Trust30 for June 19th: http://ralphwaldoemerson.me/laura-kimball

My task was:

I once received a fortune cookie that read: “Speak less of your plans, you’ll get more done.” What’s one project that you’ve been sitting on and thinking about but haven’t made progress on? What’s stopping you? What would happen if you actually went for it and did it?

My answer:

What would happen is I would complete less of these Trust#30 writing challenges

A key to spontaneity?

http://www.craigvalentine.com/lift-your-speech-with-spontaneity/

Trust30 for June 18th: http://ralphwaldoemerson.me/dan-andrews

My task was:

Trusting intuition and making decisions based on it is the most important activity of the creative artist and entrepreneur. If you are facing (and fearing) a difficult life decision, ask yourself these three questions:

1) “What are the costs of inaction?” I find it can be helpful to fight fear with fear. Fears of acting are easily and immediately articulated by our “lizard brains” (thanks Seth) e.g. what if I fail? what if I look stupid? If you systematically and clearly list the main costs of inaction, they will generally overshadow your immediate fears.

2) “What kind of person do I want to be?” I’ve found this question to be extremely useful. I admire people who act bravely and decisively. I know the only way to join their ranks is to face decisions that scare me. By seeing my actions as a path to becoming something I admire, I am more likely to act and make the tough calls.

3) “In the event of failure, could I generate an alterative positive outcome?” Imagine yourself failing to an extreme. What could you learn or do in that situation to make it a positive experience? We are generally so committed to the results we seek at the outset of a task or project that we forget about all the incredible value and experience that comes from engaging the world proactively, learning, and improving our circumstances as we go along.

My answer:

Three great questions. The cost of inaction is a question I need to ask myself more often.

Trust30 for June 17th: http://ralphwaldoemerson.me/michael-rad

My task was:

Write down your top three dreams. Now write down what’s holding you back from them.

My answer:

1. Be creative
2. Ship
3. Have fun

Interesting article from gigaom on being a better listener, via LifeHacker.

Are you a poor listener? In the context of distributed teams, “listening” needn’t be restricted to an auditory process; it includes your ability to take in information through all communications channels.