Diets, Politics and Movies — What do they have in common?
Posted by Anthony
- Diet regimens
- Political campaigns
- Disney movies
What do all 3 of these things have in common?
As it turns out, a lot; They all promise you that at the end of a predictably-structured process, there will be a reward waiting for you.
In short, they all sell you hope. Hope that, above all odds, you will get a result you would never be able to achieve without some outside assistance.
And when you begin looking around, you begin to realize you can apply this newfound observation to nearly everything.
There's a valuable lesson here:
If you're looking to make it big in life or business alike, then understand that hope is craved. If you can effectively sell it, you will capture an audience. And if that hope leads to an honest-to-goodness result, you'll have that audience forever. That audience will tell others; it will grow virally, with fervor.
The intersection of hope & result is home to a number of the best minds, corporations and products in the history of mankind.
So next time you're wondering how to elevate your game - how to get more people on your side, or become more successful - the formula is really quite simple: identify a problem, find a way to instill hope, and begin proving better things are possible. It won't take long before others take notice.
As basic as it sounds, it's easy to forget. And so, whatever walk of life you come from, it's worth reminding yourself regularly:
Create true value. Instill hope. Prosper.
I’m Naive
Posted by Anthony
No, really, it's true. And so are you.
Humanity's number one biggest downfall is that we think we understand exponentially more than we do; we think technology can solve every problem, we trust people in positions higher than us to solve those problems, and we ignorantly accept that once we haven't heard about a problem in the news for a couple months, it no longer exists.
If ever there was a period in time that has proven this sentiment accurate, it has been the last decade or so. Last I checked, we (including but not limited to):
- Attempted to restructure entire cultures in Afghanistan and Iraq
- Suffered from a hurricane in New Orleans that devastated the region
- Had an economic meltdown of epic proportions due in large part to the advent of subprime lending
- Leaked hundred of millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico that affected sea life & towns within hundred of miles
- Had a nuclear plant fail due to an earthquake, releasing hundreds of millions times a safe radiation level into the air & Pacific Ocean
In the short-term aftermath of nearly every single one of these events, the question on nearly everyone's mind was, "how could this happen?" But the reality that everyone knows - perhaps subconsciously, on a visceral level - is that these sorts of things happen because us humans are not in control of anywhere near as much as we think we are. We think we can dictate cultures, markets, nature - anything we throw enough determination and cash money at.
But we can't. Most grown adults can't even control their children. And then they go to work and try to control the world. It's a mind-numbingly ridiculous concept.
In spite of all of this, humanity's biggest strength is, well, the same arrogance and short-term myopia that kicks it in the ass every once in a while. After all, without dreaming big and quickly putting our failures behind us, we wouldn't get very far. And we use that mentality to accomplish the unthinkable - connecting societies all around the world via wireless signals, traveling across the world and to the moon, saving & extending lives. None of this would be possible without telling ourselves, every single day, that our capabilities are virtually limitless.
We just need to remind ourselves every now and then that most stengths come with corresponding weaknesses. Without understanding that, we're not well-balanced; we're just naive. Ignorant. And that will ultimately lead to our unraveling.
It’s About the Talent, Not the Tools
Posted by Anthony
Back in my high school and college days, I was big into playing guitar and singing. And I was also fascinated by the idea of recording music. Especially for fairly competent yet entirely mediocre artists like myself, recording offered the opportunity to take the songs that were impossible to play live and bring them to life. Countless hours were spent tweaking and futzing trying to get small pieces of songs to sound just right. It was a very long, unnatural process, all in the name of trying to create something that sounded great.
Fast forward a few years and I've lost touch with music and recording. While I still dabble in it from time to time, it's been a while since I've recorded a serious track. So when I saw Groupon offering a one-day music recording crash course in Philadelphia, I jumped at the opportunity. After becoming a bit of a self-proclaimed recording pro a few years back, I figured it'd be nice to approach everything I thought I knew with a fresh mind.
After attending the course today, something funny happened. I re-discovered a fact I'd known all along, deep down, but managed to remain in denial about for years; I realized that no amount of tools can trump great talent - that despite this studio's insanely expensive production equipment, the best recordings were made by the best artists, not the best sound editing software. Who would have thought?
