Stoked to keep on.

This interview between James Altucher and Austin Kleon inspired me yesterday:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-james-altucher-show/id794030859?mt=2

Especially striking was the idea that great works come with little chunks of time we seize from each day.  Nobody gets 3 months and free canvasses in Paris.  We have to steal the parts from Resistance to make our weapons for The Revolution.  James doesn't have a real pretty voice, but this talk is rich.

First of 7 stories - The Founder's Story

A guy dropped out of college and worked construction one summer like a million guys before him.  One day he was installing a roof on a college, watching all the other kids his age moving into their dorms.  Out of jealousy he decided to go back to school someday.  Someday turned out to be some 3 years later.  He thought he was bad at math, so when he took his first math class he bought 2 extra, outmoded textbooks so he could work 3X as hard as the smart kids and catch up.  He discovered almost anyone could be smart if they wanted to mentally work hard/long enough, so he changed his major to math to see how high he could climb up that hill before toppling over.  He kept working hard, and that tumble never happened.  Along the path, he got married and had a couple of kids, so the pressure to decide what to do when he grew up mounted.  He felt he had learned the big life lessons of college before getting any framable paperwork, so he dropped out and moved his family halfway across America to take over a little decorative concrete company.  The physically creative nature of the work was very enlivening.  He loved how his customers continued to love their floors and wanted more of that in the world. He wanted others to wake up to the joy of feeding their families by making pretty things. So now, he focuses on crafting consistently great customer experiences, the longest lasting floors possible, and meaningful jobs for the people around him. 

Stories to come:

The Homeowner's Story

The Artisan's Story

The Homebuilder's Story 

The Office Manager's Story 

The Shop Manager's Story...