🌐 Justin's Blog

The surest way to piss me off is to insinuate that I need to spend my time a certain way.

First, the amount of ego in such a request is astounding. It’s like telling someone they are wrong for spending their money on something, but worse. We can always get more money, not true with time.

When someone implies that my time has correct and incorrect uses, I flip out. I’ll do the opposite of what is being asked just to prove that I am the master of the oh so little amount of time I have in this world.

You’ve been warned. ☝️

#personal

The fitness industry has a secret that it does not want you to know. Well, I am about to tell you!

I love the fitness industry. In fact, one day Lorena and I plan on having a health & fitness related business in some capacity.

But the industry has a secret. Well, not really a secret, but something that is conveniently ignored. No matter which workout program you like best, they all rely upon one critical factor for success: consistency.

If you consistency do a physical activity then you will lose weight and/or gain muscle. That's not rocket science. I think deep down we all know that.

The difficult part of fitness is the other side of the equation: food.

For years I have worked out, my entire life in fact. My diet rarely changed though. So, what I ate in my 20s I tried to eat in my 30s. It didn't work. I gained weight. I looked okay, but every metric would say I was overweight.

The big change for me was when I stopped drinking alcohol. All those empty calories were gone and so too the crap food that I would eat when drinking. Not surprisingly, I lost weight. My muscles became more defined. I had more energy. I saw the desired results.

I think humans like to overcomplicate things. We gravitate towards complex explanations and reasoning because accepting the simplest answer just doesn't feel right sometimes. The simple answer to fitness is this: do physical activity every day (doesn't have to be strenuous), and don't eat like shit.

That's really all there is to it!

#health

It's official: I am married to the love that I've been searching for my entire life, Lorena.

Lorena is incredible. She's intelligent, loving, supportive, and deeply committed to those that she cares about. Every day I pinch myself wondering how I got so lucky.

As I reflect on my happiness, I am keenly aware that my life didn't go according to the traditional plan, and what a blessing that has been.

My path was a little more winding. There were deadends and detours. But in the end I arrived to where I am today. A little wiser, and far more grounded.

I have learned to live life rather than life living me.

And now I am ready to live life with my beautiful wife.

#personal

In one week, Lorena and I get married!

All the tasks have been completed (minus one or two minor things) so the focus is entirely on preparing for family to come into town. I have excited nerves now, whereas before I was focused on just getting things done.

The enormity of this life event is not lost on me, and I plan to embrace every little second of it.

#personal

I have been to Vegas a few times in my life. It's not for me. I always say that the city feels like one giant ocean cruise ship – and well – I don't like cruises.

But other people like Vegas, so I find myself in the city regardless of how I feel about it. 🙂

This weekend Lorena and I are going to Vegas to attend the wedding of her brother-in-law's brother. It was nice of them to invite us (we've only briefly met once on Zoom). It worked out on the calendar so away we go!

I am excited to have a “normal” event again. You know, the pre-COVID things that people used to do. This is a new thing for me and Lorena as a couple. We had all kinds of plans to go to different concerts and other activities in our early dating days, and obviously those were put on hold due to the pandemic. Now that we are vaccinated and the country is slowly opening up, we get the chance to do these activities as a couple.

Lorena's family will be in attendance, so it will be nice to see them as usual. While the trip is a quick one, we will see everyone again for our own wedding at the end of the month!

#personal

I am becoming too productive, and it’s giving me anxiety.

In business, making lists is a good way to keep you accountable. They can help you be more productive. They assist in making sure you have your priorities straight and are working towards the right things. Overall, you’ll reach your targets with a well thought-out list.

Using lists is also how we can see positive movement in a business. This is especially true when you are just starting out, before any revenue is earned. That movement feels good. It keeps us fueled and moving forward, and we all love to check tasks off a big list.

I think lists are great for business, but when it comes to my personal life, it’s a little different. I have found that living from one to-do list to the other is a sure way to miss the moment.

Look, I am not one to write self-help advice and I promise that I am not going to start now.

I have just found myself reflecting on my current life (something I like to do) and evaluating whether I am living my life or if my life is living me. And lately it has felt like the latter.

A lot has been going on for me personally, and when professional aspirations and personal goals get overwhelming, I create lists to stay organized.

I have been living in my lists for about eight months straight now. Completing one and moving onto the other. At this point, it’s not even satisifying to finish a list, it’s just part of my standard routine.

I am becoming too productive, and it’s giving me anxiety.

Weird thing to say, right?

But it’s true, at least for me.

Over the past eight months I have been crushing tasks. Getting things done and Moving onto the next. Knocking that out. Rinse and repeat. I have been a machine marching forward.

And you know what? All this productivity is resulting in some pretty great outcomes. Business is more profitable than ever. Personal relationships are getting stronger. Life is becoming more colorful.

