Jon Acuff's Blog, page 41

Please stop saying you’re too busy.

Please don’t tell me you’re too busy to look for a new job and then show me your perfectly detailed fantasy football team.

Please don’t tell me you’re too busy to write your novel and then give me intricate plot details about the six shows you’re watching.

Please don’t tell me you’re too busy to update your resume and then update your social media accounts incessantly.

We are a busy people. Our clocks are thin and tired, our schedules full and bloated.

But somehow we find a way to give our time to a host of wonderful distractions.

There is a reason the average 21-year-old has played 10,000 hours of video games.

There is a reason the average American watches 35 hours of television a week according to Nielsen.

There is a reason American companies lose an estimated $6.5 billion during the 15-week fantasy football season.

Time is a squirrely thing. It only goes where you tell it to go. It has no mind of its own. It won’t naturally gravitate to things that matter or work you really care about. It always looks for the easy way out.

This summer, I dare you to rescue some time. Not all of it, just a little. I’m talking about 15 minutes. I don’t care how busy you are, you have 15 minutes hidden somewhere in your day.

I dare you to rescue that tiny amount each day and then watch what happens this summer. That first 15 minutes will grow into 30 and then 45 and then 60. By the end of the summer, you will have worked for 1,500 minutes. You will have 25, on purpose, goal-crushing hours under your belt.

I’m rescuing my time this summer because I love Netflix too much. If I open up the app, it’s all over. I can’t just watch one episode of a TV show. My hours will be swallowed up by show after show after show.

So instead, I’m going to DO Summer.

If you’re with me, sign up to get the free PDF I created to track time. Pick one skill you want to give your 15 minutes to and then get going. It’s not impossible to find time, sometimes all it takes is a piece of paper.

Time won’t find you. You have to find it.

Time won’t find you. You have to find it.
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Get started right here.

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Are you ready to DO Summer?

Next to relationships, skills are the most important thing you can have when it comes to chasing a dream. Whether you want to write a book, start a business, like your current job more, or turn a hobby into a job, you need skills. That’s why 25% of my latest book Do Over is dedicated to helping build your skills.

The challenge though is that skills get sharp slowly and dull quickly.

Skills get sharp slowly and dull quickly.
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Last summer I introduced the DO Summer Challenge as a way to keep our skills sharp, and over 9,000 of you joined in. This summer, we’re bringing it back. (Sign up here!)

We’re going to work on our skills together. We’re not just going to talk. We’re going to do. We’re not just going to dream. We’re going to do. We’re not just going to wish. We’re going to do.

DO Summer is simple.

1. Pick one skill you want to work on.

It can be a completely new skill or something you used to love that fell behind in the busyness of life. It can be career related like working on your resume or life related like jogging for better health.

2. Work on the skill for 1,500 minutes this summer in easy 15-minute segments.

I’ve created a free worksheet that helps you track time in 15-minute chunks. Each time you knock out 15 minutes, color in one of the boxes on the sheet.

3. Read the quick, weekly skill tip I email you each Monday.

You’ll get 60 seconds of “I dare you to be awesome” content for the next 7 weeks.

4. Share your results each Monday morning online with #DOSummer2016

You’ll be surprised how encouraging having other people cheer you on is. It was so fun to search the hashtag and see the skills everyone was sharpening, and I can’t wait to see what you’ll be working on this year.

That’s it. At the end of the summer, if you spend 1,500 minutes on your DO, you will have invested 25 hours in a skill. There’s no telling what positive habits, life changing opportunities and unexpected adventures you can stir up by doing something so simple.

The challenge starts Monday, June 20th and will run until August 5th. (Invite a friend to do it with you if you really want to increase your results!)

I dare you to DO Summer with me!
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To get the worksheet for free sign up below! You’ll get all of the encouraging emails I send about the challenge as well as my blog ideas.

Get your free #DOSummer2016 Worksheet

You ready to DO Summer?

You ready to make a small investment in your big dream?

I am.

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100 Words: The gift & danger of friends.

Image via Joe Tokay.

Whether you’re 14 or 44, the company you keep, determines the heights that you will peak.

We understood this as teens. Peer pressure was a thing, your mom didn’t want you to hang out with “that kid.” But your mom doesn’t know who you hang out at work with and the stakes are higher because now you’re an adult and the years are shorter.

