johnmaconline

Back porch:

Silence. A breeze rustles the leaves in the trees. The smell of coffee. A blue jay whisks by and screeches. More silence. A dragonfly buzzes. Another rustle. More silence. Stationary.

Front porch:

Distant murmurs. The sun peaks under the eaves. A car rolls past. Kids run by. Neighbors stop on the sidewalk for an exchange of pleasantries. A dog barks. Another car. Leisurely.

The Screen:

A cacophony. Three-second blurbs. Scroll and swipe. On to the next. Flashing colors. Free! You’ve won! Special offer! Attention seekers. Energetic.

Porch pace is boring. Not much happens, and certainly not quickly. Go inside to fill your mug and you won’t miss much, if anything.

Screen pace? Exciting. Do it now. Don’t blink, or you’ll miss it.

You’ll need to engage at screen pace, at least sometimes. The world moves at screen pace. But porch pace teaches you to appreciate where you are right now.

We don’t all believe the same things, but we all believe in each other.
We don’t all have the same ideas, but we all respect each other.
We don’t all have the same perspective, but we all value each other.

We can have unity without conformity. It just takes commitment to each other.

Ever hear a recording of your own voice and think, “ugh.”

You’re not alone. 60-70% of people feel uncomfortable when they hear the sound of their own voice. People report that a recording of their voice sounds tinny, weak, and whiny compared to how they hear it live.

Live, you hear it from inside your head. The vibrations in your skull make it sound fuller and more resonant. But on playback, you’re hearing it like everyone else does — just through the air — so it comes across sharper and less familiar.

What about your message, though?

What do you feel about your message when you hear a recording of your own voice?

You can’t control what your voice sounds like, but you sure can control your message.

Revisit your ideas, data, and beliefs.
Rethink your perspective, hypotheses, and reality.
Refine your message, conclusions, and truths.

When I was a kid, we had a neighbor who amazed me with some basement magic. Card tricks, disappearing hankies. You get the point.

He taught me a bit along the way as well:

• Magic is an illusion.
• The key to the illusion is to get your audience to focus on what you want so they don’t see what’s really happening.

If you’re diligent or know where to look, maybe you’ll pick it up. But, a master illusionist can control your focus so thoroughly that you might not see it happening even if you know how the trick works. You start to wonder. 

But you’re smarter than that. 

Our world is filled with master illusionists. Remember that as you read the news, scroll through social media, listen to advertisements, and watch the presentations.

Truth doesn’t match the illusion. 

“It’s better to be in the arena, getting stomped by the bull, than to be up in the stands or out in the parking lot.”

– Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

The parking lot is for the tailgaters. They’re only there for the party. They’re not even watching. They have nothing to lose and nothing to gain. 

“What happened? Why did he do that? That’s interesting. More beer, please.”

The stands are for spectators. They’re only there for entertainment. They may care about the outcome, but they can’t affect it. They’re probably hoping you get stomped. 

“No! Yes! Go that way! Run!”

The arena is for you. 

That’s where anything and everything happens. The outcome is uncertain. You matter. The bull matters. The risk is high. The reward is high. People are probably rooting for you to get stomped. 

Get in the arena. 

The people in the arena matter. The tailgaters and spectators don’t.

From where you stand makes all the difference.

You can’t see home plate from behind the stanchion.
You can’t see the Aurora Borealis from the city.
You can’t see the Great Wall from Toledo.

You may like where you stand. It’s probably comfortable. It makes sense to you. You understand it. You may have spent a lifetime cultivating that space and the view it provides. You’re standing there on purpose.

But sometimes, you should go stand somewhere else and take a look around. If even just for a few minutes.

The world’s a big place, and it has many spectacular, interesting, and perspective-altering views.