We spend so much time thinking about where we want to go, that perhaps, occassionally, it may be a good thing to reflect on how far we’ve come. Reflecting on past success has been shown to increase motivation and belief.
Based on that idea, and Seth Godin’s article on the same topic, I’ve decided to make my own.
1. In college, I helped wrote and MC’d the delivery of several ‘rag sheets’ — about 10 – 15 pages worth of jokes about everyone in our fraternity (including myself). The work was long but fun and most of the feedback was very positive.
2. I’ve written and delivered over 15 speeches at weddings and parties. Mostly to great feedback.
3. If a close friend gets married, instead of a regular gift, I tend to write a long and highly specific reflection piece on what they’ve meant to me. The pieces average several thousand words and can take weeks to produce. I’ve been told by some that the letter was the best gift they received.
4. At work, not feeling that one of my collegeagues, Magnus, was getting the recognition he deserved, I created a new company award for him. I then organized an event in which to deliver it, and had the people closest to him speak on why he was such a great colleague, friend and mentor. People were in tears, including Magnus.
5. I’ve created a personal blog and consistently published for nearly three years. I’ve published 49 posts. Most posts are heavily researched and average several thousand words.
6. I officiated my sister’s wedding. Something that took months of preparation. I wrote a detailed how-to blog about it so others had a map.
7. I completed the AltMBA workshop and published a ‘notes and application for business professionals’ sheet on my blog. I also presented my theory on health and nutrition to the AltMBA Alum.
8. I created a network and monthly meeting for young artists in Los Angeles. We meet monthly and discuss ‘what’s hard’ about what we do.
9. I’ve written, recorded, edited and shipped several videos, having no prior experience.
10. I’ve researched and created several business prototypes. None of which have been tecnhically shipped but important and significant shipping-like steps were taken.
11. At Vector Media, I have presented on, negotiated, drafted and shipped many projects that have been valued in the millions of dollars.
Not a bad start, but, of course, it’s an infinite game.
What have you shipped in the last 10 years?
Happy Shipping.
