Dane Sanders's Blog

Extending My Habit of Becoming Experiment in 2015

Photo Credit: sleepychinchilla via Compfight cc

In January, 2014, I decided I would reverse engineer my life. I made a series of decisions about who I wanted to be a year later – a.k.a. today. It was like hacking new year’s resolutions into next year resolutions.

The thinking was that if I got clear on who “that-year-from-now guy” really was, it would be self-evident what I would be doing if I was becoming him. Then, I could just do those things, each day until I had the life a person like that might have. Basic sowing and reaping: Envisioning a future and living as though it were so, until it was.

[Sidenote: What I like about this ongoing experiment is its flexibility. If I decide to tweak stuff along the way I can as long as the be-do-have sequence stayed in tact. Turns out that order matters a lot.]

Well, today is report card day.

Over the last year, I ended up adding and dropping a number of habits. When it all shook out, I landed with a working daily method of committed behaviors that have formed a lot of who I have become.

The following is (1) a list of traits I wanted to be more true of me today than it was a year ago, (2) connected to particular habits I hoped would get me there and (3) objective and subjective assessment of each effort.

They are listed in order of how I use them most days.

My aim was to become a person more awake to God and his direction in my life.

Habit: Scripture Reading and Body Stretching. After a lot of experimenting, I landed on starting my day with either reading the Christian Bible (or listen to my friend Brian read it to me) combined with physically stretching. This served to keep both my mind and body active and engaged. In 2014, I completed this habit of reading scripture 365 days in a row, in an unbroken streak. The stretching part was a late addition and I don’t have stats on that yet. I will say though that so far, I love the combination.
It’s worth noting that I have been committed to this habit for a number of years now. I believe there has been a causal relationship between keeping sacred text in my mind day in and day out and becoming a more God-focused person. Of course, there’s no surprise when I say I’ve got plenty of head room still to grow. Just ask my wife and kids. But, I think they’d also say that there has been substantive, long lasting change in this category. All that said, I wasn’t completely satisfied with the quality of my engagement with this habit this year. Sometimes I’d be more concerned with checking the box. I’m noticing though that involving my body helps me focus.
Verdict: I’m going again with this one. For just 20 minutes of effort, it’s an incredible amount of bang for buck, even with the days where I’m less tuned in than I’d prefer.


My aim was to become a fit person.

Habits: Workouts and Paleo Eating. I didn’t start working out until well into the year. Looking back, I think this was mainly because I was focused on my eating and was satisfied with the results that gave me. Somewhere along the way though I realized that was short sighted. I needed to work my body if I wanted it to work. In the end, I completed 62 workouts in total with the longest streak being 5 days in a row. I also completed 2 rounds of Whole 30 (strict Paleo eating thanks to Dallas and Melissa Hartwig – check out my conversation with them here).
Verdict: I now see so much resource in combining good eating with workouts. I expect this number to improve significantly this year. I’m committed to working out 6 days a week this year, likely using apps like Fitstar to keep the decision making on how to work out to a minimum.


My aim was to become a calm person.

Habit: Meditation. I don’t remember when I finally gave meditation a serious try this year but I’m so glad I’ve picked this up. There are so many faith traditions that engage this discipline in some way or another that I’ve been confused over the years with what to try and who to listen to for direction. I finally got over all that and chose a practice that connects to mindfulness and presence, that starts with a focus on breath and body over a 10–20 minute period of time. In 2014, I completed 107 meditations in total with the longest streak being 48 days in a row.
Verdict: I am SO glad I took on this practice. I will definitely continue with it daily in 2015. I have found it to be a huge gift to myself. Days that I did it I was indeed more present and calm. Days when I didn’t I struggled. Huge ROI on this one.


My aim was to become a consistent writer.

Habit: Write 1000 words a day. This was a big one for me. I started the year very strong and then really ebbed and flowed to finish out the year. In 2014, I completed 247 writing sessions in total (average of about 1000–1200 focused words around a particular topic) with the longest streak being 129 days in a row.
Verdict: I am a writer. And, if I want to continue to be one, I get to write regularly. It’s pretty simple. I’ve decided that this will need to continue into 2015 but with the caveat that with so many first drafts completed, this is the year of publishing, not just getting words down. I have decided that I will expand this habit to writing or working on 5 drafts (weekdays) and publishing 2 completed articles here or on medium. By the way, I also managed to collaborate on a set of how to develop a writing habit resources over at WeaveWriter.com. If you are interested in developing this habit for yourself, go check it out.


My aim was to become someone who does things he should even when I don’t want to.

Habit: Flossing. This one’s pretty straight forward. The benefits of flossing every day are that other good things come with dental hygiene. It’s just a good habit. It’s also really easy to make good on this one. In 2014, I flossed 287 times, with the longest streak being 157 days in a row.
Verdict: I am a flosser and I intend on staying one. You should too. If you do, be kind to yourself and get the good stuff. In my experience, Glide is best. I’ve decided to add a related habit though. I’ve decided to eat 30g of protein as the first food of my day and then floss afterward. By combining the two, I won’t get vanity credit for habit I’ve already taken on (flossing) but will combine it to level up to better food intake flow.


My aim was to become the kind of person who knocks out the hard stuff early.

