The full collection of explorations.
Is the suffering worth the contribution?
I have this question sticky-noted at the bottom of my computer screen so that I read it every day.
And whenever I feel like I’m suffering from the work I’m choosing to do… I ask myself… Is it worth the contribution it provides?
If the answer is no, I stop doing it. Or begin to plan ways I can phase it out of my life (whatever “it” is).
And if the answer is yes, well then, I suffer a little less and feel better as I get back to it.
When I first started building MoveMeQuotes.com in 2010, I was all about fancy and cool.
…Until speed came onto my radar as being a vital component of a search engine friendly website.
When I first started speed testing my (fancy/cool) website… I was pulling 15+ second load times.
…Which was/is AWFUL.
Thus starting me on the journey of simplification, optimization, and code cleaning… which eventually lead me to AMP.
AMP is a protocol that essentially strips your website of all complex code and boils it down to its most essential/clean version.
The problem is it often strips your website of so much code that it often breaks the site—like buttons, forms, comment section—nothing works breaks… like, bad.
But… if you stick with it and diligently fix the code, rework your layout, download the right plugins and get clever about how you do things… the benefit is lightning speed.
I opted in, spent hundreds of hours getting it to function properly as an AMP-based website, and eventually got it loading sub-second.
The problem was the ongoing work never got easier. Everything kept taking 5x more work than it otherwise should’ve/would’ve and simple things like allowing comments were ongoing issues.
But, I always kept my head down, put in the 5x more work, and told myself the speed was worth it.
This weekend, however, I finally decided to challenge that belief and reverted back to an updated (faster) version of an old website-theme I used to use.
And lo-and-behold… sub-second load times.
The lesson today is this: challenge old beliefs from time-to-time. 5x more work might not be the current reality our old thinking is making it out to be.
I have never taken a web design class.
Nor have I ever taken a coding or branding class.
Yet, here I was, spending 6+ hours this weekend doing all of the above for MoveMe Quotes.
I revamped the whole website and feel like I did a pretty damn good job of it.
It all started with a curiosity back in 2010: “I wonder if I could build a website that could house all of my favorite quotes?” Which eventually became: “I wonder how I can make this website cooler?” Which quickly turned into: “I wonder how I can speed this site up?” Which then made me think about: “I wonder how I can improve its SEO?” Which today is essentially a compilation of all those thoughts rolled up into one.
And I can’t even begin to list all of the skills exploring this one initial curiosity has helped me develop.
All almost completely unbeknownst to me as any kind of formal educational endeavor.
All just interesting little problems I get to solve while building something I think is cool and useful.
Learning works so much better this way. Don’t use “I haven’t taken a class / course on that yet” as an excuse to not explore a curiosity. Everything you need is readily available and but a few finger taps away.
You just need to do it.
Today, some of my staff and I walked door-to-door in our local neighborhoods and dropped off flyers that said, “Help us to help those in need this holiday season. Leave a bag of non-perishable food on your porch and we’ll pick it up on Sunday by noon.”
During my walk, I had four encounters.
One was with a neighbor who swung the main door open not even two seconds after I closed the flyer into the screen door. He looked at me as if assessing the threat level, saw the flyer in the door, read it, nodded, and then just as quickly closed the door.
The second was with a Ring doorbell. After I closed the flyer into the door, it announced over its speaker, “YOU ARE ACTIVELY BEING RECORDED.” Kind of creepy… but I guess it wasn’t news.
The third was with two gentlemen who were sawing wood in their backyard. I walked up, smile on my face, and told them about the food drive. One didn’t acknowledge my existence at all. The other said “Okay” and pressed sharply on the buzz saw into the wood. I didn’t give them a flyer.
The final was at a house that had a car in front with two of its doors open. Just as I turned the corner of the house after leaving a flyer, I heard a voice yell, “HEY! HEY!! OYE!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” To which I calmly turned around, smiled, and told him. He was quite relieved.
I share this because, sheesh, maybe we need to go door-to-door MORE… for non-political/religious/salesy/sketchy reasons… and change the perception. Seeing a neighbor should lead to warmth… not closed fisted cold.
While running the Turkey Trot this morning (an 8k run in Buffalo to support the YMCA), I happened to pass two kids in conversation right as we were all passing the one mile marker.
“One mile down!” The maybe-eight-year-old kid said to his friend.
“One mile done already?!” The maybe-seven-year-old kid said in response.
“Pfffft! That was easy!” He continued.
“Oh yeah it was!” The maybe-eight-year-old shouted assuringly.
And then half a beat passed where neither of them said anything.
To which the maybe-seven-year-old said:
“Do you want to… like… walk for a little bit?”
“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.” The maybe-eight-year-old said quickly as he released the effort from his trot.
“Yeah, we’ll like run for a mile, then walk for a bit, then….” The maybe seven-year-old was saying as the rest of their conversation faded into the background while I continued my run.
And while I found it to be a hilarious exchange between two young boys who were undoubtedly still exploring what their capabilities and limits were… I also found it to be inspiring.
Here they were… running together in an 8k… at maybe-seven and maybe-eight-years-old… trying to push each other and keep a positive mindset… while also being mindful of their state along the way…
I don’t know if they finished the run.
But, one thing I know for sure: They won by being there.
An attitude of gratitude is something earned—not given.
Too many people wake up and submit to whatever mood their mind just so happens to be in and lazily and hastily deploy from that headspace for the entire rest of their day.
And what a waste on precious moments this can be.
Mindset investment, especially first thing in the morning, is one of the most crucial investments in your day.
Think about it.
Bad mood x All of the moments of your day = A ton of counterproductive, close-minded, lost opportunity minutes.
But, Bad mood x 20 Minutes of mindset investment = Better mood (maybe not great mood, but better for sure). And Better mood x All of the moments of your day = many more productive, open-minded, gained opportunity minutes.
See, you have to change your mind about not having 20 minutes in the morning for your mind.
When every other moment of your day depends on the mood / perception of your mind, you have to make up your mind that you can’t not have 20 minutes in the morning for your mind.
The entire rest of your day depends on it.
P.s. Looking for mindset investment mood boosters? Here’s a great exercise; a great picture; a great story; a great daily mental-primer, and a great list.
Things you’re never “done” with:
…So stop tricking yourself into thinking that after you’ve:
…That you’re “done.”
No.
You’re *always* just beginning.