This is a phrase I hear today about our work at The Youth Cartel. It’s a compliment. I say thank you. But I hear it so much– usually 3-4 times per day in one form or another — that I’m not even sure what it means anymore.
I just know it’s a whole lot better than, “So, have you thought about looking for a job?” Yep, I heard that a couple times per week when I had another job. No one has said that to me in a long time. And for that I’m grateful.
One of the things I’ve been learning is that I simply cannot work all of the time.
I have to play. Beyond the concept of Sabbath, which is ultimately about trust that God will provide 7 days of sustenance for 6 days of work, the discipline of play (recreation) is the secret ingredient to creation. (In my world, my creativity is a commodity.)
Therefore, you can’t have creation without recreation.
Thoughts?
p.s. This is my first test video with the GoPro Hero 3. First impressions? Wow!
As I was watching this video I couldn’t help but think… how did this happen?
By “this” I guess I mean…
Every day I’m learning new things, new techniques, new ways of doing something, new ways to connect vision to reality.
Today I’ll build a website for The Summit, an event that Marko and I created last year to help youth workers dream about advancing their ministry in new ways.
Tomorrow I’ll finalize the interior layout for Every Picture Tells a Story, 2013 edition.
Everything about those two sentences are outside of my formal training.
I went to school to be a youth pastor, not a web developer.
I studied biblical theology, not the psychology of typography.
I was taught how to plan small events and retreats, not conferences.
I went to a school that taught the fundamentals of youth ministry, not advancing anything in new ways.
My education taught me a lot about books, reading them and not designing them. Much less taking them to market.
What the point?
Your knowledge, experience, skills, and aptitude are preparing you for something new.
This perspective has taught me that what I know got me here but what I’ll learn today will get me there tomorrow, closer to my ultimate goals.
An acquisition, or an aqui-hire, is always a failure. Either the founders failed to achieve their goal, or – far likelier – they failed to dream big enough. The proper ambition for a tech entrepreneur should be to join the ranks of the great tech companies, or, at least, to create a profitable, independent company beloved by employees, customers, and shareholders.
Creating an endearing brand and cashing out is a dream for a lot of people. You read Forbes or see rich people on TV and you get sucked into the dream… “All I have to do is create something people love, make it profitable, sell it to a conglomerate, and retire.”
These questions have stopped me from attending conferences and seminars. Really it is simple… If I have to give a day or two to anything it better be worth my time. And if its going to cost me a bunch of money? Too risky.
If chasing dreams is the folly of youth I want to be forever young.
I’m chasing some dreams right now. I’m unashamed about it. For too long I sat on them, taking little action in their pursuit or even allowing myself the mental capacity to dream about these dreams.
Perhaps I was convinced they weren’t worth chasing? Or perhaps I lacked the wisdom, skills, knowledge, or intestinal fortitude? Or– worse yet, perhaps I was convinced that dreams that I had wouldn’t make a difference and were therefore meaningless to pursue?
The Creative Class is a socioeconomic class that economist and social scientist Richard Florida, a professor and head of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, identifies as a key driving force for economic development of post-industrial cities in the United States.
“I wish I were as creative as you.” I hear that regularly from people who don’t think they can be creative. And they would never consider themselves “a creative.”
A flywheel is a rotating mechanical device that is used to store rotational energy.
Want to see change? Don’t start a church. Don’t start a business. Don’t hire a bunch of experts.
Those things are great. But they are a bit finite in their ability to affect macro-level-change in society.
Instead, start a movement of people.
And if you really want to see change, start a sustainable movement. As in, something that’ll go beyond you, outpace you, and grow bigger than you can imagine.
A sustainable movement starts with you and grows a life of its own.
It is possible. It is within your skill set. And it just might be what God wants you to do.
Sitting at a stop light.
