Hey Married People! Go On More Walks!

Brooke and I go on 3-5 walks a week.  Depending on the day we will pick one of our loops which vary in distance and time.  Our longest loop is about five miles and our shortest is around a mile.  While walking my amazing wife and I will talk about EVERYTHING.

We walk and talk, talk and walk.  I wasn't a big walker before I got married.  I never saw a point of going on a walk unless it was utilitarian in nature.  If I was walking to get a candy bar then it was TOTALLY worth it, but a walk to just walk - no thanks.

Then Brooke and I started going on them and I realized that something was happening as we walked together.  First, I noticed that we were off our phones and away from screens so there weren't any distractions.  A distraction free environment with someone is becoming more and more difficult in our society.  Then, I noticed that our walks became about more than just chit chat.  Our walks became a safe place for us to vent about frustrations in our life, dream about things we never said out loud and open up about our struggles.  Our walks became precious to us and the more we go on them the more we open up and talk to each other.  And the more we talk to each other the stronger our marriage has become!

I sometimes feel like marriages fall in the crapper because of the "schedule" they get stuck in.

The schedule usually looks something like this - Get up, go to work, come home from work, eat dinner, work on something else, watch TV, go to bed.  Repeat 5 days a week.

There are times in that schedule to talk, but they are either rushed or full of distractions.  I've found that a simple walk eliminates all of that and gives you the ability to be a little more open, a little more real and a little more honest.  The longer you spend distraction free with your spouse the more likely you are to get to a real issue, problem or idea.

Last night Brooke read something online that really frustrated her and was feeling "swirly."  Feeling swirly is the worst.  It can really only be described by this emoji - 🌀.  So, I got June ready and we went on a walk.  As we walked she begin to express why what she read got to her and by the time we got home she was totally over it.  Surprisingly, on the walk I didn't do much talking about the issue and just tried to listen, which is really hard for me. I LOVE TALKING!  But, Brooke just needed to talk and if we stayed home she probably wouldn't have gotten to the truth of the issue that she needed to get to.  That would have lead to a whole night of swirliness and that is THE WORST!

Sometimes we expect really profound things to change our marriages.  We look for the hail mary when working the ball slowly up the field will do.  A walk is just that.  It isn't glamorous but it works.  It provides a distraction free space to be open, honest and real.  Isn't that what we wanted when we got married?  Someone to be open, honest and real with?  Let's start giving ourselves the space to do that and let's start with a few more walks!

June also loves walks!

You Don't Need An Intern, That's Just Your Ego.

There is an trend sweeping across super small companies everywhere - unnecessary interns and hirings.  There seems to be a new one in my feed every single day.  

"OMG! We are so excited to announce the coolest intern in the world. This chick is going to rock it in the studio." - Said in your typical white girl voice!

And by we do you mean you? And by studio do you mean weird extra bedroom?

Now I know that all businesses should try to appear and speak in a voice bigger than they are. So phrases like "we" instead of I, and "office" or "studio" instead of weird extra bedroom make sense. I get that. I've been there.

But!!!!

If you don't have enough business to make that small something your full time job, then you don't need an intern or to hire anyone else. You know what is a million times more impressive than having a high school student do a few things a week - HAVING A SUCCESSFUL, PROFITABLE BUSINESS SO YOU DONT HAVE TO WORK ANOTHER PART TIME JOB!

So often I see these young bucks who say they will do whatever it takes to make their business successful - excccccccept the hard work that it actually takes.  They think saying things like they "have an intern" is all of a sudden going to knock their potential customers socks off and they will just throw money at them because....well....they have an intern!

Brooke and I have had a few interns over the years, all for our photography company, and they were great. Really they were! But we ended up having to spend so much time with them that it distracted us from doing what we actually needed to do.  It's not like an intern shows up day one and is fully equipped to do every task set before them. Often, instead of pushing your business to the next step they actually take you back three steps, because you spend so much time teaching.

At some point we might try internships again, this time at walk in love., but only when we are absolutely ready for them and feel they will actually help our company grow.  I suggest you do the same.  Do as much of the work by yourself as possible and only hire someone when you absolutely have to. Push yourself to work as hard as you can as long as you can, so that you can understand every in and out of your business before you bring someone on to do it.

The second you add someone to your small company your job instantly splits into two.  You become responsible for everything you have to do and everything they have to do.  Be super smart and picky about adding anyone to your team and I would advise to wait until you absolutely have no choice.  Having a profitable business will always be more impressive than having 15 part-time employees or a slew of interns.