The friends you give your calendar to are vitamins or poisons. The best bring out the best in you, the worst tell you that your worst is best.

Also, be careful around people who own ferrets.

Whether you’re 14 or 44, the company you keep, determines the heights that you will peak.
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The Tattoo Test: How to know if your idea is great.

The people I help have too many ideas.

They never come to me and say, “I don’t have a single goal or idea I want to pursue.”

Instead, the opposite is usually true.

In a world with so many opportunities, it’s difficult to know which one we should pursue.

How do you know the idea you’re working on is great?

There are a thousand ways to answer that question, but here’s a fast one. Ask this:

“Is my idea tattoo worthy?”

Harley-Davidson knows the answer to this question.

Their idea is so remarkable that people get it tattooed on their bodies.

In fact, the book “Building Strong Brands” by David A. Aaker reported that “the most popular tattoo in the United States is the Harley-Davidson symbol.”

Maybe that seems like an extreme way to measure the strength of your idea. I agree, Harley has spent decades becoming tattoo worthy, your idea might be in the early stages.

I know for instance that my 30 Days of Hustle Challenge is not tattoo worthy yet. We’re working with a researcher from the University of Memphis to ensure the content is backed up by scientific data. Thousands of people have used the program to accomplish their goals. The videos we made are a lot of fun, but no one is getting a “30DOH” tattoo yet. Yet.

So let’s scale the question back. Instead, ask this:

“Is my idea sticker worthy?”

That’s an easier question to answer. If you want a great example of someone who figured this out, look no further than Yeti coolers. Right now, thousands of people are buying stickers, t-shirts and hats to let you know which method of keeping ice cold they prefer.

Ten years ago, if a friend told you, “I’m going to put this Igloo sticker on my car to make sure people driving near me know what type of cooler I prefer,” you would have stared at your friend a little bit.

Now, because Yeti has done an amazing job building their idea, we don’t think twice about it. We’re more than happy to put stickers on our cars as symbols of which tribe we belong to. From Yeti to Apple to CrossFit, we like to self identify with brands that “get us.”

It’s easy to brush off the Harley-Davidson tattoo story because the company was founded in 1903. They’ve been consistently telling their story for 113 years. You’d have to be a vampire to compete with that longevity and if you’re eternally dead, tattoos are probably the least of your concerns. Focus on the sun, son!

It can be discouraging when you look at your new idea and think about how young it is. What about Yeti though? Have they spent 100 years building their story? 50 years perhaps? 20 years?

Nope, they were founded in 2006.

They’ve only been around for 10 years and I promise no one was putting stickers on cars the first few years. They’re by no means an overnight success but they’re also not an over century success either.

Want to know if your idea is good? Want to know if your story is compelling? Want to know if your business will draw an audience?

It’s easy.

If your idea is sticker worthy, it’s good. If it’s tattoo worthy, it’s great.

If your idea is sticker worthy, it’s good. If it’s tattoo worthy, it’s great.
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10 ways to knock out your goals.

Ask 100 people if they’d like to make significant progress on their goals over the next week and you’ll probably get 100 yeses.  (Actually, you’d probably get 99, thanks to that one jerk dentist who doesn’t prefer Trident gum either.)

Ask those same people, seven days later, if they WERE able to make significant progress on their goals and guess what happens? You get a lot more noes. (Isn’t the plural of the word “no” weird looking?)

Why don’t most people make progress on their goals?

Did those folks change their minds during the week? Probably not.

The intention was still there, but the execution wasn’t. Which leads me to one of the biggest things I’ve learned as I’ve led people through the 30 Days of Hustle Challenge:

The reason most goals fail isn’t a lack of intention, it’s a lack of action.

The reason most goals fail isn’t a lack of intention, it’s a lack of action.
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But the word “action” can be fairly vague, like the life advice, “Just Be Yourself.”

Let’s get specific and practical today.

Here are 10 actions you can take right now to get closer to your goal. I dare you to try one today.

