Mike Schmitz

Tomorrow

March 1, 2014 By Mike Schmitz

Start.

That’s all you have to do.

You don’t have to have it all figured out, you just need to get moving. God has given you a dream, a vision, a purpose, that only you can fill. If you don’t make it happen, then the rest of us miss out on what you have to offer.

Todd Henry, in his book Die Empty, talks about the potential that many people sadly never realize:

“In my first book, The Accidental Creative, I recounted a meeting in which a friend asked a strange and unexpected question: ‘What do you think is the most valuable land in the world?’ Several people threw out guesses, such as Manhattan, the oil fields of the Middle East, and the gold mines of South Africa, before our friend indicated that we were way off track. He paused for a moment, and said, “You’re all wrong. The most valuable land in the world is the graveyard. In the graveyard are buried all of the unwritten novels, never-launched businesses, unreconciled relationships, and all of the other things that people thought, ‘I’ll get around to that tomorrow.’ One day, however, their tomorrows ran out.”

Don’t look at the monumental size of the task – just start.

A musician doesn’t just pick up an instrument and suddenly their proficient – they’re not just born with it. They develop the gift within them through practice. If the guitar player expected to sound like Eric Clapton as soon as they picked up their guitar, they will quickly be discouraged and quit. However, if they decide to spend even 5 minutes a day honing their craft and developing their skill, after a year they will be amazed at how good they’ve gotten.

The saying “the longest journey begins with a single step” is true. Someday we’re all going to finish. Wether you are one of the ones who finishes well or never starts is up to you. You have what you have today because of the choices you made yesterday – make the choice today to better your tomorrow.

Sow into your future.

Just start.

Start

February 25, 2014 By Mike Schmitz

“A year from now you will wish you had started today.” – Karen Lamb

Hashtag Etiquette

February 25, 2014 By Mike Schmitz

“Like all good things, hashtags have been swiftly overused and destroyed by social media enthusiasts who don’t understand how to properly wield them. The Internet may not have rules, but it should at least try to learn some manners.”

Full article here.

#endrant

Die Empty

February 21, 2014 By Mike Schmitz

I recently read a great book titled Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Every Day by Todd Henry. It’s an excellent read about achieving your potential and doing work that matters. One section that really stood out to me was what he titled “The 7 Deadly Sins of Mediocrity”. Here’s a very brief summary:

Aimlessness – This is for all the talkers[1] out there. You need to have a goal, and you need to have action. There’s a saying that goes “if you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.”

Boredom – My Pastor says that “success is determined by your daily routine.” It may not always be fun, but you need to stay consistent. You become what you repeatedly do, and you have to put in the practice time before you ever see the stage.

Comfort – If things are easy, you probably need to push yourself more. You don’t gain muscle from going to the gym and lifting what’s comfortable. You have to push yourself until it hurts if you want to see growth.

Delusion – You need to know yourself (which is harder than it sounds). You need to know your limitations and what you’re capable of. This doesn’t mean you can’t grow, but you have to be realistic and start with what you have where you are.

Ego – You’re not as great as you think you are! Don’t be afraid to cut your losses and say “I was wrong” rather than go down with the ship.

Fear – Graveyards are full of people who were too afraid to step out and follow their dreams. Don’t be afraid to say “yes” to opportunities. You might fail, but then again you might not! You might find what you were destined to do.

Guardedness – Don’t close yourself off when you start to see success. A lot of companies work hard to get a competitive advantage and then stagnate because they isolate, trying to protect their intellectual property.

I learned a lot from this book and highly recommend it.

Talker: one who likes to talk about doing something but never actually does anything (my definition). ↩

Value of Order

February 19, 2014 By Mike Schmitz

“Be regular and orderly in your life, that you may be violent and original in your work.” – Gustave Flaubert

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