Tyler Jorgenson

Seriously, how am I supposed to get any work done with this little guy around?  He’s too awesome to not hold.  With his older sister and his Mom taking their ‘turns’ holding him I have actually had some pretty productive days recently but who would blame me for stepping away from the office just to get my fix?

I’ve been working from home recently.  Usually I have work stuff out of the house at least a few times per week but I’ve been staying close recently since my wife is nearly 9 months pregnant with our fourth child.  People often ask if working from home ‘works’.  Usually it does.  I can close the office door when needed and have been getting a lot done.  The real problem is the proximity to food.

I’m sure I’ve put on some sympathy weight this pregnancy!  I’m going to have to start using that gym membership soon.  I wonder if I can find the card.

Yesterday’s post reminded me of a great quote.

Realize that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.

Og Mandino

When I find that it’s hard to reach out and help somebody I find it’s usually because something isn’t right with me and not the other person.  When we seek to happy, which is a choice and not a result of our environment, we put ourselves in a position to positively impact the world around us.

Choose to be happy, then spread it.

I read an article recently that talked about the primary reason, in the authors opinion, that some people are successful and others not despite having apparent similar talents and looks.   The answer didn’t surprise me too much but did seem to be worth sharing.  The key distinguishing point is this:

Those who fail want other people to make him feel good about himself.

Those who succeed makes other people feel good about themselves.

The author was specifically talking about being successful in dating, but I think it’s on point no matter what the relationship.  Whether you’re wanting to make a connection with the cute Barista at your local Starbucks or make a memorable connection with a sales prospect the same thing applies.  I once wrote about the Rules for a Perfect Day and this part stands out:

I will treat everyone I meet today the way I would like to be treated. I will strive to have them like themselves better when they’re with me.

It’s not always easy to focus on other people and their needs, especially when we may feel needy, but it’s much more rewarding.  It’s the small and simple things that touch people’s lives.

Yesterday I was visited by door to door art peddlers.  A young man and a young woman rang my doorbell to see if I was interested in purchasing a hand painted, oil on canvas, genuine imitation.

They weren’t convincing salespeople, but maybe that was part of the ‘proof’ that they were artists.  A couple of the paintings were of nice settings, but I didn’t feel like I could trust them that these were original works and didn’t want to drop $100 for something so unoriginal.

I’m not an artist.  I can hardly draw stick people and I’m pretty sure my 5 year old daughter can draw a better landscape than me.  I’m not criticizing art, but I just don’t think this was art.  To me art is more than just being able to draw, it’s being able to make connections.  The art peddlers could have delivered a compelling story about how they were immigrants whose love for freedom of expression led them from their Eastern European home to the New World and that they sold their art door to door to reach people and touch their lives.  They didn’t.  They said, in a hushed voice, ‘we’re selling some oil paintings.’  Thanks.

Sometimes if you create something amazing just the fact that it exists will ensure success, but usually you need to be able to tell a story and explain why it’s amazing before people will let down their guard and embrace the new item/piece of art/software, etc.

If Justin Timberlake were to write a sequal to his ‘hit’ song I’m bringing sexy back it would have to be I’m bringing awesome back.  Awesome seems to be a word from the 90’s that just won’t go away.  For a while it was being used to describe things that weren’t all that great, it had just become a standard description.

I use google voice, and love it.  Google had a post called “Google Voice, Explained” and at the end of the first video they declared that Google voice provided ‘less annoyance, more awesomeness’ to telephony.

I agree Google Voice is awesome.

Google Voice became awesome by looking at a system that had evolved but hadn’t changed much much of it’s core in 20 years.  As cell phones went from science fair project, to rich man’s toy, to a must have for 4 year old children voicemail stayed the same.  Google voice changed that, and made it better.

When considering starting, or continuing even, a business are you going to copy another companies business model?  If so, is that model current and progressive.  I don’t think the market needs another video rental chain, or fake starbucks.

The market is begging for innovation.

The market wants awesomeness.

Right now the tagline on this blog reads: One Entrepreneurs Journey To Find Greatness.  Although I often share my thoughts, opinions and insights the whole purpose of this blog is to chronicle my journey to discover greatness in myself and others.

I believe that within each of us lies the extraordinary and the remarkable.  We have a responsibility to discover what it is that we can do better than anybody else in our world.

Why do I care do discover this within myself.  Because of this woman:

My wife and I just had our 7 year wedding anniversary.  This picture was taken while we were dating and is one of my favorites.  To be loved by this woman is an extreme honor.

Have you ever stood at (or in many cases IN) your closet staring at your clothes unable to decide on what to wear?  Recently I was standing in front of my dress shirts trying to decide which one to wear.  I realized that I had a lot of choice so picking a nice one should be easy.  I counted and realized that at that moment I had over 50 clean dress shirts to chose from.  I was stuck there for a while, not able to decide on which one to wear.

In the video below Barry Schwartz explains two negative effects of having so much choice.

1. Paralysis instead of liberation
2. Lower satisfaction once a choice is made

We’ve all experienced the first effect. The closet question outlines how often this may happen every day. Standing there in front of my rack of 50 dress shirts I waste 5-10 minutes in the morning just trying to make a simple choice. Finally, I chose the blue shirt. The light blue shirt, french cuff, 100% cotton, classic straight point collar with custom monogramming. I insert my collar stays, that choice was easy. I reach for my cuff links and freeze another moment as I chose between the fancy ones or conservative ones. Finally, I’ dressed.

The second effect follows about a few minutes later. Walking out of the room I give myself a quick once over in the mirror and it hits me. What if I wore the white shirt. The white shirt, cotton/poly blend, designer texture, medium spread collar and normal cuffs without the monogram. Who doesn’t look good in white, I think to myself, but then a sound jogs me back to the reality that the 10 minutes I burned picking out a shirt have set me behind schedule and I must go as there are more choices to be unhappy about awaiting me.

“Opportunity costs subtract from the satisfaction of what we chose even when what we chose is terrific.” – Schwartz

Why this topic?

Think about whatever it is you’re working on.  When Henry Ford started selling the Model T he offered the car buyers a choice.  Said Ford, “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black.”  Sometimes, less is more.  I remember seeing a picture of a small coffee house that had added, over the years, a host of other services.  Soon it was Coffee, ATM, Lottery, Toys, Taxidermy and Nails.  I don’t think those were the actual services but the point is they were shooting for too big of a market, everybody.

Don’t sell to everybody.  Sell to somebody.  Pick a market and be ok with occasionally letting a customer pass by.  The same goes for my closet.  I’m getting rid of over 30 dress shirts this weekend, and the idea of fewer options already makes me smile.