Pick one … then move on.
Replace the love of the heart with anything. Friendship, the summit of a mountain, a goal, something to be achieved, 4:30pm cut off time to Coors Complex. You either made it or you didn’t.
Pick one … then move on.
““Your Brain Is Not Your Friend” is a line that we got from our friend, the corporate strategist, Robert Cooper.
The short version: Our brains evolved in a world of scarcity; ergo our brains are hardwired to conserve precious biological resources, calories etc.
Which makes us inherently challenged at being the rockstar entrepreneurial, triathlon-running, Shakespeare-reading, world-traveling, culture-worshipping uber-geniuses we aspire to be. Because doing so uses up a TON of resources.
Given that biologically, our brains are hardwired to conserving resources, we are actually predisposed to take the path of least resistance, so left to their own devices, our brains would have us sitting around watching TV, eating junk food, sleeping late. All that slob stuff our mothers warned us about.
Most of us are always fighting a war with his own brain’s biology. But knowing this, makes you able to deal with it better. Thanks to Robert Cooper for giving me this A-ha! moment of clarity. Rock on.”
“Owning it” means being in control of your craft. The feeling that you got successful because you earned it fair and square, not just because you got lucky.
And that can take decades. In my case, I didn’t get successful at cartooning because I was tremendously talented at it from the age of ten, I wasn’t. I got good because I liked doing it and continually wanted to get better… and kept at it for many, many years.
You can own your career, control your own destiny; You don’t have to go for the executive position.. that is unless, it is something that you really want to own.
This idea of “ownership” is very much aligned with “mastery”. It can be in art, finance, law or lawn care. It involve sacrifice, dedication and time. Is it worth it? That is for you to decide, but from where I sit, it is one of life’s great treasures.
Make It Happen
When I was younger, I thought love just kinda happened. You met a girl/boy, you liked him/her, he/she liked you, then suddenly BAM!!!! Fireworks and happy ever after.
Luckily (as it turns out), it doesn’t work that way. It takes effort and deliberation. You gotta be proactive. “Random” might get you laid on occasion, but that’s about it.
That being said, it’s still a very happy cartoon… #YayHappy.
Think about this on all aspects of life. The brands you choose, the places we choose to live and the friends and relationships we choose to be in.
Pick your sliver well … my friends. Or better yet – with business, we have the ability to create our sliver.
Lets party guys!
“Usually, the deal here is, I draw a cartoon and then write something to go along with it. Some little philosophical add-on to balance it out, etc.
But I got stuck with this one.
The meaning of this cartoon is just so self-evident to me that I really don’t think adding anything will do it justice.
So I’ll just shut up now…
No. Really.”
“As Russell Davies, the UK ad executive says, “A brand’s first job is to be interesting.”
Once you are interesting, every contact with every customer, supplier, and stakeholder becomes easier. When you look at how commodity products and services are differentiated from their competition, it always comes back to the successful ones being more interesting – usually in an unexpected way.
Yes, quality matters. Yes, price matters. Yes, all the stuff you learned in “B” school matters. But what matters most to your customers is that you are smarter, quirkier, cooler, and more determined than the next guy. Once you are able to project these human traits to the world, customers and prospects are drawn to you.
This is for the guys who still think that the only way to market is through explaining product benefits and price advantages. Because being more human and showing that you are different, with personality and purpose, is even more important.”
This is simple Hugh – Thanks for reading my heart this week.
Cheers to one thousand!
In response from my 999th post yesterday… there is no better way to kickoff the next 1,000 random thoughts of Hydle inspiration than with this kicker from [Hugh MacLeod].
TSOIGDH
“Jobs, Jobs, Jobs.
Not Steve, the other Jobs. The kind that pays you. The kind the politicians promise you. The kind that have been disappearing or becoming more elusive with every passing year. While it might seem scary to think that jobs are melting away like the polar ice caps, there is indeed a silver lining. Instead of expecting our next job to be handed to us on a silver platter, we need to think about creating it.
We need to look in the mirror and see the opportunities that are in us. While the job market may be challenged, we have more opportunities than ever before to find our own freedom. It is time to look in the mirror and be the entrepreneur of yourself. It is time. Your time.
Say hello to your new CEO! Yay!”
I love Hugh MacLeod’s words and cartoons… he is spot on.
Go be yourself-eo.
The linked article bugs me though. Even though it is completely awesome and worth the read… the writer who generalizes Apple’s success to simply just creating great products doesn’t get it. I have nothing against Sassholes, but it is a theme I continue to see more often. Just because you own an iPhone and MacBook Pro doesn’t make you an Apple expert – and that includes most Apple employees.
“They say talk is cheap, but based on usage, most folks must think texting is cheaper…
Truth is we live in a world dominated by mobile phones – there are actually more phones than there are people in the U.S. – yet we barely speak to each other anymore.
Our phones have become everything but a device to speak into (unless you’re one of the iPhoners who talk to Siri).
Phone or no phone, we should talk more, don’t you think?”
What more can I say – Genius.
Simply Said. Find Something.
If you enjoy these random cartoons and would like to see them on your wall – Hugh MacLeod and Gapingvoid are having a half off sale on April uno. It could be an April fools joke… so no guarantees – but I doubt it.
“What determines who we are? Is it that we settle? What is good enough? Do we find happiness? How do all of these things shape who we are?
Our “potential” is infinite. As endless as the cosmos. We are endowed with the power, ability and opportunity.
What gets in the way of our potential? Lack of drive? Lack of interest? Distractions? More likely: Not knowing what you really want.
More than ever, we live in a world where on a personal level, nearly anything is possible. We ARE the sum total of our choices, and these choices should lead us to happiness. I’ve always thought that a key to happiness is aligning what you want with what you are willing to do to get it.
We’re not talking morality, we are talking your appetite for 16 hour work days, travel, ass-kissing, office politics, screaming kids, etc. If you can live in that sweet spot of doing and getting what you want, you are living your potential.
And, your potential is all about being happy.
God Bless.”
Are you happy?
“Spontaneity is one of life’s great joys. It is a way of breaking out of a daily routine that can seem like drudgery.
It is a way of being playful, bringing joy and embracing possibility. It is one of the gifts that free will offers.
Try it today. Turn right on the way home, instead of left. Do something, anything, that you haven’t tried before.
See how a little thing can make a big difference to your quality of life.
Some people have turned complaining into a science. We see that some cultures have a greater propensity to complain. Coffee’s too hot, food’s too cold, boss is a jerk, Starbucks double half caf mocha frapaccino wasn’t quite frappy enough?We all know people who do it. It validates. It lets people vent, but is it the right thing to do? In my experience, complainers are generally hard to be around. Their complaints usually fill the narrative gaps of what they feel are flaws in their own lives.
After all, why be successful when you can sit around and complain about everyone else who is?”
100 thousand million percent agree.
Rock on!
Hydle
“This is kinda my life story, up until quite recently.
I always knew I had something, even if I couldn’t quite say exactly what it was.
And it haunted me, it really did. Because until I got to the point where I could articulate what my life purpose REALLY was (and make a living doing it), life didn’t seem that real too me.
What? This? This is my life? I’m supposed to schlepp around for low wages? Forever?
I’m just glad I persevered. I’m just glad my dream just needed a wee bit of pen and paper, that it didn’t need a cast of thousands and a lot of capital to get off the ground.
Thank God for the Internet, is all I can say….”