before you leave

Thank you for reading. I really do appreciate it, and I really do hope you’re happy.

I would love it if you consider signing up for my email newsletter. I send it out weekly, and I try to do my best to make it entertaining and, if I dare say it, inspirational.

If you’re a book reader, I’d love for you to check out either of my books: The 5-Day Turnaround + The Crisis Turnaround. They’re a heck of a deal on Amazon right now ;)

And if you’re interested, here are the businesses that I’m a part of:

Dragon Army: a purpose-driven digital engagement company48in48: building 48 nonprofit websites in 48 hoursRipples of Hope: empowering nonprofit leaders to grow their business and do more goodThe A Pledge: a racial equity nonprofit focused on the advertising and marketing industry

And remember, always lead with purpose!

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Dream BIG…No, BIGGER!

Photo by Randy Tarampi on Unsplash

As an entrepreneur, I’ve started a lot of things. From Spunlogic, to Dragon Army, 48in48, Ripples of Hope, and The A Pledge, and even from things you likely never heard of because, well, they failed (MATCH, HomeGrown, and yes, SportsBro ).

So I like to start things, is the gist. In all cases, and as they should, those ideas started as something small.

“Let’s try to build some websites for people.”

“Let’s try to build websites for nonprofits…for free.”

“Let’s help a few nonprofits build stronger, faster-growing businesses.”

“Let’s fight systemic racism in our industry.” (Ok, admittedly that started as a big one.)

I’ve learned, however small an idea is to start, if you’re going to pursue it, you must be able to envision just how big it can, and should, become. And so in this issue, I want to share how I’ve learned to dream big(ger).

48 -> 1,000

In early 2015, I landed on an idea that seemed crazy at first. (Still kinda does, if I’m being honest.)

What if I could bring a few hundred people together over a weekend, with the goal of building 48 nonprofit websites? Could that be done in 48 hours? Would anyone even show up?

That October we put on our first event, and I honestly thought it would be a one-time thing. People showed up excited to use their skills to do good, and amidst the insane amount of chaos that weekend, somehow we got the job done. As we moved closer to the end of the event on Sunday, I thought to myself, “Job well done.” Or, more to the point, job DONE. That was fun, people seemed to enjoy themselves, now on to the next thing.

Around 3 PM the first person came up to me and asked if they could put their name on the list for next year’s event. “Next year?” I asked. “Yeah, I just want to make sure I don’t miss out because I’m sure a lot of people will be signing up.”

Next year?

And then another person came up and said the same thing. It kept happening. One exhausted person after another seemed to want to punish themselves again next year. So eventually we created a 2016 sign-up form and set it at the support desk. When I checked it later that night while we were cleaning up, a few dozen people had signed up for the 2016 event that I never thought we’d be having.

Fast-forward to this past weekend. 48in48 put on its 22nd event, and our volunteers built their 1,000th nonprofit website! ONE THOUSANDTH! I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined, way back in October of 2015, that 48in48 volunteers would build over 1,000 websites.

And here’s the kicker: our websites are valued at $25,000 of donated services, which means we have now, in our short six years of existence, donated over $25,000,000 in services to nonprofits around the world.

1,000 The A Pledge volunteers

I’ve long wanted to do something specifically focused on racial equity and social justice. Ever since I went through Leadership Atlanta in 2013, I knew I needed to find a way to make an impact against systemic racism.

The idea came to me a few years later that the best way for me to do this would be within my industry – marketing and advertising. Because I’ve been in that space since I started my first company in college, I knew my best chance to make a significant impact would be through utilizing my network, relationships, and, dare I say, influence.

What if I could create a pledge for marketing and advertising agencies to commit to making real, tangible progress in the fight against systemic racism? Wouldn’t Atlanta be the best place to do that, given our legacy in civil rights?

It took me four more years to figure out how to get started. In 2020, I began reaching out to agency and brand leaders to get a quick temperature check on my idea. I ultimately chose nine other passionate leaders to join me to create The A Pledge, with this mission:

The A Pledge is a call to Atlanta advertising and marketing agencies to come together in a committed effort to create inclusive opportunities within our industry. Over the next decade, we will make the changes needed to ensure our teams reflect the diversity of our community. As we do, we will see systemic opportunity grow in our industry, our city, and our nation.

