Reading time: About 5 minutes, 1100 words
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This issue isĀ https://7forsunday.com/70
February 04, 2024 ā #70 →
I do have some rules →
One rule is: Anything I find, which ticks two (or more!) boxes from my list of decadent favorite pastimes, I must include herein. For example: Something that bashes on social media platforms and makes me chuckle out loud? Oh, that’s getting included. Another rule, written but almost impossible to enforce, is: Don’t over think it.
The humble knife is a good example. An edged tool for cutting tough materials apart is just as useful to 21st-century home chef as it was to a nomadic hunter a hundred thousand years ago. The long past of the knife suggests it will have a long future. In other words, weāre probably not living in the last few years of an eons-long Knife Era.
By the same token, something that has just become āa thingā is less likely to be a long-lasting thing. If everyone around you is suddenly watching rapid-fire videos on something called TikTok, what are the odds weāre in the first few years of a thousand-year TikTok Era?
~ David Cain from, This Will Not Always Be a Thing
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But unlike Fight Club, this entire online blog/web site I have isn’t built upon self-delusionā¦ waaaaaaaaait a minute.
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Commitment →
Commitment is healthiest when it is not without doubt, but in spite of it.
~ Rollo May
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Impact with Danny Bauer →
What are the key considerations for creating an engaging and impactful podcast, particularly regarding audience connection, episode length, and content strategy?
Danny Bauer reveals the strategic pivot to shorter podcast episodes, fueled by listener analytics, to redefine engagement in digital storytelling.
[The takeaway from the analytics was] people weren’t along with me. The super consumersā the super listenersā the super ruckusāmakers weren’t. That’s what I call my audience. But at the end of the day, it’s a giftāit’s in service to the listener. Even though I would prefer to go deeper and longer, if people aren’t really consuming that, and growing from it, and enjoying that, then what’s the point? In some sense, I’m wasting my time.
~ Danny Bauer, 3:19
Danny Bauer is keen on optimizing his podcast episodes by tailoring them to better match the preferences of his audience, aiming for increased engagement through format adjustments. He highlights the significance of clearly identifying and naming one’s audience to ensure the content resonates deeply and meets their specific needs.
In life, you’re either a mercenary or you’re a missionary. Mercenaries are going to fight. They’re going to be scarcity minded. Craig has to lose for Danny to win, right. They’re going to compete in the same area, which is called podcasting. Or you’re a missionary and you’re generous, you’re abundant, you do the work even if you’re getting paid or even for free, right. And that’s what I’m doing with school leaders. With the free coaching, it’s because I’m a missionary. It’s about advancing the idea, the category, what we’re putting out and changing the world for the better, versus something that’s just for me.
~ Danny Bauer, 29:50
In his work supporting educators, Danny is committed to offering resources and strategies that bolster leadership skills, fostering a supportive network that empowers school leaders to navigate the complexities of their roles with confidence and innovation.
(more…)Disagreement →
Who shall decide when doctors disagree, and sound casuists doubt like you and me?
~ Alexander Pope
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What’s in your way? →
I’m fond of saying that the first 90 percent of something is vastly easier than the second 90 percent. There’s so much wisdom packed into that, and it’s funnyāif you know how to tell a joke. Gee Willikers! I’m almost done! When in fact, I’ve only just scratched the surface.
In practice, this means you need to limit distractions to the full extent possible. Pull quotes, so effective near the top of an article, become a nuisance further down; many readers will find themselves unconsciously drawn to them, even when they want to focus on the text. Attention to the basic typographic details, line length, a readable typeface, the right balance between font size and line height, appropriate contrast between the text and background, can make the difference between a reader who makes it to the end of the article versus one who tires and gives up.
~ Mandy Brown from, In defense of readers
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I can say, without exaggeration, that I’ve tortured myself over every single tiny detail of what you are looking at. That includes the fact that 7 for Sunday looks slightly different in email. (It looks great in email; but what you see isn’t quite as controllable as a web site.) It would probably be good enough if I hadn’t tortured myself about the details, even though I think craftsmanship matters.
But of course readers matter most.
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Perspectives with Jeremy Fein →
What are the motivations, challenges, and thought processes involved in creating, pausing, and potentially evolving a podcast while balancing other professional and personal interests?
Jeremy Fein, a coach who embraces the power of conversation, joins Craig to talk about the complexities of podcasting and coaching, revealing his journey from creating a successful podcast to purposefully pausing it to refocus.
[Coaching sessions are] much better when they’re not recorded, right? They’re better for the client, which is what matters. And so podcasting felt like a way that I could maybe bridge a gap between the actual work that I do, andā let’s call it content creation. You go to write a caption on Instagram, and it’s just so divorced from the work that I’m doing on a regular basis with clients. That’s why I started [the podcast].
~ Jeremy Fein, 4:28
Jeremy Fein discusses his experiences with podcasting and coaching. He reflects on why he started his podcast, “Nothing Makes Perfect,” acknowledging the abundance of podcasts and his desire to create something meaningful rather than just adding to the noise. Jeremy also delves into his decision to pause his podcast after 25 episodes, a choice driven by a need to reassess and focus on aspects of the podcast he enjoyed and could amplify.
He also talks about the intrinsic connection between his identity and coaching, emphasizing how coaching has become an integral part of who he is. Jeremy’s approach to coaching is deeply rooted in conversation, listening, and idea exploration, rather than traditional fitness instruction. This approach underscores his commitment to personalization in coaching, catering to individual client needs while maintaining a structured yet flexible coaching framework.
(more…)Pictures →
The whole point of taking pictures is so that you don’t have to explain things with words.
~ Elliot Erwitt
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Passion →
With the power of hindsight I can see there was an age of fire. There was a long periodātoo long, probablyāof trying to carve a path through the world. A period of trying to make a dent in the universe. Making my mark. I think it’s telling that all those metaphors involve destruction and defacement. Eventually I see a transition to the age of water. The metaphors are nicer there; flowing, accommodating, and shaping to fit the container.
What do I mean by explorers? I am talking about people who have found and are pursuing a very specific form of passion ā I call it the āpassion of the explorer.ā These people are excited about opportunities to have more and more impact in domains that matter to them. They are constantly seeking new challenges that can help them to learn faster by creating new knowledge that never existed before. They also are actively seeking help from others in addressing these new challenges ā they freely acknowledge that they donāt know the answers and that they need help in finding the answers.
~ John Hagel from, From Expert to Explorer
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Transitions are the difficult times. The wind blows from wildly varying directions. The currents shift. The lighting changes. Grand vistas come into view. More, and different, metaphors.
I can feel my raw power subsiding. Literally. Some days, a 20-minute nap, an hour or so after a nice lunch, is just the most sublime thing. (Not the nap of exhaustion. Not the nap of collapse.) After running the engine with the tachometer near the red-area, it feels nice to settle into the solid, long-haul part of the power curve. More metaphors: A journey. A quest. A culmination. A destination. An end.
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