The Secret Trick to Confidence: A Good Pair of Heels, Yoga and Billy Joel

By definition from the Miriam-Webster dictionary confidence sounds like a great word, but what is it? How does one achieve confidence and continue to be confident in their job search or their career?

These are questions I asked myself for a very long time. Confidence, to gain confidence and to continue to be confident takes time, patience and practice.

¹con·fi·dence

noun \ˈkän-fə-dən(t)s, -ˌden(t)s\

: a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something

: a feeling or belief that someone or something is good or has the ability to succeed at something

: the feeling of being certain that something will happen or that something is true

It's Still Rock and Roll to Me

I was inspired on August 7, 2014. Not only was I in the audience of a sold out concert of a legend, but my wheels were turning and I knew I had to blog about it. The concert I am talking about is Billy Joel. The evening started off with Gavin DeGraw opening for Billy and getting the audience pumped up. It might have been the vibe of the audience or the music in general, but Gavin DeGraw spoke about an experience he had that I left the show saying to myself, WOW he has confidence! Gavin spoke about being a young kid, early teen years seeing Billy Joel for the first time and after the show telling his father that he wants to be like Billy Joel one day. His father’s response was spot on and his father said, you will be some day. Now years later Gavin is sharing this story as he himself is cheering on the legend from backstage.

Then, Billy came on, and throughout the show he said 3-4 times "THIS IS THE BEST JOB" while hitting a few piano keys, but for Billy Joel you can tell his career is more than a job, it is a passion he has and continues to share with the world and what got him to where he is today….confidence!

How do you gain confidence? And how does Billy Joel and Gavin DeGraw fit into this post. Well, they can be looked at as roles models, mentors and well they both are successful in their own ways and they got to where they are with confidence- it is a given that a musicians life isn’t that glamorous and they have struggled just like the rest of us but they both have kept their confidence and to hear Billy Joel say several times I LOVE MY JOB, it made me want to scream it back at him.

A VERY girly comment.. but it's what works...

My confidence starts with a pair of heels and a great pair of earrings. Sounds silly when I think about it, but I have these heels that when I put them on I feel unstoppable. My earrings are my accessory, I love earrings and when I look in the mirror and admire the set I am wearing that day I know I can take on the world. I recently read an article on Forbes.com about Increasing Your Confidence. The article listed 4 great insights on how to be your confident self every day, such as:

Prepare Early, Deeply and Often- the more you prepare yourself for any task the more confident you are.

Commit to Continual Skills Development – always look for new ways to learn new skills and gain new knowledge, the world is evolving, evolve with it.

Mentally Rehearse Being Confident Daily – give yourself positive reinforcement daily, you’ll see a change in your confidence in just 1 week.

Stay Fit – staying fit helps you feel confident both mentally and physically.

Just a little sweat

"The truth is, life is our canvas – so we must make living our art. And this is our journey and our journey alone. It is our path and no-one else’s and as such we must have the confidence to embrace the experiences that shape us and faith in a plan fit for just the right purpose; ours."

-Katherine Smith

Staying fit was a great take away for me as I am lover of hot yoga and exercise in general. My journey into hot yoga began in January when I joined a worldwide community of girls and women of all ages who wanted to create a healthy lifestyle for themselves. This journey is Tone It Up. Since I started my change to a healthier lifestyle I have spoken with, been motivated by and inspired to workout daily and try to new things. My new thing became hot yoga and every class I continue to learn something new. The relaxation, the learning how to control your breath and the accomplishment plus a little sweat.. well a lot of sweat by the end of the class gives me that extra boost of confidence to be the best I can be. Yoga allows me to break out of my comfort zone, create a space around me that clears my mind of all stress and what the day entailed and just to start new. It allows me to be confident within and I know it shows without. Check out a great article about yoga and confidence here.

• Let’s continue this discussion on confidence as we all can learn from each other.

What gives you confidence?

See What Sticks: Recovering from Perfectionism

Hi everyone, Amma Marfo here. Two quick things about me that you’ll need to know before we begin: (1) I am a reader. I am a library-loving, constant tome-carrying, unapologetic bibliophile. (2) If there’s anyone you will meet who can connect what she’s reading to the world around her, it’s me. As such, I want to dedicate my time in this space to sharing with you what I’m reading, and how it could inform a budding professional’s daily life.

