Brady Helps

When I re-read books, I almost enjoy the books 2x more than I did the first time. Why? I’m not the same person that I was when I first read the book. I have learned more about the world, my opinions may have changed, I may be in a different setting. Perhaps nearly every aspect of my life is different? Because I’m not the same, I notice ideas that did not stand out to me before during my first read. I re-discover the book! If you haven’t re-read a book in a while, I encourage you to start. It’s an effective tool for seeing how you’ve changed. That’s not a bad thing.

Perhaps the best way to win an emotional and divisive argument is to ask that question.I watched a couple loudly argue with themselves. They argued over the question, did they leave enough leg room for their guest? Their guest happened to be sitting in the car waiting for them to finish the argument. I wanted to ask the couple, are you all getting what you want from this? The short term thinker in our brain might answer that question with a “yes.” I imagine the long term thinker would answer “no.” Too often favor the short and ignore the long term ramifications of our actions. Maybe that’s why we often feel like we aren’t getting enough?

I spoke with my college composition professor today. That same person happens to be an accomplished flamenco guitarist. I asked him about the history of flamenco music and how it’s evolved.The music may have originated in North India, and then traveled along trade routes to Spain. Along the way, the music picked up influences from cultures in the Middle East and nomadic groups like the Romani (I’m told the politically incorrect term is “gypsy” though I know people who self-identify as “gypsy). Flamenco music would go on to influence the music from cultures in the Caribbean and in South America. And here’s what’s interesting,.. the music would eventually come back and influence the players in Spain! Music moving back and forth across the lobe influencing and being influenced by all in its path. Beautiful.If we open ourselves up and allow it, we can be like music. Moving around our communities. Influencing and being influenced. Growing. Becoming even more beautiful than you are right now.

If you have a vegetable garden, you need bees. Bees pollinate the flowers which turn into your food. I’m thinking of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and the like — fruits technically. If you want bees, you need to advertise.I watched a bumble bee approach one of the flowers in the garden. I could almost hear the bee say to itself: “yeah it’s pretty… but is it worth it?”I guess I’ll bee re-thinking the flower strategy next summer. Perhaps a focus group…

I threw myself out on the ledge today. I’m glad I did.Next time you have the opportunity to try the thing you’re scared to do, do it! Once the fear subsides, you’ll experience an enjoyable rush.

I am going to focus on persisting this year. Persisting through a creative project always feels hard, but it’s not. I just have to show up, do the work, and ship the work, everything else is outside my control. And that’s the problem… the everything else can be scary. What if people don’t like the work? What if it doesn’t resonate? What if it’s not perfect? I think there are other ways I can help myself persist. I can be super clear about what I am trying to do upfront. And, most importantly, I can be super clear with myself about what I get out of the endeavor. I write a lot about endurance, decisions, creativity, and culture… but I am still a work in progress. Just like you, I aspire to knock my work out of the park. Just like you, I don’t.I find solace in a phrase Seth Godin says, “Write every day for 365 days, show me your writing, and I’ll show you that you have at least 1 good idea.”

Others may see something in you that you don’t see yourself. They want the best for you. They want you to work and be at your fullest potential. But, they are not you. In your life, you get to choose. And your choices for yourself are not always right or wrong. Context and history will determine if you made the a career/life choice best for you. Let go of the expectations others have for you. Let go of the expectations you have for yourself.Evaluate what’s in front of you, strive not to hurt people, and act. Give yourself time to reflect, learn, and act again - this next time, better.

A smile and a laugh.The pressure is on, the stakes are high, and it’s all on you.You mess up and fail to produce. What do you do next? Keep moving.Your only next move is to move — life doesn’t stop. As you move, do yourself the favor of forgiving yourself, remind yourself that you can learn from your mistake later, and to smile because your life is worth living.

Theory, visions, and hopes only go so far. Culture change requires an action.Don’t forget to tell your audience what to do with the gift you’ve given (or about to give) them.

I met with someone yesterday who values their strong intuition. They allow their intuition to guide many of their big decisions. I value my friend’s perspective; however, I don’t know if I could operate like that.I value rationalization. Why? In the past, I made decisions too quickly based on nothing but my intuition. In fact, I too deeply read into symbols and my perceptions of people and situations. I overcorrected, and I am okay with that for now. I do want to improve my intuitive sense; but how?My forming opinion is that we improve our intuition by pulling wisdom from the past to the present. Making life more like an algebra equation — the formula looks familiar but only the inputs/stakes have changed. Perhaps intuition is another word for “gut wisdom”? Ideally, we become wiser people each day. We spend time reflecting on our past decisions. We think about how we improve decision making going forward. We take a bit more time to see what we can see and contemplate what we can’t. We game out the second and third order effects of our work. We acknowledge our feelings and balance them against realities. We do our best to not negatively disrupt the lives of others.