Forego the Hairbrush, Better Awaits 

How many times have you wanted more? Probably always. There’s even an old AT&T commercial where an adult asks a group of kids, “Who thinks more is better than less?”  And, because we know that children say the darndest things, an adorable little girl in the focus group answers, “More is better than less…we want more, we want more, like, you really like it, you want more.”  Out of the mouths of babes, right there.

But, with age comes wisdom. And, with a brain like Seth Godin’s, I’m pretty convinced that he’s old/wise enough to have had play dates with Moses. So, let’s apply this little nugget of brilliance from Godin and see what we come up with: “The opposite of more; it’s not less. If we care enough, the opposite of more is better.”  That, friends, is what the kids call a mic drop. Let’s marinate on that for a bit, shall we?

Imagine for a minute that less isn’t more. Then take that one step further to realize that more isn’t even more. Maybe, just maybe, better is more. <<insert mind-blowing moment here>> 

So how could that work in daily life? I truly believe that each and every person is gifted. Some are artistic, others athletic. Some are organizers, others encouragers. Some are communicators, others creators. And your community is filled with people endowed with these gifts and many more. It looks like this. Imagine a birthday party. Cake. Candles. Singing. Friends. Family. And gifts…lots of gifts. We light the candles, sing the song, cut the cake, and enjoy our loved ones. Then, what happens? That’s right; it’s time to open the gifts. You’d never leave a birthday party without opening those gifts. We’re reminded every year on our own birthday how this process works. When you’re given gifts, you open them!

It’s no different where you work or where you live…we’re all gifted, we just need to open the gifts. Because it’s not at all that your organization or your community needs more, because as Seth sayeth, the opposite of more isn’t less, it’s better. We simply need to take what we have, those gifts that we’ve been given, and use them for the greater good until more becomes better.

Perhaps that means you tell this very story and remind your donors to invest in your organization since you’re working collectively with several community partners and hundreds of local citizens to help your community and her families thrive. It might mean that you use your gifts for something bigger than yourself, your livelihood, or anything you’ve ever imagined. It could even mean that you just commit to waking up every day and opening your gifts once again so you can use them to make this world a better place than it was yesterday. Yeah, do that!

My husband and I were at the airport once and we saw this picture of Einstein in an advertisement that said, “If innovation were easy, Einstein would have looked like this.”  A perfectly coifed Einstein is not something I’d ever imagined.  But today it actually makes sense. You see, like Godin, Einstein knew that better was the opposite of more.  So, he had no choice but to wake up every day, forego the hairbrush, and open his gifts. 

If you would all just do that one thing, your community would be better.  And no offense to the totes adorbs AT&T girl, but I’d like to revise her quote: “Better is better than more. We want better, we want better, like, you really like it, you want better.”   Today might not be your birthday, but it’s the birth of a new day, so rip open those presents and let’s get to work! Forego the Hairbrush--it worked for Einstein--Better awaits!

All My Best,

Dawn
[email protected]
dawn brown creative, llc.