Starting this post with yet another confession shouted out into the void: I am a recovering perfectionist. It's easy to see how we come to the notion that perfection is the only acceptable option; we're graded for sixteen years of our lives with the goal of getting 100%, we wear braces to fix the flaws in our smiles, and are bombarded with images of what we could be doing better. I bought into that for a long time (and, as the title implies, still do at times). But a few years back, I took a long hard look at the life I was leading because of it; it was a stress-riddled, anxiety-driven, hard to enjoy mess. So when I read Elizabeth Grace Saunders' "Letting Go of Perfectionism," an essay from 99U's Manage Your Day to Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus & Sharpen Your Creative Mind, it sang to me a little louder than several of the essays around it.

She defines perfectionism in her piece, but I'd prefer to share the work conditions under which a perfectionist works with you; if this sounds like you, you may want to consider reading on:

From a perfectionist's point of view, if you manage to force yourself into producing at the level you envisioned in your head, you feel on top of the world. If you can't measure up to those standards, you're crushed [...] At best, it can make you hesitate to immerse yourself in a new project. At worst, it can lead to you abandoning your creative pursuits because of the toll they take on you physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Does this sound like you? If so, you're in good and plentiful company. And as I continue to take my own recovery one day at a time, I found myself really appreciating Saunders' approach for managing the fear and pride that she believes are the root of all aspirations toward perfectionism. That creeping pair of emotions can attack at any stage of our work, but she gives great advice on how to thoughtfully fight back.

Stuck at the Start According to Saunders, the perfectionist gets stuck at the start because of a mindset that shouts, "I can't start until the ideal moment, meaning I have a large uninterrupted block of time, no other distractions, a strong level of motivation to work on the project, and the ideal plan for how to optimize the entire process." I'll grant, these are not altogether impossible conditions to reach in unison. However...it seems pretty unlikely, doesn't it?

This can be true of any pursuit that inherently holds uncertainty: applying for a job ("I don't know how to do all the things they're asking, should I go for it?"), leaving a job you don't like ("I don't have the perfect opportunity lined up yet, so I should probably stay put."), or asking for a new challenge ("I've never done this before, am I sure I'm ready?"). The paralysis of being presented with ideal conditions kills more dreams than actual criticism from those that surround us.

Saunders encourages the recovering perfectionist to replace the statement above with "I know there will never be an ideal time to begin so I set aside time to get started on one part of the process [...] I get started on what I can do now." The storied Google 80/20 rule (in which employees were given freedom to use 20% of their time at work just to create and design based on their own ideas and inclinations, is an example of the value of scheduled ideation time.

It can also be helpful to remember that ideas don't come out fully formed. Taking some of that time to determine what you already have to be successful and what you still need can help you fight the perfectionism. Identifying "known unknowns" helps us focus time appropriately and direct efforts toward elements of our process that could be better. Between setting aside time and acknowledging points of weakness with the goal of improvement (that "goal of improvement" piece is what prevents despondence), we can break the cycle of giving up on something that lacks perfect conditions.

Lost in the Middle

Saunders voices this worry in this way: "I must obsess over every detail of the piece, regardless of whether anyone else will notice. This leads me to revise and edit myself at every step instead of giving myself permission to bang out an imperfect first draft." When I was working on my book, I spent a long time avoiding a complete first draft. I wrote in disconnected tidbits, I researched obsessively, I strung together those shorter passages into chapters, and then finally put them together consecutively to create a 140 page first draft...that I was terrified to read. I had no idea if this version of the final product would make sense, or even be good or helpful to anyone who read it. But sometimes we forget that first drafts are designed for precisely that.

One of my favorite writers, Paul Jarvis, is a tremendous advocate for "sharing your messy process," or shying away from the instinct we all have to hide when something isn't going perfectly. He believes that people appreciate final products more when they know what went into making it. Share your messy process with people you trust to be honest with you- close coworkers, family members, or even friends that have no idea what you do- their uninformed opinion can be the most valuable when you're deep in the weeds on a project. It's scary at times, but the freedom it affords you to work toward a better final product is invaluable. Paul shares his ugly process often, as does Austin Kleon, a writer I've written about here previously. Follow them for great examples of what other messy processes entail; it can be comforting to know that even successful people struggle!

Refusal to Finish

"If the work hasn't attained the ideal set in my head at the start, it's inaccurate to say it's complete." We all have goals in our minds that occasionally, if often, fail to live up to the final product that our hands, voices, or other contributing parties have created. This can be demoralizing for some, pushing them to keep working without "shipping," writer and consultant Seth Godin's term for releasing a final product to the public.

