🧠Weekly Mind Sweep #105| Curated Conversation | Reality
January 2024
Week 104: Curator’s Perspective
*Week 105: Curated Conversation; Reality
Week 106: Mind Your Business; Reality
Week 107: Manage Your Mind; Reality
Week 108: What’s On My Mind; Reality
New to the Weekly MindSweep? Past issues live here.
Let’s sweep the brain…
Welcome to the show, The Entrepreneur's Reality – let the conversations begin!
In week one of January 2024, we stand at the crossroads of a thrilling journey of curiosity and contemplation.
My brain, the meticulous curator of our experiences, has orchestrated our rendezvous with reality. I've been noticing experiences of arguing with reality myself and have overheard conversations in the wild, trying to do the same.
FYI, It's much more apparent from the outside.
This topic has also made its presence known in other Curated Conversations, adding layers to our perspectives, sprinkled with past experiences and, my personal favorite, the expectation vs. reality dance.
The definition of reality is:
1: the quality or state of being real
2: a real event, entity, or state of affairs
Yet, here's the twist – the brain, our trusty companion in this venture, often has its own script. It woven neural networks that whisper tales of how things should be based on past experiences.
Our minds are like storytelling ninjas, crafting various stories that make us feel all warm and fuzzy, like a weighted blanket for grown-ups.
Then, enter stage left, that sassy troublemaker reality.
It strides onto the stage with its own agenda, not giving a hoot about the scripts our brains wrote. The clash between expectation and what really goes down can be a real head-scratcher, a mix of daydreams and reality that'll make your brain do somersaults across the stage.
As entrepreneurs, we grapple with this paradox daily. Expectations and reality are the heartbeat of our ventures. It's where dreams meet the cold, hard facts, and resilience and adaptability become our real business besties.
So, buckle up, fellow reality explorers!
In the coming weeks, we'll talk about the reality of business, dissect the neuroscience of reality, unravel the threads of free will, dance with the dichotomy of fact versus fiction, and immerse ourselves in the stories we tell ourselves.
This is not just a conversation; it's a journey into the wild symphony of synapses that runs our perceptions.
And remember, as we navigate this intricate dance, it's totally cool to question, to ponder, and to revel in the uncertainty. After all, isn't the exploration of reality the ultimate adventure of the mind?
When reality hits you with a plot twist, what's your response in the grand narrative of your entrepreneurial journey, and how do you navigate the unexpected scenes with your unique approach?
The answers you need for your business are already within you.
If you’d like support in pulling them out to build a business you are proud of, I’m here to help.
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What I’m reading
Clear Thinking by Shane Parrish
“This manual is a must for any business mind.
You might believe you’re thinking clearly in the moments that matter most. But in all likelihood, when the pressure is on, you won’t be thinking at all. And your subsequent actions will inevitably move you further from the results you ultimately seek—love, belonging, success, wealth, victory. According to Farnam Street founder Shane Parrish, we must get better at recognizing these opportunities for what they are, and deploying our cognitive ability in order to achieve the life we want.
Clear Thinking gives you the tools to recognize the moments that have the potential to transform your trajectory, and reshape how you navigate the critical space between stimulus and response. As Parrish shows, we may imagine we are the protagonists in the story of our lives. But the sad truth is, most of us run on autopilot. Our behavioral defaults, groomed by biology, evolution, and culture, are primed to run the show for us if we don’t intervene. At our worst, we react to events without reasoning, not even realizing that we’ve missed an opportunity to think at all. At our best, we recognize these moments for what they are, and apply the full capacity of our reasoning and rationality to them.
Through stories, mental models, and more, Parrish offers the missing link between behavioral science and real-life outcomes. The result is a must-have manual for optimizing decision-making, gaining competitive advantage, and living a more intentional life.”
What I’m listening to:
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
“Nobody needs to be told there isn’t enough time. Whether we’re starting our own business, or trying to write a novel during our lunch break, or staring down a pile of deadlines as we’re planning a vacation, we’re obsessed with our lengthening to-do lists, overfilled inboxes, work-life balance, and ceaseless struggle against distraction.
We’re deluged with advice on becoming more productive and efficient and life hacks to optimize our days. But such techniques often end up making things worse. The sense of anxious hurry grows more intense, and yet the most meaningful parts of life seem to lie just beyond the horizon. Still, we rarely make the connection between our daily struggles with time and the ultimate time management problem: the challenge of how best to use our four thousand weeks, the average length of a human life.
Drawing on the insights of both ancient and contemporary philosophers, psychologists, and spiritual teachers, Oliver Burkeman delivers an entertaining, humorous, practical, and ultimately profound guide to time and time management.
Rejecting the futile modern obsession with “getting everything done,” Four Thousand Weeks introduces readers to tools for constructing a meaningful life by embracing finitude, showing that many of the unhelpful ways we’ve come to think about time aren’t inescapable, unchanging truths, but choices we’ve made as individuals and as a society—and that we can do things differently.”
Collaborations!
MetroWest Chamber
Limited to 12 Spots
Friday, February 2, 2024
9am-11am
For 2024, we'd like to make a focused effort to support you and your business. In February, we'll discuss:
Networking, Thought Leadership & Speaking
Join Shannon Dalton Giordano of Serendipity Social Media and me of Chickbook Creative for this two-hour interactive business community experience.
We’ll discuss ways to cultivate business through Sales, Marketing, and Communication methods that support relationship building, showing up authentically, and connecting deeper with colleagues and the people you serve.
9-10 am - Gain a new perspective or tool to support you and your business
10-10:45 am - Open discussion, community support, brainstorming ideas
10:45 -11 am - Clear and actionable takeaways to start your month in forward momentum
Join us to meet business owners in our community. Leave with new tools in your toolbox to help you make connections and build your business!
Free to Attend; Registration is Required
Mindful Connections
Connecting like-hearted entrepreneurs to build relationships, offering support, understanding their passions, and sharing their names in rooms of opportunity.
Every Thursday, 12-1 pm
12:00 - Take 5—a guided meditation with Terri Hamilton of Apparent Connection to ground your week with peace and focus.
12:05-1 pm Round-table Share
Who you are
The gifts you bring to the world
Who you serve
The answer to a Curated question to spark conversation.
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IN-PERSON: Mindful Connections!
Please join us for an IN-PERSON Mindful Connections!
Pressed Cafe
330 Billerica Road,
Chelmsford, MA 01824
02/09/2024
11 am - 1 pm
Co-hosted by Terri Hamilton of Apparent Connections & Jamie Chapman of Chickbook Creative. This unique networking experience allows the space for like-hearted entrepreneurs to learn more about each other, share their gifts with the world, and learn more about each other to share names in rooms of opportunity.
Do you know someone who would like to join us? Forward the email or share the link!
Join us!
Free to Attend; Registration is Required - https://bit.ly/MindfulInPerson02092024
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