A Recipe to a Life of Action
photo by John and Keturah
This guest post was written by Gen-Y Lifestyle Designer Greg Rollett. He teaches young people how to turn their visions into a business with the Rock Star Business Series. You can also chat with Greg on Twitter.
I love talking to my peers these days. Young people are having the best of both worlds right now and many of them have no idea. They are faced with a really bad economy and a shady work pool, yet have more skills, know how and ambition than Tommy Callahan pushing brake pads in the heat of the moment.
Just this weekend I was enjoying an amazing Sunday afternoon on a lake outside of New Smyrna Beach. Amidst the tree jumping, the wake skating and BBQ, we always love to catch up with old friends that make it out for the Sunday Funday activities.
I was catching up with two buddies I met while waiting tables in college. The three of us worked our way from cooks to servers and eventually managers at the restaurant. We had the opportunity to open restaurants when they franchised the brand to other universities, lead initiatives at football tailgates and really taught ourselves how to hire, manage inventory, lead employees and, well, run a restaurant while barely legal to drink the beer we were serving.
The conversation grew and I was caught up in the fact that one of them was still there, really stagnant in his career and place in life. It was the same faces, places and issues everyday. The owners had given up on their ambition to grow and open more restaurants and had, in fact, sold off all the properties aside from the flagship location. My buddy was the only person left from my time there and you could see from his expressions and demeanor that this made him unhappy and broken spirited.
In the past, while jumping from happy hour to happy hour we always talked about opening our own sports bar / music venue / suedo lounge place. The dreams quickly faded as the restaurant life got old fast. I was not going to be a lifer. I didn’t want my friend to either.
As we continued to talk, and throw back a cold one (or 3) I asked him what got him excited in recent memory. He opened up about some consulting he did when a friend of a friend opened a little restaurant. My buddy got paid some weekend money to talk about food costs, how to schedule people, looking at inventory, helping to build a menu that satisfies taste buds and budgets, model tables and sections as well as lead a short workshop with the employees to get them fired up and inspired for opening day.
That was truly inspiring to hear and man my mind was spinning. Here was someone who has a skill, in this case experience and information, and a passion for helping others (it’s the service industry for Pete’s sake). All he needs to do is channel that and take some damn action.
Ah the Action
I am afraid that while Gen-Y is ambitious, they are either unsure of, are scared to take the necessary actions to do the things that they love. That is why there are so many more in pursuit of living this “life” of travel, adventure and remote working than actually living it. I can attest to this personally as knowing the next step sometimes is not always apparent, or an “ah-ha” moment. The starts have rarely aligned and the sign fallen into my lap to get to that pivotal next step.
Action is Easy if You Know the Outcome
It’s football season so let’s throw out a football analogy. Every week, the teams have one outcome in mind – WIN the next game. Knowing that outcome they can plan their actions accordingly to come to that conclusion.
- Know the opponent
- Watch and study film to know the opponent’s characteristics, strengths and weaknesses
- Practice and implement strategies that are dedicated on the outcome based on the film and competitive research.
- Play the game
Now, you don’t always win but you are always getting better (unless you are the Bucs this year. They are just having a rough time).
Learning is an Action
Back to the case of my friend, he knows the ins and outs of running a restaurant and sports bar. He has no idea how to market his own skills to promote the consulting. In his situation learning could be:
- Is anyone else doing something similar
- Product research
- What do startup restaurants actually need from a consultant
- How do restaurantuers currently obtain information
- How can I provide value to this market
- How do I throw a website up
- How do I brand this
- Should I be delivering the information in person or digitally
- Etc
The only bad action would be to keep dreaming and walking into his current restaurant everyday and going through the motions. We always need to grow. We always need to be moving outside of our comfort zone. To grow as people and to expand our horizons.
The path isn’t always clear. Having an outcome at least gives you something to shoot for.
Something to stay up at night thinking about. Something to tell people about. Something to get you to do something some may think is stupid. Something to get you MAD when you see a new competitor pop up.
What is your outcome? And what is the recipe you will cook up to get there. Let’s talk!
