by Shawn | Apr 27, 2021 | Podcast
Today is a special day. It’s my birthday. I guess it fits since life is a process and full of relationships with people.
Either way, I wanted to take a few minutes to just share some thoughts on this day. 48 thoughts to be exact. One for every year of life. Enjoy.
48 Thoughts About Life From 48 Years of Living
1 Don’t be afraid to change. You never know what can happen on the other side of fear.
2 Don’t waste your life trying to like kale chips. Spoiler alert: you never will.
3 Enjoy beating your boys in basketball when they’re little. Once they’re bigger than you, it won’t happen very often… but it will still happen
4 Take time to do the things you enjoy. It will energize you in ways you didn’t anticipate and fill your tank.
5 Friends are a gift. Find ones that value you and build into those relationships.
6 Listening is a skill. It’s not about just hearing words, it’s about caring about the one who is sharing them.
7 Eating green beans as a kid won’t keep you from going bald. And sometimes bald grandpas lie to their grandsons. Just saying. #baldisbeautiful
8 Rainbows are like a glimpse into an alternate universe.
9 I’ll always be amazed by how a newborn comes out and can put a death grip on your finger without even trying.
10 Laughter truly is the best medicine. Next time you’re down, watch a movie or youtube clip that will make you laugh until you cry.
11 No matter how you’ve screwed up today, tomorrow is always a new day with new opportunities to make things right.
12 Question the status quo. Be willing to step on toes when they need it. This is where breakthroughs happen.
13 Learn about the Five Love Languages and how you’re wired. It will help you understand so much of life and relationships.
14 Don’t let the fact that “someone is already doing it” keep you from trying something new. If ten different pizza places can coexist in a small city, then there’s room for your take on your idea.
15 Being a dad can be hard and you may not know if you’re doing it right. Just pray, love well, be there, encourage and know that those seeds will grow.
16 Always believe that there are things you can learn. From any situation. From anyone. At any time.
17 You were created for a reason. You were God’s idea and your value comes from Him. No one can take that from you.
18 When you feel like giving up, don’t… yet. Pray first. Seek wise counsel. Sometimes we need to end things. Other times we need to push through.
19 I believe in Heaven, all food will be fried but will also be good for you. It just makes sense.
20 I think parts of Heaven will look familiar. I believe that the best things about Earth will be in Heaven. Just without all the junk.
21 When this world fails to satisfy us, disappoints us, lets us down… as C.S. Lewis puts it, “the most probably explanation is that we were made for another world.
22 Always be curious. Never stop asking why. Turn over the rocks in life and see what is underneath them. Find out what makes the world tick.
23 Encouragement is one of the greatest forces we possess. You never know the power of your words to change the course of someone’s day… or even their life.
24 Be a reader. Learn from your peers, from those who have gone before, from those who think differently than you. Be willing to be challenged.
25 If you’re feeling stuck, try a new perspective. Go take a hike, go for a drive, take a walk. Spend some time away. Then approach with new eyes.
26 Marriage is a blessing. And marriage can be tough. Give the benefit of the doubt. Love well. Always put your spouse first. Don’t hold grudges.
27 None of those things are easy. But worth it. Even if you feel like the only one fighting for your marriage, don’t give up. Keep loving and trusting.
28 Make plans. But make them subject to change. Don’t miss the journey on the way to your original destination.
29 Sometimes this world won’t make sense. Remember that it is a broken world and not how it was designed to be.
30 Bacon is amazing. That’s it.
31 I’m a few years past 45, but Five for Fighting was right that I often feel like I’m “chasing the years of my life” (from their song 100 Years)
32 When I feel lost in life, God always brings me back to the Bible. Everything I need to hear is there if I’ll listen.
33 Music has a way to move us that few other things can. Let it move you.
34 We were made to create by a Creator. It’s in our DNA. Whatever that is for you, get busy and do your thing. Share your gift with the world.
35 Forty eight thoughts is a lot. I thought I’d be done by now, but I’ve still got thirteen more. So here goes…
36 If you love someone, don’t waste an opportunity to let them know. You don’t know which time might be your last.
37 Never forget your firsts. They hold a special place in your life. First car. First job. First love. First time eating bacon (which might have been your first love).
38 Don’t be selfish with what you’ve learned. Find people coming behind you to build into. Teach, encourage and inspire.
39 Look for opportunities to serve. And then do so without expecting anything in return.
40 Take risks. Try something new. Push your boundaries. Mental and physical.
41 Take time to rest. Take a nap. Sleep longer. Don’t over commit. Unwind.
42 No one will understand you like Jesus. No one will give as much for you as He already has. No decision will be as important as following Him.
