Recently, I sat outside a local deli, soaking in a pleasantly bitter eighty-five cent cup of coffee. It’s the same coffee I drank three or four times a day in grad school. And it’s the same coffee I still end up craving at least twice every winter week. The taste and olfaction combined for one of those startling flashback moments.
There I was, with that same coffee cup two and a half years earlier, on the first day of class with Stefan Sagmeister. After introducing himself, Stefan started class the way he did each of the following weeks: by asking as what we’d seen in the past week that was memorable or touched us in some way. I later realized this exercise was a lot less about us sharing what we’d seen. It was about looking to begin with, about noticing.
And then I noticed the vibrating phone in my coat pocket. I pulled it from my left breast, feeling like a 6 year-old dressed up for Sunday school and proud of the sport coat his grandmother made for him from one of his grandfather’s old suits.
An email. An invitation to introduce Stefan at an upcoming lecture. Serendipitous, exciting and paralyzing. It’s another in the series of lectures and events surrounding the release of his new book Things I Have Learned In My Life So Far.
I immediately jumped through all the thoughts. Coffee? My mouth is dry. I’ll talk about learning. No, that’s expected. I really did learn from him. Who cares if it’s exactly what people would expect. Learn this, teach that. Student/teacher blah, blah, blah. I don’t even deserve this, so I better not over-think it.
But, Stefan liked thinking.
And it left me thinking, what have I learned? And more importantly what have I learned that I could share. Of late, I’ve simplified some lessons-learned into two ideas I keep repeating to myself: Pay Attention and Give a Shit.
Notice what’s special and important around me.
Giving attention and time to everything is impossible. Very few things are as important as the people I love and trust.
Finish every book I start. When reading it, try not to make it be what I want it to be, but let it be what it is. Let it change me.
In order to give proper attention to anything, I need to spend long spans of uninterrupted time with it. Reading email, instant messaging, taking phone calls and long meetings are wasted time disguised as being “productive.”
Now that I’ve noticed…care about it.
I need to speak up early and often.
When I send an email: I can’t say “I will do this.” Say, “I did it. Here’s what’s next.” If I can’t say “I did it” don’t reply until I can.
Listen, learn and wait. Then act.
Sitting idle, reading another blog post, re-blogging a re-blogged blog post: this is consumption. I know where a culture of consumption got me, and I want to change it.
I need to be effective, not efficient.
If I don’t fight the compulsions, I’m doing myself and everyone else a disservice.
I’m creative. I should create at least as much as I consume.
It doesn’t matter if someone gave me the responsibility or not, I should take it. If I could have made it better and it remains unchanged, I’m responsible for mediocrity.
“Another coffee to go, please. Milk. No sugar.”
As I sat at my computer trying to find energy to work on my thesis—that is due in two weeks—I read your entry. I am still drained and exhausted, but these words gave me the courage to open my files, spread my layouts and get through the night.
I do give a shit.
On Mar.20.2008 at 10:39 PM