Currently at walk in love. we have three people working, two full-time and one part time.  We've shipped over 9,000 orders this year alone and with only three people on staff!  How awesome is that?  We don't add people just to add people.  We add people because we HAVE to.  Right now we can handle the necessary output with a small staff and that works better for all of us.  We don't have people standing around on the clock waiting for a job.  We don't fill our staff's days with busy, non-important work.  We are efficient with our time and do all the things that matter and do them well. I've actually heard people say, who work for smaller companies, "That's definitely a more efficient way to do that.. but if I adopt that method, I'll cut my hours in half. And I'm only part time. So, I'm going to keep doing  it 'this way' so I can log more hours." How unfortunate is it that your employee, or summer intern, might actually be dragging out their work simply because they are part time and aren't given enough to do in the first place! Make sure you really, really need someone. And then when you do get to that point, get the right person.

I'm sure we, at walk in love., could post an Instagram asking for intern applications and get hundreds of them. Which is so cool! But without a plan for those interns, we are really just stroking our egos so we can say, "Look at us! We have an intern!"

So, again, wait on the intern as long as possible, hold off on the new hire until you absolutely need it.  Never forget that having a successful, profitable business will always be more impressive than having an intern. Even if they do bring you Starbucks.

Send Me a Video - One Night Only

Help with One Night Only

On October 27th I am hosting an event called One Night Only to challenge people to take a step of faith and trust their lives to Jesus. I need your help with the intro video. We are looking for 30-60 second videos from people about what exactly can happen in one night. So grab your phone and record a video about something that has happened to you in one night. It can be something amazing or something not-so amazing. Send those videos to tjmousetis@me.com! Thanks!

Posted by T.J. Mousetis on Monday, September 21, 2015

Send 30-60 second videos to [email protected]

10 STEPS TO FREAKIN' LOVE MONDAYS!

Did you know that if you want to do something every day of the week and you start it on Monday that you are 80% more likely to keep up with it?

Actually, I just made that statistic up, but I am pretty sure it would be true if there was a way to prove it.  Mondays are my favorite day of the week because on Monday I have the entire week ahead of me.  I literally have the most potential to have an awesome week on Monday.  I find that if I start well I will have a good week and if I have a good week I will have a good life! Therefore, Mondays are super important to me and I am totally on Team Monday!

If I eat healthy on Monday, I am more likely to eat healthy throughout the week.

If I exercise on Monday, I am more likely to exercise throughout the week.

If I spend time with Jesus on Monday, I am more likely to spend time with Him throughout the week.

If you are one of those people that say, "Ugh Mondays... <insert meme of cat unable to get out of bed>" STOP!  Mondays are freakin' great and the sooner you fall in love with them the sooner you will realize the potential of what an awesome Monday can do for your week and life!

Here are my 10 steps to help you FREAKIN' LOVE MONDAYS!

1. Try to enjoy them.

Do me a favor on a Monday. Just try to be positive about it. Don't wake up and grunt like your life is going to end.  Even if you have to force a smile on your face. I double dog dare you to just try to have little tiny bit of positivity about the day, even if you have to fake it at first.

2. Start them well.

Get up earlier than you normally would on a Monday. This way you can set yourself up well for the first day and in turn the entire week.  Mondays shouldn't be a day where you are rushing out the door. Give yourself enough time to have a good breakfast and enough time to get out of the house in a calm manner.  If you start your week off in a stressed-filled-panic-swirl-of-chaos how do you expect the rest of the days to turn out?

3. Protect them.

I rarely schedule meetings, lunches or anything else on that might disrupt my Monday.  They are valuable to me, and the success of the rest of my week, so I protect them.  I want to utilize every possible second of a Monday to maximize the start of my week!

4. Don't Let Monday Haters Get You Down!

If people in your office are talking about how tired they are, or how Mondays are such a bummer, you should hit them right back with pumped-up-positivity about how excited you are to get back into it! Talk about how the week is full of potential and how living out that potential starts on Monday! Enthusiasm is contagious and the sooner you join Team Monday, the sooner your office mates will join!

5. Don't start with E-mail.

I never start Monday with e-mail.  I always try to start with something that I am really excited about doing even if it's only for ten minutes.  In fact, today is Monday, so I am starting with this blog post because I was super excited about it when I had the idea last night!  Try to start your Monday workday with an aspect of your job that you really love.

6. Add Awesomeness.

If you love coffee, then Monday should be the day you treat yourself to an extra cup or a special kind.  If bagels are more your thing, then give yourself time on a Monday to swing by Panera.  If you start making Mondays special then, guess what?, they will actually start being special!

