May 19, 2020
What would your future self say about your insecurities or fears? This week, Melissa Joy Kong, founder, and CEO of Iceberg Content Marketing joins me to discuss understanding the core of who you are, defining your wants and needs, and how to utilize time blocking techniques to prioritize what matters most in your life.
Melissa and I recorded this interview before the COVID-19 pandemic. I decided to share it during this moment of isolation and uncertainty. Why? Well, Melissa shares insights and wisdom that we can all use right now. We didn't realize at the time what would be coming nor how so many of us would be spending time isolated from others. It is with this context I want to share our conversation. Melissa revealed an exercise you can use right now, which will help you feel proud and accomplished during this pandemic.
Have a notebook next to you as you listen to today's conversation, you'll want to use it for self-reflection.
Tune in to hear Melissa's thoughts pertaining to:
- Melissa Joy shares a book that captured her interest unexpectedly: Love Does by Bob Goff. She notes the infectiousness with which he lives his life and why she tends to ask herself “what Bob would do in this situation?”. (3:44)
- How to design your life experience and who you wish to become without letting others' expectations influence your ideas. (7:42)
- We discuss regret and excitement about life, explicitly asking yourself, "If I were doing things the same way in 15-years, what would you regret or be most proud of?" (11:06)
- Melissa shares this exercise: Write a letter to yourself, detailing what you would say about your life from your 80-year old self. (13:20)
- What stories have I been telling about myself? What about my friends? What about society? (14:43)
- What it means to spend time alone, why it is not selfish and matters so much to your wellbeing. (15:53)
- The importance of reframing the way you view hard things, on taking the time to reflect whether it's hard or not...considering: what if this is the most natural thing in the world? (21:27)
- What's heavy that can be light? A guiding question to yourself. (22:31)
- Melissa's idea that life is very seasonal; some seasons are harsh, and others are sweet. (23:28)
- How and why looking at seasons in 90-day sprints makes life less overwhelming. (26:14)
- Melissa picked various themes from creators or those deeply rooted in their 'Why,' like Jesse Itzler, she shares some of them with us. (29:46)
- Regardless of how you plan your calendar, focus on what matters first. (33:46)
- The concept of time blocking moments of reflection, things of value to you, and the benefit of doing so. (38:48)
- Why it is essential to find talented people on your team who are already self-motivated and structure your own time. (49:43)
I asked Melissa the following question: How do you teach your team how to manage multiple projects and become leaders? Additionally, how can one hire well and effectively motivate a virtual team?
Listen to hear Melissa's answer, which includes why it's not easy for people to all of a sudden start working remotely; it takes a whole different set of skills.
Additional Links
- Follow Melissa on Instagram
- Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn
- Love Does by Bob Goff
- The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran