Remember the scene in “The Dark Knight Rises” where Bruce Wayne is trying to escape from a hole in the ground prison? He can’t make the jump as long as the safety harness is tied around him. He’s only capable of his full physical prowess when death is a real alternative. Like it or not, that’s the way it works.
Category: Education Through Entrepreneurship
How to Be Confident (Tell The Truth)
A friend asked what gave me the confidence to pitch the first Praxis investors on our projected growth when there was no real way to prove or back the numbers, since we were building something brand new. If I approached it from a place of needing to make investors happy, or make them believe in the credibility of my numbers, I wouldn’t have been confident at all.
Parody as the Path to Truth
Parody might be the highest level of intellectual engagement. It lets you say things you otherwise can’t, engage secret thoughts in the open, and entertain ideas you don’t fully believe or disbelieve as if they are true.
The Mystery of Beauty
I opened a new tab and, as is often the case, the background (courtesy Momentum Dash) gave me pause. It’s stunning. I couldn’t navigate away without stopping to stare at the sparkling sun on the edge of a rock-arch and ponder for a few minutes. And that’s just a photo. Close your eyes and imagine…
An Extremist Position on Metaphors and Understanding
Every conceptual breakthrough and big business idea I’ve had hasn’t crystallized until the right metaphor could be formed around it. I get inklings of ideas and solutions, and beat my head against the wall trying to clarify to myself and others. Success only comes fully when I stumble upon the right metaphor.
Different Beats Better
Don’t play the game like everyone else and hope to be the best. Change the rules. Play a different game. This shift forces creativity, self-discovery, and big breakthroughs.
Don’t Get Stuck Waiting
If you’re creating a business, work of art, or project of any kind and you’re waiting on another person before you can take the next step, I feel you. I’ve been there and I hate it.
You Get to Make the Rules
It’s a rush when you remember your agency. It’s also a weight of responsibility. Most of the time, most things are efficiently outsourced to common practice. But when it’s not working or doesn’t feel right, don’t forget you can do whatever the heck you want.
When to Be Decisively Indecisive
I’m a big fan of agnosticism. I don’t mean the orientation to theological questions, but something much broader. For me, the greater the number of things about which I am agnostic, the happier I am and the more powerful and productive on the very few things about which I have passionate belief.
Know Thyself, Sell Thyself
It takes a lot of work to discover these things about yourself, and it’s never really done. You can’t do it just with books or thinking either. You’ve gotta try stuff and put yourself in contexts that provide feedback. You keep trying anything that you don’t absolutely hate, and then seeing how much it pays in knowledge, growth, fun, or money.