Chopbiscuit

Five Things You Need To Stop Doing Now

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 11:07:00 -0400

5. Living Through Your Past

What has happened in the past is now in the past. You have learned, hopefully, from your mistakes and it’s time to move on. If you haven’t and still own that Hot Dog Food Truck, well, eventually you will find a buyer. Until you can let go of the past you cannot live in the present, plan for the future and grow as a person. Remember, your current life does not define who you are - your future does, unless you have a Delorean. If that’s the case, you know what happens when you hit 88 mph.

4. Comparing Yourself To Others

We often look around and see people who we assume are doing a lot better than we are and we don’t really notice those who are doing a lot worse. Granted, Leonardo DiCaprio probably lives a pretty cool life. But, thinking that having someone else’s life or someone else’s problems will make you happier than you make yourself in the now, you rob yourself of the chance to clear an amazing future for yourself. Some of the happiest people I’ve ever met have had the bare minimums and seemed to cherish every moment and interaction that’s presented to them. If you make it through your day without being attacked by a drone, you’re doing better than some.

3. Reading Self Help Books - Going To Self Help Seminars

This industry drives me absolutely crazy. If you’ve ever visited the self-help section at Amazon or your local bookshop, you know that there’s is a written remedy for every ailment you think you have in your life. These books supposedly will tell you the secrets to lasting fulfillment and joy, career fulfillment and how to stand out from the rest. If any of these books really did remedy and boost you into self-superstardom, wouldn’t they own the marketplace and crowd out all the competitive alternatives? Instead there’s thousands of these books, everywhere.

Self Help Seminars offer these same promises. Attend a three day class on how to “Kickstart your future” and you will leave knowing the secret to administering your inner superhero. Granted, most of the facilitators state that they’re just the conduit to bring out your inner strength, but I just don’t buy it. Stop depending on someone’s template to make you happy - you know what makes you happy and what drives you. Some stranger will only give you a little 3-day buzz and you will be right back where you started the following week.

2. Over Committing

Stop over-committing to everyone both professionally and personally. While saying “yes” can take you to some amazing places, there’s also a ton of value and common sense in saying “no.” Life is extremely limited; do you really want to give it away so easily? I’ve been personally guilty of this for most of my adult life. Saying no is refreshing, even if my wife disagrees.

1. Setting Goals For Everything In Your Life

I know many people that have a laundry list of goals. Everything they do, is based on achieving a goal. I’m not saying it’s bad to set goals, just don’t be consumed by them. Sometimes you just need to live and enjoy the moment even if it’s not leading up to achieving one of your goals.

Relax.

Meet Larry Hustle - Sr. Manager (Episode 1: Larry is a Tool)

Fri, 31 May 2013 10:39:00 -0400

Meet Larry Hustle. He’s a Senior Manager for a large public company. He enjoys a good breakfast at Shoney’s, spending time with his cat Ronny and watching UFC. He also enjoys watching Everybody Loves Raymond and loves the ladies. Larry has a good heart and a finely crafted goatee, which he covets. He shops at Kohls and is suspicious about the government.

In this episode, Larry figures he needs to get the heart rate up. He recently illegally downloaded P90X and has been trying to shed a few pounds. One of his work associates seems a bit perturbed by Larry’s new fitness movements at the office.

Coors Light = Puerto Rico Damn the American Light Lager...

Tue, 28 May 2013 10:55:12 -0400

Coors Light = Puerto Rico

Damn the American Light Lager business!

My Favorite Personal 'First World' Work Problems

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:35:00 -0400

In the world of business, we like to artificially inseminate an array of problems into our lives. Whether your cloud folder won’t open, or your wireless signal is weak - you have it face it, we’re sometimes a bit juvenile about what are REAL problems and what’s a simple annoyance. I’m guilty of this plenty, so I’ve composed a list of my First World Work Problems.

We have white people problems in America. That’s what we have. We have white people problems. You know what that is? That’s where your life is so amazing, so you just make shit up to be upset about………Louis CK

Still having to pay for WiFi.