For years, I thought I could "trick" reality - that maybe if I edited my music enough, it'd magically go from "just OK" to "brilliant". To be fair, I was mimicking most modern artists who try to compensate for a complete lack of natural brilliance by overusing and abusing production tools. But I was ignoring the fact that the audience knows the difference between something naturally great and something that's gimmicky and forced.
The best artists understand this fact. And they understand that the studio is a place to trap natural brilliance in time, and not a place to manipulate mediocrity into something better. The Beatles understood this better than most. Their songs were simple yet profound. At their core, they were brilliant. And The Beatles used the studio to enhance these already outstanding songs, not create them.
The moral of the story is that talent can't be manufactured with tools, and true brilliance is impossible to fake. Whether you are recording music, developing a web application or starting a business - you need to feel it, you need to believe in it and you need to have the raw talent to execute on it. Meeting these prerequisites is the only chance you have of winning over your audience and making a long-lasting impression. The tools you use to help you get there should be fairly insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
Making Commitments to Yourself
Posted by Anthony
I just finished reading Switch, by Chip Heath & Dan Heath. It's a pretty comprehensive book about "how to change things when change is hard". There are a lot of great concepts discussed in this book, but one simple, effective trick they recommended really stuck out to me. I know it works because I do it on a daily basis.
This trick is what they call an "action trigger". An action trigger is nothing more than a small promise to yourself that when "Thing A" happens, you are committing yourself to then do "Thing B". We're all familiar with action triggers, although we may not realize they're deserving of a name:
- We set an alarm in the morning so that we wake up on time.
- We leaves a note on the fridge because we know we'll see it next time we get some food.
- We put doctors appointments on the calendar so that when that day comes, we're sure we won't forget.
These are all action triggers. They're simple, but they're extremely effective.
Getting things done throughout the day is all about momentum. And unfortunately, we become overwhelmed by to-do lists because we don't know where to start, or in what order we should continue. That's where action triggers come in. Action triggers force us to imagine how & when we will get something done. By simply imagining it, we are committing ourselves to doing it.
Action triggers don't always need to be centered around events; they can even be focused on dates & times. Think: "When the clock strikes 10am, I better be doing such-and-such". In other words, it's quite simply better to use your calendar than your to-do list. A to-do list is open-ended, but when you put a to-do on the calendar - that's a commitment.
By the end of each day, I have (at the very least) my schedule planned out for the next day - down to when I will eat lunch, work on Mary Jane's website feature, call John Doe, do some paperwork, and get to the gym. This helps me understand the importance of time. When every single time-slot on my calendar is filled, and something comes up, I'm forced to ask myself, "is this really more important than that?" Most of the time, the answer is a resounding "no". But without a strict schedule, it's tougher to say "no"; you have no sense of what's at stake.
In addition, I have rules and boundaries for myself, based on my weaknesses. For example, I better not be sending followup emails (Thing B) before I eat breakfast (Thing A). This is important because I know my weaknesses. I know that if I get to the computer before I eat breakfast, I won't have breakfast till 11. Amazingly, it's far simpler to avoid your weaknesses entirely than to try to change who you are. And the same end goal is accomplished.
In a sense, action triggers are all about thinking of our brains as the parents, and our hearts as the children. When we were young, our parents did everything for us - they scheduled our days, set rules and boundaries, and made sure we stayed on track. Hopefully, anyway. Our adult selves need structure too. Action triggers are a way for us to achieve that. Because as it turns out, us grown-ups have just about as much discipline and self-control as when we were children. Without structure, we're lost.
Haiti: Exemplifying the Value of Distribution
Posted by Anthony
I was watching the news recently and there was a piece on CNN about Haiti's food crisis in the wake of January 2010's massive earthquake. Food crisis? How could this be? Didn't Americans and other generous countries around the world send enough food and money to last months, maybe years? Where did all of it go?
