Edward Bevilacqua Edward Bevilacqua

3.5 307 1st Principles #5:

Matthew 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

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SETH GODIN Language conceals and reveals

When a non-expert brings a strong point of view to a complex discussion, the words might not mean what they seem to mean.

What might be being said is, “I’m worried. I’m afraid. I don’t understand. I am looking for solace.”

Answering emotional word salad with logical insight doesn’t do anything at all for these feelings.

If the argument you’re hearing isn’t based on what we know to be true, and doesn’t lead to a logical conclusion, it could be because it’s not actually seeking to be a productive discussion.

It’s awkward to say “yadda, yadda” but that might be what’s on offer.

When in doubt, look for the emotions and desires behind the words. People often don’t want their arguments to be heard as much as they’re hoping their emotions will be.

August 30, 2024

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Edward Bevilacqua Edward Bevilacqua

2. GRATITUDE

      2  I’m so happy and grateful now that

      3  Always look on the bright side   https://youtu.be/SJUhlRoBL8M?si=ZD373Szeo-gPlkiQ


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SETH GODIN Redefining a profession

Pharmacists used to mix chemicals by hand to create prescriptions.

Opticians used to grind lenses from scratch.

Lawyers used to start with an empty page.

Graphic designers needed to know how to draw.

All of these jobs are still important. None of them are the same as they were thirty years ago.

In your work, are you fighting the change or leading it?

It’s hard to see us going back.

August 29, 2024


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Edward Bevilacqua Edward Bevilacqua

3.3 297 1st Principles #3: Chef or cook (?)

James 2:15-17 ESV— If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

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SETH GODIN Brighten up a room

(just by leaving it)

Moving into your kid’s college dorm isn’t going to make the experience better for anyone.

A smart founder leaves her company in a moment when it actually does better without her.

The expectation that secession is failure causes a lot of damage. If you really care about the mission, it might be better to change the system in a way that allows it to thrive.

August 28, 2024


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Edward Bevilacqua Edward Bevilacqua

3.2 296 1st Principles: the 5 why's

“The glory of God is man fully alive.” St Irenaeus

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SETH GODIN  Write for someone

It’s so tempting to write for everyone.

But everyone isn’t going to read your work, someone is.

Can you tell me who? Precisely?

What did they believe before they encountered your work? What do they want, what do they fear? What has moved them to action in the past?

Name the people you’re writing for. Ignore everyone else.

August 27, 2024

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Edward Bevilacqua Edward Bevilacqua

3.1 297 First Principles (huh?)

Galatians 6:9 Don't give up

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SETH GODIN The steep part of the mountain

The end of the trail is usually difficult, but without the long and winding approach, there isn’t much of a mountain.

The greatest hits reel and the stunning photographs leave out most of the hard work.

There’s a lot to be said for showing up, one foot in front of the other. In fact, those are the only people who make it to the steep part in the first place.

August 26, 2024

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Edward Bevilacqua Edward Bevilacqua

2.7 297 G.school #66 B'fast in the park #4

Mark 1:15. NIV and saying, “The time has come, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.

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SETH GODIN “How can I help?”

If you have a series of tasks to do, it’s easier to ignore this question and simply get back to work. Doing the tasks is more efficient than coordinating the help.

But if your work is a project, a bigger mission that involves making a change happen, it’s much more productive to accept help.

When we have a project, part of the work is to enlist others in figuring out how to make the change we seek.

August 25, 2024

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Edward Bevilacqua Edward Bevilacqua

2.6 292 G.school #65 a syncretic approach (?)

Matthew 12:30 NIV — “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

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SETH GODIN The sad compromise of “sponsored results”

Google made a fortune and honed sponsored search results into an art form. The theory is that people who want the traffic the most will pay for the clicks, and of course, if the advertisers don’t have something you ultimately want, they’ll just waste their money. Let the market work it out–the dollars become a self-fueling sort of search algorithm.