We officially launched in December of 2020, asking agencies, brands, and volunteers to raise their hand if they want to join us on this fight. The response from the Atlanta community has been almost overwhelming, with well over 1,000 people joining us in just three short months. And while the real work is only now just beginning, I believe with my whole heart that we will hit our goal, because we are working as a passionate, committed, and accountable community.

The point

Start with an idea. An idea that you’re passionate about, and one that you believe you can commit to.

Wrap your head around the fact that, without execution, an idea is just that. Consistently doing the work is the only way to have any meaningful success.

And dream big. No, bigger! How massively world-beating can your idea be? The strength of an idea is in how far you can push it. Once you have your big vision, share it with everyone you can. People like ideas; but people will work all weekend toward a big vision that allows them to see how they’re helping change the world, even if it’s by building one website at a time.

Before you leave

Thank you for reading. I really do appreciate it, and I really do hope you’re happy.

I would love it if you consider signing up for my email newsletter. I send it out weekly, and I try to do my best to make it entertaining and, if I dare say it, inspirational.

If you’re a book reader, I’d love for you to check out either of my books: The 5-Day Turnaround + The Crisis Turnaround. They’re a heck of a deal on Amazon right now ;)

And if you’re interested, here are the businesses that I’m a part of:

Dragon Army: a purpose-driven digital engagement company48in48: building 48 nonprofit websites in 48 hoursRipples of Hope: empowering nonprofit leaders to grow their business and do more goodThe A Pledge: a racial equity nonprofit focused on the advertising and marketing industry

And remember, always lead with purpose!

The post Dream BIG…No, BIGGER! appeared first on Begin the Begin.

This may be the most controversial post I make in 2021

Do you have those tomatoes ready to hurl at me? Get ready…

I really admire Tom Brady.

Look, it’s not because he’s the winningest winner that ever winned. And definitely not because some people think he’s super handsome (personally, I don’t see it ). 

It’s because he was never supposed to be this good.

The million-dollar idea fallacy

I was on a snowy walk with my kids this weekend, and once again one of them (my youngest, Kai) shared another one of his brilliant ideas (his words). I always do two things when this happens. First, I weighed in on how great I thought the idea was. That’s me being the dad he needs right now. 

Then, I switched hats and became the dad he needs in the future. I told him that, while a great idea like his is important, at the end of the day, there are no great ideas unless he’s willing to put the hard work in to bring them to reality.

199th pick

Tom Brady was the 199th drafted player in the 2000 NFL draft. The smartest people in the NFL thought 198 players that year were more valuable than him. And here we sit, 21 years later, with Tom Brady having won seven Super Bowls in ten appearances. 

Since he joined the league, he’s never had a losing season, is the NFL leader in QB wins, regular-season touchdowns, and career touchdowns. Oh, and those seven Super Bowls are two more than anyone else, and three more than any other quarterback. (Ever hear of Joe Montana? He won a measly four Super Bowls.)

So just how did he do that, when he was deemed less talented than 198 players the year he joined the league? By being the most talented? No way. The strongest or the fastest? Not by a long shot (you’ve seen him run, right?). By being the handsomest? Stop it already with that.

He dominated the league by doing what everyone who achieves their goals does:

Through uncompromising discipline and a relentless pursuit of the goal. In other words, EFFORT.

Every ‘overnight success’ was years and years in the making. Years of persistently doing the hard things that are necessary to find your way to success. I believe we can all accomplish our dreams, it just depends on how hard we’re willing to work, and for how long.

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My favorite life hack: Forced Accountability

44,292 words. That’s the length of the first draft of my third book. I started writing it on January 6th, and I finished it this past Thursday, February 4th. 

Early each morning, usually around 6 or 6:30 a.m., I sat down to write. My goal was to write between 1,000 and 2,000 words each session. Some mornings I would struggle to get there, and some mornings it was a breeze. (Writing 2,000 words usually takes me an hour and a half.)

During that 30-day period, I missed two days. One day I had a massive headache (I also decided to give up caffeinated coffee at the start of this process; smart decision I know) and the other day I had meetings starting at 7 a.m. and I just never got myself into the mode of writing. 