But squirreling away our talent for fear it won't meet our high standards ignores the needs of those who could benefit from it. You could be a great fit for a proposed job, but not applying for a lack of a "perfect fit" could leave them with someone far less effective. Perfect is the enemy of great. And being prepared to ship doesn't mean that you can't go back to the project at a later date; Saunders is quick to point out, "Saying something is complete doesn't mean that it can't be improved upon or elaborated on in the future. It just means that I can submit it and move on to other work." Other projects that require your greatness could suffer for your lack of attention to them; don't let a goal of perfection on one task hinder your effectiveness on others.

Dread of Feedback

So you've made it through all the other steps prior to this, and found yourself (mostly) comfortable with delivering a less than perfect product. Congratulations! That's a task in itself that you should be commended for. How do you handle any feedback that you get from it? By this, I mean "constructive criticism" that may come from a coworker, mentor, headhunter, or other person overseeing your work. The perfectionist struggles to incorporate this additional information, seeing it not as an assessment of their work, but of them. Saunders voices this worry well: "I worry that my expertise and respect is in question and that others will think I'm incompetent and an impostor." 

Consider, instead, this counterpoint: "I appreciate feedback because it helps me to test and refine my work." A colleague of mine, speaker and consultant Winni Paul, feels that feedback is a gift. As she puts it, "Accepting feedback is about looking beyond your own reality and seeing a bigger picture." Unless you're in a performance review (whole other scenario that I won't address here), the product being critiqued is not you; accept any ideas for change accordingly. See feedback as a question or concern voiced that a consumer of your product or idea won't present to you as nicely, and find ways to address the concern if you find it valid; acknowledge it gracefully if you don't. Practical gifts are designed to make your life easier and you better; think of feedback as a practical gift from someone with your best interests in mind.

As with any addiction or bad habit, it can take a lot of time and practice to unlearn the rituals that brought you to your perfectionist state. But abandoning perfectionist inclinations for your "realistic best" unlocks possibilities to be more efficient and less anxious when pursuing opportunities. I encourage you to challenge the perfectionist tendencies you've cultivated for so many years; you'll be surprised how good "just being great" can feel.

See What Sticks: The Health of Your Career is a Joke

Hi everyone, Amma Marfo here. Two quick things about me that you’ll need to know before we begin: (1) I am a reader. I am a library-loving, constant tome-carrying, unapologetic bibliophile. (2) If there’s anyone you will meet who can connect what she’s reading to the world around her, it’s me. As such, I want to dedicate my time in this space to sharing with you what I’m reading, and how it could inform a budding professional’s daily life.

Confession Time: I wasn't very good at my first job.

Sure, I was competent...most of the time. When I started my career, I built good relationships and worked hard to get better in the areas where I struggled. By the time I left, I knew what my next steps needed to be and even though it was hard, I am thankful for the decisions that followed.

But I also wasn't very good because I wasn't myself. I didn't know how to be. At 22 years old, working at a community college advising students my own age, older, or much much older (I had a student senator in her sixties!), I sacrificed being myself for being professional, businesslike, and appearing knowledgeable. It felt wrong at the time- to borrow a quote from the 1989 John Cusack film Say Anything that a friend reminded me of earlier this week, "You used to be fun. You used to be warped and twisted and hilarious... and I mean that in the best way - I mean it as a compliment!"

Many of the students and colleagues that I work with now would never doubt those qualities in me, something that I'm proud of. But I didn't realize until I finished this month's read, Peter McGraw and Joel Warner's The Humor Code: A Global Search for What Makes Things Funny, just how far I'm come when it comes to bringing my sense of humor to work.

I have to say, being funny at the office is far from an easy proposition. Comedian and writer Mike Birbiglia talks about the challenges of cultivating a sense of humor that balances enjoyment with tastefulness, noting, "Jokes have been ruined by people who aren't funny." And he's absolutely right. Think about all the Human Resources-mandated apologies, the Tweets of contrition, and the press releases that we see when a funny comment goes wrong. I won't go into McGraw and Warner's scientific strategy on this here, but I have written about it elsewhere if you're interested in learning more. Bottom line: being amusing without being a jerk can be hard.

McGraw and Warner travel around the world- to Montreal for a comedy festival, to New York to work with cartoonists and advertising agents, to the Palestine to see how humor works in times of crisis (I finished this book two days before the recent unrest began), and to South America to see how humor keeps people healthy. Along the way, they learned several lessons about what is funny, and how these lessons can help you be funny in your own life.

