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Sunday Caffeine - The Brilliance

David Sherry
3 min read

Annnnd we’re back. Happy Easter. Happy Passover. Happy fourth month of the year.

Let's continue, shall we?

Last week I was quiet. I attended a conference in San Diego (Barrio Logan) and met some internet people for coffee and tacos (Salud!).

The thing about conferences is… the value is being on stage.

New goal: aim to attend conferences as the speaker on stage.

Another upside: Being “in town” is a good excuse to meet with people.

Don’t understand the power of a short time window.

*Note, artificially short time windows can be created freely, even at home.

WE NEED LESS PROGRAMS

And more people sharing their experiences, perspectives, and art.

In the beginning, you start with a wide net. You’re open to all things in a new field.

You want the program.

So you read that book on management. The one that is still on the best seller list. You subscribe to the industry newsletter. You adopt the lingo and philosophy, maybe it's “Lean,” or to “Jab Jab Jab, Right Hook.” Medium posts pull you in constantly.

At some point you find Tony Robbins.

And then suddenly you start going in reverse. You begin to unsubscribe. The same books and posts aren’t doing it for you anymore. Suddenly that profound learning or tactic no longer has its shine. Or rather maybe they're simply not working. You're looking for more depth.

Experiences help us discover our own "how" without having to know exactly "what steps we should take."

Programs are one size fits all.

You don't want the map, you want the compass.

TASTES REFINE

More accurately, you develop a sour taste. An aversion to most of what’s mainstream. Sure, occasionally you binge a couple videos here and there because junk food still tastes great... but you know it’s not going to help you transcend.

It's a temporary hype.

Is what you’re reading confirming your thinking or helping you have a new perspective?

You’re on a new quest: to find ideas that change or rewire you.If you're stuck, just "trying harder" won't move the needle.
Better to approach things from a totally different angle. Sneak up on your mind, at night if you need to, with a new idea that suddenly breaks you from a pattern and releases you into the next phase of growth.

MISINFORMATION IS UBIQUITOUS

They said fat was bad for you, they said Hillary would win, they said the internet was a fad, they say cryptocurrency will die...If the answer they're giving you is resounding or binary, run.

So we set up our own rules about what makes the cut. We grow a discerning eye. Today more than ever. Because time is precious, sure. But more importantly, the wrong information when learned or accepted will downright set you back. Remnants of ideas that are untrue can remain in your head.

Ideas can keep you scared or from really seeing the field. And these you barely realize because at the time they felt true..

TRUTH REMAINS

Which is why we’re so lucky to be living in a time with SO MUCH out there. I’ll never be bored. I’ll never give up the search. You can find a truth right underneath your nose. Right in that conversation with a stranger, noticing something new for the first time.

Truth comes from understanding, and from experience. So experience the music. The shows. The comedy. The error. The fortunes, and the empty hands. The wins. Experience all of it. Books and tea, hiking. Cultivating a garden. It’s all life. It’s all here to be drunk. It's endless, and it's all at your fingertips.

But truths are approached more carefully. They slip in. You find them when you least expect in the distant corners, or in unexpected times in your life.

Cast a wide net for experience, and for truths, cast out a single hook with bait on a string.

But ultimately...

DISCOVER FOR YOURSELF

Great teachers are meant to wholly equip you to go off into the woods on your own. Great teachers show you how to see differently.

At some point, you have to graduate.

The brilliance is yours when you move forward on your own journey. To take a leap; exploring without models. Without prescriptions. With our assurances. Without baggage. Without trying to fit in.

Without imitating others...

Have you ever thought about why we listen to others at all? Why we listen to the words of someone on the internet we’ve never met? Why we feel shame because of something that the Huffington post said about our habits? Why we’re jealous of others when we have no understanding of what it’s like to be them?

So what's this all about then? It's not like I've transcended or anything. But, If I serve you and help you understand yourself better, help you find more courage, lead yourself more fully...

Then someday you will unsubscribe, and leave this space.

And as you go, if you look back and I will be smiling, waving...


Hoping that your off to find your own brilliance.

If you're just joining us, this is Creative Caffeine, an ongoing conversation about using our creativity to earn a living without losing our soul. I'm David, conductor of the group and founder of http://deathtothestockphoto.com/ Death to the Stock Photo.

xx David