I decided to do something pointless today - catalog my to-read list. The list goes back to 2018, and I have counted up to April of 2019. There are 247 titles on the list.  A few interesting trends:I add titles when seasons change - March, April, May, October, November, and December. April and November receive the most additions.I have read 11% of the list, and I plan to finish some more books this year.I am most interested in books about Personal Development (12.6%), People (11.7%), Marketing (12.6%), and Leadership (8.9%).I’m hoping to finish cataloging the list soon. When I do, I’ll share another trend that you might pick up on if you’re a faithful reader of the blog. If not, stay tuned for a revelation.

If I send you a message, and you think it’s funny, you might reply to my message with “LOL.” LOL means “laugh out loud,” and it is your signal to me that what I sent you caused you to laugh. The other day I received a message from my sister - she lives in the room adjacent to mine. She sent me a text with the words, LOL, but I could not hear her laugh. So what was LOL for? LOL is for nuance. In a world where we text heavily to one another, LOL and emojis are our ways to create nuance in our messages. To show our fun side. Or perhaps to signal that the black and white text isn’t just black and white. If it’s a signal, who is the signal for? An argument could be made that we add “LOL” and other nuance to our message for the reader’s benefit. But I don’t think it’s for the reader - it’s for the sender.And if you’re curious what I mean by that, the next time you use LOL, stop for a moment. Were you laughing before you sent it? If you were silent, then why show someone that you were not? Who is the LOL for?

The other day I played music with a band I’m privileged to play in. Each band member comes from a different school of music - one was a House DJ, another a jazz musician, someone else was a school music teacher. The lead singer is a saxophonist that runs an auto body. Nobody is the same - everybody is different. At this rehearsal, we were helping the singer write new material. The singer said, “I this is more ‘Huey Lewis & the News’.” Right away, we each started thinking of what that means to us. Then we all started throwing out ideas. Seconds went by before each member began to throw out new ideas. Then we immediately built on each other’s ideas. After two minutes, we had created the shell of a four and a half minute song. How many ideas did we go through in that time? Too many to count. Did we get defensive about one person’s idea not being good enough? No, because we were not sharing ideas to make our ideas stand out above the rest. We shared ideas to help make our collective work better. Musicians, and other artists, have a unique way of making things better by making better things through iteration and collaboration. I never realized how valuable these skills were until I began working with non-musicians. I now appreciate every lesson I ever had and every teacher who pushed me to try something different. And more, I appreciate every musician who has ever said - we can make this better together.

Imagine a factory with a conveyor belt system, and ideas are moving about. In my head - now - the conveyor belts are stopped and empty. The only words that come to mind are the words that I write to you now. The only thoughts that creep in are the thoughts that produce the words.The only idea to communicate is the idea that produces these thoughts.A blank mind is a free mind. Free to explore, question, learn, and create. Brain alive now.

Italian Futurist, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, published a cookbook in 1930 called, The Futurist Cookbook. In it, he offers a recipe for Raw Meat Torn by Trumpet Blasts.  “RAW MEAT TORN BY TRUMPET BLASTS: cut a perfect cube of beef. Pass an electric current through it, then marinate it for twenty-four hours in a mixture of rum, cognac and white vermouth. Remove it from the mixture and serve on a bed of red pepper, black pepper and snow. Each mouthful is to be chewed carefully for one minute, and each mouthful is divided from the next by vehement blasts on the trumpet blown by the eater himself.” - Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, The Futurist CookbookFor Marinetti, and those like him, the trumpet blasted raw meat dish provided the diner sustenance, art, and mind-opening experiences. For those not like Marinetti, it is absurd.  The value of absurdity is the value of creativity - connecting ideas to make something better for someone who cares. And more than that, realizing that your work is not for everyone. What you do is for someone specific.  Next time you see an idea that’s totally out there, give it a second thought. Ponder who it might be for and why they might care about it. Build your empathy.If you would like to read more about Marinetti’s war on pasta, go here.

