As people are graduating all around the land right now – most notably for me, my daughter – they’re looking for their next steps. Maybe they’ve picked a college. Maybe they’re trying to earn some money and support themselves. Maybe they’re doing both and more.
Sure, it’s good to plan things out, but it’s also wise to leave some room for the unknown. I like how author Julia Alvarez put it.
Don’t plan it all. Let life surprise you a little.
The documentary STEVE (martin) tells the story of a really awkward, out-of-place aspiring comedian who wants to do something genuinely new but was initially failing badly.
It is cringe-worthy at times. What is this guy doing?
But Steve keeps relentlessly trying things, observing, and changing. It goes something like this (so far)…
Is there a future for me as a magician?
-> No, that looks like a dead end. Let’s try comedy.
Should I follow the classic comedy conventions like using “indicators” to signal when the punch line happened?
-> Nope. Let the awkward tensions build naturally and see what happens.
Should I open for other acts and perform for 1000 people who are there to see someone else?
-> Nope. This is getting me nowhere. I’d rather headline for 50 people who actually want to see me.
And finally, this long-haired comedian who looked he was “trying to be the Eagles” decided to change his whole look and attitude. I just like the clarity he finds.
I wasn’t making any waves, so l made a decision.
Instead of being at the tail end of an old movement, I’ll be at the front end of a new one.
And he follows it up with action.
And so l decided, “Okay, I’m putting on a suit, I’m putting on a tie and I’m cutting my hair.”
Instead of looking like a hippie from the ’60s, I’ll look like somebody new from the ’70s.
And of course kind of a punch line.
Or like someone from the future.
Someone from the future indeed. He was about to become the biggest comedian in the world.
I love the idea that playing it safe is a risk. It’s as counterintuitive as it is true. If you don’t believe me, ask Oprah.
I believe that one of life’s greatest risks is never daring to risk … Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time.
What does it take to pull you into a new podcast? Or a book? Or really anything?
With so many great podcasts out there and already not enough time for them all, the bar can be pretty high for anything new. But the first few lines of the Missed Fortune podcast pulled me in right away.
Did you ever find yourself in one of those situations where if it goes well, there’s a huge reward? But if it goes bad, you look just unforgivably stupid? Like what were you possibly thinking?
I’m in a car with some guys I don’t know on the way to somewhere we’re not supposed to be. And this is one of those situations.
They go on to explain that this is the story of a real-life treasure hunt in the Rocky Mountains with the only clues being a short poem.
I love this post from Let Grow. It’s calling out how pointless and even damaging it is to just say “Be careful!” to your kids all the time. It’s a really interesting read.
Of course we all want our kids to be safe. But the point here is that we should teach them specifically how to identify and deal with risk instead of a hand waving “Be careful!”, which only indices fear and is mainly meant to make the parents feel better.
As parents, we should be guiding our kids through risk. Our job is to make them strong, independent, smart people. That means helping our kids recognize, evaluate, and manage different kinds of risk. 💪🏻 How about empowering them by asking them, “What’s your exit strategy?” instead of vaguely scaring them with “Be careful!”.
Using phrases that empower our confident kids to manage risk on their own not only gives them important information about their environment, but it also teaches them that they’re capable of doing it.
Mental Break Town 