Scott Perry's Blog, page 31

Intensity on Purpose

The old farmhouse where we raised our boys (and more than a few eyebrows) had an ancient gas range in the kitchen. I loved turning the stovetop burner on. The spark, the mini-explosion of blue flame, and the spreading circle around the burner provided a thrill of excitement that I feel viscerally as I remember and describe it now.

Once the burner sprung to life, a decision had to be made. How high a flame did the task at hand call for? For instance, bringing a kettle to boil for afternoon tea required a high flame. Preparing scrambled eggs, provided by my wife's beloved chickens, required a low flame. Other situations called for flames somewhere in between.

Judging the height and intensity of the flame from situation to situation is a skill I continue to hone as a teacher and coach. Every relationship and interaction brings new challenges. Each is an opportunity to play with dialing the flame up or down. It's a nuanced and fascinating practice.

Difference-making requires dancing with different levels of intensity. The slow burn of a daily discipline of doing work that matters is interspersed with seasons of increased intensity that require a higher flame.

What season are you in with the change you seek to make in the world? Would those you help be better served with an invitation to turn up the heat, or is it time to dial it back?

Developing your instinct and intuition for turning the heat up or down in endeavors that make a difference matters. It matters a lot. What level of intensity does the situation you're leaning into today need?

Scott Perry, Chief Difference-Maker at Creative on Purpose.

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Teacher vs. Coach

Are teaching and coaching two different names for the same or similar approaches to serving others in endeavors that make a difference? I know that I often confuse or conflate these postures. However, maybe teasing apart the differences matters?

Here are some differences I see between teachers and coaches.

Teachers are subject experts. Coaches are relationship experts.
Teachers impart knowledge. Coaches unlock wisdom.
Teachers inform. Coaches inquire.
Teachers teach one to many. Coaches coach one on one.
Teachers fix. Coaches frame.
In a teaching relationship, status is held by the teacher. In a coaching relationship, the coach reminds the client of their agency and status.

These are generalizations painted in broad strokes, of course. There is a time and place for one approach or the other. There are also circumstances when teachers can blend in elements of coaching and vice versa.

What other characteristics do you think distinguish teachers from coaches? Which approach could you employ more often and more intentionally to more effectively and more efficiently make the difference only you can make?

Scott Perry, Chief Difference-Maker at Creative on Purpose.

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Kaitlyn Houston on A Job in the Arts Vs. A Life in the Arts

Insight and inspiration for flying higher in the difference only you can make from guests who have appeared on Creative on Purpose Live.

This week's wisdom comes from Kaitlyn Houston, an artist from my hometown of Floyd, VA. Tune into the entire conversation here.

[KAITLYN] I've thought about it a lot. Thinking that, you know, there's a lot of people that are in a degree and then do something that has nothing to do with their degree. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that. But I was like, "I've made this intentional choice to pursue art." And I was trying to think of, like, "Well, what am I gonna do? What am I going to do?"

And when it came down to it, I talked to one of my professors and he said something that really comforted me. It was that he's not teaching me to have a job in the arts but to have a life in the arts.

And I think as I think that is actually a lot more... It puts you on a better trajectory because that way you're constantly surrounding yourself in an art instead of just trying to check all the boxes.

Kaitlyn just shared a valuable perspective about how to be able to do what you love even if it's not your occupation or career. How can you live into your love regardless of what you do to make a living?

Scott Perry, Chief Difference-Maker at Creative on Purpose.

(BTW, you can watch this and every other entire interview in the Creative on Purpose Broadcast Archive. To learn more and access for free, click here.)

If what you just read resonated, please share it with a friend.

So Far

Five years ago, I decided to make a change. Twenty-five years into a thriving career as a musician and guitar teacher, I decided I was going to do something else entirely.

Granted, at the time, I had no idea what that was going to be. But I did have a plan—thrash my way to clarity by writing and broadcasting about my adventures in difference-making every week.

Okay, so as plans go, it wasn't very well-conceived. But the alternative, at least as I saw it then, was to remain inert and awaiting insight and inspiration. That seemed like an even worse plan, so I commenced thrashing.

My endeavor began as many do, ugly and unclear. It took two-and-a-half years for the Creative on Purpose to come into focus.

That's a lot of thrashing, even for someone whose family has nicknamed him "Mr. Overdo-It-Man." And yet...

I have no regrets. As I dialed in what I did and defined who it was for, fellow travelers like you emerged. Readership of the blog and books grew. Coaching programs enrolled more and more clients. And a community of difference-makers convened.

Shift happened. Why?

Because people like you invested your time, attention, and trust in Creative on Purpose's core principles and practices.

