A “HELL YEAH!” moment
My friend and business partner with Impact Club challenged me to write an Impact of the Day, every day, for 90+ days straight.
I accepted. I’m a few weeks into the challenge.
Ryan Fletcher has nicknamed these daily writings as IODs (Impact of the Day), as they aim to tell stories and generate impact specifically around 4 core areas of life. Mind, Body, Business, and Relationships. Sometimes IODs cover multiple categories, other times they focus on just one.
Committing to IODs was no easy decision. I grew up with plenty of evidence that writing was not my strength. I make constant errors, I’m slow, and the list goes on.
For the first 4 decades of my life, I cringed at the idea of having to write anything. In part because I knew I wasn’t good at it.
I’ve also spent the last 20 years with my wife Amanda. Amanda has always loved writing. And she has always wanted to be a writer. That has been her mission in life, and I always admired and envied her clarity in what she wanted to do and be in this world.
So I’ve let Amanda be my crutch with writing.
…Why get better at writing when I have Amanda to lean on?
Amanda is an amazing writer.
But the thing that may not be obvious to others is that as good as she is at writing, Amanda is always striving to get better at it.
And that’s the secret.
It’s not about how much better or worse we are compared to others. The real competition is with ourselves.
My friend Ryan France said the other day:
“The only person you truly need to compete with is the one you were yesterday. It’s a journey of continuous self-improvement.”
And he’s right. In fact, I think he nailed it.
Which gets back to answering the question of WHY I’ve decided to accept the challenge to write IODs every day.
My plate is full with multiple businesses, initiatives, and projects I’ve already committed to.
WHY WAKE UP AN HOUR EARLY EVERY DAY TO WRITE IODs?
It’s a good question.
What finally convinced me to accept Fletcher’s challenge was witnessing others go through the same challenge and seeing their total transformations.
I saw firsthand what it did to their writing skills, their ability to influence and impact others. I followed along as their businesses grew, their health improved, and their relationships strengthened. Watching someone else go through a transformation in their life is very inspiring.
So I dove in, head first. I work on them daily. Some are lame. Some crash and burn. Some hit the mark. My hope is that with each one, I will improve slightly, even just 1% at a time.
The beginning was tough. I put in a lot of work, but wasn’t seeing any measurable results other than the occasional encouraging comment.
It’s like starting a diet and exercise plan. At first, you are just sore and hungry and wondering why you are torturing yourself.
But do you remember the last time you were attempting to lose weight and you noticed for the first time that you had to go a notch tighter on your belt to keep your pants on?
It’s definitely a “HELL YEAH!” moment, and it inspires you to keep your good habits going.
Now, a few weeks into the challenge, I’m beginning to experience “hell yeah” moments in multiple areas of my life and it’s re-fueling my resolve to stick with it.
Here is how writing IODs are impacting me, and why I’ve committed to continue to get up early to write them daily.
MIND:
When you are sharing stories about your life and about others, it forces you to reflect and analyze the world in a more purposeful manner. You begin to spot the lessons the world is teaching us on a daily basis.
When you share those ideas and lessons with others over a period of time, you realize that you become something more than just an observer. Others begin to see you as a mentor, a truth teller, a confidant.
Even though I feel I am just a student sharing my findings, it’s surprising how many people have approached me recently to tell me about how one of my stories resonated with them or had some meaningful impact on them. Every time that happens, it’s another “Hell Yeah” moment.
BODY:
This initially was my least favorite topic for me to write about because I was ignoring my health and diet. I was exercising occasionally, drinking a lot, and quite comfortable in that routine.
But I could see in the mirror things were getting worse, and my energy levels were not what they used to be, and my body constantly ached, which caused me to drink even more.
I wanted to improve my health and my waistline, as most people do, but it wasn’t until I began sharing my struggle and plans to improve my health with others that my resolve hardened.
Because it’s one thing to announce to others your plan to lose weight or to get fit. It’s quite another to report back to others about it on a regular basis. Because of that, it’s not long before you see results in this category, and it motivates you to double down on your overall health. It’s intoxicating and it’s super fun to see how it inspires others too. Now it’s my favorite topic to write about.
BUSINESS:
This was the category I was most hoping to see improvement in when I started IODs because let’s face it, as a business owner, cash is oxygen. If I run out of it, I can’t breathe. There are only so many hours in the day, and so how I use those hours is critical.
Spending this precious hour writing in the morning can seem like a colossal waste of time. But almost instantly I’ve experienced benefits from this hour I’ve invested every morning.
When you write Business IODs, the idea is to tell stories, expose truths, and share your journey. It’s not designed to be confused with advertising. Which has forced me to regularly take a 5,000-foot view of my business as I ponder what write about.
This has a natural side effect of giving me more clarity. It makes it easier to spot where I’m mucking things up, ways to improve, and see opportunities. This alone has paid so many dividends. But hasn’t stopped there.
In the past month, I received more referrals to my business then I received in the previous 9 months. HELL YEAH!
Is that a random coincidence? Nope.
Sharing stories about your business and your own personal journey with it helps others see how you are truly different and how much you care. Which is something rarely accomplished by just sending out generic marketing and advertising that everyone else does.
RELATIONSHIPS:
I’ve always been a poor communicator with my friends and family. It’s not that I’m not thinking about them. It’s quite the opposite. But for whatever reason, I’ve done a lousy job in this area of my life.
So it’s been so rewarding to see what has happened recently. Sharing my doubts, my wins and losses, has let people back into my life. So many people from my past are re-connecting with me. Acquaintances have become friends. Family bonds have strengthened.
Best of all, I can see how writing IODs helps me be a better husband and father. It helps me see my f*ck ups, and it helps me express my gratitude and appreciation for what I have. Life is going by so fast. I don’t want to screw this part up. It’s too important.
What else can I say?
These are reasons WHY I’m driving over to Starbucks at 5am, to write my IOD every morning.
And some days it is very hard.
But today, I’m just saying, “Hell Yeah!”
Mike Turner
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