I know you’ll think this sounds ridiculous, but here it goes anyway.
I’m starting a movement.
The movement is called “The Art of Chutzpah” and its mission is to inspire people to power up your passions, maximize your inherent potential, and inspire others to do the same.
Why am I starting this movement? Because I’m frustrated.
Frustrated that we blame ourselves for not being perfect, and frustrated that we’re so quick to blame others because it’s easier than taking personal responsibility.
Frustrated that we’d rather gossip and talk down about our people, than discuss events, ideas, and how we can use them to talk up ourselves and other people.
Frustrated that the power of the individual has never been stronger and more opportune, and frustrated that we keep living, thinking, and dreaming according to the prescriptions of other people and groups.
Frustrated that we’re more preoccupied with our IQ than our “I can.”
Frustrated that we’re so quick to choose absolute negativity, and frustrated that we don’t say more of things like: “In my experience I’ve never seen that but I’d love to see you show me me otherwise!”
Frustrated that our default has become “Good luck with that…” instead of “Let me think how I can help you with that!”
Frustrated that it’s become so instinctive to judge and so hard to truly understand why people do what they do.
Frustrated that more of us are in the business of knowing, rather than the business of learning, both from other people and from unbiased sources.
Frustrated that our society promotes perfectionism, which compels people to dare less and avoid making mistakes, even though our dreams come true when we dare, and real growth comes from trying and naturally making mistakes.
Frustrated that we spend an increasing amount of time in front of our digital devices, and frustrated that we spend a decreasing amount of time in nature.
Frustrated that people think money is the problem, even though money has proven to generate amazing accomplishments, progress, and innovation. Frustrated that more people don’t realize it’s what people do with money that is the problem, not money itself.
Frustrated that more people don’t realize your income is equivalent to the amount of people you serve in meaningful and fulfilling ways.
Frustrated that the word “selfish” has a negative stigma. Frustrated that more people don’t realize we best serve others when we first serve ourselves. Frustrated that being selfish is looked down upon, even though it means you bring your best self to everything you do and everyone you meet.
Frustrated that we mistake courage for a lack of fear, which is absurd because we all feel fear, including the most courageous of us. Frustrated that more people don’t realize courage is not an absence of fear, but the ability to feel fear and do it anyway. Better an oops than a what if.
Frustrated that we ridicule people for changing their minds, even though Jeff Besos says the smartest people often change their minds because they continue to learn and seek new information, and Steve Jobs was notorious for constantly changing his. Also frustrated that many people will focus on Amazon and Apple here, and frustrated that we often fail to separate people (Jeff and Steve are history-making innovators) from things (their companies are certainly imperfect).
I don’t have all the answers. Frankly, I probably have very few. But as I continue to learn and experiment and put myself out there (sometimes too much), I believe living with more “chutzpah” — the good kind of chutzpah that drives creativity, imagination, courage, confidence, and other positive forces — is a great place to start!
I hope you’ll join me in living with more chutzpah ~
Josh
