I’ve been doing it wrong.

I had a great meeting with Dan Nelken last night.

He always inspires me, challenges me, questions me… He asked me how I want to change the world.

“That’s easy,” I said. “I want people to have a better experience of their life and their work, using great technology. I want people to achieve their dreams and have more fun.”

I may as well be wearing a tiara with a Mr. Universe banner on my shoulder.

The problem with this model is I’m pretending it’s all about them, and what I think I can give them with my ideas.

The truth is, I just want to be heard and accepted. I want my ideas to be listened to, I want you to know me and respect me. If you happen to benefit from what I say, awesome! Lucky me, lucky you.

What would I say if it was just me speaking my mind, for me? If I wanted to just express with genuine authenticity and say what I think for the sake of saying what I think? I’m not sure, but I guess this post is a start.

For many years now I think I’ve been trying to teach people the right way to do things and force-feed concepts as if it’s the best way, while masking it with comments like: “this is the best way, in my experience” or: “it’s my belief that this is the ideal way to do it,” and pretending I don’t mind if you do it a different way.

Meanwhile, quietly thinking less of you for doing it wrong and thinking more highly of myself for knowing a better way.

It’s all an illusion. Smoke and mirrors, with fancy words. A tool that is being used to make me feel temporarily influential.

The truth is I usually have no idea what the “best way” is and I’m generally worried and insecure about doing it the wrong way… I just pretend well and have a fair bit of experience getting successful results just winging it.

I only know what has worked for me over the years by how people respond and by the effects I see from my own actions.

I think that might just be the only way we can know anything.

The one thing I know for sure is I really do give a shit about people… I want to say “all people” but I don’t think I’m quite that accepting, yet. It’s a work in progress.

I know I care about whether you’re happy or not and I want you to be capable, successful, and doing what you love. I want you to feel good and I want you to feel like you’re in the zone all the time.

Then, I act accordingly. What’s most important to me drives my actions.

I want to be the change I want to see in the world, just so I can know what that feels like… So I can know myself a little better. I want to be me, loudly and boisterously, and I want to inspire others to do the same.

Hope it all works out.  🙂