2.2 287 Don't expect to always win (?)
Luke 17:21
… behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
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SETH GODIN Non-professional writers
Nobody asks you to design a bridge, write a sonnet or do open heart surgery. We leave these essential tasks to trained professionals.
But many job descriptions carry the unstated addendum, “and write.” Write memos, proposals, and even instruction manuals.
The local supermarket is reducing its hours for the summer (well deserved). The sign they put on the door to announce this is 100 words long.
The folks who manage the building where I work regularly send complicated and off-putting emails and texts to residents, when simple and powerful language is just a few keystrokes away.
There are two options:
The first used to be the only one. Get better at writing. You might not think you’re a professional writer (you’re a doctor! you’re a manager! you’re a teacher!) but if it’s an important part of your job, you are a professional, or at least we expect you to be.
Now there’s a second option. If the writing you’re doing doesn’t need to be in an idiosyncratic voice, take your memo, paste it into claude.ai and say, “please rewrite this to make it clear, cogent, positive and concise.”
And now you can go back to work.
August 20, 2024
2.1 283 have a student mentality
Matthew 25:35
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.
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SETH GODIN The prevailing conditions
It doesn’t matter how hard you try, you’re not going to change the direction of the wind. That doesn’t mean you can’t get good at sailing, though.
And yes, if we do try, we can change the conditions in our household, community or workplace. It might feel like wind, but it’s caused by us and can be influenced by us. Not easily, and not right away, but knowing it’s possible is the first step.
August 19, 2024
1.7 281 G.school #64 B'fast in the park #3 the journey
Mark 10:43-45 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
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SETH GODIN The landlord and the creative coach
The conflict is real.
“Jean-Michel [Basquiat] called,” Mr. Warhol wrote in his diary on Sept. 5, 1983. “He’s afraid he’s just going to be a flash in the pan. And I told him not to worry, that he wouldn’t be. But then I got scared because he’s rented our building on Great Jones and what if he is a flash in the pan and doesn’t have the money to pay his rent?”
Every publisher, promoter, impresario, and family member worries about this, at least a bit. The good ones acknowledge the conflict and dance with it.
Conflict of interest is real. And as Fred Wilson says, if there is no conflict, there is no interest.
August 18, 2024
1.6 277 G.school #63 Men's b'fast
Numbers 6:24-26 RSV
— The LORD bless you and keep you: The LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you: The LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.
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SETH GODIN In defense of the hard parts
Yesterday’s post was a little glib. Without a doubt, we add more value when we focus on the emotional labor of important work, leaving others the chance to create commodities.
But the repetitive, difficult nature of leaning into commodity production can give us insight, humility and skill. It helps us understand just how hard the hard parts are, and creates an opportunity to bring innovation to the work to be done.
Learning the skill and caring enough to show up to implement it, again and again, can give us the foundation to see what others might miss.
August 17, 2024
1.5 276 Man's search for meaning (?)
Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
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SETH GODIN The hard parts (and the important parts)
The hard parts of what you do all day can feel fraught. It’s heavy lifting. Emergencies. Dangerous labor. The stakes are high and the work can be difficult.
The important parts of what you do all day are valuable to someone else. This is what you’re getting paid for–solving a customer’s problems.
A simple example:
The important part of running a successful condiments business is getting shelf space for your ketchup, promoting it so that people are eager to buy it, and keeping the promises you make the distributors and customers.
The hard part might involve actually making ketchup. Steam, heat, heavy objects, supply chains…
We can’t run this business without the hard parts, but that doesn’t mean we have to do it ourselves.
The thing is, there are other people you can buy the ketchup from. And you can also expand what you offer to include things that are easier to make but just as valuable to your customers. The important part feels risky. We might be afraid of it. It could require emotional labor. But it’s not the same as the hard part.
A trusted brand is important. Commodity products are hard.
When we persuade ourselves that the hard part is also the important part, there’s a small chance we have found the truth, but it’s likely we’re setting a trap that will keep us stuck.
If you’ve figured out how to do something important, don’t muddy it up by signing up to do things that are hard.
August 16, 2024
1.4 279 why humans control the planet
Mark 5:36 …don’t be afraid, just believe
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SETH GODIN The paradox of lottery thinking
Tim Brownson points us to this recent poll of people in Great Britain. About one out of four people surveyed (of all ages) believe that they could qualify for the Olympics if they trained for the next four years.
This is absurd. It’s the very absurdity of it that makes it common. “I could do that,” is easier to say when we’re sure we can’t. Even if we had the talent, the resources and the time, the odds are so slim that it’s essentially a lottery. We’re off the hook, so it’s easy to pretend.
What could we do if we spent the next four years on it? We could write and publish a symphony, start a reasonably successful small business, make a substantial contribution to our community, improve our physical health, engage more deeply with family and friends, learn to juggle or play the piano.
Someone is going to win the lottery, but it probably won’t be us.
August 15, 2024
1.3 282 The truth about addiction (?)
John 14:27. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
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SETH GODIN Long-term selfish
Everyone is selfish. We do things that increase our chances of survival, help us achieve our goals and give us a story we can tell ourselves about our role in the community.
But short-term selfish is something we try to grow out of.
Short-term selfish runs a red light because we’re in a hurry. It dumps waste into the river because it’s cheaper than disposing of it properly. It cheats in order to win.
But none of these things help us reach our long-term goals. None of them are resilient or reliable, because when others also play the short-term game, we all lose.
Short-term selfish is against the minimum wage, while long-term leaders understand how much value it creates over time. And long-term selfish seeks an environment where we’re most likely to thrive.
August 14, 2024
1.2 274 coach or catalyst (?)
Luke 17:21 … behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
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SETH GODIN Multiple choice
“None of the above” is often the best option.
We’re regularly confronted with multiple-choice questions. The foundation is already established, the options are already limited, do you want this or that?
But the real questions lie in the assumptions that happened before you were even asked.
When a developer brings you six website options, they’re skipping over critical questions about structure, upkeep, user experience and whether or not a site is the answer to your problem.
When the bank offers you three choices on how to borrow money, they’ve almost certainly found three that benefit the bank.
It’s impossible to have a productive day when every challenge and question leads to a full-on brainstorming session. But it might be worth rejecting the multiple-choice options when the outcomes really matter.
August 13, 2024
1.1 275 Day 1, Week 1 (year 12)
Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
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SETH GODIN Mediocrity and perfectionism
It’s surprising to realize that they’re the same.
They are both places to hide.
When we ship average work, it’s not our fault. We’re simply doing what the manual says, and if you don’t like it, blame the culture and the system.
And when we hold back on shipping because it isn’t perfect, we’re also hiding. Who can blame us for refusing to sign off on something if we can find something (anything) that could still be discussed or improved?
If it doesn’t ship, it doesn’t count.
The work is to establish a standard and then meet it. To ship it when it’s good enough (which we get to define in advance). Don’t ship junk, but ship.
August 12, 2024
4.6 278 Journey or destination (?)
John 10:30 “I and the Father are one”
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SETH GODIN Living in the future
In a bad 1950s science fiction movie, you might see flying jetpacks, invisibility cloaks and ray guns.
What we got instead is a device that fits in our pocket. It allows us to connect to more than a billion people. It knows where we are and where we’re going. It has all of our contacts, the sum total of all published knowledge, an artificially intelligent computer that can understand and speak in our language, one of the best cameras ever developed, a video camera with editor, a universal translator and a system that can measure our heart rate. We can look up real time pricing and inventory data, listen to trained actors read us audiobooks and identify any song, any plant or any bird. We can see the reviews from our community of nearby restaurants or even the reputation of a doctor or lawyer. It can track the location of our loved ones and call us a chauffeured vehicle at the touch of a button.
And of course, we use it to have arguments. And to watch very short stupid videos.
