062: Power Of Prompts

Effective introspection requires outside influence.

Robert G. and I have had many conversations over the past few months and, as I write this, I realize that while his words are immensely powerful he’s been rarely mentioned.

I’ve said time and time again that your responses to these emails are a necessary catalyst for the perspectives, ideas, and explorations I’m able to share with such frequency.

Our conversations are anything but topical. He responds often and we talk at length.

This morning, planning to share some particularly keen insights, I asked myself, “why have I not mentioned him as much as someone like Madi T.? ” It only took a moment to realize.

Rarely am I able to read any response from Robert G. without being tipped in a state of contemplative introspection. Following a dialogue prompted by Power of Press, he shared:

Quote that syncs a bit with your emails:

“The point about working is not to produce great stuff all the time,  but to remain ready for when you can.”

There’s no point in saying, ‘I don’t have an idea today.
You should stay alert for the moment when a number of things
are just ready to collide with one another…

The difficulty of always feeling that you ought to be doing something
is that you tend to undervalue the times when you’re doing nothing,
and those are very important times.

It’s the equivalent of the dream time, in your daily life,
times when things get sorted out and reshuffled.

If you’re constantly awake work-wise you don’t allow that to happen.

“One of the reasons I have to take distinct breaks when I work is to allow the momentum of a particular direction to run down,  so that another one can establish itself.” ~ Brian Eno

I copied that in exactly as Robert wrote it. He’s a copywriter by trade, and similar to me, is slightly obsessed with the visual design of words so as to facilitate effective cadence and tone. There’s a reason all of my emails have been lining up perfectly justified, I’m OCD.

While many of you have prompted me with words of inspiration and encouragement, his seemed to eloquently acknowledge my angst rooted in the enormity of this experiment and find comfort in the unknown. He didn’t make me think — he made me contemplate.

The reason, I realized, I haven’t mentioned Robert as much is that his words often take days—sometimes weeks—to gestate into a realization. He owns my mental real estate.

Jasmine P. said, following Steve D.’s words on accepting compliments, “I might have to mimic your friend and tell folks I’m the best marketer for workshop facilitators!”

I responded by relaying the notion that—at least for me—it’s never not unnerving, “I’ve been working to accept when people buy me coffee/lunch for years… still uncomfortable.”

Unexpectedly, Jasmine’s response prompted me with an extremely pointed inquiry asking, quite bluntly, “What makes you uncomfortable about accepting free food?

I had to regroup before addressing her with a response and was surprised by my answer:

I feel, at the core of it, unworthy of the gift.

Simultaneously, I was sharing my plans for the future with Ben S. who said, “I think you’ve got some serious potential with Ghost Influence that needs to be seen through.”

It wasn’t until hours later, in the shower, where the magnitude of my answer to Jasmine and the astoundingly powerful compliment from Ben hit me — it nearly knocked me over.

The eyes most blind to your progress will always be your own.

I consider myself an introspective person, constantly analyzing and improving, but that’s not to say I know everything about myself — nor do I expect to. Only when you push your boundaries do you begin to find your limits. When you push them again, you’ll often discover they’ve changed. Without new stimulus we will struggle to develop.

Robert, Jasmine, and Ben were seeking to understand, but they forced me to think. Their emotional investment into my well being fostered my discovery, but it also developed a deeper relationship between us. While reflecting my gratitude for their consideration, I must call out the power of their powers for Digital Empathy. Their investment into my well being has garnered an equal—if not greater—investment into theirs.

We can all change one person’s world — sometimes it just takes the right question.

• When was the moment you knew you’d made it?
• What lesson did you have to learn the most before it truly stuck?
• How did you react when you saw six-figures in your bank account the first time?

Immensely delicious (the mushrooms were the best), more exciting photos to come!