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Ramit Sethi’s interview Derek Sivers, creator of CDBaby

Last updated on March 9th, 2019 at 04:02 pm

This week we’re listening to a great interview, conducted by Ramit Sethi of I Will Teach You to be Rich, of Derek Sivers, the creator of CDbaby. Derek also blogs here.

The first time listening to this interview, my girlfriend and I were driving to Chatsworth for a lunch (yes, that’s correct — instead of a long, meaningful conversation, we hooked up the iPod and got our learn on. That’s true love.) and we followed Derek’s story of the creation and eventual sale of CDBaby on a beautiful Sunday drive, catching the sun at it’s peak as we came down the hill in Chatsworth.

If I had to sum themajor takeaway of the 1-hour interview, it’s with Derek’s one-line: “the standard is for chumps.” Derek illustrates the point far more eloquently with his example of crash course music school (cramming two years of music school into six weeks before he went to Berklee) but what he’s saying is that you don’t have to accept the pace determined for you by others. You don’t have to play by all the same rules. If you want to do something, you have to make it happen for yourself. And if they don’t let you, well, you should change it.

Click here to download the video

The link takes you to Ramit Sethi’s earn1k private list, which if you’re not on, I highly recommend you join, because he puts up such awesome free material, it’s ridicccculous. After you’ve downloaded, listened, maybe checked out Ramit’s I Will Teach You To Be Rich site or Derek Siver’s blog, come back here for other takeaways from this interview:

Takeaways:

08:12 – He lays out his dream scenario for CDBaby, which he broke down to four qualities: 1. get paid every week, 2. full name and address of everyone who buys the music, 3. never get kicked out because you don’t sell enough, 4. no paid placement. Whenever we start a project, do we think about “man, these are the core ideals that I want to hold onto?”

Not that you’ll have to hold onto them forever, or that they won’t change as the business or market changes. But it’s important to recognize what you’re striving for, even if you delineate from that original vision.

16:22 – After putting ~10 years into CDBaby, Derek realized he was finished, “the way a painter takes on final brush stroke, and realizes they’ve finished their painting.” So he sold the company, banking US$22 million.

17:37 – “Are you rich?” Ramit started to say “Yes. Rich isn’t really just a number… it’s about the journey, about what your values are. It’s not about the finality of a number.” They discuss what rich really means.

19:57 – “Ever since highschool, I’ve been making every decision with freedom as the compass, which direction, what decision will point you to freedom?” That’s why I don’t own many thing. Because everything you own is one little weight restricting your freedom.

22:17 – “The ones who shout ‘My country is number one!’ the loudest are the ones who never left.”

24:00 – Ramit talks about how hard Derek and he work. And I believe it, because you don’t achieve their level of success without working hard, so I don’t want to undermine his position on this. I just thought this was a moment worth noting because (especially in my industry) I feel like I’m constantly hearing about how hard people are working. (“Crazy busy” seems like a constant theme of conversation.) It just makes you want to remind people that everyone is busy, everyone is working hard. I feel that way myself. At the end of the day, no one’s going to remember how hard you worked, they’re only going to remember the results you achieved.

24:55 – “My nickname in highschool was the ‘robot’ because no one ever saw me sleep, or drink, or relax, or party. Kimo Williams was a real turning point in my life. I didn’t have a role model who set my expectations high enough. He set a new model for me.”

26:21 – “It moves at the pace of the lowest common denominator. You don’t have to accept the standard pace. The standard pace is for chumps. Whenever you hear anyone tell you this is how long it takes to get a degree, or to get this accredition, that’s for chumps. If you know what you want, you can go for it, and it’s not even with cheating, you just don’t accept the pace, you do it faster… It was like that scene in The Matrix, where Morephus teaches Neo how to fight in the simulated karate scene. In only 2 3-hour lessons, Kimo taught me 4 semester of harmony, in antoher 2 3-hour lessons, he taught me 4 semesters of arranging.” This resonates with a lesson taken from Irving “Swifty” Lazar, one of the greatest literary agents of all time, the King of the Deal, who changed the rules so quickly they ceased to exist. Who booked 3 (or 5, depending on the source) deals for Humphrey Bogart before supper. On a dare.

