Big Ass Block of Clay

The opener that is sometimes somewhat funny:

Let's start with housekeeping. Can someone please help me design a semi-decent cover photo for this newsletter??

The one I have looks like a 9-year-old designed it.

I say “have”...

I designed it. It was me. I'm the 9-year-old who googled “how to put text over a photo”.

Someone, please help before I give my computer a virus.

Apple is taking me to the cleaners on iCloud storage with the amount of skiing photos I have. One has to be good enough for a solid design.

Anyway -

If you’re back reading this, thank you! We’re up over 300+ subscribers, which I think is pretty cool after only a few weeks.?

I mean, we're not taking over the world yet, but have you seen the movie 300?

I'll spare you the "This. Is. Spartaaa!" meme.

I hope everyone logged a few horizontal hours Sunday watching Scottie Scheff dawn his second green jacket.

How 'bout that guy? Absolute machine.

Leading the Masters on Sunday, wife's about to go into labor, and he's cool as a cucumber. Almost holes out on 9, and not even the slightest chink in the armor after the turn.

Did anyone else catch the sound bite before his victory walk back to the clubhouse? He was yelling "Hey Teddy!" so that his caddie could walk in front of him with the flagstick from 18? So sick.

If you’ve followed thus far, aside from hopefully a little bit of value, and some profanity, you know my newsletter contains a lot of self-deprecation.?

Well, I had a self-deprecating breakthrough on Sunday as I watched Scottie come down the back 9.

I branded my (hopefully year-long) newsletter on a SEASONAL ACTIVITY…smart. Can’t wait to bring you guys Tuesday Turns come July...

Maybe instead of posting powder turns, I'll just post the shot tracer of my snap hook 3-wood weekly.

Maybe I'll rebrand Tuesday Turns to Tuesday Hozel Rockets.?

Or maybe I'll just move to Chile and keep skiing all summer.

Who knows - let's figure it out when all the snow melts.

The portion that is sometimes somewhat valuable:

Generally speaking - I feel very comfortable with the topics I write about (or have written about previously). Comfortable meaning - it’s easier to write about topics when I can actually put them into practice.?

But one concept that I’ve always struggled to overcome is “paralysis by analysis” or “analysis paralysis” - call it whatever you want.

Let's send it to the booth for a definition. (Wikipedia) - Analysis paralysis (or paralysis by analysis) - describes an individual or group process where overanalyzing or overthinking a situation can cause forward motion or decision-making to become "paralyzed", meaning that no solution or course of action is decided upon within a natural time frame.?

This concept is especially true in my profession. So often buying committees at companies (of all shapes and sizes) never make a decision because they deem the project too complex from the start. Somewhere along the way they lose sight of the big picture, and find themselves lost in the weeds.

I understand - implementing an expensive/complex software for your company isn't exactly equivalent to writing a mediocre blog once a week, so I'll focus on my personal life for this one.

Personally, I find it incredibly hard to overcome paralysis analysis when it comes to my writing. Yes, exactly what you're reading right now.

My barrier has always been fear/judgment.

Fear I can't write about a topic complex enough, or make a sound argument that leaves a lasting impression.

Fear all these critics (that don't really exist) will judge my topic, my language, my grammar.

"You forget a period" here.

"You don't know how to use parentheses" there.

"This literally isn't even a word" (that was actually written on a paper of mine in HS)

and so on.

I'm trying to break out, Mom!

Couple this analysis paralysis with being a self-diagnosed “perfectionist” - The fear of my work not being perfect has always been a MASSIVE barrier to my progress.?

Never mind progress, most of the time it's a barrier to even getting started.

I fear I will be judged for the work I haven't even completed yet.

I’m scared it won't come out perfect, so I never even start.

Imagine Jeter not suiting up because some guy in his Bronx living room La-Z-Boy has something to say? (I'm not comparing myself to Jeter) RE2PECT

Just me writing this blog is comedically hypocritical, as i’ve taken 3 years to summon the courage to post 5 newsletters. (in 2018 I did write 6.5 solid pages of a book about a "Lumberjack who lost his way" though. sooo..)

The Good Stuff

You’re gonna laugh - but it was one of those internet pottery makers that sparked this week's topic. (@thrdfloor on IG) He sucked me in from the explore page. Bastard.