Quick note: Greg is an awesome guy, and I am really excited to have him write for Location180. Aside from creating something really cool with the Rock Star business Series, his blog has some awesome tips for creating your ideal lifestyle which I would definitely check out if you enjoyed this post.
I think you are right Greg in doing the research and acting. However, I would like to stress that taking action right away will sometimes lead to better understanding of messing up and learning from those mistakes. Taking the leap into action can lead to a long fall, but as you climb back skyward,you will be able to know where not to misstep again.
Thanks for the great action steps Greg
David Damron
LifeExcursion
@Dave – I agree with ya. Sometimes you just need to get your feet wet, get cold and come back with a wetsuit.
There are a lot of people that are scared to take action and for them, getting their feet wet is seeing what is possible.
You’ve touched on something here that I am finding more and more: there are SO many people out there who are unhappy with where they are at, and all they seem to need in order to take the next step is to have someone give them a little push.
I’ve found it doesn’t even need to be a conscious effort on your part…just by doing what you love to do can be the push that a lot of people need, and I feel like the more we all try to live our ideal lifestyles, the more ripples there will be in the up-til-now-stagnant pond of corporate employ.
Good stuff! I hope your friend is able to change his situation and do something fulfilling!
Simply dreaming gets you absolutely nowhere. I know because I just sat around and dreamed for like 2 years. Only in the last 6-8 months have I started to get my butt in gear and it’s made a huge difference. Even if you aren’t 100% sure what you should do, just do something to get closer to the basic situation you desire. Doing SOMETHING each day goes a lot way. Great post Greg!
Greg this was a nice post that reinforces my growing interest in branding. I like that your restaurant consulting example makes sense and readers who will use this effectively will realize it can be applied across any interest/passion they have. I look forward to reading more posts!
P.S.-As a Bucs fan you need to lay off as man we might get a win this year we might not but if people wouldn’t mention them an 0-16 season might go unnoticed.
Greg, I think the most interesting part about life is not knowing what’s coming up next. There’s just something magical about being unaware of any outcomes that, continuing your analogy, makes you throw different ingredients in a mix and seeing what sticks. Every time I turn on the Food Network channel I think on how easy they make it look but how hard it must have been to come up with that perfectly-looking-and-sounding recipe. Thanks for sharing! –Paul
Thanks for the comments guys. Here are some thoughts:
@Colin – You are right. Most of the students in our recent Under 30 Course knew they wanted a blog ans were aware of what doing it right and putting in the effort could yield. They needed the boost, the reassurance and the confidence that we were able to provide for them. Getting that little boost, from wherever, can yield huge return and finally get you off your butt and into action.
@Nate – Yea man, we all get caught day dreaming and there is nothing wrong with spacing out. You just need to understand what happens when you daydream – nothing. Keep working hard and I’m sure you’ll be rocking in no time.
@T-Bill – yea, I’m a Florida guy that weaves between the Dolphins and the Bucs. It’s been a rough year for Florida football unless you’re a Gator, which I am sure not!
@Paul – Is it interesting OR exciting not knowing what is coming next. Don’t get me wrong I am the most spontaneous person on the planet, but looking ahead to the final contraption or piece of the puzzle helps you keep your head on straight.
Great advice Greg!
Life really is about action. No one ever has all the answers. We all make it up as we go.
Dreaming about the future doesn’t accomplish anything. You have to be moving forward and adjusting as you go.
I have this expression, “you have to do business, to be in business.” Basically what it means is that concentrated action opens up opportunities in every field.
The musician that is giving lessons, going to gigs, jamming with others, visiting the local music stores, getting to know other musicians, is active and it is that person that will get the opportunities.
Staying at home, dreaming and planning to be a rock star won’t get you far.
“Staying at home, dreaming and planning to be a rock star won’t get you far.”
Totally true John.
I also think what Greg has said about just needing a little boost to spark some action can be very true. It is much easier to take action if you have a support system and someone to help you. Doing it all on your own can be a very lonely road…
[...] months ago, he has continued to impress me with both his writing (check out his guest post “A Recipe to a Life of Action“) and the quality of his content. Every time I head over to his blog, I find some little [...]
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