Month: February 2018

Reach Out First

Wherever you are in life, whatever your goals are, waiting for a something to happen is a surefire way its never going to come.

Dreams and opportunity work a lot like ordering a pizza — if you don’t call it in and order it, it’s not going to be delivered to you. And they aren’t delivered for free — you have to pay for them in with something (time, energy, sanity etc).

(What a cheesy line josh 🙂

There is no limit to the amount of opportunity that surrounds you. But it’s not going to show up with breadsticks and ranch sauce without you seeking it out.

You have to reach out first.

Ask for help. Work on your art. Practice your pursuits everyday. Learn to be great at what you love to do. Time is just an incubator for your greatest success. Failures become lessons. Priorities reveal themselves.

Complacency is letting life happen at us. Renaissance is relentlessly pursuing life, 110 percent.

Stay BOLD, Keep Pursuing,

— Josh Waggoner

IG: @Renaissance.Life

https://forms.convertkit.com/273691?v=6

Gear Doesn’t Make The Artist

You don’t need the latest and greatest gear to become an exceptional creative.

A $3000 guitar will certainly sound better than a $50 one you bought at Walmart, but buying I­t­ won’t make you a better guitarist. 

An $8000 Leica camera over a beat up iPhone 6 won’t make you the next Chase Jarvis if you don’t even know the fundamentals of photography.

Equipment is expensive (especially if you are like me and want to learn EVERYTHING) and I­t­ adds up. And don’t forget about the lifestyle that is attached to each item. The maintenance, the accessories, and other costs to entry. While I️ love a shiny new instrument as much as the next Shmoesph, I️ don’t need I­t­ to play brilliantly. The equipment doesn’t make the creative. A well-made instrument will enhance the creator’s ability, however, it’s still a reflection of their hard work and time they’ve put in.

To be a better creator, we must hone and practice our passions. Over and over again, until they­ become instinct. 

Focus on what you have, instead of what you don’t.
Work with what you can afford right now, versus waiting to express your creativity when riches fall from the sky into your bosoms.

Be the person who sets the stage on fire with a crappy beat up instrument rather than a ten thousand dollar one with no skills to back up the luxury.

Essentially, what I’m saying is 

Don’t let your gear be better than you are.

Own your beat up gear with pride. And don’t let lack of resources stop you from pursuing your art. Get creative, find ways around it. Make lack of resources a part of your art form.

As long as I­t­ works, you’ve got what you need. In the meantime, hone your passion and save up for something beautiful and elegant, worthy of all your hard work.

Stay BOLD, Keep Pursuing
— Josh Waggoner

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We Are in the People Business.

People are your business.

No matter what type of business, brand, product or passion you’re selling, people are your business. Focus on the individuals, not the follow count. Every ideal customer client or follower are real people with real problems and passions. When they become only a number to you — to further yourself — you’ve lost the reason why you do what you do, and the ability to create true impact.

100k followers on your social network of choice means nothing.

But 100k individuals seeking expertise or your personal story means everything.

It’s funny how a few words and a little shift in perspective changes your entire way of thinking. The hard part is being 100% honest with yourself: Are you just looking for numbers instead of seeking to teach and help others? Then maybe that’s the reason why you’re not getting anywhere. But when you focus on helping others with real problems their facing, then the rest will take care of itself. Mastery, wealth, influence, meaning… these are a by-product of putting people first.

Stay BOLD, Keep Pursuing,

— Josh Waggoner

Follow on IG @Renaissance.Life

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related insights

“Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.” — Les Brown

“Help others and give something back. I guarantee you will discover that while public service improves the lives and the world around you, its greatest reward is the enrichment and new meaning it will bring your own life.” — Arnold Schwarzenegger

“It’s also selfish because it makes you feel good when you help others. I’ve been helped by acts of kindness from strangers. That’s why we’re here, after all, to help others.” — Carol Burnett

Renaissance Life Podcast Episode 11: A Year of Saying Yes, Mental Health, Improv and more with Ludine Pierre

https://fireside.fm/s/hyseF2GX+W2nmEAXa/iframe

I had a wonderful time sitting down and having a conversation with @ludineashley on the latest episode of the Renaissance Life Podcast! Ludine is strong, courageous and eloquent, and worthy of the title “Renaissance Woman” If you’re interested in passion, saying yes and no, improv, mental health, therapy and more, check out this episode on iTunes or your podcast player of choice

If you have a moment, it would mean the world to me to subscribe to Renaissance Life and leave a review on iTunes.