31:27 – “A typically musician will complain about the world and the state of the music, and say the radio only plays shitty music, and it’s all owned by corporations. Well, then let’s make a radio station. If you don’t like the distribution, make your own distribution. Gary Jules created a venue for people who just wanted to listen to music in Hollywood, while his friends complained about how everyone was just posturing in order to get a record deal, and that Hollywood was just crowded with Scenesters. So Gary just walked around until he found a venue (coffee shop)… called Hotel Cafe, and he convinced them to let him use the space. Now it’s a great place to play. Gary just made that place exist, and I love that mentality towards life. If you’re dissatisfied with it, change it.”

40:05 – When you find people who match the “what” you want in life, make sure they also match the “why” they want it too.

52:00 – A discussion on delegation “I had to teach them how to do everything I was doing. So if they asked a question, I made sure everyone heard the answer, and they understood the why, so they wouldn’t ask that type of question anymore.

Click here to download the video

Full Transcript of the Interview

Adam Ayer’s Cliff Notes on the video

If you skipped the link in order to just get my notes on it, definitely do yourself a favor and download it yourself. I wrote down the nuggets that resonated with me, and most of them care from Derek Sivers, probably because this is the first time I’ve heard him speak. Ramit’s dropped a handful of great tips as well, but because I’ve been listening to his material for a much longer time, it didn’t resonate to the same degree.

Photo Credit: Jim Roberts

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LEAN IN, Videos, and Evernote

Last updated on March 9th, 2019 at 04:02 pm

The more I dig into Sheryl Sandberg’s LEAN IN, the more it feels like a gender studies book. I’m surprised at how surprised I am. I thought it was going to pull a reverse psychology trick on me, like, “Here’s this book that seems like it’s just a book about how women are treated differently in the work place… but it’s actually much more than that… except, it’s actually not.”

Perhaps I over thought the whole thing. Hardly outside the realm of possibilities.

I will say this for LEAN IN: the book opens with huge promise. Some highlights below, my notes in italics:

We hold ourselves back in ways both big and small, by lacking self-confidence, by not raising our hands, and by pulling back when we should be leaning in.

*how many times in mid-conversation, or a pitch, if I even get a hint that their eyes are glazing over, do I pull back? The moment I felt like I may be imposing, I back off. I’d rationalize it as “reading the room,” when what I should do is lean in more.

I rarely heard anything, however, about the ways I might hold myself back. These internal obstacles deserve a lot more attention.

*her message is: work on yourself, too. It’s not just the institution or the situation or a million external forces holding you back. Work on what you can control and it’ll reflect in the world around you.

I do not believe that there is one definition of success or happiness. Not all women want career. Not all women want children. Not all women want both.

*After discussion with Amy: it’s not important to have an equal “50-50 split” on household chores or whatever. Instead, have a common goal. Working towards a common purpose. Show respect and gratitude for your partner’s work.

I have heard these criticisms in the past and I know that I will hear them — and others — in the future. My hope is that my message will be judged on its merits. We can’t avoid this conversation. This issue transcends all of us.

*How to deal with criticism: your message will not resonate with everyone. If you put your thoughts out to the world to be judged, they will be. You can only hope that your message will be judged on its merits, no more and no less.

This week I’ve also been listening to two amazing pieces:

Bryan Elliot of Behind the Brand interview with Tim Ferriss

Chris Anderson’s Ted Talk: How Youtube is Driving Innovation

After less than a month of using Evernote, I maxed out my free account’s quota. So I purchased Evernote premium and spent an hour over the weekend geeking out hard core and eliminating mad papers from the apartment.

Now documents that’ve been taking up space and gathering dust are accessible and searchable on the computer (e.g., story ideas written on index cards, travel documents, how to solve a rubiks cube scribbled down 4 sheets of loose leaf).