I know it sucks right. WiFi should just be free and everywhere. When I’m on he road for business, it infuriates me that some people still charge for WiFi.

Then, I stop and realize - Hey, I’m pretty happy I’m not dying of cancer.

Why does my employer force me into using Internet Explorer?

I’m sure you can understand this pain associated with this. With updated browser services like Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari - I’m forced into using this archaic, defunct browser model.

Then, I stop and realize - Hey, I’m drinking a $7.00 craft beer. Things aren’t that bad.

So, my rental car doesn’t have Sirius/XM?

For me, this is often rock bottom. The idea of having to seek through celestial radio is inhumane. It’s 2013, every rental car, including the HHR should have satellite radio.

Then, I stop and realize - I’ve never been shot at. That’s pretty cool.

The jazz music playing in this cafe is drowning out my ability to being able to remember the song I wanted to download on iTunes.

When will businesses understand that the backdrop of music, directly enables or disables ones ability to concentrate on things such as music downloads, reading Yelp reviews or tweeting.

Then, I stop and realize - I just boosted my smoothie with chia and hemp seed.

I’m appalled by the battery life on my PC

We’ve all been there before. You’re 3 hours in putting a presentation together and your battery life on your PC is completely drained. How could such a device only give you 3 hours of productivity, especially when you wanted to work from your couch all day catching up on Game Of Thrones episodes.

Then, I stop and realize - I’m not working in a mine shaft.

We’re going to that restaurant again, ugh? The duck I had there last week was a bit dry and they had a very limited selection of good reds.

You know those nights, where you want to taste some new options in the local culinary universe and a few co-workers frequent a spot that you’ve already been. The meats aren’t locally sourced and grass fed. The wine list is limited and you just need to get back to the W hotel and check email. The whole situation is unnerving.

Then, I stop an realize - I have two cars and filtered water to the exact hardness for perfect coffee.

Infographic Of The Week - The Robust French Press

Mon, 13 May 2013 12:35:00 -0400

I’m not a big French Press fan. I think it creates an unhealthy richness and chewy taste to any preferred roast. But, if you like the French - here’s a good graphic to show you the steps.

A Fresh Brew of Coffee infographic

Don't Be Exceptional - Be Average?

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:15:00 -0400

Throughout the years I’ve rarely excelled in anything. I was sequentially average in school, rarely making honors or winning any academia awards. I was consistently average in my athletic prowess, making a few All Star teams throughout my childhood. When I was younger, this used to bother me tremendously, but as I matured, I’ve come to acknowledge this was a blessing in disguise.

What I ultimately came to realize is that by never establishing unrealistic goals to any of my work or hobbies, you can actually get things done and be at ease by your finished project. Let’s face it, not all of us can be elite. Not all of us can keep climbing to the peak of glory and be the next Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg. I would never be able to defend Lebron James from going to the basket, no matter how much practice or effort I put into it. Some folks are just given a gift, or curse, depending how you look at it. For most people, it’s disappointing to be average, as many strongly believe most of us have an inherent desire to be the best at what we do. That makes sense, we’re constantly pushed to give it our best. Unfortunately, the standard bell curve says that 60-70% of us are in the middle of the pack. Therefore, most of us are probably average, or will encounter mediocrity at some point in our work and in our lives.

So, what I’m trying to say is that you should embrace this ordinariness because it will eventually open your life up to more possibilities. By not trying to be the best at everything I do, I’ve come to appreciate a multitude of things I would have normally missed.

So, what’s the upside of being average?

You’re able to do what you want to do

Lets be honest, you work to provide yourself the platform to live your life. With less time trying to be the top employee, you’re able to focus on your hobbies and life activities that truly make you happy. Some people love playing sports, others may love to travel, read and write. Without the immutable stress to perform at an extremely high level, you suddenly feel free and flexible to be open for new experiences.

Your relationship with your family and friends improve

There’s nothing more important than a deep, trusting relationship with your family and friends. Ultimately, this and your health trumps everything. Being exceptional and investing a tremendous amount of time and energy focused on work, will ultimately disrupt those bonds.

