Unthinkable

In shuffle mode my iPod found Alicia Keys' Unthinkable song, and that got me thinking.

What does it take to Think the Unthinkable? And what does it get you when you do it?

This idea continues as a follow up to my last post on Apple's Think Different ideas.

Alicia Key's Unthinkable lyrics have a great line:

"if we do the unthinkable would it make us look crazy" I think the answer is yes.  Always yes.  Always look crazy.  To do anything out of the ordinary, to experience any-thing, any-one, any-place amazing you need to look crazy.

The people in the Apple Think Different ad (the Gandhi's, Richard Branson's, Jim Henson's of the world) all looked crazy when they started.  You can't do/experience/want something that burns bright without looking crazy to the rest of the world.  But why do you care what you look like to the rest of the world anyway? The rest of the world will limit you, don't do it to yourself (see James Cameron's TED talk).

Then Alicia says the most important line ... the line that makes a difference ...

"if you ask me I'm ready"

So here's my question: "Are you ready to think the unthinkable?"

Can you really do it? Are you really ready to think differently enough that you make a difference?

What would you look like, sound like, walk like, if you were to

* Think-the-Unthinkable

* See-the-Unseeable

* Want-the-Unattainable

So here's the challenge (I'm sure you've figured it out by now): Find one thing, one person, one idea that is unthinkable, unknowable, untouchable, and think it, know it, touch them. If you take that one step this week you'll be amazed at how far your journey will take you.

"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it" - Goethe

Alicia says she's ready.  Are you?

See you on the wire

-- Steven Cardinale

Apple Think Different

The Apple Think Different ad in 1997 is all about

* Flaunting convention

It's about

* Not doing what you think society says you should

It's about

* Following your heart and not your head

It's about the only thing that matters: Making a difference that pushes your humanity forward

The people in the ad: Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King, Jr., Richard Branson, Jim Henson, Pablo Picasso, don't have time for convention, for the status quo, for society's rules.  They are busy building amazing lives.

We've all heard the refrain from Apple: "Think Different" and the world can be your oyster.

But thinking different is hard ... it's scary ... it feels lonely ...

* You have to do things that other people wouldn't do so you can make a difference: A difference for yourself.

* You have to do things that other people might judge you for so you can make a difference: A difference for yourself.

* You have to pride yourself on wanting more so you can make a difference: A difference for yourself.

So here are my questions:

* "What convention are you following that is strapping you into your current life?"

* "What one social barrier could you break and allow yourself to think differently enough to do something you'll remember the rest of your life?"

* "What are you afraid of that keeps you thinking the same as the crowd?"

So here's my challenge: Take one belief you have and shatter it.  Do one thing that society doesn't expect and think differently.  Think differently about that one person, that one exciting opportunity, that one place, and let society go.

Take my challenge this week and see if you can be like Apple and Think Different

See you on the wire

-- Steven Cardinale

(click here to see the Apple Think Different video on YouTube)

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Here is the copy of the entire copy for

Apple Think Different

"Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do." -

Apple Think Different

I'm not living without you

And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going

I just heard Jennifer Hudson sing "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" from the Dreamgirls soundtrack. What an amazing song and passionate performance. And it made me wonder:

Have you ever felt so strongly that you can't live without something? Had a passion burn so hot in your core that you can't live without

• That someone?
• That someplace?
• That something?

Who, where, what do you crave? Is there some-one that makes you burn? Is there some-place that you need to go (not just a physical place)?  Is there some-thing you can't wait to do?

What can't you ... won't you ... refuse to ... live without?  Like Jennifer sings "I'm not living without you;" having an intense flame inside that you can't live without, that your life would be duller without, is a powerful draw to action. We all need more than a like, we need a want.  Not something that will define us, something that creates our character, but a beacon that pulls us towards brilliance.

So here's my question: "If you remember one thing as the years roll on, what one person, place or thing will you miss if you live without it?"

It's a tough question because maybe what you WON'T live without is the exact thing that you ARE missing.

So here's the challenge: Fixate on some-one, some-place, some-thing that is worth living with, and do whatever it takes to pull it into your life. Maybe you have to obsess about it.  Maybe you'll have to risk to experience it even for a moment. Maybe it's scary to really think you can have it. But be daring, take a chance, and get into your heart the one moment that's worth not living without.

See you on the wire

-- Steven Cardinale