Extraordinary Joes

Influenced by a James Clear (Atomic Habits) interview. What matters most is not what you want to achieve, but the work you commit to along the way.

Today' s Encouragement inspired by an interview with Pixar's Andrew Stanton "It's more important to do the work, even if it sucks, than to talk about the great work you'll make (and never do it):There's a term for it: whistling on the steps of Carnegie Hall. Most people spend more time telling you the symphony they're going to write than the symphony is written. Finish the sentence. I don't care if it doesn't have an ending, or a middle. Just freaking write the sentence. It's gonna be bad. You don't get to the nice sentence until you've written the bad sentence. Writing is rewriting.It's chipping away at the marble. Every time you decide not to, you're not practicing. So you're just going to be that much less practiced."

You might have everything you need. Resist the trap of thinking you need more, and consider leveraging what you already have.

Sometimes it's worth a pause to ask ourselves, "What's this going to cost, and am I willing to pay it?" If not, no sweat, move on with the understanding that you recognized what it was going to take, and weren't willing to pay the cost for it right now. If so, move on with the understanding that you knew what you were getting into, and decided that you were willing to pay the cost. Either way, I'm pulling for you. -Bryan

Let go of needing to know exactly how you'll get there when you are dreaming, or wanting to know which action will finally lead to the big breakthrough you've been hoping for. Just keep pecking away. Commit to your actions and keep a focus on the big picture. You never know... I'm pulling for you, Bryan

A great question to gain clarity, let go of things we can't change, and take accountability. I'm pulling for you, Bryan

Sometimes, we can get so caught up in finding just the right place to put the bar, that we do nothing at all, other than spend time searching for the perfect spot. Sometimes, we just need to set the bar and get going. We can always adjust it later. I'm pulling for you, Bryan

No matter what you are doing, I encourage you to make sure you honor the commitment. As a service provider, coach, trainer, consultant, etc., we have a responsibility to honor the commitment. I'm pulling for you.

It's easy to get caught up in wanting everything, to check off every box on our wish list, or have everything just so. What often happens, is because we can't have everything, we don't take any action, and we end up with nothing. I'm pulling for you, Bryan

How do you define authenticity? My encouragement is that it is based on living out your values and beliefs, and being consistent in our speech, behavior, and posture, regardless of the circumstances. It is about internal influence over external influence. I'm pulling for you, Bryan

Encouraging you (and me) to lead through character. It's the best policy. I'm pulling for you, Bryan

Mondays don't have to be treated with such disdain. They don't have to stink. What if you decided to look at Mondays differently? I'm pulling for you, Bryan

It used to be amazing, what if it could be again? I'm pulling for you, Bryan

Sometimes, our tendency is to try and work our way out of the muck, to do more, be more, strive more, and "fix" what's wrong. But sometimes, it might help to step back. To put down the pencil and pick up the eraser. I'm pulling for you, Bryan

If you find yourself in a trying phase, worn out, exhausted, stressed, and having a hard time seeing the way out, don't let it whup ya'. If you have to make a sacrifice, and you likely will, don't let it be something that matters most to you. I'm pulling for you, Bryan

Find a way to encourage more. It's better for everyone. I'm pulling for you, Bryan

It's okay to say, "This might not be for you". It's also okay to say, "This might not be for me" I'm pulling for you, Bryan

Forgiveness is tough, and can be tricky. Here is a little encouragement. I'm Pulling For You, Bryan

Caring can become difficult, or at least, easier to neglect, when we grow, or get busy, or scale. Whether it's with your business, your family, your friends, or some other organization you are a part of, Don't Forget To Care. I'm pulling for you, Bryan

We can't be (a) ______ if we only do it when we feel like it.  I'm pulling for you, Bryan 

The grass may not always be greener, as they saying goes, but it's also okay to want different grass. In other words, just because someone says, "you know, the grass isn't always greener" doesn't mean that pursuing what's new or different is bad. Both can be true. The grass may not be greener, BUT, you may just be ready for some new grass.  I'm pulling for you, Bryan 

Avoiding the issue won't solve it. I'm pulling for you, Bryan 

Sometimes, the friction we feel comes from the fact that something is "off", but we aren't quite sure what it is, what to call it, or how to name it.  Maybe this will help. I'm pulling for you, Bryan 

Today's encouragement: focus FIRST on the important things in your "yard". Take a look at your 3 foot circle of influence, and make that a priority over the outside noise, things that feel immediate, and all of the other things begging for your attention. First, Guard Your Yard. I'm pulling for you, Bryan 

We won't always be at our best. The conditions won't always be optimal. We'll be sore, tired, or outmatched from time to time.  In these instances, we can't make the "music", meaning, we won't be performing as well, as beautifully, or in the optimal state of flow that we might desire.  But, we can still let them know we are there. We can still show up and be counted. We can still make some noise.  I'm pulling for you, Bryan 

Asking yourself a few challenging questions may help you get to what really matters. What's really on your mind? What's really in the way? What's the real problem that needs to be solved?  I'm pulling for you. 

...we fill in the gaps. Pay attention to this on both sides. 1) Know that you are likely filling in some gaps or making some assumptions, when dealing with others, when you don't have all of the facts.  * The best way to get the facts, is to ask. Pay attention to when you are assuming the truth.  2) Know when you are leaving gaps in your own communication with others. Whenever possible, fill in those blanks so the other party doesn't have to. 

