Entering the Promised Land
All of my endeavors seem to have started the same way:
I had an idea.
Took a risk to see if it would work.
Experienced a miracle.
Pursued it in earnest.
Fell flat on my face.
God gives me the conviction to pursue something, even performs a small miracle to confirm it...
But then year two is a bust, and I have to build the thing with my blood, sweat, and tears.
I kid you not. Same thing every time.
The other day, I was reading Joshua 3 where God tells him to enter the promised land. He even performs a miracle to confirm it.* But then the Israelites are tasked with defeating all the enemies who are occupying the land.
Same story.
I’m also reading Make No Small Plans* by the founders of Summit Series, one of the most revolutionary business communities that’s emerged in a long time.
The book recounts their breakthroughs and setbacks on the path to building an influential company.
It was the same story. Big amazing breakthrough, followed by a devastating dose of reality.
In each one of these cases, the solution to hitting a brick wall was NOT to quit. It wasn’t to backtrack. It was to dream bigger. To go for the better thing.
Turns out, we’re not wrong.
We’re just dreaming too small.
What Your Signature Says About You
I confess I’m a signature snob.
I can feel my personal identity flowing through my fingertips as I make the bold “B” at the beginning of my name, spell out the subsequent letters like the ripples on lake water, and conclude with a dramatic “T.”
Each time, it feels like I’m leaving a piece of myself on the page. It’s a shame no one wants my autograph. =)
But hey, there’s actually a science behind the signature. How you write your name says a lot about you.
(Check out Picasso’s signature, my favorite.)
Stop Selling Trombone Oil
Bob Iger recently stepped down after 15 years as the CEO of Disney after revolutionizing the company. He purchased Star Wars, created the company’s streaming business, and basically set it up for world domination.
In his autobiography, The Ride of a Lifetime,* he shared this amazing quote from one of his mentors:
Avoid getting into the business of manufacturing trombone oil. You may become the greatest trombone-oil manufacturer in the world, but in the end, the world only consumes a few quarts of trombone oil a year.
It doesn’t matter how great your idea is if your audience is too small. Dream big dreams for big communities.
Reach the world, not a niche.
We’ve filled all the spots at our Weekend in the Woods* on June 3-5, but I’m not beyond being bribed or lobbied.
Bonus Musings
Celebrification: Anna Wintour took Vogue to a whole new level when she started putting celebrities on the covers rather than models.
Marriagemorphosis: If you stay married to your spouse for 20 years or longer, you will have several marriages... to the same person.
Honestification: They’re only skinny jeans if you are.
Experimentation: It’s okay to try a whole bunch of things to see what works. Nobody remembers the things that failed anyway.
Friendification: Your friends are not the best customers. Grieve it and get over it so you can get onto your true customers.