Speed Up the Process

What’s up friends? Hope everyone’s having an awesome week.

Let’s start with the major theme I want to talk about. It’s really something that I’ve been learning lately as I try to provide more value and service to my clients. It’s also something that we’ve all heard before so this should just serve as a reminder.

The more you do, the better you become.

This also ties in with the whole “you don’t have enough experience” idea that a lot of you are struggling with. Bottom line is you have to do. You have to take action. Action leads to so many amazing things:

1.  The more action you take; the more you do, the quicker you will find out what you love and what you don’t love. If you’re not putting yourself out there and trying new things, you’ll never discover if you enjoy it or not. Why not pick up a camera and see if you like taking pictures or shooting videos? Why not get out some paper and write down how you felt today? Why not try to start a podcast? Start a vlog. See if you like it. There’s only one way to find out.
2. The more action you take, the more you start to develop that skill. I’ve had an interest in photography and videography for a while now. By no means do I consider myself a “professional” photographer (yet) but I’m finding that the more I do it the better I become. Good old practice makes perfect. We’ve all heard it. But I think that practice requires some patience, and that’s where a lot of people go wrong. If they think they like something they’ll pick it up, try it for a few weeks, maybe a few months, and if they’re not happy with it they put it down. Patience! It takes time to develop new skills. If you really like it, don’t give up.
3. The more action you take, the more you shorten the learning curve. This is a big one for all of us who lack experience. How do we get more experience? Go out and do. A lot of it. In my case, I can film and edit one video a month. At that rate, it’s going to take forever to get any better at that skill set. If I shoot and edit say two, three videos a week I’m learning that much faster, which is huge! Figure out ways to gain experience in the field that you’re pursuing. Maybe reach out to someone who does what you want to do and see if you can shadow them for a day, a week. Immerse yourself in that and figure out how it really works.

The Grind

This morning I had a great meeting with two of my business mentors. We went over some business strategy and some action steps that I need to take here in the next few weeks. Then I went to my parent’s new house and helped with some painting. Here’s another quick little takeaway, and this is just me being honest. When you start your own business you may have to do little side jobs that you don’t necessarily enjoy. No, painting walls is not my favorite thing to do. Trust me, I can’t wait for the day to come when I don’t have time to paint walls. I can’t wait for the day that my business is making enough money and there’s no need for me to say yes to side jobs. However, right now it’s all part of the process. And this process makes that day when I can say no to those things so much sweeter.

Then I got to film for a client, which was a lot of fun an went well. Got home around 7:45 tonight. Pretty long day. Feels good to be busy though, even if some of it’s not exactly what I want to be doing.

To everyone out there- keep going hard. Continue to push yourself and take more action. You’ll find out so much about yourself in the process.

It’s a vibe. ❤

More Do, Less Fence

Two quick takeaways for all of you: (Putting the takeaways first, since that’s what adds the most value for all of you)

On days that you don’t have much to do, FIND something to do, even if it’s something small. Although being patient is key, it’s important that you are moving forward in the right direction.

Also, really big lately on not just sitting on ideas. I think we tend to sit on the fence for way too long. We wait until we think everything is perfect and we waste so much time telling ourselves that we’re not ready yet. I say you should just go for it. If you mess up, step back, readjust, and go again. Taking action is the only thing that matters. It’s also the thing that you have total control over.

Wrapping up a solid day. Lately I’ll have a few days during the week that are pretty full with meetings and phone calls and follow ups. But other days the schedule is pretty much empty. Those are the days that are tough for me. Today was a busy one- my favorite days.

Three really good meetings this morning. Had a good phone call with a client. Filmed for a client. And ended with a really nice dinner with some friends. I have a bunch of things that seem to be lining up and going in the right direction, which is really exciting. It’s really all about patience. Which is tough because the nature of being patient is waiting, but when you are waiting you feel like you should be doing more. Finding that balance has been challenging. Sure, you can always be doing more. But at this stage in my startup, doing more isn’t necessarily going to get me where I want to be. I have to move smart and be strategic as I try to gain experience and make the right connections. To me, it feels more like a marathon. I’m constantly taking steps in the right direction. Yes, I wish I could pick up the pace a little bit but it will come with time.

