ATG 243: Today Is an Adventure  ## Metadata - Author: [[All It Takes Is A Goal]] - Full Title: ATG 243: Today Is an Adventure - Category: #podcasts - URL: https://share.snipd.com/episode/385ee19e-a5a0-4fc8-a42c-144e62306737 ## Document Notes ## Highlights - **Speaking Experience And Event Goals** - Jon Acuff describes his experience speaking for hundreds of companies over 13 years and developing goals for events. - He aims to launch audiences into their best year and make organizers look like rock stars. Transcript: Jon Acuff Over the last 13 years, I've had the honor to help hundreds of companies like Nissan, Walmart, Microsoft, and Comedy Central at events around the world. And during that time, I've developed three big goals for your event. Number one, I want to slingshot your audience into the best year they've ever had. Whether I'm opening, closing, or somewhere in the middle of the event, I want to launch everyone out of that room with actionable, memorable things that they can apply to their work And lives immediately. Number two, my second goal, I want the sound team engaged and laughing. The sound team has heard it all. They have. And if I can make them laugh and learn along the way, the audience is going to absolutely love the keynote. And number three, my third goal, I want you to get text messages during the keynote. My favorite sentence to hear from you after I speak is, John, my phone was blowing up during your keynote. ([Time 0:00:09](https://share.snipd.com/snip/6c9e954b-b2b1-4811-837f-aaf1ba171587)) - **Design Talks For Immediate Impact** - Do design talks to produce immediate, actionable takeaways so audiences can apply them right away. - Aim to engage audio teams and drive positive texts to the organizers during your keynote. Transcript: Jon Acuff Number one, I want to slingshot your audience into the best year they've ever had. Whether I'm opening, closing, or somewhere in the middle of the event, I want to launch everyone out of that room with actionable, memorable things that they can apply to their work And lives immediately. Number two, my second goal, I want the sound team engaged and laughing. The sound team has heard it all. They have. And if I can make them laugh and learn along the way, the audience is going to absolutely love the keynote. And number three, my third goal, I want you to get text messages during the keynote. My favorite sentence to hear from you after I speak is, John, my phone was blowing up during your keynote. I'm there to make you look like a rock star, not me. If your boss texts you during my speech and compliments you on how well the event is going, then I know I've done my job. ([Time 0:00:21](https://share.snipd.com/snip/41130727-f380-4fa7-9fa9-0f473a348503)) - **Mayberry Moment** - Jon tells a self-deprecating story about cultural references and feeling old when a gym attendant didn't know Mayberry. - He uses the story to define 'old school' for the episode as 70s and 80s motivation. Transcript: Jon Acuff Now, you kind of have to define what old school means because it can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. The older I get, the more I realize that some of my cultural references don't line up with somebody else's cultural references. I was at a gym once when I was checking in. Obviously, I was at the gym. So if you've seen photos of me, you're not surprised that I'm at the gym. But I was checking in and I said to the kid who was checking me in like, oh, yeah, this town we live in is like Mayberry. Because it is. Franklin, where I live, Franklin, Tennessee, is like a scene in a Justin Bieber Christmas video because it was a scene in a Christmas video by Justin Bieber. Justin Bieber filmed his song, Mistletoe, which is a banger here in Franklin, where I live on our main street. In fact, I bet if you watch the video, you can see my office. My office is in downtown Franklin and it may be, maybe my office makes a cameo. I'm going to have to go watch. ([Time 0:02:01](https://share.snipd.com/snip/a2f504ac-cac0-4a0d-8aa0-0b714140df62)) - **Vintage Motivation Still Works** - Old school motivational audio programs from the 70s and 80s still provide energy and encouragement today. - Digitized cassette collections on Audible and Libby let Jon replay those boosters while running or traveling. Transcript: Jon Acuff I'm talking about men and women who created audio programs on cassette tape. Did you ever get one of those? Like, did you ever see one of those where you would get some like audio program from somebody and it would be this thick plastic binder and you'd open it up and there'd be three cassettes On one side and three on the other side. And you'd be like, Ooh, we got some fresh motivation. I love those. And fortunately, a lot of those have been digitized. There's been a lot of people who have put those online. You can go on Audible, Libby, and they'll