Being Remarkable
The topic of a morning discussion was on becoming remarkable. Referenced in the conversation was the Seth Godin book, Purple Cow, and it later brought to my mind the book, So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport. Newport is the author of another of my favorites, Deep Work. I was struck in the discussion by a paradox I've experienced in which I do work that I think is remarkable, but it doesn't land that way for others. I've experienced that with many areas of creation, from songs to books to workshops to coaching. If I attempt to orchestrate the remarkability, the outcome tends to not be remarkable at all. The handful of moments in my life I can point at as remarkable were such due to many factors that were outside my control - the mood of the audience, the energy level of the crowd, the anticipation of the event - these were not factors that I had any influence upon. Just like every other night, I showed up and played. It's just on those nights, something deep