Nobody wants to take you out

As an average performer, you will never be the target of hostility, hatred, or jealousy. You don’t have to fear anybody stealing your thunder and taking your ideas because nobody generally cares. You’ll hardly ever be under a magnifying glass and that opens you up to new possibilities. Being a number 2, 3 or 4 guy or gal can be a great thing. Knowing that you never want to own the top position puts everything and everyone around you at ease.

You appreciate what you have

When you compete against high-performers, not all high performers will be rewarded which creates a tremendous amount of distaste if you are one of the failures. As an average performer, you no longer have those disappointments, therefore expectations are aligned and you go about your work and enjoy your Happy Hour on the porch.

Let me make a few things clear. You still can be a great performer and passionate individual and still be average. You have to remember that at the end of the day, it’s the experience you take home. All the experiences that life offers, gives you the ability enjoy what you currently have. Being average can leverage the simple things in life you often take for granted and keep you from focusing on being bigger, faster, stronger.

Five Things You Can Do Right Now, Or Not.

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:16:00 -0400

Hey there, it’s been a bit. I took a month or so off to calibrate my life in lieu of a potential event. That event never took place, so I calibrated my life for nothing. Now, I have two Ponies that I don’t know what to do with?

With the help of my faith, I will get through this.

I’m often asked when traveling, “what are five things you can do right now?” That’s a great question. In a hyper, micro world of trying to be extremely efficient - here are five things you can do right now, for the sake of just doing something…..right now.

*These are proven practices that I will speak about in a future blog post.

5. Don’t learn to play the guitar

This world has way too many people who can barely play the guitar. Instead, don’t learn to play the guitar. Sit there and try not to learn any chords. Get up, walk outside and throw an empty beer bottle in the sky.

4. Watch Cannonball Run

That’s it, just watch the movie. After it ends, you’re pretty much able to do whatever.

3. Eat something

The great thing about America is that we have plenty to eat. Eat something from your local farm, or a twinkie that has over 25 ingredients. Either or, you’ve ate something. Starting to get it right?

2. Practice round house kicks with your friends

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s practicing round house kicks boosts moral. It’s a lost art, practice on one of your relatives or a TSA agent.

1. Don’t do anything

I would say that doing things are overrated. Everyone is doing something - stand out and don’t do anything. Just hold still and maybe clap your hands every 30 minutes or so.

It’s this simple folks. Five proven things you can do right now.

Weird Nuts

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 10:15:40 -0500

For someone that has been in the industry for quite awhile, I’ve never really spent too many hours on a Nut Farm. Shame on me. It’s actually pretty incredible how nuts grow and become….Grown-Up Nuts.

For example, cashews are a tropical plant that produces an apple-like fruit and a nut that grows out of each fruit. The apple, which starts out yellow and becomes red when ripe, is edible and high in vitamin C, but it’s reportedly not that tasty. Also, most cashews are linked to the terrorism group Hezbollah. That’s a shame.

For a quick look at a variety of nuts and their relative growing locations, click here.

HOW TO BE MORE CREATIVE IN 2013

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:07:00 -0500

This past weekend I had the opportunity to sit back with a Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA and witness my Syracuse Orange basketball team get taken down by the evil Georgetown Hoyas. I had a zen moment. The problem with a Jim Boeheim coached team is that he’s very deliberate, non-innovative and standardized. Everytime you play Syracuse University, you know what to expect. Every, single time. So, I decided to make some changes.

After coming back to realization that my beloved Orange were in fact, defeated, I realized that this is going to be the year that I unleash my imaginative and demiurgic mind. So, I made a list of items that I’m going to hold myself to this year to ignite my innovative inner beast.

Here’s what I came up with.

