Learn: Paying attention, plan "be", monthly note system

Read: 3 mins

Greetings from Austin, 

Here are 3 goodies for your week.

🤔 Paying Attention

I came across this recently and it’s been top of mind: 

The smartest thing you can do as a creator is “pay attention to what you pay attention to.”

The original quote comes from the late Amy Krouse Rosenthal:

Side note: Amy published You May Want to Marry My Husband 10 days before she passed away. (Archive link here since paywalled.) It’s a beautiful essay and maybe the purest expression of love I've seen.

🐝 Plan “Be”

Amy had BIG plans for her future career and family.

Until suddenly, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and everything changed. As she described it:

"This is when we entered what I came to think of as Plan 'Be,' existing only in the present."

Powerful.

Yet, still easy to forget the moment we get bogged down with everyday busyness at home or work.

As Ram Dass said, "If you think you are enlightened; go home for Thanksgiving."

Keep Plan "Be" in mind next time you feel overwhelmed with family or work.

📝 Capture Attention

Okay, these stories sound great to “pay attention” and “be present”, but what does this actually look like? 

I gotchu. Enter monthly notes. 

I’ve kept monthly notes for a few years now and love it.

Three main benefits: 

1. Easy capture for ideas and “paying attention”
2. Monthly fresh starts + quick highlights of the prior month
3. 10x memory. I can pop open any prior month and instantly remember things 

(Discloser: I am not a monk, nor am I always present. But this system has been helpful for me, so maybe can be for you too.)

I use Evernote, but the tool doesn’t matter. It also doesn't have to be daily or anything crazy. Just an easy way to capture your ideas and attention.

Salud,

Mitchell

Ps. Amy's story caught my eye, so I followed my attention and wrote this. Then I saw she passed from ovarian cancer, which caught my heart (my nona passed from the same).

PPS. So I just donated to the Amy Krouse Rosenthal Foundation, which funds ovarian cancer research + child literacy. Here's the link if you'd like to do the same.

PPPS. I have a note of how I want to give back more at some point (ex: future foundations). But the reality is I can die tomorrow. So my version of Plan "Be" is to give back in small ways now or whenever I'm feeling connected. (I share this so you can create your own version too.) ✌️