Photo Credit: BlogHerAnnual

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The Rise to the Top Interviews Ryan Holiday

Last updated on March 9th, 2019 at 03:46 pm

I’d been writing a screenplay and used Ryan’s book as a reference. Then I saw that David Siteman Garland had interviewed Ryan a while back and immediately downloaded the audio. The Rise to the Top Interview with Ryan Holiday covers Ryan’s book, TRUST ME, I’M LYING: CONFESSIONS OF A MEDIA MANIPULATOR (DSG’s affiliate link). I read the book when it first came out in July 2012) and watched Ryan speak at a signing at the Book Soup book store in West Hollywood.

Here’s the Interview

This interview serves as an excellent primer for Ryan’s book, which covers the techniques of the media strategist who’s worked with Tucker Max and American Apparel. For example, they talk about “moving up the chain” and that a blogger’s value comes from hitting quotas set for them. The book is marketed as a “how-to” in manipulating the media and defending yourself from manipulation, which I feel is a bit of a misrepresentation. The tactical analysis of Ryan’s methodologies aren’t very indepth, and I found a great deal of the latter half redundant.

Nor is the interview (or book) something I’d prescribe as a “must listen to” in the self-development track.

However, if you’re interested in understanding the mechanics of blogging and how it’s changed today’s media, this is a worthwhile interview (and the book, a worthwhile read).

Ryan and David also shared a handful of nuggets about his work, which I’ve included below.

*I don’t guarantee these are word for word quotes. Consider them more like very accurate paraphrasing. Italics are my notes, bold is mine.*

07:30 – RH “I’m a big proponent of the vertically integrated model, that you don’t make a product, ship it, and then decide how you’re going to sell it. For me, how can I put things in the book that are going to make people talk about it. How can I create a cover that’s going to create a spectacle and generate attention. How can I reach out to my contacts and get a base going and gather momentum. For me, I saw this book as an opportunity to prove the things in this book.”

The vertical integration model Ryan discusses below is what Seth Godin has been saying for years — marketing isn’t what Mad Men. Marketing is the product.

09:23 – RH “I saw Tucker was working with other writers and authors, and I thought, ‘I’m not old enough yet, but I want to do that someday. I want to be one of those people. I decided I was going to meet Tucker, work with him, and learn from him. So I waited until I had my chance… I wrote an article about him, knowing that Tucker liked to post articles about him that he liked… We started a relationship from there, and as a 18-19 year old kid, I sent him every question that popped into my head.”

Ryan’s message here is that he used a Charlie Hoehn method to connect to Tucker Max. Ryan had a strategy that took in account what he wanted and how he was going to get it. It’s an example that demonstrates if you want something, you can get it — you’ll have to be intelligent, strategic, and genuine, but you can get it. (I realize I may have the causation mixed up, as Ryan probably contacted Tucker Max before Charlie worked for Ramit, but I’ve always thought of this as the Charlie Hoehn method, as publicized in his Recession Proof Graduate and Tim Ferriss’ post, 12 Lessons Learned While Marketing ‘The 4-Hour Body.”)

RH – “Dov Charney of American Apparel saw that all the money Nike was saving by using these child workers in Indonesia was going to endorsements and Lebron James and the New York Times stores. And he thought this was an inefficient model. Dov decided he wanted to pay his workers a fair wage, but he wouldn’t use these kind of endorsements. So the question became, how do we market this global brand on what is essentially a shoestring marketing budget?”

37:43 – DSG “The cover is badass.”

RH “I hate business book covers. I wanted an amazing book cover. The designer who did this is amazing. She did Tucker’s book covers, she read the book and loved it. She asked me if she could make the cover, and I told her ‘I would kill to have you do it.’”

The cover artist is Erin Tyler. She also designed many (most? all?) of the blogs on the now defunct Rudius Media websites. I interviewed her for a cover story on blogs-to-books when I was at Rutgers, and I remember her being very accessible and sweet. She used to blog at The Bunny Blog, and her design work can be found at Erin Tyler Design.