Habit: Cold Calls. Like anyone who sells things for a living (ideas, services, products… doesn’t matter), reaching out and developing new relationships (prospecting) with people is part of our job. It’s also – historically – been my least favorite thing to do. I decided to make a minimum of 3 cold calls a day as an indicator of success. In 2014, I made a minimum of 3 cold calls in a given day 140 times, with the longest streak being 43 weekdays in a row.
Verdict: By the end of the year, I finally changed my tune on this one. Thanks in large part to a single conversation with a friend, I was able to reframe what prospecting could be (if I let it). As the year comes to an end, I’m relating with cold calls as a habit in an entirely new way. Now, it’s more like relationships I get to be in rather than forcing myself on someone. I’m re-upping on this commitment to 3 cold calls on every work day and I can’t wait to jump in.


My aim was to become a reader.

Habit: Read 1000 words a day. I ended up reading a fair amount this year but was generally disappointed with this habit choice. It was the wrong metric for me. Reading a certain amount of words compared to reading a certain amount of books or chapters made this habit kind of meaningless. But, I went for it anyway. In 2014, I read 1000 words or more in a given day 133 times, with the longest streak being 22 days in a row.
Verdict: I’m switching from 1000 words a day to two chapters a day and to keep a log of what I’m reading with study notes. I want this one to take some gravity so I decided to change it. I’m confident this will lead to me reading about a book a week if successful and – with the notes recorded – I’ll get way more return on that investment.


My aim was to quit work each day at 6pm.

Habit: Set an alarm for 6pm and quit when it goes off. In 2014, I quit at the 6pm whistle 206 times, with the longest streak being 70 days in a row.
Verdict: I still have a lot of room for improvement here but I am happy with the progress. What’s great about a habit like this is its objectivity. For the sake of being present with my family, I’m keeping this commitment in 2015. It’s now facilitating even greater accountability to be present in other moments of my days.


My aim was to be in front of my day before it started.

Habit: Decide Tomorrow Today. This is a great exercise in consciousness. Simply by reviewing the next day before this day ends and deciding to relate with what’s coming with a sought outcome in mind has made a tremendous difference in the quality of my life and as well as its output. In 2014, I decided tomorrow today 364 times, with the longest streak being 356 days in a row.
Verdict: You read that one right. I was a little over a week away from a perfect year and blew it. How do I know? I slept through a 6am meeting because I failed to look at my calendar and decide how I was going to show up. Bummer. Hard to say it was a fail of a year though but my aim is perfection in this category and will definitely continue it.

Surprises: Although not on my Daily Method list, I was really pleased to adopt a few more bonus habits along the way. The included…

Getting involved as a Coach on Coach.me
Joining a Breakthrough Team
Hiring a coach

New commitments:

Moving forward, I’ve decided on a couple adjustments to my daily method.

First, I have decided to reset all streaks to zero to start out the new year. This helps hold off my perfectionism and I lie to myself less when I take the streak seriously while not making it the point. The streak is just feedback and I want it to reflect reality. This is a good meta-habit.

Second, on the recommendation of a great post by Austin Kleon, I decided to log every day. I won’t say much more than that here but I would recommend you check out Austin’s thoughts on the matter. It’s an easy way to stay awake at the metaphorical wheel.

Third, I’ve decided to overcome my fear of disappointing people. To do this, I aim to intentionally disappoint someone I am not committed to, at least once a week. This one’s really experimental but I am committed to no longer being a people pleaser. Yuck.

Fourth, I’ve decided to become a chef (see Four Hour Chef link below). To prove this happened, I’ll be making 2 meals a week for my family, every week, for a year. This would break my record of 3 meals in 18+ years of marriage (not kidding). I know… I know. It also should give Tami a long overdue break. My first meal (Osso Buko) was a massive Christmas Day success. Let’s see how the long sure and steady race takes me and the family.

Fifth, I’ll drink 32 ozs. of water every morning.

Sixth, I’ll be publishing 2 articles and 1 podcast minimum each week.

Seventh, my overarching commitment this year is to excellence in every conscious thing I do. This one again is more meta, but a nice filter to run my actions through.