43 Begin each day by surrendering your plans and asking God what’s next. You never know how He’ll impact your life or others in the hours that follow.
44 Treasure your kids. Find out what makes them unique. Love them where they are, unconditionally. Be there for them. Have fun with them. Listen to them. Laugh with them. Trust them. Lead them.
45 Life is happening all around us. Slow down or you’ll miss it.
46 Make a difference in life. Leave a lasting imprint in the lives you encounter.
47 Trust God
48 Also, trust yourself. More often than not, your gut feeling is the right one. Go with it.
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. You can shoot me an email at shawn@shawnwashburn.com.
I’d love to connect: website / LinkedIn / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter
by Shawn | Apr 26, 2021 | Podcast
I recently got to know two great guys by connecting on LinkedIn. They have roots from Cleveland and we met up via zoom and instantly hit it off.
They are twins Don and Bill Tomoff and they are finance executives who have a broad background in the business world as well as bringing a ton of value everyday through their twinztalk posts on LinkedIn. If you search the hashtag #twinztalk (with a z) you can learn a little bit every day about everything from productivity, tech, working with people, making a difference and more.
And, honestly, they’re just real down-to-earth guys as well who like to have fun too.
I reached out to them to get their thoughts on how to really show your people that you care for them. I loved their responses. And here they are (just a side note, they are twins and so you may not be able to tell who’s talking… you know since this is just audio, but you can be sure it is either Bill or Don ;):
[Bill and Don’s answer here]
I really appreciated Bill and Don’s insights here about caring for your people. I think each of those is solid and I especially resonate with #3 about being human and being willing to admit mistakes. It’s a little ironic because it seems like you’re not actively doing anything to care for them, but in reality you are doing a ton to connect, be relatable and let them know that it’s OK to make mistakes.
If you’re on LinkedIn, you owe it to yourself to check out their #twinztalk posts. They have been at this for quite a while and there is a whole breadth of insight and knowledge there to learn from.
Thanks Don and Bill!
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. You can shoot me an email at shawn@shawnwashburn.com.
I’d love to connect: website / LinkedIn / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter
by Shawn | Apr 23, 2021 | Podcast
On today’s Fun Friday episode, we continue our Ode to the Office series with an old school shout-out… Ode to White Out.
White out was friend for many years, helping me overcome misspellings and other mistakes to produce intelligible works.
I still see White Out every now and then, like that kid from high school that you lost track of but see on Facebook a few times a year. I hope you’re doing well White Out. We had a lot of good memories together.
And now, Ode to White Out
Ode to White Out
Mistakes will be made and you’re there at the ready
To blot out the words that are wrong
With a dab of your brush from a hand that is steady
You give us the chance to move on.
Like sins on our page in grammatical form
Our errors seemed destined to doom us
But then you came along and began to transform
The page and breathed new life into us
A letter magician, so skilled at your craft
We can’t believe what we are seeing
As you carefully use your white bristles and staff
To disappear what’s disagreeing
So thank you my friend, you’ve been so good to me
And our secrets are just ours to share
Especially each time that I failed to see
The difference between they’re and there
Check out previous Odes:
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. If you’ve got an idea for a future Ode to the Office episode, shoot me an email at shawn@shawnwashburn.com. I’d love to connect: website / LinkedIn / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter
by Shawn | Apr 22, 2021 | Podcast
I hesitate to take myself back to this memory because I’m afraid I’ll start to smell the smell all over again.
Several months ago, I came downstairs to one of the most horrific odors I’d ever smelled in our house. I honestly thought something had died somewhere. I began searching in our basement and then inside cupboards and all over.
I didn’t find anything so I started to try to see where the smell was strongest. Amazingly, it wasn’t in the basement. It filled most of our main floor, but seemed to be concentrated in the kitchen.
Now, we’ve had four kids who have all gone through nasty poop diaper stages. And I’ve personally had my daughter throw up on me when she was sick one time. Both just disgusting smells.
But this one. This one was at least on par with those.
And I couldn’t believe that I wasn’t able to find the source.
So I kept searching.
Eventually, I decided to… unfortunately… look in the dishwasher.
Bingo!
Just opening the dishwasher door unleashed a deadly waft of unholy air into my nostrils.
“What in the world could possibly be doing this?” I wondered.
I scanned the few items inside and finally found the culprit.
It was a visually innocent looking lid to a tupperware container. No visible residue but a smell that could drive back a small army.
