I Don't Want To Be the Best (I Want To Be Itchy)

Read time: 4 minutes

I’ve been struggling lately.

Every shower, I’m thinking about it.

Every night before falling asleep, it’s on my mind.

(which is fun since at 40-something sleep is elusive, in general)

Y’all, I’m not satisfied with Quarter Turn.

There’s an itchy quote in this issue that really resonates: “I don’t want to be the best.” It’s true—I don’t want Quarter Turn to be the best.

I want Quarter Turn to be useful.

It’s not enough to curate good things—I want you to find things here that help you in your own journey. You’ll notice a few tune-ups today, as I turn the dial just a bit.

Do you find it more helpful? Less? I’d love to know what you think!

John Maxwell is an author and leadership coach known for his practical tips and positive outlook. And in one of his books (I forget which) he had a section about his Dad, and how instead of asking his kids how their day was, he’d ask:

• What did you learn?

• What did you love?

It’s great parenting advice—and a great way to prompt our own thinking.

And it’ll be our structure here, each week: something Learned. Something Loved. And something Curious, where learning is underway.

When we learn, one of the best things we can do is to leave a map.

As a 20-year corporate learner building a second home online through writing, and knowing there are others out there like me, that’s my biggest goal.

This week, I watched the “Spielberg” documentary on HBO’s Max app.

I’ve been putting it off for weeks, because I knew two things:

1. There would be E.T. clips

2. They would make me cry

Even after 40 years, that movie makes me cry almost as much as it did when I was 4 and my mom thought she was going to have to leave the theatre with me.

And there were a few lines that have me thinking, but this was the big one:

“Most of my demons were self-inflicted wounds.”

I threw it in my Roam database immediately with a “Draft” tag, so I can come back to it after it percolates.

Where do you capture what you learn, while you think about it?

I don’t want to be the best. I want to be itchy.

What are you working on this week?

I’m in the middle of building a 5-day Educational Email Course for Medium, to help jumpstart folks new to the platform.

It’s a map of my early learning curve, to help others launch faster and more successfully.

It’s a big challenge and I didn’t think it would take me so long to finish, but I’m excited to get it live in a couple of weeks.

Each of us has the ability to help others.

• Come across a story or idea you’d love to see included? Let me know!

• Who are your brains and heart must-follows on Twitter?

• Join Medium with a friend link to support my writing (aka book habit) and that of other writers like me for just $5 a month!

🧠 and ❤️ from my corner of the world, to yours—

Lauren