Weekly Grab
This is my weekly compilation of photos and prompts. If you’d like to see these delivered daily to your inbox when they’re first released, including some subscriber only exclusives, consider supporting my work with a Substack subscription (also complimentary, but donations welcome). Thanks for following my curiosity journey.
Stay curious, preferably with a camera in hand.
Urgent
Most situations aren’t as extreme or urgent as we make them out to be. And, too often we treat something as an emergency when it really isn’t. In these cases, it might be helpful to pause, even for just a moment, to ask what happens if we wait? What happens if we ask one more question? What will serve the best outcome, speed or more thought?
Most of the time, letting it bump will lead to a softer landing and also a better outcome.
Support
There’s the kind where we keep someone in line, tell them what to do, provide them the tools and instruction to achieve an expected outcome.
And then, there’s the kind where we pay attention, show concern and ask just the right questions to help them solve it on their own.
Both are valuable. But, the application is completely different.
Barrier
Finding situations to start collaboration in order to solve important problems is how great leaders do their best work. Building a culture of community, removing barriers, while allowing individuality to prosper, is the sweet spot.
What’s our posture going to be today? Prevent connection? Or, enable it.
Contrast
…helps us to be seen, heard and eventually heard as individuals. Standing out, in a unique way, isn’t always popular. And, acting out just to attract attention isn’t very helpful and certainly not generous. But, uniqueness done with intention, to serve a higher purpose and to make things better for someone is probably something we need more of.
Before we strive to be strikingly different, we should probably ask…what’s the contrast for?
Method
Nothing proven was gained without trial, error and experimentation.
Go ahead, perfect your own method. It really only needs to work for you.
How Much Does a Rhino Weigh?
We are better at measuring physical things like weight, speed and gravity than we are at determining someone’s intelligence, why purple is their favorite color or how hard they’re willing to try.
The hard parts of understanding each other are cloaked by mystery, nuance, stories and culture. Getting better at seeing people, asking the right questions, unraveling their curiosity and fears will go a long way in solving our problems together.
It turns out, figuring out the rhino’s intention is more important than knowing its weight.
HT to Seth Godin and his new book, This is Strategy. And, to his collaboration with Shawn Askinosie for making better chocolate.
Layers
It’s rarely as simple as it first seems. There’s more to the story, more to discover, more to understand.
Stay curious.
Get the Camera Out 