Jon Acuff's Blog, page 26

5 encouraging books for discouraging times.

Right now, I feel like my thoughts fluctuate between two different positions:

Things will go back to normal soon. Everything is going to be fine. There’s great opportunity hidden in the midst of uncertainty. You can do this!
Things will never be normal. Everything is terrible. Will the clothing store I worked at in high    school, Maurice the Pants Man, rehire me? You can’t do this!

 

The cool thing is that some days, I have both of those thoughts in the same exact hour if not the same exact minute.

This is the weirdest season ever. I just keep saying that word over and over again. Weird. This is weird. How weird. 

Fortunately, I wrote a book about overthinking and learned an awful lot about changing my thoughts. I can’t wait for you to read it. It comes out in April and I think it’s going to help a ton of people who feel like they’re overthinking everything. 

Until then though, what are other books that might be encouraging during these discouraging times? 

Well today, I’ll tell you my personal list of 5 encouraging books for discouraging times: 

“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” written and illustrated by Charlie Mackesy. 

I loved what Elizabeth Gilbert of “Eat, Pray, Love” fame said about this book. She wrote, “The world that I am required to inhabit is this one. But the world that I long to inhabit is the one that Charlie Mackesy has created.” That’s what this is. It’s a beautiful, inspiring world where a boy goes on an adventure with a few friends. It reminds me a little bit of Winnie the Pooh, in that it sneaks up on you with deep wisdom. When I looked it up on Amazon, I was blown away to see that it has 23,000 reviews! There’s a good chance you’ve already seen this one, but if you haven’t, give it a look. 

2.  “This is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a    Compassionate Life” written by David Foster Wallace.  

David Foster Wallace’s life came to a tragic end in 2008, but this book is one of the most hopeful things I’ve ever read. It’s not long. It’s actually the commencement address he gave in 2005 at Kenyon College. It’s about freedom and attention and what we all get to choose to focus our lives on. It’s a book that I need to reread at least once a year, especially when I get obsessed with my own needs, my own fears and my own kingdom. 

3.  “Positivity: Discover the Upward Spiral that Will Change Your Life” written by Barbara L. Fredrickson, PhD.

This is the most scientific book on the list but don’t let that fool you, this is highly readable and highly practical. Dr. Fredrickson is a professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I quoted her in my new book because she’s one of the leading scholars on the subject of positivity and I wanted to go beyond all the motivational clichés you often see about this topic. My favorite part of this book, which I won’t spoil for you here, is her positivity ratio. If you want a non-fiction, no nonsense read on positivity, this is the one. 

4.  “Rules of the Red Rubber Ball” written by Kevin Carroll. 

I saw Kevin speak live more than a decade ago and bought this book immediately. Have you ever done that? Maybe you saw a TED talk online or went to an event and really connected with the speaker? That was Carroll for me. He has an infectious spirit and outlook on life. He’s worked with the NHL, ESPN, Nike, and Starbucks. His words have actually appeared on 17 million Grande cups. That’s a fun fact. This is one of those small, powerful books packed with hope. I love the design, too. Each pages feels like a chance to explore something new. 

5.  “What do you do with a problem?” written by Kobi Yamada and illustrated by Mae Besom.   

Another children’s book? Do you see a theme here? When I’m feeling discouraged, I want something colorful, creative and simple. If you’ve got a 600-page book about encouragement, just lifting that thing is going to bum me out. Books like this on the other hand are paper serotonin. I first discovered Yamada’s work when I read, “What Do You Do With An Idea?” I loved that book and was excited to discover this second one. The illustrations are ridiculous. I hope Mae Besom has a long, massive career because her stuff is gorgeous. Again, it’s one of those books that’s for kids but is actually for adults, too.

Those are five books that I find really encouraging and I tried to pick a variety across a couple of different genres. 

These are weird times.

They are, but sometimes all you need to pick up your spirits is a new book.

I’ve included all the links to the books so that you can go check them out for yourself. They are affiliate links of course, because babies need shoes!  

I hope you enjoy those books as much as I do.

Jon

P.S. Want to see the 5 books that changed my life? Watch this! 

P.P.S. Bonus book! The Genesee Diary: Report from a Trappist Monastery by Henri Nouwen has been kicking my butt this summer. 

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3 words to say to someone who asks you to work for free.

If you’re a photographer, designer, developer, writer, freelancer or human, someone is going to ask you to work for free.

