Genius and Reality

If there are two things I truly believe in, it's finding your zone of genius, and facing reality head-on.

Your zone of genius is that place where you're just flowing, having a great time, creating amazing value for people, and it's easy and doesn't feel like work. You're like "wait, I get paid to do this?". If you haven't found it yet, keep looking.

A lot of us have found our zone of excellence, and we're truly really excellent there. But it's not our zone of genius. It's not what we're meant to be doing. We have more in us, more creative potential waiting to be expressed.

Our surroundings are often pretty heavily invested in us staying in our zone of excellence. It's paying the mortgage, putting food on the table, keeps things humming along.

But there's something inside of you that's not satisfied. Some craving that is not being fulfilled. You can try to argue yourself out of it, drink it away, maybe even have an affair. But it doesn't work. It's still there.

That's your zone of genius calling. Time for you to step into it.

Are you willing?

I'll talk about reality next week (cliff hanger!).

New Features in Simplero

Supporting multiple currencies is truly a beast, with tentacles in the most complex and sensitive parts of Simplero, but I've made significant progress in the past week.

No promises yet as to when and if it will see the day of light, but personally I'm hoping to have it out before January. THIS IS NOT A PROMISE! :)

Side rant: I'm a man of my word. I'm very conscious about what I agree to and what I don't agree to. If I've agreed to something, I'm going to part the waters to keep my word. To me it doesn't make any sense to do it otherwise. What's the point of saying you're going to do something if you don't intend to do it? Just say it up-front, and it's clear to everyone what's going on. If you say you'll be there, be there. If you say you'll do it, do it.

Which is why it completely puzzles me that that doesn't seem to be how most of the world works. I know, I'm 41, I should've learned by now. But is it just me, or is it getting worse? Or maybe it's this city? I don't know what it is. But if I make you a promise, or agree to anything at all, you can count on me.

If that's not how you operate, you should try it. It's awesome.

Random Links from around the Interwebs

I loved Tom Lehrer when I was in grade school. I had the best English teacher in the world when I was in 8th grade back in Denmark. She let us choose between British English and American English. In Denmark. Quite exceptional. I chose American English with no hesitation. Almost everyone else picked British English. One of the people she introduced us to was Tom Lehrer, and I was so amazed. This Harvard-educated math genius, who also played the piano beautifully and had an excellent voice and wrote these incredible songs. I had to borrow the LPs at the library and record them on to cassettes. He only ever made 37 recordings, then he disappeared. Buzzfeed tracked him down.

Parenting doesn't matter? Hard to believe.

We've been looking for a restaurant for Christmas Eve this year, and came across the Feast of the Seven Fishes, which was completely news to me. Here's what it's about.

Also, remember that weekly jam session with Richie Cannata, Billy Joel's sax player? He was out with cancer for about 6 months, and last night he was back for the first time. A very emotional moment. Beautiful. So great to see him back. And his son killed it on stage. Photos from last night on the side.

With love,
–Calvin