A real look at AI: what it is, what it isn’t, and how people using it effectively have grasped what most people are only beginning to sort out.

A wave can change everything. Then it becomes invisible.

Before I say anything about AI, I think it’s worth looking at some different ways we learn. 

I’ve never surfed. Not once. And honestly, it’s never cost me a thing. I don’t live near the ocean. None of my closest friends surf. It’s not part of my world, so the fact that I haven’t learned how has had absolutely zero impact on my life, my relationships, or my work. 

But I did learn how to fly fish. Not because someone told me I had to, and not because it was trending, but because it showed up naturally in my life and in the things I love: family, hiking, being outside, slowing way down to be present, my faith. Fly fishing wove itself into who I was growing into, and now it’s just part of how I move through the world. 

I learned to lead others in the same way — not because I went looking for it, but because it kept showing up so consistently that eventually it made sense. The same went for how to run a business. Or how to talk about branding in a way that actually resonates with people who don’t think they care about branding or genuinely don’t see the value in it. I learned those skills because they kept appearing in the context of my life and work, and ignoring them would have cost me something real. 

AI is starting to feel that way to me. And I suspect for a lot of you reading this, it probably does too.

Then there’s the kind of learning that gets handed to you whether you asked for it or not. When we moved from Ohio to North Carolina in 2020, I knew almost nothing about snakes. My relationship with them was pretty simple: a hard pass. But a new environment has a way of stretching your comfort zone. 

We had some land graded and shored up the eroded areas with hay netting blankets to hold things in place and promote regrowth. On a couple of occasions, snakes got stuck in the netting. The first one was dead by the time I found it. I’ve never been a snake person, but knowing something had died because of work I had done didn’t sit right. It bothered me enough to actually learn. By the next time I spotted two snakes caught in the netting, I could identify them, worked them free, and let them go. A completely different outcome, just because I’d taken the time to understand what I was dealing with.

Since moving here I’ve encountered many different species on our property. Finding an eastern diamondback rattlesnake coiled up inside my generator is, to put it mildly, a lot. But that’s exactly where knowledge earns its keep: knowing what you’re looking at, knowing not to panic, knowing what to do next.

The learning went in both directions. Snakes like the eastern racer, the eastern indigo, and the common kingsnake are natural predators of venomous species and worth keeping around. Knowing that changed how I think about the whole ecosystem here. It’s not about eliminating everything that makes you uncomfortable. It’s about understanding what belongs and why.

I still take precautions. I maintain safe zones for the kids. But I’m no longer operating out of pure fear and a “heck no” response, because that approach had already cost me something. Knowledge didn’t make me fearless. It made me useful and intentional. It encouraged me to learn.

That’s the version of learning I keep coming back to when I think about AI. Not the kind where you become an expert for the sake of it. The kind where your world changes around you and you decide, intentionally, to understand it well enough to navigate better than you would have otherwise.

Some things you learn because you’re drawn to them. Some you learn because your world changes and the cost of not knowing becomes real. Both count. And if the wave is already in your backyard, you probably need to learn how to surf.

We’ve Been Here Before

I keep coming back to the idea that every generation has lived through its own version of this moment. The moment in which something so world-altering, so significant, has arrived and is going to change everything … but then quietly becomes the floor we all stand on without a second thought. Think about the internet. Stock photography. Google Search. The cloud. Website page builders. This list goes on. 

Each of these innovations brought about the same collective concern and uncertainty. Each one created winners and people who got left behind. And each one, eventually, just became the new normal.

Not using AI is not going to leave you behind, unless the world you operate in starts to run on it. And here’s the thing — for a lot of us, it already is.

To this day there are people who don’t fully know how to use Google Search. Not because they’re unintelligent, but because Google crashed into the internet like a wave and those folks never learned to ride it. They get by, but they work harder for worse results than someone who knows how to interact optimally.

And here’s the part nobody talks about enough: The people who over-relied on new tools got called out, too. Remember when Squarespace and Wix made it possible for anyone to have a website? That was genuinely useful. But it didn’t take long before people began noticing when websites felt “off” or templated. The tool got the job done, technically. But it wasn’t personal. It wasn’t intentional. And it showed.

The same thing happened with stock photography. There was a moment when having polished images on your website (any images) felt like a win. Then people’s eyes and expectations adjusted. Now most of us can tell within a second whether a company actually photographed their team, their space, or their product, or grabbed something from iStock that kind of, sort of, vaguely matched their vibe. The stock photo ticked the box of having a photo. But it quietly communicated something else: We didn’t care enough to make something real.

In our industry, search engine optimization, or SEO, is probably the clearest example of this pattern. When people figured out you could game search rankings, everyone lost their minds. Suddenly agencies were selling SEO as if it were a magic bullet. Stuff your keywords, buy some backlinks, and watch the leads roll in. And for a while, those tactics worked. 

Then Google and audiences got smarter, and the people who had been chasing the algorithm instead of building something real were exposed as snake oil peddlers. The shortcuts stopped working. A lot of people got burned and decided SEO was a sham — a belief some still hold onto or encounter in the wild today.

But here’s what actually happened. The floor rose. The people who understood what SEO actually was — not a trick, but a way to make quality content findable — kept building and iterating, and as a result, kept winning. For those players, it was never about gaming the system. It was about understanding how people search for topics and making sure your relevant content showed up when they did. The goal was to attract eyes to content worth reading and then let the person decide for themselves. And if you set aside all the opinions about Google and just look at its overarching goal, it’s pretty simple: Serve up the most relevant, highest-quality content for whatever someone is searching for. The people who built toward this goal have done fine. The ones chasing shortcuts didn’t.

Though blackhat SEO practices have diminished over time, there are still people trying to use SEO the old way. There are still agencies selling it like snake oil. And there are still people who wrote it off entirely and are leaving a real opportunity on the table. Sound familiar?

AI content is already heading down the same road as SEO. The people who use it to generate all their copy (captions, blogs, emails, brand voice) without adding a human editorial layer are already being sniffed out. The cadence is off. The specificity is missing. It reads like a very confident version of nobody in particular. 

And the same thing is happening with imagery. AI-generated visuals are everywhere right now, and people are starting to spot them: the hands are wrong, the lighting feels synthetic, the whole thing has a polish that somehow still manages to feel empty. Audiences, even ones who can’t explain why, can feel when something wasn’t made by a person who actually cared about it. That feeling doesn’t lie.

The real danger isn’t that people use AI too much or too little. It’s that AI can encourage apathy. The more embedded it becomes in everything we do, the easier it is to just stop questioning it. To run with whatever narrative confirms what you already believe and call it research. To hit the “easy” button of copy and image generation and barely glance at the results. To scan a summary of research without bothering to verify if the source is credible.

That’s not an argument against using it. It’s an argument for better understanding the technology and staying awake and aware while you do.

So Where Does That Leave Marketers Using AI?

We’re still right in the middle of the same story. Except this time, the internet has given us all front-row seats and the ability to amplify everyone’s reaction to it in real time. It’s loud out there right now. The fear is real. The confusion is understandable. And somewhere underneath all of it is a genuinely useful set of tools that, when used well, can give you back hours of your week and make your work meaningfully better.

But here’s where I want to be honest with you, because I think the honest version of this is more useful than anything else.

Yes, AI is streamlining and even eliminating certain tasks in our industry. Some of those tasks used to be someone’s job, and that’s not a small thing. If you’re feeling that pressure right now, whether that’s a client turning to AI to produce something they used to hire you for, or a company leaning so far into automation that the human voice has gone completely missing, that’s real. 

But what makes you good at your discipline doesn’t come from a tool. It comes from years of showing up, paying attention, and developing a point of view that nobody else has. The companies going all-in on AI-generated everything are already being sniffed out. Your job right now isn’t to out-automate anyone. It’s to be so clearly, distinctly human in your work that the difference is impossible to ignore. This deserves its own conversation, and we’re having it.

The people who ignore AI entirely will work harder for slower results. The people who outsource their thinking to it will produce work that sounds exactly like that, outsourced.

Both of those are losing positions. And the sweet spot (the one that’s always existed with every tool, every wave, every new thing) is learning it well enough to use it intentionally. To use it as an amplifier of what’s already distinctly yours. And to know, always, when to put it down and just think.

But Wait: What Do I Even Need to Know about AI?

Before we go any further, I want to take a second to actually explain what we’re talking about, because “AI” has become a catch-all term that means everything and nothing at the same time. 

From what I’ve learned, there seem to be five distinct layers to this landscape. Understanding them changed how I thought about them and how I am using them. Here’s a look at each type:

But What If I’d Prefer to Avoid AI Altogether?

Both of my daughters are in public school, and the AI conversation has become a focus at home. Most of the time, the school’s position lands as a blanket “you can’t use it,” and I understand where that thinking comes from. When you don’t fully understand something, avoiding it feels like the safer call. I have real empathy for that.

But avoiding AI isn’t the answer. How do I know? Well, we’ve been here before. When calculators showed up in the 1970s, society debated whether students should be allowed to use them — the concern being that they’d never learn the math behind the results. Here’s what actually happened: People who learned how to use a calculator, and spent the effort to understand the math behind it, pulled ahead. The ones who were shielded from calculators didn’t have the same advantages. 

Then the internet showed up, and some educators had a similar response: Go to the library instead. That didn’t make the work better. It made it harder and slower, and it produced lesser results. We know how that played out.

The pattern is the same every time. The concern is legitimate. The blanket ban never works.

When it comes to using AI, I believe one of the initial concerns people are having is that people who use it will stop at the first result and calling it done. No critical thinking, no verification, no real understanding of where the answer or result came from. That’s a legitimate concern. But the response to that isn’t to ban the technology as a whole. It’s to understand how to use it and when and where it shows up.

Perplexity, for example, isn’t some mysterious AI oracle. It’s a front door to the internet, just like Google, except it provides a faster, higher quality of engagement with more depth to the results. Knowing that changes how you interact with it. You check sources. You fact-check. You treat it like a starting point, not a finish line.

When the new wave hits our doorstep, we need to learn how to use these tools well. Because the world we’re walking into may already run on them.

How CreativeFuse Thinks about AI: Intentionality, Care, and Knowledge

Simple as it sounds, most people are either avoiding AI entirely or going way too far with it, and it usually comes down to skipping one of these:

Intentionality means knowing why you’re opening it before you do. AI without a clear purpose produces output without a clear point. It’s the content equivalent of a shrug. If you can’t articulate what you want to accomplish, the tools can’t help you accomplish it.

Care is what separates work that feels human from work that doesn’t. Your audience (a client, a reader, a customer) can feel the difference between something made with attention and something you’ve churned out. That feeling is your competitive advantage, and no model can replicate it.

Knowledge is knowing what only you can bring to an effort or project, and knowing what the tool can’t or shouldn’t do. This is your judgment, your relationships, your perspective, your creative instinct. The things that took years to develop and can’t be prompted into existence. Let the machine handle what would only slow you down. Guard the rest like it’s your most valuable asset — because it is.

But knowledge doesn’t show up on its own. You have to choose to go soak it in. Spend an hour with one of these tools this week, not to produce anything, just to understand it. Ask it something you already know the answer to. Push back on it. See where it breaks down. That’s how you figure out where it actually fits in your work and where it doesn’t. The people who are using it well aren’t smarter than you. They just started learning these nuances earlier.

How I Created This Article

I’ll be honest with you, it would be pretty hypocritical to write a whole piece about using AI with intention and then not show you how this one came together.

The thinking is mine: the stories, analogies and examples, the three-word framework, the two positional  extremes most people take with AI, the desire to map out AI types. I worked through all of these ideas before I opened a single tool. That part didn’t get “outsourced.” But once I knew what I wanted to say, I used AI to move faster on the parts that would have slowed me down — like research, article structure, early section drafts, and the visual elements you’ve been interacting with.

What came after that was a lot of back and forth. Reframing, pushing back, rewriting things in my words, cutting things that sounded like AI. The version you’re reading went through probably a dozen rounds of revision before it even reached our editing team, who helped me further refine my ideas, reviewed every line of copy, and proofread for errors and typos.

That’s the real process. Nothing magic about it.

The wave is real. But it still doesn’t surf itself.

Our Thoughts on AI, Simply Put

I’m not going to tell you to use AI. I’m not going to tell you it’ll change your life or that you’re falling behind. That’s not how I like to approach anything — not work, not technology, not relationships. What I’ll say is this: If it keeps showing up in your world, in the work your clients are asking about, in the conversations your team is having, in the tools your industry is building around, that’s worth paying attention to.

Not because you have to. But because the people who engage with it thoughtfully (with intentionality, care, and some earned knowledge about what they’re doing) are going to do better work faster while the people on either extreme will be exhausted by shallow results and missed opportunities.

And the ocean’s not going anywhere.

Patterns are everywhere. They’re used in solving problems, working out mathematical formulas, faith disciplines, choosing an outfit for the day, architecture, teaching students and yes, definitely in the world of branding design. Patterns are even used in identifying bad habits and developing good ones. I think we can all agree that patterns have a daily impact on our lives.

Let’s cut right to the chase. Trying to identify your own patterns, whether good or bad, is equal parts difficult and subjective. Determining whether a pattern is good or bad for you is, well, only up to you to define. On top of being difficult to step back and watch yourself, it’s also difficult because it is subjective. Yes, there are articles, quotes and plenty of examples out there that have identified habits and patterns that result in successful people or happy people or wealthy people or fill in the blank. But generally speaking, identifying your patterns in behavior and discerning which ones are good or bad is not going to be summarized from one source. If this is a topic of interest to you, I implore you to continue seeking other resources and examples out there, so you too can extract what works and makes sense for you and only you.

After making this agreement with yourself, my hope is that you take from this the pieces that work best for you. Below is a list I’ve boiled down, in no particular order, into seven points of consideration and further discovery as it applies to identifying your patterns.

• Seek out objectivity
• Surround yourself with trusted friends, mentors and/or advisors
• Submit to the idea you will never peak as an individual
• Remain steadfast in your core values and beliefs
• Always ask questions
• Practice daily
• Allow time for reflection

If you keep these reminders active and close, I’d be willing to bet they might just help you too. Let’s dive into each of them.

Seeking Out Objectivity

As mentioned above, it’s always important to seek out multiple sources of information related to your topic of research, but it is also important, maybe more, to locate credible sources of objective thoughts and ideas around the topic. In today’s world, this is incredibly difficult to do. I always like to start with the most general resources I can find. I often start with places like Wikipedia and yes — I’ll even use the Dictionary when I can. From Wikipedia, you’ll stumble upon additional sources and I tend to follow the breadcrumbs from there. Otherwise, I’m looking for books, articles and/or podcasts that are more focused on breaking something down tactically or more a matter of fact. In my role at CreativeFuse, I lean on sources like the “A Book Apart” series or the online platform, Treehouse. These are just a couple of examples.

Once I’ve exhausted what I can find within grasp, I then intentionally look for opposite opinions on the topic. I find that this helps me further hone in on what I’m looking for. Yes, I want it to be as objective as possible, but in the end it needs to work for me. So I go out of my way to look for extreme opposites around the topic. I ask the most polar opposite questions that I can. As part of this, I soak in the elements that I resonate with most and form my personal way of thinking. It’s critical that when you go the path of the latter, that you set aside as many biases as possible and allow for any/all ways of thinking in the beginning. The ones that jerk me negatively are worth noting to revisit later. Those often lead to further discovery or are confirmations of my core values.

Circle of Influence

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had this desire to pair up with like-minded people. I’d say this may be true for most, but it’s the leaning into it that has helped me. As a young adult, I made a commitment to myself. If I could not see myself in a relationship, whether business or personal, that couldn’t be long-term or indefinite, then I really had no reason to continue. I’m not interested much in short-term, transactional relationships. I have remained pretty adamant about this. In addition, I do believe your core values play a part in the filtering process. In my role as a leader, a co-worker or a business partner, I’m not looking to be your best friend, but I do seek out a relationship for life. That said, I cannot be all things to all people, so I stopped trying to force that as well. I have a best friend, I have a wife, I have kids, I have parents, I have business partners, I have clients, I have relatives, I have a team, I have social friends. And while some of these can change over time, still one thing stands true. The desire to cultivate relationships with people I trust and can do life with indefinitely.

The catch is to not expect the relationship to last forever and appreciate each day and every moment you have with them. So just because I’m seeking lifelong relationships, I do not expect them to last forever. Naturally people will come in and out of your active, daily life. I try not to see this as a “bad” thing, but it is possible to unintentionally hurt people along the way with this thinking. I’ve learned it’s incredibly important to pay close attention to the impact I have on others. I met some people that have floated in and out, or just more seemingly distant than before, to be amicable in this understanding, whereas others are not. For those that are not, I have tried to note the patterns along the way in order to adjust.

That said, I have relationships today that extend across many years that I cherish greatly. I have relationships with folks that may be more distant now from where we began and I still appreciate the opportunities to reconnect. The memories and stories created together are every bit a part of who I am today. In the end, find people you trust personally and in business and lean on them to help you identify your patterns today, not tomorrow because you never know where life will take you or others.

The Impossible Peak

This could be the most sensitive consideration of all these and I may lose some readers, but hear me out. Submit to the idea that you will not peak, really in any aspect of life. I use the word “submit” intentionally. This has taken me some time to rewire my mind, but the outcome has proven meaningful.

Here’s my most relatable example. I’ve been married to my wife, Sarah, since 2008. Plus, we dated for three years prior to that, so it’s been a few days. One of the best approaches I’ve taken in our relationship is to tell myself, “I will never know everything about Sarah” or “I will always be learning about who Sarah is as a person”. Telling myself this is the first step, but it requires actionable follow-through. And I’ll admit sometimes it can be easy to ignore. This is definitely an aspirational goal and not something I could achieve 100% of the time. Nonetheless, the important thing is that I remind myself to do so as much as I possibly can. This whole process allows me to remain in a position of always seeking, learning, open to change and extending grace. When I’m able to apply this to my daily life, I am much more inclined to remain humble or be humbled by her for example. As a result, I learn more about myself as a person, my patterns even. And I’m also more willing to ask her and talk about it when it’s appropriate. This is a place to strive for in any relationship really, but especially ones that you are engaged with daily.