7. Go Analog

Did you know that sales of LP records have quadrupled since 2007. It’s a powerful reminder that technology, convenience and accommodation isn’t the only thing people care about. Music, like video and telecommunications, barreled a digital/analog split long ago, and digital won because it’s cheaper, faster, and more convenient. But analog is still around and starting to gain bandwidth as we’re constantly bombarded with digital media. I’ve stopped perusing sites like Facebook, twitter and Stumbleupon for just cerebral amusement.I don’t pull my mobile out when I’m around people and stopped carrying it with me during off work hours. Constantly being connected kickstarted a creative drain in my brain that I’m now reversing, thanks to embracing the beauty and power of analog.

6. Make New Friends

For quite some time now, I’ve had the same group of friends. That’s not a bad thing. Most of my friends are guys and gals that I’ve known since elementary school. The problem, is as we get older we often become extremely comfortable in our surroundings and don’t embrace new people, experiences and opportunities. Over the past year I’ve met some pretty interesting people because I stopped being the ornery business traveler with my face down into my iphone looking at pictures of celebrity sideboobs. Put the phone away, say hello and be earnestly interested in making new friends. You never know, you could be sitting next to Bobcat Goldthwait and not even know it.

5. Listen And Watch Closely To How Young People (Gen Y’ers) Interact

You remember being young and having nobody listen to you right? That feeling of frustration when an elder subset of people feel that you don’t have the experience or wherewithal to make a substantial impact?

Well times have changed.

An entire generation of young people has access to something unprecedented in history: an elaborate and complete ecosystem of services provided by people their own age. When a startup business run by three recent college grads with mustaches can take on a century-old multinational legacy business, it transforms industries. These people know how leverage its enthusiastic peer group, and then grow to rule the world. This is one thing I’ve noticed most Boomers don’t understand and/or care about.

4. Learn A Trade

I’m a self prescribed Generalist. But, there’s nothing wrong with learning new skills and trades. You can prescribe it by saying you’re a “Specialized Generalist”. Having an array of special skill-sets can stage you for success when you’re given new projects at work or home.

3. Turn off your computer. Stand Up. Walk Outside. Run.

If you don’t think that burnin’ some good ole energy outside helps you get your creative juices flowing, you’re probably pretty narrow minded. If possible, I take a run every work day to get me back in the zone. Don’t check out and get disgruntled about “missing out” on something important during a run. The probability and likelihood of anything important happening during such a small time frame is slim to none. It’s actually important to enjoy the process of clearing your mind. Run through the woods, a beach, city blocks or up a mountain.

The benefits of running are well-chronicled. Multiple studies have shown that both habitual and one-time endurance activities can improve brain function. Basically, It makes us smarter. It clears our heads and helps us make better decisions. It helps me personally memorize lyrics to Hall and Oats easier. The great news, it also improves creative thinking, as supported by this study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (Steinberg, et. al., Br J Sports Med 1997;31:240-245 doi:10.1136/bjsm.31.3.240).

2. Close your inbox

This one is pretty self explanatory. Email doesn’t equal work. Work doesn’t equal email. If someone needs to get a hold of you, there’s this new device called the telephone. I’ve been opening my inbox once a day and replying to any pertinent requests. Email can be worse than Facebook, especially if Outlook introduced Farmville.

1. Break Tradition

Try to make everyday different. Eat, listen, act and dress differently. Get rid of tiresome rituals that have crept up on your throughout the years.
Making the next step of development meets a need to put aside traditional culture and experience. Cross-interacting promotes us to advance creatively and intellectually. Traditionally supported society, as usual, is a way of staying the same and missing a chance to change dramatically.

Screw your morning routine.

This proves my point that any plotted, elongated algebraic...

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 15:09:01 -0500

This proves my point that any plotted, elongated algebraic equation that has a drawn on mustache will ultimately prevail. It’s my fundamentally, sound thesis.

Photo

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 11:21:55 -0500

A Guide To Stealing an ATM From Hooters

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 12:00:11 -0500

These unfortunate souls apparently didn’t attend their How To Steal an ATM at Hooters class when they were in college at ITT Tech. So, let me show you the steps on how to Steal an ATM From Hooters. It’s actually quite simple.

Cover your face
Find a Hooters (*Use your google maps app)
Don’t steal Jukebox - very important
Steal ATM
Leave (Don’t stay and eat chicken wings)

*You can read the amazing article here.

