By Lisa D. Jenkins
I wasnÂt here last week. I know I promised more about visual content but something else has been wandering through my brain, and itÂs taken me a bit by surprise. Because the connection is so weird.
Two months ago, I agreed to give CrossFit a 3 month try because The Husband, who loves CrossFit, has graciously embraced so many things I love – live Shakespeare, my quirky clothing choices, BBC television, wine, the crazy things I do to support the causes I believe in … heÂs quite the sport.
So on April 1, off to Arbor CrossFit I went with the goal of participating twice a week. In 2 months, IÂve been a total 4 times and hereÂs why: I refused to scale the workouts and I paid for it in over-exertion and injuries that equated to lost time. ItÂs entirely my fault.
IÂm still not certain the workouts are for me, but IÂll tell you this: the culture at Arbor CrossFit has me committed to doing a full 3 months. Every person in that box is supportive, inclusive and helpful. They help everyone scale, because they want everyone to succeed. If your ego just wonÂt listen
It occurred to me that I recognized something in this – and there was Liz Strauss whispering to my brain, ÂSurround yourself with people who wonÂt let you fail.Â
If youÂre in business, you canÂt afford not to have a group of people like this. They canÂt, wonÂt and shouldnÂt do the work for you, but they can help you form an achievable plan and make the right choices. TheyÂll tell you when the load might be too big. TheyÂll help you figure out how to scale until you can carry that load. TheyÂll nudge you when you need to step into something bigger. I have that and itÂs invaluable.
If youÂre like me, the thought of blogging is rough. And when you read that Âeveryone says you should be writing on your blog every day, you get worried. Worried to the point that you never write a word, even if you have something valuable to say, because the thought of failing to publish regularly is paralyzing.
ÂEveryone is wrong. In case you donÂt have someone in your corner yet, IÂm taking today to invite you to join me in scaling the weight of content delivery to something thatÂs manageable for you, so you can get started or re-start.
Try this: write a single post. How long did that take you, from start to finish? I mean to the point where itÂs fully polished, proofed and publishable – because grammar and punctuation matter just as much as the image you include. Think about how often you can take that much time to write. Is it once a day? Bully for you! Is it once a week? Also amazing. If itÂs twice a month, IÂm right here cheering you loud and proud because thatÂs what you can commit to. DonÂt take on a commitment you canÂt fill. Publish a few articles consistently and over time youÂll know when youÂre ready to bump up the blog delivery.
And if actual writing isnÂt your thing? Find another way to tell others about what you do. Share how-toÂs on SlideShare, replace long text reports with infographics that share key data findings, and if talking is easier for you, record podcasts instead of publishing articles. Communication isnÂt a cookie-cutter proposition – modify the tools youÂre comfortable with to deliver your message. (This by the way is a helpful bit of advice I received from my own core group – #Table2!)
I canÂt tell you how I got from CrossFit to content – my brain is a weird and mostly wonderful place like that. But I can tell you this: I didnÂt name my own sadly neglected blog the Occasional and Erratic Blog for nothing. IÂm afraid to commit to writing. Publishing here twice a month is a serious stretch for me.
Now itÂs your turn. Will scaling help you publish something online more often? Ready to commit? Tell me what youÂre aiming for and every time you hit publish, come back here and share the link. IÂll check it out and give you a virtual high-five, a clap of the hands or anything reasonable you request. LetÂs do this!
Photo Credit: Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson via Compfight cc
