A random event, added to the snowball

It’s wild to me how much of who we are is beyond our control, and has nothing to do with choice. So much so that we recategorize the specifics of our lives as the things that makes us who we are.

But they aren’t.

I am not a fan of a team, a person who likes a certain thing, etc etc etc. These are not immutable things, and we are not carved from stone.

Choices that become the customization of our personality and perspective are the result of a context we had no bearing on when we arrived.

We like to think of ourselves as somehow immune to the same trappings of context and subjectivity that govern the rest of these humans walking around this planet. These specifics, how the snowball amasses, is up to us. Push it a slightly different way and the next batch of snow that makes the ball bigger is a whole new reality.

No matter how much we attach ourselves to these choices, these cosmetic preferences, there’s value in remembering that flip flopping is just a stupid term written by political strategists.

If we look beyond the surface, beyond these simple choices of little real importance, we could probably come together a lot more.

Loving what you do......

…. is an incredible differentiator.

Mint Mobile

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8GB a month, 5G, $260 all in with taxes for 12 months.

Can't shake a stick at that. Especially when you're running a small business!

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Chain employees to desks at your own peril.

I love that in 2021 we can build an international team of professional, diverse adults who handle business, need no hand-holding, and help us build great projects with targeted expertise.

Currently the IPaintMyMind Team includes folks in Bangladesh, Portugal, Canada, Ohio, Minnesota, UK, and of course, Chicago.

Real professionals don't need to be watched to do great work. In fact, they are more productive, thoughtful, and responsible when you give them space to create their own workflow for contributing optimally. Chain employees to desks at your own peril.

If Covid-19 taught us anything, it's that employment isn't about attendance.

It's about great work.

Reverse engineering our stories

There are two ways we can reverse engineer our stories.

1) Professionally - We can build out our story intentionally so that it clearly speaks to the person we serve, the problem we solve, and solution we propose. This is great because it gives us a chance to really focus on delivering value to the community we’re helping.

2) Personally - it’s a little more slippery. Is the story we’ve built a way to preserve the fact that we haven’t embarked upon the voyage of taking on the harder work we know lies between us and a better version? Only we know.

Or can our story be a little more blunt, real and helpful?

I don’t know if there is any solving for the way in which we are able to cognitively jump ahead. It both helps us tidy things up and makes for a practical excuse.

Who have been our guides? What have we learned along the way?

And how does this bird’s eye view of our story provide the altitude to get it right?

Yea, but how are you going to fund it?

When do-gooders envision a future in which the problem they’re passionate about is solved, we begin to move in the right direction.

And there are plenty of problems to solve, so we’d better get to it.

But let’s notice that when people talk about these visions of better futures, there’s a singular focus on the problem. Education, food insecurity, and access to healthcare, just to name a few.

Usually some personal experience opens our heart up to a problem that now feels more proximate, and we’re inspired to help out. The thing is, the process I’ve described happens every day, on its own. For millions of us.

The part I’m more focused on is how we think about funding the solutions to the problems we’ve identified.

We know our WHY, what we need is better systems-thinking around the HOW.

Markets tell us that products and services are how value is delivered. That means you better have one or the other, otherwise it’ll be hard to understand why you’re involved. Especially as a nonprofit.

So why don’t we give HOW a try?

The WHY will get people onboard, the HOW will take us there.

flow + service = purpose

being in the thing + helping others = meaning ……

5 Nasty Nonprofit Myths

1. Nonprofits can’t sell products & services.

2. Nonprofit leaders take a vow of poverty.

3. Running a nonprofit is very different from running a small for-profit business.

4. Earning a proper salary isn’t possible at a nonprofit.

5. You have to fundraise to run a nonprofit.

But honestly…

Do or did you think that any of those 5 myths were true? Do you still even though I said they aren’t? Have you worked in a nonprofit? Have you started one? Are you thinking about starting one but aren’t sure how?

I’ll unpack those topics as well.

For almost 15 years I’ve been thinking about the future of good work. What that means to me, what that means for every cause worth working on, and how I can help pry open a few new avenues.

Throughout the course of 2021 I will be writing more here about business, art, & nonprofits, but no worries, you’ll still get random little ditties about intentional living, questions to ponder, and an occasional riff.

Off we go.

Freak Flags & Gifts Given

What does it mean to be ‘yourself’?

We’ve all heard that being yourself was the best thing to be. As if somehow being who we are in a single moment is an authentic thing to be forever.

I don’t believe authenticity has anything to do with staying who or where we are; it’s about being present in a way that makes others feel at home in who they are. When we do this, genuine connections ensue.

For that reason, I’ve always been a huge proponent of flying my freak flag high. The thing is, I’m a big proponent of everyone flying their freak flag high, assuming the gifts given are the items in focus.

Showing your feathers is about implicitly encouraging others to show theirs.

Living freely & openly is about what it does for other individuals, not the fact that you’re the subject of a larger story when you express yourself. However, being the subject does put you at the center for a moment, and there’s something dubious about that.

