Happy Monday all! It's been longer than I'd wish to have completed another thought here, but we've been busy here at the Kurtis Powers HQ! Spring is here, and I hope this thought finds you well.

I had my 2nd of 2 Moderna Covid-19 shots on Thursday. On Friday, I found myself quite deep in my own mind. I for no other practical reason, found myself looking at the news. It occurred to me how much of our humanity is being driven by being against others. It left me briefly feeling somewhat deflated.

Why is it that we feel right (and superior) because of the wrong of others?

On Sunday, I recorded my Easter broadcast of The Rendezvous, which I record every Sunday. Tracy Greene, a regular listener asked where I find new music. As I began to think about it, I realized the rabbit holes I find myself in when I learn about producers, arrangers, instrumentalists that are sometimes credited deep in the notes of certain releases, and helps me to start building webs into new connections of other music, and eventually other sounds.

Over the last year or so, I have been exposed to conspiracies from acquaintances in my life. Some far-fetched and some less-so.

It's easy to go deep into things when it has our attention. It's easy to get addicted to digging into a rabbit hole. How many things, both positive and negative have we found ourselves hours deep into this past year?

It made me start to think last night. We spend so much time on things that are wasted as we have no ability to affect their outcomes. As the Stoics say, we only have control over ourselves. What if we as communities began the habit of spending the time investing in our own personal growth? The things that own our time own our minds. Changing the world is hard! Changing ourselves is hard as well, but it's something we have control over.

I'm not suggesting that people don't demonstrate, protest, and voice their concerns. After all, this is how progress is accomplished, but change starts with each of us.

Imagine a world that we stopped mulling over the news, the divisive social media feeds, or the constant echo chambers telling us that we're right, and they (the enemy) are wrong. Imagine the world of people taking action to make themselves better, for themselves, and for the world we want to live in. Imagine a world where we are excited to learn the many things that we don't know.

A few weeks ago, I read Think Again, The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant. It helped me to understand how much I don't know. It was incredibly liberating in knowing how much I don't know. It's ok. This is a journey, and I will continue to learn and re-learn.

I will practice becoming a better learner, listener, communicator, friend, partner, leader, and human. I'll likely learn that as time changes, so does the knowledge, and again will need to re-learn. My goal is not to be right, my goal is to know. There's no finish line, there's no trophy to win, and hopefully, that takes the pressure off of you like it is for me.

I began reading Beginners, The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning by Tom Vanderbilt. It's a wonderful reminder of the habits we form in adulthood of only doing what we know and its cognitive effects. As children, our minds are open to what we don't know, as adults we deem them as weaknesses to be hidden. It's an inspirational look at what can happen when we're comfortable being a beginner and enjoying personal growth in new areas.

Will you enjoy not knowing with me? What are you curious about? How will you become a better version of yourself from it? How then will we make real change in this world we want to live in? Life is a journey. We can't win. We don't have to have it all figured out now.

In the meantime, enjoy this simplification from my friend Jack Butcher.

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I write and share because these thoughts inspire me to grow, not because I'm right. I hope they inspire you. Have you enjoyed this? I'd love for you to share your thoughts and/or have you share with a friend.

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