How I try to spend my days – Manifesto to my children

Do what you value

This is different from doing what you love. I love chocolate but making it is not what I value – no disrespect to chocolateurs.

I value hard work and innovation and surprises and play. And because I value them I work on them.

Do not seek permission to dream

You know what’s right. It’s in your genes to be the punk rocker of your life.

Yet we often (constantly?) seek endorsement, sanctioning, approval from defined and undefined authorities.

This is a vestigial remnant of too many years in the schooling system – self appointed authorities that demand your respect, when you know you should just…

…Love

It’s a verb – NOT just a fuzzy feeling inside.

Love demands actions. So when you say you love something make sure your actions say it too.

Respect your art

Whatever ‘art’ you’ve chose for yourself: from selling strategy to film making, from basket weaving to driving trucks, from taming lions to plumbing houses and everything in between.

Respect means you’ll work at it to do better than what you did yesterday and the day before.

Respect the artist

Don’t be too hard on yourself – just showing up everyday is a big achievement when most have stopped showing up a long time ago.

Be humble to your art but not submissive.

Be there and…

…Be present

You have to be in the moment to make the moment count. Get rid of distractions and do what you value.

There’s no TRYING - it’s all about TRYING.

Do not make TRYING an escape clause – as in “I’m trying this to see if it works, if not I’ll quit.” There’s no trying – there’s doing.

And yet, it’s all about trying. After all, no one walks before crawling.
Be sure to know the difference.

Write

It’s one of the few hallmarks of being a human being. The ability to read meaning in abstract scrawls and symbols is uniquely human.
Write love letters and poetry. Write menus and business plans, write novels and your dreams and fear. Even write abuse if you need to. But put it in writing. Do it with style. Write.

Rinse Repeat

Persistence pays off.

The mightiest mountain will crumble under the gentlest breeze of eternal winds.