create

Reading and re-reading The War of Art and Turning Pro over the last few years has really changed by way of thinking about life and my own character. Two things that I am committed to: make a song a week and start writing the screenplays that have been bouncing around in my head. What makes me so excited is I finally got to a place where 1.) I am doing more creative work and 2) I truly don’t care if that work is ever seen, heard, or read. It’s become a thing I do 100% for myself.

ask questions

I would say that I value curiosity above just about any other leadership trait. As John Maxwell would say, good leaders, ask great questions. At MSRE, we teach curiosity as the most critical part of the sales process as well. If you don’t have a genuine curiosity around your client’s needs, how can you ever serve them?

For those with children, I found this great blog I wanted to share. Actually, contains great advise for anyone!

movies watched in january 2021

1/1 - The Other Guys - B+

1/3 - Terminator: Dark Fate - C-

1/3 - No Country for Old Men - A+

1/5 - The Descendants - A+

1/7 - Catch Me if You Can - A-

1/9 - The Count of Monte Cristo - D

1/9 - Greyhound - B-

1/9 - Blue Ruin - A-

1/9 - The Long Kiss Goodnight - B

1/11 - Into the Wild - A-

1/12 - Superbad - A-

1/13 - Hunt for the Wilderpeople - A

1/15 - 30 Minutes or Less - C

1/16 - Enter the Dragon - B

1/16 - Zodiac - A+

1/17 - The King’s Speech - A

1/18 - Panic Room - B+

1/24 - Casino - A+

1/28 - Unstoppable - B

1/29 - The Quick and the Dead - A-

1/30 - Erin Brockovich - A

1/31 - Master and Commander - A-

making music

I have been making music the last few years as a way to exercise my creative muscles. I love my work at MSRE but in business one is never “finished.” As Simon Sinek would say, business is an Infinite Game. With a song, I can work on one over a weekend and feel a sense of completion. Plus, my ego is healthy enough that I tend to really dig what I make.

This song is extra special to me since my sixteen year-old Jackson contributed. The song started with his bass lines. We built it from there and then he added keys as well. Makes me super proud to see what an amazing musician he is becoming.

one good day

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James Clear’s book Atomic Habits is MSRE’s February book of the month. I read this book twice over the last two years and would say it is the best book I have personally read on the idea of habits and discipline. Love this quote from James’ newsletter that I received today.

"Just have one good day. Then repeat." - James Clear

A pretty simple formula for life when put in those words! It reminds me of an interview that my favorite fiction author, Cormac McCarthy, had with Oprah. Cormac basically said his goal is to simply write a few pages each day that are better than yesterday’s pages. His straightforward philosophy has led to some of the greatest American fiction and a Pulitzer Prize for his masterpiece, The Road.

the war of art

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So, I decided to fully re-read The War of Art this week. Along with Turning Pro, I think Steven Pressfield has created two complete masterpieces that should be read and re-read by everybody.

If you have ever had a big goal or dream but you somehow failed to actually start taking the steps to accomplish those big ideas—all of us!—then these books are for you. This passage jumped out to me today.

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tony allen - GOAT drummer

I don’t know that anyone else has had a greater impact on drumming and percussion than Tony Allen. Dude literally created a whole new style and sound of music with Fela Kuti — afrobeat! Tony passed away in 2020, a few days after his latest album dropped. This playlist is a great primer, covering his work with Fela, his own solo material, and his recent colloborations with the likes of Damon Alborn of Blur.

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intution

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“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition; they somehow already know what you truly want to become.” - Steve Jobs

One thing I tell the leaders at MSRE is that your brain can convince you of anything. You can twist your thoughts into just about anything you want. But, you can’t fool your gut. As I understand it, your gut feeling/intuition is really your brain subconsciously calculating pattern recognition. In other words, something about the person/situation you are facing is triggering a warning. Listen to the warning!

read more books

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“Fools say they learn by experience. I prefer to profit by others' experience.” - Otto von Bismarck

I read this quote in Ryan Holiday’s recent blog outlining his suggested reading for 2021. Studying history and reading books (fiction included) will help you “profit by others’ experience” and it will also help develop your empathy and learn about human behavoir.