I’m reading Cal Newport’s So Good They Can’t Ignore You, and I keep seeing his argument play out in real time at work. Newport says rare and valuable skills — career capital — are what give you leverage. The craftsman builds that capital through reps, not passion. Show up, get deep, get good. The leverage … Continue reading The Craftsman and the Machine
Tag: goals
The Challenge From My Son
My son was a couple of days into a 30-day ab challenge when he invited me to join him — and that’s not the kind of invitation you turn down. So I jumped in. And then, because apparently I can’t leave well enough alone, I extended it to 60 days. He got me started. That’s … Continue reading The Challenge From My Son
Fifteen Years Later
I ran across something I wrote in 2011 about Donald Miller’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. The idea that stuck with me then was simple: a character doesn’t change unless they go through hard times and conflict. Without it, the character stays one-dimensional. I used Braveheart as my example. I’ve always loved that … Continue reading Fifteen Years Later
Evidence of Creativity
Assessment Week 2 — Day 2 | The 7-40 Challenge Some people would try to tell you that creativity is hard. That only certain people are creative, and only at certain times. Like creativity is this mystical thing sitting just beyond a veil — and that veil only opens for the fortunate few who know … Continue reading Evidence of Creativity
Cover Band
Day 79 | The 7-40 Challenge I’m about to open a piece about not playing covers with a cover. I know. Stay with me. Todd Henry makes a distinction between cover bands and original artists. A cover band can be really good — fill a room, play the songs people love, make decent money on … Continue reading Cover Band
David Willis 