Focus; noun - an act of concentrating interest or activity on something.

Lately I’ve been thinking about the concept of focus — what it means, how to do it, why it’s valuable. As part of trying to get clear about the word, looking it up in the dictionary seemed like a good idea.

Of course, as with pretty much every English word ever, there are multiple definitions. But you know what’s special about the word focus? All of its definitions have something in common. They all refer to the singular, rather than the plural.

In other words…

We can’t achieve the clarity, precision or quality gained from focusing if we spread our attention around.

(Like the sound of that? Click to tweet it!)

It appears the dictionary is telling us this painful truth. Which reminds me of the days I used to declare my multitasking abilities loud and proud.

Hello, my name is Laura. I’m a multi-tasker.

I mean, I never actually introduced myself that way, but I probably thought about it. It’s a slippery slope, that tendency to juggle multiple things at once.

Not only does it make it difficult to distinguish what’s important from what’s not, once you start multitasking heavily it’s really effing hard to stop.

You want to and even know you should, but after indulging in enough multitasking it eventually becomes damn near impossible for your mind, eyes, hands or other parts of your being to be still, calm and yes, FOCUSED.

It takes conscious, ongoing effort to break the habit of multitasking and keep it broken. (Which is true for any habit, I suppose.)

So why bother? Well, my answer is that I’m craving the leaps of progress that focus allows you to achieve. I want to increase the amount of creativity, discovery, growth, devotion, connection, and success I experience and it’s hard to do that without focus. So I’m training my body and brain to unitask.

Focus is a habit I’m trying to cultivate.

Here are three training tactics that have been working for me so far:

• Exit from Mail — As much as possible, I no longer leave my email program open on my computer. Knowing I have unopened mail makes it almost impossible for me not to check it. Removing the distraction from my screen altogether helps ensure that checking my inbox is ONE of the things I get done in a day, not the ONLY thing.
• Set a timer — The truth is, I’m still not doing this as often as I’d like…because it kicks multitasking’s ass. Seriously, setting a timer to complete a task has led me to experience one thing and one thing only: completing the task. I recently wrote four feature stories in one day, all because I acknowledged it was the most important thing I had to do and I committed a specific amount of time to each story.
• Separate to dos — I separate my to do list into daily chunks, so that I’m never looking at a mammoth list, only a daily list. I also keep my personal to dos on a separate list from my professional to dos, so my brain doesn’t get confused about what things I’m supposed to be paying attention to. When I’m working, I try to only have my professional to dos for that day in front of me — I make sure lists or papers or notes of any other kind are out of sight.

These steps may sound small, but they’re working.

If you’re also curious about the benefits of doing one thing at a time, why not try them out for yourself? Or better yet, throw some suggestions or feedback my way. I’m eager!

With love,
Big L

It’s a freaking epidemic. Unanswered emails are outnumbering humans in workplaces, home offices and virtual communities everywhere.

So here’s what I’m thinking:

We could limit the amount of time we spend looking at our inbox, learn to type faster, experiment with flags, auto-reminders and organizational apps and programs, OR.…

We could send fewer emails.

Seriously.

One surefire way to reduce the number of emails you read or reply to is to reduce the number you send.

(Like the sound of that? Click to tweet it!)

Not sure it can be done? Next time you catch yourself composing a new email, try running through this checklist in your head:

1. Can I get done what I need to without the answer/information I’m about to request?
2. Can the person I’m emailing get done what they need to without me asking or telling them this thing?
3. Is there a faster way to get the answer to my question?
4. Can I save this update/question/item for the next time I meet with or see this person?
5. Do I have this person’s phone number?
6. Can I add this item to another email I know I need to send this person anyway?

