What Los Angeles Traffic Taught Me

Anyone who's lived in Los Angeles knows there's traffic. A LOT of traffic. I realized pretty quickly there was a unique opportunity to take advantage of those moments of idleness and turn them into a mobile classroom. Here are a few quick insights that may nudge you to turn daily gridlock into the "University of Traffic."

-- One way to set yourself apart from the herd is to optimize moments most people use for entertainment with education.

-- Divide your audiobook selection into different categories that interest you -- (e.g. Fiction, History, Personal Development, Finance)

--  The average US commuter spends roughly 42 hours in traffic per year. That’s nearly identical to a semester of college. You have a remarkable opportunity to turn your commute, workout, or daily chores into the equivalent of a college degree.

-- After listening to an audiobook make note of at least three things you’ve learned and can implement, track, and measure. Keep an audiobook notebook in your car so you can jot a few notes after your commute.

Don't Take Advice So Literally

This morning as I was driving, an excerpt of the very large audiobook I've been listening to literally stopped me in my tracks. The book is about investing and developing a better financial IQ.

"You need to rebalance your portfolio on a regular basis," I heard the voice say. "This requires discipline."

It then dawned on me that though this was very helpful advice when it came to keeping your finances in order, it was also equally valuable insight to nearly every facet of life. Take regular inventory of what you're doing to see if it's actually working, I thought.

How many times have we taken a bit of advice from a book written by someone who claims to be an expert in a field and only applied it to that discipline? Why not cross-pollinate those big bold ideas?

Why can't the lessons from a book about finance be relevant to what you put into your body? What can science teach us about leadership? And on and on.

My take, don't take advice so literally. You might find the lessons gained from one area of expertise apply to others as well.

Flip Conventional Wisdom on its Head

Last night, I finally wrapped up an audiobook that seemed to never end. The book was recommended by someone I admire and so I decided to give it a go. It was an insightful but also somewhat dense book geared primarily towards marketers.

Still, one of the lessons that really made me think was the importance of flipping conventional wisdom on its head. In other words, you can't fall into the same mode of thinking as everyone else trying to do what you're doing. You also can't afford to get bogged down by what the naysayers think.

Instead, consider redefining the objective and the problem you're trying to solve. What is it you hope achieve through your art? Why is it important to you and what are different ways to get your voice heard?

As actors, writers, filmmakers, dancers, painters, and artists of all mediums we must think more broadly. Creativity will infuse your work, but also the ways you figure out how to deliver your message to the world.

Baby Steps

I'm listening to an audiobook right now called, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott. The first misconception she tackles is the notion one can't teach someone how to be a better writer.

Instead, she argues how an insight or two from someone who's already trodden a similar path may make all the difference. After listening to a tip of hers last night, I must admit I now agree.

Writers, like many artists, often approach new projects with a sense of dread; looking at the whole mountain instead of through signposts along the way. She references a writer she admires saying, writing is a bit like driving in the dark. You can only see past the headlights, but it can still be done.

Rather than writing or creating anything by looking too far ahead simply look beyond your headlights. Tell yourself, "I'm just going to write this one paragraph as best I can." Or, "I'm just going to focus on committing the first line of this soliloquy to memory." Whatever it is, take baby steps without being overwhelmed by the complexity and scale of the project.

Inch by inch, step by step, you'll get there sooner than you think. Just break it down and be sure to give your best effort along the way without fear of how great or imperfect it turns out to be.

"Messiness," she says, "means that life is being lived."