I will say this is not to be confused with the idea that your life must be a constant challenge or always uncomfortable. This is not a mountain peak to climb or conquer, it’s a journey to experience, a life to live. I do believe in the feeling of contentment and the place it has in a person’s life and mindset. This is definitely a whole other topic of conversation, but the point being you can remain in a place of seeking and learning while being content with the pleasant AND uncomfortable times that come along with doing so.

In the professional world, I’ve recognized that as a creative, I will always be learning and the day I stop I cease to exist, period. The industry is constantly changing and evolving. Toolsets and software become deprecated over time and new ones take their place. I will never be the best creative in the world, but I will strive everyday to grow and become the best version of a creative that’s possible. The moments, or even seasons, I feel like I have it “all” figured out have proven to be the times I’ve missed something or overlooked patterns in my life both personally and professionally. Thus I recommend, submit to the idea you will not peak, ever. You might just surprise yourself and others around you with your happiness, joyfulness and youthfulness.

Core Values, Open Mind

After thinking about how I apply two of the considerations mentioned, Remain steadfast in your core values and beliefs and Always ask questions, I’ve found these go hand-in-hand.

Rather than get into the weeds of how to create core values and beliefs, I’m going to jump ahead and assume you have these. Gino Wickman writes about how to develop core values for your business, among many other business strategies in his book titled “Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business”. Truthfully the method in the book can be applied to creating core values for just about anything, including yourself. There are a ton of other resources out there for creating your core values.

We all have different values, beliefs, motivations and goals. This is part of what makes us unique from one another. The point is to remain steadfast in your values and beliefs. The catch is to do it in a way that you are always asking questions and looking at aspects of your life with an open mind. If I don’t approach it this way, I find it doesn’t allow me to recognize patterns in my life. Without holding true to my beliefs and core values I find it nearly impossible to have a reference point for acknowledging the good patterns from the bad ones. As part of this, if I shy away from asking questions, I naturally push my values and beliefs onto others and close myself off to learning about not only them, but even more about myself as well.

I’m all for aligning with like-minded people with similar values, but even within those relationships it’s easy to lose sight of listening, asking questions and learning from them. Fixating on your values and beliefs is different than committing to them. My goal is that others will get a sense of my values through my actions. And if we’re talking about them, it’s because they’ve either asked me to share or invited me into a conversation around them.

Practice Daily

This is simple enough to understand, but I cannot stress the importance of this one enough. I would really like it to read, “Practice Every Second”. However, I’m trying to be more realistic these days, haha. It’s more manageable to think in terms of choosing to practice each day. The way you practice in a day can look like a lot of different things.

You might choose to read a book or a post, hopefully like this one.
You may consciously decide to listen first in every conversation you engage in.
You could start your day with meditation.
You could place reminders all over your house.
You can identify topics you’d like to discuss with others you trust.
You can recite statements aloud to yourself.
You might go on a walk or exercise.
You could ask a person a hard question.
You might join a support group or seek out a mentor.

Whatever it may be, do it and practice daily. Over time, some of these will become a part of your everyday life and then you can add new practices of identifying patterns. It’s that simple.

Reflection

Practices like meditation and going on walks, are also examples of allowing for time to reflect. This can be done with others, but ultimately I feel it’s important to do it in a place of solitude. For myself, this might be done through prayer, by sitting completely still, hiking miles of trail or wading the streams. Though I did state that these considerations were in no particular order, I do feel this one is the follow-up to all of them. I’m going to share an example of reflection to explain further, but first, I was recently reminded to not listen to the lies I tell myself. Healthy reflection will not come from a place of fear or anxiety rather a yearning for a deeper connection and a desire to grow from experiences.

My example of reflection actually resulted in writing all of this down. I started unpacking this topic back in the middle of 2021. More than a year later, here I am. Part of the reason it took me so long was my time in reflection. I’ve been applying all of the other considerations for a while now. And yes, I have taken time to reflect over the years on other topics, but as I was reflecting on this topic I realized there were some patterns about myself I needed to address. The lies we tell ourselves can be two-fold. It can come across in putting ourselves down, which further cements the idea that we are no good and prohibits us from following through. They can also form as self-defense mechanisms by perpetually ignoring the pattern. I think for me and this topic, it was a little of both. The good news is I’ve managed to face the realities of the patterns I was ignoring, I’ve accepted that I am human and I’m taking responsibility for them. This time to reflect has been met with resistance by not only myself, but others as well.

When I reminded myself about the idea of healthy reflection, to grow as a person, I was also reminded that I am loved for who I am. So, I go forth once more into the fray… to learn, to fail and to seek out healthy reflection. I am not going to share the specifics of the patterns I needed to work through in this post, but just know they were there. I know, I know that was some build up. I feel they should be reserved for the right time, in the appropriate place for the respective audience. Instead I’ll list out some patterns about myself.

• I can be passionate in conversations.
• I am not afraid to voice my thoughts, sometimes to my detriment.
• I work with my friends.
• I can be intimidating to people.
• I ask a lot of questions.
• I want to be outside, like all of the time.
• I impact others emotions negatively and positively a lot.
• I do enjoy a tasty beverage.
• I tend to take on other people’s emotions.
• I seek out genuine relationships.
• I check my phone too many times in a day.
• I like to pee in the morning sitting down.
• I want to believe people until proven otherwise.
• I desire verbal affirmation.
• I am innately selfish.
• I give my wife a hug and/or kiss most every morning.
• I am the butt of many jokes.
• I am troubled by trash along the roads and out in nature.
• I am a devil’s advocate to myself and others.
• I take the brunt of many problems.
• I have natural leadership qualities.
• I bite my nails.
• I pray at least once most days.
• I hug my two daughters every day.
• I like wearing what I want to wear, even if it doesn’t make sense.
• I snack consistently in the evenings.
• I require human interaction.

Through all of your pattern discoveries, I’ll conclude by encouraging you to regularly audit the impact outside influences have on you and the impact you have on others. Patterns are always forming whether we are aware of them or not, good and bad. And people are weird, I am weird.

To all of you fellow perfectionists, friends who have experienced imposter-syndrome, business professionals, creatives, entrepreneurs and basically any human being over the age of 5 (maybe 12 is more realistic), this one is dedicated to you.

I’ve been known to take challenges head on, sometimes to my detriment. If you are like me, this is most likely a place where you will make some mistakes. Some people may think it’s admirable to face your challenges with confidence and without any regard for fear or concern. This is partly true, but there’s definitely a fine line between confidence and arrogance. I find that when I’ve slipped into arrogance, I tend to force steps or ideas to solve my challenge. Of course, I don’t always know I’m doing it and it’s not until I’ve had time to reflect upon it that I see so clearly. And yes, there are times where mistakes are simply just mistakes. Though I have argued to myself…it’s probably rooted in some sort of pressure I’ve added to the situation or something I’ve tried to force. No matter how or why a mistake is made, recovering from them can be tough and sometimes downright exhausting. I’m talking about those critical ones that have a lasting impact on you. Critical in the eyes of you, maybe not necessarily for everyone.

I’ve realized the single most important thing for me is to allow myself grace

It’s important to point out, working through the recovery of these mistakes has taught me a great deal about myself and has contributed to my experiential learning. The recovery process is not always the same and some take longer than others, but I’ve realized the single most important thing for me is to allow myself grace throughout. This can be really, really hard at times.

So we all know I’ve never made any big mistakes. Riggggghhhhhhhtttttt… I’ve made my fair share of seemingly big mistakes, more than I care to admit. A professor of human development and culture at the University of Texas said it best, “we’re still afraid to admit when we’ve been wrong—it feels like an indictment of our self-worth.”. Oh, how this is so true! If you are a professional, odds are you’ve made mistakes that have impacted your career. I imagine some more critical than others. I’m here to tell you these mistakes, or failures, have led to greater innovation and success in my life. What I’m continuing to learn and hopefully able to offer some useful guidance on, is not only how to acknowledge and recover, but doing it gracefully. Let me start by sharing some insights I’ve learned on how to acknowledge the mistake.

Perseverance or Pressure

Like I mentioned before, there’s a line between arrogance and confidence. I believe the same is true for pressure and perseverance. In fact, I would say they really go hand-in-hand. For whatever reason, call it stubbornness, determination or whatever, it’s harder for me to see when I’m being arrogant versus confident. But when I ask myself am I adding pressure to the situation it’s a lot easier to say “yes”, “no” or “maybe”. If “no”, then I let grit kick in and continue with humbled confidence. If “yes” or “maybe”, well then I’m probably overlooking something or too naive and my arrogance is blocking me from seeing it. Generally speaking, a “maybe” has more often been a thinly-veiled “yes” (or whatever response would be seemingly negative). Simply put, if I’m questioning it, then odds are I’m doing it.

