Digging Ditches – How I Got Freshly Pressed.

So last week one of my posts got Freshly Pressed.

What this means is that my post was featured on WordPress.com’s homepage, where each weekday, ten posts are selected from around 450,000 new blog posts!

What it also means is a lot of traffic to my blog… like 85 000-hits-in-10-days-kind-of-traffic!

So, needless to say it has been quite a buzz! Especially for someone whose previous record for a post was 350 hits, and who didn’t even know what Freshly Pressed meant.

So, how do you get featured? Well, according to WordPress, it’s all about the content. In a very helpful post Five Ways to Get Freshly Pressed they offer great tips for blogging that I think any blogger should follow, to get featured or not.

But let’s be honest, while I agree that content is king, there are a lot of great blogs out there with great content who still haven’t featured. Of course, there is always an element of “right time, right place” that factors in.

But here’s the bottom line – if you want to get featured, it’s all about “digging ditches”.

Steven Furtick sheds light on a story in the Bible where a guy named Elisha asks God for rain (read asks God to feature his blog on Freshly Pressed), and God responds by saying, “Dig some ditches first, and I’ll make it rain.” In fact he says, “Make this valley full of ditches.”

The truth is none of us can make it rain.

None of us can orchestrate “right time, right place”. No one can control the circumstances that ensures the editor reads our post. But what we can do is dig some ditches in the meantime – follow all the advice we can get, spit out quality content consistently – and prepare for the day when the rains will come and fill those ditches!

Keep plugging away. Writing your best. Checking your spelling. Using great images. Adding tags. Thinking of compelling headlines.

All of us can decide to write no matter what, even when it hurts.

And I think this principle is true for much of life. Some people just arrive. They write one post and “BOOM!” – instant traffic and fame. But for the most part, behind the scenes of great bloggers like Seth Godin and Michael Hyatt lies hours and hours of faithfully plugging away and the digging of many ditches. Malcolm Gladwell says that if you want to really shine in any field or skill, you’ve got to put in the hours… 10,000 hours in fact.

So… to all you aspiring bloggers out there (I include myself in this), keep on digging! Eventually the rain will come.

Thanks to WordPress for giving me the opportunity to get Freshly Pressed. Right now I am singing in the rain!

6 Things To Stop Caring About Today

Every day is an oppourtunity to start again. A new beginning.

Sometimes however, in life, you have to stop before you can truly begin. So starting today, here are 6 things you should stop caring about:

1) Stop caring about everyone else’s opinion of you.

For the most part, what other people think and say about you doesn’t matter. And yet we spend so much energy worrying about it. As Bill Cosby said, “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”

Choose a few people in your life whom you trust, who know you well, and who love you enough to tell you the truth (even if it hurts). Listen to them, and don’t bother too much about the rest.

2) Stop caring about your failures.

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.

Failures teach us important lessons. In fact, the biggest mistake you can make is doing nothing because you’re too scared to make a mistake! Learn to fail forward.

3) Stop caring about the things you have no control over.

Some forces are out of your control. Accept this fact of life. Wasting your time, talent and emotional energy on things that are beyond your control is a recipe for frustration, misery and a lack of peace.

4) Stop caring about being right all the time.

Someone once asked me, “Do you want to be right, or do you want to be married?”

Funny. But true. Sometimes we can “win” the argument and “lose” our relationships in the process. Sometimes being “right” is far less important than simply being there for someone or listening to them.

5) Stop caring about what others have.

It’s so natural for us to compare “up”. We look at that friend of ours with the mansion and the sexy car, or at the boss with the corner office. We fool ourselves by thinking we’ll be happy when we reach a certain level in life — a level we see others operating at. Unfortunately this simply isn’t true. It’s a moving target. A mirage.

Instead, appreciate where you are and what you have right now. Try comparing yourself to those who have less. Hopefully it opens our eyes to all the things we can be grateful for, and spurs us on to generosity.

6) Stop caring about the imaginary state of perfect.

So often perfection is the enemy of good.

Because we can’t find the “perfect plan” or the “ideal answer” to the problem, we simply give up and do nothing at all. Sometimes a bad plan is better than no plan at all.

Stop looking for the “silver bullet” or the “magic formula” that will solve all your woes, and focus rather on simply taking the next right step, even if that step is small.

Inspiration for this blog came from Marc and Angel Hack.