A lot of the time, if the answer to even one of these questions is a yes, the email (and therefore, the response that follows it) isn’t necessary. When I answer with a yes, here are some things I do instead:

• Yes to #1: I proceed without asking, double-checking, finding out, etc.
• Yes to #2: Ditto. In other words, I check myself and my need to hear myself talk/type.
• Yes to #3: I find it the other way.
• Yes to #4: I start a list in my notebook for that upcoming meeting.
• Yes to #5: I call them or sometimes, send a quick text. (I know, this isn’t always practical or possible. But let’s be brutally honest here — we often send emails because we’re too lazy to pick up the phone.)
• Yes to #6:  I jot the question or point that’s on my mind in a new email and save it in my drafts, for when I’m ready to bundle it with that other thing.

I’ve been getting more and more obsessed with this checklist lately and let me tell you, it’s a breath of fresh air! Why not give it a try?

–Big L

[Photo credit]

Everyone gets it wrong sometimes.

The companies that make millions. The actors who win Oscars. The bloggers with 6-figures of followers. And yes, the people who invest a lot of effort and heart into being real + upholding their values.

They all slip up. In both meaningful and meaningless ways, it happens.

Both Wee C and I consider ourselves to be “those people” — the ones who appreciate authenticity, values, fulfillment and other intangible matters of the heart. And recently, we slipped up.

For the last two months, we’ve been working on something that’s been feeling a little too uphill for our liking.

Deadlines were still being met and hopes were still high, but we had the distinct and nagging feeling that things weren’t quite clicking as the could.

And then last Friday, I felt it. The elusive thing I’d been looking for clicked. I knew in my gut that we had been getting it wrong and I knew why.

So what did I do? Called one team member, briefed another over coffee on Monday, and sent another an email with the subject line, “A breakthrough.” I hustled to share my thinking as clearly as I could.

You know how I know this was the click we were all looking for? Because all three of them got it — instantly.

We shared a collective “Duh!” — Wee C and I literally giggled about it — and together we decided how to change plans.

All of a sudden, we know our place. We know how this one project not only allows us be real and uphold our values — it demands it. We know how we need to think about the work that remains. We understand how just “doing us” will create distinct value for someone else.

We were missing the mark before — we slipped up — but we’ve got it now. And here’s what I know:

No matter how much you walk the walk or talk the talk, everyone gets it wrong sometimes. But it’s not the stumble that matters.

What matters is how much more clear you are on how to keep it real, and get it right, next time. And baby, I’m clear.

–Big L

[Photo credit]

As the first change in a year of anticipated changes, here it is: we’re moving out of our office.

The office we moved into just one year ago — the one with a shared boardroom, reasonable rent, loveable roommates, and charming shops and restaurants within a stone’s throw? Yep, that’s the one.

If your first inclination is to say, “Oooooh, sorry to hear that.” Please, don’t. It’s OK.

It’s a fairly operational decision that really only impacts the logistics of our day-to-day. But more than that, it’s good news. We’re moving because we’re growing, not shrinking.

And because we love our friends, fans, clients and colleagues — YOU — all dearly, we’re happy to elaborate on the behind-the-scenes thinking that led to our decision. Here it is:

Truth #1: Adding The Office into our lives and our lingo made us comfortable.

In the way that your sweat pants with the hole in the crotch or your big comfy couch in the basement is comfortable. Familiar, consistent. We love that in our sweat pants and our couches, yes, but not in our work. In our work, we actually prefer to be slightly uncomfortable. That’s how we know we’re growing, we’re learning, we’re invested.

Truth #2: The Office made it easier to be conventional.

It made us more prone to operating on auto-pilot. More likely to waste 10 to 20 hours each week in our car. More likely to spend money on lunches out, overpriced coffee and parking tickets. The Office made it easier for us to revert back to routines we used to have and professionals we used to be.

Truth #3: The Office made us more willing to make decisions we didn’t feel great about.

Why? Because it created a false (and oh-so-devious) divide between our lives and our work. But guess what? THERE ISN’T ONE.