August 10, 2024
4.5 278 what's the categorical imperative anyway... (?)
Luke 12:48 For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.
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SETH GODIN Adjacent but not relevant
There’s a sale on band saw blades, including a really good deal on one that fits the saw you owned years ago.
The folks who live next door to the house you used to live in are having a raucous party.
A guy with a name just like yours wins the lottery…
These adjacencies can capture our attention, but they’re simply a distraction. We are easily triggered by things that feel close, but come out ahead when we focus on the things that are actually relevant.
August 9, 2024
4.4 273 the little guy
John 15:12 ESV — “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
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SETH GODIN Silence vs noise
When a group comes together, noise is easy. Just a few people have to make a commotion for noise to happen.
But silence requires everyone to be in sync.
August 8, 2024
4.3 267 The "actual" secret of success (!)
Galatians 6:9 Don’t give up
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Daily prayer Let’s pray…
Jesus said, "Repent, and believe in the good news! The kingdom of God is in your midst; it is within you."
Let's use that presence seeking the power and audacity to imagine better versions of ourselves and our communities:
-- To love God with all our Heart, and mind, and soul;
-- To love one another as Jesus loved us; and
-- To love ourselves with no conditions.
Let's nurture and share that presence, seeking the courage to go to the margins to join those whose burdens are more than they can bear because, it's the only way that we'll stop throwing people away,
Let's remind ourselves that we belong to one another.
In the name of the father, son and holy Spirit,
Amen.
4.2 267 How to reverse engineer your big goal
Let’s pray…
Jesus said, “Repent and believe in the good news; the kingdom of God is in your midst, it's within you.”
Let’s nurture and share that presence, seeking the power and audacity to imagine better versions of ourselves and our community:
People who love God with all our Heart, and mind, and soul;
People who love one another as Jesus loves us; and
People who love themselves unconditionally.
Let’s cultivate the wisdom and courage
To pray for those who persecute us;
To pray for us who are living on the margins of society, especially in inhumane conditions;
may we not be overlooked by institutions and never considered of lesser importance.
Amen.
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Prayer Let’s pray…
Jesus said, “Repent and believe in the good news; the kingdom of God is in your midst, it's within you.”
Let’s nurture and share that presence, seeking the power and audacity to imagine better versions of ourselves and our community:
People who love God with all our Heart, and mind, and soul;
People who love one another as Jesus loves us; and
People who love themselves unconditionally.
Let’s cultivate the wisdom and courage
To pray for those who persecute us;
To pray for us who are living on the margins of society, especially in inhumane conditions;
may we not be overlooked by institutions and never considered of lesser importance.
Amen.
4.1 256 Talent vs. discipline
Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
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SETH GODIN Learning in August
What better time? An hour a day for a month and you can learn a skill you’ll have forever. Beach reads are a fine way to chill out, but a month spent to learn a skill is a fine way to take advantage of a quiet time.
My brand new course on Strategy is now live. It’s 30% off this week if you use this link. I’ve workshopped it with 300 people around the world, and we’re finding it powerful and effective. More than forty video lessons, it’s the basis for my new book, out in October.
And I’m also bringing back a discount on my most popular course, the Marketing Seminar with 9,000 students on Udemy. Only in August.
Also, here’s a shorter course on value creation and the process of figuring out which projects are worth doing. You can see the eight most popular courses here.
Learning creates possibility. Once we learn to see how the world works, we can show up to make things better.
August 5, 2024
3.6 G.school 253 #59 Jesus vs. Paul #1
Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
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The seven spiritual works of mercy:
Counsel the doubtful: Offer advice to people who are unsure of what to do
Instruct the ignorant: Share the faith and knowledge passed on to us with others
Admonish the sinner: Admonish those who sin
Bear wrongs patiently: Do not become bitter about wrongs done against you
Forgive offenses willingly: Forgive those who have offended you
Comfort the afflicted: Comfort those who are suffering
Pray for the living and the dead: Pray for those who are living and those who have passed away