Photos Credit: timferriss

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Reading: Going Paperless

Last updated on November 2nd, 2021 at 05:17 pm

Going Paperless is a blog post series by SF writer Jamie Todd Rubin that documents his process for removing paper from his life.

More than changing how I think about using paper (which it has), it changed the way I think about organizing my work flow. I’ll detail how this took place for another post, but if you’re interested in getting started, here’s my favorite post: Tips On How I Use Evernote to Remember Everything

While it does offer some tactics, the two major insights into Jamie’s methodology about going paperless are:

You do this because it can make your life more convenient and provides more time for what matters. If you feel it complicates your life, go back to what you were doing.
Don’t feel overwhelmed by trying to do everything at once. Implement the tactics slowly. Make habits, don’t fall
suspect to whims.

Photo Credit: Classic PDF

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Reading: Amarillo Slim’s Memoir – In A World Full of Fat People

Last updated on March 9th, 2019 at 03:51 pm

I finished Amarillo Slim’s memoir, In A World Full Of Fat People as my non-work related read. For work reads, the challenge is dealing with volume, so they require intense focus, and brute forcing my way through manuscripts and scripts. Basically, it sucks 80 percent of the joy from reading. Allocating time for non-work related reads is my way of saying, “I never want to not enjoy reading.” One hand washes the other.

I broke into this memoir because I love gambling and books on gambling. I didn’t read it with the idea of finding takeaways…

But I just couldn’t help myself.

There are major correlations between his anecdotes and self-dev (maybe not self-dev exactly, but bear with me, I’m about to drop some education on the practical application of Slim’s gambling philosophy):

Amarillo Slim was one of the world’s greatest proposition gamblers. He bet he could beat “Minnesota Fats at pool with a broom, Bobby Riggs at table tennis with a skillet, and Evel Knievel at golf with a carpenter’s hammer.” But Slim’s philosophy to be a winning gambler was simple:

“I never make a bet unless the bet is already won.”

Put another way, in Slim’s words:

“I learned that there are people who love action and others who love money. The first group is called suckers, and the second is called professional gamblers, and it was a cinch which one I wanted to be.”

What he’s talking about, is preparation.

Slim would practice with a skillet at table tennis for weeks before setting up his mark. When another mark wised up to the skillet gambit, he’d practice for months with a coke bottle to break him.

He’d master every pool hustle there was until he could do it with a broom. Blindfolded.

And Slim had patience: he would take his time laying the trap for a sucker, losing a little at a time until he was “ready to break the sonuvabitch.”

A full write-up to follow, but my major takeaway is self-dev is preparation. You’re preparing yourself, arming yourself with abilities to win the bet you place on yourself. These bets can take on many forms:

A negotiation next week.
An interview three months away.
Business decisions of tomorrow that’ll influence you for years to come.

Bets are won and loss in the preparation.

Photos Credit: pokerwire

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Listening to: Jenny Blake Interview

Last updated on March 9th, 2019 at 03:51 pm

I’m listening to David Siteman Garland’s interview with Jenny Blake of Life After College, on The Rise to the Top. I finished the interview yesterday, on my way home after my first visit to SoHo house. Which, by the way, I had zero idea on how to find the entrance to. #FirstWorldProblems.

The two major discussion points I found really interesting were:

1. The process of product development, from book deal to course creation.

2. Transition of a brand, as Jenny shifts her focus away from Life After College and into the next iteration of the Jenny Blake brand.

Full write up to come. In the meantime, here’s the link to watch (or if you’re a badass mofo like me, you can download the audio so you can listen while you get your swell on, and get ripped).*

*(There is zero correlation between listening to this podcast and getting ripped. Unless it’s a reverse correlation.)

Photo Credit: Swong95765

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I Am Reading A Visit from the Goon Squad

Last updated on March 9th, 2019 at 03:51 pm

And it’s like coming back home. It smells familiar. You can take off your shoes and get comfortable, because you’re in the hands of an artist, who may not show you where she’s taking you, but she won’t release you from her world either, until there’s nothing left to explore. I had forgotten – this is what made me want to tell stories in the first place.

