I wake up
hung-over from the night before
the air is ripe with familiarity
my feet hit the floor

first, a shower
then comes an hour
drowning in shower thoughts
steam fills the air as I fill with regret

I have failed
I have succumbed
to the divine taste of wine
yet again
numbness runs down my spine
as I recall the siren song
the bottle played me all night long
the warmth of its voice still breathing down my neck

I am trapped
at the bottom
not of a bottle
but in the pit of despair
the bottle is merely my fleeting attempt to pull me out of there

I claw
I clammer
Grasping vice after vice
attempting my way back to the better version of me that I barely remember

my hope
is a thread
my shame
is sharp
can I climb my way up before I cut me apart?

I am luck to say
the answer is yes

I have taken the time to grow my own vine
yes, I am on the mend

self-love is in season

for I partake in a daily ritual
harvesting the grapes of love I now grow from within

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Grapes of Love

thump. thump. thump. thump.
on and on it goes…
how many beats? nobody knows.
to it’s credit it is shockingly relentless
practically begging you to forget about it
and so you do.
day in. day out.
working in the background.
as you mosey around.
the sound drowns
it fades away
day after day after day
it’s funny the things in life that we take for granted
the constructs that are nestled so deeply within us
but then again, this is by necessity
see, you and me
we are free
from the things on repeat
all the mundane
the plane.
or else we’d go insane
losing the bandwidth to understand the novelty emerging in frame
thump. thump. thump. thump.
again again and again and again
the vibrance of this beat understood only within
for its outwardly presence is one of deception
cloaking the tireless force that breeds conception
a force so fundamental to this very moment
that if stopped, will kill you.
one second contains beauty at an unknowable scale
it possesses sunsets and sunrises
the enthralling world that lies within a lover’s eyes
the smell of bacon
or the occasional pleasant surprise
they layers of life are one of ultimate technicolor
woven in miraculous fashion
full of splendor and clover
shouldn’t we be thanking our heart that this isn’t over?
thump. thump. thump. thump.
a second can also drag its nails deep into your skin
it has the power to break you
exposing the fragility and impermanence of the spin
yes the rotation you’ve grown so accustomed to
going round and around on a floating rock called Earth
the only thing you’ve ever known since it gave rise to your birth
yes, this too has fallen into the realm of the mundane
and isn’t that shame?
life is fading. beat by beat.
while necessary and easy to forget
let this sit
and simmer
and serve as a reminder to remember
that there is unfathomable beauty in this second
and it isn’t forever
for our existence is at the mercy of the mundane forces doing us a favor.

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The Mundane

Day in. Day out. Isn't that what it's about?
Yes. No. I don't know. I don't know anything. Not really. The more I know, the less I know. The less I want to know. It's a vicious cycle. But nonetheless...makes me human.
Aren't we all twiddling our thumbs? Doing our best to live our lives the "right" way? To heal the scars of yesterday? To take one step forward each and every day...sometimes to take two steps back.
Days turn into weeks. Weeks turn into months. And months turn into seasons. And just as surely as summer fades into winter, so do the seasons of our lives pass by us.
Some are warm. And long. Others bitter. Also long. For each, we make the most of it. At the very least, survive. If lucky, even thrive.
We get up. We got knocked down. We get up. We get knocked down. We spin round and round on a floating rock called Earth.
Our entire lives we worry. We doubt. We learn. We grow. We do our best with what we know.
We laugh. We smile. We cry. We hurt. Undeniably, we also love. We are energy floating in this existence we call, universe.
For as long as we have today, will we move forward. Into tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day. Wake up. Go to sleep. Wake up. Until eventually...the last day.

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Day in. Day Out.

Your writing sucks (probably). The problem? You write too much.
Think about it. You pick up your pencil (or open your laptop) and start writing your message to your audience. Naturally, you will over-elaborate. Your writing will become verbose as tangents populate.
That is why editing copy is so important, and why every human has to do it. We are imperfect, therefore the first version of anything is overly complicated.
But, the secret to writing better copy isn’t to just edit it. The secret is to cut it in half.
Why? People read to learn, to be inspired, to escape — your job is to make that easy.
To make that easier, you must take away anything that doesn’t truly move your copy towards that purpose. The easiest way to guarantee that there is only quality content within a given piece of copy is to cut it in half.
Here’s a challenge:
Take anything you’ve ever written — a blog post, an email, a tweet; make it your goal to take 50% of the words out of it. Ask yourself: how can I say what I’m saying in half the amount of words? It’s not going to be easy (especially the first time). It’s not always as simple as just deleting sentences. You have to really think about how you structure your sentences — every word you use must earn its place.
Once done, you’ll be amazed at how unnecessary most of your copy was. What else? You’ll be amazed at how much better your copy is — how much more effective it is at getting to the real purpose of its existence.
Don’t believe me? Here’s this post, but cut in half:
Your writing sucks (probably). Why? You write too much.
When writing, you will naturally become verbose and create tangents.
That is why everyone edits — we are imperfect.
But, the secret to writing better isn’t to just edit.
It’s how you edit.
Edit your copy by cutting it in half.
Why? People read to learn, to be inspired, to escape — Your job is to make that easy.
How? Take away anything that doesn’t move your copy towards its purpose.
Challenge:
Take 50% of the words out of something you’ve written.
Rethink your piece — every word must earn its place.
When done, you’ll be amazed at how much more effective it is at getting to the real purpose of its existence.

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A simple exercise to improve your writing

Do you know those people that are born knowing they want to play in the NFL? Or they know they want to become a doctor or a teacher or a lawyer?
Regardless of what they wanted to be, they knew from day one. And I was always jealous of them because they had it all figured out. Maybe you are too because you’re not quite sure what you want to do with your life, but you know you don’t want to waste it?
If that’s the case, this post is all about helping you figure out how to find your “dream job” when you have no idea what you like, what you’re good at, or are worried about wasting your time. This post is more geared to people in their early careers, but this applies to anyone who still hasn’t found that job that makes them come alive!
Alright, now let’s get into it.
Here’s how to find your dream job:
Just don’t do stuff you hate. That’s it. Just don’t do anything you hate. Avoid those things at all costs.
To further explain, let me share my story.
So my first real job ever was being a Sales Development Rep for a company called Scripted.
For context, Scripted is an online platform where businesses can hire freelance writers to write their content marketing for them, as opposed to hiring an in-house copywriter.
As a salesperson, my job was to grow the number of businesses using the platform. It was also my job to help upsell and expand the number of larger accounts into annual subscription plans, as opposed to month by month.
I did this by primarily working on nurturing inbound leads — people who signed up for a free 30 day trial of the software.
All in all, it was a valuable experience that taught me a lot about how SAAS (software as a service) companies operate, and of course, how to sell better.
But about four months into the job, I realized I didn’t like what I was doing. And it wasn’t about the selling. It was that I wasn’t very crazy about the product. Not that it is invaluable, it’s quite useful. But I didn’t have a fire inside me to talk about it all day, every day.
I grew to hate my job quickly.
But I ignored it. I kept working and doing, not looking at other options, mainly because I committed to working at the company for a certain amount of time, and I didn’t want to be a quote on quote, quitter.
I kept working for a few more months, just really not enjoying my job. Then one day, I received a message from the CEO of a company called Praxis — it’s a college alternative boot camp that teaches in-demand business skills to get participants hired at top tech startups.
I went through the program to land the job I was in, and that’s why I knew the CEO on a first name basis. Long story short, I was offered an opportunity to work for them as a demand generation specialist. Considering the dissatisfaction of my current state, I took the new opportunity.
The main reason? I loved the product and the people at the company. I loved their mission. It was something I could see myself talking about it, day in and day out, and never lose energy.
Now I’m months into this new job, and I’m so thankful I made the switch. I can only imagine how dissatisfied I would be if I kept putting myself through a job that didn’t give me energy.
So I wanted to share this because it brings up this one specific point I want to get across:
Don’t do stuff you hate.
And there are two ways to look at that. The first is, life is too short to do things that don’t make you happy. If there’s a way to continue moving forward, that brings your more fulfillment than your current route, switch paths.
The second way to look at it is this: If you don’t know what you want to do in life, it doesn’t matter where you start. Just get a job, gain experience. Through that, you’ll learn a lot about yourself, your strengths, your weaknesses, what drives you and motivates you, and more importantly, what you hate doing. Take note of the things you hate. And then only take the next job opportunity that doesn’t include those things. Over time, with each new job, you’ll continue to learn and continue to add more reasons to your hate-list. Eventually, you’ll shave away all the things you hate, making each new job closer and closer to your ideal opportunity.
So the question I have for you is this: What do you hate?