Stay Bold, Keep Pursuing,

— Josh Waggoner

Follow @Renaissance.Life

Self Self-Help

Why do we read self-help books? What are we seeking?

We want something to change, something to be different, better than it is now.

But most self-help books are glorified fluff pieces (I know, I’ve read like all the books them) they make you feel good but don’t lead you to change anything.

You read one then you’re onto the next.

The problem is change is tough. It takes work to lose weight, to start a business, to run a marathon, to get off the couch and do something, anything.

So what’s a self-helper to do?

Make the downsides of not taking action worse than changing. 

What’s worse?

Getting up off the couch and going for a run weekly, sweating yourself to fit, or looking back on your life on the couch with regret.

Traveling, figuring things out as you go, or never leaving your hometown even though you dream of traveling the world.

Changing, despite the fear, embarrassment, and possibility of failure, or feeling stuck and staying the same.

Always let the cost of inaction be greater than the potential cost of action.

Stay BOLD, Keep Pursuing,

— Josh Waggoner 

Beginner’s Friction

Have you ever felt the desire to do something but haven’t worked up the courage yet?

I have.

A hundred excuses pop into your head, telling you why you shouldn’t or can’t.
For example, maybe you have an idea for a book. You think about it often, you might even talk about it, but there it sits — only in your head. I’m not a good enough writer yet. I don’t know enough yet. I don’t have enough life stories. I don’t have a platform. I would if I have more time…

Excuse after excuse runs in your head until it creates a knot in your stomach. And the further time moves away from the idea, the more impossible it seems to try. And tell the wrong person, and they’ll give you a hundred more excuses too.

It’s time to let go of thinking you’re not good enough.

You are good enough to start right now. You know what happens when you write a bad book? Nothing. Maybe you get some bad reviews on Amazon, but nothing can stop you from picking up that keyboard or pen and paper and writing a better one.

I think it’s easy for us to fall into the belief that our first try needs to be perfect. look at anyone starting out in ANY industry their first piece of work is hilarious bad. But that doesn’t invalidate them, in fact, it makes me like them more. It shows me there just like me, and with a little time, attention and elbow grease I can do it too.

The crazy dreamers who keep going through the failure and suck are the ones you rise up to the top eventually.

We’ve only got one life to live on this earth, are you going to spend it wishing you would be and do more or showing yourself that you can.

Show yourself you can.

Stay B O L D, Keep Pursuing,

— Josh Waggoner

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Related Insights

“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” — Zig Ziglar

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” — Harriet Tubman

“Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” —  Lao Tzu

Break The Pattern

Patterns, Routines, Habits… Call it what you want, there are systems in our lives that we live out as we go about our day. Some patterns are good and lead us to where we want to go — happier, healthier, more financially free, more creative etc. Some patterns are bad and keep us stuck reliving our past or keep our car barreling towards a cliff.

These systems are ingrained in our mental makeup. It’s hard for people to quit smoking because they like it. They know its probably killing them (or at least ruining their teeth) but they do it anyway because it feels good, and that feeling outweighs the long-term side effects. It’s much easier to ignore problems when there’s an eventual-maybe-not-right-now major downside sometime in the near future. (My pithiness is on point tonight! :P) 

And smoking is just one, easy go-to example. There are a lot of other patterns that we may be doing that are holding us back and we don’t even know it yet.

The question is, how can we break the bad patterns?

Start with developing your self-awareness.
It’s hard to change things when you don’t know if you’re doing something detrimental to yourself and your goals. And if you don’t know what is bad vs. good for you, start with asking yourself who you want to be.

Who do you want to be in 6 months? What positive traits, habits, and lifestyles do you want to create?

For me, I want to increase my confidence, energy (or liveliness!), boldness, risk aversion, and ability to enjoy challenges (despite fear, failure or embarrassments that may occur). I want to work less and smarter while making more money to spend on learning and creating. I want to master finances and know where every penny goes. I want to prep food, while still eating as healthy as possible, and earn my way to zero debt.

Change Your Mental State

Positive mindsets and perspectives lead to positive outcomes. I’ve yet to meet anyone who was incredibly self-defeating and incredibly lucky at the same time. I don’t know if Luck with a capital L is a real thing, but I do know that the more you push positive thoughts towards yourself, the more capable you will become. And the more capable you are, the luckier you’ll be.

Affirmations is a fantastically silly way to start. Silly, because it sounds very woo-woo, born on a full moon kind of outlook. Fantastic because it works. A great primer on the positive benefits of affirmations is the book Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It by Naval Ravikant. Think of a phrase you want to be more of and repeat it over and over in your head. Write it down in the morning and the evening. Embody the phrase. Feel it in your moon bones. 
“I am confident. I am confident…”
“I will enjoy challenges. I will enjoy challenges…”

Change Your Physical State

Are you hangry? When’s the last time you ate something good for you?
Are you thirsty? How much water have you had today?
Are you tired/anxious/achy? Move your body!