That’s what (all non-affiliate links) A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan did. So did Everything is Illuminated (Jonathan Safran Foer,) The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Junot Diaz,) City of Thieves (David Benioff,) and (crossing genres now) BRICK by Rian Johnson, 500 DAYS OF SUMMER by Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber and shit, okay really genres hopping Pain (Johnny Cash) and the time I listened to an artist whose first name was Neal and last name I left in Nashville at the Bluebird Cafe, who sang “That’s My Son” which still keeps me up at night, but right then I had to march up to him and thank him because that song meant the world to me, even though I knew I’d probably never hear it again and haven’t since.

Photos Credit: Arts Westchester

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Five Kindle Features That Maximize Workflow

Last updated on March 9th, 2019 at 03:55 pm

The Kindle has dramatically improved my workflow. I sympathize with the “I-love-holding-a-book” camp, but I also don’t argue with results: results trump nostalgia. I’ve included the five Kindle features that will change the way you read and work, and some pointers on how to implement them. This list is based off the 3G non-touch Wi-Fi-capable Kindle.

Maintain Your Reading List

The trumpeted feature of the Kindle Bookstore is you can buy a book anytime, anywhere, and be reading in seconds. You can even read samples of books. But the real highlight of the Kindle Bookstore goes unmentioned: searching for books maintaining an up-to-date reading list.<

With the Kindle Store, you can immediately search for your book. Then add it to your Wish List (and download a sample.) Then it’s safe to completely forget the book, until you’re ready for your next book purchase.

The Wish List streamlines maintaining an active book list. Your Kindle becomes your single destination to remember what you planned to read, to buy the book with a single click, and to begin reading.
Constantly reading is crucial in lifelong education, and removing barriers is a significant step towards continuing that education.

Overhaul Your Note Taking System

I’m a huge fan of annotating books and having a notes system. Analyzing your own thoughts and expounding on an author’s original work based on your experiences allows for exponential personal growth. Inspiration (“ah-ha!” moments) is exciting when you hit a key point while reading. Tangents spring on utilizing information. You have worldview paradigm shifts.

Unfortunately, obstacles stand between inspiration and action: interrupting reading momentum, logging your thoughts, cataloging them into a system where it’s easily accessible. It’s difficult to digest vast amounts of material if you’re forced to constantly stop and start.

A handwritten organization system for your notes, no matter how strong, loses effectiveness after X amount of material. The best way to access information on the fly is if it’s digitized (read: searchable.) This is especially true if you’re not only searching for the original material you read, but your reaction to the material. Reading on the Kindle closes this gap and removes barriers in digitizing your notes:

Highlight original content on the Kindle
Type quick notes about applying this information. The Kindle is a tool for reading, not writing — the keyboard is clunky at best. So all you’re writing on the Kindle is a note or two that will jog your brain to recall those first sparks of inspiration (my notes usually look like the stream-of-consciousness of a second-grader.) Don’t bother writing out the entire thought.
Continue reading with minimum momentum lost (no putting down the book, no finding a piece of paper, no finding your place on the page, etc.)
Amazon automatically stores your books, highlights, and notes. Log-in to your Kindle account to access it. Copy and paste your notes into your digital system of choice (I prefer Google Docs, but Evernote works well, too.) From your Kindle Account, you can also share your notes or follow others.

With digitized notes, it’s easy to access you exact thought, from the exact original idea, from any title. Based off the brief notes, it’s easy to develop your ideas further.

Follow Blogs

Keeping up with the blogs I followed used to be a struggle. I don’t read well on the computer — I want to get lost in the material. There are too many distractions on a computer monitor. With my feeds in the Kindle, it’s easier to give the content all my attention and more convenient to stay up to date.

From Home, go to the Menu and select “Experimental.”
Launch the Browser.
Enter the URL for your reader and sign-in (I use Google Reader.)
Bookmark your Reader URL so it’s easily accessible next time.

