Christmas Programs

The kids’ Christmas program is a hot ticket…to the families of the kids in the program. The families will do anything to be there and get a seat closer to the front so their video will be better.

But a couple things…

Outside of the families, there isn’t much of a market.

Outside of it being a Christmas program, the families aren’t really interested in this music group.

It’s a very specific, tight window event with sky high demand. It burns hot and then it’s over.

The good thing is that no one is confused about any of this. The kids aren’t trying to sell more tickets in order to bump up to a bigger venue and the families aren’t trying to work out a partnership agreement with all the kids to take the act on the road.

The supply and demand arcs are clear and concise.

Are yours?

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Excitement Of The Promise

When the promisor makes the promise, the promisee is excited.

Partly for the moment of the promise but mostly because it means the promisor is going to take action on their behalf. The promisee doesn’t have to do anything but accept the gift.

As for the promisor…it’s exciting to make the promise. You get to look cool and powerful and helpful. But then when no one is looking and there’s no excitement and maybe you don’t feel like it, you have to fulfill the promise. And it’s important to remember that while you don’t feel like fulfilling the promise, the promisee is somewhere excited that you are going to come through.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Giving Up Nonchalance

Often times being laid back or having a nonchalant attitude is seeing as the crown jewel of moving through life. Nothing is a big deal. It’s all good. When anything difficult happens, just chill.

But you’re going to have to give up some of that nonchalance if you want to do any meaningful work.

Because meaningful work means taking responsibility…which means taking it seriously…which means it’s important and it matters to you. Well worth the price of your nonchalance.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Stuck In Your Head

As any studio musician can tell you, just because a song gets stuck in your head doesn’t make it a good song. After playing it fifteen times in a row it’s going to get stuck in your head regardless.

This doesn’t just apply to songs.

It turns out whatever we spend our time filling our heads with, it’s gonna get stuck there.

Whether it’s good or not.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Creating And Sharing

Creating things is sewn deep inside us. Art, games, tools, ideas, and inventions…they’ve been around for a while and we like coming up with the next one.

And when we come up with something good we want to share the goodness.

But when the instinct to share kicks in, most of us think share means social media.

However…for most of human history when the instinct to share kicked in, family and neighbors were as far as the sharing could go…and that would be enough to satisfy the instinct.

The compulsion to share our creation beyond the people closest to us is brand new, and it doesn’t seem like our brains have figured out how to process it yet.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple

Designing The Jungle Gym

How long are the slides? How tall should the monkey bars be? How many swings?

The jungle gym designer has a tough job because children are going to be disappointed.

The slide is too long and scary. The monkey bars are too high to reach. There are four swings but five kids want to swing.

Kids are going to cry.

The only way to have the perfect jungle gym is to have an unlimited number of every element at every size and height. And this isn’t possible.

Disappointment is part of the gig.

You can’t be everything to everyone.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple