Five things friday

Rest assured, my friend... I made it through the week. I hope you did too!

There was no long run today, so I'm at it a little earlier than usual. Plus we're working a concert tonight (Coco Montoya), I have a grocery run, and picking up our race packets for tomorrow, so... 

Here are five-ish things on my mind:

1. EXTREME BRAINSTORMING

I love these Extreme Brainstorming Questions to Trigger New, Better Ideas, from asmartbear.com (ht to Tim Ferriss).  

The prompts are designed for businesses, intended to jostle teams out of what can often be very tiny thinking (but I think they can be used elsewhere too). The idea is to think of something "so extreme it's nearly nonsense." Yet, as they say...

Sometimes the extreme is surprisingly appropriate. Unique business models emerge when at least one dimension is so extreme that it defies critics and competitors to even conceive of its possibility. A fantastic idea fulfilling the right extreme can be a company’s entire strategy...

For instance: Zappos' free shoe returns, Amazon's free delivery with Prime, Netflix's mail-order DVD rental, AirBnB, Uber, etc. People initially thought these were totally impossible!

Just a few they suggest:

• What if you were forced to increase prices 10x, what would you do to justify it?
• What if you had to deliver, or make a decision, in half the time you have?
• What if you were forced to charge your customers in a completely different manner (flipped business mode)?
• What if you could no longer have meetings?
• What if you could change anything, regardless of what anyone thinks or feels?

Those are just a few... but you should check the above link if you're needing a stretch. Some great ideas!

2. STRATEGIES TO DISRUPT STUPID DISCOURSE

Matt Tebbe shares a list of 9 Strategies to Disrupt Unhelpful Social Media Discourse. If you're given to still trying to discuss things on social media, you should check them out. However, it doesn't have to be limited to social media. Matt says these are, "Some strategies/phrases i find helpful when dealing with people who 'want dialogue' or are 'interested in conversation' when it seems to me that their engagement isn't in good faith." You know you know what he's talking about. ;)

Here are just a few:

• "I don't believe you." (simple, straight-forward, and often the case)
• "I've given all the time I have today for this conversation." (probably should be the case)
•  "What kind of evidence would you need to change your mind? Be specific please."

He gives explanations for each of these in his post. I found it helpful for me. Check it out!

3. "THOSE WHO HATE PEACE"

Another way of dealing with the above is suggested by Richard Beck in this commentary on Psalm 120. It's a super short read, and it was just what I needed last week. He references verse Psalm 120:6 in particular: "I have dwelt too long with those who hate peace" (CSB). 

In the midst of the mess this world is becoming, he offers this in his closing paragraph:

"More and more, I feel that my work concerns virtue. The fruit of the Spirit in my own life. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I find it difficult to know what to think or do about the state of the world. Courses of action seem murky to me. But I do know the sort of person I'm called to become. And as I look toward that horizon, I see a long road ahead of me and a great deal of work to be done. The long obedience. And maybe that's the gift you’re supposed to offer the times you are living in. To show up sane, wise, humble, and kind."

Personally, I find that refreshing; but at the same time, I'm not sure how it meshes with my more prophetic calling of speaking out against injustice and untruth. I probably don't do either very well... but it's not because I don't want to...

4. RANDOM THOUGHTS O' MINE

Not that I'm real great at this... but a few things I've been doing (to try to keep my wits about me):

• I've severely limited social media (IG/FB). I'll take occasional glances, but scrolling is not good for me.
  
• I read the news less and less. If it's a bad day - not at all. When I do read the news, it's mostly the 1440 Daily Digest. 
• I do... Read books. Right now I'm going through Andy Squyres's collection of essays in 'Poet Priest, vol. III'.
• Listen to music. I rarely, if ever, listen to music at home. I've started forcing myself to at least listen to one song a day (or an album). I think it's making me more emotionally soft (which I think is a good thing).
• Write in a journal. Just one page of... whatever is on my mind. And I write it in cursive. I don't know, just something about pen on paper...
  
• Read the Grand Rapids Marathon weekly newsletter (the link to subscribe is at the bottom of their page). The guy who writes it (Don) is one of the best motivators I know of. This is a 'can't miss' read for me each week!
• Understand that DJT, Stephen Miller, RFKJ, and the like are idiot anti-christ elitist rich folk... and times have actually been worse (you'd think we would learn but... nope). 
• I've been practicing this advice from James Clear: "A gift you can give yourself: Stop what you're doing. Close  your eyes. For the next 60 seconds, just breathe." I also force a smile during that time. :)

5. A QUOTE

"You drown not by falling into a river, but by staying submerged in it." - Paul Coelho

And... there ya have it! It's Friday, it's Fall, and... I'm running a half marathon at the Fort4Fitness Fall Festival tomorrow! This will be our fourteenth year in a row (I think). One of my favorite days in the Fort. That's a lot of f-words, and all of them perfectly... fine! 

Go have fun!