Nothing good happens after midnight

Before anyone leaves the house, my grandpa tells us, "Remember, nothing good happens after midnight." As a teenager, that quip meant I had to get home way before the party was over and I didn't like it. I mean, midnight? Really?

Paying that piece of wisdom a little attention now, though, proves once again that my grandpa is a pretty smart guy. (Rule of thumb, yours probably is too. Pay the guy a visit). The pay off on that advice is 3:1, let's unpack some of that brand and personal value. Here are 3 less cliched lessons from my grandpa's warning.

1) Set deadlines

If you have to be home by midnight, your day can't start at 11:30 pm. By setting a deadline for when work will end, you realize how precious your time is and begin to find ways to streamline your life to make all of it count. When we value time appropriately, we become more present in each moment and make wiser choices on where we spend our minutes. Dale Carnegie advocated the power of deadlines to minimize the time we spend worrying and maximize the time we spend living by encouraging readers to meet life in day-tight compartments. Set a deadline, you'll be happier for it.

2) Start early

We've heard enough about the bird and the worm (although that's another cliche seeped in wisdom), but there is plenty to be said for getting an early start on that project coming down the pipeline, signing up for a gym membership, or making time for coffee and great conversations. Instead of looking to others for an idea for the pace your life should move, how about listening to that nagging pit in your stomach. You know better than anyone else what needs to happen today to get life into balance. An early start gives time to course correct and anticipate changes rather than reacting to them. Also, see above. If you've got to be in the house by 12, an early morning is your best friend.

3) Rest when you need it

The plan after midnight is to get to bed. To bring our best self to each day, we've got to recuperate. Recuperation doesn't have to happen after midnight either. By setting deadlines and starting early, there's time to recharge throughout the day. The birds are chirping, the grass is green on your side of the fence, and your great big, beautiful tomorrow can start today!

Take a little time to unpack some of those old cliches. Your personal brand and company's performance might be better for it. To start just remember, nothing good happens after midnight. 

Earning your own respect

As marketers, we devote hours to promoting brands, we fill white boards to shift perception, and tweet, post, and pin to rally fans of our brands. We focus on reputation. We might benefit by paying more attention to character. 

In middle school, I only wore Abercrombie & Fitch. My classes were filled students in neon polos, tattered jeans, and plastic flip flops. We wore a uniform to compete a piece of the popularity pie. Following cues from the media and each other, our behavior, appearance, and self-identities followed the herd. We focused on reputation while overlooking our character, and it didn't make us happy or achieve the outcomes we desired.

My role models now act nothing like middle school adolescents--and they still stand out because of it. They're noticeable because they don't wear the uniform and act like the herd. That's the value of devoting attention to character. We are drawn to the folks that have "figured it out," who spend time and devote attention to know and accept themselves. They earn their own respect first and our attention follows. 

Maybe consumers react the same way to the brands who have developed character rather than reputation. Those brands articulate a promise that reflects a core set of values, set operational benchmarks to consistently fulfill those promises, engage with their community authentically, and celebrate not their own success but the success of their customers.  They act boldly because they have earned their own respect. We want to follow brands, and people, like that.