#110 The action trigger

Happy Sunday, everyone.

Can you hang in there with me for one more issue of Notes from the Field for 2020?  Thanks!

This week, I’d like to talk about the using inspiration as a trigger for taking action.  But first, a story.

From my pre-teens through my 20s, I loved making mixed tapes, and later, CDs, but we still called them tapes — because mixed cds don’t sound as good.

My nerdy friends and I would trade them around like sports cards, always trying to one up each other with fresh tracks from artists no one had heard of (yet).

Growing up in a small town on the coast of NC, we didn’t have record stores close by where you could pick up the newest single from your favorite artist. (Note: for the youngsters reading, there used to be these places you’d go, called record stores, to buy music on physical artifacts like vinyl, cassettes and cds.) This was also waaaayyy before streaming services and mp3s.

So, we had to get creative.

One tactic was dubbing cassettes and cds from my older brother and his friends without getting caught with the contraband. The upside, they often had the coolest music. Thanks to these clandestine ops, I listened to bands like Bad Brains, Fishbone, The Beastie Boys, The Cult, Das EFX, NOFX, and The Smiths for the first time. The downside, getting a big brother beat down (Deserved it. Worth it.)

The other process involved recording a live radio broadcast in hopes to catch the song in between Parker Honda and Chevy’s night club ads. This was much harder than it seemed. It meant listening to hours of broadcast. Waiting. But every now and then, the megahertz would line up and Lithium or Roll With It or Say It Ain’t So  would come on. When it did, you’d have to act! If not, it was gone for who knows how long.

Inspiration is a lot like this — making mix tapes via the radio.

If you get inspired or have an idea, act — right away! Or, it may dissipate.

Thinking about a customer? Call them.
Have an idea? Write the blog post.
A co-worker crosses your mind? Encourage them with an email.

Inspiration demands action.

Try it out and let me know what you learn.

Three Things to Ponder

  1. The conscious mind determines the actions, the unconscious mind determines the reactions, and the reactions are just as important as the actions. – E. Stanley Jones
  2. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they were laying bricks every hour. You don’t have to do it all today. Just lay a brick.  That’s how you build an empire. - James Clear
  3. Empathy is influence.

Three Things to Enjoy

  1. Hard to believe these are things you can eat.
  2. Here is a great place to find or validate e-commerce ideas.
  3. Check out another database/docs/notes tool but with a smoother experience.

Until next time, friends.

-David


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