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Don’t do stuff you hate

Do you ever feel stuck in your creative process?
Most creators stumble into uncreative prisons. They are unable to manifest original ideas and continue to produce new work. For writers, this is called writer’s block.
Writer’s block can be a frightening and equally frustrating experience. But it can be beaten.
As a frequent writer, I am forced to overcome creative stagnation regularly. Here are two exercises that pull me back into the flow of creativity:
1. Write a shit-list
One form of writer’s block is the inability to produce new ideas or topics of discussion. This lack of ideas transpires from mental borders that you impose on yourself. For example, you’ve always written about mental health, so you “aren’t allowed” to write about climate change. But when you realize that you are the only one who is stopping you from writing outside of the “normal”, you can begin to expand your creative horizons.
Expansion of ideas can take form in what I call the “shit-list.” To begin, grab your paper or open a new document. Now start listing every writing idea that comes to you, the more awful the idea, the better. The goal is to create a list of the shittiest ideas possible. The crafting of a shit-list is simply an exercise that allows you to tear down self-imposed borders by giving you the freedom to generate horrible ideas.
Once you complete your list, step away for a few hours or days. When you return to your list, you might be surprised. More often than not, there will be a quality idea mixed in with all the bad.
2. Drink from a fire hydrant
Ever heard of the phrase “You are what you eat”?
It’s by Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, and it speaks to the idea that to create content, you must immerse yourself in content consumption. When you lack ideas or the ability to write the concluding paragraph, consume content relentlessly. To produce, you must feed your brain consistently. In actionable terms, listen to a podcast, read a book, indulge in online articles daily. Drink from the fire hydrant of ideas, overflow your mind with the creations of others. The result is a surplus of inspiration.
Are you stuck? Try the above exercises.
Return to the flow of creativity.

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How to overcome writer’s block