Using the Kindle to access your Reader works great: it displays your feeds and posts, marks posts as read when you click on them; you can even “Favorite” posts. The only major drawback I can see is because “Kindle doesn’t support multiple browsing windows” you can’t open hyperlinks within the post (I haven’t researched a work around solution to this yet.) Instead, I’ll “favorite” the post so I know to return later.

Reading Scripts

I work as a script reader and not carrying physical scripts is a major convenience. Some benefits:

Reading time is drastically reduced
Easily sort scripts
Annotate and bookmark as you read — no more flipping back pages to find “that great line”
Zero waste (paper, ink)

Friends have complained about eyestrain when reading PDF’s on the Kindle. This can be solved by using a horizontal orientation.

If you don’t read scripts, reading articles that you find on the web is another useful option. Again, it goes back to the desire to get lost in content, which is a challenge on the computer. Just convert the article into a PDF or a Word document, and send it wirelessly to your Kindle:

Attach your document to the e-mail address associated with the Amazon account to which your Kindle is registered, but with a slight modification: the e-mail address will look like <name>@free.kindle.com.
No wires necessary.
For a list of approved document types, see Amazon’s list

Borrow Books from a Public Library

I have both a New York Public Library and a Los Angeles County Library card. You can borrow digital material from both. There can be long queues for material, but the digital stack collection is expansive enough to cross off a few items from your Reading List — the one you’re keeping up to date with tip number one.
Check out your library’s website to find its library card requirements.

There are other great features to the Kindle: text-to-speech, listening to mp3’s, using it for audio books, looking at pictures, access to Project Gutenberg for a huge collection of free books. However, I’ve found no regular use for them (I have an iPhone and an iPod for music/audio books; it’s difficult to annotate using text-to-speech; my reading queue is so long I probably won’t ever need to access PG.)

These five features that maximize workflow all pertain to reading, and with good reason: reading is what Bezos and the Amazon team set out to revolutionize when they released the Kindle. Looks like they’re on the right track.

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The “U” Rock Tradition

Last updated on March 9th, 2019 at 04:05 pm

Cobie, in his old-soul, understated-fashion, raised his hand.

“I’d like to say something,” he announced. He had thick curly hair and the gaze of Julio Aparcio. He turned his matador eyes to his hall mates.

“I think we all need to give Chris a hand for laying down the law on some European kids at breakfast.” He started clapping. A quick “Yeah!” sounded, followed by hearty applause. Until that moment, sitting amongst my 13 charges for this session, a circle of cheering 13- to 15-year-olds, I did not realize how badly I wanted the recognition.

I was 24-years-old. I had seen the world, jumped out of a plane, bungee jumped, moved from one American coast to the other with an idyllic dream and little else. I achieved many of the things liked-minded men set out to do, and it mattered very little to me if these students hated me, admired me, or were completely indifferent.

But to say right then – my butt sore from dorm-style, barely-there carpeting and olfactory senses offended by this gaggle of unshowered teenagers – to say their looks of admiration didn’t leave warm and fuzzies, would be a lie. It was my reward for standing up to half-a-dozen European language students who tried butting ahead of my meeker students at the breakfast line, and I welcomed it.

Just like that I was an addict, hooked after my first taste. I knew I’d do anything to keep that respect. I knew I never wanted to let them down.

The event brought to mind the tradition of the “U Rock.” At the start of the daily RA staff meetings at the Center for Talented Youth in Los Angeles, one staff member presents the U Rock to another staff member. The rock appears as follows: a rock, about the size of a grapefruit. With a “U” painted on one face, in green. It is awarded to someone who displays extraordinary action the day previous, or who deserves recognition for their devotion in their roles as RA’s. The next day, the current wielder of the U Rock recognizes a new RA, and the rock makes its way around the staff.

By second session, the “U Rule” is introduced, which follows the same guidelines. It appears as follows: a wooden ruler. Scribed hastily on the back, in a blue Bic pen: “U rule.”