Google was a miracle, and it also offered smart organic results and clearly labeled ads, so most of us accepted this.

Now, though, hotel listings don’t even bother to pretend they’re sorted in any order but “what makes us the most money.” Yelp requires us to wade through fast food franchises and other lazy advertisers to get where we’re going. And recently, Amazon has jumped the shark by selling out their customers to the highest bidder.

Add smartphones to the mix, with their tiny screens and low impulse control, and the ads stop looking like ads.

Not only are the ads a worse experience for the user, they are also creating a tax on all the advertisers, and thus, on us. If the only way to get Amazon traffic is to buy the ads, then the only way to pay for the ads is to charge more…

We’ve been hooked on free media for a century. But newspapers and network TV evolved to be ever more clear about what’s content and what’s an ad. The internet, as in all things it does, hypercompetes for the last penny, costing all of us time, trust and money.

The oxymoron of “sponsored results” is that if they’re sponsored, they’re not results.

August 24, 2024


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Edward Bevilacqua Edward Bevilacqua

2.5 295 Is there a destination (?)

James 2:15-17 ESV If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

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SETH GODIN The missing file

It contained some of my best writing. Cogent, clear and powerful.

I found it.

It wasn’t nearly as good as I remembered. In fact, it was hardly useful.

The opposite happens with the things we fear. When they show up, they’re likely to be a lot less fearsome than we imagined.

August 23, 2024

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Edward Bevilacqua Edward Bevilacqua

2.4 286 It's a commandment (!)

He who knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool; shun him

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Let’s pray…

Jesus said, “Repent and believe in the good news; the kingdom of God is in your midst, it's within you.”

Let’s nurture and share that presence, seeking the power and audacity to imagine better versions of ourselves and our community:

  • People who love God with all our Heart, and mind, and soul;

  • People who love one another as Jesus loves us; and

  • People who love themselves unconditionally.

Let’s cultivate the wisdom and courage 

  • To pray for those who persecute us;

  • To pray for us who are living on the margins of society, especially in inhumane conditions;

may we not be overlooked by institutions and never considered of lesser importance.

Amen.

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Edward Bevilacqua Edward Bevilacqua

2.3 283 Because ... (?)

Matthew 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

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SETH GODIN Anonymity and Bugs Bunny

I came across this (ironically) anonymous quote recently: “The offline world is full of sticks, but the internet only has carrots.”

When we come together in groups, it can bring out the best in people.

When those groups are anonymous, porous and transient, though, the opposite can happen.

And mobs never helped anyone, ever.

August 21, 2024

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Edward Bevilacqua Edward Bevilacqua

2.2 287 Don't expect to always win (?)

Luke 17:21

…  behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

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SETH GODIN Non-professional writers

Nobody asks you to design a bridge, write a sonnet or do open heart surgery. We leave these essential tasks to trained professionals.

But many job descriptions carry the unstated addendum, “and write.” Write memos, proposals, and even instruction manuals.

The local supermarket is reducing its hours for the summer (well deserved). The sign they put on the door to announce this is 100 words long.

The folks who manage the building where I work regularly send complicated and off-putting emails and texts to residents, when simple and powerful language is just a few keystrokes away.

There are two options:

The first used to be the only one. Get better at writing. You might not think you’re a professional writer (you’re a doctor! you’re a manager! you’re a teacher!) but if it’s an important part of your job, you are a professional, or at least we expect you to be.

Now there’s a second option. If the writing you’re doing doesn’t need to be in an idiosyncratic voice, take your memo, paste it into claude.ai and say, “please rewrite this to make it clear, cogent, positive and concise.”

And now you can go back to work.

August 20, 2024


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Edward Bevilacqua Edward Bevilacqua

2.1 283 have a student mentality

Matthew 25:35

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

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SETH GODIN The prevailing conditions

It doesn’t matter how hard you try, you’re not going to change the direction of the wind. That doesn’t mean you can’t get good at sailing, though.

