innovate by knowing
Henry David Thoreau:
It would be worth while,
once for all,
fairly and cleanly
to tell how we are to be used,
as vendors of Lucifer matches
send directions in the envelope,
both how light may be
readily procured
and no accident happen
to the user.
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Technorati Tags: Thoreau, philosophy, principles, careers
How do we get started on a path to doing things that express our genius? How do you only do those things only you can do? One of the areas I’ve started to look at: What do I get invited to do?
What do people invite you to do? I don’t mean parties or jumping off cliffs; I mean those slightly bizarre requests that bleed between professional things and personal things.
I get invited to help people understand themselves. Often the requests sound different but the root is the same. “How do I explain what I’m good at and want to do?” “How do I choose between all these options and make sure things align with where I want to go?” “How do I figure out where I want to go?” Continue Reading »
It was hot. Having Chernobyl just a few hours away didn’t help.
I was lying on my back, slung between two seats in the bottom of the row boat. My self-appointed advisor sat sweating in the bow. His fat white stomach glistened in the heat of the Ukrainian afternoon.
While we drifted along the river, the missionary earnestly jabbered about his work in the country. It was getting uncomfortable.
Eventually, for lack of distraction, I started making internal wagers betting on which two beads of sweat would first jump together on the man’s expansive, sweaty chest. His words droned along, joining the monotonic voice of the city. Continue Reading »
I battle an internal suspicion that I’m too naive for business. Maybe I think too big, measure obstacles as too small, and expect too much? But maybe we live too small, ask too few important questions, focus on the middle instead of the edges of possibility, and because we don’t expect achievement of any significant magnitude we never get to see it. Obviously, I usually settle on the second side, naivety be damned.
One particularly naive thing I expect is that if something is worthwhile, you should first do it for free. If it really sings, then sing. Do it on your own when no one is looking and no one is paying.
Of course it’s plain silly to do everything for kicks. So, the other naive expectation I harbor is that I should be paid exorbitantly well for things I’m willing to do for free. As a friend said, “I don’t expect much, just $350,000 per year to work three days a week at something I’d do for free. Oh, and a yacht. A big one - really, really big.” Continue Reading »