When the U Rock is first introduced, considerable thought is usually put into who its newest heir will be. The newest member of the club should prominently stand out from the rest of the plebes, the Balto of the pack, so to speak. Perhaps they dealt with a particularly unruly student in a constructive way. Or their Daily Activity from the day previous was extremely creative, executed with razor precision. Whatever the reason, the point is, there was meaning in the U Rock. You felt pride, even if it was just a twinge or a tickle. It felt good to be recognized, and consciously or unconsciously, it reinforced the behavior that earned you the recognition in the first place.

No one admits as much, of course (and as long as the tradition of the U Rock continues, it’s doubtful anyone will.) After all, the U Rock really is nothing more than a pat on the head, albeit, a heavy handed pat, that you have to schlep four flights of stairs to the meeting room the next day.

By the time the U Rule got introduced to the game, however, the U Rock had lost its momentum, a stalled car at the bottom of a trough. There were several reasons for this:

The Introduction of the U Rule – with two mementos recognizing good behavior, the value was reduced by half. It was the first law of economics: supply up, demand down.
Lowering of the Standard – the bar previously set for the U Rock was dramatically lowered, for a variety of reasons: tiredness in the staff, laziness in reflecting on who really deserved the recognition, or the desire to recognize friends over the deserving. E.g., “I want to give it to Stacy, for taking care of my hall while I was at weekend duty,” (a duty everyone performs, and required by the job) or “I want to give this to James, because he’s a good friend.”
“Who hasn’t gotten it yet?” – the desire to give the U Rock to a member of the staff not because they earned it, but because they haven’t received it yet, pervades the tradition every year. This is likely the guiltiest culprit behind nerfing the value of the U Rock.

The U Rock becomes worthless in the face of these culminated reasons. Its intended effect – to recognize good behavior, to reinforce the behavior, and to inspire others to follow suit – is null. What started out as a subtle yet powerful reward starts tip-toeing along the “everyone’s a winner, everyone get a medal” line, a perpetuation of the sort of emotional coddling that leaves young adults unprepared for the challenges yet to come.

It begs the question: does the U Rock serve its function? Is it still a worthy tradition to uphold at CTY LOS when its value is slowly but inevitably reduced to nil?

Before Cobie raised his hand, I thought not. Since then, I’ve realized this: if the U Rock only sincerely recognized one person in six weeks of CTY, it’d be worth it. If it acknowledged one stellar act of courage or kindness in six weeks that otherwise would have gone unnoticed, then the practice should carry on. Qualities like courage and kindness aren’t necessarily inherent – they can be encouraged and cultivated, and genuine respect is a powerful agent for this growth. It sets the stage for that next act of courage or kindness, when it’s more difficult, when the stakes are higher. For the sake of building this foundation in even one individual’s life, yes, more than ever, the U Rock is a tradition worth upholding.

Photo Credit: all2gethernow

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Run “Extreme Climbing” at the Center for Talented Youth

Last updated on March 9th, 2019 at 04:05 pm

Xtreme Climbing will challenge students physically, mentally, and emotionally as they try to conquer bouldering problems designed for beginners.

RA’s needed: 2

Supplies: Basic climbing or Parkour knowledge

Location: Everywhere

Description: Leave the chalk bag, but don’t forget your bouldering skills. (If you’re looking to cut down on the number of students, make lots of references to climbing stairs: “Make like Rocky! You’ll be a star amongst the stairs! First one up wins!”

*Host this activity on the third week of CTY, to minimize time students have to repeat the exercises while at camp.

Pre-Activity Talking Points:

1. Each bouldering problem takes time, so you must move quickly. Students must hustle and obey all directions.

2. The disclaimer: what you do at this activity cannot be repeated at any time while at CTY. A possible consequence of doing so is dismissal; the administration allows RA’s to run this activity because they control the environment. John Hopkins or the Center for Talented Youth is not liable for anything you attempt at home, in your own time.

3. Although it may seem otherwise, this activity is more about technique than strength. Technique will take you places strength cannot.

