“Sometimes you have to be a lion so you can be the lamb you really are”
— African Proverb (courtesy of Dave Chappelle's mom) —
Hello and my best to you and yours.
Here are three things I’ve been thinking about lately that I’m excited to share with you (4-minute read).
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on risking it all
Despite Kris Kristofferson living a life of lives, I was gutted when I learned of his passing on Sunday. Just a few weeks ago, I shared a story of how the legendary singer, songwriter, and actor helped kickstart the career of John Prine, my favorite musical storyteller.
When seeing all the tributes to Kristofferson, I was reminded of the incredible risks he took to create his own career luck. And like all great stories, Kristofferson's tipping point involves Johnny Cash, stealing a helicopter, and quite a few beers.
Here's David Thayer recounting what Kristofferson told him back in 1977 —
"Kris said he had been fired from his Drilling Rig Helicopter job for flying drunk. So, wanting to be a songwriter, he got a job as a janitor at Columbia Records in Nashville.
One day in the studio, he handed Johnny Cash a tape, which Johnny promptly threw in the trash.
He didn’t give up.
He did, in fact, take the US Army helo and land in Johnny’s yard.
June Carter came out and yelled, “Sweet Jesus, they come to us up the road, and now they are coming to us out of the sky.”
Cash, not amused, ordered Kris to fly away, and Kris refused to go until Cash heard ONE song. Finally, Cash gave in and agreed to listen to one song.
Cash melted and wanted to cut it immediately.
And it later became the song of the year at the 1970 Country Music Association awards.”
Normally this is where I share why a story inspired me and how it spoke to me.
But I think the takeaway is pretty clear on this one.
Steal more helicopters.
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on helping people
Maybe it's because I'm one of those people who thinks of the perfect joke or thing to say hours or even days after an interaction. Or maybe because I grew up stuttering. Whatever the reason, I've always been in awe of late-night talk show hosts and their ability to communicate and think so quickly on their feet.
This is especially true of David Letterman.
He's not without his faults, but I've enjoyed watching his second act from afar as the guy is full of wisdom —
“Here I am tonight, receiving this award…and I asked myself how did this happened and I’ll tell you how it happened — it wasn’t because of me. It was because of hundreds and hundreds, perhaps thousands of people who helped me.
You saw some of my friends here tonight. All of them are more talented, more gifted, and funnier than I am.
But they all helped me — and I’d just like to say we have to help each other or nothing will happen.
There are 3 things that I know for a fact in the world:
If someone comes up to you with a bag of M&Ms, pours out a handful in your hand, automatically you will start doing this (insert shaking them in your hand motion). Absolutely no control over that. You’ll be shaking them before you know it.
If you pull a hair out of your nose, I don’t care if you do it a hundred times, each time you will sneeze.
And if you help someone in any way big or small, automatically you will feel good about yourself.
Those are the three things that I know.”
I don't agree with everything Letterman said. If someone pours me a handful of M&Ms, I don't shake them, I immediately eat them.
But other that than, he's dead on — we have to help each other or nothing will happen.
Quick aside: If you want to drill a point home and make your message memorable, surround your serious point with two things that are not so serious. Letterman listing out the M&Ms and nose hair bit is the perfect set-up to reinforce his message of kindness.
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on making art that inspires people to stop
I’ve been clogged up like a New England November drainpipe the last few weeks. Ears and nose are jammed packed. To pass the time on a particularly brutal day when my brain wasn't working, I clicked on the movie Burnt.
Much like how I feel, overall the film was meh. But there was a scene where my wife's favorite heartthrob, Bradley Cooper, said something that stuck with me.
Here's my wife's favorite heartthrob —
“People eat because they’re hungry. I want to make food that makes people stop eating. Cooking is an expression of who we are. And right now, we’re two stars. Both of us. It’s a two-star review. We can keep cooking and be interesting. But I want people to sit at that table and be sick with longing.”
In a world where everyone is moving quickly, steal a line from Cooper's character and focus on making stuff that drives people to a standstill.
And I don't mean by using the tricks and gimmicks that litter the likes of LinkedIn and Twitter to artificially hook people in. I'm talking about art that resonates. That leaves a mark. Because it's marked with you and how you see the world.
Your sweat.
Your tears.
Your experiences.
Enough people is focusing on speed.
If you want to stand out, choose to be the type of person whose creations inspire people to stop.
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That’s it for this week.
Take a risk.
Be kind.
And focus on creating art that leaves a mark.
Onwards.
—Michael
PS: The best way to help me keep the lights on and newsletters like this one free is to grab a copy of my book and leave an honest review on Amazon or Goodreads (or ideally, both).
It makes a great gift for any of your shy or more reserved friends, colleagues, and family members who have something to say but struggle to bet on themselves.
Shy by Design: 12 Timeless Principles to Quietly Stand Out
“In a world that lionizes loudness, it’s actually the quiet and shy among us who are best set up to thrive. Thompson provides an important new way of understanding what it really takes to stand out!”
— Cal Newport
New York Times bestselling author of Digital Minimalism and Deep Work