58%

of students go to college to access better jobs

but only 25%
of jobs require a degree
$33k
is the average student debt
and 43%
of college graduates are underemployed — making it difficult to pay that debt back.
Why then, do so many people think getting a degree is a must?
It’s not — there’s a better way.
Are you interested in skipping 80,000 dollars of debt and 4 years of sitting in a classroom?
What about landing a job making 50k within the next month regardless of your formal work experience?
No, I’m not bullshitting you.
In this article, I break down how to win any job you want — without a degree.
Warning:
Firstly, this process takes guts and commitment. It will also change your life — it changed mine.
Secondly, this process only works if you are seeking a job that doesn’t legally require a degree. If you’re interested in becoming a doctor, teacher, lawyer, etc. — this isn’t for you.
Still here? Good. Let’s get to business.
How to land any job you want — no degree required.
To start us off, I want you to stop for a moment. Think about why a degree exists. Seriously, stop and think.
Why do people think they must have a degree to land a job?
Most people will answer one of the following:
• A degree shows that I can commit to something
• A degree shows that I have the knowledge to perform the job effectively
• A degree is a sign of quality — helping separate me from the competition.
• Job listings state that I have to have one.
• So on and so forth.
What do all of these have in common? Your value.
Having a degree signals to an employer that you are a valuable human being. That you can create value. That you are worth the resources to hire and bring aboard — in the hopes that you will make them more money than you cost.
Once upon a time, the degree actually successfully signaled people’s value. Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case.
The degree has become inflated, becoming less valuable year over year. Why? Everyone has one. You are no longer “special” because you have a degree. It doesn’t help you stick out from the crowd — therefore, its ability to signal your value has become almost non-existent.
So what’s a better way to signal your value if a degree doesn’t cut it?
More degrees? Nope.
You are more than a degree — you just need to learn how to showcase your value in another way.
Keep reading, because I’m about to teach you how to go from relying on a third-party credential to becoming your own credential.
How to become your own credential
Step 1: Determine your value
Okay, so if you forget everything that I’m telling you in this article but one thing, remember this:
When it comes to the marketplace/career landscape/moving up in your career/landing a job, there are only two things that matter:
1. Your ability to create value
2. Your ability to showcase that you can
I can not stress how important this is. The only thing that truly matters is that you can create value for someone else and that you can show that you can.
In this context, the definition of value is the worth of something compared to the price paid or asked for it.
So, I want you to ask yourself: What can I do that’s worth being paid to do? What can I do that’s worth being paid X amount?
For the purposes of this article, let’s say you want to figure out what you can do that’s worth being paid $50k annually.
What did you come up with?
If you’re struggling to come up with something, what are your interests? Hobbies? Skills? At the very least, what do you not suck at?
Maybe it’s writing, speaking with other people, managing numbers, problem-solving, or organizing. Whatever the case, you probably have some type of soft/hard skill that you are better than the average Joe at.
Now, I want you to think about how you can showcase those skills to a hiring manager (regardless of the actual role/business)?
You could list that specific skill on a resume and send it in with your application:
Hi, I’m Joe.
I want to work with you!
My Skills:
• Organization
• Problem-solving
• Communication
Please hire me!
Or, you can do something radical. Something that most people would never think of.
Don’t send a resume. Send something that speaks much louder.
What do I mean?
Welcome to Step 2: Build a Value Proposition
What the fuck is a value proposition? Glad you asked.
A value proposition is something of meaningful/tangible value, given to someone else as a means to communicate your capability/capacity of performing a specific task.
The idea is to show rather than tell.
For example:
Joe wants to work at a tech company as a web designer. He has two options:
1. Apply for the job with a resume stating that he is certified in web design (just like everyone else).
2. Analyze the companies website, figure out why it sucks — build a new one for them (something nobody else would ever do).
Which option is going to get him hired? It’s obvious — option two. The reason is that he is deciding to create meaningful/tangible value (a new and improved website) for the company to showcase his capability of being their web designer.
Option two speaks WAY louder than option one because he literally does the thing that he was going to be hired to do, without even being hired.
What does this show a hiring manager? More than you think.
It shows a hiring manager that he obviously has the skills, but it also shows that he is super passionate about the company. If he’s willing to re-design the website for free, what is he willing to do for money?
Who knows? But they are going to want to find out. Hired.
Now that’s obviously an extreme example — in reality, you’re probably not going to want to re-design an entire website for free, but what about the home page? Or the pricing page? Or any page that definitely sucks and can be improved with just a little bit of effort?
Re-design that page to show the hiring manager what you’re capable of, and they’ll hire you to finish what you started.
Step 3: Putting theory into practice
So we’ve covered two things:
1. Determining your value (What can you do that’s worthy of being paid to do?)
2. Build a value proposition (to showcase that value)
And honestly, that’s really all you need to understand to get hired (in theory).
This section is dedicated to providing you with the resources to put everything we’ve discussed into practice.
There are 4 main role types of a business that you can target with any given set of skills: Marketing, Sales, Operations, & Customer Success.
Every business on Earth has someone doing something that falls into one of these four main buckets.
The skill you choose to capitalize on will determine which type of role you want to create a value proposition for.
To make it easy, I’ve listed the four main buckets of business — underneath each is a list of soft skills that translate into that given role type.
Marketing:
1. Communication
2. Creativity
3. Emotional Intelligence
4. Curiosity
5. Collaboration
Sales:
1. Communication
2. Creativity
3. Emotional Intelligence
4. Social intelligence
5. Empathy
Operations:
1. Communication
2. Organization
3. Leadership
4. Conflict management
5. Decision-making
Customer Success:
1. Empathy
2. Emotional Intelligence
3. Communication
4. Dependable
5. Organization
What did you choose? Now leverage it. Build something that showcases you have that skill, and more importantly, how that skill translates into the business making more money.
Resources to help you land a job at a high-growth startup quickly — with no experience.
1. Praxis — A 6-month online boot camp that results in a full-time job at a top startup company.
2. Crash — An online tool that allows you to become more than a resume. (This tool literally embodies what this entire article is about). I personally used it to land a job at a top startup in 1 week.
Resources that help you learn more hard and soft skills.
1. Udemy — a learning platform filled with courses on pretty much anything.
2. Skillshare — super similar to Udemy.
3. Youtube — you know what this is.
Resources to take everything you’ve learned in this article and apply it to becoming a freelancer.
1. Upwork — for anything freelance related.
2. Medium — like Youtube, but for writing.
Thanks for reading.
I hope this guide helps you change your life if that’s what you’re looking for. Have questions? Just wanna chat? Let me know — happy to help.