So, how did I get this done in such a short amount of time, with everything else going on?

Forced Accountability

I’ve found that when I’m doing something that doesn’t have to be done, meaning there is no deadline imposed on the task by someone or something else, that it helps me to create forced accountability. 

Much of what I do these days falls into this category. Writing this email newsletter would count. No one is checking on me to make sure I send it out. Similarly, launching The A Pledge, producing my podcast, and writing my books are in the same boat. 

For you, an example might be exercising. In most cases, you can skip your workout today and you’ll be the only one that was counting on that happening. The disappointment is all yours.

When I find myself in those situations, I create forced accountability. Usually, for me, the best way to do this is by involving another person. For example, I’ve never been more consistent with exercise than when I knew my running partner would be outside at 5:45 a.m. waiting on me, sometimes in 30-degree weather (when it would have been extremely easy to skip).

In fact, I sometimes use public commitments via my writing as a way to keep myself accountable, which you can read about in this post where Adam Albrecht and I debate the merits of such a strategy. 

Side note: You should consider subscribing to Adam’s email. I don’t recommend that lightly, because adding to our email inbox is not an easy commitment, but his posts always bring me joy and motivate me. And, they’re hilarious.

44,292 words in 30 days

To write this book, I actually created two components of forced accountability. First, I committed to my editing team the date I would have the first draft done. But more importantly, I have a good friend that is also writing her book, and each day we committed to texting each other about our progress. We both strived to write every day, and that accountability motivated me to push forward, even on those mornings when I just didn’t feel it.

When I look back at things I wanted to accomplish but didn’t, I almost always find there was no accountability attached to completing the task. And so I’ve learned that if I really want to accomplish something that’s important to me, creating forced accountability is the best way to ensure that I reach my goal.

If you think this post would be helpful to someone else, please consider sharing it :)

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You’re not being strategic until you say no

So we made it to February. Who’s with me on just pretending that this is the start of the new year? :)

In my last update, I shared one of the best days I’ve had in a long time, and a major part of that was Frank Fernandez (CEO of the Community Foundation) speaking to the Ripples cohort. 

The thing that stuck with me the most from his talk was this line:

“You’re not being strategic until you say no.”

That philosophy has been so pivotal to my success. Early on in my first business (Spunlogic), we would say yes to EVERYTHING. No matter what a client needed, we were their team. Sure, we can build it. Oh, we can definitely create this. Are you kidding, we love doing that!

It wasn’t until five years into our business, when one of our leaders suggested that we focus on User Experience as our North Star that everything started to change (more on that story in this podcast episode).

From that point forward, everything fell into place. For the next five years, we doubled our business every year, ultimately leading to a sale of the business in 2008. Saying no to opportunities that didn’t align with our UX focus gave us clarity of purpose, and allowed us to hone our skills and make a name for ourselves.

It might seem like I say yes to too many things, given that I seemingly can’t stop starting nonprofits or writing books. But in fact, I say no to far more things these days than I say yes to. Case in point: I dropped off of one of Atlanta’s most prominent nonprofit boards in 2019, much to the chagrin of several of my mentors. I needed more space to create Ripples of Hope, and I knew something had to give.

The Point

Do you have your goals laid out? Do you know what you’re trying to achieve in this life?

If not, get on that ASAP! I suggest starting by finding your personal Purpose. (Some tips on how to get started.)

Once you know what you’re trying to accomplish, take a look at the things you’re up to. Look at your calendar (and color-code it), your to-do list, even your friend group. Identify activities that aren’t leading you forward toward your goals. What should you have said no to in the first place?

Get yourself focused, re-evaluate your priorities, and start saying no more often. I promise you’ll find more success than you ever imagined. And share this with someone that you think might need to read it!

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How I’m changing my goal-setting routine for 2021

If you know me at all, then you know I’m a goal-oriented person. I pick something to go after, and then relentless pursuit begins. 

But this year I’m thinking of things a little differently. I’m focusing a bit more on the journey. The steps to achieve the goals, and experience of going after them.

Maybe it was my podcast interview with David Cummings, where he talks about his practice of focusing on systems instead of goals. (Check that out if you haven’t, it’s gold.) Or, maybe I’m becoming more Zen as I approach the big 4 5 next month :) Either way, I sense a shift in how I approach annual goals.