Books & Tools I especially appreciated this year (affiliate links)…

On good habits…

– It Starts with Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig

– The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

– Daily Rituals by From Knopf

– WeaveWriter’s 30 Day Writing Challenge by our own WeaveWriter team

On rapid learning…

– Four Hour Chef by Tim Ferriss

– Four Hour Body by Tim Ferriss

– The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin

On getting the important things done…

– The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

On setting yourself up to win (regardless of circumstance)…

– Antifragile by Nassim Taleb

– Die Empty by Todd Henry

– So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport

– Ctrl-Alt-Delete by Mitch Joel

– The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau

– Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull

Mobile Apps I use everyday…

Habit List – elegant app for tracking streaks in a custom way
Drafts4 – best note capturing mobile app I’ve ever found
Calendar (native iOS) – use it everyday
Omnifocus – best GTD solution out there
Overcast – best podcast aggregator
iTalk – best audio recording app I’ve found
TapeACall – allows you to tape a call seamlessly – be sure to ask permission before hand!
Asana – great group planning software -> it’s how we put on GO
Noisli – love this little writing and productivity sound app
Day One – just a gorgeous writing app that understands markdown
Audible – it’s how I have books read to me
Calm and Tara Brach – getting grounded is core to my life these days and this is a great place to start
Coach.me – Want inexpensive coaching, start here
Evernote – still the gold standard in keeping notes in the cloud
Passbook (native iOS) – starting to get useful
Google Maps – pretty bomb proof
MileBug – I use it every time I get in my car – saves me a ton of grief at tax season
Grocery iQ – now that I’m becoming a chef, this is how I keep track of my grocery store expeditions
Mailbox, Dispatch and Acompli – so many GREAT mailbox options – I love these three
Buffer – it’s how I do social
Hangouts – it’s the new Skype – incredibly versatile
Spotify – best in class so far
1Password – couldn’t live online without it
FitStar – it’s how I work out most days
Whole Life Challenge – this is a new deal I’m trying and I’d love for you to jump in with me if you’re curious
Amazon – it’s how I shop – the scan feature is fantastic
TripIt Pro – I live by this app when I travel
Phone (native iOS) – sometimes I even make calls with my phone

Desktop Apps I use everyday…

Omnifocus – see above
Messages (native OS) – I rarely text on mobile anymore – too cumbersome – using integrated Messages on my mac is incredible
Airmail 2.0 – my desktop email client of choice
Calendar (native OS) – see above
Chrome – best browser I use because of…

Chrome Extensions I love…

1Password – see above
Simple Pomodoro and TimeDoser – keeping me on track
Clearly – reading without distraction
Pocket – capturing what I want to read
Buffer – see above
Hangouts – see above
AdBlock – because I don’t like ads I didn’t ask for




Evernote – see above
Day One – see above
Scrivener – still the best long form writing app
TextExpander – couldn’t live without it
Creative Cloud Photography with Lightroom & Photoshop CC – Adobe still owns this market and I love this new more affordable solution they offer – incredible value

What did I miss? Hit me up on Twitter and let me know. Cheers to 2016!

Photo: Tamara Lackey with Stuart Scott on AdoramaTV

“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” – Stuart Scott

“How did I get here?” I thought as the doors on the taxi slammed shut.

The New York night was getting colder but I was all warmed up from feeling giddy. Yep, giddy! It’s not every day that you find yourself on your way to karaoke with a living legend in sports history at your side. But, there I was, sitting next to ESPN’s Stuart Scott on our way to sing badly in an uptown dive bar.

A little context: By now, everyone has heard that Stuart Scott died this week after a 7 year battle with cancer. Like many around the globe, I hate cancer. I hate that he died. I hate that his daughters now live in light of that reality.

The predictable narrative I would want to talk about is Stuart’s relationship with his daughters, especially since I am a son who lost his dad at a way too early age too. Given how much Stuart famously loved and bragged on his girls, especially when the TV cameras were turned off, it would be natural for me to want to celebrate who he was from that angle. It’s certainly the narrative that gets me crying every time I flip back to the ESPN tributes to Stuart. He loved those girls as much as my dad loved me.

That perspective has already been well documented by folks far more qualified than me. That’s not my story to tell. What I want to share is far more pedestrian. It is about the cab ride.

But, let me back up just a bit…

What you might not know is Stuart and I have a common friend in Tamara Lackey, easily one of my favorite humans and a creative and entrepreneurial tour de force in her own right.

When Tamara first mentioned to me that she and Stuart were friends, I remember her asking if I knew who he was. Laughing, I said, “Everybody knows who Stuart Scott is!” The man redefined sports broadcasting, adding swagger and accessibility to an industry that was becoming too corporate and poorly represented. His flash was fun. More than entertainment though, Stuart brought intelligence and flair (first to ESPN 2 and then) as an anchor on ESPN’s Sport Center. His signature “Booyah!” is now part of our common lexicon. And I’m certainly I’m not the only guy who turns over his pillow over on warm summer nights and thinks of Stu.

He was an original. He was a pro. And he brought his razor sharp wit and shrewder-than-most-everyone-in-the-room insight everywhere he went. He even brought it to late night cab rides.

So, there he was, headed to karaoke, stuck in a cab with a guy he didn’t know (me) behind the better option in front of us (a.k.a., the cab in which all the ladies were traveling). But he wasn’t complaining. He was too busy being grateful… blessing others just because he could.

[Sidenote: I’m pretty confident Tamara – also pretty sharp and shrewd – set the whole “me and Stu in the cab” thing up. Why? Just to make my day. She and Stuart were a lot alike that way.]

No surprise, Stuart was all class. As we were waiting for our cab, he engaged me like I mattered. He asked about my wife. We talked about our kids. We also talked endearingly about our common friend. It was a sweet moment.

When we got in the car, I was understandably (and selfishly) wanting to bask in the glory of a private and extended conversation with an icon. But, he was too generous to let something so little as that happen. Once the doors shut, it was the driver who got all the attention… and it was beautiful.

“Hey… aren’t you…?!” went the driver’s broken english, while barely being able to keep the car on the road. Saying that the blue collar cabby was excited was an understatement. He was Stu’s people. And Stu was ready to play.

“Yah. I am… but what’s your name?” was Stuart’s response. The rest of the ride was Stuart choosing to make some guys night. Two guys nights, actually. First mine by even getting in the cab. And second, the cabby’s by making the ride all about him. And, that in a nut shell, is who I’ll remember Stuart to be. The man was all about the other.