The quote comes from Ben Zander, and goes on to say..."not because you have done a measurable amount of good, but because it is the story we choose to tell" Remember, we can control the narrative, we can choose our thoughts, and we can live into the person we desire to become.  I'm pulling for you! 

Sometimes, we can begin with the end in mind.  Other times, the end may feel too far away, too hard to see, or too uncertain. Maybe we don't even know what we want the end to look like.  In that case, we can move forward from positive situations. Find the good stuff and go from there. 

Being positive doesn't mean you have to lie, or create a false reality.  But you can choose to control the narrative, you can choose your thoughts (even if it takes a couple of tries), and you can choose to find some good in the adjacent.  I'm pulling for you!

A great word, and some great encouragement.  The art of abiding with things exactly as they are. 

Listen in as I sit down for a chat with LaGrange College Women's Basketball Coach, Jasen Jonus.  Jasen is the husband of a former player of mine, and coaching the same program that I was once fortunate to be a part of, so it was a real treat to talk with him.  Topics include the underrated career of Spud Webb, the importance of personal balance and routine, how to manage our perspectives while trying to make an impact, and how we can better serve our players, students, and young people in today's environment.  Thanks for listening! 

Tune in to today's chat with my man Sam Feeney. Sam is a former educator with experience in career counseling. After moving out of his role in the traditional field of education, Sam has worked as a coach, consultant, author, and all around go-getter. I always enjoy chatting with Sam because he's not afraid to dream big, and he's not afraid to do the work required to pursue those dreams.  

Dana Carroll is an educator, wife, mother, and all around awesome lady with one heckuva pageant wave. She is easily one of my favorite people, and a quiet hero from my childhood.  The perfect example of The Extraordinary Joe.  Tune in to hear about the joys and challenges of teaching, how small acts can make a difference, and about my past dreams of being the King of Pie.

Jimmy Gunderman has walked an extraordinary path thus far. His life has included work as a firefighter, mission work in India, small business ownership, non-profit work, and student ministry.  He also does not believe in man purses.  Listen in as we kick off Season 3 of Extraordinary Joes and hear how Jimmy has navigated life's twists and turns, and the encouragement he has for us all as we seek to be secretly awesome on our own personal journeys. 

Be careful letting your dreams get too far away from you. The further away they get, the less likely we are to do anything with them.  Keep them close in thought, word, and deed. 

Today's Encouragement: Expect The Expected Don't be surprised by things that are part of the deal that you signed up for.  Your baby wakes up in the middle of the night crying, of course.  Your players don't always play as hard as you want them too, of course.  Your business or industry has certain innate challenges or problems, of course.  Don't be surprised by things that we can expect. And then respond accordingly. 

Today's Encouragement: If you don't want to be that guy, don't be.  Make your decisions that line up with the guy you want to be.  I'm pulling for you. 

Today's Encouragement: You Might Have To Stink It takes time to become good. The key is sticking through the stink until that happens.  I'm pulling for you.

Today's Encouragement: We have a choice. Argue for things that matter. I'm pulling for you. 

Today's Encouragement inspired by the book, "It's Not About The Shark" by David Niven.  We can choose to focus on the solutions. 

What do you believe in 100%?

Place the blame, point the finger, make the complaint, find the fault.  In yourself.  Radical Accountability

We all struggle to show up at our best from time to time.  Sometimes we are embarrassed to show up fully based on who might be watching.  Sometimes we might be tired, or we don't know if what we are doing has any impact on the group we are serving.  What do we do then?  We show up for one person. We serve one person. We focus on one person.  We show up for an Audience of One. 

I was talking to a my dear friend, Josh, years back about Navy Seals training. At some point in the conversation I said something lousy like, "I could never do that." Josh, whose spirit and perspective I love and respect deeply, said, "I believe I could do it, because it's been done." That was an anchor moment for me. I dropped one there and I'll always remember that mindset. I'm still working on it for myself, but I'll always remember that moment.  Our anchors are reminders of times we've succeeded, or times we tried in the face of adversity, or lessons we've learned. I'll bet it doesn't take you more than a few seconds to recall memories that might have you scratching your head as to why you remember those things out of all of the things you could possibly remember. You have anchors that you can reflect on when the going gets tough, to help remind you of what you've done before, and encourage you to the fact that you could do it again. Thanks for listening! 

Some encouragement today on keeping your cool in all situations.  When we make the moment bigger than it needs to be, it clouds our judgment and can lead to decisions that are unhealthy and unhelpful for everyone involved.  Tune in to hear how narrowly avoided being held in a Florida jail, and how you can do the same. 

Don't hide behind this lie we tell ourselves.  If only I knew what to do, or how to do it, THEN I'd go for it. Tune in for the encouragement.  If you'd like to support my work, you can buy me a coffee here. 

Don't let "should" run your life.  For coaching, think tanking, or collaboration, you can reach me at [email protected] Want to support my work, you can buy me a coffee here.

Act as If and see what happens

How can modeling help you move forward?  Interested in working with me? Contact me at [email protected] Want to support the show? Buy me a Kofi: https://ko-fi.com/bryanhendleyencouragement