Bernard Dahl > Thinking Out Loud

Ever felt it, that pressure to become a leader? You know, to be the type to take initiative, and to assume leadership? This pressure to lead, and to change the world? I bet you know exactly what I’m talking about. I assure you, I feel it too.

This, in essence, is a good thing. We need leadership and we need people to step forward, and change the world. But, after years pushing myself to lead, I came to a realisation;

While I was learning how to lead; I never learned how to be led.

Truth is, I am not a great follower. I wish I was, I wish I could take direction better, and accept a second level role with humility. Sometimes I do, but not always.

It’s not easy to let someone else be “the man”. I like being the captain, the quarterback. Selfish, really, maybe immature, but true nevertheless. And I’m not thrilled about this. Why do I have such a hard time being number 2?

I think great leaders are those who understand that they can’t always be the captain, the chief.

Kind of like Russell Crowe in Gladiator – you know, early on in the movie? After leading his troops to battle and glorious victory, he turns around and immediately hands the victory to Caesar with nobility and humility, totally accepting his role as a servant of the empire, of the boss. I wish I could do that; be like that.

Though I’m not certain how to go about it, I intend to develop this ability – to be better at being a soldier, and to know when I should lead, and when I need to be led. And that’s that. Any ideas?

Wanna look like a million bucks? Then walk like a million bucks. A good tailor helps, but you need the walk. Even then, though, you’re still faking it, even with the walk (unless you have a million $…). So let me save you about 10,000$; here is what I have learned: …

Here is what I have learned is required to be a good politician:

Pays his taxes on time, Wears a dark suit all the time, Never uses bad words. Ever. Has never been unsuccessful in business, Has never been TOO successful in business either, Never been near bankruptcy at any point, because only fools go bankrupt. Certainly shouldn’t be poor …should seem wealthy, sort of. Never smoked pot in High-School, Has never stolen anything, certainly doesn’t have a criminal record. That goes for illegal downloads, too. Should be well-traveled… but not first-class, you corrupt bastard. Doesn’t speed up to catch a yellow light. In fact, never got a speeding ticket, No tattoos. Doesn`t cheat on her spouse, or get cheated on, Should be married, because being unattached is wrong, Doesn’t watch porn. Never have, never will. Might be a virgin. At least, devoid of sexuality. No Mo-Jo. Mo-Jo is bad. Never got drunk and mooned a busy street, while waiting for a cab with his jackass buddies, Never grabbed some guy’s ass on camera (Facebook OMG!!), Has at least one university degree, 3 is better, and is probably a lawyer, etc….

Sound like anyone you know? Me neither. So who comes up with this crap?

…It hit me that if I were anywhere else in the world, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Wherever, it would have been a non-issue. I would have just gone. But here, in my town? People know me. People know what I stand for. People expect things. The Bernard Dahl brand is very specific.

I built a personal brand around bullshit, I think.

You do or you don’t.
Don’t waste any time with the rest.

What if you treated your life as a work of art? If everything about your life were pieces of your artistic vision?
How much time and energy would you invest in canvasses that no longer interest you? (These questions get a little existential, no point in clicking or reading if you are happy and satisfied with your life.)

The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate for the stormy present.

…J’ai l’impression qu’à la longue, à force de travailler avec des BS, on finit par le devenir un peu.

Pourquoi travaillerait-on avec des clients qui font des trucs qu’on n’achèterait pas?

In the upcoming weeks, I will be converting this blog to a french language blog. Same Schtick, different language. Why? Well, a lot of…