What will you remember?
Yesterday I went to a pretty good concert here in San Francisco: Rodriguez, the Sugar Man, a 74 years old musician with a great attitude, and a not-so-small following of raving fans.
I will remember this evening forever. To be clear, it was a good concert and I had fun, but it wasn’t particularly special or awesome. However, I felt emotions during the concert, I saw people and things, I enjoyed an EXPERIENCE. This is why I will remember it forever.
Thoughts versus experiences
When you engage in, say, a political discourse, you are engaging with thoughts, words, talks. They might be useful and powerful, but you will probably forget most details after a few weeks.
Counter that with an experience. Most experiences remain with us forever. Experiences are also, in my view, how you make friends.
Several smart, powerful people have known the difference, since time immemorial.
An example that comes to mind is Hitler, and the Nuremberg Rally.
There were actually several rallies with the “format” that we know them for, from 1933 to 1938. The latest were the most impressive. Hundreds of thousands of people participated.
In your work, in your life, focus on the experience
I think that in every aspect of life, either personal or professional, focusing on the experience, rather than the simple thoughts around what you are trying to achieve, is important.
For example, lately I left my job and I decided that I want to work on a new business that, well, tries to unfuck the world. It is bold, ambitious, and so far I have accomplished nothing. And yet, I keep focusing on the thoughts and words of WHY this is important, without providing any actual experience to the people that I want to influence.
I will try to change that.
