Daily Creative with Todd Henry

Well, it’s been quite a year, huh? I don’t think many of us had any idea what 2020 had in store when we confidently welcomed the New Year. It’s been a non-stop string of unexpected twists. And truthfully, this is the year that’s felt more like five years.

And, it’s often the moments of deepest stress and pain that can generate the most learning, growth, and emotional resilience. I know that for me and my family, this year has opened the door to new ways of embracing life and togetherness, and has helped us to hold less tightly to things that seemed indispensible before while simultaneously opening ourselves up to new ways of experiencing life. We’ve seen an explosion of driveway firepits, with neighbors spontaneously gathering outdoors (at a safe distance!) just to claim a few brief moments of community. We’ve learned to connect with others from afar using technology that seemed almost gratuitous before physical distancing became the norm.

So, as I reflected on 2020, I realized that I had five big, key learnings for the year. That’s what I share on this episode.

1. Diversify your portfolio (before you need it). It’s important to ensure that you aren’t putting all of your eggs in one basket. Even if you work for a company, you should be thinking about diversity of income stream in the event that something happens to your primary one. Don’t allow everything to hinge on one linchpin.
2. Have a “break the glass” strategy. Many people were (all of us?) were surprised by the onset of the global pandemic. This should cause all of us to re-think our contingency plans in the event of another unexpected disaster.
3. Embrace the flow of the river. Focus on things inside your circle of influence, and focus less on things in your circle of concern but beyond your influence.
4. A stimulated mind = a stimulated life. The moments when I was most engaged this year were moments when I was studying or absorbing material that caused me to think in new ways.
5. Don’t judge others by your measure for yourself. We need to extend grace to one another and recognize that we’re each carrying a unique burden.

In this episode, I dive deeper into each of these five learnings and offer some next steps for application.

Mentioned in this episode:

Please Support Our Sponsors:

Butcherbox: Butcherbox.com/accidental

Please Support Our Sponsors:

Butcherbox: Butcherbox.com/accidental

Well, it’s been quite a year, huh? I don’t think many of us had any idea what 2020 had in store when we confidently welcomed the New Year. It’s been a non-stop string of unexpected twists. And truthfully, this is the year that’s felt more like five years.

And, it’s often the moments of deepest stress and pain that can generate the most learning, growth, and emotional resilience. I know that for me and my family, this year has opened the door to new ways of embracing life and togetherness, and has helped us to hold less tightly to things that seemed indispensible before while simultaneously opening ourselves up to new ways of experiencing life. We’ve seen an explosion of driveway firepits, with neighbors spontaneously gathering outdoors (at a safe distance!) just to claim a few brief moments of community. We’ve learned to connect with others from afar using technology that seemed almost gratuitous before physical distancing became the norm.

So, as I reflected on 2020, I realized that I had five big, key learnings for the year. That’s what I share on this episode.

1. Diversify your portfolio (before you need it). It’s important to ensure that you aren’t putting all of your eggs in one basket. Even if you work for a company, you should be thinking about diversity of income stream in the event that something happens to your primary one. Don’t allow everything to hinge on one linchpin.
2. Have a “break the glass” strategy. Many people were (all of us?) were surprised by the onset of the global pandemic. This should cause all of us to re-think our contingency plans in the event of another unexpected disaster.
3. Embrace the flow of the river. Focus on things inside your circle of influence, and focus less on things in your circle of concern but beyond your influence.
4. A stimulated mind = a stimulated life. The moments when I was most engaged this year were moments when I was studying or absorbing material that caused me to think in new ways.
5. Don’t judge others by your measure for yourself. We need to extend grace to one another and recognize that we’re each carrying a unique burden.

In this episode, I dive deeper into each of these five learnings and offer some next steps for application.

This episode is sponsored by Headspace. Get a free one-month trial at Headspace.com/accidentalcreative.

This episode is also sponsored by Patreon. Start creating on your own terms today at Patreon.com.

Freelance work offers tremendous opportunities, but also some unique challenges. It can be challenging to stay connected to others who can help you grow, find new prospects, and develop your skillset. On this episode, Amanda Malko (head of Mailchimp & Co and Mailchimp Academy) shares some practical tips for staying connected with others during this time, learning from the best practices of others, and finding new business opportunities during these uncertain times.

Mentioned in this episode:

Please Support Our Sponsors:

Butcherbox: Butcherbox.com/accidental

Please Support Our Sponsors:

Butcherbox: Butcherbox.com/accidental

Freelance work offers tremendous opportunities, but also some unique challenges. It can be challenging to stay connected to others who can help you grow, find new prospects, and develop your skillset. On this episode, Amanda Malko (head of Mailchimp & Co and Mailchimp Academy) shares some practical tips for staying connected with others during this time, learning from the best practices of others, and finding new business opportunities during these uncertain times.

This episode is sponsored by Skillshare. Visit Skillshare.com/accidental and get a free trial of Premium Membership.

This episode is also sponsored by Literati. Go to Literati.com/accidentalcreative to find your perfect book club and sign up today.

Anyone else starting to experience a bit of “Zoom fatigue”? Many of us have been staring into cameras now for months on end, whether for meetings or pitches or even just casual interactions with friends, and it’s becoming a bit daunting. If your work requires you to capture and hold the attention of someone who is on the other end of a video call, you need to understand the principles of effective interpersonal communication, especially those that are non-verbal or non-intuitive.

On this episode, behavioral investigator Vanessa Van Edwards is here to share the scientific principles of succeeding with people. Vanessa is the author of the best-selling book Captivate, and she also delivered the very popular (and perhaps unfortunately titled, given the current circumstances) TEDx Talk You Are Contagious. We discuss the verbal and non-verbal ways in which we connect with others, and some practical tips for being more effective whether in-person or on a video call.

Mentioned in this episode:

Please Support Our Sponsors:

Butcherbox: Butcherbox.com/accidental

Please Support Our Sponsors:

Butcherbox: Butcherbox.com/accidental

It is often the case that the quality of our life is tied to the quality of our decisions. If we can learn to make better decisions, we can position ourselves to take advantage of opportunities and minimize the potential of unforced errors. On this episode, Annie Duke shares deep insight into how to make better decisions from her new book How To Decide. We discuss:

• Why good decisions might still result in bad outcomes, and vice versa.
• How to think about hindsight bias and how it affects our perception of decisions.
• Why decisions that seem bad to others might actually be good decisions for you.

How the paradox of experience can lead to unforced errors and bad decisions.

Mentioned in this episode:

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Butcherbox: Butcherbox.com/accidental

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Butcherbox: Butcherbox.com/accidental

In times of uncertainty, we look for voices of clarity. Over several coming episodes, we’re going to be speaking with individuals who have the ability to speak a bit of clarity into the present uncertainty, and who can offer strategies for navigating through the next several months of instability.

On today’s episode, Dorie Clark shares what she is hearing at this moment from business leaders, and offers insights for diversifying your portfolio of revenue sources to create more marketplace stability. Dorie is the author of several books, including the best-seller Entrepreneurial You, and speaks and consults globally to some of the largest companies in the world.

Mentioned in this episode:

Please Support Our Sponsors:

Butcherbox: Butcherbox.com/accidental

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Butcherbox: Butcherbox.com/accidental