In fact, the idea of appreciating and focusing on the journey over the goals themselves found its way into my third book, which I’m about 20% through writing (with a, err, goal, of finishing the first draft at the end of this month). Here’s a first-look at a passage from that book, written in the same narrative-style as my first two:
 

DRAFT EXCERPT FROM MY UPCOMING BOOK

“Well, boys,” Stan said. “We did it. Six months of hard work, persistence, and a little bit of luck, and we’re here.”

“I still can’t believe it,” Matt said. “I never thought we’d hit the deadline after so many setbacks, but you kept telling the team we could do it, and sure enough, we did!”

We cheered our beers and exchanged happy exhausted smiles.

“You know, that’s the good stuff,” Stan said. 

“What, this?” I asked, looking at my beer. “I actually think these are past their expiration date.”

“No, not the beer, Will,” he laughed. “The journey!”

“What do you mean?” Matt asked.

“I think it was Andy Rooney, an old broadcaster that I’m sure you two have never heard of, who said, ‘Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.’ And you know what, he’s totally right. It’s amazing to be where we are right now, having climbed to the top of the mountain. 

“But all the great memories, all that perseverance, all the sweat and tears…that’s the good stuff. That’s what makes it all worth it, and years from now, when we’re all off on different adventures, that’s the bit we’ll remember.”

Thinking back on it, he had never been more right. I could remember the next-to-impossible problems we solved, the arguments we had, how individuals stepped up and realized their full potential in the midst of chaos, and all the major points along the journey far better than what it felt like to achieve the goal.

The journey is the good stuff. 

***

So yes, I want to write (and publish) a book this year. I want Dragon Army to hit certain revenue and profit metrics. I want 48in48 to build a certain number of free nonprofit websites with a certain number of volunteers, Ripples of Hope to provide a certain number of mentorship hours, and The A Pledge to begin creating real, substantive change in racial equity in our city.

But this year, more than ever, I plan to soak in the experience of chasing these goals. Knowing, as perhaps I always have deep down, that it really doesn’t matter if I hit all or any of those goals. What matters is that I gave the appropriate amount of effort, that I cared for people along the way, that I take time to breathe in the air of perseverance, and that I try to be the best husband and father I can be during it all.

If I can achieve those things, then the goals will take care of themselves.

Before you leave

I run a weekly email newsletter where I share interesting articles and books I’m reading, productivity hacks, leadership lessons, and an update from that week’s blog posts. There is exclusive content that only comes out in the email!

If this sounds interesting, you can use this link to sign up!

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Fired up! Ready to go!

2021 is going to be the year we all need…I can feel it!

If I could bottle up the Apple TV+ show, Ted Lasso (the best show on TV right now), I’d sprinkle it over the upcoming 365 days, adding a pinch of positivity here, some much-needed optimism there, and a handful of “BELIEVE!” on each day.

My theme for 2021

I’m listening to Barack Obama’s new book, A Promised Land. It is essentially his story through the first term of his presidency. So far it’s incredible, and listening to him read it on the audio version is like putting on a warm blanket :)

In the book, he tells the story of when he was running for president in 2007 and he visited the small town of Greenwood, South Carolina. During the meeting, Edith Childs (a county council member) senses a lack of energy and yells out, “Fired up!” At this point, Barack and his team look around, confused at what is happening. The crowd then responds to Edith’s call with, “Ready to go!” This call-and-response repeats many times, with Edith yelling, “Fired up!” and the crowd responding each time with, “Ready to go!” The positive energy and enthusiasm completely changed the event, making it one of the more memorable and impactful during the campaign.

The Obama team eventually adopted this chant, using it frequently internally and at campaign events any time they need to get, well, fired up!

Fired up! Ready to go!

This will be my rallying cry in 2021. I’ve never felt more fired up and ready to go for the new year. I’m ready to put 2020 behind me, taking the lessons learned, moving past the pain, and going further than I ever have toward my purpose.

I’d love to hear what your rallying cry or theme might be for 2021. Please reply and let me know, and if you think someone might need a little inspiration heading into this new year, please share this post with them. The more people we can get fired up and ready to go, the better :)

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