The beauty of a good rabbit hole is that we don’t know what’s at the bottom.

Knowing we’re in the dark we’re able to curiously explore a topic staying open to what might be found, remaining unattached to what the end result must look like.

We do this particularly well when researching something new on our own. Perhaps it’s “Best Gazebo’s for camping” or “what’s a poet laureate?”

So what if we took that same posture, of exploration and curiosity, to our conversations with others? What might we see? What might we learn?

In one of his latest books, Your Music and People, Derek Sivers suggests that if you’re a likeable person who is skilled in what you do then:

“The number of people you meet will determine your success”

This has me noodling: When’s the last time you intentionally met someone new?

What will others think?

This question causes overthinking, self doubt and lack of action. It’s the social media of questions. Because of it we hesitate to start the book, spruik the project or share our success stories.

Knowing this, it’s worth noodling on an alternative.

Perhaps: What will future me think?

After 119 episodes of recording our podcast, The Long and The Short Of It, with just the two of us, Jen Waldman and I decided it would be fun to have a conversation with a guest.

Enter, Seth Godin. 20 times best selling author (yes, you read that right), teacher, creative genius and keen noodler.

We talked about his latest book The Practice, why he’s an imposter, writing and leaders who make change (that’s you).

Here are just some of the mic drop moments from the Episode:

“When I write about things that are happening in the world, I try really hard not to write something that only makes sense today.”

“I don’t think boundaries are a practice, I think they enable practices.”

“If I don’t feel like an imposter, then I’m not trying hard enough.”

Seth Godin

You can tune in over here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Models showcase things and behaviours for us to consider so that we might do the same. They do so through their actions.

Take the fashion model. Their actions showcase clothes to wear, styles to consider and brands to look out for.

What about the fitness model. Their actions showcase exercises to do, food to eat and lifestyle choices to consider (as well as bizarre hashtags to use like #fitspo).

Finally, consider the model leader. Their actions showcase empathy, generosity and care for their people.

With this in mind, it’s worth us listing the behaviours and actions we choose to showcase most often.

What are they?

What sort of model do they make you?

Do any need to change for you to be the model you seek to be?

A small selection of recently read books to assist with your noodling:

To be a better leader:

Stillness is the Key – Ryan Holiday

It Doesn’t Have To Be Crazy At Work – David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried

Braving the Wilderness – Brené Brown

To lose yourself in compelling fiction:

Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens

To receive a metaphorical slap in the face:

The Courage to be Disliked – Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi

To laugh until you cry:

Is This Anything? – Jerry Seinfeld

To challenge all your excuses on discomfort:

Swimming to Antartica – Lynne Cox

Why We Swim – Bonnie Tsui

To get clear on what’s in your control:

The Practice – Seth Godin

PS. If you enjoy these twice weekly posts consider forwarding them to a friend or two. You might use the subject line “checkout these noods” for a laugh. Thank me later.

Because it’s fun to be meta.

What are 10 questions you might ask your team/peers to cultivate more empathy?

Once you’ve written them down, pick three and pose them the next time you catch up.

Here’s to starting 2021 with even more curiosity.

If the last post wasn’t enough here are 21 more questions for you leaders and changemakers who love to reflect this time of year:

1. How do I want to show up?
2. Who will I help and serve?
3. What does success look like?
4. How might I cultivate a clear mind?
5. How might I cultivate a healthy body?
6. How might I cultivate a house full of love?
7. What skills do I want to practice?
8. Where am I currently experiencing friction?
9. What are 7 ways I might alleviate said friction?
10. Where am I experiencing flow?
11. What are 9 ways I might cultivate more said flow?
12. What looming change am I wilfully ignoring? 
13. What would happen if I said ‘no’ more?
14. What would happen if I said ‘yes’ more?
15. How might I listen more?
16. How many books do I want to read?
17. What if I spent less time on social media?
18. Where can I add more play?
19. What if I took myself less seriously?
20. Who do I want to thank?
21. How might I be more curious?

Wishing all you legends a happy, noodley and safe New Year.

First, reflect:

What made me happy and brought me joy this year?

(Hint: use your calendar, photo reel and any journals you might have to help you get clear on this).

Next, project:

How might I create more moments like this next year?

That’s it.

Here’s to cultivating more happiness and joy in 2021.

Every night for five years my dad would ask my mother, brother, sister and me the same question:

So, what was the best part of your day?

We’d spend the next 10 minutes sharing stories and he and mum would sit patiently, listening and smiling.

Sometimes we’d tease him for always asking the same question, but mostly we’d take this exercise very seriously, thinking long and hard about what really was the best part of any given day.

The lessons I see in retrospect are wise and threefold:

1. Reflecting on the positive is akin to practicing the gratitude. It changes the lens through which we view the world. No matter how bad your day has been, it’s always worth searching for the one good part.
2. The power of asking a question and holding space, uninterrupted, for people to respond cannot be overstated.
3. Good questions deserve to be pondered repeatedly. See here, here and here for more inspiration.