Each morning, I make an effort to read from a book and review blogs. While reading Austin Kleon’s blog the other day, I fell into the proverbial rabbit hole of discovery about Morning Pages.  I learned about “Morning Pages” to spur creativity, thought leaders, methods to motivate, and I validated that writing every day is an effective use of time.  I would not have learned so much had I not given myself space to be curious, question, and discover.  No matter where you are in life, if you want to grow, take the posture of curiosity, and step into discovery.

“Preschool children, on average, ask their parents about 100 questions a day. By middle school, they’ve pretty much stopped asking.” - Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman, Creativity Crisis.The thing that kids and Einstein have in common is their desire to ask questions. To wonder, experiment, fail and try again. I was fortunate enough to have music teachers that encouraged this type of thinking, but I might have been lucky. My non-music teachers encouraged me to have the right answers. What good is it to have “the right answer” when questions routinely change?  As a recruiter, I find that employers are looking for people who can “ask the right questions.” But it’s a struggle because our schools teach us to comply, memorize the texts, and have the right answers.  As a leader, I look for teams to push the boundaries by asking “why” and “what if.” But it’s hard when your organization seeks compliance.  I am proud that I sluffed off school because I didn’t learn the skill to comply - to have the right answers - I rarely do. Instead, I chose to ask questions of the world - of my failures, wins, and in-betweens so that I could adapt as needed.  If you want to quickly adapt, grow, and make an impact, stop trying to have the right answers and start looking for a more beautiful question.

On Friday night, a band of artisans mounted a wagon pulled by a truck that drove around the City of Milwaukee while we performed holiday music.  Driving down alleyways and main corridors, we performed all sorts of music - from minor versions of “Frosty the Snowman” to ska version of “White Christmas.” People stop, took notice, honk their horns, grabbed their phones, and in all cases - smiled.  After three hours, we returned to a garage, got in our cars, and headed home without a dime to show for our work. Instead, we had something better - smiles and warmed hearts.  The people who enjoyed our work paid for it - they paid for it with their attention, their time, and with their reactions - smiles.  When you start measuring your work not by your income or title but by the lives you can change, you’ll find deep fulfillment. I did.OH!Find out more about the Christmas Caravan here.And if you’re in the Milwaukee area, and want us to stop by and liven your spirits, let us know by messaging us here. It’s free

But what do I do? I am a professional at helping people who believe that there has got to be something more do that something more. I do that work best when I am helping people closest to the action. I find the greatest joy connecting people to a solution that may change their lives in a meaningful and beneficial way. That’s what I do at work. But what do I do for you? I write - hopefully every day - to share what’s been on my mind and translate that into an actionable idea for you. Some ideas will resonate, others not so much. I share because experience taught me that sharing what I have learned with others is a generous act. Why hold on to an idea? An idea that is not shared is one that dies alone. An idea that spreads has a chance to live and do something worth something for someone else. So what can you continue to expect from me?You can continue to expect that I will write you - hopefully every day - with an idea that might help. Thanks for following along.“I hope that you’ll glean some helpful insights and that you’ll try to help someone else. Anything worth believing in is worth fighting for, and you’re worth it.” - First blog entry

…is the reason to keep going. Because life is not about status or signals. It’s about getting to do something worth something for someone else every day.The reason to live is the reason to get up and work - like the bees. To ask questions that help you find a problem you care about and then solve it.  The reason to live is the reason to serve others. Because when you live your life in the service of others, change happens. People start helping people more.The reason to live is the reason to love. Love is for creating community, and through a community, helping others.  When I first started this blog, I wrote about change - What change?  “To be the change you want to see in the world, you must realize you can be that change right now. At this moment, if you choose, you can continue to positively change the world just as you did for your best friend. Use your gifts. Be the change.” - David BradyToday, I challenge you to not only be the change you seek to make but be a reason that someone ended their day happier and more fulfilled.  There are plenty of good reasons.