From Japan: Know your audience. Did you know that America produces fewer comedy films now than in previous years because the humor doesn't translate to profit overseas? If your audience is varied in their sense of humor or understanding, your approach has to adapt too. There is no one way to get (most) projects done, no one way to lead, no one way to make people laugh. There are nearly as many approaches as there are people in the world, and it will benefit you enormously to take the time to learn. It may take a week, or it may take a year, but take the time to familiarize yourself with your surroundings. Get to know the people you'll be working with, the priorities of your bosses and leadership, and the culture of your office or department. Your efforts to succeed, contribute, and laugh will go over far better once you have a good handle on the context in which you're working.

From New York: if you can't be "ha-ha" funny, be "a-ha" funny! Some of you may say, "I'm not funny" or "I don't want to be funny at work!" That's okay. However, you may still have the chance to be the "a-ha" person; don't pass up that opportunity! Even when you're new to an organization or office, you have insights that you can share. It can be intimidating at times to speak up, especially when your team is comprised of older or more experienced professionals. But as an adopted New Yorker (Tina Fey) says in her book Bossypants, "It's your responsibility to contribute [...] Your initiations are worthwhile." When you hit upon just the right idea, the smile may not be one of amusement; it might instead be one of pride or excitement. Those smiles are just as necessary in the day-to-day, so don't be afraid to voice any idea that might result in one!

From Tanzania: Don't be afraid to chuckle at yourself. This is an important one. Being the new guy or girl, being the newest to an office, or taking on a new role can be daunting. And we all, no matter our age or level of experience, can start to doubt ourselves or be nervous about making a good impression because of that. But you're going to have moments where you can only laugh. Whether it's because you've done something silly, because you can't believe your good fortune, or because the alternative is crying or screaming, take a moment to find the lighter side and laugh. In my first role, I had reasons to laugh that fit all of those descriptions (everything from misordered promotional items to a screaming fight with a faculty member). And it was harder work to laugh at some of them than others, but ultimately finding the levity in those moments got me through them.

From Los Angeles: Be honest and authentic. This advice comes up a lot, in everything from interviewing to speaking up in meetings, and it's no less true when it comes to expressing your funny or silly side. We all know what trying to be funny looks like and sounds like; these efforts rarely succeed. Think about the moments in life that make you laugh- the daily commute, text messages from friends, your reaction to something you read or saw on TV. Just as this site, and indeed your life, is about finding your niche, so it goes for your sense of humor. If you're going to tell a joke or share a funny quip, make sure it makes you laugh first. If not, don't bother. Someone else can make that joke sing.

Even with all the advice given above, I want to end this post with the advice shared by Peter McGraw, whose desire to create an academic formula to predict humor (I want to teach that!) fueled this whole worldwide search:

Surround yourself with the people and things that make you laugh. Seek out interesting places and interesting people. Focus on the friends that make you laugh, not the ones who bring you down. Choose as a partner someone with whom you share a sense of humor, someone who helps you see the lighter side of life [...] And maybe it's cliched, but remind yourself that everything is going to be okay. That thing that seems so scary in the moment, so catastrophic and worrisome, is only scary because you're paying so much attention to it. It's okay to complain, but add a bit of wit to your grumbling.

How Crossfit Helped Me Launch A Kickstarter Campaign

Consistency. It’s one of the hardest things for me when it comes to working out and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Throughout college I would go in spurts where I would workout with my roommates but none of us really had any idea what were doing in the gym. Sure, the saying “it’s leg day, bro” would be thrown around but did we really know the proper form, let alone the appropriate weight and rep scheme? Hell, no! Since graduating college and hitting the real world, I have been fortunate enough to work at different colleges and had free access to recreation centers. In fact, for the last six years my office has been no more than 10 feet from a fitness center. I found working out as a painstaking chore. I know that working out 3-4 times a week is good for you. While I’ve seen results, I have never been able to stick with it for more than a few weeks at a time. Until now!

On June 5th, I joined Endorphin Crossfit in Middlesex, NJ.

It just so happens that was the same day I released my first blog post in my 30 day “Find Your Niche” series for The Niche Movement.

Two full months later sticking with crossfit at least 3 (sometimes 4) times a week, I have seen some crazy correlations between positive gains in the gym and in my life. This summer was filled with early mornings and late nights of writing, networking, brainstorming, and executing new projects to get to where I am on my final day of my Kickstarter campaign.

