Quite honestly, there are many.  If you have musicians in your life, you’ll learn more about life, emotions, neuroticism, and spirituality than you probably ever wanted.But, of all the lessons you could learn, there’s one lesson that I believe we can take now.  The gigging musician who makes their money from bar owners, brides, fans, and tips. They live in a constant state of finding new ways to create value for the people they serve. In their attempt to create value, they also hurt themselves.Already, some musicians are beginning to look forward to returning to their gigs. Already, some of this group are hoping the bars pay a decent wage.  My question to these people is, what are you doing to create more value? Who are the people you are really selling your art to? Why should they pay?  The ones we seek to serve aren’t the bar owners. The ones we serve are our fans!  In the same way, in life, we don’t seek to make our managers happy. We serve our customers.  The lesson is not to look at what others can give you. But who are you for? And what are you doing to serve them better?  Right now, I am for you - the “Artisan Doer.” I am for the person who is looking to perfect the craft of coming alive - of doing the work that matters.  I am, each day, reading and reflecting on ways I can do things better and translating those learnings to you, here, right now.  Who are you for?

Are you uneasy about taking risks? Maybe you’re a thrill-seeker, but some things feel too risky - being vulnerable, entering into relationships, facing your problems? Maybe it’s the opposite? Perhaps it’s trying out a new idea? The fear of being wrong getting to you? To be bold is to come alive. It is the enrollment, the commitment, of doing the hard work of creating something better for your tribe. It is making yourself vulnerable to ask for feedback. It is also being generous enough to say, “this is why it’s not you.” Being bold is being able to say, “this might destabilize your life a bit, but it might also make things better.” To be bold is to be a gift for another person. Even if that other person is you.

At least that’s what happened the other day.

My sister and I tried to fix it ourselves to no avail.

Quite honestly, it was a tough day all around. Not just the faucet, but other areas of my life didn’t leave me much in the way of self-effective.

It was easy to spiral into a depression with the setbacks, but I didn’t. And, with many thanks to a gloomy day.

I really asked the question, and I’ve no regrets. The next time you park on the street, and you overstay your time slot, you might receive a parking citation.(I feel like the City of Milwaukee gives them away like candy.)Now, what if the ticket read something like this?“Thank you for helping support Milwaukee’s 53206 community. The $25.00 from this ticket will help create the community’s first public library.“Or,“You’ve just made your commute along Vliet Street (between 12th and 35th) 10x better! Your $25.00 ticket enables the Public Works department to repave Vliet Street, reduce the traffic on the expressway, and plant a few trees!“Sometimes re-framing a problem is all that’s needed to translate pain into delight. I, for one, wouldn’t mind paying a $25.00 ticket if I knew exactly how it was to be spent. By contrast, if I was the type of person that did not want my money going to a specific cause, I may be more aware of where/how/when I parked. Many might argue that this approach is not scalable, doesn’t make sense, will never work… you name it! But, I say they’re right - it doesn’t make sense, it might not ever work, and it’s illogical - but, then again, nor are human emotions. If you want to come alive and help others, consider the things that don’t make sense.

What’s the likelihood you’d pay more?  What’s the likelihood you wouldn’t try to pay less?  I’m not in government, but it seems that operationally-speaking, it makes sense for the money to go into one pot and then be distributed as needed. After all, is it efficient to let the citizenry decide where the money goes?This isn’t a post about government, taxes, or management.  This is a post about efficiency.The most efficient model produces consistent results.  Consistently people pay, or they don’t.It’s not perfect, but it works.If we were looking at a stock portfolio, we’d call this the “efficient frontier.”  Well, my point is that we should drop this all together!  Consider the illogical.  Consider the inefficient.  If you’re looking to spread an idea, create a business, book a gig, or do anything worth believing you have two choices:The efficient frontier - where risk and reward are maximized most efficiently, or the way it’s conventionally done; orThrough magic - where the goal is to delight, to experiment, or to break convention.  I’m an advocate for spending at least 20% of your time considering on the latter. Why?Because when we consider the illogical, we look at that which no one else does.  And, if no one is doing it, we’ve created immediate differentiation.  Coming alive, doing the work that matters, or being more of who you’re meant to be doesn’t need to be efficient. If it needed to be, we’d all be the same. Where’s the fun in that?

Every day you wake up and look for ways to make things better.

Every day you make things better by doing something better.

Every day you do something better and help someone else.

When you help someone else, you make a better world.

When we make a better world, we change the culture.

You are perfecting the craft of changing culture.

One day at a time.

They suck! End of blog. Okay, no, really… they suck. When you look outside and see the grey sky, it’s easy to think, “well, what’s the point?” The plans you had to go out for a run - “Why bother?” The meal you were going to grill - “Nah, I’ll do it another day.” The golf game you’ve been hoping for - “I don’t feel like it.” The list goes on. You know what? I find something interesting about grey skies. Think about being on a plane that just took off from the airport. As you climb, higher and higher, you’ll eventually pass through the clouds. And as you pass through the grey and gloomy clouds, you’ll notice something, The color of the sky. What was it all along?

If you had one problem that you needed help solving, and you think I might be able to help you solve it, what would that problem be? The message above is often seen as a sales message. It’s understood that way because salespeople want to solve problems for potential customers. At the same time, customers want their problems solved. But, and this is a big “but,” they don’t want to be sold. I’m not selling anything through this blog. I write the blog because I want to share something each day that might help you. If you’re like me, you’ve got challenges. And, if you’re like me, sometimes another perspective helps. Right now, I need some perspective. I’m looking for ways to solve more problems. Why? Because I enjoy helping people solve a problem. So with that, I’d love to know, from you, what problems I could offer insights into. It’s best if you pose a problem that you think I might be able to help you solve. People like us like to help the others. Thanks, in advance, for the help.

You do.  You absolutely need to take a chill pill, relax, and come to your senses.  While you’re at it, you need to take a break and get outside.While you’re at it, you need to eat healthier - I’m worried about you.STOP THE NOISE!  Been in this position before? With everybody telling you what you need to do? How to live your life? What you should be doing now?  Consider giving these people a break because they care. Also, give yourself a break. Because if you’re like me, You’re doing it to yourself every day.Possibly now.

I know people who like to plan.  They are ridiculously organized.Before they take any steps, they want to see the plan written out.The data matters to them - what are others doing? What’s the best practice? What makes sense?Do you know this type of person?This is the type of person that needs to feel, be given, and give themselves safety at every corner. They seek out like-minded people because, in numbers, there’s security.  This is the kind of person that will read tons of books on tactics, consult with a mentor, discuss “best practices,” and look for the cleanest path to do anything.There’s nothing wrong with this person.  I was once that kind of person. I love people like that.Having said that, I’m offering a different way to think - the illogical way.  Want to try out a new idea? Do what other people refuse to do. Try it out. See what happens.  Looking for an affordable place to live? Live where others don’t want to live.  Want to try being more productive? Do things that make you less productive and see how you feel.Efficiency and effectiveness are not one and the same.Flowers are not efficient - they put on elaborate displays of colors so that bees will come and pollinate.  But, if you like honey, you could argue that flowers are quite effective.  Next time you’re faced with a problem, look for the solution that makes the least amount of sense. It might just work.