Dubious, in that other people can react to it in two ways based on how genuine they feel you are. They can celebrate with you or they can play the naysayer. They can high-five you or cut you down.

As someone with the personal tendency to live colorfully, I’ve experienced both. I’ve also noticed that my personal authenticity, which is a sensation I can feel in myself, is directly correlated with how people feel when I speak my mind, turn up my volume, or otherwise express myself openly.

We all know the difference between ego & equanimity. We’re all plugged in, despite our various ways of describing it.

Even so, there are times when the ego wins out. It says, ‘I want the glory dammit!” and well, that’s a hard voice to reason with sometimes. But being attuned to it is good for all of us. It creates the space to come together, occasionally mutually digesting things instead of pitting them against each other.

Checking in with ourselves, the worthwhile question seems to be the following:

Is this expression of mine about being the subject, or is it coming from an authentic place?

As long as we can keep an open dialogue with our ego, life can be about what we create for others when we live authentically.

Living your truth, following your bliss, growing your passions, developing your skills, engaging with your community, and constantly learning, are about giving others permission to do the same. As great it feels to live your life that way, it’s really not about us.

It’s about leading by example with so that everyone can ‘be themselves.’

Fly your freak flag & give a gift. It’s one of the most generous things you can do.

Don’t you think?

Originally Published May 11th, 2015.

Intentionality

Social entrepreneurs often speak to the market forces that allow them to make the social impact they do. As in, because they can make a lot of money, they can then donate a lot of money, either personally or as a company. And when you think about it, a real philanthropist gives money that is theirs, not a portion of their companies’ profits.

Even so, companies like Tom’s or Bombas have been able to create really profitable companies with 1 for 1 models that really do help a lot of people.

My question has always been about intentionality and how the structures we employ secure specific ends.

If Exxon Mobile needs to degrade the environment horribly, as we know they do, to extract oil and sell it to us, then the fact that they take a tiny percentage of their profits to combat environmental degradation is really a token effort to create the perception that Exxon isn’t, on the whole, fucking up the earth.

I’m not saying Tom’s is Exxon, and I’m not saying Exxon is the devil.

But let’s not kid ourselves when we talk about social entrepreneurship. Social entrepreneurship is 99.9% of the time, a for-profit enterprise. That means they are incentivized toward profit first. Above all else. So they can continue to exist.

And that’s gravy. I’m not mad at it.

But don’t tell me Tom’s or Exxon was built to make the world a better place. They were made to make money. And the good they do respectively, exists on a scale within which their transgressions are also weighed, with the rubber meeting the road precisely where we spend our dollars.

If your company is intended to serve a mission MORE than it is intended to create personal wealth for you - make it a nonprofit.

I’m even happy to chat with you about the various reasons why.

Intentionality is everything. And it means we get to decide.

But let’s be real about when its really about us and when it isn’t. There’s a lot to be gained from being honest about our priority list.

Including clarity for ourselves and others, as to why we’re actually doing this.

Nostalgia’s double edge

Nostalgia is a super interesting quantity. It makes us feel at home yet can trap us in the past if unchecked. It comforts us yet can calcify us if we flex that muscle too often.

It all depends on the hue, as far as how we characterize it - good nostalgia or history worth forgetting, but it’s always valuable to note the quantities’ range or scale.

Its almost like pH balance. As the liquid we’re measuring varies, it changes from basic to acid.

Nostalgia that provides a happy anchor can be nice in the right proportion. Too much, or nostalgia with the wrong tint, can range into a strange nether world that limits our ability to exist and grow TODAY.

As we enter a time of year chock full of family, history, and patterns, it’s helpful to understand the scale for what feels like an annual litmus test.

Luckily, nostalgia, like most aspects of life, is customizable.

We get to decide if we’re acid, basic, or evenly balanced.

5-10%

The work only takes 5-10% of the total time we spend thinking, delaying, questioning, wondering, doubting, self-critiquing, shuffling, asking, and looking for assurances no one can really provide.

If we just did the work, it would be done ... and soon.

That’s called ‘upside.’

Long term thinking

It benefits us. But we’re programmed to be considerate of a more truncated, immediate timeline, in which the wrong decision could mean our life.

The reality is that most of what we deal with doesn’t rise to that level, but we still have it in us. We’re one click away from a drama, and it can be hard to buffer or distinguish when food, clothing, and shelter is largely accounted for, and this animalistic setting becomes further relegated to the extreme margin of life.

I don’t mean to diminish all the hardship 2020 has brought. I am feeling for people these days.

But we can get our lizard brain caught in the spokes of a more evolved sensibility in the run of play.

When we have a chance to go apeshit that doesn’t mean we should. In fact, a little discernment can yield great learning.

The kind we only get by doing the work.

Yea, but how do we deal with conflict?

When everyone is getting along, it’s easy to go with the flow. Agreement, smiles, & collaboration.

But that doesn’t really tell us much. It’s supposed to go well when everyone’s aligned.

The real question is, how do we deal with conflict? How do we deal with moments of disagreement, opposition, or miscommunication?

Are we fair? Do we get defensive? Do we listen to the critique? Are we honest about our potential missteps? Are we honest about others contribution? Do we lay down? Do we puff out our chest?

Do we do what’s fair despite short term implications?

Can we stand behind and feel good about our contribution to a space?

Hey ego, step aside.

The Value of Art

Art is dynamic. Many of us work and save and strategize and plan, so we can spend our hard earned money on art. On its face it doesn’t sound right, but it is.

Because remember, art can be… posters, prints, films, food, documentaries, museums, shoes, home furnishings, clothes, vinyl records, concerts, live streams, downloads, puzzles, pins, broaches, videos, and so much more. 

If you look at your bank account statement, you’d realize that a much larger percentage of your paycheck purchases art and culture than you might have previously thought. Yet despite this, so many people think of art as frivolous. A solo pursuit, a person in their studio, an activity of self-indulgence, an expense unwarranted, a like-to-have in a world increasingly focused on what we need.

Art can be those things. But I’d also suggest that art is actually the most important thing in the world. 

It propels everything. Every new creation, every new solution, every new group building something together around shared values, it’s all creativity turned into reality - which is perhaps how I would define art.

When we apply that understanding to how we live in the world, what we invest in, what we support, what we fund, and who we are, we begin to see that art is the realization of a spark, an idea actualized, and that that offering and process is sacred.

How many billions of humans over the history of this world dared to think a new thought and make it real? Unfathomable. Inspiring. Awesome.

Quite simply, when we think about what we deem valuable, art should rise to the top.

What’s more, by reevaluating art’s value, we enable progress. We take the top off, we let the big thoughts ride. That’s because of the exact premise I stated before; art isn’t a commodity. It’s not a pack of gum, a sandwich, a simple measurement of practical applicability.

Pay money, eat sandwich. No, no, no. With art, you get so much more. 

You get the artists’ entire life. You get a beautiful memory, and oftentimes the type of lasting memory that shimmers and rises above the rest, in fact. A lot of the time you even get a tangible thing to hold, admire, or review.

The truth is, the value of art is so much more than most of us ever give it credit for.

Beyond the painting and songs and videos and aesthetics, art is everything creative that is made real. 

I don’t know about you, but that’s worth way more to me than most everything.

We are not our jobs.

We are how we make people feel.

Planting the antidote

Part of any fork in the road involves pattern recognition.

What did I do last time I came to a fork in the road?

When life gives us constraints, a huge part of dealing with them positively has to do with having already planted the antidote.

If you’ve got a solution or a model for finding one, that’s worth holding on to.

And in 2020 our collective consciousness is taxed.

Plenty of forks in the road.

Going forward, we see the value of a well-placed antidote, a thought that combats the wallow with the worthiest of contributions: taking action toward solving it by choosing a path.

What thought has you trippin’?

Before you get to that fork again, plant the antidote.

Carbs and self-compassion

Hey everyone... just wanted to offer a little word as we embark on a weird fuckin' day.

Personally, it seems impossible that we are now presented with a chance to rid ourselves of what has been a rough 4 years in America. I could barely sleep last night and will be digesting a maelstrom of media all day becase I'm masochistic, but regardless what it is, I encourage you to do what you need to do for you today.

Extra carbs, that drink that makes you feel like a million bucks, and less work than normal. Despite the anxiety, I do feel positive about what will happen.

A vote for Trump was so much easier for a lot of people 4 years ago, and despite his 42% base, I do believe we will indeed end this nightmare.

I sometimes wonder where to split the difference as far as politics within IPaintMyMind, but the reality is that if you're down for IPMM or even me as a person, the chance that you're conservative is unlikely.

I’m hella biased, and I am pretty sure that. if you still receive these emails, it’s because that bias is actually a set of values we share.

Thank you for being you - please be gentle with yourselves today, and feel free to reach out if you wanna BS, talk shit, cry, yell, dance real silly on Zoom for a minute, or see who has had more coffee.

Dog eat dog says a lot...

Forgive the gap this year… I think we can all extend a little compassion this year.

That said, has it ever stood out to you when people reflect Machiavellian views? Dog eat dog philosophies where people accept and even embrace or promote value-less winning are pretty indicative of what you might experience with that person.

If they believe in dog eat dog, then they’ll have no problem eating your dog.

Believe people when they tell you they’ll sacrifice any semblance of values in favor of securing their own lunch.

Reincarnated As Fruit

A little writing prompt… if any of you decide to go for it, please do share it with me!

This prompt is about staying concise. A koan maybe, or perhaps just a brain fart.

So here goes…

We’re basically writing two couplets, but we just don’t care about rhyme. Maybe rhythm, but not rhyme.

So, write two lines, followed by two more lines. Only you’ll really only write 3 lines, because the last line will be…

I hope that one time I get to come back as fruit.

For example, here’s mine…

‘Trying to fend off Groundhog’s day, show up and hold it down.

Super lucky, tired, and fairly raw.

Loved in, cooped up, and found.

I hope that one time I get to come back as fruit.’

Have fun.