Smiling Sundays - #302 The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I Do My Homework

How do you go about the tests in your life? Do you just show up to your life unprepared, do you hope that things will work out without getting ready, do you not participate and put your head on your desk in your life class tuning it all out…not taking notes or doing what’s required in preparation of being your best in the moment. We live in a society where it’s said that if you got an “A” then you knew the subject. We put more merit over a grade rather than mastery of a subject matter.

And when I took classes in college, I knew how to fake my way through them, I knew how to study the last moment to get the right answers…and then forget them right after the test. We go about our lives thinking that we should get what we want because we showed…even though we didn’t do the work. That we as human beings deserve things just because. We have become a society that has become entitled, thinking that being here… means that we should be given whatever we ask for.

I recently got a message on my Instagram account for someone to be a guest speaker on my podcast. Here’s how the message went.

Him: Would love to be a guest spot on your podcast my man. Private message me.

I replied… Have you listened to my podcast?

Him: I believe I’ve heard it. And checking out your feed it seems as if we’d be a good match for a killer episode. I would love to come on and talk about the grind and a small interview if you are interested sir.

I will talk about my last response next, but I want to preface this first. I am not downing this gentleman for reaching out to me. I’m glad he had the courage to do so. I think it’s great that he’s reaching out to put himself in the hot seat and share his knowledge…

But where I was turned off is I asked him if he had ever listened to my podcast and he said he “believed” he did. The reason I asked him that question is because my podcast isn’t an interview podcast. I have not had one guest on… EVER…as this is a short 5-7 minute podcast of affirmations and my after thoughts on the meaning of the affirmation.

He didn’t do his homework. I know he just searched in the key words for the word “podcast” or some other similar hashtag and sent everyone a scripted message. He didn’t do his homework. He had nothing to share with me why he would be good for my podcast, why he would be a good fit, he didn’t even take the time to listen to one, and when I asked him the question if he listened to it because I wanted to give him a chance to come up with a good response…he didn’t even try to listen to it…he just said he believed he did…which that lie turned me off right away.

So I nicely said to him, you might want to do your homework before you go pitching yourself. You might want to learn a little more about the podcast and the person before you go sending out as many spam messages as possible. Yes it will take more time and work, but it will reap more benefits for you.

And I am not chastising him for his effort, I hope he learns from his attempts, and maybe I might be the first lesson for him. We want to get to the top as quickly as possible, but we don’t want to put in the research, we don’t want to put in the time, we don’t want to put in the effort to bring something great to what we have. We want it to be given to us and we think if we just ask for something it will be handed to us on a golden platter.

Now don’t get me wrong here in thinking I am saying don’t jump without thinking first. Sometimes we need to make these mistakes so we learn from them, sometimes we need to get burned so we pay attention to the signs. It’s like the book I’m writing right now. My accountability partner that I skype with weekly talk about this lesson every time. He is writing a book as well, and we talk about how we want our book to be perfect how it will be the one thing that will launch us, and if we do it wrong it’ll be over.

But it’s ludicrous to think that way. We both have had the courage to send each other our rough drafts to read over and critique honestly. We had to let go of our pride and to send our work to other people to have it be analyzed not to be torn apart, but for us to let go of the notion of perfection and hold onto the realization of bringing our ideas into the world. For I believe both him and I have something great to share with the world, but the more we hold onto something without getting it out there…mistakes and all…then we will never learn from it…and others will never hear the great message we have to share with the world.

So do your homework, put in the time, put in the effort to put your best exertions out there…and be willing to jump before the time is just perfect.

I am never saying don’t do your best, but get to the point where you have put in good effort and then get it out there to be analyzed and criticized. Get it out there to be molded into something better. Be willing to fail repeatedly until you have crafted the work that you meant to…not a work of perfection…but a work of helping people see something different. Have your life be an example, have your works be a placeholder for others to be challenged, and have your homework be done with the notion that it’s not about getting an “A” but it’s about becoming the best version of yourself that you can be.

You have a great purpose, you have great ideas to share, and you are meant to be challenged and challenge others by the preparation you put into your life. So do your homework, do your research, and put your works into the world ready and willing to be criticized. Not because you need to be torn down…but to know that what you said mattered. There will always be someone who will try to tear your work apart, and that’s ok because they’ll make it better, they’ll make you stronger, they’ll make your skin thicker…and know when they’re doing it—that there are some who will mean well, and there will be some who will try to tear it down because you’ve hit a nerve or a belief system they may not want to address. And that’s ok, because it’s not your mission to change everyone with your life and your works. It’s your mission to reach the people who are ready…to help hold the hands and support the ones who are willing to do something different. I know I get so caught up in trying to reach as many people as I can that I forget that my mission isn’t to reach a billion people…my mission is to reach as many people as I can…one person at a time.

So let us stand out not just try to fit in and half ass our way towards things…let us do our homework and put in the hard work to be prepared for the life we want to live.

Today’s Personal Commitment:
Where are you falling short in doing your homework? Are you just showing up to work doing the bare minimum? Are you giving just enough minimal effort knowing it will keep you off your bosses’ radar? Are you showing up in your relationships just being there instead of being proactive in them?  

What can you do that can not only makes your life works better but makes you better as a person. So, look at your life and ask yourself where are you falling short. And then ask yourself, how you can do the homework necessary to begin changing the places of why you aren’t reaching the potential that you truly desire for your life.

I Do My Homework

 

 

Thanks for listening.  I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together,
Personal Development Life Coach-
Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: [email protected]  phone:865-219-3247

 

 

Music by:
- Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.
- I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee USA but available worldwide