have 12 hour, 15 hour, 18 hour collections of the greats, often doing speeches or reading their programs. And I find them so encouraging. I listen to them again and again and again. I listen to them when I'm running. I listen to them as I drive somewhere. ([Time 0:03:37](https://share.snipd.com/snip/3098ba1f-d4cb-404d-97bf-e02c28ff85c5)) - **Keep A Boost On Hand** - Do save short motivational episodes for replay when discouraged or needing a boost. - Download and keep this episode for a rainy day to get quick energy. Transcript: Jon Acuff This is going to be a short, highly motivational episode. It's designed to be replayed multiple times, especially when you're discouraged and you need a little bit of a boost. So download this one. Save this one for a rainy day. ([Time 0:05:18](https://share.snipd.com/snip/7fd11533-deb3-4b20-9b0f-605109db6336)) - **Every Day Is One Of One** - Jon reframes ordinary days as unique adventures because each day is guaranteed none and given once. - He calls today 'one of one' and emphasizes its singular opportunity. Transcript: Jon Acuff You ready? Today is an Adventure. It might look like an average Monday, but it is not. There's no such thing as an average day when we're guaranteed none and given this one. Today is an adventure. It's an invitation to where the fields meet the forest. This is edge country, where anything is possible and everything is promised. Today is always unchartered territory because today has never happened before. This is today's first and last performance. Today is much like you. ([Time 0:05:41](https://share.snipd.com/snip/9404953e-e4a0-4bbc-b1cf-f730c8b69dfb)) - **Days Speak In Dares** - You can plan and predict, but days remain unpredictable and bring their own colors and challenges. - The day 'speaks in dares, not formulas' and resists guarantees. Transcript: Jon Acuff We can predict. We can attempt to overlay a little bit of control over this moment, but the sunset falls with its own colors already picked up. I did not choose that yellow streak, that pink burst, that unexpected blue, but oh, it explodes with an amount of pixels that make smartphones seem dumb. Sometimes I want a guarantee. I want to know before the day begins that everything will go my way. I procrastinate until the coast is clear. I want an assurance. I want an assurance that today will hold no challenge nor inconvenience. I do not want to be stretched. I want to be served. That's what I want. I don't want to be stretched. I want to be served. But the day is too wild for that. ([Time 0:06:27](https://share.snipd.com/snip/ad25fbc1-6cdd-492d-98a4-9370ee187b17)) - **Don't Pre-Dash Your Dreams** - Avoid killing your dreams preemptively out of fear of failure or bruising. - Choose to embrace the adventure with open hands even if fear and doubt remain. Transcript: Jon Acuff Your hopes can't be dashed if you pre-dash them yourself and pretend they do not exist. That's a popular approach, but killing your dreams because you're afraid they might get bruised is a trade-off you should never make. Killing your dreams because you're afraid they might get bruised is a trade-off you should never make. What if we try and it doesn't work? We worry. We accept the automatic F of never trying because we fear the C-minus of giving it our all and falling short. I refuse. I refuse to accept that any longer. I don't. I won't. Instead, we yearn with open hands or balled up fists, steady feet or shaky knees. We embrace the adventure with gritted teeth at what's to come or a smile that meets the horizon. I choose embrace. ([Time 0:07:28](https://share.snipd.com/snip/06109e1c-c52b-436b-b7ab-f76f44850aa1)) - **Veto Power Of The Right Foot** - Fear and procrastination persist but should not have veto power over action. - Jon claims his 'right foot' out the door is all it takes to start despite split head-heart votes. Transcript: Jon Acuff Now, my fear, my fear has not dissipated. It hasn't. My fear has not dissipated. My thoughts launch couch campaigns and beg me to stay at home. Stay inside. Don't try, my thoughts say. Procrastination swims so close to the surface, I can see it's every scale. My feelings are not fully on board. They may never be, but I, I can no longer wait for unanimous agreement. The vote is split. My head and my heart are divided, but I, I have veto power in my right foot. ([Time 0:08:24](https://share.snipd.com/snip/eee06f01-b46f-4e71-a997-2bca4b294f0b)) - **Accept The Adventure Now** - Join Jon in treating life as an adventure and refuse to let life wait. - Act now because life won't wait and neither will the opportunities it offers. Transcript: Jon Acuff If that's you, if that's you right now, if you're listening right now to this, I dare you to join me on this adventure. Life won't wait and neither will we. ([Time 0:09:08](https://share.snipd.com/snip/1681c8e3-0204-499a-a01d-6a9c310dee0c))