We See What We Can Afford To See

“Everyone who is making progress in today’s economy isn’t doing something with a certified skill.” When I retired as an entrepreneur and starting looking for a day job, the first order of business was to catalogue my assets. The frustrating part was, I had no advanced degrees, no designations and no certifications. And that made it very hard for potential employers to put me in one of their neat little boxes. On the other hand, I did have a wealth of experience as a professional, an amazing portfolio as an artist and a proven reputation as a strategic thinker. And although it took a few months, I finally figured out how to wrap those assets into a valuable package that was worth hiring. Thanks for the advice, Seth.

“There’s nothing more powerful than saying no to people.” I remember the first time I had enough money, enough work and enough confidence to say no to a prospective client. Greatest feeling in the world. Especially when you’ve spent years desperately saying yes to anybody, anytime, for no money, just to get your name out there. Nothing beats the sweet satisfaction of rolling your tongue back into your mouth and saying no to somebody who wants to give you money to do what you love. Inspired by aninterviewwith Louie.

“Cynicism presents itself as wisdom, but it’s really just a wound.” I went through a cynical phase a few years ago. Didn’t get me very far. Turns out, cynicism doesn’t make you look cool, it makes other people not like being around you. Fortunately, I had a friend who loved me enough to tell me how crappy my attitude was, and that he didn’t like the person I’d become. That whipped me back into shape pretty quickly. I confronted my wound, created a plan for healing it and crawled my way back to the person I used to be. Inspired by aninterviewwith Rob Bell.

“People’s attention spans are getting shorter, and I want them to suffer.” Judd Apatowmakes me happy. I love that he purposely makes his films too long. Fuck the networks. Fuck the standards. If you’re an artist, you have the right do make your work as long and prolific as you want. If you have something to say, say all of it. Who cares if the audience is bored? Who cares if people want the piece to end? Freedom means never having to say it’s almost over.

“We see we can afford to see.” Denial is a critical part of the human coping mechanism. What sucks is, sometimes people don’t have the emotional means to confront the reality of their situation. And there’s nothing you can do. You can’t fix them. You can’t persuade them. You can’t even lovingly expose them to reality. They’re simply not ready. All you can do is love them. All you can do is trust that they’ll see what they need to see when the time is right. Good one,Robert Langdon.