You enhance your life most through endeavors that serve others.
You can make a bigger difference by making better decisions.
Legacy isn't what you leave behind, it's the difference you make now.

Creative on Purpose doesn't promise fame and fortune through endeavors that make a difference. Instead, we promise that fulfillment and flourishing are available to anyone willing to define, develop, and deliver the difference only they can make and adopt a discipline of stepping into your potential and possibility daily.

Fate permitting, I can't wait to see what difference we all make in the next five years.

Thank you for the time and attention you lend Creative on Purpose. Thanks even more for the way you show up and do the work every day. It matters, and you make a difference.

Ready to endeavor better and make a bigger difference together? Click here for suggested next steps.

Scott Perry, Chief Difference-Maker at Creative on Purpose.

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What time is it?

Time is a construct. It's a convenience created by humans to sequence and organize events and tasks. Time is nothing but a story.

We may think this story is working for us. I wonder if time isn't more often working on us.

For every other living thing on earth, now is all there is. The present moment is where everything else is living and being. Aside from us, no other living creature or thing is spinning narratives of loss or regret about the past or attaching their worthiness and wellbeing to desired results in the future.

The here and now is the only place where you can show up as you are, with what you have, and do what you can to make the difference only you can make.

What happens if you let go of the narrative you're spinning about time?What if you simply accepted and acknowledged the moment you're in and put forth your best effort in an endeavor with and for those whom you find yourself?

Scott Perry, Chief Difference-Maker at Creative on Purpose.

If what you just read resonated, please share it with a friend.

Lindsey Smith - Follow the Joy

Insight and inspiration for flying higher in the difference only you can make from guests who have appeared on Creative on Purpose Live.

This week's wisdom comes from Lindsey Smith, co-founder of You Can Get It Done Productions. Tune into the entire conversation here.

[LINDSEY] I think it would be to follow the joy. You know, I think a lot of times, I said this a little bit, but I think a lot of times we think "I need to do what makes sense." Right? Like, "Oh, all these people are doing courses. I need to create a course." But that doesn't maybe feel joyful to me for whatever reason.

And even if it seems a little off the wall. Like I can just think of so many examples of people that we worked with when they follow that joy or that hunger, that inkling, even if it doesn't seem like a quote-unquote "the business thing to do," I just... The results have always been amazing when you just listen to that intuitive guide, that intuition, that nudge that's like, "Okay this isn't the businessy thing that I thought but it's really what I'm feeling right now."

I think, again, it comes back to the energy. It's because, if you're tapped into it, if you're into it, people are going to recognize that and what I find is it's usually greater than you ever even imagined.

So that would be my advice, to really listen to that. Follow that joy and don't necessarily be afraid of it. Let it, you know, guide you and see what happens. I mean, the thing is, you can always try, you know? If it doesn't work? Okay, you can move on but at least you listened to that nudge and now you know? Now you know!

Lindsey just shared an actionable tip on following your joy that's easily understood and executed. How can you find the joy today?

Scott Perry, Chief Difference-Maker at Creative on Purpose.

(BTW, you can watch this and every other entire interview in the Creative on Purpose Broadcast Archive. To learn more and access for free, click here.)

If what you just read resonated, please share it with a friend.

The Virtues of Playfulness

I recently celebrated my birthday and repeated two rituals I've practiced all my adult life.

The first was to extend a wave and a smirk at my old catechism teacher, Sister Mary Agnes. On the day before my confirmation ceremony, she took me aside, wagged a finger in my face, and scolded, "Scott Perry, you little hellion, you will not live to see your 30th birthday."

Sometimes I think I've made it this long simply to spite Sister Mary Agnes...

Then I remind myself, "Growing older is required. Growing up is optional."

Playfulness matters. It matters a lot. Especially when you are invested in exploring the edges of your understanding and pushing the boundaries of your abilities. Taking yourself too seriously while experimenting, exploring, and trying things that might not work is a recipe for frustration.

Creating your dent in the universe means pushing up to and against false certainties, common usage, and the tried and true. Pushing through the status quo into something better and serves more requires courage, commitment, intention, and integrity. Failure, misfortune, and resistance are constant companions for difference-makers.

Approaching challenges with unabashed awe, wonder, a sense of humor, and a spirit of fun cultivates resolve and resilience. We can create and play a longer and more infinite game while dancing with uncertainty and difficulties through playfulness.

After all, a game you can't lose is not a game at all. It's a chore. Choosing to playfully do hard things cultivates a posture of leaning into worthwhile endeavors with more joy and a determined smile.

How can you develop your potential and deliver on your promise by approaching your work more playfully today?

