Since I've been doing these monthly improvement projects this year, I decided to share with you some of the inspirations for this experiment.

Seth Godin - First, more than anyone else, Seth Godin has opened my mind to the opportunity of looking at life as a series of connected projects. Here's what Seth's project portfolio looks like.

Justin Jackson - Justin inspired me last year when I listened to his Build and Launch podcast where he described his adventures of building and launching a product in only a week! Now this year he's trying to make 100 things.

Jeff Goins - Jeff Goins once did a 48 hour passion project to show how easy one could learn a new skill and make money from it.

Hackerella - Rosanna Casper takes on monthly challenges to better herself and shares the lessons she learns with her readers.

Escape From Adulthood - Jason Kotecki talks about what a tinker project is and how it can benefit you.

Thanks for following along. What projects will you try next?

I've been slowly doing some work on this topic for a few months now. Here's some things I've noticed.

1) Starting can be easy:
When you first look at the group of stuff you're about to do battle with, you will probably notice some things that you can easily part with. In fact, you'll probably get excited about tossing them! These small, easy wins are great - take them. They will help propel you later when things get tougher.

2) It's not the actual things themselves:
The actual physical items you see aren't really to issue you're struggling with. It is the emotional attachment you have with your stuff that will make it hard to part with. On the surface, someone else will see useless junk, but to you it brings up emotions that you might have been repressing for quite some time. Just be aware of that.

3) It will be a trip down memory lane:
Your things will take you back to the times you first bought/received your items. You'll recall the good/bad times you had using it. You'll see the places you used to store/displace this "treasure". You may want to set aside extra time to allow for this journey. It might be therapeutic.

4) You might not like what you find:
Looking over all the unnecessary stuff you've accumulated, you may feel a little guilt. You might ask yourself, "What was I thinking about when I got this?" You could be feeling, "How did I let all this stuff accumulate?" Be kind to yourself. You have a chance now to break away those possessions. Don't regret, instead look forward to a new start.

5) You probably need less than you think:
It's normal to feel that you couldn't possibly live without some of your "prized" possessions. But if you're like me, that line of reasoning doesn't fly when you haven't seen some of them for years! Turns out that I've already been living without them, and you can to. When you challenge the assumption that you are absolutely can't live without something, you might find what has really be holding you back.

Are you ready to declutter? Do you have advice you'd like to share in the comments?

I have to admit, I'm having major troubles making any progress on my February Fit challenge. Temptations lurk around every corner and obstacles block the your best intended paths. So what do you do when your plans don't turn out?

​Failure is always an option:

Whenever you try your hand at something new, you're always risking failure. But that shouldn't deter you. Without trying you're guaranteed to not achieve more than your current status quo. And the failures that do happen can provide valuable learning for your next steps in your journey.

I can say that this month's project failed to product any healthy habits, other than a semi-daily short yoga routine that I've been doing fairly well. Still, I've identified pitfalls to take into account the next time I try (and there WILL be a next time).

Going with the flow:

If I was overly focused on my February goal, I wouldn't be able to switch and take advantage of other emerging opportunities. My life has had some changes recently and that prompted me to shift to a new project a week early. March's experiment will be Operation Declutter.

It's time to get rid of some dead weight. I'll be thinning my processions and looking to create areas of less chaos in multiple areas of my life. Most of us are keeping things around that have long ceased to provide value to us. Why don't we lighten our burdens?

Will you join in?

I extend an invitation to join me for this project and try decluttering some of the areas of your lives. You can start small. It can be a closet, drawer, folder, whatever... just see if you can reduce the inventor to about half of what it was before you started. It might do you good. Best of luck to you!

Finally, my first creative endeavor of the year is ready for the public.

It's a call to action in a world of constant change and a way to take advantage of the uncertainty we face everyday. It short and sweet, easy to read, and food for thought.

Click on the image above for the ebook PDF.

2016 has just begun and I’m beginning a journey in project-based personal development. What exactly does that mean? Here’s some more information to help explain:
What Is This All About?: Every month this year, I’ll be undertaking a creative project to push myself out of my comfort zone and try something new.
When I This Happening?: Through out this whole year. One month, one project at a time.
Who Am I and Who Is This For?: I’m Jay Johnson, renegade generalist. If you’re looking for for self-improvement and eager to experiment and try new things, you’ll probably enjoy this.
Where Is This Taking Place?: I’ll be blogging about it here and on the newsletter, but I'll also be journaling the journey on Tumblr as well: Development by Experiment.
Why Am I Doing This?: I’ve always had varied and diverse interests. This approach will let me explore them separately while switching every month. I’ll get the satisfaction of making something on a regular basis. Getting hands-on will help me apply the things I learn and better understand them. Finally, I will have a portfolio to show for all the effort I put into this adventure.
How Will It Work?: Each month will feature an independent project with the goal of learning/trying/making something new. All will have at least one deliverable due at the end of the month. I have a list of potential subjects that I’ll decide on before the beginning of each month.

