I love finding new music and sharing it with friends, family and followers! I am the type of person that really enjoys listening to albums in order. I feel like that is the way the artist wants them to be heard. Enjoy my suggestions and let me know if you have any of your own. If you want to see my previous suggestions you can do so here - 9 Albums That I Love Right Now!
Ugghhhh! Do I have to write something that people will like? It will never be as good as my three most popular posts. It won't get me as many comments, followers, views, likes or whatever other metric I check daily, therefore, I don't want to write.
I just don't want to do it. If I were a kid I would be throwing an epic tantrum. I don't want to do it! I don't want to do it! I don't want to do it!
I started five different posts this morning and they are either half finished or I deleted them, because I really don't want to write anything. I feel uninspired and tired. I want to drink coffee and watch Friends all day. I literally would pick doing almost anything else today instead of writing.
BUT ... If I want to be a blogger, writer, speaker, author ... I have to write.
If you want to be a photographer you have to go out and take pictures.
If you want to be a carpenter you have to measure, cut, nail and do carpenter things.
If you want to be a teacher you have to teach.
If you want to be a pilot you have to fly.
If you want to be a "fill in the blank", you need to "fill in the blank."
Get the picture? If you want to be the best, or among some of the best, at what you do you have to show up even when you don't feel like it. Even though I am not enjoying writing this blog post, I am here. I am at the plate. I am on the field. I am giving it my best today.
So often we base everything we do on how we feel. But lots of times our feelings are stupid and we need to put them in their place. Sometimes I feel like eating a carton of ice cream even though I am lactose intolerant. Just because I feel like doing something doesn't mean I should, and just because I don't feel like doing something doesn't mean I shouldn't. For those of you who are in the same boat as me today and want to throw the kind of temper tantrums where you smash your Cheerios on the floor, throw you head back and shout "NO!!!", I am here to encourage you! You can do things you don't feel like doing! Surprisingly, I am already starting to feel a lot better that I stuck it out at my computer and just kept writing!
Push through the feelings telling you not to do it and do it! Make it happen! Give it your best effort. I know this post might only be a broken bat single, ground out or strike out, but at least I stepped up to the plate.
I'll share with you one of my favorite quotes about just showing up from our 26th President Theodore Roosevelt.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt // April 23, 1910
Here is an image to use as your iPhone wallpaper or post to Instagram to encourage you to show up!
Brooke and I go on 3-5 walks a week. Depending on the day we will pick one of our loops which vary in distance and time. Our longest loop is about five miles and our shortest is around a mile. While walking my amazing wife and I will talk about EVERYTHING.
We walk and talk, talk and walk. I wasn't a big walker before I got married. I never saw a point of going on a walk unless it was utilitarian in nature. If I was walking to get a candy bar then it was TOTALLY worth it, but a walk to just walk - no thanks.
Then Brooke and I started going on them and I realized that something was happening as we walked together. First, I noticed that we were off our phones and away from screens so there weren't any distractions. A distraction free environment with someone is becoming more and more difficult in our society. Then, I noticed that our walks became about more than just chit chat. Our walks became a safe place for us to vent about frustrations in our life, dream about things we never said out loud and open up about our struggles. Our walks became precious to us and the more we go on them the more we open up and talk to each other. And the more we talk to each other the stronger our marriage has become!
I sometimes feel like marriages fall in the crapper because of the "schedule" they get stuck in.
The schedule usually looks something like this - Get up, go to work, come home from work, eat dinner, work on something else, watch TV, go to bed. Repeat 5 days a week.
There are times in that schedule to talk, but they are either rushed or full of distractions. I've found that a simple walk eliminates all of that and gives you the ability to be a little more open, a little more real and a little more honest. The longer you spend distraction free with your spouse the more likely you are to get to a real issue, problem or idea.
Last night Brooke read something online that really frustrated her and was feeling "swirly." Feeling swirly is the worst. It can really only be described by this emoji - 🌀. So, I got June ready and we went on a walk. As we walked she begin to express why what she read got to her and by the time we got home she was totally over it. Surprisingly, on the walk I didn't do much talking about the issue and just tried to listen, which is really hard for me. I LOVE TALKING! But, Brooke just needed to talk and if we stayed home she probably wouldn't have gotten to the truth of the issue that she needed to get to. That would have lead to a whole night of swirliness and that is THE WORST!