And yes, if we do try, we can change the conditions in our household, community or workplace. It might feel like wind, but it’s caused by us and can be influenced by us. Not easily, and not right away, but knowing it’s possible is the first step.

August 19, 2024


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Edward Bevilacqua Edward Bevilacqua

1.7 281 G.school #64 B'fast in the park #3 the journey

Mark 10:43-45 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

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SETH GODIN The landlord and the creative coach

The conflict is real.

“Jean-Michel [Basquiat] called,” Mr. Warhol wrote in his diary on Sept. 5, 1983. “He’s afraid he’s just going to be a flash in the pan. And I told him not to worry, that he wouldn’t be. But then I got scared because he’s rented our building on Great Jones and what if he is a flash in the pan and doesn’t have the money to pay his rent?”

Every publisher, promoter, impresario, and family member worries about this, at least a bit. The good ones acknowledge the conflict and dance with it.

Conflict of interest is real. And as Fred Wilson says, if there is no conflict, there is no interest.

August 18, 2024

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Edward Bevilacqua Edward Bevilacqua

1.6 277 G.school #63 Men's b'fast

Numbers 6:24-26 RSV

— The LORD bless you and keep you: The LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you: The LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

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SETH GODIN In defense of the hard parts

Yesterday’s post was a little glib. Without a doubt, we add more value when we focus on the emotional labor of important work, leaving others the chance to create commodities.

But the repetitive, difficult nature of leaning into commodity production can give us insight, humility and skill. It helps us understand just how hard the hard parts are, and creates an opportunity to bring innovation to the work to be done.

Learning the skill and caring enough to show up to implement it, again and again, can give us the foundation to see what others might miss.

August 17, 2024

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Edward Bevilacqua Edward Bevilacqua

1.5 276 Man's search for meaning (?)

Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

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SETH GODIN  The hard parts (and the important parts)

The hard parts of what you do all day can feel fraught. It’s heavy lifting. Emergencies. Dangerous labor. The stakes are high and the work can be difficult.

The important parts of what you do all day are valuable to someone else. This is what you’re getting paid for–solving a customer’s problems.

A simple example:

The important part of running a successful condiments business is getting shelf space for your ketchup, promoting it so that people are eager to buy it, and keeping the promises you make the distributors and customers.

The hard part might involve actually making ketchup. Steam, heat, heavy objects, supply chains…

We can’t run this business without the hard parts, but that doesn’t mean we have to do it ourselves.

The thing is, there are other people you can buy the ketchup from. And you can also expand what you offer to include things that are easier to make but just as valuable to your customers. The important part feels risky. We might be afraid of it. It could require emotional labor. But it’s not the same as the hard part.

A trusted brand is important. Commodity products are hard.

When we persuade ourselves that the hard part is also the important part, there’s a small chance we have found the truth, but it’s likely we’re setting a trap that will keep us stuck.

If you’ve figured out how to do something important, don’t muddy it up by signing up to do things that are hard.

August 16, 2024

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Edward Bevilacqua Edward Bevilacqua

1.4 279 why humans control the planet

Mark 5:36 …don’t be afraid, just believe

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SETH GODIN The paradox of lottery thinking

Tim Brownson points us to this recent poll of people in Great Britain. About one out of four people surveyed (of all ages) believe that they could qualify for the Olympics if they trained for the next four years.

This is absurd. It’s the very absurdity of it that makes it common. “I could do that,” is easier to say when we’re sure we can’t. Even if we had the talent, the resources and the time, the odds are so slim that it’s essentially a lottery. We’re off the hook, so it’s easy to pretend.

What could we do if we spent the next four years on it? We could write and publish a symphony, start a reasonably successful small business, make a substantial contribution to our community, improve our physical health, engage more deeply with family and friends, learn to juggle or play the piano.

Someone is going to win the lottery, but it probably won’t be us.

August 15, 2024

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