Week 10: Keep it Simple and Get Out of Your Own Way

When we shift from being an observer to an active participant in our lives, something interesting happens. What's often found is that most of the time, we just need to get out of our own way.

I've seen it in the students I've taught who want to carve their own path instead of the ones that their parents or society say they should follow.

I've seen it in myself when it came to taking my first entrepreneurial leap. Heck-- I feel it in myself as I write this post.

I've seen it in the extremely successful entrepreneurs I interview who, before launching their business, came face-to-face with their fear of failure.

Often times all it takes to get out of our own way is just a subtle shift in thinking and focusing on the positive. Easier said than done, I know, but don't take my word for it. Listen to Jay Stolar: "If you get out of your own way, you can accomplish anything."

In his music video #MyOwnWay (which benefits the Love is Louder movement), Stolar spreads the message that happiness comes from how you look at your situation and your willingness to love yourself.

With a marker in hand, Stolar writes the word "Buried" on the reflective surface of his mirror. Others line up to share their deep seed of negativity and write their word, as well:

"Disfigured"

"Homeless"

"Dependent"

"Not enough"

"Depressed"

"Destructive"

"Broken"

Perhaps you too have a word that embraces your greatest fear. Being rejected. Failing. Go ahead, write it in your blog post ( or your journal to keep it private).

If you were to invert your word and focus on the positive, what would it be? Free? Beautiful? Human? Supported? Everything? Alive? Healthy? Tenacious?

As a teacher, an entrepreneur, and just a guy who wants to be the best version of himself, I've seen my fair share of destructive criticism (and something tells me you have too). 

There's a whole lot out there that tries to hold you back. Don't let yourself join that crowd.

Keep it Simple
Right now in your #20time project, you may be at the interesting point of making things too difficult. Too complicated. Perhaps you’re excited about your project and added on a few more items to make your project stand out from the rest of the #20time students creating meaningful projects around the world.

I get that.

That’s the competitive nature of being human, the excitement that comes from working on something meaningful, and -- of course -- your intrinsic need to live out the greatest version of yourself.

Keep in mind that some of the greatest ideas (that become actual real-world creations) are super simple.

Take a look at Chapter 5 (pg. 97) in Start Something That Matters. It dives deep into how to keep it simple and provides you with practical takeaways which you can apply to your #20time project.

After your read this chapter, use these questions to guide your blog post this week. You may answer them directly or tangentially bring them into your stream of conscious writing. 

1. Why is simplicity so hard to achieve? What’s the difference between achieving simplicity and merely being simplistic?

2. How is Google different from other search engines like Yahoo! and AOL? Is it possible for a product to be both simple and complex at the same time?

3. What is the 80/20 rule and how has Tim Ferriss used it to increase his productivity? How can you use it to better structure your time?

4. Jacob Davis -- the inventor of jeans -- solved a simple problem that no one else noticed for a long time: people’s pants kept falling down. The world is full of simple problems that no one is paying attention to. What are three problems in your world that could be fixed with a simple invention?

That’s it for this week. Go ahead and get started by chewing the fat from your project and simplifying. I’ll be here eagerly awaiting your brilliant creation.

Week 9: The Mentor Tree

As part of the 20% Project, you selected a mentor to help guide you in your project. Some of you have mentioned how you talk to or visit your mentor once a week. Others only chat via email maybe every other week.

Today, I'd like you to talk about how your mentor has been helping you. This is your time to publicly thank him/her for the guidance they have offered.

Why do you need a mentor? 

Having a mentor can be one of the most helpful habits to help you in the long-term. This is especially true once you leave school. After you have gone and graduated, there will be no 'teachers' in your lives: that is, people who are assigned to instruct you in a classroom. So having mentors to help you achieve your goals is one of the best habits to have.

All you need to do is choose a goal, find someone whom you admire for achieving a similar goal, and ask them for help. In fact, often times people take it as one of the highest compliments when you ask them for help.

In the extremely popular book, The Hero With a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell talks about The Mentor Tree. It's the stage in The Hero's Journey where you're down your path on purpose and struggle to keep going. Then a mentor shows up just when you need them and they help you create something incredible.

Remember that scene in Star Wars where Luke Skywalker meets Yoda? Yeah, that's the stage in The Hero's Journey that I'm talking about.

To help you out, here's an interview I did with Mark J. Carter where we talk about the value of mentorship and how to find mentors in your life.

Of course it helps if you can see them personally, but sometimes you can have mentors who you never actually talk to. Because we live in such a transparent world now, it is entirely possible for someone to model their actions off of a mentor just by watching a few TED talks, reading their Linkedin profile, and following their daily Twitter feed or blog posts.

All right, that's enough talk about mentors :) I think I made my point. But don't just take my advice, here is a list of other books and people who talk about the value of mentors:

1. Forbes Article on Mentorship 
2. Tony Robbins on Mentorship 
3. Mentoring.org 

P.S. Want to get more people to view your work? You can share your blog posts on Twitter using the hashtag #20time or #geniushour.

Oh yes....excuse me....the poodle picture of the week. How could I forget? I had to sniff around the internet for this one, but I think you'll sneeze with laughter at this little booger.

Week 8: Be Resourceful Without Resources

At this point in the game, you should be writing about what you are doing each week to work on your project. You will start your TED presentations in just several weeks, so that means you will need to have had some time to reflect on your project before speaking.

In other words, you should already be doing what it is you are working on. No more planning. This is the time for serious action.

For example, you should have:

a. Volunteered if you are volunteering at a center.
b. Created one version of your music video or dance tutorial.
c. Sold shirts to raise money for breast cancer.
d. Be doing what it is you're doing.

What to write about:

Besides reflecting on what is on your mind lately with your #20time project, take a look at Chapter 4 in Start Something That Matters. The chapter, called "Be Resourceful Without Resources" dives deep into how you can create something extraordinary with limited resources.

You don't need much to do incredible things. Just ask Michael Phelps. Most people don't know that Phelps doesn't train in an elite facility. In fact, his training pool is a beaten up simplistic pool, no different that a local YMCA's pool. Phelps trained with limited resources and went on to achieve several Olympic gold medals.

The same goes for J.K. Rowling. Before becoming a billionaire author, Rowling worked as an English teacher in Portugal and lived off a meager salary. After ending an incredibly unhappy marriage, Rowling moved back across the pond to England and worked a meager job at Amnesty International. In just a small coffee shop, no different than our local coffee shops, Rowling penned away her masterpiece, Harry Potter.

Key message: You don't need much to create something extraordinary. Not having enough money, not having enough time, not having that degree yet, not having enough (fill in the blank)...these are just excuses to give up.

Dig deep. Stay Simple. Create Something Remarkable.

After reading ch. 4, answer these questions in your blog post (or your notebook if you don't want this on your blog):

1. How can having limited resources actually work to your advantage? What products or services are must-haves when launching an idea into the real world (and perhaps making a business out of it)?

2.  What free resources do you have at your disposal that you could use to fuel your project? Which of your family members or friends could you reach out to for help?

3. If I gave you a cool $1 million check, how would you approach your project different?

4. Antione de Saint-Exupery once said, "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." Is there anything about your project that is making it clunky or is just unnecessary? If so, strip it away.

In other news!

I had some fun tinkering with the stand-up desk idea I had, so I created a prototype and sent it out to my business-minded friends.

I put together a business pitch (click here to see it) and got some great feedback. Everyone was excited about the idea, but one friend, Tyson Adams, really helped put my idea on a realistic playing field. Here's a snapshot of what he had to say:

Okay, that's it for this week. I'm feeling inspired to create something extraordinary and I hope you are too.