Wednesday

Working it Wednesday – it's time to start working on your 2024 goals and to make them big enough to move you. After you work out your mental muscles, read something about music from a beautiful soul who pops up a poem while you read, and why does she do that? Because you could use a poem today.

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🤘We are here every day, and every minute you spend with us sends ripples of gratitude through our souls! 🤘

Here is a great One-Two punch to prepare you for 2024 in the best way possible. Think about a few big goals: a professional accomplishment, a physical test, or even a big change of location and scenery. This also works for one of those nagging goals you've thought about for years but never picked up the torch. If you don’t have either of those, but you want to play along, make up a big goal today and follow the next two steps:

I'll also play along; in 2024, I will write and publish a book. Add your goal to the comments, we will all regroup in 2024 ;-)

Listen or Watch a master of productivity and deep work, Cal Newport, tell you why now is the best time to start working on next year’s plan. This is an easy 90-minute video; if it resonates, you should watch it first, settle with it, watch it again, and take notes. Newport will take you through a goal-setting system and help you determine what's important to you when you start. This will help you reinvent, in Newport's words – or, in my case, advance what I already know I want to do.

Define what you want, build systems to help you get it, and, most importantly, automate as much as possible. Many successful people will tell you strategic planning can take twice as long as execution if you do it right. The only caveat is that you must know when the plan is done and move to execution. Don't get caught in a planning loop or a perfection trap; all passive excuses not to act. Edit after the first launch, not before.

Take that goal and read this:

I read this quote years ago, and it is all about momentum and moving toward your goal, starting right now. Print the quote and put it somewhere you will see at least once daily. Get committed and start taking action Right Here | Right Now!

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The Marginalian is written by a talented artist named Maria Popova, and in the publishing industry, she is also one of our heroes. Popova's work has been ad-free for 17 years, and she relies on donations and support to put out fantastic content, thoughts, and art that makes us think.

Today, she kicks out a story from her archives about the power of song. As both a writer and musician, I always find myself conflicted. I could write for days about the power of music in my own life, but that doesn't convey what a thousand three-minute songs could. Music is a drug; I shoot it straight into my veins through my ears, and the instant feeling of what it does and where it takes me can change my state like nothing else can. For some, it's nature; for others, it's people or books. For me, it's the rattle, hum, words, and melodies that take me wherever I want to go.

There were two other beautiful nuggets in this story. The first was a quote from Friedrich Nietzsche: "Without music, life would be a mistake." I say preach, brother!

Second, while reading the story, Popova popped up the following box on her site:

A popup poem and a line that says. “Hey, I thought you could use a poem today.” – that is a fantastic way to take an advertising tech and turn it into a way to deliver poetry!

Love the process.

Click on the Apple Music image to listen to the song on Apple Music or on the Spotify Image to listen to Spotify.

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🤘We are here every day, and every minute you spend with us sends ripples of gratitude through our souls! 🤘

With A Shout newsletter is written by Johnny Christian with the support of a thousand idea bits and the help of many people.

5 minutes of good cheer every day. Become a Fan to get daily posts and updates.

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