We put a lot of work into achieving our goals and getting ourselves to where we want to be, whether in our relationships, our ventures or our careers.
All in Life
"Your Ideas Have All Been Stolen Already"
There are a number of writers and thinkers I look to on a regular basis for ideas, inspiration and insight, and Seth Godin is one of them. For many years, now, he has upended my view of what is important, what we should value and what we should focus on. It was his writing that got me started with my own blog.
Don't Stop Playing...
Isn't that the truth?
Lets not lose our minds in the race to maturity, responsibility and so-called growth.
How You Treat Servers Says A Lot About You
Years ago, I remember reading that if you want to tell how good or trustworthy a person is, you should observe how they treat waiters and waitresses.
Anyone who is nice to you, but not nice to their servers, is not fundamentally a good person.
Mentor Yourself First
In my old firm, we had a mentorship system whereby every individual was assigned a mentor at least one, if not two, levels up from their position. The role of the mentor was not just to provide day to day counsel but also to help guide the development of their mentees, and represent them during the performance appraisal process.
Honesty, Simplicity and Emotion: Remembering Tom Petty
Tom Petty wasn't the best guitarist on the music scene. He didn't have the most diverse musical repertoire, in terms of styles. And he was never the biggest rock star - certainly not at the level of, say, Springsteen, or Bono.
Stuff I Can't Understand When I Travel...
...Such as the Double Car Keyring I get at most car rental agencies.
Business IS Personal...
I've never bought the premise that we "shouldn't take it personally, it's just business".
What it suggests is that we are detached from what we do. That we conduct our work devoid of any emotion. That, on any given day, we engage in our work dispassionately.
How United Airlines Kept Me Humble
There's always going to be a time when schedules don't work, and you have to take an airline you don't normally fly.
We Are Deluded By Inspiration
All too often, we're paralyzed by this delusion that is inspiration. We harbor grand ambitions, our dreams to 'be' what we aspire to be. But our movement towards those goals remains stalled, as we wait. For inspiration. For motivation. For some exogenous force to provide us with the impetus to change, act and transform.
"Stranger Things" and When Lawyers Do Creativity Right
If you love SciFi, the 80's, great stories or all of the above, then Stranger Things needs to be on your list of TV shows to watch. (You'll need a Netflix account.) It's been such a hit that a couple of of guys here in Chicago decided to launch a pop up bar in the Logan Square neighborhood. By many accounts, the bar has been a hit.
"You Can’t Be What You Can’t See" - The Changing Views of Women in Stock Images
The New York Times published a really interesting article last week on the evolving depictions of women in stock photos. It showed the most popular (top selling in terms of downloads) images from 2007 through to 2016, and illustrated how the nature of the top images have changed...
Memories of Shanghai Tang
In 1994, Hong Kong businessman and socialite, David Tang, opened a designer boutique on Pedder street in Hong Kong. Shanghai Tang, as I remember it, was startling in its style, its sophistication, its message. It represented a fusion between traditional Chinese style and Western chic.
Scarlett Offers Us Some Practical Advice
I don't typically expect practical life advice from popular films but every once in a while, I'm surprised. I was watching "Ghost In The Shell" on a transatlantic flight yesterday and two of the main characters (Scarlett Johansson and Juliette Binoche) both said (at different points in the film) something profound.
We Should Argue...
We should argue.
Seriously.
We should argue.
So long as it's about the content. So long as our intent is positive. So long as we're...
Good is Contextual (or "Get Over Yourself")
If you went to Mick Jagger and asked him to conduct specific analyses using a spreadsheet, and he wasn't able to do what was needed, wouldn't you say he isn't very smart? Or let's say you knew Warren Buffett and required him to produce a logo for one of his portfolio companies, but he wasn't able to...
Classical Music Will Not Save Your Soul
Several years ago, I watched an interview with a world famous classical violinist. The host of the prime time talk show asked the violinist (and I'm paraphrasing), "Why aren't there any famous composers like Mozart and Beethoven these days? Why aren't there any great new pieces that we hear about these days?"
The Murakami Series: The Intersection of Art and Commerce
Today is the final day of my week long series featuring the works of Takashi Murakami.
I hope you've enjoyed this week long series.
The Murakami Series: Creating Art-Creativity, Process, Organization and Commercialism
Today is Day 3 of my week long series featuring the works of Takashi Murakami.
As I've mentioned, through September 24th, 2017, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago is holding an exhibition of the work of Takashi Murakami called "The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg".
The Murakami Series: The Search For Madness
Today is Day 2 of my week long series featuring the works of Takashi Murakami.
If you, like me, believe that there is an art to business, to our careers and to our lives, then I think you'll find this series (along with the quotes and excerpts I've included) especially interesting.