Meet Calvin Norstad

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Calvin Norstad a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Calvin, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

Developing self-confidence is one of the most challenging steps in becoming your best self. Most often I find myself focusing on the mistakes I’ve made, not leaving space for my accomplishments. How else would I get better if I didn’t use every experience as one to learn from? This mentality got me through high school, college, and my first years in the work force. Eventually it wore on me as even the smallest misstep led to a cycle of self questioning and punishment.

What I needed was a voice of reassurance from within. This voice came in the form of reminding myself that I am trying my best. But sometimes your best is still not good enough, and sometimes you don’t have the energy to fully apply yourself to every problem. It is easy to chastise oneself for such “lazy” behavior. This was the crucial hurdle to get past. I am a human with a finite capacity, not a robot with expansive energy supplies. I recognized that my goal should not be to accomplish everything perfectly, but to balance accuracy with time. This allowed me to move past my mistakes with ease and keep my eye on the big picture, instead of dwelling on how I could be better. You can always be better. Yet you must be realistic about how long that will take. Only time can prove your worth, so it is important to wait before self-critique. Be forgiving and be forgetful.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

What started out as a one-person operation in Marin County, California, has grown into a dynamic machine shop occupying 8,000 square feet in Richmond, California.

Paragon Machine Works manufactures and stocks a wide variety of bicycle frame building components in titanium, steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. We are a leader in bicycle frame building technology, constantly innovating and providing new products to meet the needs of the industry and frame builders.

In addition we have manufactured parts for heavy equipment, solar, environmental remediation, and process equipment companies. Let us know how we can help meet your manufacturing needs.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1. Not all information is useful to the task at hand. Ask yourself, what are the least amount of steps needed to finish the job?
2. Nobody owes you anything. This may not feel true, but favor is earned, not given.
3. Take nothing personally, even a direct attack on your person. This likely has more to do with that person’s personal circumstances than your own.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

It’s simple, put everything down, leave it for the day, and come back tomorrow. Find something simple yet productive to do in the meantime. If it is not possible to sleep on it, give yourself at least 15-20 minutes to dissociate and come back when you’re more prepared.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.paragonmachineworks.com/about-us
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paragonmachine/?hl=en