Back to the Books

I have to admit, I've been slacking.

I've been so busy with so many projects, tasks, and such that I haven't been hitting the books the way I should be.  And the funny thing is, I can feel it.  I notice the dip in my creative energy- really my energy overall.  As someone that Gallup has described as high in "Strategic, Input, and Ideation" I know how much my energy can depend on a constant stream of new ideas.

And yet, because I've been so busy, I've let the flow dry up.  And I notice it.

You probably notice it too when you let your fuel run dry.  The question is, do you know what fuels you?  Personality profiles- like Gallup Strengthsfinder- can help if you need a start.  But no matter what you should know what keeps you fresh, inspired, and motivated and then make sure you are making time to indulge it.  A small investment in your drive will pay huge dividends in your endurance.

So for me, it's back to the books.  If you have any good suggestions, please feel free to send them my way (@JeffreyBWeaver on Twitter, or in the comments).  And for you- figure out what motivates you and make time to indulge it.  You'll be glad you did.

Updates

Just about every morning when I open my iPhone I see a little red badge over the App Store letting me know I have an app with an update.

Sometimes it's a small fix for a bug I never even noticed.  Other times it's an exciting new user interface to dazzle me.  Maybe it's that feature I've always wanted and wrote so much feedback about.  You never know until you open it.  It's like App Christmas.

But it's also a reminder that no matter how much I love my favorite Apps- they're never quite done.  There are always improvements.  They're always getting better.

Walt Disney once said that what he loved about his theme parks more than his movies was that the parks were alive and always changing.  Once a movie was done, it was done.  (George Lucas proved him wrong, but let's not digress...)

The point is this- don't be afraid to update.  And, because of that, don't be afraid to ship.  Quit waiting for it to be right and simply make it "be." 

You can always update later. 

Inspiration

It can come from anywhere.  A quote, a picture, a simple random thought.  And it's happening constantly.  Every moment of every day, you're being bombarded with sensory overload- any one input perhaps holding the key to sparking a fire.

How to you manage that? 

First, you have to be open.  You have to be aware, alert, and accepting of these new ideas and perspectives.  You have to acknowledge them.

Second, you have to be discriminating.  You can't waste time trying to coddle a bad idea.  Let those go- the quicker the better.  Push them out to make room for the new ones that hold more promise.

How will you know when it's the right one?  You'll feel it.  If all you can do is rationalize, if all you can do is analyze- you're doing it wrong.  The best inspiration doesn't hit us rationally.  It hits us emotionally.  It sparks us.  Kindle those fires.  They will burn brightest.

Don't Fight the Current

When you live in Florida, you grow up with rip currents.  Times when the water flow off the beach becomes particularly strong and can easily sweep swimmers away.  Strong, experienced swimmers have lost their lives to rip currents because they try to swim against them.  The fight like a salmon to forge ahead and eventually succumb to exhaustion. 

So you're taught from a young age that if you get caught in a rip current, don't try to swim against it.  Instead, you take an angle and let it move you along while you work your way back to shore.  You may end up many miles from where you started and have to walk back, but your chances of survival are better.

Change can be much the same way.  Sometimes we don't see it coming and we are quickly swept up in a fast moving current.  One that we often cannot control or stop.  And if you try to fight that change head on, you may just exhaust yourself and be done.

Instead, when the change you're facing is too powerful to stop, lean into it and look for way to change course just enough to get back to safety.  Even if you eventually have to walk your way back, it's important to realize when you can't fight the tide.  Don't fight the current.  But don't think you're stuck wherever it leaves you either.

A Very Particular Set of Skills

That’s what you need in today’s job market.  Does a degree help?  Sure.  But it’s not enough on its own.

What employers and customers want are skills.  They want to know you are capable and competent.  Can you get the job done and in a meaningful way?  Do you have a high standard for excellence?  Do you serve well?  Are you passionate?  Do you deliver value?  They won’t care much where or how those skills were acquired.  Be it in formal training or over a very long career. 

But you’re going to have to deliver.  And the better your track record of delivering, the more you’ll be worth.

One more thought- is it better to be a specialist or a generalist?  I hear that a lot, but the answer is actually dependent on a very different question; who do you want to work for?  Large companies, where resources abound, will want specialists.  Their economy of scale makes it possible for them to pay a lot for a narrow task and they will want the best of that breed.  But if you’re sights are set on smaller organizations, go general.  The more you can do, the bigger your value to a company that has limited resources and needs more “bang for the buck.”  That can help you find your place in this job market as well.

Input Sabbatical

I love ideas.  New ideas, new concepts, new perspectives.  Innovation and invention are my drugs and, like any good addict, I've invested a lot of time and energy into getting my fixes.  But also like any drug, too much can do you harm.

Lately, I've found myself in that very position.  For a while I've been riding a great "high" of ideas.  My notebooks are overflowing and it seem as though every project I have has a buffet of new thoughts or directions to choose from.  It's been fun, it's been exciting, but it's become overwhelming- paraylyzing even.  I'm unable to get anything closed out, or move anything forward, because the vision, or the path keeps changing.

So I had to stop.  I had to stop reading my blogs, my Twitter feed, and anything else that I normally turned to for inspiration.  I need to back off the new ideas.  Because the ideas I already had need to ship.  Remember- if you don't ship, you're not accomplishing anything.  Many good ideas have died in wait because we wouldn't ship until it's perfect.

So I took an idea sabbatical.  Instead of finding new ways, new ideas, and new perspectives, I'm focusing on shipping what I have.

Because we can always improve it later.  It can be refined, improved, or polished down the line.  If you wait for perfect to ship, you never will.

So if you're finding youself overwhelmed and falling behind because you keep refining the process, consider an idea sabbatical.  Block out the new ideas just long enough to ship the ones you have.  You have to clean your plate before you go back for more.

(PS- that's not permission to ship something sub-par and clean it up later.  Standards still matter.  This is about how ideas evolve.  Quality still matters.)

I'll be back...

I'm on a much needed vacation this week, so nothing new to post. 

But when I come back, I'd like to take a crack at writing somethings that my followers might suggest.

So if you have an idea for a blog topic you'd like me to write on, leave me a comment, or send me a tweet (@JeffreyBWeaver) and let me know.  I'll pick one to be the new blog when I get back.

See you soon!

(P.S.- if you want to follow my trip, follow my Twitter or Instagram, both @JeffreyBWeaver for the adventure)

Everywhere you go, you'll always take the weather with you...