Have you ever wondered what it’s like to live with bipolar disorder?  

I was describing the feeling to a friend of mine the other day.  

• It can feel like an intense desire to do more and believe yourself capable of doing everything.
• It can feel like extreme focus - where even the slightest disturbance becomes a universal problem.
• It can feel out-of-body - having a war of thoughts inside your head, but totally blank outside.

I lost the rest of the thought for this blog post… it’s gone. There’s someone in the other room speaking - it’s consuming my thoughts.  

In March, I will be music directing the music, Cinderella, for the University of Wisconsin-Parkside theater department. Today, while learning the show, I realized a few things.To learn a musical:Start by playing what you can and make all the mistakes possible.Take a step back and learn every singer’s part note-by-note. Think about the story they are trying to tell and why.Re-play your part, but this time play it slowly and tap into what the singers are trying to communicate.Play your part again at the correct tempo.The other day I wrote about playing the gig; here’s another way to think about doing life better.Start by making mistakes: asking questions, learning, failing, getting up, and doing it again.Take a step back - listen, see who’s in the room, try to understand where they’re going and how you help them.Try again, this time mindful of the space you hold, your role, and what you’re all trying to do.Wash, rinse, and repeat.It’s a different kind of Cinderella story, but it works.

I chose to spend New Year’s Eve doing nothing - zip, zilch, nada. And I loved it! Honestly, I could not recommend the experience of doing nothing enough. I love the rush of ideas that come into my head when I hit that bored state. I get new ideas about what to do in the next minutes, days, weeks, months, and years. And, I get to write those ideas down to make room for new ideas. I imagine many people move into new stages of life with hopes and dreams - read expectations. I am trying to start a new year with nothing but questions and ideas.

If you’re called to play a blues gig, your bandleader is not looking for you to sound like Bach. And if you’re hired to do a job at a company, your employer is looking for you to show up and be what they need you to be.  “Authenticity” is knowing how and when to be what the people you serve need you to be.  Last week, I realized that I am a bull in a china shop - most times. My personality tends to command a room, influence the band, and bring others into an experience I am trying to create. The people I serve don’t always need that from me. Does that mean you have to change who you are?  The working musician knows lots of music styles–if they didn’t, nobody would hire them. For any given performance, the musician needs to switch from one genre to another fluidly and effortlessly. Changing how you play doesn’t change who you are–you are only changing how you play the gig. Life is no different.To learn a new style, ask these questions:How are my peers showing up?How do they respond in meetings?How do they do the work they do?Think outside of work, maybe you’re traveling:How do people sit down to eat?How do they eat their food?How do they greet others who are in authority or older?Getting better at playing the gig is learning how to show up, listen, and contribute. Life is no different.

Write a letter to yourself and date the letter: December 31, 2021. In the letter, describe the following:Accomplishments big and small;Failures and how you learned from them;Relationship with yourself and how it developed;Relationships with others and how you improved them; andWhat you hope tomorrow brings.Close the letter with a parting thought to yourself. Read that letter to yourself once a month.  Don’t look for reasons why you should do it. Start it. See what happens.

If you want to learn to play rock, start by listening to the blues because the blues musicians influenced rock-and-rollers. If you’re going to learn the blues, listen to slave songs and spirituals because that music gave birth to what we know as the blues. No matter what you do in music, there will always be a fundamental starting point - a source of truth from which to grow. Curating a “books to read” list of 384 titles spanning 60 topics was no different. I read a lot of Seth Godin’s work. His books often contain citations or endnotes for further reading - his influences. I then begin researching the people who influenced Seth, and then the people who influenced them, and I keep going until I arrive at the fundamental. I do that process for many of the authors I read.  So why does any of this matter? Because of exploration. Because I get to choose how and who to explore next. I may not get to everything on the list, and that’s okay. Achievement is not finishing the list; it’s hoping that the list never stops growing.  If you want to see the list, go here.

Do you believe in Santa Claus? And if you do, did you write him a thank you card? This guy, Santa, spends three hundred and sixty-four days - presumably - making or purchasing presents for all who believe in him. Finally, he spends fuel and time delivering gifts. And you know what, since he’s overweight and old, I imagine his insurance premiums must be higher. And considering all of that, we do not send him a thank you.While you might not be sending “thank you’s” to Santa this year, do consider thanking the people in your life that you don’t recognize enough: the receptionist, waste remover, drive-thru helper, or your enemy. They each make something worth something for you. Personally, thank you for being a reader. I write my ideas for us - to help us notice more, do better, and think differently about culture. Happy New Year.

Outside of the Apple Store at Mayfair Mall stood a medium-height person wearing black pants and a black short-sleeved shirt. The person stood at the entrance of the stoor with their arms crossed. People queued up to be interrogated by this person who asked - “why are you here?” If they answered the question correctly, “because I have an appointment,” the person would extend their index finger and point them to a customer service representative. I felt better about the side harm holstered on their belt when I read the word, Security, which was printed in big friendly letters on the back of their shirt. Faithful readers of the blog - like you - know that I observe lots of things. When you get into the habit of noticing what’s around you, it’s almost impossible not to ask - “what’s it for?” or “who’s it for?” If a security guard is for protection, does protection come at the cost of the shopping experience? What if the security guard did not cross their arms? What if the guard welcomed every person who queued up with, “So happy you’re here. What time is your appointment? 3:00 pm? Got it. Steven, over there waving to you, can help you now. Enjoy!“Once you see what others stop noticing, you can’t unsee it. Because once you notice it, you can make it better.

I woke up this morning without any motivation or desire to get out of bed. I would have gladly taken an extra hour of sleep. But then I got myself out of bed, got dressed, started my routine. Now I am writing to you, invigorated and curious. Doing the work - even the work of getting up in the morning - motivates. Not the other way around.

Stop.Take a breath.Look at what’s in front of you.Don’t try to understand it.Just observe it.Take a breath.Start again.Do that for 30 seconds a few times a day for maximum results.Looking at the cat helps.