Some of the best marketing and advertising campaigns in the last 50 years came from one epicenter. Widen & Kennedy in Portland, Oregon.
“Just Do It.”
“Bo Knows.”
“Air Jordan”
“Livestrong”
“This is Sportscenter”
“Coke Side of Life.”
All Wieden & Kennedy or their associates.
At any given moment we’re either living in a way marked by God’s design or we’re drifting into “those old grooves.”
Those old grooves are so comfortable. Even though we hate where they lead us when we’re in those old grooves. They’re just so easy to slide into.
We often navigate life as if we’re tight roping between our yearnings to fit in and our desires to stand out.
Drift has us deceived into thinking these are mutually exclusive
To make matters worse, Drift has us convinced that the path to either requires us to be less ourselves and more like everybody else, which only serves to erode our authenticity.
Actions speak louder than words.
Most of us are familiar with this is a simplified version of a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson where he said, “Your actions speak so loudly I can’t hear what you’re saying.”
In the age of funhouse mirrors, it’s tough to even tell if what we’re seeing is reality. Is who we’re drawn to who they really are? From the outside, everything looks clean, impressive and important. But what about on the inside?
We’re the only ones that really know if we’re making the most of any opportunity.
There’s this quote that says, “Hell is to meet the person you could have been at death and realize you’re not even a shadow of that person and that heaven is to meet the person you could have been and to see yourself staring back at you.”
From the lower ranks of an obscure Greek basketball division, Giannis has risen to a true “generational talent.” Better known in the United States as “The Greek Freak” he has taken the league by storm. Winning an NBA championship in 2021 and has twice been named the league’s most valuable player.
Everything about this generational talent seems rare. But what we often find in the rare trajectories of talent’s like Giannis Antetokounmpo is the incredibly uncommon commitment to common tried and tested approaches to life and leadership. Humility, discipline, grace, excellence in the mundane and a commitment to serve others. In this deep dive, we see another young talent displaying sage wisdom and approach to mastery.
We’re not advocating for delusional optimism, we're simply conveying that when you commit to the dreamer’s journey you commit to a set of realities that all must walk through.
The truth is, an authentic leader, living an authentic definition of success, rooted and grounded in a strong spiritual core doesn’t have to get louder. To get louder would be forfeiting their true position of secure influence.
