I’m a fan of Seth Godin. I’m a fan of Poke the Box.
In a nutshell, this short manifesto of a book outlines the formula to success in today’s quick paced, create-your-own-outcome world.
- Start something new without permission.
- Show up. Consistently.
- Create to completion.
- Ship.
- Be open to fail. Often.
- Be open to success.
- Rinse and repeat.
If we continue to try and maintain the status quo in mature industries, in outdated business models, in a life that doesn’t serve us, we will sink with the ship. Our ability to be creative in our ever-changing world is the biggest strength we can cultivate within ourselves.
Doing work that matters is dependent upon showing up on a consistent basis, failure after failure, in order to hit upon success.
I am on board. With one tiny exception.
I am a fan of naps.
Godin goes so far as to suggest that “When you’re doing hard work, getting rejected, failing, working it out – this is a dumb time to make a situational decision about whether it’s time for a nap or a day off or a coffee break.” ~ p.18
I do get that his frequent suggestion to not nap is his way of saying to stay the course no matter what obstacle appears. I also get that my ex-workaholic brain and recovering adrenal system rebelled with an emphatic “Hell-to-the-no!” each time I read those words.
And I’m honoring that.
Some of my most creative and connected moments have been when I’ve taken a break and done nothing. When a customer meeting didn’t go as planned or a class didn’t sell, the way I return to the map the fastest is to take a mental break and breathe. Take a walk. Look out the window and meditate. Maybe even nap.
Godin’s book is all about creating your own maps and initiating change and success under your own terms. Then, ironically, he lays out a rule for doing this that doesn’t work for me. It’s in the spirit of creating my own version of success that I give myself permission to respectfully disagree.
You can do the same thing. This is what finding your own Ground Truth is all about.
In anything that you do, if there is guru or a rulebook involved, try keeping only what inspires you to create your thing or meet your goal. Then ditch anything that makes your shoulders rise to your earlobes or your stomach knot.
No need to poke any boxes that don’t serve your purpose.
In Truth & With Love,
Ps – From the Dustcover: “Poke the Box is a manifesto about producing something that’s scarce, and thus valuable. It demands that you stop waiting for a road map and start drawing one instead. You know how to do this, you’ve done it before, but along the way, someone talked you out of it.”
Just so happens that I taught a class in July for the Martha Beck Master Series that is all about drawing your own business map. Click here for the details.