If you are a busy person that has battled with consistency in the gym while leading a busy life then these three tips can help - especially as summer comes to an end.

1. Mastery

I have taken my share of classes and tried various routines over the last eight years. However, I have noticed that when you take a class like spin or workout (or go running) by yourself, it requires A LOT of self-discipline. At Endorphin, from my first class to now, there has been a detailed plan everyday. You are held accountable not by only by the amazing coaches, but by your peers in your class. Everyone is giving it their all, reaching for their next PR, or trying something new for the very first time like me. Every crossfit class helps me strive to master a new lift, technique, or physically test my endurance to my body in ways I haven’t been pushed since being a high school athlete.

Since I decided to turn my blogging series for The Niche Movement into a book to end employment unhappiness for this generation, I went down roads I thought I would never travel. There were weekends I spent filming my Kickstarter video, mornings pitching and interviewing press, and late nights emailing friends, family, and people in my network for contributions. I kept to a detailed plan. Supporters around my campaign held me accountable. And I reached several “PR’s” like being featured in Buzzfeed, Money Under 30, and breaking my goal of $3,000 in less than 29 days.

#NicheTip: Mastery driven motivation works. Find a workout routine that will get you excited to achieve new levels of fitness.

2. Momentum

When I lose interest in working out and my routine becomes boring (like it does several times in the winter) I become lazy, unmotivated and procrastination settles in for my personal life.

Within two weeks, Endorphin’s coaches helped me find my one rep max for various lifts like back squat, bench press, and deadlift. Once I had my strength training plan and started seeing progress, I was hooked. I had momentum and enthusiasm to keep to a regular routine this summer. My days consisted of waking up early and putting in almost two hours of work before I left for my full time job. Then, after working a full day, I went straight to Endorphin at 5:15 where crossfit gave me a boost to come home and eat a healthy meal with Courtney and spend the evenings working on The Niche Movement.

#NicheTip: Ya know the commercial that says, “a body in motion, stays in motion”? It’s true. Try not to leave too much time between leaving work and going to the gym. It’s during that lag time that we find other things we need to do and talk ourselves out of working out that day.

3. Clarity

Outside of physical benefits, crossfit has made me more energized, reduced stress and provide much needed clarity for my mind. When I go to crossfit, Bonnie and Ian (the founders of Endorphin), always reiterate to focus on every part of your body throughout your reps. I love this because every rep and WOD has me completely in the moment. There certainly have been ups and downs over the last 90 days of this adventure trying to launch my business full time but when I am at crossfit my mind and body are in the present. I have never thought about my full time job, The Niche Movement, what’s for dinner or other issues in my life.

Anyone that does crossfit, knows how much energy you put into every WOD. Even though I leave there wiped after every class, my head has been completely clear and ready to attack the next item on my to-do list.

#Nichetip: The mind needs breaks in the workday, and just in the day in general, to reset. When you workout you only have room to focus on the workout and can’t let your mind run about your to-do lists. A clear head is a much more creative and powerful head than one that is constantly running.

During the last two months, I have been very lucky to find a box that cares about personal development, proper weight lifting technique and building a community. Lately, I have pushed myself in ways I never thought I could and crossfit has certainly helped achieve some amazing personal goals both in the gym and with The Niche Movement.

See What Sticks: Curiosity, Critics and Creativity

Hi everyone, Amma Marfo here. Two quick things about me that you’ll need to know before we begin:

(1) I am a reader. I am a library-loving, constant tome-carrying, unapologetic bibliophile. (2) If there’s anyone you will meet who can connect what she’s reading to the world around her, it’s me.

As such, I want to dedicate my time in this space to sharing with you what I’m reading, and how it could inform a budding professional’s daily life. 

While I am a devoted fan of the longform written word, there's another medium on which I do a lot of reading: Twitter. 140 character bursts of content have given me quite a bit: helped me connect with new friends and old, find exciting new sources of inspiration and development, and even find this opportunity to write for you all! But one of my favorite uses of Twitter has been the means to connect with people you may never get to talk to otherwise. This can be particularly exciting for bibliophiles such as myself, who can use it to connect with authors. I still remember the rush I got when I first connected with Judy Blume, author of the first chapter book I ever read on my own- Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. I still get butterflies thinking about it :)

Most recently, I've been using Twitter to connect with Paul Jarvis, a web designer and writer who has a fantastic blog on Medium as well as his own website. As he approached the release of his new book, The Good Creative, I felt compelled to reach out and see if he'd be willing to share his thoughts about the book, his creative process, and how it could inform my profession. Luckily, he's a legit human and graciously accepted. I got to talk to him a little bit more about some of the eighteen habits he shares in his book as key to doing creative work. Even though my day job might not always be seen as a place that appreciates creativity, Paul's helping me see how I can disrupt my day-to-day; hopefully, it will do the same for you!