Not when you’re an entrepreneur that seeks great fulfillment and passion through their work. That shitty decision you made “back at The Office” still lingers when you come home. Not because work is all that matters — it’s absolutely not. But because when you’re building a business based on who you are as a human, that’s how it goes.

Truth #4: We don’t believe that four walls, a desk and multi-adjustable chairs is what makes Red Balloon legit.

We believe that producing great work for people who would gladly hire us again does. And the north end of Halifax isn’t the only place from which we can do that.

Growth does not have to equate to increasing overhead. In our view, Red Balloon’s growth hinges on our ability to evolve, innovate and push our comfort zone, talents and business model to the next level.

Besides, the people who measure Red Balloon’s value by the number in our Rent/Lease/Mortgage budget line (if such people exist) aren’t our people.

Truth #5: It’s time to catapult Red Balloon forward in new and exciting ways.

After a year of achieving 150% revenue growth, doubling our client list, working for 40 organizations on more than 50 projects, and becoming increasingly less inspired in the process — trust us, it’s time.

And to do that, we need to create the right conditions. Conditions that foster creativity, innovation, passion, reflection, change, flexibility, risk, productivity, and progress.

So as much as we’ve enjoyed the small delights of The Office and its neighbourhood — like the everything bagels with chives cream cheese from Julien’s and the Thai rice soup (hold the rice) from Hamachi House — they’re not the things that are going to push Red Balloon from great to fan-friggin-tastic. Changes like this one are.

The bottom line? We can still afford to pay the rent. It’s simply time to choose not to.

With love & gratitude,
Big L & Wee C

This past Saturday, our Bust a Move fundraising team kicked off our five-month, $10,000 fundraising blitz. In a unique celebration of breast health, dancing and mysterious masks, close to 200 people gathered at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic for Masqueraid at the Museum. From 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., we moved and grooved and yes, a good time WAS had by all!

It takes a lot of hands and a lot of heart to pull off any event, let alone one designed to raise funds for a good cause.

For that reason, we’d like to extend a big, enthusiastic THANK YOU to the following people:

• Menna Riley - A fellow Balloon Buster, Menna was the details maven behind the Masqueraid’s magic. The event wouldn’t have been possible without her, Gab White, and the rest of the Parlour Room Events team.
• Ben Boudreau & Yelp.com — Another Balloon Buster, Ben was on-hand all night with Yelp swag and a $2 balloon pop, which definitely elevated the fun of the event!
• Liam Hennessey & Steph Camp — The ridiculously talented duo behind Applehead Studio Photography, these two captured the stunning guests & their masks in more than 100 unforgettable shots! (A handful of our favourites are at the end of this post!)
• Party Boots — This band knows how to get a room dancing. Seriously, they don’t mess around. After the fun they brought to the party, we’d highly recommend them for any event!
• True North DJ — Always happy to be there and always slammin’, the DJs and tunes of True North do not disappoint. Thanks to Scott Rideout for agreeing to fit us into the team’s busy spinning schedule!
• Maritime Museum of the Atlantic — Our gracious venue hosts were flexible, easy-going and affordable; the three most important things fundraisers need in their suppliers. Not to mention, the atmosphere sailed above our expectations!
• Mattatal Signs — Our friends at Mattatal graciously contributed some stunning event signage that contributed a lot of sass and class to the event.
• Untitled Eats — The culinary team at Untitled Eats prepared some delectable and deeply discounted snacks for all Masqueraiders to enjoy, thank goodness! After all, what’s a party without snacks?!
• Nicole Steeves — A magician with a make-up brush, Nicole generously offered our guests the option of a bedazzled, hand-painted mask, for just $10 each!
• Erin Solomon — The Red Balloon team member behind the brand of the event, including the logo, posters, on-site signage and other goodies. She’s a self-taught design wizard, indeed!
• Valerie Hanson — Another Red Balloon team member, Valerie stepped up at the last minute to volunteer at the event. Many hands make light work and for that, we’re grateful!
• Katelyn Allen-Romkey — A fellow Balloon Buster, Katelyn put her PR prowess to work promoting this event, selling a pile of tickets and recruiting uber-helpful volunteers.

