My Sullied Flesh

J. Michael Dolan's "The Box" Are you in or out?

This post called "The Box" comes from J. Michael Dolan's blog for Artists and Entrepreneurs. Living outside the box can be scary but, living inside the box can be death. Are you in or out? 

http://www.jmichaeldolan.com

The Box (Read time 0:33) Inside The Box: where the “known” lives. Outside The Box: where “uncertainty” lurks.  Inside The Box: the “right way to go.” Outside The Box: frowned upon by the others.    Inside The Box: common sense at work. Outside The Box: nonsense at play.  Inside The Box: withheld expression. Outside The Box: full self-expression. Inside The Box: requires conformity. Outside The Box: requires courage. Inside The Box: incarcerated. Outside The Box: liberated. Inside The Box: where the Caterpillar dwells. Outside The Box: where the Butterfly soars. While others insist on “tried & true,” artist & entrepreneurs get anxious and antsy when confined to any kind of regular routine. And while it’s the destiny of the others to maintain the status quo, it’s the destiny of artist & entrepreneurs to climb out of the box and report back to us what they find—through their lyrics, screenplays, art, books, music, movies, websites and extraordinary products and services. So, are you in or out?

 

The Heckler (By Seth Godin)

Just got this from Seth Godin's daily news letter. Ignore the hater, especially the hater that lives in each of us. Shut up and do something!  

Seth Godin's Blog

The heckler

 

How dare you.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

Is this the best you can do?

I've written about the lizard brain and my friend Steve talks about the voice of the resistance.

It occurs to me, though, that most of us have to hassle with the heckler.

The heckler keeps a running critique going, amplifying its tone and anger as it goes on endlessly about all the things we shouldn't do, all the things we're not doing enough, and most of all, at our lack of entitlement to do much of anything new or important.

The heckler cannot be eliminated. It's been around since the beginning of our species, and we're hard wired to have it.

What can be done, though, is alter how the rest of the brain reacts or responds to the heckling.

If you engage with the heckler, if you qualify yourself, justify yourself or worst of all, rationalize yourself, the heckler will pounce, turning a small wedge into a giant hole. Like a standup comedian, it's almost impossible to outwit or shut down a dedicated heckler.

But there is a strategy that works. Acknowledge and move on.

When the heckler announces that you're incompetent, unqualified or hardly ready to step forward, think, "oh." And then proceed.

You give it no purchase. No opportunity to escalate. Each jibe is met with "noted."

Over time, the heckler gets quieter, because it just isn't worth the effort.

Seth Godin's Blog

The great J. D. Salinger, Dies at 91.

J. D. Salinger, Literary Recluse, Dies at 91. A good story about the late great J.D. Salinger in the NY Times. I'm very curious to see if the family will publish any of the reported stacks of notebooks and writings he has left behind. Apparently he never stopped writing all these years. Very interesting! I know if they published anything, I will be lining up at the book store or downloading to my iPad. If I had an iPad. Sully

 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/books/29salinger.html

Reminded of a great quote by the late Hunter S. Thompson

A friend of mine and fellow musician just sent me this great quote by Hunter S Thompson.

This has always been one of my favorites.

"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." Hunter S. Thompson