Jon Acuff's Blog, page 25

When I asked Billy Ivey to be a guest on a show about goals, his wife asked him, “Is this like some kind of intervention?” That made me laugh and I promise you will too in this fun conversation with my very first writing mentor. We’ve been friends for 22 years, worked closely with the same billionaire and started our first blog together. Take a listen.

You can keep up with Billy Ivey on Instagram or his Napkinisms website.

Follow Jon on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.

Preorder Soundtracks, Jon’s newest book out April 6th, 2021!

The post Billy Ivey on writing his first book, goal-setting without chasing identity and being my first mentor appeared first on Jon Acuff.

The 1st presidential debate was like if you made a panic attack into a cologne and then sprayed me in the face with it at a mall kiosk named, “Smells like 2020 spirit.”

I’m sure there are smarter, more well-rounded people who watched it while wearing suits and drinking martinis with olives that are stuffed with cheeses I’ve never heard of who took the whole thing in calm, even stride. “I dare say, this debate is quite the donnybrook!”

That wasn’t my exact experience.

10 minutes in and I thought to myself, “Whelp, gonna need some new ways to deal with stress!”

I’ve tested a ton of stress relief techniques over the last year and here are the 7 that are the most helpful.

​Watch this video.

Jon

The post After the first presidential debate, I had to find new ways to beat stress. appeared first on Jon Acuff.

I’m a goal nerd.

I heart goals.

Financial goals, health goals, personal goals, career goals, relationship goals, professional goals, spiritual goals, you name it, my notebooks and office are jam packed with goals.

So, when friends promised me that drinking a gallon of water every day was the fastest way to more energy, clearer skin, and the ability to lift a midsize Kia over my head, I was curious.

I tried it for two weeks and you’re going to be shocked at what I learned.

Watch this.

Jon

P.S. Right now you’re thinking, “That felt a little click baity” and you’re right. It did! But I promise you’re going to laugh at the amazing knowledge all that water gave me.

The post I drank a gallon of water every day for two weeks. What happened? appeared first on Jon Acuff.

In the 1800s, sailors would stamp unexplored, dangerous territories with the phrase, “Here be dragons.” It was meant to serve as a warning that if you ventured this far, you ran the risk of great peril. If you sailed off into the distance, a fire-breathing, sea-dwelling monster was sure to swallow you up.

“Here be dragons.”

It was a phrase used to warn people about the dangers of the unknown, but it was only used for the farthest reaching, most deadly spots. It was a stamp used sparingly, kept in a drawer for only the rarest of occasions.

The problem is that 2020 has given us all new stamps.

Fear is running rampant. Social media is out of control. Anxiety is through the roof.

So many of us have stamped, “Here be dragons” on so many parts of our maps that it feels like there’s little room left to hope.

What do you next?

​Watch this the next time 2020 tries to tell you to be afraid of tomorrow.

Jon

P.S. There are always less dragons than you think.

The post The problem with seeing dragons everywhere… appeared first on Jon Acuff.

March was 9 years long.

The summer was 9 minutes long.

And the fall is already feeling 9 seconds long.

Next year will be here before you know it and if you want to make the most of it, you should grab a 2021 Finish Calendar while they’re still available.

Why do I think you should get one too? I’ve got 21 reasons, thanks for asking!

1. The Finish Calendar is big and beautiful. It’s 36” tall x 25” wide in tall orientation.

2. The Finish Calendar is reversible. If you turn it over to wide orientation, it’s 36” wide x 25” tall. (That’s like two calendars for the price of one.)

3. The Finish Calendar will never share its political opinions on Facebook.

4. The Finish Calendar features no space between months so you can easily plan across months and see the distance/days between any two dates in the year.

5. The Finish Calendar is recommended by 4 out of 5 dentists. (That 5th dentist is always elusive.)

6. The Finish Calendar is also recommended by 4 out of 5 chimney sweeps, 4 out of 5 assistants to the regional manager, and 5 out of 5 falconers. (Falconers are ALL IN on the Finish Calendar.)

