Habit Hacks

Posted on by Marianne Eppig

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Will Durant

I’m a creature of habit. I actually enjoy eating the same foods regularly (it took me this long to find the perfect ones!), exercising on the same trails (the exact right trails!), and wearing the same clothes (these ones make me look good!). I’m definitely a maximizer, and my friends and family find all this very amusing. I’m just grateful they put up with it.

Despite all these habits I’ve accumulated, there are still some that I would like to change. I’d like to read and write more in place of Netflix binges. I’d like to lay off the sugar. Bringing some diversity into my exercise regimen would probably be beneficial.

Enter Charles Duhigg’s book, The Power of Habit. The book lays out the science behind habits and what we can do to gain our power back over them.

Here are a few flow charts he created to help create or change habits:
How-to-Change-a-Habit
Continue reading Habit Hacks

The Pep Talk You Need

Posted on by Marianne Eppig

We all need a pep talk sometimes. Like those times when you are having trouble forcing yourself to make a decision, get started, get unstuck, etc.

Here are some of the best pep talks I can think of:

Kid President

If you haven’t seen this yet, I don’t know what you’re waiting for.

Creative Pep Talk

Social entrepreneurs and innovators are creative. We are literally creating things, which makes us creative by definition. The problem with creativity is that it is not a permanent state. Sometimes you need a pep talk to give yourself the inspiration you need to get going.

For that, I prescribe this most excellent podcast by Andy J. Miller, called the Creative Pep Talk. Here’s a sample podcast:

I look forward to this podcast every week. It’s that good. Miller, who is an illustrator, made the podcast about how to make a living while making art, but the podcast is broadly applicable to all creative fields. Continue reading The Pep Talk You Need

Passion Mapping

Posted on by Marianne Eppig

Hi there. So, I recently attended a conference for social innovators where the following exercise for goal prioritization was introduced. I found it truly helpful for sorting out my passions and priorities, so I thought I’d create a couple charts to illustrate the exercise and share them here with you all.

THE PASSION MAP

passionmap-toolsforsocialinnovators

This chart helps you break down your life goals into shorter time scales so that you can see how to start tackling them. This exercise works best if you have an accountability partner! Let someone close to you know your goals for the next three months and schedule a call or meeting with them after three months to check in on your progress.

THE PASSION PLAN

passionplan-toolsforsocialinnovators

Once you have some goals identified from the passion mapping exercise, you can use the Passion Plan to chart out what you think you’ll need to go after those goals. I’ve divided the chart into People, Mind, Health, and Groundwork, but you may want to add other sections. If you bring over the deadline from the passion map for the specific goal you’re investigating, in addition to writing it in your calendar, it works all the better.

Feel free to use and share these charts. Please leave a comment below if you have other methods that you find helpful for sorting out your priorities and tackling big goals.

Mind Tools for Creating a Business & Life that You Love.

Posted on by Marianne Eppig

There are so many ideas floating around about how to become the best you can be. Ideas about what makes a good entrepreneur, a good leader, a good person, etc. Well, I hope I’m not the first to tell you that entrepreneurs, leaders, and people (surprise!) come in all shapes and sizes. This should come as a relief – I mean, how terrible would it be if we all had to shove ourselves in the same small box?

So, when thinking about where to start with regard to resources for strengthening your mind, I decided to share some of my personal favorite go-tos. I’ll come back to meditation (work in progress) and “being in the moment” later.

Right now, I’d like to share one of my absolute favorite YouTube channels:

Marie TV

Marie is like that best friend/sister who always has quality advice and a keen sense of humor no matter what kind of pickle you find yourself in. She also interviews some of the world’s great innovators, bringing them right to your screen, for free! While I find all of her episodes entertaining and useful, here are some more videos of hers that I highly recommend:

I’d love to hear from you about your favorite resources for getting your mind right! Go ahead and leave a comment below!