TwosWrite things down

Seth Godin articles

Seth Godin articles

by Parker · 115 things on Twos

Competition vs. activation
10 reasons to write a book by Seth Godin
17 Ideas for the modern world of work
Seriously vs. personally
Like riding a bike
‘Sort by price’ is lazy
Who are we seeking to become?
Pre-existing conditions
Groucho runs deep
The right effort of generosity
He deserves it, but do you?
Impostor syndrome
The trap of listening to feedback
The daily
Where are you headed?
The gap between ‘have to’ and ‘get to’
Make things better
Snooze is a trap
Bo Diddley
Memories of memories
A year from now…
Off stage
The uncomfortable combination of effort and acceptance
Nothing is one thing
Awareness vs. experience
Choosing to be a citizen
What does ‘better’ mean?
A/B/C and the problem with skipping a step
Butterfly hunting
“The way we’ve always done it”
Three types of kindness
Identity is often used against us
Backward about coming forward
Confusing identity with strategy
When it doesn’t work out
The urgent changes
The right amount of time
Code words
The consequence
Sunk costs, creativity and your Practice
A long lead time
Customer development by Seth Godin
Discipline vs. fairness
The simple but difficult marketing flip by Seth Godin
Marketing as a service
UYBJ
The leap
Catastrophization
Crickets
Star
"How can I help?" by Seth Godin
Cultural distress (and consumerism)
Micropayments for content
"No might be better than free." - Seth Godin
Getting it right the first time
Evolution is powerful. It gives us the chance to revise, edit and do what works while removing what doesn’t.
Once we realize that there is almost no chance we’ll get it right the first time, we can embrace the opportunity to sign up for better instead of perfect.
Get it wrong the first time.
Then make it better.
Patience: It’s worth the most when it’s the most difficult to find.
The first nine minutes
For the first nine minutes of the ten minutes it takes in the mixer, not much happens. And then, it transforms into something fluffy and delightful. Without the recipe, it’s unlikely that most folks would make it to minute five, never mind ten. Knowing it can be done makes it far more likely we’re going to stick it out and do it again.
"Let's face it"
Productivity is the measure of the output (value) we get for the time or money we spend.
The next few minutes or days or months–sure, you own them, and you can put them to whatever use you choose. But just because you’ve been using your time in a particular way for a long time doesn’t mean you need to keep doing that.
The best possible use by Seth Godin
The arrogance of improvement
Who are you to make things better?
How dare you raise your hand to help, offer an idea, take responsibility…
Perhaps it might be helpful to reframe that feeling as the generosity of improvement instead.
If not you, who? If not now, when?
The color-coded wires | Seth's Blog
Yes, of course, for sure, it helps if your tools are properly arranged and maintained. Yes, it saves time and effort to embrace mise en place and get your workspace right.
But making it even more right, alphabetizing the pencils and making sure your servers all have the right names–that’s simply stalling.
Brighten up a room
A smart founder leaves her company in a moment when it actually does better without her.
Moving toward ease
Easy work is hardly worth our effort. It can deaden us instead of giving us the chance to bring our best selves to life.
Ease, on the other hand, is the feeling of doing something worthwhile, and doing it well.
When we choose a project where the stakes are too high, where stress is our fuel, where conflict is at the heart of the work–we’re unlikely to find ease.
Ease is a combination of purpose, effort and skill. It can feel like confidence, even if we’re not sure it’s going to work. Especially then.
Take good notes
A story fits into (and changes) our understanding of the world. Good teachers are storytellers, and storytellers are teachers.
Notes, then, aren’t recitations of facts. They’re story prompts. A good note reminds you of a story that you already understand.
Toward better
The best way to make things better is to begin. Create the conditions for others to join you. Persist.
The best traveling companions are often those that don’t whine, even when they have a very good reason to. Whining is empty commentary where no action is possible, about something we already understand. We all know it’s raining. Let’s walk.
Complaints
Four-word advice
When there’s a complex situation that feels foreboding, you might need a manual, a coach and even a system to move forward.
Or, it’s possible you simply need someone to tell you, “you’ll figure it out.”
No one can change everything, but everyone can change something. If you choose to live a life with impact, it’s in your control to do so.
The alternative method is simple: find one person, exactly one, and write to them, allowing the others to listen in. Embrace the tone of voice, body posture, breathing style and punctuation you’d use on just one person. You and me, here and now. If it’s not going to work for one person, why do think it will work on a crowd?
Notes to myself by Seth Godin
Bringing goodwill to the conversation
Be prepared (or better yet, eager) to change your mind.
All claims should be verifiable.
Do the reading.
Show your work.
Reveal your actual agenda.
Understand the systems and mechanics at work, don’t simply quote them.
Assume goodwill on the part of others.
Don’t judge an argument by how comfortable its conclusion feels.
Question your own expertise. “I don’t know” is a complete sentence.
Engage with the strongest version of opposing views.
Embrace that “not yet” is different from “never.”
Celebrate your errors and welcome correction gracefully.
Ask helpful questions that support an alternative view before deciding.
Agree on the rules in advance and then honor them.
Focus on understanding before seeking to be understood.
Identify the ideas you are attached to and temporarily set them aside.
Change your mind. That’s why you’re here.
What the world teaches us
It’s possible to consider the next event in our lives as something the world is trying to teach us. But it might be even more effective to realize that, whenever we choose, we can learn something from what’s going on. We’re not getting taught, we’re choosing to learn. There’s a lesson in every interaction, if we want there to be. When we choose to learn, our active participation makes a difference.
Better vs. done | Seth's Blog