Going the extra mile to take unusually good care of people matters in every interaction you have with the people you serve, but the effects are amplified when things aren’t working like they are supposed to.
Five days, five people
1. Think of five people you can encourage this week. 2. Encourage one of those five people each day this week. Don’t make it complicated, just send them a card, give them a call, go visit them, or do whatever else you deem necessary to gently encourage these five people. If you get tangled up on the part where it … Read More
This might not work
It seems presumptuous to think that we should share our ideas about business, but after being invited to give dozens of talks about these ideas it seems selfish to keep them to ourselves.
The best is yet to come
10 years, 7 months, and 9 days ago I signed a seemingly endless number of documents as a promise to make a seemingly endless number of payments, all so I could take ownership of half of a printing company.
Should you stay or should you go?
Whether it’s best to break up or stay together depends on the relationship. (Or the job, or the partnership, or the blog, or the non-profit, or the…) Quitting when things are difficult is an obvious choice. So is refusing to quit when things are easy. What’s less obvious is doing the opposite of the thing that seems natural because you … Read More
Are you playing it safe?
On a recent trip to a Phoenix water park I spent some time watching my 8 year old daughter gleefully jumping over the small swells near the edge of the wave pool. She was having so much fun, but I was struck by how many of us do something similar in our work and relationships. We stay at the edges, … Read More
It’s them, but it’s also you
You know that one person who drives you crazy? Yeah, that one. I’m guessing that you know at least one person who, for personal or professional reasons, you have to endure. It’s a strained relationship at best, and maybe it really is their fault, but if you are going to have to work, live, or play together then you … Read More
The business case for being a decent person
You don’t need a business case for being a decent person. Just be a decent person. You don’t need a business case for being trustworthy, kind, thankful, helpful, caring, or any of the other parts of being a decent person. If being a decent person is a professional liability…then it’s time to find a new profession.
The cost of procrastination
Yesterday I spent 10 minutes completing a project I’ve been putting off for 3 years. And it felt awesome. The thing they don’t tell you about procrastination is that the work you are putting off weighs on you. Bit by bit the projects that you will tackle “tomorrow” sap your ability to conceive new and even more wonderful work because … Read More
Alone versus lonely
Being alone and feeling lonely are two very different things. To be alone is to be physically separated from other people. I am here, you are there. To be lonely is to feel separated from other people regardless of proximity. I am here, you are here, but there is no connection. People can be very alone without ever feeling lonely…and … Read More
When in doubt, take unusually good care of people
You will find yourself at a crossroads at some point this week. In the coming days you will be faced with a choice between doing what is easy/expedient/personally advantageous and doing what is best for a spouse, a customer, a friend, or a perfect stranger in line at the grocery store. When faced with this choice you may be unsure … Read More
You can always opt-out
Many of us are so afraid of being excluded by others that we don’t recognize the benefit of choosing to exclude ourselves from things like toxic relationships, petty gossip, unhealthy romantic entanglements, guilt trips, and sketchy business deals. From what do you need to exclude yourself this week?
Thank you for making the bed
Today marks 18 years of marriage for my wife and I. It has been a wonderful, challenging, complicated, hilarious journey thus far and I wanted to share something I’ve learned in the past year that I hope will help you. It’s embarrassing that it took me more than 17 years to pick up on the following pattern, but most of … Read More
I don’t like myself when I’m around you
Well not YOU, but I contend most of us have, or have had, someone in our life who pushes our buttons and “makes” us think, feel, or act in ways we don’t like. Unfortunately, THEY aren’t really the problem. We get to choose with whom we associate…or at least how we react to the people with whom we must associate. … Read More
My wife knows the truth
A couple months ago I published a free ebook that has been downloaded thousands of times in countries all over the world. I still can’t believe it. Reading the kind messages from readers has been incredibly humbling because I struggle every day – with varying levels of success – to live out the ideas I hold dear. Whenever I am … Read More
Gary Waterfield on Taking Pride in Your Work
I can’t remember when I bought my first Waterfield Designs bag, but I can tell you that I’ve been a fan from the moment I held it in my hands. I love bags – a lot – and I have spent the past 8 years trying to find a bag that is better than my trusty Waterfield “Cargo,” but I’ve … Read More