"On this date in 1976, former Styx drummer John Stanozzo invented fish tacos on a tour bus outside of..."

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 18:19:59 -0500

“On this date in 1976, former Styx drummer John Stanozzo invented fish tacos on a tour bus outside of Jacksonville, FL.”

- Aol.com

Infographic Of The Week {What Exactly Is American Food?}

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 17:13:35 -0500

American Food Infographic infographic

The Slow, Agonizing Death Of Business Casual Dress

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:50:00 -0500

Oh, and remember: next Friday… is Hawaiian shirt day. So, you know, if you want to, go ahead and wear a Hawaiian shirt and jeans. (Bill Lumbergh - Office Space)

When I was a child my mom got dressed for work each morning in so called ‘professional’ clothing. When she came home from work, she changed out of her “work clothes” before we went out to partake in my school activities or run errands As I got older, and entered high school, I started working at a variety of jobs in retail that has a business casual approach. The only time we got a pass was there was a holiday or a “Jean’s Day” Friday. Professional image and dress was drilled into me before I even understood what it really meant. That was back in the early 90′s and by late 90′s more casual and informal styles were creeping into the office.

Today, that model is extinct. In this modern age of open source information, technology, and advanced knowledge, we are turning out some of the best and brightest young minds ever. We may look back in 100 years and say this was a renaissance of sorts. We have young people graduating from high school and college that can write elaborate programs for video games, start businesses in their local coffee shops and dorm rooms that make them millionaires before they are 20 years old. They bring new and innovative ideas into our organizations that help to make us leaders within our industries. (Well, maybe most)

And, the great news is they have no idea what it means to present themselves in a professional manner.

Lets take a moment and note that your image has a direct impact on your earning potential. It’s silly to say that Professional presence doesn’t help facilitate career advancement and financial success. Studies show to prove this over and over again. There are also recorded interviews where CEOs and Executives admit to having not promoted someone based on their lack of projecting a professional image. With that said, I would suggest that the old saying rings true “dress for the job you want, not the one that you have.”

For a moment, lets actually define what business casual is.

A collared shirt (button-down collar, “dress” shirt, polo) or sweater
Non-denim pants (Chinos or slacks)
Non-sneakers (loafers/boat shoes/oxfords, etc)

I’ll just go ahead and say this right now with full discretion: this is my companies dress code for day to day wear. For “Professional dress” days or meetings, we sometimes elevate the standard with a nice touch of pixy dust. (*I kid)

I’m going to play devils advocate for a second. Papers in college have a page requirement right? There is a standard to meet, and a standard to exceed. If we could change everything and eliminate “business casual” from the workplace, what would actually happen? Nobody knows.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do to change society at-large. Sure, as the current style and theme takes hold, the trends will start to filter its way down into all levels of business, affecting the available clothes in stores and then affecting the way we dress. But, by the time it reaches the masses, the style will have shifted and we will have moved on, even slightly.

The problem here is that Business Casual has evolved, and with it, so has the standards. New denims are now the “IT” Khakis. Fitted t-shirts, have moved into a formal world that was once held by the classic Polo. Sneakers and shoes have crossed over like the SUV and Minivan.

We’ve clearly moved from the formality of business wear (See “Mad Men”) to the super-hyper casual work environment of jeans and t-shirts. You see this happening in the tech world at a rapid pace. It’s hard to define and many people have tried. All I am saying is that business casual and professional work dress should be appropriate to your industry. Make it relevant and make it apropos to your demographic.

The Ultimate Not-To-Do List By Tim Ferriss

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 20:54:18 -0500

* I was sitting around roasting some coffee and planning what sport I was going to enter for the 2016 Summer Olympics and thought of composing a list of things, you shouldn’t do for work and your personal sanity. I then thought, let me scour the intertubes to see if there was already a list out there that was aligned with my current thoughts. Of course there was. Leave it to Tim Ferriss to compose any thoughts I’ve ever had in my head. That rat bastard.