10 ways to knock out your goals

1. Mark some specific times you’re going to hustle on your calendar next week.

2. Identify and write down the triggers that are likely to keep you from your making progress on your goal.

3. Reach out to someone who is ahead of you for a tip on achieving your goal.

4. Figure out how to batch work on your goal to make more progress in chunks.

5. Write down the “why” of your goal to fuel yourself when you need the encouragement.

6. Identify 1-3 things to measure so you know when you are making progress on your goal.

7. Find a person to check in with on your goal for accountability.

8. Rest! Make sure you’re getting enough rest so you don’t burn out chasing your goal.

In a culture that praises busyness, rest is an act of bravery.
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9. Thank someone who has already helped you make progress on your goal.

10. Perform a diagnosis on your hustle. Identify and stop doing the things that aren’t effective.

Those ten actions are a part of the daily videos you get in the 30 Days of Hustle Challenge, and there are twenty more that go along with it. You also get daily emails, an 8,000-word PDF workbook, access to a private community of supportive people working on their goals and a few more fun surprises.

Today’s the last day to sign up for the Challenge. Registration closes tonight at midnight.

If you’re ready to move past intention and take action, the 30 Days of Hustle will help you make more progress on your goals than ever before. And the 100% money back guarantee means there’s no risk at all.

I hope you’ll join the more than 400 people who have already taken action this week to make progress on their goals.

Don’t miss it!

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The stupid trick companies pull on you all the time.

Do you know why it’s hard to get refunds, rebates and money back guarantees from companies?

Because they’re hoping you’ll give up.

One of the things I learned during my 15-year career in corporate marketing is that the harder you make the refund or rebate process, the less people will actually do it.

Companies don’t need you to make rebate requests via the mail. It’s actually a lot easier for them to manage if it’s all done online. So then why do they make you find a stamp, locate their address, print out a form, fill out the necessary information and mail in your request?

They want you to quit before you finish. Maybe during all the steps you’ll get frustrated and think, “This is stupid. Do I really need the $7? This isn’t worth the hassle.”

That’s why companies make the refund process difficult and the sales process easy. If you want to buy something, there are a million convenient options. You can purchase something with a single click. If you want to return something, the inverse is true.

I hate that.

And since I run my own business, I don’t have to do that. I get to make up my own rules.

So instead of having a complicated refund process for the 30 Days of Hustle Video Challenge, I have Ashley.

This is who gives your money back if you don’t love the course.

Here’s the whole process:

1. Email Ashley at Acuff.me within 30 days of purchase.

2. Receive your money.

You don’t have to explain yourself, fumble around for a receipt, or gear up for some awkward conversation where I try to talk you out of the money back guarantee.

Why did I make it so easy?

Well, I think you’re going to love the 30 Days of Hustle Challenge.

I think that because it’s awesome and we’ve only had 20 people out of 3,000 ask for a refund. That’s a 99% satisfaction rate for you folks playing along at home.

I think being part of this private group of hustlers is going to really help you knock out your goals.

Most importantly, I don’t want any sort of risk to stand in the way of you giving it a try.

If you’ve got a goal you want to accomplish, try out the course. The 50% off rate of $60 ends tonight at midnight!

If you don’t love it, email Ashley.

End of story.

What’s the business principle here? It’s simple, build a business that treats people the way you want to be treated.

Build a business that treats people the way you want to be treated.
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Don’t trust companies that are quick to take your money and slow to give it back.

And don’t miss the 30 Days of Hustle Challenge.

The early bird registration ends tonight at midnight. Sign up here!

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It only looks like I’m dying in this photo because I am.

A few days ago I ran the Nashville half marathon.

My wife Jenny took this photo above the crowd 100 yards before I crossed the finish line.

Although I look graceful and full of life, as if you took the wind-like sounds Yanni makes with his piano and transformed them into a human, I was dying inside. Here are the thoughts that went through my head during the last two miles:

1. I hate running so much.

2. Why would anyone ever do this on purpose? Running is for escaping not enjoying.

3. Even while running I can’t help but alliterate.

4. I wish I never signed up for this stupid thing. I paid money for this experience.

5. That sign with Steve Harvey’s face at mile 2 that said, “You only have 1 mile left!” was funny. I see what you did there sign guy.

6. Jogging by people who are calmly drinking coffee while cheering me on kind of makes me want to punch them in the face because I wish I was calmly drinking coffee instead of doing this stupid thing.

