“Quantity yields quality.” Jack Conte, co-founder of Patreon. Hmm. That got me thinking. It came from a conversation Conte was having with filmmaker Van Niestat – the eternal battle between our desire to do something, while also wrestling with our procrastination and imposter syndrome. It’s definitely a reality for me – just before I click ‘send’ or ‘publish’, I have a moment of “but this is CRAP!” Every. Single. Time. And yet – if we
I’ve attended a couple of webinars recently that have talked about the importance of storytelling in relation to the climate challenge. How might we shift the narrative away from ‘doom-mongering’? Joseph Campbell’s ‘Hero’s Journey‘ is the classic analysis of myths and legends – how ancient stories from many cultures have common themes, and follow roughly the same arc. If you’ve ever watched ‘Star Wars’ or ‘Lord of the Rings’ or ‘Harry Potter’, then the steps
We all make mistakes. It’s inevitable that we will sometimes make decisions and take actions that end up having negative outcomes. When we assign blame – whether that’s to ourselves or others – we are dwelling on the problem. We risk staying in the past, and reliving the mistake over and over. [And getting progressively more bitter and resentful]. Responsibility is about looking forwards. We acknowledge the mistake, apologise for it, and work hard to
On a recent episode of The Great Simplification, Josh Farley made a comment that not even Einstein – one of the smartest people who has ever lived – not even he could make a complete cheese sandwich from start to finish. The point was that it almost immediately becomes about the supply chain. OK, if I have the bread, butter and cheese [and probably a plate and knife], then I can put the ingredients together.
Does this drawing feel familiar to anyone else?! I’ve seen variations of it a few times recently, and believe it says something important. It’s nice to sit in a room, thinking we can make neat and tidy decisions about things. “If we do A, we’ll get to B.” But as we’ve all experienced – particularly in the last few years – the world around us has other ideas. The old style of ‘heroic’ leadership –
The original mantra at Facebook was famously “move fast and break things”. [That turned out well.] We see the same thing [mistake?] happen again and again – right now, it’s with AI … A race to be first, with seemingly little concern for what the long term consequences might be. [And what are the reasons for wanting to be first?] It’s time for a different approach. Move slowly and mend things.
The video is me and some friends on the beach this morning. I’ve done this exercise class twice a week for more than five years now – and it’s got nothing to do with being a morning person. [Under normal circumstances, I try not to book a meeting before 11am]. Why is this class one of my most ingrained habits? CONVENIENCEIt starts at 6.30, so there’s never a diary conflict. It’s also about a 2-minute
“What do I have time for this week?” Saying “I don’t have time for that” is another way of saying “That’s not a priority for me.” This is hardly groundbreaking – we’ve all heard some variation of it over the years [“time management = priority management”] … but it’s come up in a number of conversations I’ve had over the last week or so – sometimes we benefit from a little reminder. It’s incredibly valuable
Am I being a good ancestor? This question was put to us at yesterday’s session of the Regenerators leadership journey … And I found myself wondering … ancestor to whom? My niece?My community?Humanity?Our planet? Are there things I could do that would benefit one of these, but harm another? What behaviours might there be that would make me a good ancestor in all of these areas? These are big questions, and I love that Laura
If there are shortcuts available to us, that is because someone else has done the work. Consider a literal shortcut, perhaps through a forest. The first person to travel that way has a lot of work to do clearing the path. For that trailblazer, the route isn’t a shortcut – it takes more time and effort than following the existing trail would do. But that first mover isn’t looking for the easy path. They want
Weekly [digital] email to help navigate the [analogue] world …
Weekly [digital] email to help navigate the [analogue] world …
