This Empty Spot was a 7-Year Daily Reminder

Happy Sunday!

I want to share a story.

My wife and I moved into our house 7 years ago and painted every room within the first week.

I have my office on the main level. The one you see with all the dachshunds running around.

Upstairs, my wife has her office and I have a writing room.

After the walls were painted, I hung up 3 book frames because, well, this seemed to be the room that made the most sense to do that.

I’d written these books in 2012, 2014, and 2015.

I was on a roll.

But writing books isn’t my goal.

It’s not even A goal.

Helping you with your career is THE goal. 

Writing books is a way to help you, not me. 

I like to say, “I write books, so in a matter of hours, someone can add all my years of experience to their own.”

A month or so after my third book came out in 2015 (The Hiring Prophecies), I knew I’d need to take some MAJOR steps to achieve THE goal.

It was at that moment, to steal an analogy from the acting profession, I put augmenting milewalk® into the first position.

That is, building the new milewalk Academy® to serve individuals would now become my primary “obligation.” 

Writing books gets the second position.

There it has stayed for 9 years and 3 months (to this very day).

(Yes, building a stable business takes time contrary to what you see on TikTok.)

Every single day, since we moved into our home, I’ve looked at this empty spot on the wall in my writing room.

I purposely hung Out of Reach but in Sight to the side so I wouldn’t need to move it when my fourth book arrived.

My interior decorating skills might appear odd and off-centered to my guests, but, to me, this empty patch of wall served as a constant reminder my quest was not finished.

Every day I would look at it.

As I’d go through my day, teach a lesson, write a lesson, and capture notes, I knew the work was being done even though it wasn’t being memorialized.

For me, the joy is in the doing.

Success and celebrations have their own timetable.

If you stick with it, you’ll be there when they decide to show up.

Today, is that day. The bare spot got its dressing.

 As I wrote The Zebra Code, I constantly reminded myself, a masterpiece never feels like a masterpiece when you’re in the middle of it.

To me, a masterpiece, by itself, isn’t even a masterpiece.

What makes a masterpiece a masterpiece is what it does for others.

If it doesn’t have a positive impact, it doesn’t earn the right to be called a masterpiece.

Remember this story the next time you undertake a major pursuit.

What’s worth doing, is worth doing well—for others. 

HOW ABOUT WE HAVE THAT CELEBRATION TUESDAY?!

What’s say you and I and some friends get together Tuesday at 1:30 PM CDT on my YouTube Channel so we can celebrate the day The Zebra Code can finally do its thing and help others.

I’ll give you a short backstory and then we’ll dive into my skill-building methodology and exactly how I’d build my career development plan?

Then, how ‘bout we reconvene Thursday so I can show you how to master your specific trade?

I know. I need to take a deep breath too sometimes. So much excitement!

Hope you can make it or catch the replay.

I’ve enjoyed writing this for you.

If you’re still reading this, thank YOU.

Andy

…put people first, results second.

PS: Just so my other children don’t feel left out of this email…