So I know what you’re thinking… all this sounds pretty great!

It is. It is great.

But I cannot deny that this pace of life is taking its toll on me. This outcome oriented outlook is causing me to miss the moment. This “get it done and move onto the next thing” approach is too mechanical for me. I can’t sustain it.

That is what causes me anxiety. I am in the habit of productivity and that’s not a good thing.

Anytime you have a habit, it means that you do something automatically. You don’t have to think. You don’t have to be present. It just happens because you’re used to making it happen. You’re able to switch onto autopilot. This is good for a little while, but I don’t want to be on autopilot throughout my life.

I have a few more lists to go, then I’m stopping.

The reality is that I have a few lists still on my plate, but they are getting close to being completed. As I finish them out, I am refusing to add more lists wherever possible.

I am not grasping the moment like I normally do. That gives me pause. Time is the most valuable asset that we have and I am not appreciating it nor experiencing it fully – and I blame these lists!

So, once I knock out these remaining items then I plan to just “be” for a little bit. For me, that means:

• Removing self-imposed sense of urgency on non-urgent tasks.
• Not planning a bunch of near-future events.
• Exploring my home city and surrounding area.
• Studying Spanish.
• Exercising daily.

I have a habit of making everything feel urgent – like it needs to get done as soon as possible or it will never be “as good” as it possibly can be. I suspect that’s how I am able to get anything done. By removing that self-imposed urgency (or, dialing it down), I will remove that tendancy to always be looking towards “the next thing” to do.

Avoiding any near-future event planning will help with removing that sense of urgency too. For me, when I plan an event that is 30-45 days out, it weighs on my mind and I start to go through that list process all over again. Be it for filing taxes or planning travel, it will occupy headspace until it’s done and dusted.

I think it’s best to not be traveling during this time so that I’ll have time to explore my new city with my fiancé Lorena. I like that. I need to get a better sense of where I live so I can appreciate the people and places.

But not everything will be about exploring the local area. I do have personal, self-improvement goals that I will dedicate some time to as well. Things like studying Spanish and exercising. I do these activities anyway, but lately it feels like I “make time for them” and that prevents me from fully enjoying the time spent.

A solid month or more of following this strict approach is enough to get me centered and to calm my mind before jumping into the next major projects of life and business.

If you got this far, here is what it all means…

I am not going to recommend you do exactly what I am doing. That feels a little egotistical. You are a unique person with your own life outlook. What works for me might not work for you.

But there is one key takeaway from this self-reflection that I wish to share.

My prescription may not be for you, but the underlying motivator is applicable for anyone. To be happy, you need to live the time you are given.

To do this you need to be present in the moment. Check-in with yourself. Analyze how you are feeling as you are feeling it. If life feels like it has been a bit of a blur lately, then you need to make a change – even if temporary – to gain a little control & perspective.

Trust me, you will feel more fulfilled.

#personal

I have never been to Dallas, but that's about to change!

This weekend I'll be heading to Dallas to visit Lorena's cousin to celebrate the birthday of their son.

This also marks the first time that I'll be meeting Lorena's extended family. During COVID this has not been possible. We've been able to get together with our parents and siblings, but that's about it. Around the holidays I was able to meet some of them on Zoom, but I think we all can agree that Zoom can be a little impersonal.

Lorena's extended family is HUGE (especially compared to mine). I really look forward to meeting all of them over the coming years. In some ways it feels like I am being “initiated” into the family, and I like it! 😄

#personal

My paintbrush is different, but I still create art.

For years, I never considered myself an artist, at least not in the traditional sense.

I don't have a paintbrush. I don't know how to draw. I don't produce original works of music or sculpt anything with my hands.

The world would agree that I am by no means a traditional artist.

But if art is considered the expression of creativity... well, that changes things.

Creativity fuels my ideas, and for over a decade these ideas have been put onto a canvas. Tech tools, processes, and communication bring these ideas to life. Every day I am creatively positioning, researching, marketing, increasing revenues, and forming new connections.

And thanks to the internet, my art is experienced on a global scale.

I am an artist.

#personal

I have learned a lot by being an entrepreneur – especially how to compete.

For me, being an entrepreneur means you are continually looking out for opportunities and advantages. If you have an online business, then it’s pretty well-known that the barriers to entry are practically non-existent.

Given the competitive nature of starting & growing a successful company, I really struggle to see the benefit for publicly sharing sales data – especially if you’re not required to as you would if your company was publicly traded.

This is something that has become part of a growing trend in today’s entrepreneurial landscape. It’s very much part of the ethos of the “building in public” movement.

And look, I am not trying to say that transparency posts aren’t inspirational, educational, and fun – because they are! Seeing how other people overcame challenges in their business can be incredibly helpful to others. I have friends who write some fantastic transparency reports, and I thoroughly enjoy them.

I just think it’s okay to ask some questions about this practice. I know that I have over the years.