Platforms & Influence

This is a guest post by one of my favourite bloggers Jon Acuff that really articulates well the tension of self-promotion on the one hand, and Christ-like humility on the other, in our modern Christian culture.

How do you grow a personal platform while at the same time honoring John 3:30 that says, “He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease?”

I don’t have a solution, just a question, and it’s one I’ve been struggling with.

I love that right now it’s possible for ordinary people like me to build platforms and maybe have influence. Without social media, I wouldn’t have been able to ever publish the Stuff Christians Like book. I love platforms!

But, as a Christian, I also wrestle with the ego aspects that often go along with them.

For me, the great temptation is to say, “If I get a bigger platform, then more people will know about me, and I’ll then be able to tell those people about God.” And I think that starts in a good place, but eventually in my own life and countless other leaders I’ve seen, that idea gets corrupted into: “If I get a bigger platform, then more people will know about me. The end.”

So with the thousands of tools we have to build our “personal brands,” and the very real good that can come from platforms (we built two kindergartens!) where does John 3:30 fit in? What’s the balance?

And if you know Hebrew and can say, “The heart of that verse has nothing to do with personal branding, proceed getting drunk on your own ego,” that would really help me out.

Question:
In what ways can a Christian go about building a platform while keeping God front and center?

Life’s Too Short For TV

In my post 16 Tips To Simply Your Life (and Increase Your Productivity) tip no 12 was to stop watching or cut back on TV. And I was amazed by how many people commented that they had cut out TV from their lives and how it had created so much more freedom for them. But I was also surprised by how many people battle with this whole idea. So I thought I’d expand some of my thoughts on this…

Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy watching TV. My wife and I have a very nice TV. We just don’t have any TV signal or aerial or satellite attached to it.

The only thing connected to our TV is a DVD player and a hard drive. We watch a few series and movies, but even that is pretty limited. And the truth is, besides from the odd bit of sports, we really don’t miss it. When you don’t have it, you don’t miss it.

According to recent studies, the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day. That means that in a 65-year life, a person will have spent 9 years glued to the tube! Can you imagine all the things you could do with that time?

Life is just too short for TV.

There are too many books I want to read in this life. Too many people I want to hang out with. Too many beautiful places to visit and adventures to be had, to waste my time sitting in front of a TV watching other people’s lives and stories.

I want to live my own stories. To tell my own tales. To experience life!

Please don’t misunderstand me – there is nothing wrong with TV! And sometimes sitting down to a good movie can be a real treat and a chance to escape the pressures of everyday life. I just don’t want to be consumed by hours of TV everyday and miss out on so much more.

So, if TV is robbing you of a full and abundant life, I dare you to get up off that couch, go out there, and make some memorable scenes of your own!

Have You Had Your Leadership Bell Rung Lately?

This was the question Bill Hybels posed to hundreds of thousands of leaders around the world at this year’s Global Leadership Summit.

And I’d have to answer with a resounding YES!

Over the past few years I have attended the Summit in Durban, South Africa, and every year I am always blown away by the caliber of leaders and speakers from the businesses, education, government and social sectors that Willow Creek seem to be able to pull together. The content is always fresh, challenging, well-balanced, and inspiring to say the least!

Nothing recharges my personal leadership “batteries” like the Global Leadership Summit. 

Now I know there are some people out there who are skeptical of the summit and battle with idea of mixing corporate strategy and church work. To quote Brian LePort, “I tend to distrust the Church-as-Corporation model. While I am sure there is much that the church can learn from the world of business, it seems that our problem in North America is that many churches have adopted too much of that paradigm.”

And I get this fear to some degree.

But here’s the deal for me. When I see how Bill Hybels handled the extremely delicate situation of CEO Howard Schultz pulling out of the conference with such incredible grace and humility. When I hear a saint like Mama Maggie tell her story of personal sacrifice for the sake of the poor. When I listen to the passion and resolve of a women like Michelle Rhee, and the authentic and open way in which Jim Mellado asked her about her own faith journey, then something inside of me rejoices.

And my leadership bell starts ringing!

I am challenged to step it up. To use what God has given me. To be a humble learner. To take risks. To maximise my gift of leadership. To lead where I am!

The way that the Summit has handled over the years with such generosity and grace the contradictions and tensions that so often exist within our faith - between Christianity and our culture, between the Church and the corporate world – is something that resonates with me and inspires me.

