Let me break it to you: you’re gonna die. Death is such a taboo subject. People pretend it’s not there. “Eww, make it go away!” If you talk to a speeding driver about death, he’ll slow down. People assume that death always slows us down and no one wants to be slowed down. Death is [...]
Mark 5:1-20 relates a story about a unique conversion. The main character is a possessed man who broke out of chains but was not free. He made his home in a cemetery but couldn’t find quiet peace. So much changed when he met Christ (v.6). Christ changed him inside-out, giving him a new heart, a [...]
I remember staring bleakly at my homework, back in the high school days. I wasn’t estatic about science. The text was explaining the two forms of energy, potential energy and kinetic energy. And I was reading over it for the nth time.
The subject comes to mind when I think of my generation. Potential energy is like the taunt spring on a mouse trap: it has the potential to snap something, do something, move in some way, but hasn’t as of yet. That sounds like my generation. We have all these tools at arms reach, online and off. The world is at our fingertips in many ways. We could do something; too often we don’t.
We’re scared, we’re shy, we’re unsure. We wait for the “big opportunity” without realizing we’re living in it.
In his essay on youth and age, Francis Bacon said, “The errors of aged men amount but to this, that more might have been done, or sooner.” I don’t want to look back on a life that could’ve been. Neither do you. We have the potential to do more, and sooner. Let’s do it. Don’t wait for the mouse.
If you find you enjoy a certain hobby or discover a hidden talent, my advice is: invest in it. Buy a book about it. Sign up for a couple of classes about it. Visit a niche workshop about it. Join an online forum. Buy accessories, read tutorials, experiment with it.
And at some point, someone (perhaps yourself) will ask, “Is there any money in this?” And you’ll admit that … um…no. There’s not a big chance you’ll be making money off this anytime soon. And you might feel like hanging your head in shame. Or dragging your feet.
The mindset is: if you’re dishing money into something, but it doesn’t dish money back out at you, you’re doing something wrong. But take a moment and notice how much in life doesn’t give back money.
None of these will make you a dime. So why pursue them?
Because memories last longer than money. No one can foreclose on what you’ve learned.
[Bonus: Got ten minutes? Watch this animated video based on a speech that cleverly illustrates how money & motivation work.]
I’m sitting in a restaurant, sipping at a large cup of amora berry juice. I’ve never been here before and up to 30 minutes ago, I couldn’t have cared less this place existed. As far as I was concerned, I would never stop in at this restaurant and order amora juice.
But something changed my mind.
While window-shopping at a store nearby, I heard some soft, beautiful music. Six days a week, Barbaresco‘s hosts live music gigs. Tonight, a husband and his wife are playing slow jazz. She has a light yet smokey voice that flows up and down with the melody and he accompanies her with a groovy saxophone.
Usually, I don’t listen to this kind of music. But this duo are good. And so I thought, “It’s been a long day at work. I think I’ll stop in and spend some time looking over my agenda and maybe get some writing done.” So I did. And here I am.
This illustrates a favorite phrase of mine. I read it on the internet somewhere, years ago: attraction instead of promotion. This restaurant has a new client (me) and this evening we became acquainted because of an attraction, the music. I’m sure Barbaresco’s advertises their franchise, food, prices, exquisite decor, whatever. Their promotion didn’t get my attention though. It never would. The stuff they shared for free – music is as free as a bird after all – attracted me here.
Are you trying to reach new clients? Perhaps net more blog readers? Find more supporters of your start up? Or on the low scale: do you want more people to check out your yard sale, buy your CD of music, call your number?
What are you doing to attract them? Too often our focus is concentrated entirely on promoting. Spam them, call them, berate them, beg them. But people react more amorously when you attract them. When you offer something different, something more humane, something without a “catch” or a price tag attached. Something that doesn’t scream “I’M TRYING TO CONVINCE YOU TO SPEND YOUR MONEY ON ME!!”
Honey doesn’t need much promotion. Bees find it on their own.
And for the record, I’ve never ordered amora juice before. I guess tonight is a night for firsts.