7. Add music.

Monday should be the day you have an killer playlist.  You should be singing Firework by Katy Perry as loud as you can in your car while you drive to work or school.  You should do whatever you can to fire yourself up for the day! I really like trying to find new music on Mondays because new music inspires me. Right now I am listening to a new band I found called The Shires.  They are pretty good and are doing exactly what I wanted them to - inspiring me!

8. Write down your goals for the week!

What do you want to do this week? What do you need to do this week?  Will it be a dreaming week or a grinding week or a combination of both?  Have goals because they will help you stay focused, engaged and excited!

9. Change your desktop or iPhone background.

Sometimes changing my desktop and iPhone background on Monday helps give it that little extra umph it needs.  It's a way to set the week apart.  Sometimes I try to find something really encouraging and inspiring for my background, and sometimes it's just a new photo of Brooke or June.  It depends on what I need that week. There is a site called Simple Desktops that has some really clean and simple backgrounds for your computer.  You can also use the VRSLY app to create inspiring wallpapers for your iPhone everyday!

10. Set yourself up for success.

Maybe you should clean your desk every Friday before you leave so when you come back in on Monday it is beautiful, clean and ready to go.  Or maybe it's doing the dishes every Sunday night so you don't wake up to a messy kitchen.  You gotta set yourself up to have an awesome start to your week, and sometimes that starts before the week even begins.

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You have a choice every single day.  You can choose to be a grump that no one really enjoys being around or you can choose to live with passion, energy and excitement.  

I hope you choose to live with passion - especially on a Monday.

End of Year Resolutions!

Let's end the year well! Time to make some end of year resolutions!

Posted by T.J. Mousetis on Friday, September 18, 2015

Am I Doing Enough?

I probably ask myself this question everyday and depending on my mood, feeling and general emotional state I have different answers.

Sometimes I believe I am and I feel like this...

And then there are days where I feel more like this....

Lately I have been asking this question about all areas of my life.

Am I doing enough at work?

Am I doing enough for Brooke?

Am I doing enough for June?

Am I doing enough to stay healthy and not gain 300 lbs because of my love for cheese?

Am I doing enough for people who are suffering?

Am I doing enough for my church?

Am I doing enough for Jesus?

Honestly, sometimes the answer is No.

I think we live in a feel-good, blow-smoke-up-your-butt, everyone is a winner society and most people would say,

"Oh of course you are doing enough.  Everyone is a winner!  Here is a participation trophy."

But sometimes the answer is just no!  No, you aren't doing enough so step it up.  Get your lazy butt off your chip covered couch and go out and make it happen!  Stop telling people about all the "dreaming" you've been doing lately and just start actually living. 

Below I will answer the questions I asked above.  Some of you will read this and think, Yes I am doing enough.  Good for you!  Keep it up!  Some of you will feel convicted and instead of getting mad at me for calling you out use it as a launching pad to get going in the right direction!  This post does not exist to make you feel guilty.  I hope it inspires you and gives you the kick in the butt wake up call you might need!

Are you doing enough at work? -Do you do things without being told? Are you working as hard as you can or just doing the bare minimum?  Are you making the most of everyday or just clock watching till you can go home?

Are you doing enough for your spouse? - If there are dishes in the sink or trash that can be taken out then the answer is probably no.

Are you doing enough for your kids? - Are you spending time with them without a screen?  Are you teaching them the things that they should learn from a parent?  Are you being an example in all areas of life because THEY ARE WATCHING YOU!

Are you doing enough to stay healthy? - Put down the extra cheese filled dough ball and WALK AWAY and while you are walking away, open the door and walk outside for a mile, maybe two.

Am I doing enough for people who are suffering? - My guess is that you have a few extra bucks you can donate to some awesome ministries that are saving lives all over the world.  It's hard to actually be hands on in this regard if you have other responsibilities, but you can help with your money.  Here are some organizations doing awesome things for people suffering around the world - Compassion International + Samaritans Purse

Am I doing enough for my church?  - If you haven't volunteered for anything then NO!  Get off your butt, take time out of your schedule and serve somewhere.  Pass out communion, direct traffic, sweep the sidewalk, lead high schoolers, just do something!

Am I doing enough for Jesus? - I struggle with this question because I sometimes feel like I should be preaching the gospel to anyone and everyone, but as I fall more in love with Jesus I have realized something.  He wants you where you are to do all you can for Him.  Sometimes that will be on a stage in front of thousands and sometimes it will be in an office in front of one or two people.  You can do enough for Jesus wherever you are.  Just listen, obey and when He calls - act.

Here is the ultimate test to see if you are doing enough....

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving." - Colossians 3:23-24

If you can, in your heart of hearts, say yes to living by that verse than you are.  Work hard for the Lord in whatever you do!