Motivation Archives - The Winding Road

What it Means to Be a Professional and Why it Matters Now

by Travis L. ScottMarch 17, 2020March 18, 2020

With everything going on right now, I’ve been thinking a lot about being a professional. Most specifically, the shift in the way a lot of people work and communicate outside of what they’ve done in the past. A shift into using technology more than they may have in the past. A shift in the way they now have to show up each day. The world isn’t going to simply stop because of this pandemic. Companies need to change, adapt, and keep moving forward. People need to do the same. Stop worrying about what could happen and start focusing on what …

From Constraints Come Opportunity (and Choices)

by Travis L. ScottMarch 16, 2020March 16, 2020

There’s no question. There’s a lot of anxiety in the world right now. A lot of uncertainty. We’re in the midst of a global pandemic. It seems like everywhere you turn it’s doom and gloom. People are fearful. They’re anxious. They’re afraid. That’s to be expected. But, it’s also important to be rational. To be an adult. To be a leader. To be supportive. And, to use this time to reflect and get better. A tremendous opportunity exists to come out of this thing better than we went in. We’re stuck at home, there aren’t any live sports on. That …

Patience (Part 2) – Focus on the Small Things

by Travis L. ScottMarch 9, 2020March 10, 2020

Patience. A lot of people talk about it but when it comes to practicing it ourselves a lot of us fall short, don’t we? Patience is a difficult thing to have when it comes to our careers. A lot of times we know we’re capable of so much more than we’re doing if only we had a chance to prove it. I’m sure this is a thought that young professionals have on a nearly daily basis. Unfortunately, that’s not a thought that goes away when you get more experience. If you’re a continuous learner like me and if you strive, …

Patience: The Key to a Successful Career – Part I

by Travis L. ScottMarch 2, 2020March 2, 2020

A couple of weeks ago I was in Lincoln, Nebraska for a charity event and I was able to meet Ali Schwanke, a fellow speaker at the Digital Crush marketing conference last October (2019). After coffee, she gave me a tour of her office. It was very impressive and I particularly liked the breakout rooms that were named after well-known, highly successful marketers. People like Seth Godin, David Ogilvy, Rand Fishkin, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Ann Handley. After the tour we said goodbye and I drove from Lincoln to Omaha. As I was driving I was thinking about things and thinking …

Get Out of Your Own Way

by Travis L. ScottFebruary 12, 2020February 13, 2020

How to Make Better Career Decisions from The Winding Road on Vimeo. Today I’m going to talk about fear. It’s a topic that I resurface from time to time because it’s an important one. It’s one of the most life-limiting and career-limiting factors any of us face and we face it daily. At least in some form. It shows up when we start to consider a change. Any kind of change. But especially when we consider a change associated with our career. I have a couple of ‘theories’ on this and the one I see as the most influential is …

Are You Jealous When Someone Succeeds and Happy When They Fail?

by Travis L. ScottNovember 4, 2019December 6, 2019

“The road to success and the road to failure are almost exactly the same.” – Colin R. Davis One thing that is certain is there is no map for your life. No one can tell you how to get from point A to point B when it comes to success and happiness. Everyone’s situation is different. Understanding that you can seek guidance from others but not a set of instructions on how to get to the place you seek to be can be liberating. The key is to take bits of other people’s ideas and use them …

You’re Going to Fail

by Travis L. ScottOctober 21, 2019October 22, 2019

If don’t fall. You’re probably not trying. Life is hard. You’re going to fall. You’re going to fail. How you respond is what matters most.

Stop Being a Hustler

by Travis L. ScottOctober 1, 2019October 1, 2019

I’ve always hated the term “side hustle” but couldn’t quite figure out why. Now I know. I was reading one of Seth Godin’s recent blog posts and he said: “Want to change the mind of a hustler, show the money.” That’s why I hate that term. When I’ve engaged in projects outside of my “day job” in the past it has usually been about getting experience and learning. It hasn’t been about the money. It never will. That’s why I also hate the term “side gig”. Happiness has no price. When I take on a project I’m getting something more …

Critics are Irrelevant

by Travis L. ScottSeptember 16, 2019December 1, 2019

Photo by NordWood Themes on Unsplash Nowadays, I mostly go for runs as a way to spark ideas. It’s amazing. When you can eliminate the distractions that constantly bombard you and just think, great things happen. In order for these ideas to come about, I usually have to listen to a podcast or audiobook about marketing. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of audiobooks by Seth Godin and Bernadette Jiwa. I like their style and the way they think about marketing is different than how I thought about it before. Self Doubt During a recent morning run, I was …