“Owald Avery was a medical research for the Rockefeller Institute. He was also a key player in the attempt to identify the pathogen of the 1918 influenza pandemic.Avery believed that ‘results… are not random products of chance observation. They are the fruit of years of wise reflection, objective thinking, and thoughtful experimentation.’” - Me, 8 steps to achieving your goal inspired by an epidemiologistWe’re approaching the end of the year fast. You might be thinking: “Why are you bringing this up so soon?”Because I’m thinking about plans I set in motion and what I’ve learned from them over the course of this year now. Why wait until December? Continuous improvement is continuous.

Recently another customer success leader challenged my ideas on recruitment and interviews on another blog I maintain about talent. I am happy that I got challenged because it gives me the opportunity to clarify my thoughts. I reached out to my interlocutor and expressed a desire to engage with them more directly. I am even more driven to engage with them because we both want similar outcomes. I wish more people desired to engage in the challenge and exploration of ideas different from their own. How else will we learn if we don’t expose ourselves to criticism? My highly speculative theory is that criticism may mean we’re wrong, or that criticism may not be worth the argument or compromising relationships. Perhaps… I don’t know enough to have high certainty in that theory. Whatever the reason is, we don’t get better at being told our ideas are amazing.

Rick Rubin, famous music executive, curates the Tetragrammaton - an online blog that curates and transmits culture. I visited the site today to listen to a playlist curated by Quest Love , curated music streaming on the radio, and a visual of Perseus and Andromeda riding off (perhaps into the sunset?)?Curation is interesting. Someone with taste, however you want to define it, collects interesting things and presents them to you. By experiencing the world through that person’s senses, you get new models of experiencing the world. In a sense, your “empathy” (loosest sense of the word) expands.Experiencing more different things with an open mind is a key factor in generating new ideas and being open to new and different people. Economists might call this form of personal development a gain from trade. Why deny ourselves gains?

I hung out with a former team mate last night. She would tell you that she’s not skilled at improvisation, but she is. What makes her skilled? She’s good at mirroring the energy of her conversation counterpart. It’s almost as if she becomes that energy. How does that help develop generativeness?If you say you’re not a writer, then you’re not. But if you effectively mimic the habits and practices of writers, you’ll be a writer. Writers read - if you want to write, read. If you say you’re not a musician, then you’re not. But if you effectively mimic the habits and practices of musicians, you’ll be one. Pianists practice scales - you’ll need to practice scales to play piano.You can copy and paste that template for any profession. Once you begin mirroring the habits and practices of a thing, you’ll start thinking like that thing. Once you start thinking like that thing, you’ll start generating ideas as that thing.

I play background music for a resort in the area often. My purpose is not to be the entertainment; I’m providing a soundtrack upon which people get enjoy their lives. Because my purpose is not to show, I must play quietly.Playing quietly does not mean I play less intensely. In fact, playing quietly requires more intensity and focus to not allow myself to become so relaxed that I become sloppy. I often leave gigs where I play quietly more tired than the ones where I’m rocking out. Just because something is quiet does not mean it lacks energy.Potential energy is still energy.

Lawyers practice law. Doctors practice medicine. Musicians practice music. You and I have a practice. We do something each day to help us get better at the thing we’re supposed to do — our work, our art. As my college piano professors would tell you: it’s not what you practice, it’s how. Remembering a post from 2022.

I wonder if managing expectations is a hard skill. Thoughts on why it might be:You are committing yourself to create an output that aligns with an expectation.Commitments create risks — people might not like our outputs.Not everyone likes risks.Here’s the the opposite end thought. By not managing expectations:You are not committing yourself to create an output, therefore no expectation.Because no expectation, people may or may not like what you produce when you produce it. You end up having to deal with the disappointment at the end versus the beginning.Wouldn’t it be easier to get the hard part over with first? Perhaps that’s why it’s hard.

Thermodynamic systems seek equilibrium in the amount of heat allowed in the system. As more heat enters, the system outputs excess heat thereby achieving balance . Every new bit of knowledge I get is like a marginal unit of heat entering the thermodynamic system that is my life. The drive to seek equilibrium by applying what I’m learning and experiencing more of the world is high. I become anxious operating at the margin. I read, I think, I write, and my mind simply wants to go off and see the things I read about. I want to make something or collect an experience that would allow me to bring my system into an equilibrium. Writing this post to you helps — I imagine you’ve been in a similar situation before. Taking a walk helps. Making food from scratch — that helps. Breathing and realizing that the time I have right now is the time that matters. I can’t have my cake and eat it. I can’t experience and do all of the things my brain would like to do. No. I can only do what I can at this present moment — and what all I can do is write and share.

I’m stuck. What is the value of music? Yes, when music is created live it dies within seconds of its production. I play a note on the piano, and the note decays. I play chords on the piano, the sound decays. The life of sound is short. Yes, when music is streamed or played back, it dies with the click of a button. I can push pause or stop any time I want. Yes, music is easily created. Artificial intelligence creates music easily. Spotify’s CEO says the cost is “close to zero.” Memories are important to us. They help us retell the story of ourselves and our communities. These stories are important because it’s how culture is created and reinforced. Our memories also fail us, and therefore our stories lose their fidelity and robustness; the bonds that keep the culture together loosen and our groups fall apart. Music is like a key that when put into the lock that is our personal (or collective) memory, we can retell the stories of who we are and why we are.If that’s true, then is it possible the value of music is the value of our stories. And if our stories help us communicate who we are, then it must be impossible to calculate the value of music. Perhaps musicians can ask, “how valuable are the memories you hope to create?”