It’s a vibe. ❤

 

Big Transition!

What up fam. Hope all of you are well! It’s been way too long since I’ve done anything with itsavibe. I’ve been focused on trying to build my business and everything that comes with that journey.

I’m going to start using itsavibe to basically journal about this stage of life that I’m in. I think my story is pretty unique and some of you might find it inspiring or interesting. Not many people try to start a business right out of college with little to no experience. It even sounds kind of crazy as I’m typing it. But, it’s been amazing so far and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Going forward, the purpose of itsavibe will be to document what I’m going through as an aspiring entrepreneur. I always say “aspiring” because I have yet to build anything significant yet. I’m still in the startup phase. I’m certainly making progress every day. I’d like to move faster and grow quicker but the process has been really fun and eye-opening. These posts will be 100% real. Honest. Vulnerable. Because the truth is that entrepreneurship and doing things differently than the majority of the people around me is hard. Entrepreneurship is not what you see on Instagram accounts and tv shows. It’s not flashy. It’s not fancy. It’s not attractive. At least not to start. So, in trying to paint the picture and tell the true story I want to write about the hard stuff. The challenges. The rejections. Really want to unveil what going after something you really want to do looks/feels like.

Some of you may not really care and that’s 100% fine. Some of you might be able to relate to it or might even be considering doing your own thing or starting something new. Those are the people I’m trying to reach with this. If I can inspire, encourage, or help those people in any way then this will be worth it.

Hoping to be able to post several times a week. They will be shorter posts, probably written at the end of a day. Hope you all can take something away from it. Thanks for the support. Keep grinding.

It’s a vibe. ❤

What’s Your Purpose Within Your Organization?

We go to work. We do our job. We come home.

This morning I attended a seminar for business leaders and I wanted to share a quick key takeaway that struck me as I was listening to the speaker. Shout out to Rob Marchalonis and LSP123 for another valuable session.

I want us to think about what our purpose is. Typically this deep question is asked about one’s life. Why am I here? What is my role in this world? The macro stuff. I think we all discover our purpose in life over time as we experience the world, meet new people, and try different things. Let’s go micro. I want us to get more specific.

I don’t know where you guys are at in life. Maybe you are still a student. Maybe you’ve just recently started your career. Perhaps you have an established career. For those of you who have a job and are working towards building a career, I want you to think about why you went into work today. What is your purpose inside of your organization, your team, or your company. Why are you there? Obviously, we go to work because we need to make money. Maybe we go to work because we want to get a raise. But hopefully you know your true role within your organization and hopefully it is something that excites you, that you are proud of, and that you enjoy doing.

I haven’t been inside the trenches of a corporate office, but something tells me that it’s easy to lose sight of your purpose or maybe it’s that it is hard to feel passionate about your purpose within your company. We go to work. We do our job. We come home. I understand that this might be the case for a lot of us who are in entry level positions and are just starting out. We have to put in our time. But I do think that we should still find something to be excited about in our workplace, whether we are entry level, manager, director, or CEO.

This is where leadership comes into play. I believe that a good leader should have the capacity to communicate your role or purpose to you in such a way that inspires you and gets you out of bed every morning. Leaders need to affirm that we are a part of the big picture, and that what may seem like a small, boring role is actually a crucial part to the success of your organization. By doing this they send the message that they appreciate you and that without you they would be in trouble.

I would encourage all of you to think about this a little bit- think about why you go to work every day. If I were to ask you what your purpose is inside of your organization and you don’t have a quick answer ready in your head, I hope that you spend some time to figure it out. Ask someone. Do your homework. And to all of my leaders out there, be sure to communicate to your followers that they have a unique, valuable role to play to your organizations, teams, and companies.

It’s a vibe. ❤

What’s Your Speed Limit?

Today as I was driving through a 25 mph speed limit zone I realized how hard it was to go that slow. Forget 25, even 35 felt like I was getting nowhere. It didn’t feel fast enough. As dumb as it sounds, it actually took a lot of concentration to slow down. I had to be very intentional about maintaining the slower pace.

