Please

Every have one of those moments when the GPS tracker in your phone assumes you are someplace that you're not? Imagine the history of locations you are creating that you've never ever been to. When I saw this, I had to screen print it immediately. Really? Please!

-- doug smith

Careful Of Hyperbole

If it sounds too good to be true, somebody might be lying to you.

-- doug smith

When Love Stops

Love doesn't stop because it gets hard. It stops when we get lazy.

-- doug smith

Calls to Action

Values evolve over time. If values are ever true, they refine without denying what once was. They grow. They distill. They find ways to self-generate the results they aspire to.

Choose your path...

Here are some values I've refined into calls to action. I don't just agree with them, I expect to do them. To show them. To act on them. Sometimes it goes well, and often I fall short. The journey is a long one, so keep going.

Here are my current calls to action:

1. Be your best
2. Stay curious
3. Turn toward all offers (bids) to start
4. Challenge yourself
5. Reach out with compassion
6. Expand your possibilities
7. Appreciate
8. Play nice, work hard, stay smart
9. Learn constantly

What are your values? What are your calls to action?

-- doug smith

TMI Department: Not Ready

The house on Elm Street burns

It was about three years ago when I told my therapist, in talking about my ex, "I guess I should feel good that she's happy and wish her well..."

His response?

"That's preposterous. It hurts too much for that and you know it. You can let that bullshit go."

I appreciated his honesty. I understood my own truth in that moment. It was preposterous then.

And, it still is.

Some hurts heal. Some scar over. Some leave sensitive spots. If you can't fix it, at least don't pretend something that's not true.

-- doug smith

Push Against Your Limits

Creativity, like leadership, requires us to stretch. To be at our most creative we must grow. Since we are surrounded by limitations, that can cause some discomfort. Which boundaries should we cross? Which lines are mental and which are metal?

How do we create without getting hurt (or worse, hurting?)

I'm not sure. Maybe that's the wrong question. Maybe the question is -- what limits should we ignore today? What limits should we buck against and stretch?

If a limit is telling you that you are NOT creative -- ignore it.
If a limit is telling you that you cannot grow -- defy it.
If a limit is telling you that the world doesn't need your creativity -- laugh it off.

The world needs you. The world needs your creativity. The world needs you at your creative best.

The creative life pushes against limits.

Keep pushing.

-- doug smith

Cartoon: Blue Collar Crazy (1976)

My idea of humor in 1976. These are some tough job requirements. Job interviews have always been tough.