Methodology

**Most things we need to do to succeed are boring. **But we all want a perfect formula that does the work for us. Something new, flashy, easy. That’s why ridiculous fad diets, get-rich quick schemes and overnight success are all the rage. We know what it takes to change, succeed, and win, but we know those things are hard. Everyone knows how to lose weight. You just need to burn more calories than you consume over time, and viola the number on the scale starts reading lower. Building a popular blog means writing well, over time, and boom you’re an overnight success. Retiring well means spending less than you earn, over time, and investing wisely in boring mutual funds and exchange-traded funds that return well, consistently, over time and wham you’re a millionaire who never even made six figures a year. Building a movement of university students fits here too. Helping students walk with Jesus, by sharing your faith with them and teaching them to do the same, over time, leads to lots of people walking with Jesus and leading others to him. But it takes time. You want an instant formula for success? Here you go. ...

Explaining a new idea without context can be smash-your-head-against-the-wall frustrating. There are too many things you want to say, too many options of what to explain, too many directions to go. I recently read the free ebook The Myth of the Garage by Chip and Dan Heath. They included an essay that describes anchoring, a solution to our aimless elaborations without boundaries. How do you spread a new idea–fast–and get people to pay attention? Innovations require lots of explaining…Explanations require lots of attention, but attention is scarce. So don’t explain. Instead, anchor your communication in what people already know… [A]nchoring is easier than explaining from scratch… Anchoring is latching your idea to something that already exists and using that as a launching pad. Of course, you can’t just say “We’re like Starbucks.” You need what the Heath brothers call “a twist.” The only downside to anchoring is that, by hooking into existing ideas, it creates sameness. But to sell something you need difference. It doesn’t work to say, “Introducing Gleemy toothpaste–it’s perfectly interchangeable with Crest!” That’s why a good innovation story couples an anchor with a twist. When you’re dreaming of a new product, organization or mission, context is key. Give an example, an anchor, for people to latch onto so they can see where you’re going. ...

It’s easy for me to think my way is the correct way (which is clearly linked to my impatience and pride). Obviously, my way isn’t always right, isn’t the only right way, and isn’t necessarily the best way. When you’re leading, I think the best way to empower team members is to give them clear expectations about where you’re heading and what you hope to achieve (vision) while also giving them the freedom to work how they feel best (flexibility). Sometimes people do things in ways we don’t think is best. That’s when letting them stay flexible is hard. A sudden urge to micro-manage boils up when they say things we don’t agree with. Or if they act in ways we wouldn’t act. Sometimes they are wrong. They need to be corrected. Someone (you, if you’re the leader) needs to talk with them. Other times the way they do or say something that gets under your skin. It bothers you and rubs you the wrong way. But it’s actually not fundamentally wrong or hurtful or even in need of correction. It’s just preference. ...

In the American school system, you’re rewarded for being the best question answerer. For memorizing multiplication charts, the year the Lusitania sunk, how to spell onomatopoeia. Those aren’t bad things to know, they just aren’t the most helpful types of things to keep in the deep recesses of your memory. A quick calculation, Google search or dictionary reference–all of which now fit inside our pockets with smartphones–can give us the answers we’re looking for. Unfortunately, we’re rarely rewarded for being the best question askers–a far less common skill and one that will serve you for a lifetime. Anyone with an internet connection can find the right answer. Few people can asking well-crafted questions that drive conversations, create genuine connections and get to the root of problems. We haven’t been trained to be good question askers, and we as a society need to fix that. No one likes a know-it-all. Everyone loves a listener. I think question asking is a key to humility as well, because it shows you care what others think. Question asking is the easiest-to-develop yet most-under-valued skill in communication. Asking great questions is the key to understanding people, gaining their trust, developing deep relationships and creating real friendships. It’s an invaluable business skill as well, especially in sales. I’m not a question asking expert, but I want to be. So, I’ve started observing how great question askers do what they do. I’m working on this process of asking better questions, and here are a few things I’ve notice that the best question askers do. ...

We’re all guided by what we value and what we prioritize. Unfortunately, we can be quick to forget what is most important to us and let our priorities get out of line. A few weeks ago, I shared my morning manifesto–12 points that I read over each morning to remind me of how I want to live my life. I think it’s a great practice to keep our priorities at the forefront of what we do. Below I created a process for you to create your very own morning manifesto. I promise it’s worth the initial time investment. Once you make your manifesto, could you share it with us in the comments? I’d love to see what you came up with. ...

The idea of creating a budget turns people into TSA Agents because they are not letting that get through the gates into their life, even with a thorough pat down. Budgeting carries negative connotations because it is restricting and difficult (like eating healthy food and exercising regularly, another awful thing smart people suggest). We don’t like doing hard things. So of course budgeting is something we are absolutely not interested in. I know a lot of very smart people who seemingly handle their finances well that don’t use a written budget. They say things like, “If I had a budget, I’d spend more money than I do now.” “We’re very frugal and we definitely don’t need a budget to manage our money.” “A budget is constricting, like an anaconda wrapped around an armadillo.” I can see where they are coming from. But I disagree for a number of reasons, listed below. As promised, the budgeting myths are body slammed with enough force to put the Kardashian’s on a cash-flow plan. I feel especially adept at answering these objections because I’ve reasoned with the false logic behind them myself in the past. 8 Budgeting Objections and the Real Truth to Answer Them...

I’m a bit of an anomaly. I’m rarely shaken by big life changes or weighty expectations. Things like moving overseas, learning a new language, adapting to a new culture, or leading a team rarely stress me out (not even when they are combined into a life-change cocktail). But if I spill some milk, break a glass and see a spam email slip through the filter and into my inbox, I’m probably going to lose it. I’m not sure why that is. I’m still working on figuring out why I’m fine with major shifts and obstacles but I can’t overcome certain mental blocks a four year old wouldn’t struggle with. Recently, I came up with a process for identifying the tiny frustrations that lead mental meltdowns for me. It helps me work through why I’m feeling the way I am and how to set things straight. ...

The only people who get hurt on a roller coaster are the ones who jump off. This quote by Dave Ramsey was exactly what I needed to hear (mostly in the context of blogging, a roller coaster I’m constantly trying to decide if it’s time to jump off or one to ride out. Riding out is winning so far). Dave (yep, we’re on a first-name basis) was discussing the stock market crash in 2009. It took four years for the market to recover. He was shouting on news stations, his radio show and to anyone who would listen: ride this out. Don’t sell your stocks. Don’t believe the sky is falling. Hold on. You’re in the middle of the ride. Don’t jump now. It’s comforting to have sound financial advice like this in the midst of an economic crisis, but the quote carries applications beyond dollars and cents. Wherever we are in life, we must realize we’re on a roller coaster. ...

Sometimes I do stupid things that waste time out of habit. Most of the time I do that because it’s more convenient to keep doing things the way I know how instead of investing the time into figuring out the best way to do them. Here’s a recent example. This is my normal workflow for creating a blog post. ...

Long lists attract people. 100 ways to lose weight overnight without trying 97 things Jesus never said but you wish he did 223 ways to make a rocket ship out of a broken paper clip I think lengthy lists can be valuable, especially when they contain helpful resources in niche areas. I’m pro-list, as I’ve crafted my fair share of them. I made a list of 14 lessons I learned from living and leading abroad, the 28 things you need to know to teach yourself design, and 30 questions to evaluate your work performance. However, Matt Ragland’s post at Life, Prioritized on the problem with long lists challenged me. Here’s what Matt says, ...