As it turns out, Haiti is experiencing a classic distribution problem. The #1 goal and priority was to get supplies to the country. And so most funds & mindshare were focused on that goal. A distant priority was figuring out what to do with the supplies once they arrived. And so many of them continue to sit around, just miles away from where they needed to be.
Many people - especially Americans - tend to discount the value of distribution. We shop wholesale where possible and push on retailers, dealerships, etc to operate at near-losses. We go online to purchase items that are available in a physical store for a premium. And - what do you know? - we donate straight from our cozy homes, and assume in good faith that the money will be turned into tangible help in some village thousands of miles away.
Problem is, by ignoring the value distributors have to offer, we are shooting ourselves in the feet. What we gain in cost savings and convenience, we lose in the ultimate effectiveness of our purchase/contribution.
Take a car, for example. While everyone hates to pay a dealership a penny more than what a car actually costs, let's consider for a moment the alternative. What if there were no dealerships? Where would you test drive your car? Would it be shipped to you? Where would you get it serviced? Who would you go to for simple questions and guidance related to your specific make & model?... The convenience a dealership offers is what, in the business world, is known as a "value add", and no matter how much it pains the average Joe to admit it, a value add is usually worth the price. That's what a distributor offers, and if distributors vanished tomorrow, the world would be a rough place for both suppliers and consumers.
Now - charity is a different beast. But the principles are the same. When you give money to an organization, the #1 most important thing to consider is how that organization uses the money. Most people hate to find out that a large portion of donations go to salaries and operational costs. They want to hear that 100% of it is going to supplies. And with an "out of sight, out of mind" attitude, it's pretty easy to be a person that makes those types of demands. I'm not one of them. The harsh reality is that without properly considering or funding the operational aspect of a charity, you end up with a situation like the one in Haiti - a bunch of supplies, and no clear direction.
So here's your action item -- every time you make a purchase or donation moving forward, ask yourself a) if you are ignoring the "value add" distribution has to offer, and b) what consequences that may bring. If those consequences are too great, then be willing to pay a premium, whether that means shelling out an extra grand or two for a car, or coming to grips with the fact that reliable charities use a certain percentage of contributions to fund operational costs. This isn't because they're evil. It's because they recognize that without proper distribution, everything else is meaningless.
The Importance of Vacation
Posted by Anthony
I'm currently in Wildwood, NJ spending some quality time with my family and fiancée. Wildwood is a beach town, and is one of the rare ones left that doesn't have corporate names splattered everywhere, paid beaches and chain hotels. It's a town that's forever stuck in the 50s - in a good way. From the style of the buildings to the vibe in general, you feel removed from the fast-paced nature of modern society.
Ah yes, modern society. Where workaholics are revered, and vacation days are frowned upon. Why is this? What cosmic shift has occurred that has given everyone the notion that the more we constantly work, the more productive, creative and innovative we are? It's a fallacy.
Businesses should strongly encourage vacation time, not honor those who underutilize it. Periods of vacation have historially lead to some of my best ideas and shifts in mindsets. I've read books that have changed the way I do everything from organizing my daily schedule to planning my future. I've explored concepts that lead to groundbreaking initiaitves, such as my first forray into Amazon EC2 and "cloud technologies" a few years back. And more generally, I come back from vacation with a new perspective on who I am, what I do and why I do it. It's not just a reset button; it's a stop, re-program, and re-start routine -- one that fundamentally improves the work I do and makes me more productive for months after returning. That's a week well invested, in my opinion.
With all of that in mind, Cheyne and I are now trying to organize working vacations approximately two times per year. A working vacation means that we go somewhere remote for about a week, and use that week to get a good chunk of key projects and initiatives completed. Our first such working vacation was May of this year, when we used Homeaway.com to rent a full house just a few miles off the Las Vegas strip. Cheyne used a few of the days to meet with clients at a major industry trade show on the strip, and we used the rest of the time to simply work out of the house - strategizing, collaborating, and hammering away at the type of work we'd previously be too bogged down to devote mindshare to. At least 25% of DistiSuite 2.0 is a result of that week.
