Are You Leading a Life of Quiet Desperation?

http://www.miketuritzin.com/writing/are-you-leading-a-life-of-quiet-desperation/

-- Mike Turitzin

Elaine Konopka | Caspar Schjelbred

http://elainekonopka.com/caspar-schjelbred/

-- Elaine Konopka

In this article, Caspar touches on various subjects, notably fear and the difficulty of accepting oneself.

It is loaded with lots of useful quotes:

TAB: While improvising, I’ve noticed that negativity comes more easily and spontaneously to many people (including myself) than acceptance and agreement. Any idea why that is?

CS: Yes. Fear.

---

CS: When you’re afraid, the default response is to say no and to close down and become smaller, occupy less space, disappear….

---

TAB: Yes! Absolutely. One of the main realizations I’ve had in your classes is how difficult it is to really see, hear, and respond to the person you’re “playing” with. We’re so busy with what we’re going to put out there that we cut off our awareness of what’s going on around us. I trace it back to fear: being afraid to not be funny, to not know what to say or do….

CS: Exactly. The great tragedy of improv is that most improvisers don’t understand that they are, in and of themselves, the fundamental “offer.” So people practice coming up with stuff and get very good at it. But as far as I can see, it’s futile. Most people can’t stand being on stage and being looked at for even five seconds without having to say or do something.

---

TAB: So what do you teach about handling this fear?

CS: You have to first simply acknowledge it. Not be ashamed of it. It’s really about accepting yourself, your presence in the world. I am what I am and what I am is here. In front of you. Being in your body is the answer. Feeling yourself. That’s what we call stage presence, charisma.

---

CS: The way people improvise reflects how they are in life, to a high degree. I don’t see a lot of patience in improv. It’s very rare. There are a couple of guys here in France who do a show called “SLOW.” They really take their time. It’s not that nobody else does it, but it’s rare.

---

CS: An issue in improv is that people are too polite, too socialized if you will, and adapt too quickly to “society,” i.e. their fellow actors. Personally, I am getting better at making people meet me on my turf. But that sure as hell did not come from improv. That came from working with Ira.

Being Breanna Stewart

http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/espnw-stewart160329/how-breanna-stewart-leading-uconn-huskies-fourth-straight-national-title

-- ESPN

You are the person you chose to be.

-- Paul Arden

Just to have that kind of confidence and that kind of swagger, I wanted to be that and I wasn't that. But I was very attracted to it and if I could sort of fake my way into that as I was performing a blues song on stage, then I could kind of pretend to be that. And it was exciting to me ... I think after a while I was able to kind of own that a little bit more.

-- Joan Osborne

An excerpt from an interview with Billboard's Soul Sisters Podcast

You are drawn to the people who are doing the thing you want to do yourself.

-- Joan Osborne

An excerpt from an interview with Billboard's Soul Sisters Podcast

Here’s The Full Transcript Of Kanye’s Incredible VMA Vanguard Speech

http://www.mtv.com/news/2255838/kanye-west-video-vanguard-acceptance-speech-full/

-- MTV

Kanye West VMA Vanguard Speech 2015 MTV Video Music Awards MTV

http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/videos/kanye-west-vma-vanguard-speech/1231121/

-- MTV

Time is not money.  You can always have more money, but you will never get more time ;)

Le temps, ce n'est pas de l'argent.  On peut toujours avoir plus d'argent, mais on ne pourra jamais avoir plus de temps.

-- Jérôme Jarre

For various reasons previously indicated, I hold this book in very high regard and conclude my review of it with one more observation: The person whom Godin characterizes as "indispensable" is defined by what is indispensable to that person. It could well be, for example, a sincere desire to be of service to others. Or it could well be a sincere desire to offer unconditional "gifts" of trust, faith, respect, and candor.

-- Robert Morris

Robert Morris commenting on Seth Godin's "Linchpin".

What I like here is the assertion that an indispensable person is defined by what is indispensable to him.

Thought-provoking.

Seth defines art as "the intentional act of using your humanity to create a change in another person" (p. 99). I love that. Seth acknowledges that when we give to others, the law of reciprocity kicks in and they will feel indebted to return our favor. But Seth reminded me that when we give to others with no expectation of anything in return, that posture of unconditional generosity changes us. It creates abundance in our lives and in the lives of those we connect with at work and in our communities. I've known that for a long time, but is always good to be reminded of it. Thanks, Seth.

-- Bret L. Simmons

Bret L. Simmons commenting on Seth Godin's "Linchpin".

What I like here is the creation of abundance in our lives simply by giving without expectation of anything in return.  In other words :

unconditional generosity = abundance

Deep.

In his best-known book, Purple Cow, Seth’s message was, “Everyone’s a marketer now.” In All Marketers Are Liars, his message was, “Everyone’s a storyteller now.” In Tribes, his message was, “Everyone’s a leader now.”

And from Linchpin?

"Everyone’s an artist now."

By Seth’s definition, an artist is not just some person who messes around with paint and brushes, an artist is somebody who does (and I LOVE this term) “emotional work.”

Work that you put your heart and soul into. Work that matters. Work that you gladly sacrifice all other alternatives for.

-- Hugh MacLeod

Robert Morris reviewing Seth Godin's "Linchpin".

What I like here is the idea that I resonated with this book because I view myself not necessarily as a marketer, a storyteller, or a leader, but as an artist.  If an artist is somebody who does "emotional work", what I must do is "emotional work".  And what is emotional work?

Work that I put my heart and soul into.
Work that matters.
Work that I gladly sacrifice all other alternatives for.

Quand on écrit avec facilité, on croit toujours avoir plus de talent qu'on en a. Pour bien écrire, il faut une facilité naturelle et une difficulté acquise.

-- Joseph Joubert

C'est le travail qui importe. Sans travail, le talent n'est qu'un feu d'artifice: ça éblouit un instant, mais il n'en reste rien.

-- Roger Martin du Gard

Le talent sans génie est peu de chose, mais le génie sans talent n'est rien.

-- Gilbert Sinoué

You gotta go through pain in order to become you

-- Jay-Z, "Power Remix" w/ Kanye West

Assumptions are the termites of relationships

-- Burton Brown Sr.

Money often costs too much.

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The most precious gift you can give someone is the gift of your time and attention.

-- Burton Brown Sr.

What If Money Was No Object ~ Alan Watts

What If Money Was No Object ~ Alan Watts from Edgar Alves on Vimeo.