TwosWrite things down

Seth Godin

Seth Godin

by Parker · 92 things on Twos

Falling in love with what you have and reminding yourself of what it cost you is no help at all
New days require new decisions
Don't be trapped into accepting shame from someone who is trying to keep you from doing something you have every right to do
Ignore the mob that would like you to feel badly for not fitting in
Categories are rarely permanent, and most important work is done by people who don't easily fit in
Realize that no one is more aware of your minor flaws than you are
Someone else's fear doesn't have to be your fear unless you want it to be
When in doubt, do the generous thing. It usually works out the best
It's long-term, consistent and persistent effort that makes real change happe
We're all capable of huge leaps of insight and empathy if we're willing to go to work to learn how
As a valuable contributor seeking to build a career, you benefit when you develop a unique asset, because that asset gives you the leverage to choose a niche in a system that respects optimization instead
We build trust when we make promises and then keep them
You can save everyone a lot of time and hassle if you begin and end with a focus on being of service
trying to please everyone a little is a great way to please most people not at all
Nothing ever is. Nothing is flawless, optimized and suitable for everyone. Instead, all we can hope for is, "the best we could hope for, under the circumstances."
whatever happens is exactly what the circumstances created. Whatever is happening now is what's going to happen now. There's no way to change it. Perhaps we can change tomorrow, or even the next moment, but this moment--it's exactly what it was supposed to be, precisely what the circumstances demanded
In the long run, we can work to change the circumstances. We can start today, right now. We must. It's the only way to make perfect better
Worry is useful when it changes our behavior in productive ways. The rest of the time, it's a negative form of distraction, an entertainment designed to keep us from doing our work and living our lives
And everyone is taking the day off and everyone is watching the big game and everyone is busy checking their status on Facebook. Except... Except that in other time zones or other communities, everyone isn't doing anything of the sort. And on Saturn, they've never even heard of it. Peer pressure is a little like barometric pressure. It's constant, it's all around us and we assume that it's universal. If it's not helping you achieve your goals, ignore it.
WE HAVE AN UNFAIR ADVANTAGE: We care more.
Don’t hide your work Offer help Ask for help Tell the truth Upgrade your tools Don’t hide your mistakes Add energy, don't subtract it Share If you're not proud of it, don't ship it Know the rules of your craft Break the rules of your craft with intention Make big promises Keep them Add positivity Let others run, ever faster Take responsibility Learn something new Offer credit Criticize the work, not the artist Power isn't as important as productivity Honor the schedule You are not your work, embrace criticism Go faster Sign your work Walk lightly Change something Obsess about appropriate quality, ignore perfection
become the one we always wanted to be
Change, real change, is the result of focused persistence
Today's urgent is more urgent than yesterday's important
The organizations that actually change things are the ones that have a time horizon that's longer than 36 hours
Keep showing up. If it matters, keep showing up
It's the detours that pay off.
What you say is not nearly as important as what we hear. the words matter, and so does the way we say them. And how we say them. And what we do after we say them. It takes two to be understood. Not just speaking clearly, but speaking in a way that you can be understood. Empathy is not sufficient. Compassion is more useful, because it's possible to talk to someone who is experiencing something that you've never experienced.
invest in making your gut smarter.
The only way to have the experience is to have the experience
When in doubt, make better tacos
"are you trying to selfishly persuade me to buy something that will benefit you more than it benefits me?"
When someone acts in a way that says, "can I help you buy something?" or, "can I help you achieve your goals?" then we're on our way. And of course, it's the doing, not the saying that matters the most
Freedom is the ability to make a choice, and responsibility is required once you make that choice
Fairness is the willingness to offer dignity to others. The dignity of being seen and heard, and having a chance to make a contribution
Equality means equality of access, the opportunity to do my best without being disqualified for irrelevant reasons
If it doesn’t help, why bathe in it?
Because it's the single best way to achieve your goals. Satisfaction now almost always decreases the reserves we have to build an asset for later. Investing in something worth building always requires you to avoid getting what you want today. Sacrifice might mean giving up an expenditure, but it can also be the bold step of having a difficult conversation now instead of later.
Regardless of the goal, sacrifices make it more likely that you'll get there
The act of sacrifice, of foregoing one thing in our journey toward another one, one more generous, virtuous and useful, is actually a little piece of the satisfaction of the goal itself. If it comes easy, it's not the same.
The goal isn't credit. The goal is change
Tactics are disposable. Strategy is for the long haul.
How to give a five-minute presentation Give a four-minute presentation and take your time.
Portion control is your friend. Figure out how big the plate is and serve just the right amount.
Show up and keep showing up
The acts of finding and doing are almost always more useful than getting good advice.
Inciting action is often better than contributing insight. Better to move forward and figure it out than to stand still and believe you know the right answer.
Being missed when you're gone is a worthy objective.
If you want us to take your new proposal seriously, considering including a pre mortem. Include a detailed analysis of why your project might fail. Specific weak spots, individuals who need to come on board, assumptions that might not be true... If you've got a track record of successfully predicting specific points of failure before they happen, we're a lot more likely to trust your judgment next time
An ideal project is one where the users are better off if others are using it too. When in doubt, look for the network effect.
Digital analogs only work when they’re better and different, not when they’re almost the same.
There’s still plenty of room for digital innovations to impact our world. But they won’t simply be a replacement for what we have now. They only earn widespread engagement when they’re much better than the status quo they replace. And the only way they can be better is when they’re different
It’s true that you’re not good enough yet. None of us are. But if you commit to trying hard enough and long enough, you’ll get better.
5 ways to make your presentation better
Make it shorter
Be really clear about what it’s for
If the presentation works, what will change? Who will be changed? Will people take a different course of action because of your work? If not, then why do you do a presentation?
Don’t use slides as a teleprompter
Don’t sing, don’t dance, don’t tell joke
Be here now
The reason you’re giving a presentation and not sending us a memo is that your personal presence, your energy and your humanity add value. Don’t hide them. Don’t use a prescribed format if that format doesn’t match the best version of you
https://seths.blog/2018/07/busyness/
The myth is that the only purpose of a company is to maximize profits. That’s a fiction, and a dangerous one. Organizations exist to make things better for people, not the other way around
One reason that social entrepreneurship is a useful concept is that it announces the priorities from the start. Be profitable enough to grow, but put most of that profit to work serving your customers and their neighbors
You don’t have to have a fancy label to build an organization that you’re proud of. You simply need to decide what you’re trying to accomplish, and then go do that.
If you really want to get where you set out to go, you're going to have to get off the wrong bus
There are two paths, really: "I will serve just enough to make the maximum profit" or "I will profit just enough to provide the maximum service."
March it down the road.
Sometimes, our work is in opposition. Something is broken, and we need to fix it.
But often, we’re working with something that’s fine. All it needs is our care and effort and it will get even better.
March it down the road. Not because you’re pushing anyone, or because anyone is pushing you.
If you’re not working to change minds, why are you here again?
When the people we serve present themselves, when they offer us their attention and their trust, we need to work to see two things:
Who they are. What do they fear, what do they believe, what do they need?
Who they can become. Which doors can we open, how can we support them, what will they leave behind?
Https://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/583809274/0/sethsblog/posts~Seeing-whats-right-in-front-you/
Difficult problems require emotional labor, approaches that feel risky and methods that might not work. They reward patience, nuance and guts, and they will fight off brute force all day long
Simply because it matters.
Make the difference you were meant to make
converge podcast
People who are really productive show up and do it, they don't waste time debating with themselves or looking for a reason to wait
Show up, focus, and do the work
Don't waste time feeling comfortable and just ship it. You'll realize what you are shipping is actually pretty good
Figure out how to get out of your own way
90% of what is important is soft skills. Its important to be in the business of being trusted, and connecting, and having empathy
There is a good reason why people don't buy from you, hire you, or trust you. Once we have the empathy to see where they are coming from, the empathy comes more easily and we are able to adjust how we are in order to be more engaged with them
How do we create a place in the world where we would be missed if we were gone?
What does it mean to do work that matters?
What makes you the right person is if you think you are the right person
Quite the noise in your head enough to do the work
Seth Godin articles
Become the self you’d be proud to be. Hang out with people and ideas that help you become that self. Act like that self every chance you get.