Seth Godin's Blog, page 102

Finding the thread

Unraveling has precisely the same meaning as raveling... when we pull on a thread, pull and pull, as it unweaves what came before.

It's nice to have the next thing clearly laid out, planned and sure to work.

It would make our projects and our art and our plans a lot more secure.

More often, though, we have to ravel for quite a while before we have enough to work with.

Nothing is ready when we need it to be, but that merely means we have to begin earlier.

            

Choose better

More honest, more caring, more generous.

It's all a choice, isn't it?

We can choose to dream better, connect better and contribute better.

Sometimes, in the rush for more, we get confused about what better means, and how attainable it is.

If you are lucky enough to be with family today, I hope you'll get a chance to use our beloved Thanksgiving Reader around your table. It's a free PDF that you can print out and use for group readings.

            

All we have is each other

And that's enough. It has to be.

It's all we've ever had.

The challenge is in realizing this and working with it, even when we're secretly hoping for something more, some external force.

You and me, kid, you and me and a few billion other folks.

We can treat each other as if it matters, because it does.

            

The yeasayer

Opposite of the naysayer, of course.

This is the person who will find ten reasons why you should try something.

The one who will embrace the possibility of better.

The colleague to turn to when a reality check is necessary, because the reality is, it might work.

Are you up for it?

            

Limited, unique & educational

It snowed last night here, so it must be almost time for the holidays. Some thoughts as you think about holiday gifts for you and the people you care about:

There are fewer than 2,000 copies of my huge new collection left. The book weighs 18 pounds, it's 800 pages long and profusely illustrated. We will not be printing any more, that's all there are. All the copies are currently on container ships and on their way to our fulfillment house... orders taken now should arrive to most locations before the holidays.

My most recent original book, What To Do When It's Your Turn... is now in its fifth printing. It comes in a multi-pack, so you can have one and give one (or more) away.

I have three bestselling courses on Udemy. There is a master course on value creation, one for freelancers and a leadership course that's a fundraiser for Acumen. Learning is a great gift, of course, because it transforms people you care about. And it is sure to be the right size.

You can find a list of all my books here.

And we're getting close to my live event in New York on December 10. I hope you can come and even better, bring a colleague.

Thanks!

            

The powerful seduction of 'powerless'

Where do conspiracy theories come from?

More than 10% of the population still believes that the moon landings were faked. (Even though we can see the landing modules with a telescope).

People make up inane theories about various cabals that are secretly controlling this or that.

In fact, the more information and leverage we each have, the more inclined the culture seems to embrace stories of puppetry, conspiracy and control.

Because it lets us off the hook.

How can you possibly be responsible if there are powerful shady forces working behind the scenes? If you're powerless, it also means you're not at fault if things don't get better.

[Of course, the world isn't fair, and there are people, powerful people, working against you. The best systems open doors, not close them. The best systems work for us, not against us. But that doesn't mean we're powerless, it only means that we have to work ever harder. Harder on the system and harder around it.]

She's been quoted a million times, but people don't really listen to the essence of Marianne Williamson's quote: "Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."

If we're actually powerful, if our voice, our effort and our contribution matter, it's time to get to work.

This is enervating. It would be so much more comforting if it were up to someone else. Whatever system we are living in or with, it would be nice if it were responsible for what happens next.

On the other hand, knowing that we can connect, publish, inspire, lead, build, describe, invent, encourage and (especially) teach, means that there's no one better than us and no time like right now.

And if it helps, go find, organize and connect with others who feel as committed as you do.

Of course it's frightening. But it's important and it's our turn.

            

Is it possible there was a misunderstanding?

Is it possible that you misunderstood them, or they misunderstood you?

With your client, employee, vendor, partner, or that random passerby?

The thing that just happened, it sounds terrible, and if they did it on purpose, the way it sure seems to you and to me, that would be horrible.

But before we burn down bridges and ruin everyone's day, just a quick moment to wonder, "what if there was something misunderstood?"

It's a lot easier to ask than it is to go to all the trouble of breaking things.

            

The magic wand store is closed

It's fun to imagine what we'd do if we had a magic wand, something that with a wave, could produce us the introduction, the funding, the open door, the technology, the breakthrough, the insight, the inspiration, the shortcut...

They stopped making magic wands several millennia ago.

Now that you know that there are no magic wands, a better question is probably:

What do you care enough about that you're prepared to expose yourself to fear, risk and hard work to get?

            

Batteries not included

It's easy to dream of a strategy or a set of tactics that will make your forward motion feel less like an uphill slog. A perpetual motion machine of progress.

These are few and far between.

The single most important part of any project is the battery, the source of energy, the optimism and effort that turns the long shot into the sure thing, one day at a time.

Better to hire and train and seek out batteries. They're priceless.

            

The memories we rehearse are the ones we live with

A million things happened to you today. The second bite of your lunch. The red light on the third block of your commute...

Tomorrow, you'll remember almost none of them.

And the concept that you'd remember something that happened to you when you were twelve is ludicrous.

What actually happened was this: After it (whatever that thing you remember) happened, you started telling yourself a story about that event. You began to develop a narrative about this turning point, about the relationship with your dad or with school or with cars.

Lots of people have had similar experiences, but none of them are telling themselves quite the same story about it as you are.

Over time, the story is rehearsed. Over time, the story becomes completely different from what a videotape would show us, but it doesn't matter, because the rehearsed story is far more vivid than the video ever could be.

And so the story becomes our memory, the story gets rehearsed ever more, and the story becomes the thing we tell ourselves the next time we need to make a choice.

If your story isn't helping you, work to rehearse a new story instead.

Because it's our narrative that determines who we will become.