Hannah Garrison 1/30/14 Hannah Garrison 1/30/14

Measuring Success:: How Good Am I?

My father just turned 70. Birthdays make me think a lot about timelines and transitions and mostly – am I getting where I want to go? Where is it I want to go? Am I doing a good job? What is my job? What am I doing? Whats the point?

Without dragging you down the bumpy existential road to self discovery...

How do you define success as a creative entrepreneur?

Guit instinct?
Emotional wellbeing?
Bank balance?
Fun working?
Sense of accomplishment?

There is no boss to give you a raise. There is no one to tell you you are doing a good job. You are alone at your desk, most of the time. Or in your studio. Or on the road. Maybe you are surrounded by people. But in the end, there is just you and no accepted measure of your success.

Are you richer than last year? Are you more fulfilled?

How do you measure fulfillment?

It's different each day, isn't it. Some days there is GLORY and you are soaring high. Some days you are in the trenches.

SO how to measure without all the subjectivity?

Are you attaining your goals?
Are you in alignment with what you value?

And then we go ONE.STEP.BACK:

What ARE your goals? And, what do you value?

These are the two core questions that are worth your introspection. I promise. It doesn't take long. And it will be so very worth it. Every time you begin to spiral down the measurement alley, just ask yourself: Am I attaining my goals? Am I acting in accordance to what I value?

The answer will point you in the right direction.

Now walk the path. One step at a time.

Hannah Garrison 12/19/13 Hannah Garrison 12/19/13

Plan Your Tomorrow, Do It Today

Don't let your emotions wildly change your course of action. Right? Like, if I wake up in a confused and shitty ass mood, should I let it define my day? Can I get a "Hell No"?

I mean, yes, emotions are important. Taking time for yourself is important. But for right now, bear with me. Forward motion is important and achieving the goals you set for yourself is important.

So don't let your day get all caught up in your shit. (Click HERE to Tweet)

At least not when you've got business to attend to!

Before you leave the office/stop working/ go to sleep make a list of three things that ABSOLUTELY MUST GET DONE TOMORROW. Leave the list when you'll see it right when you settle in. Whenever and wherever this is. (If you don't have this place/time, you should probably deal with that too.)

When you arrive at the moment of doingstuff-ness, do the things on your list.

Like, before you check your email, or open up three thousand browser windows, or read this post.

Then if you fuck off for the rest of the day, well, so what. (Click HERE to Tweet)

I mean, not that I am giving you permission. But...

The moral here that if you wait till morning, till you are "ready" to work, then you will have to spend too much delicious working time deciding what to work on. If you have predetermined what needs your attention, then you are freed from that decision. You are free to actually begin your day, rather than just consider beginning your day. Action, babes.

You also have some super sweet forward motion, like, on a daily basis.

Attainable goals, we got you, bitches. (Click HERE to Tweet)

-HWG

Hannah Garrison 9/6/13 Hannah Garrison 9/6/13

On Blogging, A Conversation

I got this message from a friend and colleague:

"Ya know. I'm not sure whether I love or hate the fact you send me mass emails about what's going on in your life."

I got this message from a friend and colleague:

"Ya know. I'm not sure whether I love or hate the fact you send me mass emails about what's going on in your life."

I wrote back:

"You love it. I know you love it. At least you know they are mass emails. You don't know how many responses I get from people who think I am personally writing to them."

He says:

"That's because you're the only person that has given their personal life a brand. Lots of people don't exactly understand what you're doing. Your the only real person that they know who is doing this. Let's compare you to Martha Stewart. Your friends and family get a branded email from her and they know it is an ad because she is unreal. When they get a similar style of message from you. (Obviously you're not selling bed skirts) but when they see a message from you, they don't know what to make of it. Because you're real to them. Don't get me wrong. I admire what you're doing and what you've created. And I think you need to continue doing exactly what you're doing. I'd call you a lifestyle maven."

I am giving myself six months of playing with categories and writing styles and links and tagging and SEO to just kind of explore in public what my goals and purposes are thru blogging.

Am I trying to update people on what's up in my daily life?
Am I trying to help people live their lives?
Is this only for business people?
Is this targeted at moms only, self employed only?
Who it the market? Who is the readership?

This is how he clarified it for me:

"I think it boils down to this. 80% of the people I know have been bred to believe that a 9-5 lifestyle is the only way to get the things they want. But you've made a different way work for yourself and your family. Not to say you don't work your ass off trying to do it. But you do it your own way. That's an incredibly appealing idea for people. And to give some insight into how they might do that for themselves is a great opportunity for you. Believe it or not you are sort of living some people's dream. You didn't have to become famous or incredibly wealthy in order to live how you want. And you didn't have to subscribe to some big companies ideals."