The more pressure I add, the more short-sided I become…

When I add pressure to things I make mistakes A LOT. I even try to push it onto others at times, which I’m not proud of. And as ironic as it may be, this is typically the first mistake that leads to a more critical mistake. When I add pressure to situations my fuse is much shorter and my emotions can very easily take over. Consider a pressure cooker. It’s a sealed chamber that traps the steam generated, heating the contents. As the steam increases, pressure builds, eventually driving the boiling point of water past 212 degrees. In the case of mistakes it’s the same. I am the pressure cooker in this analogy, or at least my mind is. The more pressure I add, the more short-sided I become and the more mistakes I make and eventually I can push myself past the point of recovery, at least in the immediate sense. I call this the “boiling point”. And usually when I’ve passed the boiling point, those are what I consider to be the “critical mistakes”. The ones I pushed so far I’m now trying to justify my actions. The ones I try to resolve with quick fixes that prolong the inevitable. The ones I’ve forced too far past the point of immediate resolve.

Trust a Friend

I can certainly be prideful at times. I try to keep this in check, but I am human. I’m naturally a pretty optimistic fella. I think sometimes when this optimism mashes up with my confidence I can become a bit overconfident and prideful. But doggonit if I hover the line just before crossing over I can really show you some perseverance! This is true, however this statement alone, some would say is already pretty prideful, haha. Learning to be humble is key and man I have been humbled over the years, thus I call it “humbled confidence”.

I pride myself on being highly diligent and detailed when it comes to handling our personal finances. I’m by no means wealthy and honestly I feel a bit behind on long term planning, but when it comes to budgeting and choosing when and where to spend money I feel like I put in the work necessary to feel good about our decisions. Nevertheless, pride can also get in the way of admitting to yourself you’ve made a mistake or you’re about to. If you can relate, one thing that I’ve found to be very useful is to have vulnerable conversations and ask questions of a trusted friend. I try to make this a regular occurrence or even routine, so I can’t hide from myself. There’s a couple of ways you can do this. Either by talking about some decisions you’ve made recently that caused question or pause in your mind or by having some go-to gut-check questions. I might ask questions like these:

• Have I done anything strange lately that stood out to you?
• Have you noticed any recent behaviors that have felt “bossy”, forced or pushy?
• Have I offended you recently?

Otherwise, I’m typically forthcoming with things on my mind and when I’ve unpacked them with a trusted friend they’re typically able to act as a mirror for me. I walk away feeling affirmed in my decision or see a potential issue, gap or mistake in my decision. This has been very key for me, because critical thinking is hard to do by yourself at times, especially when pride is involved.

Reframe Your Mindset

No matter how diligent I am at times or how hard I try to strive for perfection I still fall down. I still make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. Accept that it’s part of being human. You never know, it could lead to your next big success or a new way of solving a problem or approaching a challenge.

To learn to succeed, you must learn to fail.
I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.

– Michael Jordan

Otherwise, I tend to build a case around why I should feel bad or feel like I’ve let someone down. The more I do this, the harder I am on myself. The harder I am on myself, the more complicated things get and generally the bigger the mistake becomes. If I don’t have tricks or ways to snap myself out of it, then I continue building the case and eventually I feel stuck. So, I made an agreement with myself that when I finally realize and/or accept I’ve made a critical mistake, I begin the process of seeking out the positive. For me this helps with a couple crucial things. First, it allows me to start the recovery process right then and second it keeps me from slipping into the victim mindset. Yes, there are times I can’t seem to shake the feeling like nothing is working out. Nothing is going my way. Why does this keep happening to me? To top it off, there’s this thing psychologists call “negativity bias”. To quote an article:

“It’s [negativity bias] when these errors tend to take center stage in our consciousness. Our minds are highly attuned to focus on what we’ve done wrong, not what we’ve done right. From an evolutionary perspective, it makes sense; for our hunting-and-gathering ancestors, messing up was often a matter of life or death. Though modern-day mistakes don’t mean we’re going to end up being mauled by a saber-toothed tiger, we may still respond with the same urge to flee. But that response leaves us ill equipped to fix the kinds of errors we make these days, which usually require logical, methodical problem solving.”

If I’m able to keep myself from falling into the victim mindset or “negativity bias”, while seeking out the positive, it allows me to start asking questions like, “What am I supposed to learn from this?” or “What change or impact will this have on future situations like this?”.

Failure Stories

As I mentioned early, I’ve made a lot of mistakes, not only professionally, but personally as well. Some of them have had greater repercussions than others, some have led to success stories in my life, but all of them have taught me something.

He was like, look you messed up and it was a big mistake

In my professional life, I once made a critical spelling mistake on a printed piece to serve as a “thank you” that was being distributed to all of the employees of where I worked at the time. There were easily over 500 employees. It was a pretty embarrassing spelling mistake and I was the final check before it went to print. To top it off, nobody else saw it before it was distributed to the staff even after it had been produced and delivered. I thought for sure I was going to get fired. I didn’t, but I definitely got a stern talking to from my boss. I learned two things from that experience right then, always triple check words OR have another pair of eyes read over everything. And also, I learned humility. My boss at the time was really amazing at being able to communicate his concerns in a way that didn’t make me feel like a complete failure. He was like, look you messed up and it was a big mistake, but these things can happen, so let’s look at ways to improve going forward. Through the process, I was learning to be humble. Later in my career, I realized this mistake was a defining turning point for me. I started to become more aware of myself and how naturally I’m not the most detailed person. It burned in my mind that when you make a mistake, you acknowledge it, reflect on it and learn from it. And do it in a positive way. Ultimately continue forward.

Another example, from my personal life, I remember in my first year of being self-employed. I did not perform the due-diligence I needed to when it came to preparing for my taxes. I remember being in the tax meeting and when my tax accountant shared the total number I would owe, my face literally turned white and my stomach dropped. I thought, “he didn’t say that right, right?!? He accidentally added a zero to the end of that number…right!?”. Fortunately for me, I had bought a house that tax year and we were able to take advantage of the “first time home buyer’s credit”. You know the good one that you didn’t have to repay. It all but wiped out what we were going to owe that year. Ever since then, I vowed to never be in a situation like that again. When it came to our personal (and business) finances, I was on a mission to track at an absurd level of detail. Over the years I have tapered back some, but the core attention to detail and new patterns I had developed did create success for my family and for CreativeFuse. Flash forward to today and I’m considered by some of my peers to be the most detailed on our team. I’m definitely proof that even though your natural tendencies may be one way, with practice and new habits formed over time you can become more aware of yourself and actually thrive on the other side.

Let’s talk about our company CreativeFuse for a moment. Business owners I’m sure can relate with this, but I tried starting five or six other companies / entrepreneurial ideas before CreativeFuse came into the picture. In fact, of those previous attempts a few of them were with my current co-founder and best friend, Casey Telger. We failed multiple times before we were successful. And even when CreativeFuse first started we still had our challenges and we still made mistakes. However, roughly 14 years later, here we are. No matter what happens going forward, I definitely consider CreativeFuse a beautiful success. Something else you must know about me, is that I was seriously concerned earlier in my career that I was going to be unable to work in the same place or doing the same thing for more than a couple of years at a time. CreativeFuse became something of an enigma to me at about year three. I started realizing the potential for change, balance of challenge, variance and growth not only in the company and my role, but also in my day-to-day behaviors. Eventually, I found building relationships with creatives and clients became a driving motivation. And to this day, it provides that same great avenue for me and I haven’t looked back (well until now, haha).

The Slippery Slope

One more personal example. One that was/is more recent. A little over a year ago, my family and I moved six states away from basically where I lived within a 20 mile radius my entire life. We have two young daughters (now 10 and 7) and we were moving away from all of our friends and family. The idea itself was a huge leap for us and even a bigger journey to ultimately begin taking steps towards moving. I won’t go into all of the details of the impact this move has had on my family, my friends and myself. Some good, some not and some is still being sorted out. This may have to be another journal entry or a candid conversation over a cold one. If you were to have asked me five years ago, would I move to another state, I would have said “heck no”. If you were to ask me five years from now will I still be here? I would say “I have no idea”. What I do know is that I’m right where I’m supposed to be. And with each day that goes by, I’ve started to discover more and more why that is. Ok, so the MISTAKE amidst all of this. Well. You see. I’m what you call a “real go-getter”. Someone who “gets after it” when it comes to tackling a home renovation or crawling all over a project at work or knocking off a task list. I have a tendency to dive deep and fast. If I’m not careful I can be destructive, kind of like a huge boulder rolling down a hill, taking out plants, small trees and creating ruts along the way. Hopefully not hurting animals. You get the idea. The deep focus “can” be used for good and I have, but in this case it was to my detriment. If we were going to move across states, we wanted not only to buy the right house for us, but also do the things that were needed to make it our own. I’m not sure if I ever said this out loud to my wife, but in my mind, I was like it all needs to be done in the first year. At least the major ones. Not only that, but somewhere along the way, I had created this idea in my head that without completing these efforts my family wasn’t going to be comfortable. This was the first mistake that led to more and ultimately one that was much bigger.