So what is the project I’m taking on this month?
I will be self-publishing a short ebook about the pressing need for more experimentation and challenging the status quo in our lives. The basis structure looks like this:
* What is the status quo, how did it come about, and why do we need to challenge it?
* How does you adjust from a life of comfort and complacency to one where he is comfortable navigating  uncertainty?
* What principles can guide a person on her path of an experimental lifestyle?
Stay tuned for first drafts of these points coming on the Tumblr blog. I'm hoping to have the completed ebook ready for my newsletter subscribers by Jan 29th and everyone else the week after.

It's the end of another year. Here's a look back on the most popular Rogue Polymath posts of 2015,

5) Challenging the Status Quo With Your Playlist
Coming in at number five is a post suggesting that the music you're listening to could help you drive positive change in the world.
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4) Hidden Lean: Why You Should Never Start with 5S
Next on the countdown is a rant on one of my big pet peeves, the overuse (misuse?) of a common Lean tool.

3) The Problem with Problem Solving
The third most popular post of this year proposes the idea that our view of problem solving is flawed.

2) Hidden Lean: Inventory Reduction
In the number two spot is a post talking about the hidden lessons of reducing inventory

1) Solving Problem Solving
The top spot for 2015 goes to the post offering a possible alternative to the problem presented in the #3 post.

I wish you the best of luck with your endeavors in 2016 and remember, the best way to stay on top of what I'll be up to is to subscribe to the newsletter.

I don't know about you, but I'm glad the holiday season is here. I love Christmas music! A few years ago, my wife and I had the pleasure of going to Seattle and seeing Mannheim Steamroller in concert. It was a Christmas show in mid-December. The show was absolutely an amazing show, as well as a lesson in challenging the status quo.
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​Chip Davis, the mastermind behind Mannheim Steamroller, always marched to the beat of a different drummer. (Actually, as a percussionist, he literally followed his own beat.) After all, when you write music for harpsichord, dulcimer, recorders, synthesizers, recorded sounds and other instruments, you're sure to make some people uncomfortable. In the mid-70's when he created the Mannhiem Steamroller pseudonym, he couldn't find a record label to record his unique style. So he simply created his own record label and did it himself. A decade later when others in the music industry told him it would be foolish to release a Christmas album, he did it anyway and went on to become the top selling Christmas artist of all time.

A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.- Max Lucado

After 40 million albums sold and over three decades of performing, Mannheim Steamroller is still going strong. Still wowing audiences. Still filling this season with wonder.

Today's lesson is not to think that you're too weird by saying no to the status quo. Instead, the world needs awesome people like you standing out by doing what they do best. You'll never know where your experiments will take you, until you give them a try. Here's to an exciting 2016 ahead of you!


PS - In case you're wondering, Mannheim Steamroller gets its name from an 18th century German musical technique

If you believe the "best things come to those that wait," you're bound to be disappointed. There's a better strategy than waiting for luck.

As you were growing up, you were probably told that "the best things come to those that wait." You might of have heard that "patience is a virtue" as well. "Calm down", "wait your turn", "haste makes waste" - by the time you became an adult you might have been thoroughly discouraged from doing anything... but waiting.

The thing is, patience definitely has it's good points. No one wants to be a whiny, impatient person who wants everything NOW! But patience can have it's down side as well. If all you are doing is waiting for something to happen - someone to pick you, winning the lottery, getting on Oprah's show - you are setting yourself up for disappointment.

Think of it this way: you can be active or passive and patient or impatient. That's leaves you four possibilities:

Impatient & Passive - When you want something right now, and have done nothing to help bring it about, you are definitely not making any friends. It turns into whiny, entitlement.

Impatient & Active - Now you want something and will do anything to make it happen. This ambition is better. You might make friends but they will probably be opportunistic and more interested in what you can do for them.

Patience & Passive - You're waiting patiently for all the good things to happen, but you're really hiding behind your fears. Now sitting around serves as a handy excuse to not facing your uncertainty.

Patient & Active - Patience combined with disciplined action, and it's looks much different. You're putting in the hard work and moving towards a purpose. Now people might go out of their way to help you out.

The best things come to those who choose themselves, stick with the work, and patiently keep getting better over time.

Stop waiting - it's not doing you any favors. Make sense of what's going on and decide on what you can take action on TODAY. Then, go and do that, TODAY! Keep taking purposeful action, patiently, and you'll be far better off than those who are still waiting for their best things to come.