Dot Dot Dot
"Everything starts from a dot." -Wassily Kandinsky
Inspiration. It all starts with a dot, a drop, a seed of an idea that takes root and grows into a belief and a daily practice that’s strong enough to carry you forward.
When properly inspired, you find that you can get that advanced degree, write that book, make that film, grow that garden, or start a new enterprise. Yes, there’s always doubt accompanied by risk—it’s part of the bargain when you commit to bringing new ideas, art forms, or products into the world.
The good news is both doubt and risk can be minimized by doing the work. If you want to run for office, you first have to gather signatures and get on the ballot. If you want a solo show in a gallery, first you need to develop an amazing body of work. To get your novel published, you first need to write one or more book-length manuscripts that go nowhere.
Maybe you have an unrealized brilliant idea that keeps you up at night. If you do, what first step can you take today to make it real? That brave first step leads to the next step and the next.
Colin Allred for U. S. Senate
This is an incredibly strong launch video from U.S. Representative Colin Allred—the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Texas.
He's taken on tougher opponents than Ted Cruz, and while his bid for the U.S. Senate is a long shot, I like his chances. I also like the way he talks and the way he tackles.
He's a former NFL football player and Baylor Bear, and that's just one way that he's a great fit for the people of Texas and this job.
By contrast, the sitting Senator was a debate champion at Princeton.
How to help others see what you see
Wes Kao is co-founder of Maven (which offers live, cohort-based courses from true industry experts) and Seth Godin’s altMBA. She also writes lucidly about startups. I love what she says about making a strong business case for your ideas.
A “strong logical argument” might not be the thing that dreamers and entrepreneurs rely on when they’re excited about their idea, but business rigor is the price of entry into a new business or market.
I’m a dreamer and I like to focus on the dream as much as anyone. However, when I’m conducting business, I temper that part of me a bit and think of myself as a practical idealist instead. Whatever the label, I work to make dreams come true—my dreams and the dreams of others.
Over the years, I’ve learned to honor the dreamer even when I’m not wowed by the particulars of the dream. We all have hits and misses. The important thing is to keep having ideas that are big enough to believe in and act on.
That’s what never giving up means to me because in the process of building something substantial, you’re going to give up all sorts of things—your time, your energy, money, and ideas. If you’re lucky, you may also give up your attachments to ego and anger.
Business is a vehicle for social change. It’s also a place where personal transformation takes place. We hear lots of stories about how work wears people down and changes them for the worse, but there is another side. Learning how to be a good team member and how to build teams are explicitly human things to do.
Lagniappe
I recently wrote a new poem. It’s called, “Your Truth Is Not My Truth.”
Communication Arts kindly promoted my article, “AI Is Not the Problem, Lack of Original Thinking Is the Problem.” #grateful
When your favorite Italian restaurant in Austin opens a pizzeria, you show up for the super good stuff.
It’s interesting to see equitable maternal care and the nonprofit Every Mother Counts promoted by Bank of America. It's the right thing to do, but many brands don’t believe it’s in their interest to take meaningful stands on important issues.
Why viewing the solar eclipse might make you a better person… “When the sun itself becomes a black hole in the sky, any differences with our fellow humans can appear trivial. We are all together on the same little rock drifting in space with only a little air, a little water."
Lack of strategic planning and the garbled messaging that often results hurts the brand. Don't let it halt your progress or negatively impact what you're building.
Thanks for being here now,
When you or a friend is ready to run for office, grow a business, or spark a social change movement, please let me know. I’d like to help.