I always enjoy attending industry-specific trade shows. They are chock-full of industry standard updates, the latest and greatest technology, and new ideas on old methods. Often it is hard to name the workshop with the best value because there are so many quality presentations.
This year at the SSPC Annual Convention, the breakfast keynote speaker skyrocketed to the top as my personal favorite and it wasn’t even because it was about my industry. I learned so much about how our culture has changed digitally in the presentation by “Equalman” Erik Qualman. There is no way I could do his moving and interactive visual demonstration justice, but I will share some highlights that were especially impactful for me.
SIMPLE: There is no way life functions without multitasking or interruptions; however, being intentional and aware about filtering out non-prioritized interruptions is key to focus. Refocusing after rapid fire interruptions, often called multi-tasking, feels like a ping-pong brain ball bouncing without direction. Switching tasks is less efficient and increases mistakes. I love the idea that Eric spoke about of having a “not yet list” which eases the stress of pushing myself beyond what is reasonable to accomplish.
· TRUTH: “How do I want to be remembered in only one word?” Tough question, but worth the work to contemplate what that word would be. TRUTH is a very important part as these fragmented ideas intersect. Keep reading…
· ACTION: Fail fast, fail forward, fail better. We are all “Flawsome,” as Erik calls it, so solve problems with humor as much as possible. It really resonated with me because I have always struggled with being a perfectionist.
· MAP: Firm up your destination and plan. Have a 5–10 year plan and be flexible in your path. If you are not getting pushback then you are not pioneering. Dream big; set goals; take action. It’s not practice that makes perfect but evaluated practice that makes you better. This means changing your behavior as you move forward according to what works best.
· PEOPLE: Surround yourself with the right people, physically and digitally. Also, spend 3 minutes a day to “post it forward” to others. This is when you share truly useful business-centric or personal-improvement articles/posts/blogs that will connect with your circle. In essence, posting it forward is a soft form of networking before you actually need the network.
What will be my STAMP on life?
For me, the opportunity to spend a few minutes pondering life removed the pressure and intensity of doing and growing more business at the moment. It was refreshing to re-focus on the simple, true values in life: the ‘why I do it,’ ‘how I do it,’ and expectations of those in my journey.
Remember when I wrote about TRUTH earlier and how it intersects all of these ideas? Here is where it comes in. We have to be honest with ourselves about why we are choosing to do things a certain way (personally and professionally), and honest with ourselves about our realistic expectations of our performances and current capabilities.
I highly recommend connecting with Erik Qualman on social media to get inspired (hopefully) as much as I did. And if you’re at the annual SSPC Convention next year, please reach out to me so we can connect!