7. I have “mouthy knees.” That’s a great name for a punk band, but I wish they would stop talking to me while I was running. I know, you’re sore. I know you’re tired. Shut up.

8. I’m probably going to run out of Eminem songs before I finish.

9. If I was taller this would be so much easier, my gait is garbage. Maybe I’ll hit an early 40s growth spurt. I hope that’s a thing.

10. I can’t wait to tell my friends in the 30 Days of Hustle about this.

The first 9 might be silly, but that last thought is definitely the weirdest.

Throughout the race, I kept thinking about everyone in the 30 Days of Hustle. Why? Because in January, I told everyone in that private community that I was going to finish the half marathon in under 2 hours. My personal record was 2:06, but I felt like I could break it this time.

When Jenny took that photo I was sprinting. I was running as fast as I could across the finish line. I had one final push left in me.

I checked my time after the race and this is what it said:

I hit my goal by 9 seconds!

That last bit of crazy person sprinting mattered.

But more than that, having friends who dared me to train mattered the most.

It’s taken me about 40 years to learn this, but here’s what I know now:

Goals you chase together always go better.

Goals you chase together always go better.
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It’s easier to hit your goals when you have a community of people supporting you.

It’s more fun to hustle on goals with other people.

You save time and grind and frustration when people give you encouragement.

Crossfit works because community works. They didn’t invent new weights or exercises or equipment. They simply tapped into the unbelievable power of community.

The best part is that it’s not too late to knock out your goals in 2016.

For the first time ever I’m launching a round of the 30 Days of Hustle Challenge in May. It begins on May 9th, and from now until midnight on Wednesday, you can join at the Early Bird rate of $60, which is 50% off the full price.

The 30 Days of Hustle Challenge is a 30-Day Video Course. In addition to an 8,000 word workbook with activities, 30 daily videos and the 30DOH worksheet, you get an invitation to a private Facebook community.

You get to join hundreds of other people from around the world that aren’t settling for average. You’ll meet people writing books, starting businesses, decluttering their homes, losing weight, finding jobs and chasing dreams.

Since the beginning of the year over 3,000 people just like you have been going through the 30 Days of Hustle Challenge and have been accomplishing amazing things. The private Facebook community is thriving and the response to the brand new videos I made has been great!

Do what 15,000 other people have done over the past two years and go through the 30 Days of Hustle Challenge. Better yet, pass along the registration link and sign up with a friend!

Too many times we regret in December and we hope in January, and in between we lose sight of our goals. Not this year. This year is going to be awesome because this May we’ll head into the summer with momentum and purpose. Sign up today and join us!

To eliminate any risk, there’s a 30 day money back guarantee. If you don’t absolutely love the course, just email me and I’ll refund your money with no questions asked. (I hate when people make their refund policies more difficult than that.)

Don’t believe the lie that you can only crush goals in January. May is the new January.

Don’t believe the lie that you can only crush goals in January. May is the new January.
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(Note: The $60 Early Bird offer disappears Wednesday night at midnight PT. On Thursday, the rate goes up to the full price of $120. Registration closes on Friday night. Don’t miss it!)

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The hidden secret of those who hustle well.

What actions come to mind when I say the word “hustle?”

Working harder?

Doing as much as possible?

Getting more done?

Those are all addition activities, where you add more activities and more actions to your life. That is an important part of hustle, but hustle is more than that.

Successful people know hustle is also an act of subtraction. You have to remove things from your life that don’t matter so that you can focus on the things that do.

Hustle is a scalpel. It helps you remove things from your life that don’t matter.
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But in a busy world where more things compete for more of your time than ever before, what are the things you should ignore?

Better yet, what are The 3 Things Successful People Ignore?

That’s the question I’ll be addressing in a free webinar next Wednesday night, May 4th at 7PM Central.

I’ll not only tell you what they are, but I’ll give you practical advice on how to ignore each one.

And if you can’t make the live webinar, I’ll be sending out a replay link to everyone who registered for the event so they can watch it later.

Sign up here to watch live or to receive the replay link.

Hope you join me next week!

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Axe Body Spray, Human Bulldozers, and why it took me 34 years to write my first book.

The word “hustle” has a terrible reputation. Your most obnoxious, self promotional friend is constantly posting pictures of watches, Lamborghini’s or yachts on Instagram with captions like “Every day I’m hustlin’ – Abraham Lincoln.” I’m pretty sure that was Rick Ross, not Abe Lincoln.