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How to land (almost) any job you want - no degree required

"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything." - Plato
Jazz, Hip Hop, Disco, Techno, Dance, Reggae, Punk, Alternative, Blues.
There's music for everyone and every moment.
When I'm driving, I tune into pop. When I'm hanging with friends, I tune into house anthems.
When it's time to crank out some work, I tune into indie. I turn my speakers up and immerse myself. Why?
Music affects people on an emotional level. It can bring back feelings of nostalgia or pump you up to crush your next workout.
I use this to my advantage.
On days that I am feeling unmotivated, music can quickly alter my emotions. My music habits allow me to control the attitude in which I approach my work. It facilitates an internal shift from distracted to focused. How?
The beat transpires an internal rhythm of productivity. The lyrics inspire creativity. The music moves through me, and I can enter the state of flow.
Are you stuck, unmotivated, or lacking focus?
Let the music move you.

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Let music move you

Your ability to reach success is determined by your work ethic and level of luckiness. Luck? Yes. Some people are luckier than others, and therefore reach higher levels of success. 

This doesn't mean that you can't reach success if you determine yourself as unlucky. The secret that successful people know is that you create your luck. Meaning, you are still in control of your success. To reach success, you must work relentlessly and forge your own luck.  

Here's another way to look at it.

Success: When preparedness meets opportunity 

Success is the result of consistent discipline applied over time. The harder you work and the more disciplined you are, the more prepared you will be. Prepared for what? For opportunity, a.k.a. moments of luck.

But how do you create more luck?

Successful people understand that they can control the percentage of opportunities (luck) that present themselves by controlling their actions and environment. They set themselves up for success.

For example:

Instead of going to the party, John decides to stay at home and work all night long to improve a project given to him by his boss.  - This is an act of discipline. John understands that to achieve what other's can't, you must do what others don't. By opting out of the party, John did two things: 

1. He eliminated distractions/ bad influences by not surrounding himself with partiers.
2. He utilized his time to improve his work.

The result: 
John's boss is blown away by the quality of the work John produced. So much so, his boss offers him a raise. 

Was this luck? Some may view it as such, but in reality, John brought this outcome to fruition through strategic action.  

Conclusion

If you aren't successful (whatever that means to you), be honest with yourself. Are you working hard enough? Are you consistently disciplining yourself? Are you placing yourself in environments that offer progression or distraction? 

Work relentlessly. Prepare yourself. Craft moments of opportunity. Forge your own luck.

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Create your own luck

You vocally commit. You make a promise. Do you follow through?
Most people don't. Instead, excuses manifest.
If your goal is to build a superior reputation, use this to your advantage. Set yourself apart from the crowd by consistently taking action.
What does this look like in a real-world context?
Publish your post when you say you are going to.
Finish editing your podcast when you say you are going to.
Follow up with recipients when you say you are going to.
Help a peer finish a project when you say you are going to.
Revise the marketing copy when you say you are going to.
Send your cold outreach email when you say you are going to.
Implement new operations when you say you are going to.
Always hold yourself accountable.
Anyone can vocally commit. But the ability to follow through with commitments by taking action separates you. It establishes you as a person that people can count on.
Why is this important?
If you're in the early stages of your career, reputation is everything. Establishing yourself as the "go-to" is paramount. Hiring managers want to disperse their responsibilites onto others. However, they must place trust in others to get the job done right, and on time.
If you are trustworthy, more opportunities will come your way. The more opportunities you have, the faster you can grow and progress in your career.
Conclusion?
Don't just talk. Do.
Actions speak louder than words.

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Don’t just talk

Almost everyone seeks happiness and happiness comes in many different forms. Some try to obtain happiness by hanging out with friends, earning a lot of money, eating a lot of food, etc. However, happiness never seems to last. It goes just as quickly as it came. For most of us, this is supposedly a bad thing, because the goal in life is to be happy, right? 

News flash, that's not true. Or at least it shouldn’t be. Happiness is just like every other emotion: fear, sadness, envy, etc. Every emotion has a time and place. If you were happy all of the time, two things would happen:
1. The feeling of happiness would become inflated, so every moment full of happiness would become less valuable. You can’t appreciate the sun without experiencing the night. Without moments of sadness and fear, you would no longer fully appreciate an immersion of happiness.
2. Emotions are meant to keep you on the right track. Life isn’t perfect and it never will be. There are times when the appropriate emotion to feel is fear. If you were happy in a time of crisis, well you would look like a lunatic, and chances are you wouldn’t be taking the appropriate action needed to keep you safe like you would if you were afraid.

So if happiness isn’t the goal, what is?

Glad you asked, the goal is to live a meaningful life, to know that you and your work matters. 

When that is the goal, happiness is a by-product. 

When you look at what “happiness” is below the surface, it is an emotion that you feel when you have just accomplished something or somebody connects with you in a positive way, whatever it is, happiness correlates with how fulfilled you are. Being a tribal species, we find fulfillment in connecting with others or more specifically when we know that we matter. We long for acceptance and to know that we are appreciated. 

When we are appreciated, we become happy.

So I ask, what better way to be truly appreciated than to do good work? To create value for others? 

Nothing. 

The more value you can create for others, the more fulfillment you will receive because the more accepted you will be and the more you will feel like you matter. It’s simple. 

So instead of chasing happiness in food, money, drugs, sex, etc. get lost in your work, get lost in the value you create for others. Ultimately, if the work you are doing aligns with your core being, the more you do it, the more you will become fulfilled. The more you do it, the more others will benefit. 

So create, do, indulge in your work and live with intention. A life of meaning will cultivate happiness. 

Stop chasing happiness, it’s too vague. 

Get specific. What line of work speaks to your inner core? Now get to creating. The emotions that find you, might just surprise you.

Happiness is overrated

"As Resistance works to keep us from becoming who we were born to be, equal and opposite powers are counter-poised against it. These are our allies and angels...When we sit down and do our work, we become like a magnetized rod that attracts iron filings. Ideas come. Insights accrete." - Steven Pressfield
When you overcome resistance, you can utilize what Steven Pressfield calls "Angels". Angels are the allied forces that combat in the war against resistance. They bring forth creative ideas and moments of unmatched productivity.
Have you ever entered the state of flow? The hours fly by. Creation pours out of you. Your most inner self is unleashed to dive into the waters of the unknown - to craft something into existence.
It's the universe rewarding you for sitting down and doing your work. The more you give to the world, the more it gives back to you.
The hard part is earning that reward. Do you just sit down and start working? Drudge through sweaty palms, tapping feet, and a restless mind? Yes. If that's what it takes to bring focus.
Work is uncomfortable until it isn't. It only becomes comfortable when you've allowed the allied forces to consume you and move through you.
Consider yourself as an instrument for the greater good. You provide the "how" to your creations, but the universe supplies the "when" and the "why". Not sure what I mean?
Where do you think ideas of inspiration come from? Does a singular thought just randomly pop into your head? Maybe it was placed there.
Lean into your Angels. Trust the creative process. Decide to be uncomfortable to become comfortable.

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Lean into your Angels

But so does everyone else's. The problem? We all write too much. We over-elaborate and expect others to care. Want better writing? Write for people, not for length.
The key to persuasive writing: Be concise. Short sentences are better. Stop using commas. Use more periods.
Once you have something written, cut it in half.

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Your writing sucks

I grab my flat white.
I sip. I write.
Like clock-work.
The aroma brings clarity. The taste provides focus.
Words fill the page.
I hit publish.
My morning ritual is complete.
Habits
Everyone has habits. Good and bad.
Naturally, we want to stop the bad and maintain the good. But that is easier said than done.
To control your habits, as opposed to allowing your habits to control you, you need to understand the domino effect.
The domino effect of habits
Every habit has a single trigger action that unleashes a series of actions following. Once the first domino falls, they all tumble down.
To stop bad habits, prevent trigger actions from pursuing.
To maintain healthy habits, consistently pull the trigger.
I write blog posts daily. How?
I drink coffee.
I never write without my cup of joe.
By consistently drinking coffee before I write, I further instill coffee as the habitual trigger that sets my mind in motion to write. With every passing morning ritual, the transition into my writing mindest becomes more fluid.
Why is this powerful?
There are days I don't feel like writing. The written blog post is sitting on top of a mountain staring down at me. Climbing that mountain is intimidating.
There is never a day I don't feel like drinking coffee. It's a much easier task to accomplish.
I use this to my advantage.
I sip my coffee. I write.
Like clock-work.
The aroma brings clarity. The taste provides focus.
Words fill the page.
I hit publish.
My morning ritual is complete.

