Midway through a book, I thought, “I don’t like this book.”

Instead of discarding it, I paused to consider: What don’t I like?

Was the content lacking? Was it the style? Was it the way the text was set on the page? The typeface?

Turns out, I didn’t appreciate the writing style. It was too conversational for me. Too many asides.

However, the content was good. I could still learn a lot from the book (which was my intention).

Do we ignore a professor’s genius because we don’t like her glasses? Or a brilliant lecturer because of the way he gestures when speaking? Or a blogger for overusing commas, dashes, and ellipses?

Of course not.

Look past the surface. Ignore the immaterial. Look for what can be learned.

Every minute of the day counts. Michael Lopp says it beautifully:

“... there are no marginal minutes. It is my personal and professional responsibility as a leader to bring as much enthusiasm, curiosity, and forward momentum to every single minute of my day. When I find myself in a situation where the value is not obvious, I seek it because it’s always there.”

I love this. So often we find ourselves in an uninspiring situation, and we hold our breath. Let’s just wait this out. It will be over soon, and we’ll be back to finding what’s meaningful.

But there are no marginal minutes. All the minutes are valuable.

Be someone who learns. Be curious. Be alive.

And seek the value; it’s always there.

There’s a 30-yard corridor in my office building.

For the past week, any time I’ve navigated this hallway, I’ve skipped. Literally. Not walking, but skipping. And not casually, either. Sky-high, in-it-to-win-it skipping.

Did you know: it’s nearly impossible to skip angrily? In fact, it’s almost impossible to do it without smiling.

Skipping is just a placeholder. There are lots of ways to bring small, unnecessary moments of joy to the day.

I hope you’ll try something silly of your own. It’s totally worth it.

Think before you say, “yes.”

It’s easy to agree to something quick and near-term. (We’re often eager to help.)

But what about the long-term yesses that are still pending? Those important, non-urgent issues that need our attention … but perhaps not immediately?

Let’s make sure the urgent requests of today don’t continually steal from the fire that feeds tomorrow and beyond.

In telling about a recent job, a photographer friend explained that he was, “shooting heavy.”

What he meant was that he was taking a lot of photographs. Not recklessly or haphazardly, but mindfully allowing for quantity.

This is in contrast to taking just a few photographs. If you only have one or two shots, that’s all you’ve got. Mess it up and you’re sunk.

In life, we often skew toward thinking we only have one shot. That opportunities are scarce, and we have one chance to get things right.

But many times, we have the ability to shoot heavy and pick from among the best.

I’ve been thinking of my strongest positive influences — the people, dead and alive, from ancient times onward — and how they might interact.

Would they get along? Would they be friends?

I think so.

No, they wouldn’t see eye to eye on everything. But I think they’d find themselves compatible with each other.

Even more: I think they’d be eager to learn from each other.

Perhaps this is a useful lens — a fun way to consider our heroes and influences.

What might x teach y … and how might z learn from both of them?

And what wisdom do we glean from the lot?

A friend of mine doesn’t ask herself, “Do I like this person?”

Instead, she asks, “Do I like who I am when I’m around this person?”

It’s a subtle nod to our internal monologue and the recognition of what we can and cannot control.

I like the shift in perspective.

After someone promises to do something — depending on who it is — you might consider asking one or both of these questions:

“When will you do it?”

“How will you do it?”

So often, the tension is released when someone says, “Yes. I’ll do that.”

Some people have poor scheduling skills. Or they struggle with identifying strategies and logistics.

Or they have issues with both.

Asking “When?” and “How?” is generous. It helps to keep others on the hook and it clarifies expectations for both sides.

Making a promise isn’t doing the thing. Doing the thing is doing the thing … and that often needs a timeline and a plan.

For me, a trip to the art supply store is the act of acquiring dreams.

It’s gathering the promise of creativity.

It’s embracing the joy of what may be.

Blank canvases, clean sheets of paper, graphite, paint, charcoal … all of it. Ready for me to make my particular mark.

So many situations are like that, aren’t they? All that promise. All that potential.

What’s your version of the art supply store? Is it a board meeting? A business plan? A produce stand? A blinking cursor? A Saturday with family?

Lean in and make your mark. The supplies are ready for you.

I was privately working through some possibilities — getting ideas on paper — and I noticed myself thinking more than I was writing.

I was pre-filtering.

Unknowingly, I was judging ideas as good or bad before they made it to the page.

I was conducting a thought exercise with zero risk, and I was still taking zero risks. Nothing to lose, but I was still afraid to “fail” in my efforts.

* * *

When you’re trying to generate ideas, capture all of them. A good idea might be on the other side of a dozen bad ideas. Or a hundred.

