#SpokenTreasures

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Opportunity vs. distraction.

„When it comes to setting priorities (…) the most important thing is not intelligent analysis (…) more important than intelligent analysis is courage.

Without courage an idea remains an idea. It doesn’t actually become work. Because if you don’t have the courage to do something with it, then nothing happens.“

This is Zachary First from the Drucker Institute answering a question on my favorite podcast at the intersection of entrepreneurship and design (starting at 1:03:20). He answers it in the spirit of Peter F. Drucker and what I especially love about it, is his further specification of „courage“ – providing a simple blueprint for decision-making:

„When Drucker talked about „courage“ he meant four things really particularly:

1. Choosing the future over the past (…) data is only ever backwards looking, there is no such thing as a measurement of the future (…) try to look at the future rather than the past.

2. Opportunity over problem (…) the important thing is to focus your limited time and energy on the opportunities.

3. Going your own direction, rather than jumping on the bandwagon (…) there is also a real tendency to do things because other people are doing them (…) pick your own direction.

4. Do something that really makes a difference (…) Aim high! (…) Don’t do something just to have another thing to do – you don’t need that.“

Yes, because no, we don’t need that.

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Quick wins.

I have a deadline to meet. I have to publish this post before the end of october, in other words: in an hour and a half.

I guess the muse didn’t show up, because I didn’t show up. Now that I am running out of time I have to come up with something different. Something special. What about this:

Let me share some of the podcast episodes that I have saved on my phone so I can listen to them again and again (and sometimes again). Actually, I can arrange for you a little introduction to mindfulness:

Listen to Krista Tippett’s beautiful conversations with Mirabai Bush, James Doty and Jon Kabat-Zinn to get curious about it, get an idea of its potential and why it matters for everybody (yes, that includes you too). And then you will want to jump right into the practice, Tara Brach offers great starting points with her podcast. As an example, here’s a Ten-Minute Basic Meditation practice. Simple as that.

Please note two things:

This is powerful stuff and has the potential to change things dramatically (although in a good way).

A deadline always helps.

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Learning by reading.

I am a learner. And I think everyone should be one too. There are many ways of going about it, I simply try them all. One of course, is reading. An activity perfectly praised by Naval on The Tim Ferriss Show (starting at 01:50:20):

„(…) the great thing about reading is that you can use that to pick up any new skill. If you learn how to learn – it’s the ultimate metaskill (…) you can trade it for any other skill – and that all begins with reading.“

Earlier in the conversation (around 01:43:55) he also offers a simple strategy to get started:

„Don’t feel the need to read anything you don’t want to read – read the stuff that’s fun to you. And don’t feel the obligation to finish any book. (…) Pick up a lot of books. Start reading them all and put down any book instantly that doesn’t grab you.“

Or even simpler, start like a friend of mine who elegantly reframed a common birthday wish. Instead of „A book.“ he asked for:

„A book I read.“

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Reclaiming depth.

It’s a widespread picture these days. A picture you’ve made fun of – a picture you’re probably part of yourself on a regular basis:

People are sitting in pairs or in groups, i.e. in a restaurant, and every individual is hooked to the screen of their smartphone.

Here’s the simple reason why you don’t find me doing it anymore:

„If you have your phone with you (…) and you put your phone on the table, all the research studies show that that will change what you will talk about, because the conversation will get lighter on things where you wouldn’t mind being interrupted. You won’t really talk of anything of consequence. And not only that, – you will feel less connected and less emotionally invested in the conversation.“ Sherry Turkle on GLP Radio at 00:06:20

I can think of a million good reasons to keep an eye on the screen during lunchtime. But being aware of the consequences of my phone lying on the table had an immediate consequence in my dealing with it:

I just leave it in my pocket ever since, simple as that. Now every get together starts with a little offer from my side:

A little more depth.

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Casey’s idea of being nice.

„When you share positivity out there it comes back in such a big way.

And that’s such a lame like tv-evangelist thing to say but the truth is like that is so meaningful.

It is so cheap, it is so inexpensive, it is so easy to be cynical, to be negative, to be someone who brings other people down and bring yourself down a lot is really easy to do.

Being nice, being positive, is really hard work – but you feel so much better at the end of the day.

It’s just like exercise. You don’t want to get out there and do your run, you do not want to go to the gym – but when you do it, you feel so glad, you feel so much better, you’re so much better off that you did it.

And at the end of the day, at the end of life, at the end of the year, the aggregate of having done that.
Having put in the work to be a more positive person. That’s really tremendous.

We have two kids now so I say all this in their shadows. The older I get the more I really believe in that and I work hard to achieve that every minute of every day.“

Casey Neistat on the Tim Ferriss Show: „How Casey Neistat Gets Away With Murder“ starting at at 1:33:00. What I love about the sequence is its honesty, realness and the intensity of how Casey delivers it. Listen to it – and you can’t help but immediately try to apply and work on it. Have a nice day!

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Introducing #SpokenTreasures

I listen to podcasts – a lot. I rediscovered the medium a few months ago and this time I completely fell in love with it.

It’s a place where our scarcest resource unfolds it’s magic: time.

Sometimes the conversations last two to three hours. Just two people talking in absence of any pressure – without the necessity of having to „make a point“ quickly. It gets real, personal and to places we don’t get to that often anymore (at least in public).

For the same reason, why the magic is happening, it isn’t necessarily easy to access – it takes time. But as I do (enjoy) the hours in any case, I thought, why not offer a little shortcut now and then …

I will point and build on specific sequences that affected me in a way. Powerful thoughts and facts that really changed something – be it perspective or behavior, be it for a minute or maybe forever.

In other words: #SpokenTreasures