And last, but not least, the event would not have been possible without its attendees. To our friends, family, neighbours, clients, and colleagues who attended — YOU were the best part of all!

With love,
Big L & Wee C

Today, we were hired by our 30th client since January 2011. They include not-for-profits, universities, financial institutions, small businesses, government partners, and professional consultants. And they all have one thing in common: they’re buyin’ whatever we’re sellin’.

So, how the heck did we convince 30 different organizations to buy it and buy-in? So far, our success can be attributed to six things we do that, in our opinion, most people don’t do enough of. 

• We do what we say we’re going to do. We don’t pitch concepts we don’t understand, ideas we can’t deliver or solutions our clients can’t afford. We meet deadlines, respect budgets and show up for meetings. We try to be as practical and realistic as we can, to the point that it can be a buzz kill. We ask questions, give honest answers and aren’t afraid to admit our limitations. We take accountability for both the mistakes and magic we make.

• We rarely take shortcuts. We think in isolation a lot — asking ourselves what is the best thing to do, for this person, in this situation, right now. We aren’t afraid to give a different answer every time. We click File -> New a lot, and Edit -> Copy -> Paste a little. That’s one part nature — we’d be bored stiff if we weren’t challenging ourselves or creating anything new — and one part strategy. We believe our profitability and productivity is tied to raising our game and not lower our clients’. And so far, we’re right.

• We know our place. We know people are hiring us to be genuinely interested in them, offer honest opinions and thoughtful advice, be respectful and empathetic, and give our talent, ideas and attention generously. Why? Because that’s what everybody wants. To be cared about and cared for. To be heard and listened to. The plans we produce and documents we deliver are outputs; they’re not services. We service our clients by becoming people they can trust. It’s our job to alleviate worries, not become one.

• We consciously work on our business and ourselves. We kick-off every week with a discussion of priorities, deadlines and action items. We wrap every month by talking about what we learned, excelled at and struggled with, and what we’d each like to achieve next month. We start every quarter by discussing what opportunities and growth we’d like to pursue — personal and professional — and how certain situations, challenges and projects are making us feel. Sound high maintenance? It is. We take not sucking very, very seriously.

• We stay organized. We use customized worksheets to keep track of meetings we need to prepare for and things we need to do to keep clients happy, grow our business and contribute to our community. We populate our calendars with all the things we need to do each day. When a week is full, we start pushing whatever we can to the next one. We write project lists, goals and reminders down, in big letters and bright colours, then hang them on our wall. We bring a notebook, pen and intention to every meeting.

• We believe in our worth. It’s not an opinion we need to force on others and actually, it’s something we rarely talk about at all. We are aware of our strengths and how to apply them. We trust that we can add value to situations our clients put us in. We understand that people skills, empathy and an open mind can go a long way. Red Balloon is a reflection of who we are, and our approach has merit simply because it’s uniquely ours. We don’t spent time seeking validation for it; we spend time trying to share and celebrate it.

These six things have taken Red Balloon from a one-person, few-client, five-figure business to a multi-person, 30-client, six-figure business in less than two years.

Sure, our charm, energy, references, experience, and testimonials probably don’t hurt. But avoiding networking events, having a sucky Google ranking, an inconsistent blogging schedule, and a general disdain for RFPs probably do. In the end, they may even cancel each other out…who knows for sure.

What we do know is that consistently, predictably doing these six things delivers the most important sales pitch of all. It tells our clients they can count on us. 

An idea or thought can is considered BIG if it is:

1. Bigger than the moment

Big thinking can be applied in small ways, but that doesn’t happen when you’re on autopilot. Big thinking isn’t about changing the world, it’s about using your brain differently and striving to see things in a new way. Whether that happens when you’re in nature, in the shower, breaking a sweat, or sipping herbal tea — big thinking requires that you see beyond the monotony of your to-do list, grocery list and alarm clock, both literally and in your mind’s eye.