So this whole internal battle of knowing that I should be going slow but wanting to go faster or feeling like I was getting nowhere got me thinking. Why is it that I felt the urge to go faster? Why did it feel so unnatural to slow down and maintain that speed? Then it hit me. Who would have thought that driving to yoga would end up being the perfect representation of society today?

We’re living in a world that refuses to slow down. We live in a world that gets upset if a package takes more than 2 days to arrive. We live in a world that communicates with one another instantly. Fast food. Fast Internet. Everyone’s trying to do things faster. Fast is all we know. It has reached the point where we almost feel guilty if we’re not moving fast. If we don’t have a giant to-do list then we must be doing something wrong. And what’s worse is that when we do get some downtime, sometimes we don’t even know what to do with ourselves. It’s the same feeling you get when you slow down and try to go the speed limit. You feel like you’re not getting anywhere, and that is so against the way we’re expected to live our lives. So here it is. Ready?

IT IS OKAY TO HAVE NOTHING TO DO!

In fact, it’s an amazing gift to have nothing to do. And when you stumble upon some time to yourself, take full advantage of it. Do absolutely nothing. Lay around. Get comfortable. Spoil yourself. Don’t feel guilty about it. Don’t check your email or look at your calendar to see when you have to do something. Use the time to get centered and fill the gaps that you’ve been neglecting due to your hectic schedule. See, the problem is that while you’ve been running around this world trying to keep moving and stay busy you’ve forgotten that you need to pay attention to yourself. You have needs too. They deserve your attention.

The big lie that is responsible for this big mess is that if you’re not moving you’re not making progress. Yes, obviously you don’t want to make doing nothing a pattern, but now more than ever we need to take more “slow down” days. The progress that we need to focus on is in ourselves. It’s difficult to make progress on one’s self when you are busy and stressed out. Think of yourself as a project. We’ve all waited till the last-minute to throw something together. The result is never our best work; it just barely gets the job done or meets the requirements. That’s what happens to us when were busy all the time and were stressed and we neglect to work on ourselves.

So, friends. Slow down. It might be hard. You might get the urge to do something. Fight it. You deserve some time to yourself. Take a deep breath in a world full of jam-packed schedules and expectations. Remember who you are and that you have needs, too. Many of us spend our days focusing on someone else’s needs. A boss. A customer. A professor. A parent. A child. All very real, important people to serve (no, I’m not advocating that you stop serving your child or your boss). But sometimes in this fast paced, green light, go go go world we forget that perhaps the most important person/thing to serve is yourself.

Set a speed limit for yourself. Take a day to slow down. Enjoy it. Fully. You deserve it.

It’s a vibe. ❤

What Living In An RV Taught Me

Last weekend nearly 157,000 people flocked to Bristol, Tennessee for what would go down in history as the largest college football game ever.

My journey started Thursday afternoon. My friend and I set out to Maryland to pick up our home for the weekend. It was a thirty foot long RV. Why the company rented it to a group of kids is still under investigation. The brochures told us that this contraption on wheels could sleep seven people “comfortably.” We had eight. A select few might say we could make it work; a vast majority might say we were stupid.

After hearing a sermon from the rental guy about what not to do while using this RV our confidence level that this weekend was going to be a success was probably 10 percent. I recall hearing him say something about propane tanks possibly blowing up and going to jail if we happened to drive under a tunnel.

So no tunnels. Got it. Simple enough.

There was no turning back at this point. We were going to the “Battle at Bristol” and nothing was going to stop us.

Once all of us had settled in and found ways to get comfortable we continued the adventure, only to realize that the genius who designed this particular seven person RV neglected to include cup holders. Why would seven people need a place to secure their drinks while taking long road trips? I guess he figured that’s what a lap is for.

All of this aside, we did make it to Bristol safely and without a spill. We set up our site and began to enjoy ourselves… until it was time to figure out our sleeping arrangements. Now, I’m no genius either but I do know that eight is greater than seven. Two in the back. Two up top in the crevice above the driver seat. Two on what was described as a pullout couch. More like a collapsible bench. And one where the kitchen table collapsed and turned into somewhat of a single bed. Add that up and you get seven. One unlucky soul got to sleep on some coolers with a sheet over top of them. Not too bad.

