Project Exponential

Category: Challenge

  • The anti-resume

    The kind of people you want to work with don’t want to see your list of interests and accolades. They don’t care about your work history, what schools you’ve attended, what awards you’ve won. They want to know what work you’ve put into the world, what you’ve left behind, where you’re going. The best work stands for itself.

    Your resume is the communities that miss you after you’ve left, the imprint you leave behind. The relationships you’ve forged, the lives you’ve touched, and the work that sparkles with your finesse — this is your resume. When you realize this, you’ll be filled with freedom and independence: titles no longer matter, job descriptions are irrelevant, length of employment fails to indicate your loyalty and value. Your success doesn’t rest in the hands of another.

    Why spend another moment waiting for the phone to ring? You’re worth more than that. What if you created your own tribe, shipped your own art, designed a viable solution? Don’t wait for opportunities that may never find you. Create them for yourself and change lives along the way.

  • New and different

    Different experiences are necessary for growth. Without adventure, how can you see the world in a new way?

    You’re not expected to like everything. The important thing is that you do, acquire more information, and grow.

    Have you placed yourself in a new situation recently?

  • It’s easy to hide

    We’re exposed now more than ever before.

    Our steps are easily trackable, our buying decisions traceable with the click of a mouse. We document our lives on film for our friends and the world to see. We post our professional accomplishments on open social networks. We look for validation and response from what we show the world, from names printed in magazines to recognition in the neighborhood coffee stop.

    Yet we can hide like never before.

    We have unlimited options to conceal our true identity, forsaking vulnerability and connection for a clean, manufactured image. With so many distractions for us to choose from, we can hide from ourselves, busying our focus from concentrating on things that matter and topics we know to be pertinent.

    Our priorities become lost to routine and inefficiency.

    It’s easier to distract ourselves than sit down and get to the real, gritty work.

    It’s easy to check email and Facebook regularly.
    It’s hard to focus on making big things happen.

    It’s easy to sprinkle business cards around a room.
    It’s hard to develop meaningful rapport.

    It’s easy to leave a meeting without speaking up.
    It’s difficult to put your ideas on the line.

    It’s easy to attend a party not having learned anyone’s name.
    It’s difficult to make intentional introductions.

    It’s easy to speak on a panel.
    It’s hard to create an experience that changes the way someone feels.

    It’s easy to manufacture the same item over and over again.
    It’s difficult to create a once-in-a-lifetime work of art.

    Seth Godin recently reminded me of questions I can’t afford not to answer:

    Is this making me uncomfortable, pushing me to grow? Or am I hiding?

    Each day we have a series of choices that, when combined, contribute to the story we tell ourselves and the world.

  • Action

    One word separates problems from solutions.

    It is possible to witness a situation and do nothing.

    Or you can let it move you, think of a way to change it, make it better, and improve it from the way you found it.

  • It’s a set up.

    I say this phrase often, and most of the time people don’t know what I’m talking about. I think of life as a set up.

    Why? You can either set yourself up for success or failure.

    Think about it: from the people you’re with to the clothes you wear to the books you read to the ways you spend your after hours, you are making choices. I’ll say it again. You are making choices that directly impact your happiness and chance at success. Daily.

    I know it can suck to hear this. And I also know that yes, life can throw curveballs and things that exist beyond our control. Accidents happen. But generally speaking…

    The reason you’re lonely isn’t their fault.

    The people who are happy aren’t just lucky.

    The successful people on top don’t just end up there.

    It’s a result of painstakingly HARD WORK.

    The choices aren’t always easy ones, and I won’t lie and tell you there won’t be days you feel like quitting.

    Make an effort. Put yourself in situations to gain the experience you need. Surround yourself with people who can elevate, encourage, and inspire you. Identify what you need to get where you want to go, and make it happen.

    Set yourself up for the life you want.

  • “So…what do you do?” or 20 things you can talk about when meeting someone new

    A challenge:

    The next time you’re at a party or social gathering, abolish “What do you do?” from your vernacular.

    You will most likely find out sooner or later what someone does. There are a gazillion things you can talk about without having to ask how an individual pays bills, and the probability that the “9-5” isn’t really what gets that person going is high. Isn’t it more interesting to talk about passion?

    Topics you can discuss when meeting someone for the first time:

    1. current events
    2. recent book reads
    3. projects that excite you
    4. favorite places to travel
    5. hobbies
    6. pets
    7. an embarrassing story you can laugh at now
    8. why you’re there
    9. who you are looking to meet
    10. where you’re stuck
    11. sports (whether you play, watch, or remember a hero from childhood)
    12. notable charities
    13. beverage of choice
    14. plans for the holidays / next scheduled vacation
    15. an object in space (a nearby piece of artwork or architecture of the building)
    16. something you’re looking forward to
    17. sincere compliments
    18. the weather (if you must)
    19. recent successes
    20. first memory taking risks

    note: On occasion, you will meet an individual who has successfully managed to blend passion and work. Hang around this person, ask them lots of questions, and ask them to introduce you to others.