Stuart Scott knew his audience. He knew his job. And, he brought it every day. When he was entertaining the world of sports, he brought it. When he was in chemo, he brought it. When he was doing P90X while doing chemo, he brought it. When he was heckling haters, he brought it. When he was in a cab with this guy, he brought it. That’s just who he was.

The guy is a hero.

Some more cynical types than me might think calling the guy a hero in sports is an overstatement. When it comes to performance on the field, Stuart Scott was no Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods or Payton Manning. In my books though, and given the global response to his passing (by folks like Jordan, Woods and Manning), this guy was bigger than sport. As a man, he lived his life heroically. And his was a glimpse of awesome I won’t soon forget.

The truth is though, we are all dying. And, we all will be missed for something. Seth Godin suggests that we don’t need to wait for a funeral to find out what that can look like. And, he’s right, of course. We could all catch another metaphorical cab on our way to “someplace” or… we could take a page from Stuart Scott’s playbook and be a metaphorical cab ride away from making someone else’s day.

It’s been about eight years since I left my life as a college professor, began life as an entrepreneur and wrote my first book. In retrospect, it seems kind of weird that I was publishing for creatives on the heals of a job teaching leadership and character development. It turns out though that witnessing people make their mark by creating a life of love and service to others is one of my favorite things to do. It’s also why Seth Godin accurately described that first book as “a photography book not about photography.” I was just smuggling leadership and character development into my new world as a business guy.

I don’t know about you but every time Thanksgiving rolls around, I find myself not just grateful but nostalgic. Those days of old were radically formational to me and the life I’m living today. And, indeed, I am thankful!

For example, several of my students from back then ended up going way beyond anything they were ever taught in a classroom and are tangibly effecting world change in real people’s lives. It’s ah-mazing to witness. One of my favorite examples in fact, is my friend Justin Zoradi (and his team) at These Numbers Have Faces.

Today though isn’t Thanksgiving. It’s Black Friday. And, no matter how much you focus on football and leftovers, Black Friday is hard to ignore. Our culture is unrelenting and bent on priming you and me to buy early and often this season.

All this got me thinking how cool it might be if I could set something up that would both thank the incredible gift you readers are in my life and thank those in from my past who have given so much my way, while redeeming Fridays, even when they are black. Something tangible, that could have a ripple effect, benefitting others in the same way that you all have blessed me.

So, here’s what I came up with. Taking a page from a promotion I did years ago, I thought it would be cool to do a little Black Friday sale of my own, only pass ALL the profits on to those who deserve it more than me.

So, here’s my Double-Dogg Black Friday Dare…

Get my original Fast Track Photographer Audiobook ($20 Value)
… and a FREE Photographer DNA (pDNA) Assessment ($15 Value)
… for $10 with 100% of the profits going to These Numbers Have Faces

That’s it. You get the benefit of being generous by tangibly changing real human lives, get the Audiobook and pDNA thrown in plus Justin and his team get a bump in the arm. Real people (not numbers) changed… because of you.

To get the deal, CLICK HERE and ENTER the PROMO CODE “thesenumbers” to get the deal. Again, every dollar that comes in will get turned around and given to the non-profit. So, if you skip using the promo code on the Audiobook, it still all flows their way. Do it now. You’re all primed anyway.

Grateful for you…

-Dane

Find out more at http://convergesummit.com

It’s Monday morning, 8:20am. You got in late. You’re a little jet-lagged but you’re not worried about it. With bullet-proof coffee in hand and the lingering whiffs of the most ah-mazing conference lingering in your mind, you’re ready.

Ping. “Just a sec” you think. “I’ll just scan my emails really quick before I get to changing my world.”

9 hours later, the whiffs have evaporated. What happened? Where did my day/week/month/quarter/year go?

Worse yet, as you wander around discouraged, disoriented and unclear about what exactly hijacked your day, the depression hits you: All that great stuff you learned happened in a vacuum and now all you can think is that you suck.

It doesn’t have to be this way and it’s not your fault (but it is your responsibility).

The truth is most conferences are broken. As I deepen in the conversation around merging creativity with business, primarily through the Converge Podcast, one thing has crystallized: People need help and the current offerings aren’t working.

Don’t hear me wrong. It’s not that there aren’t plenty of fantastic (no kidding) resources out there giving world changing content on how to hone skill and learn solid business practices. There are! We have more extraordinary content available than ever before… at our finger tips… often for free.

But how do you integrate those insights into real life?
What do you do when the program or event that changed everything comes and goes?
What do you do when the reality of Monday morning arrives and it’s time to get to work?

We think we have the answer. There’s a lot to say about why we think GO is different – which is why we dedicated an entire website to tease out why The Converge Summit – in beautiful Newport Beach, California – is the game changer we all need to make 2015 unprecedented. If this is a make or break year for you, you need to know two things…

The dates for GO are January 8 – 10, 2015.
You need to educate yourself on why GO will give you an unfair advantage by  clicking here .

GO: The Converge Summit is a gathering of creatives committed to the exploration of mindset, method and the business of creativity. It’s not just about coming to an event to be inspired by amazing speakers. That’s necessary of course, but entirely insufficient.