They might ask for a favor.

They might say you’ll get exposure.

They might even try to guilt you into turning your “no” into a “yes.”

What do you do in that moment? What if it’s a friend, family member or neighbor?

It took me years, but I finally figured out 3 words that completely diffuse the situation.

Not only do these words diffuse things, they often end up making you a lot of money in the process.

I made a quick video explaining the technique I use. It’s Velcro easy. (I think that’s going to be my new phrase to describe things that are ridiculously easy. I’m also trying to bring the word “mint” back from the 1980s. “This video is mint!”)

If you’re tired of being asked to do free projects, watch this.

Jon

P.S. Did you know I have a new YouTube channel? You should subscribe.

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How old should a kid be before they get a smartphone?

I used to think my oldest daughter wouldn’t get a smartphone until she was about 25 years old.

I imagined making a toast at her rehearsal dinner and saying, “I’m so excited about this wedding and I’ve got one more surprise! Sweetheart, here’s your first smartphone!”

I exaggerate a smidge, as I am wont to do, but I did have a closeminded attitude when it came to my kids and smartphones.

What changed? Well, I explain it in this quick video I made.

If you have a kid, regardless of the age, I think this video will really encourage you.

We’re the first generation of parents who have ever needed to deal with smartphones.

It can be challenging, but it can also be a lot of fun.

Click here to watch the video.

Jon

P.S. Did you know I have a new YouTube channel? You should subscribe.

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5 legit reasons your spouse isn’t supporting your dream.

Marriage math is crazy. When two people are pushing in the same direction on a dream, 1 + 1 doesn’t equal 2. It equals approximately 19 million. What two people can get done together is exponentially bigger than two people who are at odds. Jenny and I have spent the last 12 years with our arms linked on a series of side hustles, projects and adventures.But wait, haven’t we been married for 19 years?

We have, but it took us a bit to figure out how to really support each other.

If you’re married and working on a dream, I made a video you need to watch.

In it, I quickly cover the 5 legit reasons your spouse is not supporting your dream.

Save yourself a few years of frustration and figure out how to dream together.

Click here to watch.

Jon

P.S. I’m going all in on YouTube and would love if you subscribed to my new channel.

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How to fall asleep when you’re stressed out.

Have you had a hard time falling asleep lately?

That’s weird, I haven’t.

I’ve had such peaceful, global pandemic sleep. My head hits the pillow and I enjoy eight, stress free hours of slumbertown.

Or, I toss and turn, while trying to figure out what disastrous thing the news is going to tell me about tomorrow and what I’m possibly supposed to do about murder hornets.

One of those two scenarios happened a lot, especially during the first 8 weeks of the pandemic.

But then, I learned a trick that’s helped me a lot. 

I started saying a simple sentence to my stress each night. 

I made a quick video that walks you through exactly what I do. 

The next time stress wakes you up at 3AM I want you to be ready. 

Click here to watch the video. 

Jon

P.S. Did you know I have a new YouTube channel? You should subscribe. 

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The tweet that cost me a job.

“Don’t be an idiot online” might be the most valuable career advice I could ever give you.

Why?

Because no one told me that and I was in fact an idiot.

And something I tweeted, cost me a job.

In this video I tell that story and share what a CEO told me is going to happen at your next job interview.

If you use any social media, watch this quick video and learn from my silly mistake.

Jon

P.S. I have a brand new YouTube channel. It’s packed with funny, helpful content. You should subscribe!

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How much did I get paid for my book?

Can you make a living chasing a dream full time?

That’s a question I get a lot. 

I thought it would be fun to answer that with a look at the check I got for my first book last week.

I’ll tell you what I got paid in 2010 when I signed the publishing deal and show you the amount that hit my bank account last week.

I made a quick video that walks you through everything. It will give you insight into the financial opportunities and challenges of chasing your dream full time regardless of if you’re a writer. 

I won’t spoil it for you, but I promise you this, you will be shocked at the number on my check. 

Click here to watch the video. 

Jon

P.S. Did you know I have a new YouTube channel? You should subscribe. 

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4 reasons this is the best notebook in the world.

I have no fashion sense. 

I think people assume I’m filming 10 videos a day on my YouTube channel because I’m always wearing the same thing but I’m not. I just wear a black t-shirt and jeans every single day. I have zero style. My wife once said that I dress like a combination of a skater and a mid-market local weatherman. I’m thinking about the guy in Wichita, Kansas. 