Pottery? Perfectionism? Ted, what the f*ck are you talking about??

Now I've never fired up a pottery wheel myself (so bear with me), but in my binge-watching of other folks, I became drawn to one thing.

That Big Ass Block of Clay. (BABC) Well, not the actual clay - but what it represents.

Everything made on that spinning wheel starts in the same place. A big dense block of grey mush.

A vase, a mug, a bowl, your grandma's Fine China - it all starts with a .. you guessed it - big ass block of clay.?

My metaphoric block of clay?

A couple PBRs (an award winning lager) and a Google Doc.?

Gotta start somewhere. Bite-sized pieces. (don't eat clay kids)

The actual underlying mindset shift that helps/helped me the most?

Thinking less about a perfectly crafted final product, and more about that big ass block of clay.?(BABC)

Getting the bulk of my words down on paper, and then editing later on helps negate the analysis-by-paralysis that looms over my writing.

I no longer try to create a finished product all in one go.

I start with a BABC. Then I come back later to start shaping/fine-tuning.

More foundation - less trying to build Rome in a day.

I'm slowly developing a sort of process. Unintentionally at first, but now it's becoming more solidified.?

It goes like this:

1. Potential Topic + Half-baked Joke Generation: Randomly throughout the week - I scribble things down on my yellow legal pad, in pen. I keep it on physical paper. Trust me, it's a safer place than my Notes App - AKA where crackpot business ideas and inventions go to die. The last thing in my iPhone notes just says "Doggy Dishwasher". Not exactly sure where I was going with that one.
2. BABC Formulation: Friday Afternoon or Sunday Evening - I try to have a few uninterrupted hours to go out to the nearest stream bed with a shovel and dig. Jokes. I try to get the bulk of my words and general thoughts into Google Docs - still no true format. I just write about what I see on my legal pad from the week. Quite literally a big ass block of endless text (BABET), where about 57% of the words are spelt correctly.
3. Fine Tuning: Monday night - I fine tune. AKA try to decipher the Rosetta Stone I created Friday/Sunday. (if you've ever slacked/texted with me you get this. Spelling, not my strong suit) Each week's post remains just a BABC until I cut and paste it into LinkedIn to proofread, move things around, finalize, and format.
4. Posting: Early Tuesday morning - depending on my work schedule and how 'BA' my BABC was, I make any final corrections/tweaks and then hit Share!

Although subtle, one thing you may have noticed, (incredibly helpful to my process) is the change in mediums.

Mediums?

Legal Pad (First medium) --> Google Doc (Second Medium) --> LinkedIn Text Editor (Third, Final Medium)

I don't know what it is about this, but it helps me.

It feels almost like checkpoints made or milestones reached.

Good job, Ted. You've written enough illegible nonsense on the legal pad, you can now graduate to the Google Doc.

Pass Go and Collect $200.

As usual, I've strayed away from my initial topic a bit.

The whole point being - thing's seem incredible difficult when you start your mindset at either end of the creative spectrum - finished product and/or blank canvas.

On one end you have the finer details & nuance required to finish, and on the other you have "where do I even start?" - both easily paralyzing.

I'm sure even Michelangelo was rattled when they wheeled that big ass block of marble (BABM) in - but atleast he had the material to get chiseling on.

Your BABC can be anything.

Clay, marble, words on a page, data in an excel sheet. Whatever you identify as the building blocks to begin - start there.

The bulk material you think you'll need.

If you're going to make pottery, probably best not to start with an excel sheet.

Check the big boxes first, then go from there. Things will quickly start to take shape.

The BABC concept was a massive reach, I know.

Anyway, hope it helps.

This week's Outtake: Masters/Golf Related

I heard a HILARIOUS sales pitch/cold opener last week.

If you're in sales - saving people time is a huge value-prop across the board. We get this.

Sales Rep says, “I’ll find a CFO on LinkedIn, see where they're located, and then look them up on GHIN." (for non-golfers thats the Golf Handicap & Information Network. Basically, how good someone is and how much they play.)

Once he get's infront of them he'll open with something like, “Hey John, saw you only played 16 rounds at the club last year, how about we get you some time back in your day so you can spend more time on the course?”?

Actually unbelievable.

I can’t tell if it screams genius or psycho.

I’ll be reporting back regardless.?