This weekend not only marked college football history, but it was also the weekend that my bunkmate, after 24 years of life, discovered that he is “claustrophobic.” Thus, luckily for me I had the two person bed to myself. He slept in a car. Sounds spacious, right?

But enough with all the dramatization. What did living in an RV with eight people teach me? Let’s take a look.

1. Going against popular belief, not being on your phone is actually a great way to socialize and get to know new people– For the most part our group stayed off their phones and enjoyed each other’s company. Yes, this means getting your nose out of your screen and running around, playing games, and interacting with others. You won’t regret it. I doubt that you’ll look back and tell your kids about the snapchat filter you used on game day.
2. When playing corn hole on an uneven surface you want to be tossing uphill- Just trust me on this one. Your bags will land softer and have a greater chance of staying on the board.
3. Keep your passions alive– 157,000 people came together because of their love for football or their loyalty to their schools. Seeing that many people so passionate about something was an amazing experience. Too often I think we get stuck in situations that force our passions into a corner. Don’t lose your passions. Do whatever it takes to let them live on. Even if it means renting a sketchy RV and taking a road trip.
4. Don’t forget to text mom when you arrive safely– This one’s underrated. She needs to know you’re safe.
5. Seek new adventures- Don’t get too comfortable right where you are. I’m not one to drop everything and travel the world but I do believe that we should all seek adventures and get out of our comfort zones. It’s risky. It’s unknown. It’s new. It stretches us and often times leads us to new discoveries about ourselves and the wonderful world that we live in. Keep an open mind and don’t be too quick to say “no” to an opportunity.

A special thanks to B Wide and the squad for making last weekend one that I’ll never forget.

Cheers to new adventures.

It’s a vibe. ❤

Use Your Platform

The power of your platform is greater than you think. – Tony Dungy

All of us have a platform- a certain degree of influence over people’s lives, whether we are aware of it or not. Influence is something that I’m big on and that I’ve written about in previous posts. It’s such an important thing to be aware of. Think about it for a second.

You. Yes. You.

You have the opportunity to have a positive impact on someone’s life. You have the chance to make a difference for the better. My hope is that everyone really thinks about this and that we all step up and make sure that the people who are watching us see positive things.

Obviously, there are certain people who have a role that puts them on higher platforms. This would be the parents, the teachers, and the coaches of the world. If you’re any of these, it’s easy to assume the position of authority and influence. However, many of us do not have these titles. So what platform do you have?Maybe you’re just a friend. You might be a husband or a wife. Maybe you’re a boyfriend or a girlfriend. You’re a neighbor. You’re a sibling. You’re an aunt or an uncle. Maybe you’re an upperclassman. You have co-workers. Maybe you’re a strong athlete that your peers look up to. You’re older and younger kids look up to you. Whatever the case may be for you, you do have a platform.

Don’t underestimate the power of your platform. I would argue that these titles that aren’t as obvious as say, a teacher or a coach, are even more important. It’s easy to step up and make a difference when you’re teaching in front of the classroom. It’s demanded of you. You’re expecting the attention. But in these other roles you might have no idea that someone is watching you. It’s the way you react after having a bad game. It’s the way you talk in front of your little brother. It’s the little things that you do that people are paying attention to. Just know that you are making a difference. Whether it’s positive or negative, well, that’s up to you.

The other side to this is allowing yourself to be influenced by others. Often times we like to do things our way. We reject people who think differently than us or who express different opinions than us. This is especially true when talking about our peers. It’s easy for me to open up and listen to what an older individual has to say. It’s much more difficult when the person is my age. And it’s nearly impossible if the person is younger than me. We have to watch out for this attitude. No matter what walk of life someone is at, they do have a platform. They have something to teach us. Keep an open mind and listen to what they have to say.

Never underestimate the potential of your authority and influence to impact others. Look for someone who could use a motivational push today. – Tony Dungy, Uncommon Key

Think about your platform today. Think about who you have influence over. Know that you can make a difference in someone’s life today.