2. Outside comfort zones 

Quite simply, a thought is often a big one if it makes someone feel anxious, scared, risky, rebellious, or insecure. The person who conceived the idea might feel that way and the people they tell about it might, too. Dave McKeage gauges how big his thinking is based on other people’s reactions.

I learn what big thinking is based on people’s reactions to something I say. By and large, my whole life has been about those reactions.

3. Defying what you know

Big thinking is all about exploring the what ifs, maybes, and can you imagines, and tossing the beens theres and done thats out the window. 

4. Exciting 

As an earlier post alludes to, you can separate big thoughts from small ones based solely on how they make you feel. If you feel alive, if your adrenaline is pumping, if the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, if you feel euphoric…you know.

5. Momentum-building

The best big thinking has the potential to become big action, and pulling that off often requires thinking even bigger and involving more people. If the thought or idea is a real gem, it can take on a life of its own. You could argue that few remarkable things in the world have been achieved with small thinking. You could also argue that few have been achieved by a single set of hands, without any contribution, inspiration or support from others. As Graham North puts it:

The best stuff happens when people work together.

6. A shade of grey.

Big thoughts and absolutes aren’t the best of friends. Even when a big thought is on the verge of becoming a big action, it might still be grey. Quite simply, when you’re breaking new ground or trying things differently, you can’t possibly know all of the answers. Uncertainty is one of the rules of the game. As the quote (from someone, somewhere) goes:

It’s okay to not know, but it’s not okay to not try. 

There you have it. A big thinking six pack.

- Big L

P.S. Next week’s post will look at what qualities and characteristics might enable people to think big.

(Photo credit)

Post #3 | Part one | Interviewees: Ben Boudreau, Dave McKeage, Graham North, Liam Hennessey, Nick Matheson 

This your first time reading a TBABT post? Hop on over here to see where and how it all started. Oh, and welcome aboard!

Big thinking is more than thoughts. It’s a feeling. I asked Ben, Dave, Graham, Liam, and Nick what it feels like for them and this is my interpretation of their response:

There is a moment, when thinking cracks wide open.

Inside, a deity or a muse awaits.
I can’t see or hear them, but they arrive on the scene,
pushing the boundaries of possibility and expanding my view.

My imagination and senses sharpen.
Adrenaline courses and eyes sparkle, even if no one is around to see them.

There is a sense of urgency; a need to explore this terrain before the fog rolls in.
I break off into a run.
The world I know is behind me, but a blur.

A waterfall of solutions appears,
flowing with ease. I’m thirsty.

Excited and terrified, rejuvenated and insecure.
Simultaneous and conflicted feelings means I’m onto something.
It means anything possible.

And eventually?
“Fuck it. I won’t know if I don’t try.”

An idea becomes an option.

- Big L

{Photo credit}

Post #2 | Part one | Interviewees: Ben Boudreau, Dave McKeage, Graham North, Liam Hennessey, Nick Matheson 

This your first time reading a TBABT post? Hop on over here to see where and how it all started. Oh, and welcome aboard!

I started each of my first five TBABT* interviews with the most obvious question of all: What does the term ‘big thinking’ mean to you?

Of course, it’s largely an abstract term that means different things to different people. And in part, that’s the beauty of it. But what I’m looking for is commonalities among the answers — threads that connect them all together to create a meaning and definition we can all rally around.

So far, what I’ve concluded is that big thinking is an enabling state of mind.

It’s like a special room in your brain that, once entered, allows you to see things that aren’t visible to you anywhere else. To get in that room for a VIP experience, sometimes you need to knock on the door for a reeeeal long time. Other days, it’s already unlocked, waiting for you to stroll in. Regardless, once you’re in there, the room enables you to do some pretty powerful things.