Scott Perry, Chief Difference-Maker at Creative on Purpose.

If what you just read resonated, please share it with a friend.

With some things, the more you give, the more you have.

There are only so many hours in a day, and you only have so much bandwidth and energy. It's probably best that you protect and even horde these assets, right?

I'm not so sure.

I mean, yes, you should spend your time, attention, and effort judiciously. And yet, understand there is an approach to extending invaluable resources in a sustainable and renewing way.

With some things, the more you give, the more you have—especially when you present them with integrity and intention and give from the inside out.

Here are just a few things that I have found to grow more abundant the more I share them.

Gratitude - I began my practice in sharing three simple gratitudes out loud and in public many years ago. This ritual makes me more appreciative every day than I was the day before.

Charity - Extending forbearance, leniency in judgment, and generosity of action toward others have helped me become far more charitable toward myself as well.

Delight - The more I design delight into my offerings, paid and free, the more delighted I find myself.

What would you add to this list? What are the values and virtues that grow the more you extend them?

Scott Perry, Chief Difference-Maker at Creative on Purpose.

If what you just read resonated, please share it with a friend.

Dorie Clark - 3 Elements of Becoming a Recognized Expert

Insight and inspiration for flying higher in the difference only you can make from guests who have appeared on Creative on Purpose Live.

This week's wisdom comes from Dorie Clark, author of The Long Game. Tune into the entire conversation here.

[DORIE] One of the things that I've really spent a lot of time thinking about is, you know for people who do want to make an impact, there's a million things you could be doing. Where do you get the biggest ROI? What does that look like?

And so I created something. It's a free tool. It's a free self-assessment called the Recognized Expert Self-Evaluation Toolkit. And it is a scored self-assessment that you take and based on your score it actually gives you a personalized recommendation of where you should be applying your efforts.

Broadly speaking, what I've discovered is that in order to become a recognized expert, three key components: content creation (sharing your ideas), social proof (building your credibility), and third is building your network.

Generally, for a lot of people, we naturally are maybe good at one of these, maybe two, who knows? But usually, it's very rare that you're good at all three. And so it means you have to sort of apply your effort strategically and think about how to round out your portfolio.

So for folks that might be interested in getting it for free go to DorieClark.com/toolkit and you can download it. You can get your scores and figure out your prescription for where you should be investing your time and energy so that your ideas can be heard more.

Dorie just shared a three actionable tips on establishing yourself as a recognized expert that easily understood and executed. How can you apply them today?

Scott Perry, Chief Difference-Maker at Creative on Purpose.

(BTW, you can watch this and every other entire interview in the Creative on Purpose Broadcast Archive. To learn more and access for free, click here.)

If what you just read resonated, please share it with a friend.

Empathetic Antagonism

Difference-makers like you and I make change happen. That's the gig. This sort of endeavor includes uncertainty and requires embracing that "this might not work" thinking. What's more, most people are not predisposed to seek and embrace seeing and doing things differently.

Think about it, when was the last time you woke up in the morning, clapped your hands together, and bound out of bed saying, "Gee whiz, I can't wait to boldly leap past the edges of my understanding and abilities and fail forward into a new way of seeing and being today!"

We're all programmed by biology, evolution, and institutional education and occupation to stick with the tried and true, do what we're told, and perform within other's expectations.

So, where does the urge to lean through our instinct to play it safe and make today look more or less the same as yesterday?

I call the source of this urge empathetic antagonism.

Most of us have experienced empathetic antagonism in some way, shape, or form. We read a compelling insight we've never considered before. We're inspired by someone who just broke through an old barrier or assumption. Someone shines a light on something we hadn't noticed before but now can't unsee. We collide with a novel idea or perspective that gets under our skin, and we find ourselves unable to resist the urge to itch.

Whatever the source, it is usually an outside influence that creates generous tension that lands in a way you can't ignore. This tension causes you to lean in, embrace the discomfort, and take a bold step into possibility. You give yourself permission to trust yourself. You decide you'll be okay and able to figure out what to do next.

And before you know it, you see and approach yourself and your situation differently. Change has happened. Not only can you not unsee what you now see, you can't undo what you just did.

And then you begin and begin again.

If you've followed my work for any length of time, you probably recognize that you've been on the receiving end of some of the empathetic antagonism I create. Hopefully, you've experienced it as intended, a generous invitation to dance with the discomfort of flying higher in the difference only you can make.

When, where, how, and with whom can you practice a bit of empathetic antagonism today? What change can you help facilitate? Ready? Go.

Scott Perry, Chief Difference-Maker at Creative on Purpose.

If what you just read resonated, please share it with a friend.