 

 

Don’t Doubt Yourself

It’s a new week. The start-up isn’t quite “starting up” as fast as I had envisioned it. Doubt is creeping its way in. Should I really be pursuing this? Should I give up? Should I go look for a “real” job? Is this for me?

These are just some of the thoughts I’ve been having lately. You might be thinking to yourself, “Where did the good vibes go?”

Why so negative?

So, I wanted to take a minute to address the whole, “I don’t have enough experience” thought process. I’ve heard so many of my frustrated friends talk about how they’ve been turned away from jobs due to a lack of experience. As if college was a time for us to gain real life, real business experience (rolls eyes). That idea can become very crippling if you let it get to you. I’ve caught myself thinking, “What am I doing? No one wants to use someone with very little experience!”

The truth is that if you’re feeling this way, you are certainly not alone. Yes, having job-specific experience is very beneficial and it can you a more credible candidate for that position. But we all have to start somewhere. We all deserve an opportunity to learn and to grow. We all come from different places in life. We all have gone through a lot of different things. Through this we have gained unique experiences that perhaps no one around us has gone through. And for that reason, each and every one of you have experience that is valid and valuable to any employer/friendship/relationship.

Maybe I’m just fed up with the system; the fact that job experience is given a greater value over real life experience. I would argue that the lessons that life has to offer are far greater than the lessons that you learn sitting behind a desk and sifting through time-consuming emails. But maybe that’s just me.

So now what? What can you do after you’re done reading this rant?

Step 1: Believe in yourself. Trust in the lessons and the experiences that you’ve gained through simply living life. Figure out a way to use what you’ve gone through and apply those lessons to the job/career you are searching for. Get creative.

Step 2: Go out and get the experience (this is something that I struggle with). The tools available to us are incredible. If there is an area that you need more experience in educate yourself. Find a tutorial. Find a book. Find a seminar. You don’t need to be employed and have your whole life figured out in order to gain  experience. It starts with you.

So friends, do not fall into the lie that you have zero experience. It is possibly one of the biggest gateways to self-doubt. You’ve been through a lot. You’ve learned from your own life experiences. Now, focus your energy on taking those lessons life has taught you into the work place, into your relationships, into whatever it may be. We certainly won’t get anywhere if we continue to sit around thinking about how we don’t have enough experience. Go out and get it. Put yourself out there. Push the limits. I promise you, you’ll surprise yourself with what you can do.

Together, let’s reach our full potential.

It’s a vibe. ❤

Importance Of Goals

The other day I was on my way to a job site that was located in an area I was not very familiar with. As I was on my way my GPS suddenly stopped working. A sense of panic and anxiety hit me like a ton of bricks. For those few minutes I had no idea if I was going in the right direction. Once the GPS was back on it was smooth sailing. Not a care in the world. All I had to do was pay attention to that annoying voice until I reached my destination. As I looked back on that feeling of uncertainty and panic I was able to make a cool life connection that I wanted to share with you guys.

A lot of you guys that vibe with me are at a similar point in your lives. This audience is a lot of college students and young professionals. This means that we’re young. We have so much ahead of us. So much opportunity. So many lessons we have yet to learn. It’s really exciting, but it can also be extremely overwhelming. Hopefully this lesson gives you guys some things to think about and provides some practical steps to get you through this important chapter in our lives.

So, “finding your purpose”- This is something that we’ve heard people talk about for years now. We certainly don’t wake up one morning suddenly knowing what our purpose is. It takes trial and error. We’re at the point in our lives where a lot of us still have no idea what we want to do. There are so many questions that we have yet to answer. Be patient with it. Put yourself in new situations, industries, locations. Meet new people. Try new things. Know that it takes action and effort to truly discover your purpose.

Creating a vision for your life ties into this purpose. Creating your vision means taking some time to think about what you want out of life. The more specific you can get the stronger your vision becomes and the more you will act towards it. A good vision should excite you. It should motivate you. It should fuel your daily habits and activities. Once you have the vision down you have to make goals that push you towards your vision.

When you strive for something great and exceptional you will find out what you are really made of.