Sometimes we expect really profound things to change our marriages. We look for the hail mary when working the ball slowly up the field will do. A walk is just that. It isn't glamorous but it works. It provides a distraction free space to be open, honest and real. Isn't that what we wanted when we got married? Someone to be open, honest and real with? Let's start giving ourselves the space to do that and let's start with a few more walks!
June also loves walks!
There is an trend sweeping across super small companies everywhere - unnecessary interns and hirings. There seems to be a new one in my feed every single day.
"OMG! We are so excited to announce the coolest intern in the world. This chick is going to rock it in the studio." - Said in your typical white girl voice!
And by we do you mean you? And by studio do you mean weird extra bedroom?
Now I know that all businesses should try to appear and speak in a voice bigger than they are. So phrases like "we" instead of I, and "office" or "studio" instead of weird extra bedroom make sense. I get that. I've been there.
But!!!!
If you don't have enough business to make that small something your full time job, then you don't need an intern or to hire anyone else. You know what is a million times more impressive than having a high school student do a few things a week - HAVING A SUCCESSFUL, PROFITABLE BUSINESS SO YOU DONT HAVE TO WORK ANOTHER PART TIME JOB!
So often I see these young bucks who say they will do whatever it takes to make their business successful - excccccccept the hard work that it actually takes. They think saying things like they "have an intern" is all of a sudden going to knock their potential customers socks off and they will just throw money at them because....well....they have an intern!
Brooke and I have had a few interns over the years, all for our photography company, and they were great. Really they were! But we ended up having to spend so much time with them that it distracted us from doing what we actually needed to do. It's not like an intern shows up day one and is fully equipped to do every task set before them. Often, instead of pushing your business to the next step they actually take you back three steps, because you spend so much time teaching.
At some point we might try internships again, this time at walk in love., but only when we are absolutely ready for them and feel they will actually help our company grow. I suggest you do the same. Do as much of the work by yourself as possible and only hire someone when you absolutely have to. Push yourself to work as hard as you can as long as you can, so that you can understand every in and out of your business before you bring someone on to do it.
The second you add someone to your small company your job instantly splits into two. You become responsible for everything you have to do and everything they have to do. Be super smart and picky about adding anyone to your team and I would advise to wait until you absolutely have no choice. Having a profitable business will always be more impressive than having 15 part-time employees or a slew of interns.
Currently at walk in love. we have three people working, two full-time and one part time. We've shipped over 9,000 orders this year alone and with only three people on staff! How awesome is that? We don't add people just to add people. We add people because we HAVE to. Right now we can handle the necessary output with a small staff and that works better for all of us. We don't have people standing around on the clock waiting for a job. We don't fill our staff's days with busy, non-important work. We are efficient with our time and do all the things that matter and do them well. I've actually heard people say, who work for smaller companies, "That's definitely a more efficient way to do that.. but if I adopt that method, I'll cut my hours in half. And I'm only part time. So, I'm going to keep doing it 'this way' so I can log more hours." How unfortunate is it that your employee, or summer intern, might actually be dragging out their work simply because they are part time and aren't given enough to do in the first place! Make sure you really, really need someone. And then when you do get to that point, get the right person.
I'm sure we, at walk in love., could post an Instagram asking for intern applications and get hundreds of them. Which is so cool! But without a plan for those interns, we are really just stroking our egos so we can say, "Look at us! We have an intern!"
So, again, wait on the intern as long as possible, hold off on the new hire until you absolutely need it. Never forget that having a successful, profitable business will always be more impressive than having an intern. Even if they do bring you Starbucks.
Help with One Night OnlyOn October 27th I am hosting an event called One Night Only to challenge people to take a step of faith and trust their lives to Jesus. I need your help with the intro video. We are looking for 30-60 second videos from people about what exactly can happen in one night. So grab your phone and record a video about something that has happened to you in one night. It can be something amazing or something not-so amazing. Send those videos to tjmousetis@me.com! Thanks!
Posted by T.J. Mousetis on Monday, September 21, 2015
Send 30-60 second videos to [email protected]
Did you know that if you want to do something every day of the week and you start it on Monday that you are 80% more likely to keep up with it?
