If you’re going to check your Instagram likes every few hours you have to accept the fact that you will sometimes win and sometimes lose. And getting really good at checking doesn’t make any difference…as if that’s a thing one could get good at.
(Creating social media content and checking social media content are two different exercises)
You don’t have to check, measure, compare, envy, rank…but if you’re going to, you also sign up for BOTH losing and winning each hour you check.
And one win is never enough…and another loss, well that’s the fuel you use to keep checking…isn’t it?
It turns out being really good at the hiding part of hide and seek isn’t very fun…even though the whole point of the hiding part is to hide where you can’t be found.
But not being found really sucks. It’s lonely, and eventually the seekers give up and forget about you.
I was really good at hiding. I wanted to be. That was the whole point right?
Now looking back, we can see that the point of hide and seek was never actually about being good at hiding or seeking…the point was to have fun. That was the whole reason anyone suggested the game in the first place.
It’s more fun to be found than to not be found.
And it’s more fun to have fun than be the best at hiding.
Once we know the point of hide and seek is to have fun, we make sure to have fun, even if it means being found.
Clarity of the REAL point is a sure step to achieving the real point.
(And often times the ‘point’ isn’t in the name, but the experience)
Yes, I’m going to use the Rudolph song as a metaphor.
So we listen through the whole song and Rudolph is the champion. Rudolph was the unique red-nosed reindeer and all he needed the whole time was for someone to recognize that a red nose is even better than the more popular black nose.
Once the red nose had a chance to be seen as a cool thing, it was seen as a cool thing!!
We’re all dying to be Rudolph. For our chance. For people to finally recognize our genius and put us at the front of the line.
Oh to one day be Rudolph. To go down in history.
But I’d like to suggest another character that perhaps is holding more long term power and wisdom, and the character from the song we might really want to be like…
Santa
There are three things…
1. Santa understands exactly what the problem at hand is: it’s foggy, which makes it hard to see…and seeing is important for flying a sleigh all around the world on Christmas Eve.
2. He knows exactly where to take his problem: Rudolph…the only reindeer (that we know of :) with a light-up nose helpful for seeing through fog.
3. Santa presents an opportunity to Rudolph that will boost Rudolph’s social standing (literally putting him at the front of the line) while playing THE essential role in Santa carrying out his Santa duties.
It may sound silly…but this three step process will build a long long career in this business.
Knowing your problem/need.
Knowing where to take your need.
Helping someone else while at the same time having your need met.
Last night I watched the Bruno Mars special on CBS.
You need to watch it. It’s going to take a little work, as CBS doesn’t make it one-click-easy but you can sign up for a free trial and watch it free.
It’s worth the effort. It’s worth making a priority and cancelling some other plans to make the time.
It’s next level stuff.
You’ll learn a lot…if you’re interested in learning a lot.
So many good ideas executed so well.
The way they incorporate Mary in the red dress into the story…elite level.
It was very clear to me that for the last few months while I haven’t been thinking about Bruno Mars…he has been thinking about me, and the next time I’d see him, on this tv special.
Practicing, creating, re-arranging songs, STAYING IN SHAPE, rehearsing, innovating, getting better, smoother, honing intuition…all so that our reunion would be memorable.
And it was.
p.s. And just so there’s no confusion…yes, what I’m saying is: watch this and steal the best ideas that occur to you and use them in your show.
p.p.s If you watch and nothing occurs to you, watch it again. Most of the answers (a version of them) are being played out right before you.
