Work more.
The art of craft is repetition.
Craft is essential because it creates a foundation for a maker to achieve consistency.
You can’t build “craft” in multiple areas at once.
You have to choose.
Here is something to aspire to in 2018 –
How might we remove one hobby, relationship, or activity to focus on the “boring” work in one we want to master?
Ask yourself, how do you want to exist.Write, with intention, your ideal self.
Once you write this on paper, put it somewhere visible. Review it daily.
Remember, it isn’t real. It is a model.
If we look at the “model” long enough, we see just how attainable it is. Our ideal selves aren’t impossible; we just have to make choices to get there.
We own these choices.
Eventually, we can become a component of our ideal self. Then, you will create the next one.
All of these things come bundled with responses.
For the most part, we are reacting.
These seem extreme. However, we can admit how our brain go directly to the worst possible outcome.
First, think about the reaction and think about how to respond.
Next, explore.
Often, the world gives us the same battles to fight until we learn.
These tools can accelerate the process of moving on.
A few months ago I sat in a coffee shop.
Usually, when I go to a coffee shop, I am anti-social. It doesn’t matter if the work is writing, researching, or reading, I start working in a trance.
This day was different. Two women walked in and engaged me in conversation. It started off in pleasantries but then turned philosophical. We talked about freedom.
I realized that for all the things I’ve thought about over my life, I never gave time to think about freedom.
All I could do is listen.
I live in the United States, and freedom is something this country talks about often. Politicians say it from the stump, business leaders say it in business, and even inside of our families the word freedom works into our conversations.
After that conversation, I realized that I never investigated a word that I hear so often.
At the end of last year, I wrote a post that resulted in my picking four themes for 2016. They are the guiding light (strategic) for my ideas. Each month on this blog, I break things down into the practical (tactical). This year I want to tie them together, so each month, I have to write the reason they connect.
The big idea for this part of the year is freedom. To maximize the freedom of yourself and others, one must maximize both over-communication and say “no.” After that, start stuff and test those assumptions. The result is being freer than before,
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius – Controlling you is a big part of freedom, and reading the journal of one of the world’s most powerful men is a reminder that it is a journey for us all.
Sometimes people or institutions hurt you. That promotion didn’t happen, the project failed, or your significant other let you down.
It is inevitable. Perfection isn’t sustainable.
After the disappointment, you are left with a choice.
Two options:
From the desk of Adam Thomas 