Monday Memo #22
Say yes to interestingness.
The Monday memo is food for thought to fuel your week.
Hi everyone,
The art of the possible is a mix of branching and pruning. It helps to learn to say no, because it creates room for more possibilities. But then what? Once you’ve created some space by saying no, what should you say yes to?
Every time you say yes, you open a door to new possibilities. Each “yes” leads to a stepping stone: a set of conversations and/or activities that will in turn generate more choices that you can say yes or no to. The problem is that you can’t predict in advance where each stepping stone will lead.
But inside you is an internal compass, unique to you, that will point you in the direction most likely to lead to more productive, creative choices that will help you learn more about the world and your own unique place in it.
That internal compass is interestingness.
You are a unique individual, the product of many circumstances and choices. All the moments of your life so far have led you to being this unique person at this unique place and time.
If you can learn to say no more often, you will become less busy and make more space in your life for possibility. Once you have created that space, you can pay more attention to your inner compass of interestingness.
There is no way to predict what will happen when you start following your most interesting path. The future is uncertain. Each stepping stone will lead to more stepping stones.
But if you make it a habit to follow the most interesting path, at least you can be sure that that path will lead to something interesting!
Exercise.
Here’s your exercise for the week: Pay attention to your inner compass. Make a note when you come across something that feels interesting. When you feel that tug, say yes to something interesting and see where it leads.
Upcoming:
In our next Collaboratory with Ingrid Lill we will be learning about visual thinking for business. It’s happening on Wednesday, May 15th, from 9 to 10:30 AM Pacific, (that’s Noon to 1:30 PM Eastern, 5 to 6:30 PM BST).
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