I don’t know about you, but when you move your family away from everything they’ve known to a new place without knowing anyone or anything around you, it is a lot. This idea that my family wasn’t going to be comfortable in this strange new place until I was able to create the right environment had embedded itself so deeply into my psyche. So much so, that it was causing me to take on way more than I could handle and bulldoze my way around our property, literally. I added pressure. Also, it’s important to note, that I tried not taking it on all by myself and I figured I’d pay the professionals. We had our budget all in order and we had more than luck on our side with the sale of our house and lining up a loan officer. I had done our due-diligence in setting aside cash for projects, we secured a great interest rate and we negotiated well on the purchase of our new house. I even put in some calls to contractors to schedule things in advance after finalizing the sale of the new home in the same weekend. I was off to a wonderful start. Then the unforeseen, the hard-to-plan-for, unknown variables started surfacing.

I took on a small “grading project”. Well, I had a contractor do it, but with all of the logistics and ultimately having to fix the issues of what this person had done was more than a few projects in and of itself. The project was to create a couple of usable flat spaces for the girls to run around a bit and have a place for a playset and some other activities. Ultimately, it was the one project that became one giant series of mistakes. What’s even worse, is I had indicators along the way that I ignored, but because I saw it as a “challenge” I was dead-set on getting it done. Ignoring those indicators added up to the list of mistakes. I added pressure. This same contractor had completed another project for us and it was done well, so I had no reason to believe they couldn’t lead our grading project. Especially since this contractor also mentioned they had over 10 years of grading experience prior to becoming a general contractor. What I quickly realized is he did not have any experience determining how much fill dirt was needed, so the cost of our project kept increasing. Like 3 or 4 times. I also started noticing this contractor was not really attentive to details like what to watch out for (or look for) before you start rolling around with a machine. Uh-huh… things like drainage pipes and septic lines. I also didn’t account for rain, lots and lots of rain during the project and after. Rain during the project postponed it quite a bit. Rain ruined it after because the contractor didn’t secure the new grading well enough. I was watching dollar bills roll, slide and fall down the hill. Entire sections dropping out completely. I frantically rushed to use any sort of sense I had, spent gobs of time and money trying to hold it in place myself to ultimately bring in another contractor who was actually qualified to fix it. I added pressure. When I saw what they did, I began to see clearly what a mess I had created. This new contractor came recommended by a friend I met here locally. Oh there are so many other things that happened along the way I could go on and on, but the biggest takeaways…

Don’t rely on other people to ask the questions that may need to be asked.

When you move to a new state, don’t trust every contractor you meet. Especially where contract work like this was plentiful and when good general contractors are hard to come by in the state you move to. Yeah, I should have known better. On the bright side, we did end up developing solid relationships with contractors that we still have today.

Don’t rely on other people to ask the questions that may need to be asked. As I mentioned, I’m not naturally detailed, but over the years I’ve trained myself to leave no stone unturned. I had questions, ones I should have said aloud to the contractor. But I let my optimism, my unrealistic commitment to making my family “feel” comfortable, my pride and sheer stubbornness veer me from my process. I added pressure.

When you are given time (like due to rain delays outside of your control), this is most certainly the time to reflect before you start “doing” anything else. Honestly, looking back, I believe THIS is where I made my biggest mistake in this journey. I was seeing it as a negative that we were having rain delays, when really I was being thrown a “life raft”. I ignored the indicators I had and had I given myself a chance to breathe and reflect, I would have been able to circumvent “an issue” much sooner (and easier) and saved myself quite a bit of money.

In the end, I learned that acknowledging mistakes as early in the process is always best. I fought and fought against my better judgement. As a result, I did add pressure all along the way, I did fall victim to the “victim mindset” and I made many more mistakes trying to force it because I was hellbent on completing the challenge. I felt I had good cause to stay the course and keep grinding, but it’s easy to see how it all went sideways now. It took me forever to reframe what was going on in my head, and it wasn’t until I finally was reminded to slow down and allow myself grace that things began to change and create real meaningful resolve. That said, I’m still wrestling with one issue today as a result, but my mindset has completely transformed and I’m humbly confident everything will come together in the end.

Graceful Recovery

So the first step is to acknowledge the mistake. Second, start the recovery process as quickly as possible. As part of acknowledging we talked about ways to do this like asking yourself questions about whether or not you are adding pressure. Also, things like getting vulnerable with a trusted friend and looking at ways to reframe your mindset before you slip deep into the negativity bias or victim mentality. With regards to the recovery process and how to come back from mistakes, there’s tons and tons of ideas out there. I’ve shared some in my examples above, however I will sum these up with a few “dos and don’ts”. These have worked and continue to for me.

no – Don’t hold your breath. I actually do this more than I think. Like physically.

yes – Do give yourself a chance to calm down and take a deep breath. Then breathe naturally and sometimes focus on it moving in and out for a moment. You’d be surprised at the space this gives in allowing your better judgement to catch up with your mind. We can all be reminded of this simple action.

no – Don’t force steps. Doing this typically results in making things worse, breaking things or hurting people.

yes – Do take time to reflect. It’s better to stand firm on this over any other steps you may try to force.

no – Don’t beat yourself up for making the mistake(s). Stop holding yourself to unrealistic standards.

yes – Do allow yourself grace and practice self-compassion. Be patient and understanding with yourself as you would with others. You are a human too, not a perfectly crafted robot. We can all use a little reminder of what Ellen once responded with to a question, “Does that mean I’m perfect? No. I’m not. I’m a multi-layered person, and I try to be the best person I can be and I try to learn from my mistakes.”.

no – Don’t let shame or pride hold you back from making amends with people who were impacted by the mistake(s), including yourself.

yes – Do make time for an apology and sometimes how you communicate it, the simpler the better. And yes you can apologize to yourself. THIS IS IMPORTANT.

no – Don’t be so quick (or candid) to apologize that you skip steps that may be needed as part of the healing or recovery process for all parties involved. How else are you to learn from the mistake if you don’t put in any actionable effort beyond speaking words.

yes – Do make a recovery plan when it’s called for and do it swiftly. Being honest with yourself and apologizing are important steps, but the difference between saying these things and actually doing them is taking the time to prepare a recovery plan. This might mean writing down your thoughts on paper or it could be demonstrating proactive steps. In the professional world, people will typically understand you are human and make mistakes, but what they really appreciate is seeing steps already mapped out to resolve or rectify the mistake. Keep showing up! Amy Leneker said it best, “After a disastrous mistake, it can be easy to hide out (hello shame and blame!), but that won’t help. Continue to show up and take action. People need to see your behavior, not just hear your words. It reminds me of Stephen Covey’s quote, ‘You can’t talk your way out of a problem you behaved yourself into.’”.

You’ve Heard it All Before…

• It’s the little things that count.
• It’s all about the details.
• Big things often have small beginnings.
• The difference between good and great is attention to detail.

All of these quotes (or similar) have more than likely impacted you over the years. One of the greatest challenges I’ve seen in myself and in the world around me is how to embed this thinking into daily life. It’s easy enough to say it out loud and it’s not a very hard concept to understand, so why is it so hard to practice each day?

Microwave Mentality

At a very early age we begin to develop an understanding for the pace of life. As a child, there were times it took me half a day just to clean my room. As an adult the thought of it taking me several hours to clean my room, let alone the entire house, seemed outrageous. And I’m not talking about things like dusting and vacuuming. I’m simply talking about picking up items and putting them where they belong, making the bed, that sort of thing. Of course you might think, “Well, as a child you make bigger messes.” Though that is true, I have two little mess makers myself and a few hours still seems like a lot of time to be cleaning up. Regardless, I think this further cements a conclusion I’ve come to. We live in a very fast-paced world. More and more, I’ve noticed that people are developing “microwave mentality” at rates that are impossible to meet. What are things in your life you expect to work or happen without hesitation? The internet, a hot shower, cell signal… It only seems to get amplified the older you get. Work as fast as you can, so you can have as much time as possible with your family or whatever else you want to be up to. Professionally, we’re driven and encouraged to think about being efficient and how we can increase our rate of efficiency year-over-year, whether we’re running a business or growing as an employee within a company. Become the most efficient version of yourself, so you can save all that energy for the things that matter most…

It doesn’t help that we also are programmed to go to school, get a job, work 8+ hours five days a week, sometimes seven days a week until you’re 65 and then you can start slowing down. On top of all of this, we are now being told you must choose one thing, become a master at it and continuously learn and grow in this one practice basically indefinitely until you get to the point of retirement. Oh and you are also supposed to be 100% fully invested and passionate about this one thing you do for a living for basically a great majority of your life. So you better choose that one thing wisely before you go into college. At the age of 18. Riiiiiight… I’ve watched this play out first hand with family and friends. There are many reasons this bothers me on a core level, however I’ve had to accept it in order to move with it at a pace I’ve intentionally set forth for myself.

It seems to me that “microwave mentality” continues to breed and wrap itself around our thoughts whether we like it or not. The pace of the world is outpacing its inhabitants. Technology is one of those conductors. Technology is not bad at all and in fact, I feel like it has played an integral role in all of our lives, whether it be in our day-to-day workflow, communication with loved ones afar, saving the life of a close friend or improving our abilities to connect with the world around us. But with anything, recognizing how to participate with it in a nurturing way is what I feel is very important to understand. Why is it when you talk to someone older and wiser they often say something like, they wished they took things slower while they were younger and enjoyed the little things along the way?

