1). Remove the headphones.
2). Pause.
3). Look at what’s in-between your starting and finishing lines.
4). Do more with less.
5). Ask more and better questions.
6). Close your inbox.
7). Put your phone in a drawer.
8). Fast from non essentials.
9). Pray for awareness.
10).
(Whatever you gather from #’s 1-9 will allow you to fill in #10)
Few things hurt like we thought they would.
The speech you were dreading to give. The infamous flu shot. The 15 year mortgage. Pausing for breakfast. And maybe the most avoided of all, vulnerability.
It’s those things we didn’t see coming in our peripheral that bear the most pain.
Awareness, we need you.
In business, find customers.
In relationships, find connection.
In life, find your music.
Just how bright can you make today?
Quite bright if you’re purposeful. You do this by being full of purpose.
Just how radiant can you find today?
Very radiant if you look for what’s wonderful. You get full of wonder when you fill yourself with wonder.
How much illumination can you pull from today?
An endless amount when you’re willing to be meaningful in your moments. We are all metaphors. What shadow do you cast?
Celebrating Possibility > Succumbing to the Unknown.
Alas, full days lead to full lives and even brighter futures.
Chaplin.
Sinatra.
Crosby.
Picasso.
Timberlake.
Jobs.
Gates.
Buffet.
Bloomberg.
Wynn.
Now let’s leave fame, because the brand is there long before any name recognition is realized.
Dad.
Mom.
Friend.
And what about you?
Branding is about ora…it’s about what lingers even when you’re not present. Branding is what is held in the reflection of one’s memory.
If it’s not on your resume, consider it branding. Because you can’t do branding. You simply live in a way that gives out an energy, taste, vibe, or experience that in the end is the brand.
Day in build, polish, mold, test, and discover what it means to be you and develop your brand. Day out, repeat.
It’s work to stand for something worth remarking on.
Let it be.
Ashton.Gustafson 