Month: March 2020

One of the best ways to spread the word for Pivot Adventure is through direct email marketing with the schools.

With each school district, we usually average about 500 hits on our website with each blast.

One time, however, we put the actual price of the course on the flyer and only had 50 hits.

Why?

Because the story people told themselves about money and mental health treatment doesn’t match.

It’s worth noting that price is a story. And you might need other pieces of the story before you talk about price.

Ever miss a deadline and now the person on the other end you were counting on isn’t answering your phone calls or emails?

The problem isn’t that this person isn’t available to assist you. The problem is that you are out of time and they are now your only option.

It’s important to remember that everyone has a different timetable than you. Lack of preparation on your part doesn’t constitute an emergency on theirs.

It’s worth repeating for our own selves.

It also stands as a reminder for that person who just cut us off, or the teenager who breaks a promise, or for anyone who just gets under our skin…

Although we don’t always believe it, the world is far better for having you in it. And the same for the others.

Because each of us has the capacity and the opportunity to make things better.

“When you’re 60, you’re old. When you’re 70, you’re old. When you’re 80, you’re old. When you’re 90, you’re old. When are you old? I don’t know. At some point in time, I began to take seriously that I wasn’t going to be here. And I couldn’t sell the company.” – Bob Moore

That is an artist. Right there. As one of the largest natural food exporters in the world, Bob could have sold the company for an obscene amount of money. But he didn’t.

Because in the end, would it had mattered?

Did it matter to have another zero in the bank account?

He chose to share this journey with others who also believed in the mission. To provide good food for people. And that is why he will be remembered. Because he chose to be generous with his work. He shared it. We benefited. And now his legacy gets to continue since he gave the company away to his team.

That’s what Linchpins do.

When is the last time you looked someone in the eye?

Nathan Dvir did a great piece of commuters finding new ways to avoid each other on a New York subway station.

As he points out, no one is making eye contact with each other.

Why?

There’s a combination of things at work.

Culturally, we have found it acceptable to keep out of other people’s business. It’s almost weird now for someone to make small talk with us. Or maybe there is something more hierarchical going on? Maybe I’m just a low person on the totem pole. As always, status plays a role here.

I also think that when we avoid eye contact, we make it is easier to hide. To hide from the shame of not feeling good enough. We can also distract this narrative for a brief moment when we become lost in our digital world. This makes me think, deep down we just don’t think our lives are that interesting anymore.

Why should we talk to anyone? I’m just Josh from California.

Are we that worried about what others think of us?

We work so hard to avoid exposure. When the truth is, that is what we are all desperately craving. For someone to see us. To lean into someone and hope they will catch us.

There is an unlimited amount of things we can pursue.

Sex, money, power, status…

Or perhaps opportunity, generosity, equality, art…

Where you look is where you go.

Bad habits are easier to feed when we are alone.

When no one is around to check in on us, it’s easy to convince ourselves that one more marshmallow isn’t so bad.

“One more time won’t hurt.”

“This is the last one.”

“No one cares about me anyway.”

Fortunately, the opposite is true too.

You can reinforce good habits with more people around to support you.

Accountability only works with others.

The million-dollar question.

Of course, we don’t know if the idea you have worked or not. That’s why it’s just an idea.

Look, you probably been living a life of surety at this point. You’ve chosen a school, a field of study, a career…all because you thought it was likely to work. (Or maybe it was just the first thing to come along.)

Perhaps, now is the time to take a leap. To dare. To have guts. To do something that might not work.

The person who fails the most wins.

Waiting for lab results.

Waiting for test scores.

Waiting to heal.

Waiting in line at the DMV.

Waiting is the best opportunity to be doing something else. Waiting might be the time to be doing something important.

In reality, you’re not actually waiting. You’re either working or your not.

Life is full of moments of waiting. What you do while you wait makes a big difference in what you produce.

When people are asked what they need. In general, they will respond to what they face every day.

But what if we are facing something new?

Pandemics are not a new thing in terms of human history. But they may be new to us specifically. After all, it’s possible (I repeat possible but not likely) to have lived through the 1918 Spanish Flu and never heard about it.

Today, you can’t turn on your phone without hearing about COVID-19 which means it is much easier to spread misinformation and to amplify our fears than ever before.

Here is an excellent post from A Learning A Day on the subject. Reading the hard numbers is better than seeing another case popping up in your feed. 

Cultivation theory is very real and the social media world is going to show it’s nasty head over the next several months. It’s also worth reminding everyone: Still, be prepared. Perhaps, the US will shut down for a couple weeks. Are you ready for that? The unknown is what terrifies us. But if you are reading this, chances are you are much more likely to be killed driving to work today.