Are sales numbers actually relevant?

Transparency reports are quite common in the WordPress industry. Some plugin and theme developers will share their revenues with a commentary of what they found worked (and didn’t work) with business decisions made over the course of the year.

These articles are actually very insightful, especially if you’re in a similar space. But are revenue figures actually needed to emphasize key lessons learned?

Personally, I don’t think the key takeaways lose validity if exact figures aren’t included. I think saying something like: “we implemented this new policy and our revenues increased by X percent” is just as credible and helpful.

The only business reasons I can think of for sharing actual numbers are:

• To generate visibility from people who are curious about your sales. Impressive figures help validate your product (note that “impressive” is completely subjective so that may backfire). Revenue posts can go viral, increasing visibility.
• To establish credibility in certain verticals.
• To build trust from those who are either currently a customer or might become one. Transparency reports can translate to increased trust.

I suppose an outlying explanation for companies sharing their sales data is that they just don’t care if people know. That’s a legitimate reason too and perhaps makes this entire commentary a moot point.

You risk a lot by sharing too much.

This isn’t paranoia. This is business.

Whether you subscribe to it or not, business is one massive competition. In a competitive environment, every advantage helps (no matter how small).

Sales data aside, why reveal your entire playbook?

You are practically inviting strangers into your home by letting others know what works, what doesn’t work, and how much you make from what works. One of the strangers is likely to have very deep pockets, and they’ll be able to move quickly on this information.

Think it’s a long-shot?

Well, I have personally taken advantage of a company’s transparency to nullify their entire value proposition.

That company is now out of business.

Their transparency is not the main reason why they no longer exist, but it certainly didn’t help them.

Just remember that the ones who are being quiet aren’t doing so because they don’t have something to share. Instead, they are simply observing, collecting data, and making business moves accordingly.

Transparency reports may serve a great purpose for boostrappers.

I will concede that transparency reports seem to do best for bootstrappers, in particular as a form of self-motivation and accountability.

When we put something “out there”, it suddenly becomes real. It leaves our head and goes out into the world. Other people know about it and we feel an obligation to hold ourselves accountable now.

This is actually really great for budding, bootstrap entrepreneurs. The scariest part is “taking the plunge” from idea to implementation. It may sound silly, but so many people never make it to this stage. At most, they tinker with setting up a website and then stop after a month or so.

The great thing about progress transparency (using Twitter to give updates for example) is the ability to receive encouragement from peers. Entrepreneurship is a lonely road, and it’s motivating to have people cheering you on, especially during the early days.

Here is how I would use transparency reports that included revenue data.

If it’s not clear already, I wouldn’t go down the road of transparency reports personally. But if I were to use transparency reports, then I would set a goal and make it time bound.

In other words, I would encourage people to follow me as I tried to reach “X” dollars by “Y” time. I like this approach for two reasons:

1. Once I hit the dollar value, I’m not obligated to keep sharing.

2. It holds me accountable to reaching that goal in a specified amount of time.

As I mentioned, transparency reports are a good way to get interest in your project (and encouragement) early on in the journey. You may even get some publicity that you otherwise wouldn’t have received otherwise.

But at a certain point it won’t make sense for you to keep sharing this data. If your goal (challenge) is met, then you can stop sharing without any worries. Your audience who valued your transparency won’t see you as a fraud. You can do a new challenge instead.

The time component is probably my favorite part though. This puts your feet to the fire as an entrepreneur. Just like sharing your idea in public makes you accountable, sharing your timing is that extra level of motivation.

So should you use transparency reports in your business?

Can sharing too much info hurt your business? Yes.

Can sharing too much info help your business? Yes.

I recognize that the whole transparency approach depends largely on your personality. In the end, you have to do what you’re comfortable doing in your business.

Don’t feel obligated to share info just because you see other successful people do it. Just because you like reading transparency reports doesn’t mean that you too have to partake.

If after you read this you still feel justified in your transparency report, then that’s great! I am not trying to say everyone should stop transparency reports or that they are inherently bad. Just understand that there are both costs and benefits to them.

#entrepreneurship

Visiting family hasn't been easy for anyone in the past year or so due to COVID. So, when family visits do come about, we really value them.

This recent trip we have taken to Michigan and Connecticut has a different feel to it than the same trips we made at the end of last year. We are now vaccinated, so the worry of traveling isn’t there (at least not on the same level). We could also do a bit more than before because of being vaccinated, but overall it was much of the same.

I think 2021 will be a year of unraveling and “testing the waters” globally. It won’t be life as before quite yet, probably not for a couple more years assuming all goes to plan with global vaccination efforts.

Lorena and I plan to make family trips the priority this year, followed by a few personal travel destinations. Places like MI, CT, CA, Mexico, and Germany. I am beyond excited to add these trips into our routine.

#personal