I don’t care about clothes so it’s just easier to pick one thing and then rock it until I’m dead. Don’t get me wrong, when I’m on stage at an event, I’m in a suit, but even that’s tricky. One night, I came home from a trip and my wife stopped me in the kitchen.

Usually I change clothes before I fly home, but this time I had to rush to the airport and was still wearing my suit. 

“Is that the shirt you wore with that suit?” She asked. 

“Yes,” I said, “Why?”

“That shirt doesn’t go with that pattern of your suit at all. Is this the first time you’ve worn those together?” She pressed. 

“No, I’ve worn this exact outfit a dozen times at events.”

“Oh no,” she said. 

Oh no indeed. 

I have no style and therefore don’t have a lot of opinions about clothes. But, there is one area of my life where I am highly opinionated. There’s one area I take very seriously.  

I am a notebook snob.

Maybe it’s the writer in me, but I have deep, long seated opinions about notebooks.

I have a visceral reaction when someone gives me a notebook and it feels like something you got for free when you signed up for a new checking account at a bank. I don’t like when they’re flimsy, I get real focused on the paper quality, how they’re bound together, and whether they’re lined or not. I am a notebook dork.

For years, I was a Moleskine guy. I loved them. I wrote in probably 100 different Moleskines to gather ideas for blogs, books and speeches. I had every size. I had every variety. I even had the Hobbit Moleskine and the Evernote Moleskine. 

When I say I used them for years, I mean it. I found one from January 2006 recently, which means 14 years ago I was using notebooks to capture my thoughts. 

But then, I found somebody new. I didn’t mean to. I don’t remember how we first connected. It just happened. I don’t even really know how to say their name. It’s German. It’s spelled “Leuchtturm.” And I am deeply, madly in love with their 1917 series. 

There are 4 reasons:

The pages have a dot grid.

The dot grid is the goldilocks of notebook pages. The little dots are dark enough that you can see them and use them like a line to write, but light enough that if you want to sketch it almost feels like the page is blank. It’s the best of both worlds. I don’t know if I will ever go back to lined pages.

     2. It comes with 2 ribbon markers.

Moleskines only have one ribbon. I used to think that was enough until I doubled the amount of ribbons I had access to. I’ve tried bullet journaling a few times. You’d be surprised how often you need to bounce around from different parts of your journal. I love having two place markers I can use. 

     3. The pages are numbered.

God bless a numbered page. Could I number them myself? I suppose I could, like an animal. But I would much rather have it printed perfectly in the corner. I love that I can easily find what I’m looking for because of the page numbers.

     4. There’s a table of contents. 

This is where the page numbers really come in handy. Let’s say I want to keep a list of ideas for new speeches on page 40. I can go to my table of contents and write, “Speaking ideas – Page 40” and then instantly find it when I need it. Gone are the days of aimlessly flipping through a billion ideas hoping I find the right one.

Not enough for you? Fine. I will throw in one more reason these are the best notebooks. And it’s the nerdiest reason of all.

One problem with notebooks is that the first page is always glued to the cover awkwardly. You have to decide, “Do I write on this page? Do I only write on part of it? Do I rip it out? Do I just start on the second page?” These are all incredibly painful questions for a notebook perfectionist. With the 1917, I don’t have to worry about that. The first page isn’t jacked up. It’s like any other page. 

These are the best notebooks in the world. I’m not sponsored by them, this is just what I know to be true. I will say that I might be developing my own journal. That’s in the works so I might have a new favorite notebook very soon. 

Until then though, if you’re in the market for a new notebook, the Leuchtturm1917 Medium A5 Dotted Hardcover Notebook is the best one in my opinion. (Even that name sounds classy!)

Jon

P.S. These are all affiliate links because babies need shoes or more accurately, Jon needs more notebooks!

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A text I sent my friend that I think you might like, too.

The other day, a friend texted me a question. It wasn’t Dolly Parton, if that’s what you’re thinking. It was a different friend.

Dolly Parton and I don’t even text that much because she doesn’t have my number and we only met that one time, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to manifest Dolly Parton into being my best friend.

My friend, who was not Dolly Parton, texted me this:

“I have a weird question for you – what have you found that helps you be more intentional?”

I liked that question and I thought you might have it, too. So, because you, much like Dolly Parton do not have my number, below is how I answered him. I didn’t edit it at all, just straight from my phone to your face.