4. Finally, the end objective of Xtreme Climbing is for you to walk away with your eyes opened. Too often, we walk through our environments without ever seeing anything. After this activity, we hope you no longer just see a bench, a street lamp, or stairs. We hope you see problems, and have the desire to solve them.

The Step Master

Location: Stairs to the side of Rosecrans

Description: Using just your arms, one arm at a time, work your way up the stairwell until you reach the top step. When you’ve reached it, drop down into the arms of the spotter.

Talking Points: Keep the arms locked at an 180 degree angle. This is a resting position. Bending the arm works the muscles and wastes energy. Teach the students that STRAIGHT ARM = REST, BENT = WORK. Also, if comfortable with DYNO’s (Dynamic Movements) feel free to let stronger students experiment: with both hands on a ledge, launch their bodies onto the next higher step.

Details:

1. RA’s must spot carefully this first activity – often a student will go for a grip and miss by the edge their fingernails. Spot from the hips, not the armpits, to prevent injuries.

2. Many of the female students haven’t developed the upper body strength to do this yet; encourage them that the bouldering problems later on rely more on technique.

3. Keep the line moving quickly.

Traversing

Location: Wall and Bicycle Parking Spots (U-shaped) Behind Rosecrans

Description: Traverse (sideways movement) through and around obstacles.

Talking Points: When encountering a problem set, the objective is to find or create the simplest, most elegant solution – the one that expels the least amount of energy. The objective in traversing is to use the least amount of motion, the fastest route, and the smallest number of steps.

Details

The Wall

1. Hands clutch the rail, feet planted firmly on the wall.

2. Students shuffle to their right, across the wall.

Bicycle Parking Spots

1. Students must traverse through or around the U-shaped Bicycle Parking Spots without touching the ground.

2. DO NOT LET STUDENTS WALK ACROSS THE TOPS OF THE PARKING SPOTS.

Advanced: The Loop

1. Sit on the ground, inside of the Bicycle Parking Spot.

2. With palms facing towards the body (like doing a chin-up) lift your body off the floor.

3. From this position, swing outside of the U-shape, and get back to your original starting position without touching the ground.

Heel Hooking

Location: Far side of Rosecrans

Description: Teach the principles of Heel Hooking from a suspended position.

Talking Points: The heel hook is a versatile and advanced climbing technique that, once mastered, can greatly reduce the tension and stress on the arm muscles.

Details

1. Hang from the railing, and with a short swing, get the legs onto the ledge, beneath the railing.

2. Show each individual student the correct positioning for the heel hook (just the heel should rest lightly on the ledge, not the calf.)

3. Shimmy or shuffle across the ledge, leading with the feet, following with the hands.

Benches

Location: Picnic and High-backed benches behind the Berlin Wall and outside of Jamba Juice

Description: From a lying position on the bench, crawl underneath it, then back over the top, and return to your original position without touching the floor.

Talking Points: Definitely an activity that relies more on technique than strength; with proper technique, most reasonably fit students should complete this activity.

Details

1. Start in the lying position, and warn students about hitting the metal struts underneath the bench.

2. Almost always lead with the foot first – if you heel hook beneath the bench, then again on the backside of the bench before moving the body, this is very easy. If you don’t, it’s very difficult.

3. At the last step, make sure only one leg is over the back of the bench, NOT BOTH. With BOTH LEGS over the back of the bench, it’s nearly impossible to get the rest of the body over. One leg first, then let the BODY follow.

Conclusion

Reiterate the key points from the beginning of the activity:

1. None of these exercises should be repeated outside of this activity.

2. The objective isn’t to build strength or necessarily learn technique, but to look at your environment a little differently.

How You Can Build on This Activity/Other Ideas

If time permits, try:

1. Flag poles

2. Upside down stair climbing (there’s a great spot behind Doheny Hall to do this)

3. CTY-sanctioned Parkour activities

The biggest difficulty is keeping students occupied and interested while they’re waiting for their turn. To ameliorate this problem, streamline the waiting process, split up into activities everyone can participate in at the same time, or actively encourage students to cheer on their friends and hall mates.

Photo Credit: Tran Nikki Chau