So, here is Tim’s vaunted list. Anything you would add?

1. Do not answer calls from unrecognized phone numbers
Feel free to surprise others, but don’t be surprised. It just results in unwanted interruption and poor negotiating position. Let it go to voicemail, and consider using a service like GrandCentral (you can listen to people leaving voicemail) or Simulscribe (receive voicemails as e-mail).

2. Do not e-mail first thing in the morning or last thing at night
The former scrambles your priorities and plans for the day, and the latter just gives you insomnia. E-mail can wait until 10am, after you’ve completed at least one of your critical to-do items…

3. Do not agree to meetings or calls with no clear agenda or end time
If the desired outcome is defined clearly with a stated objective and agenda listing topics/questions to cover, no meeting or call should last more than 30 minutes. Request them in advance so you “can best prepare and make good use of the time together.”

4. Do not let people ramble
Forget “how’s it going?” when someone calls you. Stick with “what’s up?” or “I’m in the middle of getting something out, but what’s going on?” A big part of GTD is GTP — Getting To the Point.

5. Do not check e-mail constantly — “batch” and check at set times only
I belabor this point enough. Get off the cocaine pellet dispenser and focus on execution of your top to-do’s instead of responding to manufactured emergencies. Set up a strategic autoresponder and check twice or thrice daily.

6. Do not over-communicate with low-profit, high-maintenance customers
There is no sure path to success, but the surest path to failure is trying to please everyone. Do an 80/20 analysis of your customer base in two ways–which 20% are producing 80%+ of my profit, and which 20% are consuming 80%+ of my time? Then put the loudest and least productive on autopilot by citing a change in company policies. Send them an e-mail with new rules as bullet points: number of permissible phone calls, e-mail response time, minimum orders, etc. Offer to point them to another provider if they can’t conform to the new policies.

7. Do not work more to fix overwhelm — prioritize
If you don’t prioritize, everything seems urgent and important. If you define the single most important task for each day, almost nothing seems urgent or important. Oftentimes, it’s just a matter of letting little bad things happen (return a phone call late and apologize, pay a small late fee, lose an unreasonable customer, etc.) to get the big important things done. The answer to overwhelm is not spinning more plates — or doing more — it’s defining the few things that can really fundamentally change your business and life.

8. Do not carry a cellphone or Crackberry 24/7
Take at least one day off of digital leashes per week. Turn them off or, better still, leave them in the garage or in the car. I do this on at least Saturday, and I recommend you leave the phone at home if you go out for dinner. So what if you return a phone call an hour later or the next morning? As one reader put it to a miffed co-worker who worked 24/7 and expected the same: “I’m not the president of the US. No one should need me at 8pm at night. OK, you didn’t get a hold of me. But what bad happened?” The answer? Nothing.

9. Do not expect work to fill a void that non-work relationships and activities should
Work is not all of life. Your co-workers shouldn’t be your only friends. Schedule life and defend it just as you would an important business meeting. Never tell yourself “I’ll just get it done this weekend.” Review Parkinson’s Law in 4HWW and force yourself to cram within tight hours so your per-hour productivity doesn’t fall through the floor. Focus, get the critical few done, and get out. E-mailing all weekend is no way to spend the little time you have on this planet.
—

It’s hip to focus on getting things done, but it’s only possible once we remove the constant static and distraction. If you have trouble deciding what to do, just focus on not doing. Different means, same end.

Nic Cage is always around. Always.

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 11:00:17 -0500

Nic Cage is always around. Always.

It’s great to see that there’s been tremendous...

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 13:27:00 -0500

It’s great to see that there’s been tremendous growth here. Very notable results and prime, skillful elements of strategy that has steered some positive results. Tip your glass up to these same results in ‘14.

Tyler Durden's 8 Rules Of Innovation

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 11:34:00 -0500

Tyler Durden's 8 Rules Of Innovation

It’s 9:52am and I’m ready for a SUPERBURGER!

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 09:52:57 -0500

It’s 9:52am and I’m ready for a SUPERBURGER!