I asked for permission to share a moment from a recent TEI call because it will give you a glimpse into the kind of risk-taking I advocate.

On May 7, TEI member Guillaume Wiatr sent this email to his list:

Source: https://www.metahelm.com/this-email-intentionally-left-blank/

He took a risk with this email. He's committed to publishing daily, but it was a Friday, he was tired, and a neighbor invited him to get a drink. So he published… an intentionally blank email.

Three days later, he published an email with 5 insightful thoughts about the role of silence in his discipline of strategic narrative.

Those 5 insights didn't exist when he published the blank email. They happened:

1. Because he took a risk, which led to…
2. A period of wondering if he'd made a huge mistake (this is where I'd insert the Job Bluth GIF if this wasn't a numbered list)
3. Which led to…
4. Seeing things from an altered perspective, which led to…
5. Fresh insight

Risk-taking doesn't always lead to fresh insight.

But it can. And it does often enough that I categorically recommend it.

Guillaume gave me permission to share our conversation with you:

Watch the 6-minute video here: https://vimeo.com/548457376/839b8bbf0e

Keep building and taking risks, y'all

-P