When I Get Older

When I get older, I’ll spend more time doing the things I want to do. I’ll travel more. I’ll slow down and appreciate life.

Why when you get older?

I’ll have more money. I’ll have earned it. I’ll have paid my dues.

I know this whole thought-process is changing with younger generations. They get a front row seat to watch the result of this way of thinking with their parents and grandparents. I remember going into an interview at the age of 22 and being asked the question where do you want to be when you are 30. You know, that question. Well, it was the first time I was asked. I sat back in my chair, thought for a moment and responded with saying, “I’d like to be retired by the age of 30”. The two gentlemen interviewing me were definitely amused by this and chuckled a bit under their breath. I don’t think they were expecting that answer. It was after that interview I asked myself two questions:

1. Why was that so far fetched for them to imagine as a possibility?
2. Why did I say that?

The answer to the first question came sooner than the second. I realized what I had been learning, sponging and witnessing all these years was only encouraging us to work in the system. Whether you believe it was created by the government or some economic ploy to get us all in line, it was still fostered by us, the people. So here we are living constantly in the middle of a highway traveling at speeds that have never been seen before today. It’s not the fault of technology. It’s not because of money. Though both of these can be conductors. At the root of it, you’ll find we were (and still are) responsible. So if we are responsible for it, then we could be responsible for changing it. It was then I also realized that the change was going to start small with one person, me. That was my only goal.

Later in life, I came upon what I believe was the answer for the second question, “Why did I say that?” Deep down I believe I knew there had to be a different way to approach the pace of life and I wanted to understand this on a very core level. At the age of 22, I just didn’t really know how to articulate what I was beginning to see around me. Furthermore, if what I was hearing and watching from folks older than me was true than I’m sitting here thinking, “Well, why can’t I enjoy those things today? Why can’t I look for moments to take things slower today?” As a person in their twenties you’ll find all the ways to trip up on explaining your thoughts. Trust me, it happens. But that didn’t stop me from trying. Especially, because my wife and I were starting to talk about having a family. I was 28 then and I was being told cherish every moment with your kids or it will all pass you by.

Identify the Triggers

I wanted to take what I had observed about microwave mentality and the advice from those older than me and begin exploring what this could look like for me. Again, the idea seemed simple and reasonable, but of course it’s not that easy. I needed to identify triggers in my life that caused me to move too fast or distract me from appreciating the small moments in between the big ones. I’m more of a free spirit and tend to wander in my own head, so if you are anything like me it’s good to take time to jot down your thoughts and even make a list. Otherwise, I find it difficult to distill my thoughts down into anything meaningful. This was no simple task. It was something I had to exercise over time and before I knew it, I found myself at the center of planning projects, tracking budgets and writing creative briefs. I also like to use good ol’ fashioned pens and paper. I’ll digitize them when needed and place it where it goes.

Ok, so for the list of my biggest triggers for moving too fast and getting distracted. Yours may be variations of these or entirely different, which is totally fine. The important thing is to take the time to identify them.

My biggest triggers:

• Technology
• Work
• People
• Fear

The Digital World

This for some reason feels like a touchy subject, especially right now with the state of the world. Rather than to spend time talking about all the good and all the bad that can come from technology, I want to focus on the things I consider when interacting with it. For me, I’ve had to understand that first technology is a tool and a darn good one at that. I use technology all of the time from the moment I wake up until I lay my head down on my pillow. Even then technology is working while I’ll sleep. Without it, I would not be able to do the things I do professionally and I would not be able to enjoy some of what life has to offer in ways that are truly revolutionary. When I’m interacting with technology, I have to ask myself questions like these:

• Is it a tool? Does this tool (e.g. smart device, app, game, latest gadget, etc.) support me at work or bring joy to my family and I? Or is it consuming me by overcomplicating simple steps or keeping me from spending time (even 5 minutes) with my daughters? In the moment, am I choosing to prioritize a text conversation with someone over giving someone my attention who I’m with in person? There are different ways to ask this question, but ultimately if the technology is not a “tool” in my life then I should probably question the use of it or at least the way I’ve been using it thus far. Otherwise, I’ll risk becoming a tool for the technology. Ever seen Black Mirror? It’s extreme and pretty messed up at times, but it paints a fabulous picture of how the consumption of technology can impact us and how it takes over the mind. And I will say some of the episodes are not too far fetched.
• Do I miss small details? This may seem like an obvious thing, but I like to gut-check myself at work with this one. Does the technology I’m interacting with move at a pace that encourages me to miss small details. There are some apps out there that actually encourage you to make light of small details as if they don’t matter in the grand scheme of the project, your workflow or worse yet your life. There are others that over complicate very simple steps/actions. I’m not going to name any, but pay attention to whether the technology is causing you to miss, overlook, complicate or lessen the importance of the small details.
• Am I making excuses for time spent? This one is like the ultimate check for me. It’s hard to admit at times, but I’m thankful for a loving wife and an amazing business partner. People like this in your life can help expose this to you when it’s happening. I’ve come to appreciate and rely on it. I know that I can only see so much of myself and that others can help fill in the gaps or areas my conscience shuts off or can’t see. If I start to make excuses for where my time is being spent and find myself justifying it then I typically need to take a step back and think about the sources of technology that I’ve been interacting with and how I’m using it. 90% of the time I can trace it back to the use of technology, not every time, but most of the time.

It really is great to be living in this digital age and I appreciate and enjoy the things it can do in our lives. I just know for myself, I have to ask these questions or I will get sucked in and miss the small moments of gratitude. The one detail that made the project into a big success. The funny little face my daughter makes when she is overfilled with excitement about the scene she just created with her toys. The feeling I have just by focusing a moment on my wife’s character and beauty.

Work Work Work Work Work

I’ll admit, even though I told the company I wanted to be retired by the age 30, it still took experiential learning to appropriately participate with work. A lot of people would tell me you need to figure out how to balance work and life. That struck me a little odd. I mean I understand why, but separating the two into their own little worlds seemed strange. Isn’t it all a part of living life? Your hobbies, your work, your family, your home, your friends, your community. I’ve even had some people swear by keeping them all separated in order to be able to walk away from work when it’s time or causing emotional fallouts with friends or family you may attempt to work with. While I certainly resonate with the reasoning behind it, it just didn’t seem to “work” for me. I feel we’re called to live life in a way that is meaningful and intentional every second of every day. Whether I’m working, playing, learning, etc. This thinking is not meant to add pressure, but really meant to recognize that all I have is the present moment. Yes, planning is good and reflecting on the past definitely has its importance, but truly living in the moment allowed me to better recognize how and where I was spending my time and energy. As a result, I actually found myself finishing up work when I needed to, enjoying quality experiences with friends and family and still having time to myself. It was a strange phenomenon, but definitely a rewarding one.

Is it causing pressure on me or my family?

By living my life moment-to-moment, it actually provided a focus that naturally balanced out all aspects of my life. Because I was paying attention to the small moments along the way I could better change course or pivot when needed. It felt freeing and effortless in a way. Otherwise, I found myself building up these expectations of what a day was supposed to be, how the next year would look or where I’d be in twenty years. Changing my mindset in this way came in very handy when unexpected things would come up. It sorta provided the reassurance I needed to know and trust that everything was in its place and who am I to argue that. So, move with it and do it boldly at times and gently other times.

This line of thinking is very personal to me, so depending on your personality, background and influences around you, it may be that some variation of this or something else entirely different will work for you. Nonetheless, these are some questions I ask myself to help with participating with work:

• Is it causing pressure on me or my family?
• Is it encouraging me to move at a pace where I’m missing quality time with family, friends or myself?
• Am I losing track of time?

The first two questions go hand-in-hand. Typically, when I’m feeling the pressure it’s largely due to lack of time or the speed of things. Which ends up causing me to miss details, make mistakes, limit time with family and become more focused on me, not in a good way. I tend to get way more fidgety and complete thoughts become more difficult. This for me is a definite indicator to take a step back, acknowledge the pressure, reevaluate my pace and move with it.

The last of those questions, “Am I losing track of time?” is one that I’ve learned more recently. You might think well if I’m losing track of time, I’m probably having fun or enjoying it. Though this is true, I do enjoy what I do, I’ve noticed that my intense focus is intimidating and unapproachable for others. I also tend to forget to do simple things like eat, get a glass of water and even go to the bathroom at a healthy time. This was kinda a joke around the office or when I worked from home, but in retrospect I saw how inappropriate it was. Not only am I setting an unrealistic example for our team, but it was causing me to overlook simple healthy habits. Not to mention, I could easily overlook how people around me were feeling, my co-workers, business partners and even family. So, yes, at work if I feel like I’m losing track of time or time is flying by, I need to step away for a moment and take in what’s happening around me.