For example:

1. Seek meaning. For Nick, big thinking includes “looking at how things are interconnected and what lies beyond the surface, to get a deeper understanding.” The philosophical and introspective among us will especially enjoy this part of what ‘the room’ has to offer. Similarly for Dave, big thinking is “allowing yourself the freedom to be unabashed while looking at large, systemic issues, and to contemplate addressing them.”

2. Have a positive affect on others. “Big thinking is all about doing things that make a difference,” says Ben. “I don’t like big thinking just for the sake of it, but when an opportunity comes up where big thinking can really make a positive change or create something remarkable, I think it’s about taking advantage of those opportunities and really just going for it.”

3. Go further. Thinking big allows you to take your abilities and assumptions off the table — maybe it even requires it. In doing so, you end up considering broader possibilities; unknowns. For Graham, this means “having the perspective and presence of mind to step back from the tunnel vision that we so easily get caught up in.”

4. Be invincible. At least for a little while, you’re a bit like a superhero. “You don’t believe there are any limitations and you believe that whatever you dream can come true,” explains Liam.

It seems that thinking big is a bit like entering a virtual reality. I expect that’s where the term ‘thinking outside the box’ came from. As cliche as it is, at some point, it was probably the best description someone could come up with to describe the feeling of extending — going beyond, and outside of, what you currently know and understand.

And it really is a feeling, by the way. There are some legit physiological reactions that people have when they are in the process of thinking big. Don’t believe me? You’ll have to come back next week, when our conversation resumes.

Until then…

Big L.

{Photo credit}

*Thinking Big about Big Thinking

Post #1 | Part one | Interviewees: Ben Boudreau, Dave McKeage, Graham North, Liam Hennessey, Nick Matheson 

This your first time reading a TBABT post? Hop on over here to see where and how it all started. Oh, and welcome aboard!

Have you ever stopped to think about what the term big thinking (or thinking big, whatever floats your boat) really means? To you? To me? To anyone?

No?

Me neither.

Until now.

Or rather, until a few months ago when an had an idea.

That idea was simply: Let’s find out!

Why haven’t we thought about it? Why don’t we talk about it? What does it mean?

As someone who uses the term often — to describe ideas, people, and the person I’d like to think I am — this no longer feels acceptable.

That’s why today, Red Balloon is pleased to introduce a blog series called:

Thinking Big about Big Thinking

If you’re intrigued — and we hope you are, duh — here are a few FAQs to get you started. Read on and allow yourself to get excited, its OK.

• Why are you doing this? Three reasons. First, to keep things fresh — our brains, this blog and our conversations. Second, because we’re curious. Third, because we figure that if you’re anything like us, you’re curious, too!
• What is your intention? Another triple. First, to stimulate self reflection — among ourselves, interviewees and readers. Second, to better understand, so we can help others do the same. Third, to transform this abstract concept into something with meaning. Mystery is sexy, but its frustrating, too. What does big thinking meeeean?!
• What are you going to do? Interview people about big thinking until there aren’t any more questions to ask, the answers become stale, or I get bored. Whatever comes first. 
• What can readers expect? Five interviews by me = five posts for you. After each fiver, the questions or topics might change course entirely; they might not. We’ll see!
• Who are the first five interviewees? Good question! They are, in no particular order: 1. Nick Matheson — Owner of One to One Wellness. 2. Liam Hennessey — A self-taught photographer and owner of Applehead Studio Photography. 3. Maggie McGee — The first big thinker I was exposed to in a professional setting. 4. Ben Boudreau — A former Red Balloon resident, who we all know and love. 5. Dave McKeage — The visionary behind Brigadoon Village.
• When does it start? In June. We’ll reveal the exact date soon. Think of it as a summer treat, as delightful as an afternoon popsicle on a hot day. 

I hope you’re intrigued and I hope you’ll come along for the ride! See you again soon!
– Big L

{Photo credit}