People, Process, and Frogs

The above are some of the fun facts Traveling Ink has taught me, but this travel site has brought me broader reminders and lessons in life. Here are a few.

Creation is a process.

I had sweeping notions of what I wanted to do with Traveling Ink and how I wanted to build this Charleston travel site, but at times, it is hard to process the full measure of phone calls, meetings, tours, photo sessions, writing, and web building that took place to forge its creation. I am thankful I didn't know exactly how much work it would take to get it done when I started. It would have been overwhelming. I accomplished more setting smaller goals to accomplish the bigger one. By chipping away at it step by step, I finally got there. It was not overnight by any stretch of the imagination. It was a process.

I think the same can be said for many trying to accomplish goals. Triathletes log hours upon hours of training before they get to accomplish their race goals and composers labor, tweaking notes and spending long nights in practice rooms, to create beautiful songs. Even God chose to create over time, taking six days to make what He certainly could have produced in less. So for those who have resolutions for the year ahead, goals are not bad. But I might argue the process that is needed to achieve them is just as important.

People matter.

For those who may be alarmed right now, don't worry. I didn't just come to realize this over the past year. But it is always a good reminder. One of the premises of Traveling Ink was that I didn't want to just "sell" people tours, restaurants, and experiences just to sell them. I wanted to share things I thought were worthwhile, things that I'd recommend to my own friends and family in town. It feels much better to run a business that way.

The people matter concept was not only a customer service practice for me, it also impacted me choosing to create Traveling Ink, and how I survived during that process. I talked to a handful of trusted friends about this idea before deciding to do it. I asked for their opinions, their prayers, and their support. They gave it. There was a solid month or so I told my friends they probably wouldn't see me before the company launch party. I knew I just wouldn't be able to leave my computer screen much. They were a pillar of support for me. They made vendor runs, nailed down event details, and even went grocery shopping for me. Had I not invested in those friendships earlier, I'm guessing those people would have been a lot less eager to help me. And when the launch party came, it would have been a hollow celebration, had I not been surrounded by those people so dear to me. Humans are not meant to do things alone. We need people to share our joys and our struggles with.

Eat your frog.

I am giving Andy Whitfield all the credit for sharing this bit of knowledge with me at the beginning of the year. He is a friend with some solid social media chops, and when I was working on the concept for Traveling Ink, I asked him to meet me for coffee. He gave me some good feedback and shared what has become an extremely helpful idea when tackling my goals for the day. Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time is an anti-procrastination book by Brian Tracy. The general concept is this: If the very first thing you had to do each morning was eat a live frog, it's likely the rest of the tasks in your day would be easier in comparison. He argues that each of us have things we put off because they are unpleasant, or scary, or difficult. But if we do the most difficult things first, we feel a sense of freedom and become much more productive. So, we get more done and have a generally more enjoyable day, if we just get the tough thing out of the way.

I have a habit of writing to do lists. It's part of my personality. I feel more organized and love the feeling of crossing things off. In the past, I have put little "P's" next to certain items noting they were priorities for the day. I am now also in the habit of writing little "F's" next to an item or two. Those are my frogs, and they need to be eaten. You may not relate to my passion for list making, but I would venture to guess that you probably can identify the thing you want to do least in your day for whatever reason. Chances are it will be a distraction and sometimes even a weight on your shoulders until it is accomplished. Procrastinate no longer. Eat that frog. I've found it helps me accomplish more and almost immediately brightens my day.

Some people reading this blog probably had a great 2013, whereas some are happy to leave it behind. Whether wonderful or terribly tough, I hope there are little (or big) things that all of us learned this year. Here's wishing you and yours a very happy year to come.