Change your physical state can dramatically increase your mood and mental state. Our physical state directly affects how you think. If your life and work are stressing you out, your not going to be in the best state to do positive habits, or work on your dreams. Sometimes, a few rounds of pushups and a nice walk outside is all we need to increase our happiness. Do some burpees, dance like no one is watching, splash some cold water in the face — do what you need to do to break the bad patterns.

Our path in life is determined by the patterns we choose (or let happen to us). Anxious daily habits create an anxious life. We don’t get fat by eating one fry 🍟, we get fat by eating one fry mindlessly every day. Once you realize that you are on your way to a better you.

Stay BOLD, Keep Pursuing,

— Josh Waggoner

IG: @Renaissance.Life

https://forms.convertkit.com/273691?v=6

Related Insights

Book: Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It

“Change your thoughts and you change your world.” — Norman Vincent Peale

“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” — George Bernard Shaw

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” — Mahatma Gandhi

Past vs. Present vs. Future Self

Don’t compare your current performance to your past performance.

Trying to get back to your glory days is not going to motivate you to be who you want to be, rather a reminder and perhaps even burden of what you were. 

We know this intuitively, but it’s difficult to practice.

Aim for a better performance with your current self.

To do so, focus on what traits matter to you, energy, care, intention, connections, quality, and then break them down into actionable steps in your daily life.

Stay BOLD, Keep Pursuing,

— Josh Waggoner

IG: @Renaissance.Life

https://forms.convertkit.com/273691?v=6

Related Insights

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” — Buddha

“The power for creating a better future is contained in the present moment: You create a good future by creating a good present.” — Eckhart Tolle

“If we open a quarrel between past and present, we shall find that we have lost the future.” — Winston Churchill

Ideas Die

Ideas die on the vine unless you pick them when they are ripe.

“Ideas die…”

Every idea that we latch onto has an expiration date for us. We have the opportunity to take a bite (pun intentional) and execute the idea, or not. The longer we wait, the hard it gets to take a leap and start. The health of an idea doesn’t mean it’s gone forever, it just means you weren’t the one to choose it. Ideas are abundant, there’s always other ideas that will come, variations and amalgamations of where we are, what’s happening around us and in our culture and who we are in this present moment.

“Ideas die on the vine…”

If there is one idea growing, we can assume there are more ideas growing. There are a lot of potential ideas out there, and it’s hard to choose the right one. Some are ripe, ready to be chosen. Some are great ideas, some… not so much. Some still need some time in the sun. In the end, there is no perfectly picked idea, only intuition, and passion to make it happen.

You could choose more than one idea, many in fact, but the more you choose, the less time you will be able to enjoy on each one. There’s a limit to how many you can eat, and too many ideas on your plate at once will only result in waste. 

“Ideas die on the vine unless you pick them…”

Maybe the idea is not a good fit for you, or maybe your allergic to it. Just because you have an idea, doesn’t mean you should be the one to do it. Some ideas are meant for other people, and some are meant for us.  But when you do pick an idea, you must go after it will all of your being. 

“Ideas die on the vine unless you pick them when they are ripe.”

Timing is everything. Knowing when an idea is ready is part luck, part intuition, and part self-awareness. The only way to really know is to try, and see what you can make with it. Some jumped on the internet too early. Some jumped on and made millions. 

You can never be 100% that an idea is the perfect time, perfect for you, perfect for the world, but that’s what makes creativity and entrepreneurship exciting. If everyone was always right, everyone would always be boring.  Failure, embarrassment, fear, worry, pain… the hard emotions and loses that it takes to achieve something bigger than yourself make the wins even more thrilling and electric than the win themselves. 

Stay BOLD, Keep Pursuing,

— Josh Waggoner

IG: @Renaissance.Life

https://forms.convertkit.com/273691?v=6

Related Insights

“You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.” — Shirley Chisholm

“Ideas are cheap. Ideas are easy. Ideas are common. Everybody has ideas. Ideas are highly, highly overvalued. Execution is all that matters.” — Casey Neistat

“Sometimes ideas are coming so fast that I have to stop doing one song to get another. But I don’t forget the first one. If it works, it will always be there. It’s like the truth: it will find you and lift you up. And if it ain’t right, it will dissolve like sand on the beach.” — Prince