What’s exciting is we engineered our summit not just for what happens when you’re with us, but for what happens when you’re home. We think we solved the Monday morning problem and we want to let you in on it.

If your curious and want to learn more, go to our new GO site: convergesummit.com and decide for yourself. Seats are limited.

I hope you’ll consider joining us for 2015.

How Alex Blumberg’s new Startup podcast can help you lower risk by leveraging your best talents and skills.

 

Alex Blumberg’s podcast about launching his Start Up is mesmerizing. The Planet Money and This American Life producer’s transparent account of launching his new business around long-form audio production is not only inspiring, it’s compelling. With each episode, I’m left with the feeling that I need to lean in even further with my own start-ups.

Why? Because this guy is like best-in-class. He might even be best in the world at what he does. I mean, how could a guy who produced some of the most celebrated journalistic audio content in history fail at creating a company about journalistic audio content for a broader audience? It’d be like Michael Jordan buying a basketball team. I know what you’re thinking. Hang with me. I’m not talking Jordan’s deal with the fledgling Hornets. In this imaginary world, I’m giving the superstar a longer playing shelf life. Imagine Jordan getting the chance to keep getting better as a player. Like living in the starting line-up for as long as he feels like playing. That’s Alex Blumberg.

Except, what’s amazing, is he’s nervous it won’t fly.

No kidding. Give Episode One a listen and you’ll get it straight away. Brilliant story telling with edge of your seat and addiction inducing drama about building a business around story telling.

Here’s a sneak peek: The first episode has him pitching a famous venture capitalist. The VC was actually an interviewee that Alex worked with on Planet Money. What’s amazing is this guy really wants to like what Alex is up to. Alex falls flat. Totally blows it.

But, of course he does. It’s actually a critical part of the story telling!

That’s the amazing part of this game Alex is playing with this show. Ultimately, we all know he cannot fail as a skilled audio story teller. That’s his best talent. So, he sharply leveraged that talent to tell a meta-story about his start-up.

Said different, in telling the story about his story, Alex Blumberg must set the table for possible failure or there is no story. Add to that the fact that he’s not yet talented in business building and you have the perfect tension. He’s making the right gamble but doing it in a way where even if the business fails, he’ll have a hit show he can add to his resume and go get hired again some place else.

Truth is, I’m not sure his business will actually make it. I’ve bought the drama. And I can’t help but keep listening to his mini-series to find out. I say that because he might not have the entrepreneurial chutzpah.

But what he does have is guts. And, since he’s so talented, he has a built in fall-back plan. Worst case scenario, he gets hired back by anybody (including This American Life or Planet Money or he takes Start Up to any network on the planet and he’s off to the races. He’s that good at what he does.

Here’s the take away for our conversation: The smart move for Alex (and me and you) is to go all in with our actual talent. But, wait a second. Wasn’t Alex already doing that over at NPR? Yes. But this time, he took the talent and repurposed it for an entirely different game: Creating his own NPR.

Too often I see folks (me included) who get vision for being a part of something new that seems sexy and big and awesome, only to be lured away taking on jobs that force me to the bottom rung of competency. If we’re clever in assessing our signature contributions, maybe we don’t have to do that every time. Maybe we can still be us, even while we go for broke on our dreams.

And that’s the gamble we’re all invited into. What skills would I dare risk it all on? What about you?

Sidenote: I’m clearly a fan of the show. And as a rookie tech investor, I’ve already reached out to him to see if WeaveWriter could be a sponsor on StartUp and begged him to be a guest on my business of creativity podcast. No response yet. :)

The post Talent or Bust! appeared first on Dane Sanders.

The one technology that will outlive them all

Photo Credit: Βethan via Compfight cc

Anything fragile hates volatility… – Nassim Taleb

One of my favorite insights from Nassim Taleb’s Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder, is the author’s observation that the value of a technology ought not be measured by how clever and new it is. Instead, it’s worth ought to be valued by its ability to withstand (and actually get stronger) in the face of challengers.

What strikes me most is the implication in his suggestion, namely, that if he’s right (and I think he is), not all technologies should be measured equally.

Think about it. Remember a year ago (a week ago?) when you were coveting that new piece of gear or were wowed by the latest social platform or digital wizardry? If you’re having trouble remembering, it’s likely because the thing you were craving has lost almost all its worth… already! If you still don’t believe me, just consider what’s on your current wish list. I’d be willing to bet that within months of acquisition, your excitement will deminish at about the same pace as a new car driven off the lot.

In contrast, consider old technologies that have stood the test of time. I’m thinking of the Eames chair I’m sitting in as I type. Or, better yet, the idea of a chair at all.

My point (or really, Taleb’s point) is that in a world where new stuff is abundant, the greater demand there is for things that are classic and don’t go out of style… ever.

One of the grand daddies of these kinds of technologies is the ability to record thoughts in written form. Writing is one of the most powerful and permanent and uninterruptable technologies that has ever existed. And yet, in an era where there’s so much talk about new and clever ways to distribute one’s written content, there’s relatively little conversation on how to get better with actually writing it.

Reading, writing or arithmetic?

Remember the basics of education as a kid? What I was told growing up was reading, writing and arithmetic were critical skills to learn. All three are actually pretty long-standing technologies in and of themselves and the learning of each (not the practice) I think are all invaluable.