Do you know what “fitting in” is? It means you’re included in a generalization. If you wore pajamas to a black-tie event, you wouldn’t fit the generalization, “All the guests looked their best”. You wouldn’t fit in either. Sticking out would be uncomfortable.
For every generalization, there are always exceptions. “Everyone knew the lyrics to the song except that one girl who just hummed along awkwardly.” ”My classmates are cool, except this one guy who stares at his feet and doesn’t make eye contact.” No one wants to be that “one girl” or that “one guy” who people remember because of their faults. Fitting in is more comfortable.
Perhaps you fit in more than you realize. People may assume you fit generalizations like these:
Society expects us to fit into these generalizations. You stick out if you don’t.
Do you want to fit in?
It takes a just a simple act to break from the norm. A little word, a little note. It won’t even cost you a dime. No one expects you to show concern for the checkout girl with the flu symptoms. No one expects you to say “Hey, get better soon” and mean it. The entire world – including the checkout girl – expect you to just pay and leave. That would be fitting in. But just because it’s unexpected doesn’t mean it’s unappreciated.
Who are the people that inspire you? What makes them so memorable? The fact that they meet status quo? I doubt it.
Fitting in is safer. But being exceptional is more meaningful.
When I’m browsing expensive stores like WalMart, I put myself on guard not to spend too much money. While drooling over a geeky techy widget, I’ll remind myself, “But can you afford this?” I think a lot of people ask themselves this. Somehow it’s supposed to keep us in check and keep us from writing too many checks.
But it’s really quite silly. The answer to “Can I afford this?” will most often be a resounding YES.
It’s extremely rare that we are faced with a purchase SO large that we absolutely can not find some way to cover the price, by means of monthly payments, credit cards, borrowing or just spending our milk money.
And here’s another angle: Just because you can afford something doesn’t mean you need it. I guarantee you can afford these items:
You can afford to waste your money in a ton of ways. I think the better question is, “Do I honestly need this right now?” or if you really don’t want to spend, ask yourself ”Will this item be the defining purchase that keeps me from dying a slow and painful death?”
You’ll tell yourself NO more often.
One of the things you learn about teamwork right away is the need to ask for money opinions from your co-workers.
When you call over a co-worker or friend to take a look at your project, it’s easier to search for approval than an opinion. Some people ask “Hey can I have your opinion?” when they really mean “Hey can I have your approval?” These same folks will get all defensive if you dare to gently remark on a defect in their prototype.
Asking for an opinion is a risk. The “Opinionator” may choose to spend the next 10 minutes dissecting your dream machine or he may give it two thumbs up. It’s a toss up. But in the long run, it might spare you some future heartache. An opinion usually gives you at least a different point of view. And knowing how to look at something is a huge part of discovering the solution.
I don’t like it when someone thinks my shiny idea has the gumption of a dead horse. But looking for approval is shallow and doomed to disappoint sooner than later.
I like having ideas. And I like seeing those ideas turn into clean cut finished products. Who doesn’t? But here’s the catch: creativity is a struggle. It requires effort. To turn your brilliant idea into a brilliant something, there will need to be molding, creating, designing, planning. This simple graph drawn by a four-year old [...]
The human brain is a miraculous mystery. Packed beneath our skulls, the grey, gooey brains are out of sight and reach. This explains why we can’t itch them.
The way your brain is coded has a big effect on how you act as a person. (ex: the way I’m programmed.) I’ve etched out an analogy that illustrates the two kinds of mindsets I most commonly run into….
It’s 6pm in the afternoon and I’m 5 minutes into my jog. The afternoon sun seems directly above my jogging route at the Parque do Povo (the People’s Park). Cars are filling the streets as work lets out and other exercise enthusiasts are already arriving at the park, ready to walk, jog and chitchat.
My baby feet bounce up and down as sweat begins its attempt to drown my face. A bird chirps here, a car honks there and a noisy someone sneezes a hail storm. Ah, this is jogging. And this is why I do it….
It is very late and I am very tired so it is only reasonable that now is the best time for me to write. Nothing is more functional then a brain deprived of sleep, except perhaps a dead turtle. So I shall not lose any time at all in sharing these pearls of wisdom. Here [...]
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