Life Lesson

Most struggles can be solved by extending ownership.

Ownership of the problem or the space or the work.

When someone else feels the same about a project as you, the project gets better.

Sometimes the work needs to be done. But sometimes it can wait so you can work on helping others understand their ownership in the work.

It’s time well-spared because – not surprisingly – it leads to better work, anyway.

Not all birds know they have the same feathers.

Some need to be told, showed and inspired.

That’s on us.

Stay Positive & Fill Your Flock

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It’s okay if they don’t get it.

They don’t know all the planning you put in.

They don’t know all the late nights, stressful mornings, weight you’ve carried to get it to the point that you’re ready to share it with the world.

They don’t know how much you’ve saved and how much you’ve sacrificed.

They don’t know how much research you did or expert opinions you gathered to get you where you are today.

They don’t need to and it’s not your job to convince them of it all; it’s the linchpin’s job to keep shipping and searching for those who do get it.

They’re out there.

Stay Positive & Go To The Next In Line

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There’s truly two types of endurance, and it’s often we forget that.

There’s the endurance that you’re thinking of now. You may also call it resilience or stamina. It’s how long you can keep doing the same thing. In some scenarios, say, running a marathon or tossing a ball for a dog, that kind of endurance is key.

More often than not, though, we need a different kind of endurance. The endurance of swinging the bat again and again, but swinging it differently each time. It’s the endurance of falling down only to get back up again to try a different way in. Repetition of creativity, if you will.

You may not need to hold out longer. You may need to work differently again and again and again.

Stay Positive & Let’s Get Going

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Even when you follow the instructions, the end product is different than the one before it.

No matter how much of a foundation you’ve built from past experiences, the same scenarios will be different.

And if it’s not different, then improvements weren’t made, leaps weren’t made, the edge wasn’t found. Try again.

Stay Positive & Different Can Be A Good Thing If We Design It To Be

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When something doesn’t land perfectly, it’s not a failure.

It’s an opportunity to learn what did and didn’t work and then to try again with that knowledge.

Some things you ship might last forever in the world – imperfect.

But the artist doesn’t care. The linchpin is off creating better work.

Ship enough work and the faults of your past will be buried with better work, anyway.

Stay Positive & The Key Is To Keep Shipping More Better

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Keep your hopes up high. Dream. Fantasize. Trust that you’ll succeed.

Keep your head down low. Don’t expect anything. Prepare. Stay wary and smart.

Stay Positive & Don’t Try Switching Them

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We may look back to past decisions we made and think that we should have made them differently even though at the time we felt the decision was authentic.

Authenticity is something we shape and form over time. We try different versions of it on and hold tight to what we feel works.

It’s all part of the legacy we’re working to make.

But sometimes authenticity is a word thrown around to support work that’s actually not grounded in the legacy that brand or group or person is trying to make. For better and worse, your authentic self and my authentic self is not the same as any brand’s authentic self. It might be close, but not the same.

So, a challenge.

When you hear talk about authenticity, it’s worth double checking whose authenticity is being talked about. Inconsistency leads to the demise of legacy. Yours. Mind. A brands.

Stay Positive & Be Fluid, But Consistent

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