I thought I would write something, but Dave Chappelle does a good job of laying it out with his comments which have now gone viral, "I let go of the salt." For those of you who don't recognize Dave Chappelle, you should go back and review his comedy as in his prime he was pivotal in setting the stage for this generation of informed comedians. Dave challenged the boundaries of comedy in a time before that was popular. His story reminds us that it is important to remember that as we pursue our personal and professional goals, ask the question, "Am I gaining the world and yet forfeiting my soul?" What I like about both what Dave says and the quote mentioned, there is no one to blame but yourself - are you achieving your goals while keeping your values intact? When asked why he chose to walk away from his successful sketch comedy show in 2005, Dave Chappelle offered "CBS This Morning" co-host Gayle King a thoughtful analogy about survival, courtesy of a nature show. Dave Chappelle on how success became a trap. Dave's comments have gone viral, "I let go of the salt," as he literally walked away from what was the biggest show of it's time, he set the mic down before he reached the peak of his potential in the market, and yet as he shares it he is the better for it. Dave went from being everywhere to being nowhere and he did that by choice. Slate gave a good summary of the video in their article (read more HERE): Chappelle explained. “I think that that was the irreconcilable moment for me—that I was in this very successful place, but the emotional content of it didn’t feel anything like what I imagined success should feel like. It just didn’t feel right.” He told a story about how Bushmen use salt to trap baboons, who can’t pull their hands out of holes once they’ve grabbed onto lumps and subsequently lead the Bushmen to water—and how financial success can be a similar kind of trap. He, however, was smart enough to let go of the salt. (Slate.com) What are your thoughts on what Mr. Chappelle says? How do you maintain vision and values in your pursuits?
Connect. Collaborate. Conquer.
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My kids ask about the olden days, "You know, like back in the 1900's." There are moment as we laugh that we realize there are reference points and resources which they will have no frame work to comprehend. One such resource that we used in the days long before was the Thomas Guide, do you remember these? We tale for granted that you now can instantaneous directions that are interactive and will talk you through the intricacies of your journey. In the days before cell phones and data applications were a ubiquitous accessory, you used to have to sit down at your computer to print your directions from programs such as Mapquest. People complain that Siri get's them lost, those same people should force themselves to navigate with line item directions while traversing through rush hour traffic. Prior to the Thomas Guide, there were maps. Maps were created as a by product of natural selection in an effort to thin the population either by getting them lost where they could not be found, distracted from driving or to tear families apart arguing over which minuscule turn off was the shortest route. Maps were sold in a compact folded form that you could never get them back into without tearing or throwing into the glove box in a condition twice the purchased size. Imagine driving with a fold out that could fill the drivers compartment trying to read size 6 font in the dark to reach your destination - it makes it rather comical that some crusaders believe cell phones are the first and/or only incarnation of distracted driving. Imagine family trips with no seat belts, no air conditioning and navigating from parchment paper. Needless to say, when the Thomas Guide came out, the world of travel for business and for pleasure became so much more compact and concise. The Thomas Guide had a reference index, you would look up your street and be provided an page as well as index from which you could begin to construct your routes. As crazy as it sounds, in metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles, California, with the Thomas Guide you could more readily re-navigate when there were traffic jams because you could focus in on the area you were headed to rather than having to mess with a the jumbled monstrosity of a large paper map. The world was still un-chartered waters but the Thomas Guide made you feel like you could master the seas, or at least not get so lost that you would be left to die in the expanse with your only friend being a volleyball. Where are we going with this? First, I wanted to share a story about the Thomas Guide with you young-ins who have never heard of such a thing. Secondly, navigation is an essential component of exploration as it relates to achieving your personal and professional goals. Technology has advanced and you may be able to master the latest and greatest electronic gadgets but that doesn't mean you understand how to navigate your journey, connect with the best resources or conquer your ambitions. Mentorship is a catch phrase in the current economy and yet connecting the pieces is harder than it sounds even though we have so many collaboration opportunities. As discussed previously, discussion among peers can be a powerful resource (HERE), like a planned summer vacation the search for ideas and tips can start with sharing with others where you want to visit, what you hope to see as well as asking if others have been where you are trying to go. If you have been frustrated in your search for mentorship - 1) you are not alone, 2) don't give up as it is a worthwhile pursuit and 3) don't discount the network that you have that can help keep you accountable to your vision (The Power of Discussion). Another great place to start is Write It Down. Let us know what you have learned about navigation and mentorship. Connect. Collaborate. Conquer. So many people are asking for more positivity in their lives, it just so happens that there is a website committed to that purpose - The Daily Positive. Our second article has been published with this outlet, Lessons From Noah On Vision And Endurance (HERE). "The Noah narrative may prove helpful to the aspiring entrepreneur as well as the modern leader navigating the troubled waters of managing with vision, maintaining the elusive work-life balance and living a life of purpose." You can read this article, our previous article How To Identify The Right Mentor (HERE) as well as many other offerings on the TDP website. |
AuthorThoughts on personal and professional development. Jon Isaacson, The Intentional Restorer, is a contractor, author, and host of The DYOJO Podcast. The goal of The DYOJO is to help growth-minded restoration professionals shorten their DANG learning curve for personal and professional development. You can watch The DYOJO Podcast on YouTube on Thursdays or listen on your favorite podcast platform.
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