THE BATTLE OF KNOWLEDGE VS WISDOM

Knowledge is a commodity. We have moved from the knowledge economy into the wisdom economy. We have the opportunity to transition from knowledge workers to wisdom workers. We all have had countless experiences. And yet it’s the metabolization of those experiences that leads to wisdom.

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT OF YOURSELF?

When we miss our own expectations we have set for ourselves, we begin to self sabotage or even self loathe. We become disappointed with ourselves, frustrated with ourselves, and even disconnect from ourselves and who we really are.

IT’S TIME TO FIRE YOURSELF

This intellectual exercise will allow you to step out of the day to day - of what at times can become reactionary leadership. This list of questions will be your unlock. Within the questions are probably all of the answers you have been searching for and that your business needs. 

YOUR GRITTY UNDERBELLY

There will always be an underbelly to every business. No business is perfect, just as no city is perfect. As I run through these sections in every city I am reminded both of what once was, and what could be. With a little attention, with a little focus, with a little love, with a little time, those streets that we often hope no one sees can be the next area of revitalization and boom for our cities and our businesses.

THAT WAS HARD

Years ago when we decided what mattered to us, and we decided who we wanted to be when we grew up, neither of those two things were easy. Be grateful for 2023 for resetting our expectations. If we are building and growing and becoming and learning, the current year will always feel and be experienced as the hardest year ever. 

THIS ISN’T WORKING

What if “this” is actually “you”. When things don’t go exactly as we’d like them to go we immediately look to blame something, someone, or some situation. But often, we are the thing. We are the one. We are the situation.

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

Executing on a mission can absolutely lead to incredible relationships. But whereas we accept mediocrity or lack of initiative or inconsistency from family, it’s impossible to do so when building a business. 

THE SMALL REMINDERS

Sometimes the small things that put the big things in perspective are almost random. They are unplanned. They are circumstantial. They are fleeting.

DON’T BE A QUITTER

We quit mostly out of fear. Quitting is rooted in fear. Of course, no matter who we are, we can not eliminate fear, and so that feeling of wanting to quit will show up from time to time.  Remember, we uproot fear with a shovel.

ONE OF THESE THINGS IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER

I am certain there is some positivity in comparison. It’s part of what drives innovation, the development of decision making, and a base of some mental models. But social comparison based on snapshots of moments in someone else’s life is fire you are better off not playing with.

UNSHARED SUCCESS IS FAILURE

If we are struggling with setting goals, go back and look at them. Do they involve others?  Are you bringing people with you? Are any of your goals attached to helping someone else achieve their goals? 

LESSONS FROM A MARATHON: ONE YEAR LATER

Just a quick share of my top 5 lessons from running the NYC Marathon a second time.

ON THE NIGHT BEFORE MY SECOND SHOT

Tomorrow I get a second shot at the NYC Marathon. Tomorrow I plan on having fun. Tomorrow I plan on knocking out a goal with someone I love.  Tomorrow I plan to have a little bit of pain.  And tomorrow I plan to enjoy the run without any pressure. 

I’ll just go out and run my race.

THE GREAT CHICKEN MASSACRE

It had me stop and ask myself a few questions. Are there friends, co-workers, collaborators, or other people that have personality traits that rub me the wrong way? Do I always see the negative of those traits? Could I begin to look at those differences in a more positive light? 

PLEASE CLEAN YOUR WINDSHIELD

It struck me that our business day could easily reflect my drive. We start out focused and looking out the windshield. Before we know it, we are looking behind us, to the side of us. We start focusing on other people, what they are doing, where they are going. We allow distractions in, and when they don’t come in we actually go looking for them.

THANK YOU CHICAGO, FOR THE LESSONS

As I think about those 26.2 miles in Chicago, sure I would change a few things.  And yet, if I had changed them, there would be two or three other things that popped up for me to learn. And so I am on to New York in November - to learn a few more lessons before the next one.

LOOK AT THE STARS

Surrounded by what is a limitless and unfathomable universe, we are all pretty small. In those moments, any challenge that I’m working through, or any problem I am struggling with, seems pretty insignificant. It’s a reminder of how small I am,  and a reminder of how meaningless most of what we do day in and day out really is.

RUN YOUR RACE

During the race it’s easy to push harder than you’ve pushed in your training - it’s the race after all.  It’s easy to try to match the person’s speed next to you, or catch the person out ahead of you, or run with the pacer just a little quicker than you normally pace at. It’s you trying to show up. It’s you trying to impress yourself and those around you. It’s you running someone else’s race.

DON’T BE SUCH A GOOD NEGOTIATOR

Why do we negotiate with ourselves?  

Simply, because we can. We don’t have any immediate consequences when we negotiate with ourselves. No one is there to call us out or force us to do what we said we would do. There is no disciplinary action, and no one is there to fire us for not keeping our commitment. Sadly, if most of us were hired by ourselves, we wouldn’t last a single week. You would fire you.

While the value of a company doesn’t immediately determine the validity of the entrepreneur, I do believe the validity and real value shows up in what that entrepreneur does with what they have built and how willing they are to share what they have learned along the way with other entrepreneurs. By that definition then, Blakely is worth far more than her billion-dollar exit.