Ask yourself what do I need to do today to get me closer to my vision. Once you start to do this you can make some progress. This is where the goals come into play. How many of you guys make daily, weekly, or monthly goals? Hopefully I’m wrong, but I’d imagine that not many of us do this regularly.

Back to how I was lost for a few minutes when the GPS went off. Think of my final destination as my vision. The directions that get me there are the goals. When the GPS went crazy I had no direction. I didn’t know if I should go straight or left. Similarly, when we neglect our goals we don’t really have any way of knowing if we’re getting any closer to where we want to be. We don’t have any direction. We’re just going through the motions.

Think about this for a little bit. Get some goals down on paper and see how powerful it can be once you start to work towards the vision. Also, tell someone about your new goals so that they can hold you accountable and make sure you are striving towards your end vision/purpose.

Something else to think about as you start setting some goals. A lot of us like making to-do lists. Something about crossing off those little tasks makes us feel so good inside. The problem is that if we’re only crossing off simple things we can get complacent and comfortable doing the same exact thing day-to-day, week to week, or month to month. This means that we’re never pushing ourselves and we’re missing out on reaching our full potential. As you begin thinking about goals be sure to stretch yourself. Write down some challenging goals; goals that if someone asked, “How do you plan on doing this,” you’d have to say, “I have no idea, but I’m going to try my best.” It’s these kind of goals that drive massive action. When you strive for something great and exceptional you will find out what you are really made of.

So quick recap. Understand that in order to find your purpose you have to get out there and try new things. Be patient with it. It will reveal itself to you IF you are looking for it. Next, create a powerful vision for your life. Where do you want to be in a year, five years, 10 years? Get as specific as possible with this. The clearer you paint the vision the more it will positively impact your life. Once you have a vision start thinking about what it’s going to take you to get there. Write down goals that are going to help you drive to the finish line. Simple goals are good, but stretch goals have a lot more leverage.

I’d really love for you to try this is out, friends. It really will have a powerful impact on your life. You’ll start making progress and you’ll begin to turn your vision into real life.

It’s a vibe. ❤

 

APPRECIATION ALERT!

I’ve had some time this week to reflect on how I spent my Memorial Day weekend. I’m sure you guys also spent the weekend with family and friends. Lots of laughs. Some chirping. A multitude of good vibes, some might say. Making memories. It’s those priceless, precious moments that truly bring sooooo much value into our lives.

We all have a lot going on, all the time. There’s so many things that capture our attention day-to-day, week to week. What I realized this week was that it’s crazy how when you’re spending time with the people you care about all of that “stuff” seems to disappear. All the uncertainty, the stress, the pressures, the expectations that life throws at us- all of it fades into the background when we focus our attention on the people around us.

We have to be intentional about these relationships if we want them to grow and flourish.

Family. Friendship. The love we all have for each other. Something truly special happens when you bring those individuals together and share moments with one another. It’s really cool to see everyone’s personalities collide and contribute to the vibe. All those little things, the little pieces that make each of us different come together and make something whole.

I know sometimes I make excuses that take me away from spending time with my friends. The classic, “I don’t feel like driving all the way out there,” or, “I don’t want to spend a lot of money on that dinner or that happy hour.” I’m challenging myself to stop making those excuses. I’ve learned that those long drives are worth it every single time. That bill is worth it 110% of the time. It’s the memories we make now that live on forever. It’s the relationships that we form and we build that last a lifetime. We can’t take them for granted. We have to be intentional about these relationships if we want them to grow and flourish.

So I just wanted to take this post to say thank you. To my whole family. To all my friends. I’m soo sooo blessed to have you guys in my life. I wouldn’t be the person that I am today without you guys. I won’t become the person I’m trying to be without your love and support. I appreciate all the moments we’ve shared together thus far and I look forward to all the amazing memories we have yet to create together. Much love!

And real quick, take some time this weekend to make a little list of people who you care about that you haven’t heard from in a while. Maybe once a week go through that list and reach out to those people. See how they are doing. Just check in with them. Show that appreciation. Show that you care. You’ll both get something out of it.

Let’s get intentional. Let’s encourage each other. Let’s grow together. Let’s challenge each other.

It’s a vibe. ❤