Consider the activity like throwing a cast net through your mind. You might pull in a lot of things that you’ll need to throw back, but you just might catch a few trophies.

The second time you do something, it might not be any easier than the first; it might even be harder.

It might be that way for the third and fourth time too.

But eventually, it will change.

“Difficult forever” is not a thing. Something will change. Either the task will get easier, or you’ll gain skills, or you’ll develop technique, or you’ll become more resilient.

It just might not happen right away.

But when you’re doing work that matters, you’re in it for the long haul whether it’s easy or not.

Historians are calling this moment in history “unprecedented.”

Perhaps.

It’s momentous. It’s uncertain. It’s uncharted in many ways.

And yet every great moment in human history has been marked by great change — often preceded by struggle and sorrow … but followed by healing and hope.

Now is a time of new challenges. But it’s also time of old challenges which we know too well.

Today is a new day. If it’s unprecedented, then so be it. May we lean into it with unprecedented generosity, creativity, and determination to build a better tomorrow.

Let’s abandon the carrot and stick approach to persuasion.

Let’s use the sticks to make a fire and we’ll roast those carrots.

It will work better for everyone involved.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Do we celebrate it? What does that even mean at this moment in history?

That Dr. King rose to the occasion — again and again — to fight for social justice, to preach non-violence, to inspire, activate, and lead … yes, let us celebrate.

But then what?

We’ve read articles and books about anti-racism. We’ve watched documentaries and listened to lectures.

We’ve made ourselves aware, and maybe we’ve made others aware too. And we know well Dr. King’s moving words from nearly sixty years ago.

So is our part done? Is the job complete? Has the Dream come to be?

No. Not quite yet.

I wonder what Dr. King would say today. I wonder what fires his lyrical voice would light in our hearts.

If we listen carefully, perhaps we can hear.

And then we can do something about it.

I heard about a woman who cleaned houses and offices. The quality of her work was nonpareil.

Customers would say, “This place looks beautiful — better than when anyone else cleans.”

What did she do differently?

She always cleaned the light bulbs and fixtures.

There’s practical advice here, but it’s also a beautiful metaphor about how we can spread light and how tending to that source can bring about renewed, far-reaching beauty.

H/T Camille

The best place to hide your darkest secrets is Page 2 of a Google search.

Search engines have turned us into micro-researchers. But they’ve also turned us into impatient seekers. People who have an eager thirst for knowledge, and an expectation for immediate satisfaction.

Let’s be mindful of the difference between a search for trivia and a search for meaning. The difference between finding statistics and finding ourselves.

Search engines are powerful tools that can point us to valuable resources. But our deepest questions — like “How can I lead a meaningful life?” and “Who do I want to be in this world?” — are not answered by quickly looking to the internet; they’re answered by asking good questions of ourselves and thoughtfully looking inward.

Beneath a waiting room couch, we assume a rectangular shape is an electrical receptacle, handily concealed.

When someone comes along asking if anyone has seen a missing cell phone, that same rectangular shape takes on new meaning.

Indeed, it was a cell phone.

When the first person strolled through the room, I assumed she was looking for a forgotten scarf or glove.

It wasn’t until a second person returned to the couch saying — to no one in particular, “She’s lost her cell phone,” that the rectangular shape took on new meaning for me.

Sometimes it’s useful to reveal to others that you’re looking for something. Not only might others see what you don’t see, they might not even realize it until you speak up.

I had an excellent customer experience with an auto mechanic yesterday. Afterward, I considered why it was such a positive encounter. It came down to specific things being communicated to me:

• I notice what you notice.

• I agree that there’s a problem.

• I agree that we can fix the problem.

• I agree that we should fix the problem.

• I promise to take timely, appropriate action.

It’s a clear progression, and I can see how the whole thing falls apart when certain elements are missing.

There are times when people don’t see what we see. Or they do — to an extent — but they don’t think it’s a problem. Or they agree that things need to be fixed, but they aren’t willing to do anything about it. Or they do a lot of head nodding and agreeing but fail to take action.

When all of it comes together, however, the result is happy customers, improved relationships, and a forward ratchet in the culture.

As often as we turn on lights to find clarity, sometimes it’s the darkness that makes visible what we truly need to see.

Darkness does not equal blindness. At times, it can be the opposite.

Are you working on the frosting when you haven’t yet learned how to bake the cake?

Or are you perfecting the garnish before you’ve done the work of crafting the meal?

The delicious coating is an important part. And the pretty stuff is delightful. Both can get you a lot of attention and praise, but neither one is where we begin.