Pressfield on Depth of Commitment
“The question is, ‘What’s the main difference between a pro and an amateur?’ My answer: depth of commitment.”
Joe Queenan on Lite Beer
“You cannot fight the zeitgeist and you cannot fight corporations. The genius of corporations is that they force you to make decisions about how you will live your life and then beguile you into thinking that it was all your choice. Compact discs are not superior to vinyl. E-readers are not superior to books. Lite beer is not the great leap forward. A society that replaces seven-tier wedding cakes with lo-fat cupcakes is a society that deserves to be put to the sword.”
Jerry Colonna on The Crow
“Failing fast and endless iterations are wonderful little bullets with which to shoot the fucking crow.”
Check out the article to get a better idea of what he means. Great thoughts on the “what the hell am i doing” feeling from a seasoned entrepreneur
The Factory System’s Design
Mr Ferral regarded the factory system which had been introduced as subversive of liberty — as calculated to change the character of a people from that of a bold and free, to one enervated, dependent, and slavish.”
This is from an old trade union history. I was turned on to it from this Art of Manliness article.
You can imagine how the need for affordable, efficient stuff required a shift from artisans to factories. And how curmudgeonly the artisans must have been about it.
It’s pretty clear to me we’re currently reversing this trend, moving back to small and good. From safeway to the local farmer’s market. From Macy’s to a small shirt maker that feels like it stands for that heroic artisan kind of thing (and thus, by wearing it, I do as well).
I like the moving back to small; it’s good. What’s worrisome is how much control “the market” has over us. It almost seems like in one swoop the American’s need for stuff crushed a few thousand years of individual artisan style work and identity.
I’m sure there was plenty of idealism in there too; some of those “this is a new era, boys. Never before has humanity been able to rise to such heights” kind of things.
I like where we’re heading now. It feels more naturally human, more Good™. It’s a bit unsettling, though, to think that some market force could wipe the whole thing out. Here’s to hoping humanity is getting better.
15 for 15
For the next 15 days I’m going to do a little experiment — one you may be able to make fun of me for for the next 15 years. I’m OK with that; it may be worth it.
I’m going to sit down for 15 minutes each day and try to think about my breath alone and get all heebie-geebie and Chopra’s scarf-ish. Then I’m going to record a 5-15 minute podcast.
You’ll be able to follow along at this podcast feed or right here on the blaugh.
In this first episode, thrill as our protagonist discovers what’s perceived beyond the walls — it’s, like, Matrix-y and stuff. Enjoy.
1. The void has a heartbeat
2. Young and old
3. The stoney janitor & Tony Robbins™
4. Get small to be big
5. Crash and flow
6. Visualizing stoney, small successful people
7. Long Island vs main street
8. My definition of freedom
9. I broke my own rule
10. The three kinds of work time
11. Doobies
12. Tracy Jordan is an ocean
13. The fence, the french and the fucking point
14. A story you believe in
15. Fanatasies
P.S. I’ve done a thing on meditation at least once before. So, like, I’m qualified.
A story you believe in
We will do our best work when we can ply our trade along the arc of a story we believe in. If you can work your craft towards a “greater cause” your work will be greater.
I’ve been digging and spinning and circling and trying to find a story I believe in that I can put my back behind for the next 20 years.
To be sure, when Jesus and I broke up it took the wind out of the “this way for the rest of my life” sails. (I called him the other day, BTW, just to catch up. He still laughs at my jokes. We’ll see.) It was nice to have a default answer.
So I had to go back to digging and thinking and spinning and circling and trying… I think I’ve got something now. And it’s changing how I work. Focused.
You may not be freeing people groups from slavery or assassinating sadistic dictators but there are “greater causes” all over the place, sometimes just lying around.
Sidebar: do the work to land on a true and somewhat specific story. It’s essential that you believe in it and very helpful that it’s small-ish. Look for a villain, a Hitler, a darkness, an evil, an injustice. Something close to your heart. There are hundreds. Pick one.
Conan on Just Keep Going
“I get very down when I have a bad day, I go into a very dark place. [George Meyer] talked to me about it one time and he said, ‘you’re laying little pieces of tile and you can’t see the whole mosaic because it’s made of thousands and thousands of pieces. Some days you’re laying down a very brightly colored piece and other days it’s the light blue piece… Make something when you’re done.’ And I thought that was the most beautiful rationale for ‘just keep going.’”
Truly, The Only Way
- Move from fuzzy to clear ambitions.
- Move from conflict avoidant to conflict engaging.
- Choose meaning over pleasure.
This list of three came from an email promoting a friends book and it perfectly summed up what I’ve been hearing.
I’ve read and watched a good deal of the whole think-big/where-are-you-going/what-do-you-want/goals/Choppra’s-scarf/Robbins’-toothpaste stuff recently. Probably self induced by my recent sit down and breathe circus.
Everything has been good and interesting. The list above (especially the first and third item) have appeared just about everywhere — though never as simply put as it is here.
You don’t know this, but I was a life coach for a while. I know, “who wasn’t,” right? At least I was certified, took the courses, etc. Honestly, it was great stuff — more like training in being human than it was “how to sell air.”
My own personal development digging and working with loads of clients has taught me I could make a good living asking people one question: what do you want?
I could charge $50k to ask you that question and have a proprietary checklist method with the word “forum” or “landmark” or “quantum” in it and it would change your life.
Or you could spend a little time thinking about it yourself. Maybe work it over with a non-close friend who’s in the same place a bit.
It’s not easy. Partly because our brain is biologically bad at it. It’s really good at figuring out the fuck/fight/run/live/die questions; it’s literally built for that stuff. But it’s not so good at sorting through the gradients of things like quality of life. We’re better at the how’s and what’s than we are at the why’s.
So it’s very common for you to never think through what you want. That’s why I’d charge $50k: because people need an incentive to landing on it truly, and there’s nothing quite like trying not to have wasted a bunch of money on something.
It isn’t difficult but it does take time. So don’t hold yourself to a time-frame. You probably don’t know enough about what you want right now. You’ll say something stupid like, “I want to travel to every country!” or “I want to make x amount of money!” They’re good enough to put down on paper but not good enough to think you’ve figured out your answer. They’re more.
Suffice it to say, that list up at the top, it is what is it. If you spend a second on the first one, you probably won’t be as safe/boring when you wake up tomorrow.
A Model for Yearly Planning
The year gets away from us too easily. I picked up a good tip from Danielle Steel: Each year plan where you want to be and when around events you care about.
Kids’ birthdays, important conferences, yearly get-aways, spousal “remember, we love each other?” time, etc.
Even if you just simply put the “already known non-negotiables” down — birthdays, conferences, holidays — you’ll be better off than most folks.
But if you can go one step more and bring a kind of artfulness to your year. Instead of letting the year man-handle you, you can partner with Google Calendar to design it a bit more, be intentional, more of a mover than a shaker.
What would your categories be?
Don Miller on Abe on Passion and Fighting
“Passion comes as much from the merit of our fight as it does from what is within us.”