But why in the world did it reek so badly?
Well, eventually the story came out. One of our sons had found it under his bed. Who knows what had been in there but it had been there… for months. Amazing chemistry experiment to be sure.
And we tried and tried to wash that thing in any way imaginable and just couldn’t get rid of the smell. So, it had to go bye bye.
In short, it failed the smell test.
You know the smell test. We use it for milk to make sure it’s not going to kill us even though it’s passed it’s best by date.
Best by dates are good. They give us a ballpark of how long we should expect that certain food product to be good for.
That said, they are also merely a guard rail for us.
It’s still up to us to employ the smell test to see if they are still usable or not.
And today, I want to propose that your processes in your organization are the same way.
Our processes should all have best by dates of some sort. Something put in place that tells us, “hey, when this date comes up, do a smell check on this process to see if it’s still good.”
Unfortunately, most processes I’ve seen (and many that I’ve personally put in place) are put out into our organizations as a permanent instruction or guide, never to be challenged or reviewed again. Destined to live happily ever after in the land of business make believe.
But that won’t happen without a best by date. Things change. Technology advances. People come and go. New ideas and philosophies come along. And if we’re not willing to do a smell test now and then, our processes will grow stale and stanky, like that tupperware lid.
And then one day, you’ll open up that proverbial dishwasher door and realize that your processes are outdated, inefficient, and need to be either tossed or refreshed.
But just like in my situation, you’ll need to be brave to do your process smell check. Especially if you are the one that created the process in the first place.
In the long run, though, it will be worth it and keep your organization fresh and productive.
So take some time this week to review some of your processes and do your own smell check. It can’t be worse than what I found on that fateful day… dang, I can still smell it!
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. You can shoot me an email at shawn@shawnwashburn.com.
I’d love to connect: website / LinkedIn / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter
by Shawn | Apr 21, 2021 | Podcast
So, there is something that drives me crazy. I’ll admit it.
It’s when I’m doing something in the kitchen and I find myself getting back to the counter from the fridge only to realize that I forgot to grab something when I was there.
So I go back to the fridge, get the thing, and then get back to the counter and shake my head because I also forgot that other thing from the pantry right next to the fridge.
So, it’s back to the pantry, back to the counter, back to the fridge… on and on.
I think it’s the inefficiency that kills me. The thought that I just wasted that time and movement when I could have cut out some steps.
And the same thing happens every day in businesses across the world.
Today, we’re going to look at the Waste of Excess Motion.
In episode 13, we introduced the concept of the 8 Wastes, a Lean Manufacturing idea that splits up the different kinds of wastes in our organizations into eight specific areas.
The waste of motion is a biggie because when your processes are causing your people to move more than they need to to accomplish a task, not only is it taking extra time but it’s also sometimes taking up more floor space and adding excess movement as well.
Each of those ultimately take small bites out of your productivity that add up over time and attack your bottom line.
So, what are some ways you can start to reduce this waste of motion?
Before I answer, let me say that there are both physical applications to this as well as electronic.
Let’s start with the physical.
Take a look at a physical workspace or process in your business. Think about anywhere where people have to move in some way to accomplish a task.
Maybe you have people manually assembling parts. Look at the layout of their work center and see if there is a way you could rearrange their machines or their stations to cut down on their motion. Could you move things closer or change the order of operations to help them be able to batch more of their movements?
Or maybe there are processes in your organization that require you or someone else to walk farther than is needed. Could you rearrange office layouts or change procedures to eliminate the need to deliver papers around? Could a call or slack message take the place of an in-person visit? What if your team member could take better pictures or visually communicate an issue to save a meeting or visit?
Now think about your own physical office and desk. Could you rearrange files or items on your desk to reduce your motion? Could you move those post-its or pens, your files or reference sheets?
And finally (and we may certainly revisit this one later), what about your computer. Your desktop, file system, email folders and emails? We may only be talking about your mouse moving and clicking and not so much physical movement, but there could honestly be more wasted here than anywhere. Hunting for files or emails. Excess clicks or moves because structure could be improved. More automation and intuitive files like… you know… your Excel files (shawnwashburn.com/excel).
If you don’t do anything else today related to all of this, at least try to put on your “wasted motion” glasses and let yourself see everyday activities in this new light.
Then make it a goal to try to attack just one area this week. Then one next week. Etc. And you’ll start to see that you’ll gain momentum and see some really improvements in your productivity and efficiency.
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. You can shoot me an email at shawn@shawnwashburn.com.
I’d love to connect: website / LinkedIn / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter
