An Occasional Newsletter
Greetings Joysetters,
Notice the change in the subtitle from “Weekly” to “Occasional.” It will be almost a month since the last broadcast of The Journey Forward when I broadcast. I have to own that I cannot commit to putting this out weekly. I have been kidding myself.
The Drill Sergeant in me is screaming:
Knucklehead! You are copping out! Adapt and overcome! What the hell could be so hard about once a week. Get your priorities in order, soldier! You disgust me!
The compassionate empath in me is whispering:
It’s OK. You can only do so much. You have a lot on your plate right now. Don’t sweat it.
My true self, the determined realist, and Joysetter knows first and foremost – I have to own it. I must be clear on what I can commit to and execute as committed.
I am sure you have heard the saying – “underpromise and overdeliver” – I hate it! No sandbagging allowed! Whether it be business or personal, the impacts downstream can be significant.
What if I “promised” to deliver this newsletter weekly and then “over-delivered” by sending something daily? The content would most likely be crap (as if it already isn’t) and you would go straight to the unsubscribe button.
Own it and be clear on your commitment.
Promise what you can execute. Execute as promised.
~Michael Gusky
Will you occasionally overdeliver? Sure, sometimes things go smoother than expected.
Will, you occasionally miss the mark? You better believe it. We live in a VUCA world. $hit is going to happen. Learn from it, mitigate future occurrences if possible and move on.
Can you guess what my “Leave” will be this week? 🙂
Leave who you were. Love who you are. Look Forward to who you will become.
The past no longer exists. It is over. Enjoy the successes. Learn from mistakes. Plan the next steps of your journey. Here is my Leave, Love, Look Forward for the week:
Leave
I am leaving my failure to post this newsletter weekly and owning that it will probably not happen right now. I will let my internal Drill Sergeant push me to get to a weekly cadence at some point while letting the internal empath keep me balanced when it doesn’t happen. There are several conflicting priorities I need to manage right now. Unfortunately, getting this newsletter out weekly isn’t as important or time-sensitive as other items on the list.
Love
I am loving my new website. Many thanks to Diana Simpson for all her help in designing and her future help managing it. One of the balances I have always struggled managing is constantly trying to be the do-it-yourself guy. I could have never put the site together so elegantly, and it would have taken me months while also adding to an already overflowing to-do list. I highly recommend Diana for your website needs.
Look Forward
I look forward to adding content to the new site and connecting through this community. I am starting by moving some of the existing content from my original blog while also building new posts that are swimming in my head. I would love to hear from you! What is swimming in your head? What should we talk about? How can we help each other learn and grow? Comment below or email me at gus@michaelwgusky.com
What’s your Leave, Love, Look Forward for the week?
This Week’s Quote
“Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them”
~Albert Einstein
Read, Reading, Up Next
One of my greatest joys is reading and sharing great books. As a subscriber to this newsletter, you will always be entered in my drawings to win a copy of whatever I am currently reading, sometimes signed by the author when I can make that happen. Here is what I just read, am currently reading, and what is on deck to read next.
Read
Cultivate: The Power of Winning Relationships by Morag Barrett
In my last broadcast, I was struggling to complete this book. Admittedly, part of my resistance was the rebel in me who doesn’t like being told what to read and this was required reading for an upcoming staff meeting. I did eventually warm up to the book. It provoked me to think about how I would classify my peers. Are they supporters, allies, rivals, or adversaries? My rankings across my peer group are most likely the same as most. Close to a bell curve including a few select allies, many supporters, and then a few that slip in and out of the rival ranking. I don’t believe I have any true “adversaries.” At least I hope not. The book provides good insights on how to both classify your relationships and then work to cultivate them to build as many of them as possible into or close to the “Ally” bucket. I agree with putting effort into cultivating your work relationships to be “close to” the Ally bucket. I have difficulty justifying too much time in an effort to get everyone into that bucket. You often have conflicting agendas and personalities that will make that last step very difficult and not necessarily worth the effort. I gave the book 4/5 stars on GoodReads. That missing last star is probably still because it was required reading. 🙂 Morag, the author, facilitated our meeting and I give her a strong 5/5 for her talent to drive the conversation and keep the meeting on track.
Reading
The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller, Jay Papasan
I am struggling with priorities and too many #1’s, so I have decided to read this book again. I am hoping it will reinspire and help me prioritize to my One Thing. More to come.
Up Next
I am honestly not sure. I may reread a prior favorite or search for my next favorite. I could probably use a little fiction to engage my imagination vs. my standard non-fiction business/self-help reads. I let you know as soon as I know.
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Wishing you health, happiness, and prosperity,
Michael W Gusky II
Author of Joysetting. Curator of great books, ideas, & tools.