Day 246 – Reality is Crafted
It is not possible to understand reality. It is not possible because there is too much to observe. By our nature, humans discern, filter, and judge our surroundings to determine what should require our attention. We discriminate based on our compelling need to survive. Additionally, reality is complex. There may be a truth that prevails […]
Day 245 – How Do I Stay Focused?
Choosing a focus is one of the most important things a person can do to improve their productivity. That is an absolutely true statement. But equally true is that staying focused is the ultimate key to success. So the question to ponder is: How do I stay focused? That’s an easy question to ask, but […]
Day 244 – The StoryTeller
I was at a dinner meeting today where I overheard someone poking fun at the creator of a YouTube channel. This is a target-rich environment, for sure, and the jokes being made were funny. However, on my drive home, I started thinking this through. What is social media, really? It occurred to me that it’s […]
Day 243 – Enthusiasm is Generosity
Interestingly enough, the word enthusiasm comes from the concept of enthousiasmos, which means, effectively, “possessed by a god.” Perhaps less controversially, we might say the person is divinely inspired. We can tell when someone is subject to this possession. They are the ones who throw themselves into a project with joy and drive. They speak […]
Day 242 – We are All Poets
We are all poets — just not very good ones. We love to paint pictures with our words rather than stick to plain facts. If an alien species came to our planet, read the rule book for our language, and then listened to our conversations, they would be utterly confused. They would likely conclude that […]
Day 241 – Is Planning Overrated?
When I was a young kid, I remember sitting in the back seat of my parents’ massive Mercury Marquis Colony Park Station Wagon. Fake wood paneling on the sides. The third row faced backward, which was the best seat in the house—if you didn’t mind staring at the grill of an 18-wheeler for three hours. […]
Day 240 – Evaluation of Decision Making
Which is better? I used to think that the best leaders were those who had the higher percentage of good decisions each day. Naturally, 67% quality decision-making should be better than 60%, right? So I would have picked the manager who was careful in making decisions and made fewer mistakes. But the older I get, […]
Day 239 – Paved Trails Don’t Lead to Treasure
Here’s the thing about risk: you actually have to take it. That’s right — you can’t just talk about risk, imagine risk, or think about risk. At some point, you have to take the risk. And that means potentially losing something important to you. That’s what risk is: putting something meaningful on the line in […]
Day 238 – Charisma Can Be Learned
I noticed something listening to a person speak today. That person clearly had a certain magnetism about them. They drew you in with their presence and compelled you to listen, and you felt like you wanted to join with whatever they were trying to accomplish. This was clearly a trait that had led this person […]
Day 237 – Write What You Would Read
The secret to creating something that millions of people will buy? The answer is quite simple—have the courage to create something you would actually want to use. Write what you would want to read. Make a product you would buy. Design an application you would pay to use. Here’s the truth: you are not as […]