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Grab your flat white

You approach your boss with a solution to their problem. You tell them all about your amazing idea and ask them if you can build your solution. 

They say "no". 

Why? 

You are tasking them to mentally evaluate if your time should be allocated to pursuing that idea. They have to weigh the priorities of the company and are forced to imagine the outcome of your efforts. If they are uncertain of the outcome. They will probably say no. 

So how do you always get a "yes"?
 
Stop asking for permission. 

Whatever your great idea is, go and build it before you ask your employer if you can invest time into it. When you approach them with a tangible solution, rather than a hypothetical proposition, they are more likely to implement your solution. 

Everyone asks for permission, so take initiative instead. Separate yourself from others. Employers need more driven individuals who can find problems, find solutions, and most importantly implement them effectively. 


What's the worse that can happen? Your solution isn’t used? 

You can still add it to your portfolio and get feedback. The amount of learning that takes place just by building something, will make it worth the time investment. 

What are you waiting for?

Stop asking for permission. 


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Stop asking for permission

Are you a jack of all trades? Do you like numbers, systems, organization, communication, and making shit happen? 

Then a role in operations might be for you. 


To be confident in this conclusion, here are five traits of a successful operations manager. If you possess these traits or have a desire to grow in them, a career in operations might just be a great choice.

1. Organization
To be successful in operations management, you must be extremely thorough and organized. Operations is all about systems and streamlining processes. Staying organized is a must when you are dealing with constant communication and managing a thousand moving parts. Being a naturally organized person will allow you to perform in this role with greater ease. 



Questions to ask yourself: 
Is my room always clean? 
Do I follow a calendar?
Do I use task management software such as Trello, Asana, or Monday? Or a task management system I created?
Do I plan out my week?


2. Effective Communication
Clearly communicating plans of action and operational changes is crucial to a successful initiative. This is especially the case when solving mission-critical fires or when tasked with leading change management during a transisition in processes across many teams. You must be able to communicate quickly and hold others to a communication standard. 



Questions to ask yourself:
Do I respond to emails within 24 hours?
Do I hold people accountable?
Am I good at writing to the point?
Do I communicate clearly and concisely under stress?

3. Simplicity
At the root of all operations, the goal is to find a simple, more efficient way to do things. Whether you are automating tasks, removing steps from a funnel, or streamlining the logistics of an operation, your every action should be efficiency-driven. Being naturally attuned to simplicity will give you the eye needed for success on the job. 



Questions to ask yourself:
Am I a "minimalist"?
Is my desk set up clean or cluttered?
Do I have tons of apps on my phone that I don't use, or does every app have a purpose?
Do I get rid of things when I no longer need them?

4. Action-oriented
Operation management exists for one reason. To make shit happen. Consequently, having an action-oriented mindset gives you the edge needed to keep processes progressing. Having the desire to proactively find inefficiencies in systems, then taking action on your findings is crucial. It is also about getting your hands dirty when needed - putting out operational fires whenever they arise.



Questions to ask yourself:
Do I enjoy getting my hands dirty?
Do I enjoy talking about what needs doing, or actually doing it?
Do I procrastinate?
Do I proactively search for the next task I need to accomplish?

5. Adaptability
It's the job of an operations manager to implement changes that make the business more productive. To do so, you must be adaptable. You must be willing to experiment and employ new systems and ways of doing things, or nothing will ever improve. Being open to change is key to making operations successful. 



Questions to ask yourself:
Do I experiment with my habits in my personal life?
Do I like trying out new foods, or do I stick to what I'm comfortable with?
Do I learn and take action quickly?
Do I experiment with my habits in my personal life?

So, do you have what it takes to be successful in operations? 

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Musings