And you know what the best part of the Summit is?

I can invite my non-Christian business friend whom I’ve been trying to get to church for years! And not only do I know he’ll learn a lot from the speakers, but I also know that he’ll hear something of the Gospel message, and maybe, just maybe, he’ll be touched by God!

Thank you Willow Creek for not being afraid to “poke the box” – to stretch our leadership boundaries and to challenge us all to develop our leadership gifts to their full redemptive potential!

The Cult of Multi-Tasking

Hi my name is Tom, and I am a multi-tasker.

I confess.

Far too often I am so busy checking my email, writing a message, answering a text, writing down an idea (possibly at the same time) that I miss the person standing right in front of me. Sometimes I think this is part of the way God has wired me while at other times I realise I’ve been seduced by words like “quick” and “efficient.”

Sometimes I think I’m addicted to “being productive” and forget to simply “be”.

I know I have spoken about this topic many times before, but I really believe it is a major problem in our culture today – a problem that stresses us out and destroys relationships.

Turns out in fact, that not only does it mess with our sense of well-being, but it also kills productivity. There is loads of scientific data out there now that proves this, and shows that multi-tasking is really not the best strategy for effectiveness.

In an interesting article and study entitled “The Cult of Multitasking”, it was found that the average employee loses 2.1 hours of productivity every day to interruptions and distractions, and that each day a typical office employee checks e-mail 50 times and uses instant messaging 77 times. It goes on to say…

The cult of multitasking would have us believe that compulsive message-checking is the behavior of an always-on, hyper-productive worker. But it’s not. It’s the sign of a distracted employee who misguidedly believes he can do multiple tasks at one time. Science disagrees. People may be able to chew gum and walk at the same time, but they can’t do two or more thinking tasks simultaneously.

Researchers at the University of Michigan found that productivity dropped as much as 40 percent when subjects tried to do two or more things at once. The switching exacts other costs, too — mistakes and burnout. One of the study’s authors, David Meyer, asserts bluntly that quality work and multitasking are incompatible.

So, it’s confession time. Are you in the cult?

4 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Do Kettlebells

There’s no denying it – kettlebells are so hot right now! Everyone and their dog seems to be swinging the ‘ole bells these days, and I am no exception.

For a while now I have become disillusioned with “gym” in general. I usually start out OK but after 2 months or so I become bored out of my mind, and don’t seem to see the results I’d hoped for. And so, for just over a month now I’ve been doing kettlebells (or as my wife likes to call them “Kettle-hells“) at a place called Flux Motion in Umhlanga.

And after a month of testing and experiencing the devastating results, here are 4 indisputable reasons why you should never do kettlebells…

1) Kettlebells Won’t Make You Big, They’ll Make You Strong

If you’re after “big guns”, spray on tan, ridiculously small speedos, and looking like a big pile of inverted trapezoids, then kettlebells are not for you.However, because it works your entire body as a unit, and because it is one of the best fat-burning exercises around, it will make you hard, lean, fast, and strong. But not freaky huge. Or tanned.

2) Kettlebells Will Hurt You… Badly.

When I rocked up for my first class I thought I was in pretty good shape and reasonably fit. Well… let’s just say that for three days afterwards I had to use specialised equipment just to get on and off the toilet! Muscles I didn’t know I had hurt in places I’m embarrassed to mention. It was ugly. So, if you don’t like short term pain for long term gain, stay away from the bells.

3) Kettlebells Will Correct Your Imbalances

We all have movement and muscle imbalances and asymmetries. Some fewer than others – like people who use kettlebells, for instance. And because it incorporates all your muscle groups in a functional and natural way, you don’t end up looking like someone who has done far too much upper body work and not enough lower body work. So, if you’re still into claiming massages from your girlfriend because your back is sore (again), don’t use kettlebells to fix your body. I’m sure you wouldn’t like how good it feels to know that your body is working exactly how it was intended to.

4) Kettlebells Won’t Allow You To Slack

If you’re into cruising the treadmill at a casual Level 5 and spending more time in the steam bath then in the gym, then I suggest you stay well clear of kettlebells. Because Flux Motion is all about classes, and because there’s always a trainer pushing you in those classes, it’s almost impossible to slack. And, because those classes are never the same, it never gets boring. Plus, it’s a fun “skill” to pick up.