Actually, I just made that statistic up, but I am pretty sure it would be true if there was a way to prove it. Mondays are my favorite day of the week because on Monday I have the entire week ahead of me. I literally have the most potential to have an awesome week on Monday. I find that if I start well I will have a good week and if I have a good week I will have a good life! Therefore, Mondays are super important to me and I am totally on Team Monday!
If I eat healthy on Monday, I am more likely to eat healthy throughout the week.
If I exercise on Monday, I am more likely to exercise throughout the week.
If I spend time with Jesus on Monday, I am more likely to spend time with Him throughout the week.
If you are one of those people that say, "Ugh Mondays... <insert meme of cat unable to get out of bed>" STOP! Mondays are freakin' great and the sooner you fall in love with them the sooner you will realize the potential of what an awesome Monday can do for your week and life!
Here are my 10 steps to help you FREAKIN' LOVE MONDAYS!
1. Try to enjoy them.
Do me a favor on a Monday. Just try to be positive about it. Don't wake up and grunt like your life is going to end. Even if you have to force a smile on your face. I double dog dare you to just try to have little tiny bit of positivity about the day, even if you have to fake it at first.
2. Start them well.
Get up earlier than you normally would on a Monday. This way you can set yourself up well for the first day and in turn the entire week. Mondays shouldn't be a day where you are rushing out the door. Give yourself enough time to have a good breakfast and enough time to get out of the house in a calm manner. If you start your week off in a stressed-filled-panic-swirl-of-chaos how do you expect the rest of the days to turn out?
3. Protect them.
I rarely schedule meetings, lunches or anything else on that might disrupt my Monday. They are valuable to me, and the success of the rest of my week, so I protect them. I want to utilize every possible second of a Monday to maximize the start of my week!
4. Don't Let Monday Haters Get You Down!
If people in your office are talking about how tired they are, or how Mondays are such a bummer, you should hit them right back with pumped-up-positivity about how excited you are to get back into it! Talk about how the week is full of potential and how living out that potential starts on Monday! Enthusiasm is contagious and the sooner you join Team Monday, the sooner your office mates will join!
5. Don't start with E-mail.
I never start Monday with e-mail. I always try to start with something that I am really excited about doing even if it's only for ten minutes. In fact, today is Monday, so I am starting with this blog post because I was super excited about it when I had the idea last night! Try to start your Monday workday with an aspect of your job that you really love.
6. Add Awesomeness.
If you love coffee, then Monday should be the day you treat yourself to an extra cup or a special kind. If bagels are more your thing, then give yourself time on a Monday to swing by Panera. If you start making Mondays special then, guess what?, they will actually start being special!
7. Add music.
Monday should be the day you have an killer playlist. You should be singing Firework by Katy Perry as loud as you can in your car while you drive to work or school. You should do whatever you can to fire yourself up for the day! I really like trying to find new music on Mondays because new music inspires me. Right now I am listening to a new band I found called The Shires. They are pretty good and are doing exactly what I wanted them to - inspiring me!
8. Write down your goals for the week!
What do you want to do this week? What do you need to do this week? Will it be a dreaming week or a grinding week or a combination of both? Have goals because they will help you stay focused, engaged and excited!
9. Change your desktop or iPhone background.
Sometimes changing my desktop and iPhone background on Monday helps give it that little extra umph it needs. It's a way to set the week apart. Sometimes I try to find something really encouraging and inspiring for my background, and sometimes it's just a new photo of Brooke or June. It depends on what I need that week. There is a site called Simple Desktops that has some really clean and simple backgrounds for your computer. You can also use the VRSLY app to create inspiring wallpapers for your iPhone everyday!
10. Set yourself up for success.
Maybe you should clean your desk every Friday before you leave so when you come back in on Monday it is beautiful, clean and ready to go. Or maybe it's doing the dishes every Sunday night so you don't wake up to a messy kitchen. You gotta set yourself up to have an awesome start to your week, and sometimes that starts before the week even begins.
You have a choice every single day. You can choose to be a grump that no one really enjoys being around or you can choose to live with passion, energy and excitement.
I hope you choose to live with passion - especially on a Monday.