But, if you were asked to choose which carried the greatest objective value in our time, which would you select?

If it were me, I’d quickly disqualify the math function. The neuro-pathways that open up because you’ve learned to think mathmatically is significant for hardcore math-types is awesome but is lost on everyday people like me. Plus, wearable computers and robots are taking care of that skill with such precision and speed, if I had to give up one, that would be it.

In a similar vein, reading is probably second on the list of core skills that are interruptable. In the consumer age, reading is not too different than watching or hearing or experiencing – again all in abundance by technologies that are better, stronger and faster than humans at delivering the goods.

Writing, however, is in a class by itself. In a world of inhale, writing is the one exhale. It requires more of the creative to engage. Unlike the other contenders, it can’t be put into the world without an originator. This kind of particularization may make writing the most human of technologies as well.

Critics of this idea might suggest the same is true of drawing or other expressive pursuits. Perhaps. But, consider photography (my trade of choice)… even the great Henri Cartier-Bresson described making a photograph as little more than expedited drawing. To be fair, this dynamic of speed was one of the reasons why he gave up photography.

In his words, “Photography is an immediate reaction, drawing is a meditation.” Said differently and to the point of what’s being presented here, my sense is he might agree that drawing is a higher form technology with greater value than making a photograph. I’m making a similar case with writing.

Commoditized creativity… everywhere

In a world where so many consumer-level people have become a photographer, videographer, painter, researcher and super-communicator, simply by virtue of having access to a modern smart phone, it can seem intuitive to pursue what’s novel.

Isn’t it fun to chase what’s new, even as the new cannabalises our professions? Yet, the temptation to line up for what Seth Godin has called the “race to the bottom” is real for all of us.

To Taleb’s point, it seems the wise among us are paying disproportionately little attention to older technologies that, right before our eyes, are getting stronger in the face of radical disruption. What’s astonishing is how wide open that race is in contrast to the new. It’s like going in the opposite direction to traffic… at rush hour… in the carpool lane. There’s no one else on the road.

Taleb goes on to suggest that the speed with which a “new” technology moves along the curve from early adopter to obsolete, is getting faster by the day.

In this way, what’s interesting to him isn’t what’s fragile, or even what is resilient. No, his recommendation is to pay attention and invest in the things that get stronger in the face of challengers… to hold in highest regard what he calls the antifragile. Again, I agree.

So, are you saying I should become a writer?

Yes. That is precisely what I am saying. It may be the most shrewd move you might ever make creatively. And, it’s never been easier (and more ignored) than now.

It’s worth noting that I’m saying these things from the perspective of having made photographs professionally for over a decade. I continue in that trade and love it (most of the time).

I’ve also been around long enough to notice that with the abundance of photographic content, the value of “photography” has diminished. I don’t say that as a lament. I see it more neutrally than that. It is more a reflection of an economic phenomenon. With an abundance of supply comes a decrease in demand.

And yet, companies everywhere remain committed to find the right imagery and metaphors to sell their products and express their ideas. They may lean into illustration (think drawing) or hire pro’s to commission a particular work that feels out of reach. But, increasingly, stock photography is sufficient. But whether stock or custom, imagery still seems to make the economic world go around.

But in the midst of all these photo takers, I’m amazed at how many fewer writers there are on the scene. No doubt, there’s plenty of blog content and Medium articles and emails and written words. What I don’t see however are writers: people committed to get creative words out of themselves and out into the world for others to benefit from.

Why Writing Will Never Die

Want job security? Write.

Of course, there are other more cathartic reasons to write. It’s just good for the soul to get your internal world expressed out in the open. It illuminates the interior, most often for good. Even throw away words aren’t really trash. They’re more like exhales, creating fresh space for good things to inhale in their place.

Again, I think Taleb is on to something profound with his exhortation for humans to pursue all things antifragile. It’s what humans were made for. It’s how humanity has survived despite the fragilistas (Taleb’s name… so good) among us. We become stronger when antifragile is our habit. Letting the fragile things go is what wise people do.

That is what the pursuit of writing is about. The technology itself will outlast everything we’re writing about… and that’s a good thing!

Wouldn’t it be great if we put our investments in vehicles that outlived us all? That’s where I’m putting my thoughts and I beg you to consider doing the same. It might be the wisest investment you’ll ever make.

 

PS… Want to start your own writing habit but don’t know where to start? Go here.

The post Writing is the New Black appeared first on Dane Sanders.

Your Life as a Free Agent

Photo Credit: abardwell via Compfight cc

The story LeBron James seems to be weaving

When LeBron James announced his return to the Cleveland Cavaliers this week, he described it as ‘bigger than basketball.’ And, he’s right.

This is a big deal. But, maybe not in the way that you think.

LeBron didn’t just exercise his power as a basketball legend. No, he exercised his power as a human being… to claim responsibility over his life.

What could it look like if more of us did the same?

Sure, his situation is amplified by the fact that he’s the most impressive basketball athlete alive. He’s also the lead free agent in an extraordinary year of free agency in the National Basketball Association. He’s all over Sports Center. He’s the only thing folks from Ohio have been talking about for a week. Maybe, for the last four years.

But, none of that is the point.

Despite the apparent pressure on his shoulders, LeBron James, the human being, made a hard decision and stood by it. I love how broadcaster and former NBA star Jalen Rose put it. For months, he’s been describing LeBron not as a “businessman” but as a “BUSINESS… (long pause) man!”

But the truth is, we all have a chance to be the business… if only we had the guts.

The truth about free agency (hint: we’re all free agents)

We’re all in the business of creativity. We’re all free agents. In this way, King James isn’t so special.

Except he is. Why? Because he takes dominion over his life. He takes responsibility. He knows his signature strengths as well as his constraints and adapts his life as best he knows how in the moment he’s in.

When was the last time you stood up and owned your birthright?

Believe me, I’m asking myself the same question. This is perhaps indictment and invitation for all of us.

The truth about job security (hint: there isn’t any)

I was in a conversation yesterday morning with a client who was talking about how they were afraid to leave their secure job. He was offended when I laughed out loud.

Isn’t the one truth we all know about our circumstances that they will change? So, why would anyone reasonably expect that the appearance of job security would actually be secure?

There is no job security.

And yet, when living out of scarcity and fear, I’m tempted all the time to trade my life away in the hopes that I can feel secure.

Do you think LeBron feels secure? Well, ya, he probably does. He’s got job security, right?!

Only he doesn’t either. Just like you and me, he’s one car wreck… one injury… one bad decision away from radical circumstantial change.

I think that’s why he makes decisions the way he does (four years ago and now). Because he knows he’s always on the clock. Time is ticking and he genuinely seems all-in for making the most of his life.

The truth about pundits (hint: what they think doesn’t matter)

But what about the critics spending endless hours trying to predict the good and bad of your future, speaking as if they actually know them?

Fortune tellers. That’s all they are… except Jalen Rose – he’s pretty smart.

The point: LeBron ignores the critics. Why shouldn’t you?

The truth about what does matter (hint: it’s the story you’re committed to)

What I love most about LeBron’s decision this time around was how poetic it is. He’s Odysseus. He just wants to come home.

Where do you want to come home to? What have you been wanting to come home to for a while now? Don’t you think it might be time?

Your opportunity (and responsibility) to own your life

Here’s the thing: You and I have one shot at this life on earth. Same with LeBron James. He’s stepped up and made a decision. He’s living it out as a free agent.

How free are you living?

As you assess what’s most important to your life today, just for a second, give yourself permission to dream it bigger… to commit it bigger. Go.

If your life were a story you get to write, how will you weave it?

The post LeBron James is Not Alone appeared first on Dane Sanders.

When it comes to upgrading your habits, timing is everything.
Why I love moving (and you should too)



Note: I didn’t actually pack this truck.
Moving Trucks.

I just spent the weekend moving our family from the home we lived in for half a decade to a new place on the other side of town. It wasn’t a little thing either. Nope. It was the whole enchilada. Here’s a synopsis of what I experienced…

Processed the idea of a move with my family for about a year
Found a place that made sense
Packed for weeks
Felt like an awful human consumer for having way too much stuff
Hid from garbage collectors, embarrassed because of how much we threw out
Bragged that because we purged so much that we’d be done moving in half a day
Freaked out that six humans and a dog can’t get moved anywhere in half a day
Hyperventilated when movers arrived late
Mad that I missed about a week’s worth of life because of this move
Discovered I am in the midst of life – all the time – even when I move
Laughed (a lot) with friends showing up to lend a hand
Wondered why the back of such a young man could hurt so much ;)
Noticed I walked 28,991 steps up 50+ flights in one day
Spent another full day just getting the resemblance of a home
Realizing it’ll be 90 days before I really feel in any sort of rhythm again

I can see some of you nodding. You can relate, right? The experience of moving is so common it can feel cliché. But, it was more than that.

It was also a golden moment. Or, at least it could be…

Why humans don’t change much.

Despite the fact that people rarely change very much (especially “balanced” people), the idea of habit change is remarkably popular these days.

That said, there is a rare but universally acknowledged exception to the rule-of-not-changing. It goes like this…

In times of significant life transition, we all have a window of opportunity to do life in a new way.

Think of the phenomenon like this: We all have problems we’re trying to solve in life. Everything from where to get groceries to how to stay active to which coffee shop you hit up on your way to work.

Once we find a basic routine to deal with these very human and often pedestrian dilemmas, many of us tend to settle in. In time, we can become old dogs doing our tricks. We stick with them because they work well enough (at least for the most part).

That all shifts though when we stumble into the unfamiliar.

When faced with the need to find new ways to solve old problems, we become willing to forge unfamiliar paths. And it just happens to turn out that the most predictable milestones that invite unfamiliar routines are things like…

Getting married
Having a kid (or)
Moving to a new part of town

When we change our context like that, we’re open to finding new rhythms, at least for a little while. Once the new rhythms get routine, they tend to harden up.

In case you’re wondering, this phenomenon isn’t lost on marketers. Why do you think you got bombarded with Lowe’s and Target coupons the last time you changed your address at the Post Office?

Companies can be so welcoming!

They’re looking to hit us up when the clay is squishy. And, they know there’s a window where things will be less flexible and folks like me will soon be more out of reach.

Fertile Ground.

What I love about this dynamic is it can work in the other direction too. Transitional moments aren’t just about what companies out there can do to me.

It’s also an opportunity for me to hit myself up in fresh and intentional ways.

Want to take on a new exercise regimen?
Eager to reset my eating habits?
Curious what a new daily method could look like if you could wave a magic wand?

Now’s your chance.

In my particular case, the problem is I’m exhausted. My hands feel swollen from lifting heavy boxes. I feel entitled to not do the extra stuff that make a difference for new habits to develop. I want to just kind of sleepwalk for a while… or just sleep.

The window is closing.

But, then I remember what I’m in the middle of. The window is closing. 90 days from now, my new normal will be, well, normal and I’ll be less apt to shift.

The irony is if I really want to change, going all-in right now is what will give me my best (and maybe only) shot.

When I really think about it though, “moving” itself might just be a construct. Can’t I take any 90 day window and decide “I just moved” or “had a baby” or “got married” and mix it up? If the window is closing, why can’t I just open up another new window and go again?

What it comes down to for me is whether I want this thing enough to turn my world upside down… right now. I wonder if this is the real gift of making a move.

The post It’s 10:31pm and I Can’t Find My Underwear appeared first on Dane Sanders.

Medium just published the following piece on how the death of photography as we knew it might be the best news your inner creative ever heard. I hope you find it helpful…

The Elephant in the Room

The post Photography is dead… long live the creative! appeared first on Dane Sanders.

How the new Tonight Show host is reinventing late night while showing us all how to own our entrepreneurial space.

In his first week as the host of The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon did what he always does: He delivered the goods.

Many pundits believed that the entire genre of late night talk shows had run its course. The golden age of Johnny Carson and Jay Leno and David Letterman had come and gone. We were in a perpetual farewell tour.

Sure, there are some funny guys still going strong. Conan is hilarious. Kimmel kills. I remember in college when I would set my alarm every morning just to wake up to Jimmy doing the morning sports on KROQ. The new school of late night is amazing.

But, the reason why Jimmy Fallon is the Sidney Crosby of late night is because he’s taking an old game and making it his own.

Those other amazing entertainers are great. But, they’re playing the same old game. As the new host demonstrated in his inaugural week, he took his unique signature and tatooed it on late night.

We shouldn’t be comparing Fallon to Carson. We should be thanking Lorne Michaels! The Tonight Show is like watching Saturday Night Live, every night of the week. Why? Because that is what Fallon has been cultivating his entire career. The man is reaping what he’s sown.

And, my gut tells me he’s just getting started.

How did Jimmy do it?

Years before the changing of the guard at the Tonight show began (again), Fallon had been developing and honing his comedic style; the substance of which is reinventing the talk show genre before our very eyes.

But, he wasn’t just practiced in creating his amazing, often collaborative, content.

Fallon is way more entrepreneurial than that.

He’s been practicing for this moment. In fact, I say it was a pre-ordained set-up! This thing has been in the making for years. On his opening night monologue, Fallon mentions that he didn’t know how he got to his esteemed position. And, in a sense, I believe him.

He doesn’t need to know how he got there. He wasn’t concerning himself with that. Instead, he concerned himself with creating amazing stuff, every chance he got.

That’s what the new pre-ordained looks like:

Make first.
Refine until awesome.
Make some more.
Patiently trust the outcome to take care of itself.

What if it really was that simple?

The reason I’m so excited is because we’re witnessing the equivalent of what the iPhone did to our flip phones. Apple didn’t just create a better communication device. They offered a signature contribution that reinvented what a phone even meant.

But, beyond the innovator’s solution, I also don’t want to miss the good news for mere mortals like you and me.

Way beyond the disruption that Fallon is bringing to late night, he’s also demonstrating to all of us what’s possible when we make the habit of creating our best work our best primary offering to the world.

What Jimmy Fallon does best is he takes his body of work… and puts it to work! It’s what Brian Clark calls a media first mindset. By leading with his stuff, the form plays second fiddle to the content while he puts himself in the best possible position to rule his space. It’s not about clever sketches. Nobody can beat that signature content because he’s the only one who can sign his work that way.

And, the best news of all is you and I can do the same if we’re willing to do the work to put ourselves in a similar position.

Is it sustainable?

The only real concern anyone can lob on Fallon right now is more a query than grenade: Can he sustain this level of quality into the future?

It’s an understandable question. But, it fails to notice that this isn’t a new initiative he’s offering.

Look in the opposite direction and the answer becomes obvious.

Jimmy Fallon has been doing this for years! This is more culmination than inauguration. If he’s been doing it from SNL until now, why shouldn’t we expect him to keep on trucking?

What about you?

The big lesson to learn from Fallon is the same lesson friends like Seth Godin have been saying for years… If you want to reinvent, start yesterday.

Let’s pretend you are your habits for a second. Of course, you’re more than that, but let’s start there. If you have the habit of doing the hard work of becoming first, you will live into a legacy you didn’t think was possible.

That’s what Fallon is showing us. It’s an invitation for us to go and do likewise. And, if Fallon’s life so far is any indicator, being the real article looks pretty fun too.

A few more things…

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The post Why Jimmy Fallon is Best in Show appeared first on Dane Sanders.