The Most Remarkable Look

The most remarkable look I’ve ever seen was the face of my wife when labor started to really set in on our first son.

We were about 54 hours in (Yes, 54 hours) and something switched. It was no longer “grin and bear it.” It became more of a “THE FUCK!?” kind of thing.

That’s when she looked up at me with these doe eyes, like a deer in headlights. It all became a bit too much and a confused 2 year old inside her locked eyes with the only face in the room she recognized.

It’s been 4 years since that look and we’re about to see it again.

With our first son we’ve already come through hell and high water — though I’m sure there’s plenty of clamor and chaos to survive through yet.

Through all of my love and mania and businessing and scheming and partnering and filming and designing and relationshipping that look cuts through, reminds me what matters.

Sometimes you have to find a familiar face and latch on. I hope I can be that face for Mellisa, Aiden and the soon to arrive Rowan. Wish us luck.

The Foolscap Method: Get it on One Piece

‘God made a single sheet of foolscap to be exactly the right length to hold the outline of an entire novel.’ (foolscap is 8.5 x 14 inch legal paper)

[…]

Outline the sucker.

Break it down to its fundamentals.

Identify its theme.

Do it on one page. Do it without preciousness. Do it now.

Don’t start the actual writing until you know where you’re going and what you’re trying to accomplish.”

Stephen Pressfield

I think for the first time I just read a thing and knew full well it was going to change the way I worked forever.

This tip has that “ugh, duh! goddamit, of course” quality; like something in me already knew it was true, I just needed someone to articulate it for me.

As I’m in the middle of creating a large and {hopefully) important course for business builders, this tip is about 4 days late.

But I’ll be prepared for next time. (I’ll try that one and go for these if I like it more than using blank printer paper).

One piece of paper… hand written. Duh!

(Vintage) Merlin Mann on Life Hacks

I’ve suffered most of my life from chronic concentration problems and different flavors of mental restlessness, so I have a substantial history of what I call ‘”‘critical encoding errors.’ I’m attracted to this stuff like a drunk preacher is to the pulpit; explaining it to others — inasmuch as my modest skills allow — becomes a way for me to internalize some of the processes as well as better understand why they work in my own head.

As to where I get my material, virtually everything on my site is stolen uncredited from friends and strangers who are too polite to call out my larceny.”

Merlin Mann

This interview is a great reminder of how much Merlin captured my attention at that tender time of my first project management position. He bamboozled me with the mix of wit and jargon and “holy shit that’s useful”-ness. Still does.

Behind The Scenes There’s Work & Workers

Behind the scenes of incredible experiences and seamless experiences and beautiful things and families that love each other and relationships that work and sex where you don’t cry after it and things you’re proud of (and mind altering monster scenes) there is work and workers.

I so often see something great and think, “f*ck. That’s incredible. I’ll never build anything like that.”

Relax, these things take time. Don’t forget: there’s a man in there. (or a woman).

Image via danforth.

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