Over the last two years I’ve taken more than 15,000 people through the 30 Days of Hustle Challenge (join the wait list for the May launch here), and if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that there is still a lot of confusion about what it means to hustle.

Is hustling a good thing or a bad thing?

Is it the reason successful folks are doing so well, or the reason workaholics roll over people like human bulldozers?

Is it an Axe Body Spray flavor or not?

(It’s not an Axe Body Spray, by the way. But Score, Jet, and Touch are.)

Here’s what I know: Hustle is an act of focus, not frenzy. It’s an act of addition, but also subtraction. It’s about focusing on what matters the most, in the right way.

Hustle is an act of focus, not frenzy.
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I didn’t write a book for the first 34 years I was on this planet. In the last six years, I’ve published five.

I’m going to cut myself some slack during the toddler years because I was terrible at spelling and high school was a blur since I was the popular, wicked muscular quarterback that everyone wanted to date, but why did it take so long during my adult years? There are a few reasons, but the biggest one is hustle.

I was great at talking, but not doing.

I was high on goals and low on actions.

I didn’t know how to hustle on the things I really care about.

I put together a free video series called the 3 Rules of Hustle based on what I’ve learned over the last 6 years. I wish I could go back and show the 22 year old me these videos. He was too cocky and sure of himself to think he could learn anything, but maybe the color-coded bookshelves would have distracted him long enough to listen. If you missed this series the first time, it’s three short videos that separate fact from fiction about what it means to really work on your dream.

The video series is still free for the time being, but you’ll need to sign up to get access to them because I won’t be posting them on my blog. The best part is, unlike last time, when you sign up you’ll get access to all three videos immediately!

Hustle is the fuel for the things we work on. If you use it the right way and apply it to the right things, you get to be more awesome, more often.

I can’t wait to see what dream, goal or project you apply the 3 rules of hustle to!

P.S. There’s a surprise guest who joins me in the videos, but you’ll have to watch this to see who it is.

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Don’t say this sentence this month.

“Cadbury Crème eggs are gross” is a dumb sentence to say.

No they’re not.

They’re tiny bursts of chocolate manna delivered with love from the artisans at Cadbury.

Do I acknowledge the Halloween versions they put on the market? No, but then I don’t acknowledge Mariah Carey’s second Christmas album either. I’m a purist. I stick with the original, save for Crystal Pepsi which was my favorite clear soda of all time and Sharknado 3, which took the metanarrative of meteorological sharks to new places.

Criticizing Cadbury Crème eggs is not the worst sentence you can say this month.

The worst sentence is this:

“It’s too late to work on my goals this year.”

January is for resolutions and goals. It’s when we buy calendars and running sneakers and kale. That’s the only time you can really focus on changing your life.

By April, you’ve missed your chance. Too much of the year is already gone. The moment of inspiration has passed.

That’s garbage.

At this moment right now, you have 36 weeks left in 2016. Next week, you’ve got 35 weeks.

The year has barely begun.

Where does it say you can’t work on goals in April and May? Where does it say that just because the rest of the world has quit, you have to as well?

I love January, but it’s not the best month to knock out a goal.

The best month to work on your goals is always this month.

The best month to work on your goals is always this month.
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I’m tired of being full of hope in January and then full of regret in December. Have you ever had that experience? This was going to be your year. You were really going to do it! But then, 12 months later December rolled around and you looked back on a year that didn’t go like you expected. Do you know why that happens?

Because we coast in April. We buy the January lie that you can only hustle in the beginning of the year.

Nonsense.

For the first time ever I’m doing a May round of the 30 Days of Hustle.

What’s that? It’s a 30-day video course and private community of people from around the world who will help you knock out your goals. I’ve taken 15,000 people through the course over the last two years and it’s been crazy to see what can happen when you learn how to hustle on the things you care about most.

The wait list is open right now and if you have even a hint of curiosity of what you could do this May, you need to sign up today.

It’s common to give up on your goals by April, but who says you have to be common?

It’s common to give up on your goals by April, but who says you have to be common?
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Hustle all year, not just in January.

Sign up for the 30 Days of Hustle wait list today.

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