The days of exercising simply to “look good” are out – pick up a kettlebell and join the revolution!

Mastering the Art of Self Discipline

Discipline is freedom. 

Now you may not agree with that statement, and you wouldn’t be alone. For many of us discipline has become a “dirty” word associated with the absence of freedom.

Yet the exact opposite is true.

As Stephen Covey writes, “the undisciplined are slaves to moods, appetites and passions”, and in the longer term, the undisciplined lack the freedom that comes with having particular skills and abilities developed through self-control.

Now, self-discipline is the ability to get yourself to take action regardless of your emotional state. In other words, it involves acting according to what you think instead of how you feel in the moment. It is self-discipline that drives you to:

• Go to the gym when all you want to do is lie on the couch and watch TV
• Wake up early to pray or to go for a run
• Say “no” when tempted to break your diet
• Only check your email a few of times a day

It involves sacrificing the pleasure and thrill of the “now” for the benefit or pleasure of the “later”.

Short-term pain for long-term gain.

Self-discipline is critical for leadership, for lifestyle, for health – for everything. And in my mind, in a day and age where we are constantly bombarded with distractions like social media, and where the pace of life is ever-increasing, I think self-discipline is becoming one of the most important distinguishing characteristics between those who stand out as leaders, and those who are simply swept away by the flow of the ordinary.

The good news though, for those of us who struggle with self-discipline, is that it can be developed. Here are three thoughts that can help.

1) Self-discipline is a Muscle – You’ve Got to Work It!

Just as everyone has different muscular strength, we all possess different levels of self-discipline. Everyone has some – if you can hold your breath a few seconds, you have some self-discipline. But not everyone has developed their discipline to the same degree.

Just as it takes muscle to build muscle, it takes self-discipline to build self-discipline. You see, when you weight train, you lift weights that are just within your ability to lift. You push your muscles until they fail, and then you rest. This is called “progressive training”, and it’s the same when developing your self-discipline.

You have to start with weights/challenges that are within your current ability to lift but which are near your limit. And once you succeed, you increase the challenge. If you keep working out with the same weights, you won’t get any stronger. Similarly, if you fail to challenge yourself in life, you won’t gain any more self-discipline.

I think many people make the mistake of trying to push themselves too hard too fast when trying to build self-discipline. If you try to transform your entire life overnight by setting dozens of new goals for yourself and the expect yourself to follow through consistently starting the very next day, you’re almost certain to fail. This is like a person going to the gym for the first time ever and packing 120kgs on the bench-press. You will only look and feel stupid.

Know your limits, start small, and build your self-discipline muscles progressively.

2) Self-discipline Takes Courage

Did you notice the sweat dripping from the man in the picture at the start of this blog? Make no mistake, self-discipline is often extremely difficult. Moods, appetites and passions can be powerful forces to go up against. Therefore self-discipline is highly dependent on courage. Don’t pretend something is easy for you to do when it is in fact very difficult and/ or painful. Instead, find the courage to face this pain and difficulty. As you begin to accumulate small private victories, your self-confidence will grow and the courage that underpins self-discipline will come more naturally.

3) Self-discipline Moves from External to Internal.

To develop self-discipline, we need input from others, especially at the start…

For over 20 years I trained as a gymnast and through all those years I had only 3 coaches. These coaches pushed me beyond myself and beyond what I thought was in me. Even though there were times when I hated them and wanted to just give up, I am so grateful for their amazing persistence and determination that helped me to achieve what I achieved.

Through blood-sweat-and-tears, and spending 30+ hours a week together in the gym, an incredible, almost father-son bond was formed with my coaches, and I always felt like I had someone in my corner who wanted me to succeed just as much as I did.

The truth is self-discipline doesn’t come naturally to any of us. We have to learn it, and most times we need people who can hold us accountable and help us along the way.

That’s why I’m a huge fan of getting a personal trainer, or joining some sort of class with an instructor. If you are a runner, then join a club like Regents. To have others around you spurring you on can make all the difference, and it becomes a platform to develop the habits of self-discipline.

So remember, discipline is freedom. As Nido Qubein said, “The price of discipline is always less than the pain of regret”. 

 Start mastering the art of self-discipline today and I guarantee it will change your life.

Inspiration for this blog came from a variety of sources, but credit must be given to Steve Pavlina and his insightful blog.