That’s not weird. Here are a few things that are helpful for me:

1. I make lists.

Putting things down on paper helps me see that I only have 10 things to do not 100 even though it feels like 100 in my head.

2.  I am learning to do less.

I tend to overestimate what I can get done in a period of time. Scientists call this “planning fallacy.”

3. I need a story.

For instance, this summer, I am going to try to work from 8-1PM and then call it a day. I’ll use the afternoons to exercise, play with my kids, kayak with my wife, etc. Having a theme helps, so I’m thinking of June and July as “The Long, Slow Summer.” The truth is I think doing this will teach me I don’t have to work as much as I think, that I might be addicted to chaos, that I might be the cause of the chaos, and that I should live this way the rest of the entire year.

 4.  I need boundaries.

I’m like a goldfish, I grow to the size of my bowl. If you give me 3 hours to do something, that’s how long it takes. If you give me 1 hour, that’s how long it takes. So, I need limits like 8-1PM or I don’t get much done.

The crazy thing about that text message is that I didn’t use a single exclamation point. My texts are usually littered with dozens of exclamation points. I think I’m afraid that unless I use lots of !!! in texts my friends will think I’m not excited about what they just said.

I am excited, especially if the text is from Dolly Parton, which it’s not. Yet.

Jon

P.S. For the month of May, my book “Finish” is only $1.99 on Kindle. Don’t miss it!

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5 books that changed my life.

Has a book ever found you when you needed it the most?

Maybe a friend gave it to you because you were going through a crisis.

Maybe you heard an interview with the author on a podcast and it felt perfectly timed just for you.

Maybe you owned it for years but it didn’t make sense until you went through a challenge and picked it back up.

That’s the magic to me of books. When you read the right book at the right time it feels like it was written just for you. You’ve never met the author. They might live on the other side of the planet. They might have been dead for 50 years, but it doesn’t matter. That book was for you.

Today, I’m going to tell you about five of the books that were written just for me.

1. “A technique for producing ideas.” By James Webb Young

This book has less than 50 pages, was written in the 1940s and has maybe the most boring cover you’ve ever seen. None of that matters because what’s inside is the greatest guide to creativity I’ve ever read. I shouldn’t have this on my shelf. I should have it in a glass box with a small hammer and a sign that reads, “If you’re ever stuck, read this again.” This book, more than any other, taught me a real process to multiply the number of high-quality ideas I can come up with every day.

2. “The Dip, a little book that teaches you when to quit and when to stick.” By Seth Godin.

I stuck with my blog in 2008 because I read this short book and decided not to quit too soon. Anytime I wanted to give up, I would remember the principles in this and keep going. My blog would eventually turn into a book which turned into a public speaking career which brought me to Nashville and an entire new career. None of that would have happened without Seth’s encouragement on these pages. Ten years later, I got to work with the same team at Penguin that published “The Dip.” What an amazing full circle that was!

3. “Bird by Bird, some instructions on writing and life.” By Anne Lamott.

If you want to write a book, read this book. If you don’t want to write a book, read this book. It’s definitely aimed at writers, but it’s hard to think of a human who wouldn’t be improved by the words on these pages. It took what felt like an impossible task, writing my first book, and gave me the kindest path forward.

4. “Orbiting the Giant Hairball, a corporate fool’s guide to surviving with grace.” By Gordon MacKenzie

Are there any bands you regret not seeing live? I regret not seeing Prince, Tom Petty and the original INXS. I also regret not seeing Gordon MacKenzie share his unique approach to staying creative inside a big company. When I took a writing job at Staples corporate headquarters, this became my Bible. If you work at a company bigger than 10 people and want a few clues on what it takes to create great work amidst bureaucracy, read this.

5. “The War of Art, break through the blocks and win your inner creative battles.” By Steven Pressfield.

I’ve given more copies of this book away than any other book. (Except for my own of course because I’m VERY generous.) My pen practically ran out of ink on the pages because I couldn’t stop underlining. Pressfield’s writing gave me the courage to finish so many creative projects that were trapped in doubt, insecurity and frustration.

If you haven’t read any of those, I dare you to pick one and just give it a go. I even included some Amazon links, with affiliates because babies need shoes, to make it super easy.

Maybe this wasn’t an email, it was a flare from a great book that’s just been dying to find you.

Jon

P.S. Want to see a review of these books? I made a video! Watch here.

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