“Many are asking what it’ll take for people in power to wake up. But let’s be clear – they’re already awake. They know exactly what they’re doing. They know exactly what priceless values they’re sacrificing to maintain business as usual.”
Greta Thunberg at COP26
Song: Sun and Shine by HIRIE
Article: New Problems, old problems by Seth Godin
Thought: Ghostbusters is almost 40 years old and still an amazing movie, why? It’s creative. It’s original. It’s fun. The characters are memorable and the story feels familiar: A hero with a problem (Dr. Venkman and Co. aren’t respected), meets a guide (Dana) with a plan (take care of the ghost in my house and city), defeat the villain (Zuul and other ghosts) and transform yourself for the better (Heroes of NYC). Most of the dialogue was unscripted (e.g., don’t cross the streams) because of the quality of the artists. It’s a movie with masterclass in acting, comedy and storytelling. It works 40 years later because it hadn’t been tried before. What risk am I taking in my work that isn’t just a carbon copy of the last thing made?
There are many ways to try something new or pick a different path than the tried and true. All involve more time and almost always more risk. But the rewards are worth the risk. You may not get the answer you expect but you always learn something along the way.
And look what happened when they did cross the streams…they saved the world! 🙃 Innovation favors the bold.
Thanks for the reminder and encouragement of risk taking and thinking big. I’m relatively risk averse. I’ve realized that taking a risk is actually a skill, and that skill needs to be worked on incrementally… like any other skill you want to improve.
Dream big and set goals, but if you don’t have to take risks to reach that dream, it’s not big enough.
Good stuff, as usual, Steve!