Merry Christmas!

It has been a wild ride this year for all of us. So, instead of a card, I decided that celebrating the fact that I can play again would be the best way for me to share my gratitude for family and friends at this time of year.

Enjoy! 

Best,

CB

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Entitlement vs. Gratitude

For most of us, our expectations about what life will bring us are formed in childhood. If you show up in youth sports, you get a trophy. If you pick the correct multiple-choice questions, you will get a good grade. If you behave in a particular way, you will get the desired result. Well-meaning adults unconsciously fill children with these thoughts throughout their lives. 

To paraphrase TV psychologist Dr. Phil: “how’s that working for you?”

The truth is no one is guaranteed anything in life. Just because you “desire something” doesn’t mean you are “entitled” to have it regardless of the how often this idea is reinforced.

Does this prepare you for the inevitable rejection you will encounter in life?

Holding on to conditioned responses will be like having an invisible anchor around your neck. Your view will be skewed unknowingly affecting your performance. 

We can only put forth the best work we can do at the time. We cannot control the outcome. So why do we let our expectations get in the way?

"Give without expectation - be grateful for the result"- Quincy Jones

You’ve done your best. The outcome is out of your hands.  You have little choice but to accept the result or become defensive, bitter or worse which will have negative consequences.

If you fail to receive the reward you feel “entitled” to it is time to go back to the mirror and ask yourself: "was there anything else I could have done?  How can I improve my  performance?

Focus on creating joy - not wealth.

Joy will come from the act of doing, the value you create- not in what you will receive in return.

Joy is contagious. Joy is attractive. It is easy to say yes to joy. 

Process vs. One and Done

Sure. We would all love to win the lottery. Becoming an instant millionaire is certainly seductive especially for those who love a game of chance (odds of winning the Mega Millions Jackpot is 1 in 258,890,850). But would you stake your life on those types of odds?  Would you be prepared for the unintended consequences that a windfall brings?

A vast majority of us succumb to the notion that “if I only had more” then life would be less stressful. In a sense we buy in to the idea that “grabbing the brass ring” is our only way out- our sole ticket to success. Too many times those who are lucky enough to win the lottery are unprepared for what comes next....sometimes squandering their winnings and ending up right back where they started.

Learning to grow

A farmer learns patience because he is a supporter of a process rather than being in control. Seeds are planted in the spring. He nurtures the crop through the year. Along the way he cannot “game the system” or speed it up. He has to allow the process to evolve...one step at a time. In addition he has to accept and be content with what he has control over and what he does not. If he does his job well there will most likely be a crop ready for harvest in the fall. 

And, because they understand the process they can focus their attention on inadvertent events that may sabotage the outcome (weather, disease, resources). Their livelihood is dependent upon being prepared for any unforeseen challenge or situation.

Incremental Success

Steve Jobs is an interesting example. Apple Inc. was famously founded in a garage with an initial order of just 500 hand built computers. The most important part of the Apple story was Jobs was aware of the opportunity that existed and was able to take advantage of it. His view was on the horizon- beyond what was physically before him at the time. Apple then dealt with each challenge as it presented itself to incrementally build Apple into the company it is today. 

If you want to reach any objective define your goal and create a strategy that will enable you to achieve your goal. 

Then- it is up to you to tend the fields and keep your eyes open.

Monday Musings: Scarcity vs. Abundance-Have we been duped?

Have we all been duped?

A component of 20th century business was the idea that scarcity could be manipulated and controlled. We were also systematically conditioned to respond to cost thus creating artificial  vs. organic value. Prices would rise if the consumer believed that fewer “copies” of that item they desired were available. In some cases this is true. Precious metals such as gold, platinum, silver are finite resources but the people who profit in the entertainment industry are the ones who control access to the item we desire rather than the creator of the product. 

The business of art is nothing more than selling a receptacle (painting, record, photo, movie) that enables the user to trigger their emotional memory. Great art will continue to engender an emotional response not because of the package it comes in...but from the emotional intent captured at the moment of creation.

Where does the desire for art come from? 

With billions of people on the planet it is safe to say that human emotion and our need to be connected is abundant . But the packaging created by a business to expose and create artificial scarcity is not. Good art (packaging) will capture your attention. Great art makes you feel.

Art as a product (a CD, DVD or painting) is physical but its value is derived from the emotion created by engaging with the art. And, the ultimate judge of the value is the user of the art....not the packager of the art. In social media one metric of value is determined by how often a piece of art (or content) is shared which suggests that art is a container of emotional value that is then transmitted from one to another. Sharing online has nothing to do with ownership. It has to do with our inherent human desire to feel connected. Social media platforms monetize access not ownership or distribution of a physical product. Value is judged by the experience created.

The challenge for the artist is not to create the flashiest physical container for their work. The challenge for the artist is to create value in the form of an experience that undeniably taps into the abundant nature of human emotion. People will do the rest...you need not be overly concerned about it.

The basic question for the artist is “where is the value? Packaging or emotion?”

You  be the judge.