There is no magic crystal ball telling us what is coming next.
Therefore, by default, you move as the wind pushes us.
Unless you decide to paddle upstream.
But you can’t do this forever either.
After a while, you will discover restlessness that comes from the world pushing you into a box.
If you are ready to push back, now is the time.
It is your turn.
If you were to guess what were your chances of being robbed the last 10 years?
The answer: About 1.2%.
The average guess was, however, 14.5%.
Crime isn’t rising, we just think it is.
And that is the power of media.
It amplifies a voice in our head that the world is in constant turmoil and is on the brink of destruction.
How does this effect our voting or how we give someone the benefit of the doubt? How does this change our posture?
Ignore the loon noises.
We confuse the two all the time.
Debates are trying to leverage the knowledge we have and convince the other party to see what we see.
Dialogues, on the other hand, are explaining why we see things as they are.
Debates are tribal. They are about exercising status. Some debates use tactics like talking over someone or excessive handshakes. Debates take place in an arena. They use facts to combat.
Dialogues require empathy, understanding, resisting the need to push your point across. Dialogues are about exploring. Reevaluating positions to change our minds. When you combine your light and knowledge with mine, the light in the room grows brighter.
Every debate and dialogue must have an axiom, an assumption to move forward. The problem is that most of our assumptions are wrong.
Past performance means nothing for the future.
The bottom line: It isn’t difficult to find the answers anymore. (Thank you Google.) The challenge is finding the right questions.
Is an ancient Zulu greeting that means “I see you.”
Not just the clothes you’re wearing or the style of your hair or the color of your skin but also your hopes, your dreams, your history, your choices, your fears, your doubts, your potential…
I see you.
This last year, we launched our first ever Resiliency Course. The success is beyond what we could ever imagine. We have just finished our 10th class and students are reporting an increase in connectedness, happiness, perseverance, optimism and engagement.
It has been a privilege to serve so many students and their families. To do something that hasn’t ever been done before–to break the therapy model and provide mental health opportunities for teens in need that can’t afford it. And while we have challenged you to not hide from the greatness that is in you, you have also challenged us to do the same.
That is why we are excited to announce that after many months of work, Pivot Adventure is now officially a Nonprofit.
This door is going to help us reach more teens and families in need, open new adventure programs, more scholarship opportunities, and hopefully, someday build a facility/refuge for teens.
There is still plenty of work to do. The number one cause of death for teens in Utah is suicide. Every passing moment is a chance to turn it all around though. We can’t do this without you. We need you.
For those going through the unimaginable, hang on. We see you. We are coming.
Sawubona.
Saturday Night Live doesn’t start on Sunday night.
The writers don’t ask their audience to wait another night in order to be better prepared.
No, it’s Saturday night, and so, the show goes on. Regardless if it is perfect or not.
The deadline for the this blog is tomorrow. Not next week. That deadline forces me to do my best work within the time constraints given.
It’s a practice.
Practice leads to more art. Art leads to more practice.
Perhaps our most precious resource.
Every day the clock starts over again for everyone.
So, how do you choose to spend it.
If you are saying Yes to this, what are choosing to say No to?
How we spend our time determines how progress is made.
The significant consequences when we misuse our time is that we become more frustrated when things are not working out the way we think they should.
This is why there is public outrage for a vaccine or social justice, we already knew this was a problem, the data was staring right at us.
Why don’t we invest in solving problems sooner?
Back to time. While each of us is given a fresh 24-hours, we are also focused on the now. Spending it in discomfort isn’t exactly something we typically throw ourselves into.
When we wait, we hope problems will become someone else’s tomorrow.
A trap. A dangerous one at that.
Note: There’s four months left in the year. You can easily put 2 hours per day, stringing together 500 hours of practice before 2021. Plenty of time to learn a new skill.
It turns out in order to sell out Vivint Smart Home Arena, you need to fill it with 18,306 people.
Not 18,307 or a million. 18,306 people that are willing to come see your performance.
By contrast, if you wanted to fill Great Saltair, you need 4,600 fans.
The point is, that even the biggest names have a max capacity.
Because they are not for everyone, they are for someone. Including you. Which means…
Don’t worry about the size of the venue, worry about making a difference. Take the audience you have and make something for them that is worth sharing with their friends.
Much easier than trying to stand on the street corner and shout from the top of your lungs.
Makes something that brings status and that creates scarcity. Solve an interesting problem for those you seek to serve. Do it in a generous way.
Drip by drip.
The reason why we complain about the heat isn’t that we are uncomfortable, it’s because there is nothing we can do to change it.
We can’t ask the sun to turn down the temperature.
The thing is, we tend to complain about things that are out of our control. Because…
Our time, energy, attention are all finite resources. Because inconvenience and being uncomfortable brings tension that can’t be resolved.
The best answer I can give is to wear some sunscreen, find some shade and continue to do your work.
Your time isn’t being well spent complaining about things you can’t change. And with things you can, they need your attention.
When hearing someone else’s story it’s tempting to think how does this pertain to me?
How does this information fit my worldview?
The alternative is, we simply listen.
Take good notes, ignore the internal narrative, resist the incessant need to think of the next thing to say…
When we draw a bigger box, our ability to lead grows.
As the Stockdale Paradox says:
The optimists. Oh, they were the ones who said, ‘We’re going to be out by Christmas.’ And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they’d say, ‘We’re going to be out by Easter.’ And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart. This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end–-which you can never afford to lose–-with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.
Sound familiar?
“If we just get to November…” or “When we get a vaccine…” or “When unemployment check comes…”
Look, there are many people who are hurting right now and so many that have died from this tragedy.
I’m an optimist and I have no doubt that the generous voices of the world will eventually prevail.
And
I’m happier when I put power into the narrative that this story is not over and I know in the end I will prevail; rather than surrendering my happiness into someone else’s hands.
Josh Allred's Blog 