7. The Finish Calendar comes in two versions. Traditional Paper and Dry Erase.

8. The Finish Calendar will never judge you for wearing pajama bottoms on a Zoom call.

9. You can put your Finish Calendar up on the wall or you can mount it on foam core (like I do) and use it as a portable planner that you can take room to room.

10. The Finish Calendar will never attack you in your sleep. No other calendar on the market makes that claim.

11. Studies show that planning WHEN and WHERE you work on your goals DOUBLES the chances that you’ll achieve them. The Finish Calendar helps you do that.

12. The Finish Calendar won’t take sides in the Cardi B and Offset divorce.

13. Awesome years happen when you start with awesome plans. There is no better tool to make those awesome plans than with the Finish Calendar.

14. The Finish Calendar will never leak, overheat, glitch, or break.

15. The Finish Calendar has 12 challenging/encouraging statements on it designed to help slingshot you into a great month of dreaming and doing. (For example, “Check this entire calendar. Do you see ‘someday’ anywhere? You won’t find it. Stop saying, “Someday I will” and instead say, “Today I did.”)

16. The Finish Calendar won’t kick you off of Zoom because it’s hogging all the bandwidth. It’s paper, it doesn’t use any bandwidth at all.

17. When you can’t make time for what matters, you need to take time away from something that doesn’t. (Less Netflix = more hustle.) By planning your days and weeks ahead of time, the Finish Calendar helps you do that.

18. The Finish Calendar contains no gluten, GMOs, sugar, or calories. (But it’s visually delicious.)

19. The Finish Calendar costs $74,975 less than a Tesla Model S. (It’s less than $30, to be exact.)

20. The Finish Calendar has thousands of fans who have used it over the years to plan adventures and plot progress on their goals and dreams.

21. The Finish Calendar won’t be available forever. Now is the perfect time to pick one up for you, your friend, your family, or your business.

Over the last ten years, no tool has helped me keep commitments and finish projects like this wall calendar.

It truly has become an integral part of my creative process and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Get yours today: The 2021 Finish Calendar

Jon

The post 21 reasons this piece of paper is magical. appeared first on Jon Acuff.

Congratulations on becoming a homeschooler!

What’s that you say?

You didn’t sign up to be a homeschooler?

You didn’t make that choice?

Ahh, don’t worry, 2020 made it for you.

This weirdo year keeps rolling out the surprises. Chances are, another surprise you’re about to face is virtual school. Didn’t see that one coming in January, did ya’?

We’ve been doing virtual school for three weeks at the Acuff house and I’ve learned a few things. More than a few, I’ve learned 7 things to be precise.

As I am wont to do these days, I made a video called, “7 ways to survive virtual school.”

​​If you have a kid who is about to Zoom the day away, this one is a must watch.

If you don’t have a kid, I bet you know someone who does. They are going to need this video. Forward it to them and just write, “Good luck.”

​Click here to watch it.

Jon

​

The post 7 ways to survive virtual school. appeared first on Jon Acuff.

The other day, someone asked me what I was thinking about and I said, “Christmas.”

They laughed, but I wasn’t joking.

In the middle of the weirdest year ever, I needed to be reminded that Christmas was still happening. That it was still a thing at the end of the year that would not be postponed, rescheduled or moved to March. The Mariah Carey train had already left the station and it was headed my way.

So has 2021.

That year is headed our way and it is going to be glorious.

I’m choosing to see it as the big, blank, wonderfully empty slate it is. The year 2020 will be in the rearview mirror, the election (for us Americans) will be over and we’ll have an entire new year to play with.

If there was ever a year where a big, physical reminder of that was necessary, it’s this one. I’ve never had such a sense of hope unrolling my new 2021 Finish Calendar like I’ve had this year. I’ve always used it as a productivity tool to plan my goals and my adventures, but this year is different.

This year, it’s a beacon of possibility. An empty canvas that I get to paint on all year long and I can’t wait.

Why is this the best calendar in the world? Let me count the ways.

2.  It’s designed to help you win the week. There aren’t any gaps between the months so that each  week flows into the next like it does in real life.