Habit: Trying and failing repeatedly. Paul's a tremendous believer in creating space to try and fail repeatedly toward the achievement of any goal. As someone who learned his craft of web design through experimentation, he literally had to fail many times before he succeeded. But trying and failing repeatedly, in his opinion, gives you a lot. It gives you the opportunity to find your voice, to get input from others on what your talents are, and can help you develop a thick skin and resilient attitude that makes sharing your craft with others easier. Paul is particularly passionate about this final element of the process. A related habit that he discusses is sharing your ugly process. By that, he means that you should do your best to share the journey that takes you to your final product. When we spoke more about this, he said:

Unless people are taught what goes into making something, they might not value it as much, so I like to share how I go from A to B with the work, so people get the inside story. You appreciate the band more when you watch [Behind the Music] those, and they’re interesting too- when someone who’s not a musician sees what goes into making an album or doing a tour [...] you appreciate it more deeply.

It can be easy to assume that the final product that someone else creates was effortless. But by allowing ourselves to experience the feeling of trying and failing repeatedly, and sharing those triumphs and struggles with others, we gain perspective on what it takes to get to that final product that people so revere.

Habit: Hug your critics. With that said, not everyone is going to be a fan of the final product. Some people are just haters. But Paul pushes back against this principle, encouraging people to hug their critics. Paul works under the concept of producing for your rat people. As a proud rat owner, he recognizes that lots of people don't care for rats- they're afraid of them, they think they're gross, they don't understand their appeal. But those who like rats, really like rats. They photograph them, they take care of them, they dedicate websites and message boards to them. He doesn't converse with those who don't get rats, about rats. He talks to the people who get it.

But, part of Paul's livelihood depends on being able to write for people who aren't his rat people. What do you do then? Part of doing effective work that can serve you financially is being able to adapt your work for a larger and more viable audience:

As long as my message is still the same and intact, and what I’m trying to say sounds like me, then it’s okay. Adapting your art is fine, as long as it stays true to you and the original message is intact.

As we chatted further, he shared that he pitches ideas to clients with their priorities in mind. Sometimes the ideas are outside of the box that these individuals travel in, other times they're more in line with their traditional strategy. But showing an understanding of what his clients (and occasional critics) are looking for, what they value, has helped him sustain relationships that don't always come so naturally. There can be a balance between serving your friends and the people who get you, and finding ways to serve those that may struggle to do so. Paul's book gives lots of advice on how to do just this.

Habit: Focus on the process, not the outcome. I'm sure we all know someone from classes or our major who was obsessed with the endgame. Getting famous. Getting an A. Building a resume. And these types of goals can be easy to focus on, even though there are other valuable things we can get from an experience (relationships, skills, exposure to new ideas). I asked Paul what his advice is for staying focused on the values that are inherent in the process. His advice?

I think a lot of it comes down to the ‘why’ there. Focusing on the process is important because it forces you to be present. If you want to get an ‘A’ in school or you want to get a degree, those are sort of intangible at the time. Being present with your intention is moving you toward that outcome.

Paul actually alludes to this principle on one of his other projects, a new podcast called Invisible Office Hours. He talks about his typical morning routine and how it helps prepare him for the day. By doing one task at a time- making and drinking his morning coffee, writing, spending time on social media- he is aware of the value that each task gives him. He speaks similarly about how he added writing as a sort of day job: he kept the revenue streams and time for web design and writing separate. He could see how each made him feel, what each gave him, and what he enjoyed about each. By making time to focus on the task at hand, taking inventory of what we get from these tasks and how we can be better, the seeming end motivation (such as salary or recognition) matters a little less.

The Good Creative is a wonderful read that can help anyone at all do better work. It doesn't have to be what we all tend to think of as creative work; Paul says "it’s taking an idea, turning it into something tangible (and marketable, if that’s the direction you want to go)." If this sounds like you, Paul's book is one for you.