“You say that you care. I was unaware.” – Allen Stone, Unaware

During last night’s live performance of Reply All during XOXO’s Story track, PJ Vogt said something to the effect of:

This room is filled with people working on a dumb idea with friends that they are hopeful about.

We might quibble over what’s “dumb”—he included his own podcast in that list and I had just laughed heartily for nearly an hour over the, okay, dumb yet brilliant Hello, From the Magic Tavern live show—but it’s the “they are hopeful” line that got me.

Does your work fill you with hope? I don’t mean, necessarily, that for which you get paid. Is there a thing that you’re doing on the regular that ignites you? Does it fill you with possibility even if it’s stupid?

If you’re working on it rather than just thinking about it, you’re living the dream, right? It may not pay the bills (but it might). You may suck at it (but if you keep doing it?). It may never stop being dumb (but what if it’s so ridiculous it’s actually genius?). It may fail. Hell, it probably will fail but…

But if you’re doing it, if you’re making time for it, if you’re working at it, I’d bet you’re happier. You’d know what joy looks like even if you only glimpse it on occasion when you’re trying to make this dumb idea happen ideally with people you like.

You’d know more about what you look like inside.

And by you, I mean me.

Try to make good shit. Every day. You might get it right once in awhile.

XOXO.