What do you think of when you read that phrase? “Back to reality.” I can remember the exact day I realized there was something off about the fact that, for many, it means “back to the part of life I don’t like/begrudgingly do.” Surely, one’s evenings and weekends could equally lay claim to “reality,” no? Turning the phrase into one of joy rather than dismay. Apparently, I was a bit of an outlier for seeing it that way. I remember being struck by the uphill battle I faced to convince my colleagues at the time that “back to reality” could be what we said as we headed out at the start of our supper break, not what we said as it neared its end. (For context, we were ushers at the Royal Alexandra Theatre — the job where Kayte and I met — and on days when there was a matinée and evening performance, we had 1-2 hours between shows to roam the streets of Downtown Toronto in search of food and relaxation.) It’s been nearly twenty years since that day, and I’ve slowly met more people aligned with the way I see it. But have also recognized that it’s a choice, and one that many don’t/won’t take. (That “reality” is the “looked-forward-to life” part, not the “begrudgingly-done work” part.) I still think about it every day. And try my very best to keep that point of view. Now, maybe you can too! From reality, |
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One of the things missing from much of the “get AI to do everything for you” messaging is this fact: writing isn’t just a product, it’s a process. Yes, it’s nice to have “content.” But thinking that having it is the only outcome that matters is shallow and short-sighted. One of the things that has astounded me since I started writing daily(ish) emails back in November 2022 is how much it has changed me. It has vastly improved my ability to think—and to put those thoughts into clear, concise...
If you want to achieve more, do less. That is to say, build time into your day, your week, your year for quiet. In our house, following lunch, there is a period of mandated quiet time. It gives everyone a chance to do something they’d otherwise not do: nothing. It could be napping, reading, working on art, or even listening to something specific on headphones—as long as it’s quiet and done alone. For Kayte and I, it’s almost always napping, lol. During that time, we can recharge. We can...
“…We are ‘persuaded to spend money we don’t have on things we don’t need to make impressions that won’t last on people we don’t care about.’” This is Kate Raworth quoting Economist Tim Jackson in her book Doughnut Economics while discussing the power of aspiration in influencing human behaviour. Reading this, I realized that seeing (or at least feeling) this is what kept me from marketing for so long. (And what keeps me from engaging in much of its mainstream still.) I thought of it only as a...