3.  It’s beautiful. Who wants to look at an ugly calendar all year?

4.  It’s wicked functional. It comes in paper or dry erase to make sure you can use this tool exactly as you want to.

5.  It’s encouraging. Each month comes with motivation from me.

2021 is headed your way. Greet it with a calendar that’s going to help you make the most of it. Click here to get one today.

Jon

The post 2021 is still going to happen, I promise. appeared first on Jon Acuff.

Do you have a coworker who gives you vertigo because they insist on walking around their entire house while on a Zoom call?

Have you ever done a Zoom call with someone whose dog is barking like the hound of the Baskervilles but they refuse to acknowledge it? 

Has staring at coworkers sitting in such poorly lit rooms that they look like terrorists making demands from a cave started to get old?

Fear not my friend, I have created a video that will fix all of that. 

I’ve put together a list of the 10 worst zoom habits. 

It’s funny enough that you can send it to all your friends, but helpful enough that they just might learn how to use the mute feature. (Has a button with one purpose ever been so misunderstood by so many people?)

If you need a laugh today and a check in to make sure you’re not doing any of these things, watch, “The 10 Worst Zoom Habits.” 

Jon

P.S. Habit number 3 is the worst and I can’t believe people still do this.

The post The 10 Worst Zoom Habits  appeared first on Jon Acuff.

When I found out there were little kids making millions of dollars on YouTube opening boxes of toys, I immediately grounded my own kids.

I just didn’t realize how lazy they were being, you know?

Trust me, I know my kids. They have arms and hands and are capable of opening boxes. Just the other day I saw my oldest kid open a box of granola bars. For free. She just ripped it open, no cameras, no sponsors, no ad dollars. I was so disappointed.

YouTube is a weird world to me, but I am curious, can you make a living on YouTube?

That’s a question I’ve been exploring lately.

When the public speaking part of my business was put on pause, I did two things:

YouTube is one of them.

I’ve been making a ton of videos and thought it might be fun to show you exactly how much money I made in 30 days.

Spoiler alert: The hourly rate I’ve made is going to surprise you.

If the pandemic is forcing you to pivot or you’re just curious how much money is out there on YouTube, don’t miss this one.

Click here to watch the video.

Jon

P.S. Did you know I have a new YouTube channel? You should subscribe.

The post How much money I made on YouTube in 30 days. appeared first on Jon Acuff.

I’m terrible at hang gliding.

I’m the worst at spear fishing.

I’m very mediocre at managing the harbor traffic in Savannah. (The title “Harbor Master” intrigues me, but the “not crashing boats into one another part” is where I would probably get fired.)

How do I know all of these things?

Because I’ve never done any of them. That’s one of the simple rules of life that I think we can all agree on. You will be bad at things you’ve never done.

But though we know that in our heads, I’m often shocked at how often we don’t really live that out in our lives. There’s a great temptation to beat yourself up when you start doing something new and it doesn’t instantly go well.

In ordinary days, that habit of demanding instant success from new things is a bit of an annoyance. But right now? It’s toxic.

Why? Because this is a huge, crazy season of new.

None of my friends has been through a global pandemic, election year and looming recession before. I don’t know a single person right now that’s saying, “It’s cool, this is my fifth deadly virus pandemic and I’m an expert at these.”

We’re all neck deep in doing new things and pivoting and changing our jobs and ahhhh, when will our kids go back to school?

Do you know what you need right now? Do you know what mindset will save you gobs of frustration? Do you know what approach will give you freedom to learn without judgment?

You need to be brave enough to be bad at something new. Or, said with a smidge more aggression, “Don’t be afraid to suck at something new.”

What do I mean by that?

This.

I made a short video explaining what it takes to do something new without judging yourself so quickly that you quit before you’ve had the opportunity to get better.

The video has a brief stingray story, someone close to me telling me my other videos were boring and some dry cleaning in the background for ambiance. Obviously it has those three things.

If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the new that’s being thrown at you right now, watch this.

Jon

P.S. Did you know I have a new YouTube channel? You should subscribe.

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