10.5 Quirky Things About Me
And you thought I was perfect…
Robin Klammer recently challenged me to list 10 unusual things about myself.
I don’t jump on trends because everyone else does. Like John Travolta said in Look Who’s Talking:
My dad’s best advice was, ‘If all your friends jump off a cliff, does that mean you gotta?
Well, off I go!
I can drink coffee and go right to sleep.
I love coffee. Probably too much.
Caffeine hasn’t got anything on me.
And of course, I start my day with it. After all, I am a writer…
I can sleep in my car.
Ever want to get in a nap on your lunch break?
I do it whenever I can.
I get up early to write almost every morning. It’s nice to kick off my day with a feeling of accomplishment, but by midday I need my batteries recharged.
A nap for me is like a shot of adrenaline.
I’ve read Seth Godin’s Linchpin at least 10 times.
Actually, it’s probably more than that.
This book is incredibly good. It has really shaped my thinking over the past year or two about what is possible.
May as well chase those dreams.
Some of my best ideas come when I’m mowing grass.
I wrote a post about this. You can read about my whole sweaty 6-hour ordeal — littered with epiphanies — right here.
I keep paper and pen or a digital notebook with me all the time. Ideas come when they will. You better catch them before the winds of change whisk them away.
I love to take risks, but I’ve never bought a lottery ticket.
It doesn’t make sense to take a bet that has lower odds than you being struck twice by lightning.
This Christmas I bought the Business Profile 10 from Gallup. You start by completing some exercises that gather the data needed. Then it’s added to your Strengthsfinder profile and voila! You get a report with your top four Entrepreneurial Strengths.
My number one is Risk.
Calculated risks.
You never know until you try, but you can at least take an educated guess at the outcome.
I have an idea drawer.
It’s chock full of papers with ideas scribbled on them.
It’s probably time for some spring cleaning.
I bet it will be interesting to compare my ideas from last year with this year’s.
You learn. You grow. You take risks.
Then you do it all over again.
I can take a nice walk without leaving my yard.
My home is built on three and a half acres. We have a wooded lawn and an open field.
We have a dog we walk around the field a few times a week. Aside from the sounds of traffic, it’s a sanctuary of tranquility.
And when I’m walking alone, I’m thinking. It’s the blessing of being an introvert.
Sometimes I drip with sarcasm.
As an introvert, I spend a lot of time noticing things.
It gives me plenty to write about.
That’s probably the Introvert’s Curse.
Yeah, right.
I used to dream of being like Zig Ziglar one day.
Zig Ziglar had a huge influence on me as a young man.
I was introduced to his work at a critical time in my life. It led me to take a road I’d never have travelled, and that has made all the difference.
I still listen to his seminars and read his books every now and then.
But in the end, I think I’ll honor his memory by being the best version of me that I can.
I’ve had a mustache since I graduated high school.
I shaved it off once when my daughter was a baby.
My lip felt so weird.
To make it feel better, I grew it back.
About ten years ago, I added my beard. I had one when I was younger, but my wife didn’t like it as much as I did.
My daughter convinced me to grow it back.
It saves me time shaving in the morning.
And here’s the half point.
Sometimes I take on too much.
It’s a lot easier to say yes than it is to say no.
Sometimes.
Then when you get worn out, you start saying no to everything.
I’m working hard to find my balance.
I hope you enjoyed this. And if you feel so led, and no one has asked you already, write your own list of 10 quirky things about you and post it on Medium.
I look forward to reading yours!