A working vacation accomplishes two main goals for us:
- Provides a change of scenery, and a welcome break from the mundane
- Forces us to finish any reactive tasks the week before in preparation for doing some more proactive work the week following. There's nothing quite like an expensive trip and a physical displacement; it forces you to finish what you were doing and focus on the reason you're leaving
Fact is, whether it's a normal vacation or a working vacation, you need to be doing something - especially if you own a small business - to break from the chains of your daily workflow. You need to constantly re-program so that you remain creative, innovative and interested in what you do. And ironically, there's no greater way to do that than to put aside what you do on a daily basis for just one week, and focus on the bigger picture - or maybe on nothing at all.
A Long Time Coming
Posted by Anthony
I'm baaack...
It's a bit shameful that it's been so long since my last post, but I'm going to do my best to make sure that doesn't happen again. To be (somewhat) fair, there has been a lot of going on these last few months. In chronological order:
- Xonatek participated in the completion of a mammoth project for one of its more noteworthy clients, House Party. We helped rebuild the backend of the site from the ground up, pushed and pulled on the scaling limits of CakePHP and MySQL, and learned a whole lot about our trade and ourselves in the process.
- I proposed to Donna, my girlfriend of three years, and she happily said yes. To think about where I was before I met her, how I grew and matured once I did, and where we are, together, now -- well, the changes are mind-boggling, frankly. We are now beginning to go through the grueling yet joyful process of planning our wedding, which will in all likelihood be taking place sometime in September of 2012.
For the first time in my life, I went on a (much needed!) cruise. Donna and I set sail from New York for 9 days on the Caribbean Princess and had a great time. Highlights included sightseeing (and visiting the local bars!) in Old San Juan, and snorkeling amongst the turtles in St Thomas.- After a couple years of customer feedback and many months of hard work, we released DistiSuite version 2.0 with overwhelming success. Not only is our service much better for it, but we learned a lot in the process about how to successfully deploy large scale changes to a traffic-heavy web application with minimal downtime & errors, and seamless rollback capability in case things go wrong. No easy feat.
- DistiSuite finished integrating its web marketing service with a prominent inventory software provider in the industry. This will allow our customers to automatically syncronize inventory items, orders, and quote requests between their customer-facing website and the software they use to run their business. After a year of highs and lows with this project, we are looking forward to offering clients easier & more effective ways to use our services.
As you can see, it's been quite a long few months of busy progression, from both a personal and business standpoint. Most milestones above are just just that - closed chapters in ongoing stories. As these stories progress, I'll be sure to keep everyone posted. I look forward to staying in touch. Until next time, internet...
- Anthony
Schedule Your Priorities
Posted by Anthony
One of my favorite quotes is courtesy of Stephen R. Covey, who is best known for writing The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
"The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities."
Too often, whether in business or life, we reach the end of a week and wonder where all the hours went. There are three main rules I use to help maximize my hours in any given week:
1. Remember that you control your schedule.
Granted, things come up, and certain unplanned events will inevitably require your attention. But many to-dos and events are simply byproducts of guilt -- the inability to say "no". In business, it's important to know what you stand for, and what makes your product/service great. Knowing those things will give you the confidence you need to say "no" to any clients/requests that require you to go outside of that scope. And in life, we are constantly bombarded by social events and commitments, most of which we get roped into out of guilt. While I'm not advocating aggravating your clients, family or friends, it's important to become a bit more selfish if you feel that you are constantly pleasing everybody but yourself, and rarely accomplishing your goals.
2. It is important to start somewhere.
Break down your goals into milestones, and then into even smaller to-dos. Think like a baseball player. Remember that the first step to a World Series is 6 months of momentum. If you play the game right day in and day out, and are able to learn from both the small victories and the small losses, you will eventually win big.
3. Minimize distractions (don't multi-task)
Multi-tasking actually decreases productivity, and increases stress. And with life today about as fast-paced as its ever been - between all the calls, texts, emails, social media pings, and "ASAP" items that come up - it's no wonder we feel like we've totally lost control.
You are only truly of value to anybody, including yourself, if you are giving your all to the current moment. So remind yourself to use your blinders a bit more often and block out the unnecessary distractions. Everybody will be happier for it.