JAKOB'S JOURNAL

H.I.A.

February 28th, 2020

Three letters might last a lifetime.

I was a freshman when I first heard my JV basketball coach say it: “H.I.A. It stands for Hustle! Intensity! and Attitude!” A solid mantra for a competitive group of 14 and 15 year olds.

I turned 30 a few months back, and H.I.A. still comes to mind at least once a week, maybe more.

Coach Eric Rosicky, who I actually messaged yesterday morning, MADE us write “H.I.A.” on our sneakers. It’s a popular thing now, but then? Most kids (or their parents) would flip if they were forced to take a black sharpie to their new kicks! Coach was speaking my language. Ever since I can remember, I had written down motivational quotes and covered the walls of my bedroom with them. Permission to do the same to my Nike’s? Done.

When I was at Mercer, years later, I continued to write H.I.A. on my shoes… and on my bedroom wall, and in my notebooks, and in my locker, etc. Those words meant a great deal to me. My career was plagued by injuries, and I wasn’t athletic or naturally skilled enough to be a star, but lucky for me, I’d already been taught to value three things that any player could do, at any point in time, to be an asset to their team. Hustle. Intensity. Attitude.

What’s strange to me? Many of the athletes I’ve encountered over the years, both as a coach and as a player, had to learn those things in college, if they ever did at all. Not me.

I’ll be honest with you, though. Being intentional about the attitude we carry will always be relevant, and hustle and intensity bring unrivaled success in high-stakes, do-or-die moments, but I’m starting a family now, and for the last two years of our marriage, I’m positive my wife has been dying for me to turn DOWN the intensity.

H.I.A. doesn’t do for me what it used to… It does far more. Let me tell you why.

Think about this: when I was 14 years old, a young coach uttered three words that would drastically alter the course of my life for the better.
Three. Words.
AT 23 YEARS OLD, THOSE THREE WORDS WERE STILL CARRYING ME.
Not even, it was three freaking letters! — H.I.A.
Three (1, 2, 3).
That’s all it took.

I will never be too exhausted to teach an eager student.
I will never pass on the opportunity to share some wisdom when someone lends their ear.
I am always intentional about what I say and who might be listening.
I know with certainty that it doesn’t take an extraordinary effort to make a positive impact on the people around us.

It only takes three letters, and three letters might last a lifetime.

** I am going to see if I can dig up some photos of my old bball shoes so you can see “H.I.A.” and all the other fun stuff I used to scribble on them. I’ll probably post a photo of it on Instagram later in the day if I find one. Check it out. If you have stories of what it was that used to inspire you or how a coach or mentor or parent made a big difference in your life, I’d love to hear about it. Shoot me a message on here, any of my social accounts, or via email at jakobgollon@gmail.com — Looking forward to hearing from you.
Crass Honesty

February 27th, 2020

Honesty should not be difficult.

At times, though, being made aware of the truth is at odds with our ego, our ignorance, or our lack of understanding. Thus, the necessity of interventions.

Only a select few people are persuasive enough or talented enough as rhetoricians to communicate effectively using crass honesty as their delivery tool.

As truth would have it, the ones that can do so, eloquently, know damn well that it’s not the sharpest knife in their set.

We need to opt for empathetic honesty instead—raw, and always challenging, but empathetic in spirit.

Empathetic honesty is still difficult to present, and still undeniably difficult to receive, but it’s drastically more effective than being too lazy to deliver that necessary, honest message in a way that it might make both parties better for it.

In essence, 1) never be afraid to say the things that people need to hear, and 2) don’t be a condescending asshole when you do it.
If we think

February 26th, 2020

Thinking is rather important.

How often do we think with undivided attention?

If we think—we can’t—we certainly will not.
If we think—we can—we might.

If—we think—then we most certainly will.

But only if we think.
Leadership, Consistency

February 24th, 2020

Assuming that we’re ready to take on the great burden of becoming a leader, the question we ask ourselves ought to be, “How do we earn our influence?”

There’s no utility in developing an arsenal of leadership skills if we have nobody to lead.

Leading is about 1) Doing excellent work, consistently, and then 2) Being able to teach, inspire, or create access for others to do excellent work.

Showing up, repeatedly, with an acute aim at having our best day, is a wise way to begin.

Step-by-step, our daily demeanor will inspire our peers (with our effort, our energy, our love, and our gracious lust for the opportunity to grow), and soon, we’ve earned their respect. That respect is what filters us to the frontlines. When we get there, leading is not only possible, but it’s expected.

Be cautious: The responsibility to lead is not for the timid—aim only for what you truly want.
Be cautious, more: The demand for great leaders is (always) high—if you commit to the ‘consistency thing’, you WILL become a leader.
It’s all by design

February 22nd, 2020

Look around. Everything we can see was “built”.

Everything, literally, is part of a “built-world” — our systems, cities, clubs, groups, laws, relationships, processes, families, buildings, even our ideologies. All of it. Someone, or some-many, built these things. When they are built excellently, we fail to realize that they were built at all.

We assume that they just are.

Don’t be fooled. Every built thing was built with effort and intentionally behind it. Maybe it was done poorly, or in bad taste, or with malicious intent, but it was intentional. The builders, therefore, are shaping our reality.

So, maybe we can (and should) start to take notice to the people and things that build stuff.

MOST people are not builders (by choice). They are the users, the customers, the consumers — living in, experiencing, and using the things that others built. There’s no issue there, but it is worth differentiating the builders from the users.

Anyone can be a builder, but it’s a vast, often under-appreciated and difficult undertaking. Who do we want our builders to be? We may not even think about it.

Who do we elevate?
Promote?
Support?
Importantly: who do we support with our dollars and consumer-power?
Who’s systems and ideas are we using?

Is it the kind-hearted, benevolent leaders? Is it those who seek craft mastery and excellence in their design? Is it those who wish to build better functional systems and processes? The leaders? The entrepreneurs?

Or, do we not even realize who our builders are? We likely don’t know them, unless they’re a hippo crossing the street.

The built-minded are who we ought to aspire to — The intentional, driven, unheralded, often misunderstood, and maybe even criticized, DOERS of our world.

Maybe one day we’ll choose to be more intentional about our work when we realize that we too can build things, IF WE WANT. Maybe we’ll join the game and stop shouting from the sidelines. Or at least, maybe we’ll just stop shouting. After all, it’s more enjoyable to be a user, and the beauty in all of this is that we have the option to live comfortably without the effort of needing to build.

We can contribute to the design of the human-web, or not.

If we do decide to build, and we do GREAT WORK, then maybe we too will go unnoticed, and get criticized, and just have to live with the fact that building is pure, thankless effort.

As for those doers that don’t ask our permission to make our lives better, I DO WANT TO SAY THANK YOU. We live in your houses, sleep in your beds, and eat the food out of your fridge. The least we can do is stave off our anger when the lawn isn’t mowed on time.

H.I.A.

Crass Honesty

If we think

Leadership, Consistency

It’s all by design