We Humans

People are definitely a trigger for me. However, not really in a bad way. I’ve realized that I care deeply about relationships and it’s likely what gets me out of bed most mornings. It’s certainly a big part of why I feel I’ve been put here on this earth. Not necessarily in the large group gatherings, but in the one-on-ones and small group settings. I’ve been told time and time again that my ability to listen and relate during a conversation is very appreciated, supportive and extremely rare. I’d like to say it’s the way I’ve been wired, but honestly, part of it is because of what I’ve already mentioned practicing above. I wasn’t always this way. I was a hothead and very arrogant and sensitive about it. When I tell people about the person I was in my teens and young twenties they laugh and say something like, “I cannot see you like that.” Maybe it was buried deep in there somewhere even all those years, but I’m calling it my life’s “happy accident”. As a byproduct of practicing these new behaviours around pace of life, moments of gratitude and small breadcrumbs, I’ve become much more intentional about my conversations and moreover my relationships with people. At this point in my life, there is no question this has molded me into who I’ve become.

Ultimately, I’m really just trying to find those spaces in relationships where I can be most respectful to others as well as myself and family.

Because of this deep connection I now desired with the people next to me, I’ve also become way more influenced by their thoughts, feelings and opinions. I mean, I’ve always been influenced by them, but not like this. At first glance, it may seem innocent and “good.” I began to feel how much other people’s attitudes, behaviors and their way of life would influence me, even if it was just on a subconscious level. I think deep down inside I was always rooting for them and trying to learn and grow in new ways to support them. What I didn’t realize is that at times it would cause me to get too caught up in their lives. I would go down their rabbit holes and I would empathize with them on a level that would cause me to miss things going on right in front of me with my kids, with my wife, with my home. So, I started creating what I’m calling “respects” (aka “boundaries”). I guess I’m trying to restructure my original thinking and opposition to the word “boundaries” by calling them “respects.” Ultimately, I’m really just trying to find those spaces in relationships where I can be most respectful to others as well as myself and family. These respects obviously vary from one person to the other and also change based on the environment you’re in.

Fight or Flight

Fear is a nasty, gut-wrenching, relentless intruder. The way it impacts us in a matter of seconds is truly astonishing to me. We frequently don’t even know it until later. I’d say fear has been my biggest trigger. Largely due to wandering around in my thoughts far too long, traveling to dark places and chasing rabbits. As humans, we so badly want to understand. How do things work? Why is my body doing this? Why does that person feel that way? How can I fix this? How did the universe come into existence? These thoughts have encouraged people to do some pretty amazing things with their lives. And for some we become too fixated on these ideas and thoughts. Everybody’s fears and reactions to them are different, but one thing is common, fear exists. Fear can be paralyzing, it can cause a primal response and it can certainly move us into the feeling of “fight or flight.” Usually as a result of desperation.

I’ve had many conversations with friends about this feeling of “fight or flight.” You can see the benefits of it for sure. Like, what if we all had to figure out how to do our job remotely starting tomorrow? Good things can come from that. Or what if we were confronted with a virus that was highly contagious and spread faster than anything we’ve seen before? Well, good things can come from this, as well. However, in the moment, it’s much easier said than done. The fear sets in. Some people will remain paralyzed by it and unable to move in any direction let alone forward. Some will do their best to respond to it by changing course. And some will move into a state of “fight or flight.” I do think if pushed far enough, we all could move into “fight or flight” mode. Let me just say this response is neither good nor bad. I feel it definitely has its place and is appropriate depending on the circumstances, but I do feel too often people see this as their first response for almost every situation. That’s where I think it gets a little tricky. I also believe some of us desire to spend most of our time in this mindset. But that’s for another time.

No matter your beliefs, I think we can all agree there is something outside of ourselves that can and will influence our decisions. Fear is one of those manifestations. I’m not saying you shouldn’t let fear in. No, there are definitely times it’s important to respect. But there’s a fine line where fear transforms into worry, which then causes chronic stress and anxiety. Knowing how to acknowledge fear and when to stop it in its tracks is something I’ve really been working on lately.

Turning Worry into Reflection

As of right now, the number one question I ask myself is, “Am I worried?” If the fear has gotten to the point of worry then it’s time to shut it down. If you find that it is difficult, then acknowledging it is the first step. I would invite others closest to you, that you trust, into the dialogue. This has helped me tremendously as it does a couple of things. First, it allows me to unpack out loud and second, I don’t feel alone. This is very critical for me as I’m sure it is for others as well. But of course we can’t talk all day and night all of the time with others and some are just not wired to talk about it openly. I’ve also found that journaling and meditation can help as well. Taking intentional time for reflection. There comes a point during this period, where if it’s still causing me to worry, I “lay it on the ground.” Not really, but figuratively. I’ve finally realized and sometimes have known all along that it’s completely outside of my control. So I need to start the process of letting go, but recognizing it’s still there on the ground, right by my side. I think this visual helps me start the separation process or I like to call it “releasing,” which then can turn to reconciliation or healing and before you know it you’ve completely forgotten about the thing on the ground, the worry. The “releasing” process hardly ever happens overnight. It starts with understanding that it is a thing and it’s not going away at the snap of a finger. Every action you take and day you move through, the more your confidence begins to build back up. I realize that for some even at this point there are larger health-related things in play and I’m not making light of that. However, the thinking above has certainly allowed me to manage fear. All of this to say, that when fear sets in, I cannot think or see anything else let alone function as I know I’m capable of. Not only will I miss small things, but big things too.

I like to use this analogy sometimes when I’m reminding myself or talking to others. Imagine you have a niece or nephew or maybe it’s your son or daughter. Either way a child you are close to. You take them to a carnival one day and you are having a truly amazing time. As you begin to walk to the next silly game you hear the scream of your niece. You turn around to find that they’ve dropped their lollipop in the dirt and gravel. You know, the big colorful spiral lollipops. The kid is losing it, I mean losing it. It is the end of the world as you know it for them. In that moment, you have a choice. You can relate with them and acknowledge their fear. What if I lost my job? What if I wrecked my parents car? Worse yet, what if someone I’m very close to passed away? How would you feel in those moments? It may be the end of the world to you as well. So how would you want someone to respond to you? We can all relate to fear, so know you are not alone.

Simply Put

I’m now 35 years old. The idea of retirement for me has transformed into more about having choices. It started back when I was 22 in that one interview. The things that I was told over and over again from folks who were retired, nearing retirement or looking forward to retirement have all found their way to impacting my daily life. These seemingly insignificant observations brought about small changes that have completely changed how I approach life. And life includes all aspects of work, family, community, spiritual, etc. all working together in harmony with one another. Ten years later, for all intents and purposes, I “feel” retired, not in the traditional sense, but in that I’m making deliberate choices to focus my time where I feel is important and needed. I work with amazing people and killer clients on projects I enjoy, at a pace that is healthy for my current stage of life. I’m able to work virtually anywhere I’d like and spend quality time with my family and friends. Of course as I get older things will continue to slow down more and more. But I’m doing what I want to do with my time. I’m being intentional about the things in my life. I’m enjoying and choosing where to focus at any given point in the day. I’m deliberately trying to live moment-to-moment to enjoy the small things along the way. There is not an abundance of money, but that was never going to be the answer. Life is still hard at times and will continue to throw us curveballs, but getting older or being retired doesn’t keep that from happening. I’m doing the best I can with what has been given and remaining grateful for the opportunities and new experiences that come up along our path. I’m not going to try and pretend I know where I’ll be in 5 years, but I still have goals and aspirations. I’ll let myself sit and think about what life may be like in 5 years, however I don’t get hung up on it, turning it into an expectation. When I do, I lose sight of what’s important, the small things.

There are many opportunities in this world to distract us from slowing down when we need (or want) to pay more attention. Things like acknowledging your significant other when the dishes are done or record a small detail in a big project. I can’t tell you how many times this thinking, in our business, has altered the direction of a project and ultimately the success of our clients. And with the ones closest to you (shoot! relationships as a whole), noticing or remembering the small details do matter most, period. I encourage you to think about the triggers in your daily life that distract you or cause you to be sucked into the fast pace of the world. I’d love to learn new ways to manage them. If you ever want to talk, hit me up below!

Want vs. Need

I’ll start out by saying, over the last ten years, our company has gone through three iterations of splash pages – and as I’m writing this, we still don’t have a “full” website. TEN YEARS, wtf, right?! Well, just wait before your mind wanders too far. There’s a story behind the reason why, and yes, it has taken us some time to tell it. In our case, the absence of a website is a direct reflection of who we were then and who we are today. We will finally have a more robust website this year and for the first time, our team, united, recognizes the “need” for it.

…know the difference between “wanting” and “needing” a website.

Before I jump in, if there is one thing I hope you walk away with, it’s this: you know (and are able to identify) the difference between “wanting” and “needing” a website. Thus, making it obvious to know when creating a website is right for you.

Who Are You

In the beginning, we were questioning who we were… I mean really. We’ve learned a ton since the inception of the company. The journey has definitely had its challenges and one of the biggest, which has played a role in the story of our website (or lack thereof), was figuring out who we are. Even after a few years, we were still learning about ourselves, our goals, and our mission. If you’re interested in the full backstory, check out what Casey Telger had to say about “The Journey Thus Far.” In short, most would say we made it incredibly hard on ourselves. We threw all the chips up in the air – I mean ALL of them. We didn’t make any assumptions about the way a business should or should not function. We were intent on being creative in all aspects of what we were doing. We didn’t have any real structure, basically zero hierarchy and we strived to not compete for work against our local friends in the field. Oh, and also, life happened… Bill Murray once said, “Be available for life to happen.” Pretty great reminder.

Fast forward to today and a lot has changed. We’ve finally curated our core values, brand positioning, and design principles. We’ve honed in our focus, allowed for genuine relationships with clients to grow that we dearly love and appreciate, and most significantly, we’ve established a close network of partners and contractors; people that I can call some of my best friends. Without each and every one of them (including partners, such as Indigo Life, and people, like Joe Harrison), I am absolutely certain we would not be where we are today.

Even local companies in our industry have been willing to impart their knowledge and experience upon us throughout our journey. We’ve had the pleasure of talking to Ben Callahan from Sparkbox a couple of times, and their Build Right: Maker Series has been dynamite! Through these workshops, we’ve become big fans of Dan Mall (check him out!). Our friends at The Scenery have been there for us several different times and throughout the years, have inspired us to make decisions that have impacted where we are today. And let’s be honest, their Gusto recommendation for payroll was dynamite!

I remember some years ago, Andy Rossi, from The Scenery, said to Casey and I, “One of you is going to need to dive into it [web development] …” At the time, our backgrounds were mostly in high-level design execution, creative direction, marketing and brand development. I did dabble with some code and even worked at a digital agency as a front-end designer creating basic HTML and CSS, however, it was still somewhat foreign to me. At some point, a year or two later, we finally took Mr. Rossi’s advice. I took the deep dive into the big, ever-expanding “web of things.” I leaned heavily on Treehouse, an online training tool for learning about the web, coding and design. And I cannot say enough about the “A Book Apart” collection and how helpful it has been.

…the first step in creating a website is making sure you know who you are as a company.

Though it has taken us years to get to this point, and has admittedly taken others much less time, I would not change anything about the path we took. For me, it has so much to do with the relationships that we are intentionally growing every day. It’s been an incredible ride and after all that has happened, I can’t help but feel like every single one of us is connected by some sort of universal thread.

All that backstory is a roundabout way of saying, regardless of how long it takes, the first step in creating a website is making sure you know who you are as a company. There are practical steps to get there and depending on your priorities and goals, the pace at which you do it is entirely up to you! Below is a list of items to work through as you begin diving deeper into discovering who you are as a company:

• Research Industry & Competitors
• Identify Target Audience
• Create Core Values (checkout the book “Traction” by Gino Wickman — the first few chapters help a ton and simplify this task)
• Create Client (aka Buyer or Customer) & Brand Personas
• Determine Brand Positioning
• Perform Keyword Analysis
• Create Company Name
• Determine Primary Messaging

We love collaborating with companies through these early stages. It’s actually preferred. Regardless, if you come to the table with these items, we’ll know it’s time to create a web presence for you.

Focus on Your Priorities

Some of you may be wondering, “Ok, so like, why don’t y’all have a website today?” In ten years of being in existence, I can honestly look back and say, “It wasn’t time.” Our priorities as a company were shifting too much and too fast. It wasn’t until 2013, when we met Gerrad Wise, an amazing design lead, whom begin to pave the way for other designers. He brought focus in a way we couldn’t at the time. This continued on when we met our good friend, Chris Hahn, in 2016. His tenacity and unwavering ability to keep dreaming was the fuse we needed in order to take our digital focus to the next level. And across the last five years in business, we begin to attract truly amazing people such as Savannah Rank, whom started working with us as a UX Designer and then moved into a Strategy Lead role. I cannot stress enough how important is to stay connected to your community and continue to find the right people to collaborate with! You will always need to keep a pulse on these things.

…start simple with your online presence.

So, remember those iterations of splash pages I talked about early on? Well, it wasn’t because we didn’t “want” a website. Let’s be clear about something, I am not saying a splash page or a one-pager isn’t a website, but as a digital branding agency, it’s hard to look across the table at a potential client and say we build websites and not have an intentionally thought-out website ourselves, right? It didn’t seem to matter to most people at the time. We, surprisingly, kept getting work. This was either because it wasn’t time for us to have a full website and we were still able to build trust with people or well, we were the luckiest people on earth. No, we didn’t win the lottery and no, we didn’t have an investor or financial support. Sometimes it pays off to just start simple with your online presence.

The point to remember here is that no matter what industry you’re in, building your team may be a higher priority at first, than building your website. As you’re ramping up, it’s ok to start small with a splash page or simple one-page website. Our experience and relationships proved this to be true for us.

Notable Reflections

Two things come to mind in thinking about our journey with creating our website: you will always be busy and be sure to practice what you teach. The latter may not seem as applicable to you if you’re not a creative agency, but it’s insightful. Let’s unpack these for a brief moment.

If it’s a priority, then you’ll make it a priority, no matter what is going on

As a business owner, technical lead, marketing manager, CEO or a contractor, let’s agree to not fool ourselves: WE WILL ALWAYS BE BUSY. I believe it’s in our nature; the desire to remain busy (that’s a conversation over coffee). That said, it truly comes down to how intent you are on paying attention to your priorities. If I have an employee who needs to talk about a time-sensitive issue they are having, but I had the whole day scheduled out. What will I do? Just because we are fortunate to have all of this work, what if we aren’t taking time to work on personal growth or marketing for ourselves? What does this mean? The thing to remember here is, we can always justify and seek out reasons for why we are too busy to do something. If it’s a priority, then you’ll make it a priority, no matter what is going on. Bottom-line, ask yourself the question, am I making this an excuse to avoid something or is it because I’m currently being asked to remain steadfast in what I’m focused on? There’s a fine line, but only you will know the honest answer to that question when you ask it. For us, it was clear we needed to remain focused and even though we desperately wanted a “full” website, we were doing just fine with a splash page. Note, if you are a product or software company it’s more likely you will need to create a website (or at least tie into some kind of digital presence) much sooner than say a service or consultancy company who could start with a one-pager.

The second of these two things, practice what you teach, is not a foreign concept for most and yet, it’s still so easy to forget. I’m very proud of our team and the time we’ve spent ironing out our ability to create a kick-ass website these days! Our process, from start-to-finish, has truly worked for our clients and we will continue to polish and refine, I’m sure. New things will come along and we will be asked to adapt. It’s unavoidable when working in the digital space. Yes, it has taken us a while to find ourselves needing a website, but in doing so, we’ve actually been following the steps we take in every website project. Yes, each project is unique and we end up finding the path right for the client. BUT! It’s important to have a guide to getting started, whether you are creating a completely new website, refactoring your current site, adding a new feature or rebranding.

So to summarize, recognize that you will always be busy and establish a trusted creative resource or partner early in the process that will help guide you along the way as your company grows.

Now and Later (No, Not the Candy)

The truest answer for when it’s the right time for you to create your website is “now and later”. Meaning, you need to seriously consider having some form of a digital presence online immediately upon forming your company and understanding who you are. Whether it’s a templated site through Squarespace, a simple one-pager or at the very minimum, a company Facebook page, take advantage of the tools around you to get a digital presence up now. Again, understanding who you are as a company is one of the very first things you (and your website partner) will need to know. This will impact what platforms and tools you use in the very beginning of establishing an online presence for your company. There’s no reason to stress about this. If you need some help, just let us know! It’s very unlikely we will know as much as you do about your service or product, however, we can ask the right questions at the right time and guide you along the way.

I say “later”, because at some point, you’ll know when it’s time for a “full” website and ideally you’ll have a creative partner able to guide you along. The number one reason why it’s finally time for us to have a more established website is because it’s time for us to grow again. Personally, I’m ready for this next chapter. As a company, it’s being asked of us, both internally because of our goals and externally in showcasing our credibility to trusted partners and clients. And as a team, we are finally prepared.

…we will not assume you need a website even if you ask for it.

Just remember, things like doing the research, planning and creating a business strategy should all come before you even finalize a name, much less choose a domain and create a website. Without these items you can be certain you are not ready for a website. This may seem counterintuitive coming from a guy who creates websites for a living. Some will jump at the opportunity to build the biggest, raddest website they can right out of the gate, but we’ve learned this can lead to a major waste of time and energy. Ultimately, we are much more interested in impacting our client’s business success and supporting their marketing goals. We want to grow with the companies we work with. So, yes, we will not assume you need a website even if you ask for it. You’re reaching out to us as the expert in our industry. You wouldn’t tell an auto mechanic or a doctor what to do, right? There have been times we’ve recommended that companies don’t spend their money on a full-blown website out of the gate. It’s not uncommon for us to start with things like brand positioning and messaging if these are not already prepared.

Want to find out if you are ready for a website? Take a peek at this quick checklist. If you have all of these completed and are ready to start, or are ready to enhance or rebrand your existing site, let’s talk! I do like me a good local beer. Seriously though, if you have any questions, don’t ever hesitate to reach out. That’s why we’re here.