What Is Humans‪?‬ Shane Strunk and Dennis Kluba

Perseverance is the act of pushing through despite difficulty or challenge. How often are we faced with adversity? The anwer is quite a lot. On a regular basis we have challenges that come our way without warning or heads up. This isn't an excuse to give up and curl up into a ball, but rather an opportunity to push forward. 
 
There is a school of thought which says that we should hide weakness and ignore pain or suffering. Remove it from your vocabulary and it's like it never happened. This path can be detrimental and ineffective in the long run. It doesn't serve us to live outside of reality. We have to address adversity. 
 
By addressing struggle and being honest we can begin to put things into perspective. Make fair assessments of how difficult a task truly is and what it is going to take to persevere. Most of the time this fear is built up in our heads, so do yourself a favor get it out of your head and onto paper before you even thing about giving up. 

When it comes to buy in, it is two fold. As an individual you have to be bought in to your career, hobbies, and life. The flip side of the coin is that you have to have buy in if you are going to lead a project yourself, whether that be a family, a company or a team. A team has to be bought in to be able to implement long lasting instrumental changes. This notion has been studied and analyzed time and time again. The question is how do we create it and better yet how do we maintain it. 
 
How do you build something that people want to be a part of? That is the real question. Do you communicate the bigger vision, do you lead by example, do you identify purpose in the people around you? These are all valid questions and strategies that are worth being discussed. It is easy to buy in to something originally when things are fresh and easy, but as time goes on how do you keep the momentum up? 
 
By identifying the why? You can begin to communicate and see a bigger vision and how each individual fits into that puzzle. Then you have to do the unsexy things to be able to lead by example. By doing the things nobody wants to you show others naturally the commitment you have to the cause. These easier said than done steps are just a couple ways buy in can be established, let us know what we missed because as always we are experts in almost nothing!
 

Almost Friday Media today is an established brand in the new age media world. Boasting more than a dozen channels, multiple podcasts, and sketches, Almost Friday Media has grown significantly since its early days as a proverbial meme page on instagram. A lot of that growth is in part thanks to our guest on the podcast today. Alex Edge is the VP of operations at Almost Friday Media. The individual that has helped create the systems and processes that have scaled this company from 6 employees to approximately 40 in about 2 years. Alex is quick though to pass the praise and admit the growth and success has been a team effort. During our time together he constantly reminded us of all the talented individuals that have helped him on his journey and how none of the success he has received would be possible without the others around him. 
 
This humble mindset and attitude is a theme that while contrary is what he attributes to his success over the course of his career. Alex outlined the importance of chasing your wildest dreams, but advocated for doing it a little differently than maybe what is portrayed in the movies. He believes the key to his success has been his ability to get along with others and work hard. Seems simple right? Alex Edge is the epitome of first in the office and last out of the office, always there to keep the ship moving in the right direction. The thing that separates Alex is his ability to inspire and understand the people around him, and always allow them to feel heard. Recognizing what an individual or the room needs to hear at any given moment. 
 
This soft skill which has set Alex apart over the years has been a staple over the course of his storied career, in television, film and digital media. He has worked on projects like Adam Ruins Everything, Chopped, and College Humor. He describes the ups and downs of chasing your dreams, from his first days in Los Angeles as a broke kid parking boats in the marina all the way to the future of digital media for Almost Friday. While this episode is chalked full of takeaways the one we are most left with is the Edge’s ability to lead with an undeniable combination of effort and compassion. Enjoy this episode from a friend and hero of ours, Alex Edge!
 

The correlation between how much you care and how much you succeed is palpable. You could be the most talented baker in the world, but if you don’t love to bake there is only so high that you will be able to go. Caring and passion push those that are good into greatness, and it’s not something that comes in time or develops more as you go, it seems it truly is there or it isn’t. Whether this is in our careers or in our relationships we have to care more than anything about them to be able to fight through adversity. There is a difference however between external and internal care. 
 
External care can be deceptive. Maybe we care because we want validation, or we are seeking safety and security. That type of care can be detrimental, because it is dependent on things outside of ourselves. This care is misguided and has our self worth tied to the result or the reactions of others. In career and relationships we have to be married to the progress and the work, and ultimately this will be what allows us to achieve success apart from external circumstances. 
 
When you are building a team, the first characteristic that comes to mind might not be caring. It might be an afterthought or something that you assume is a prerequisite. This turns out to not be true. Look for the person that may need a little more training or coaching to get there, but cares more than anything else. That person will have the capacity to go further because he or she will continue to work even past what they have been told they are capable of, and this includes ourselves as well.
 

No idea is original? Every single idea that you have had has been informed by a million different stimuli before you. Your childhood, the sandwich you ate yesterday, the way your shoelaces didn’t tie quite right every single thing is a culmination of experiences that have crossed your mind. This can be a sobering thought…one that shouldn’t be digested lightly. There is a piece of us that wants to hold on so tightly to ideas, sentiments and beliefs that we believe to be our own. We take pride in them, they are ours aren’t they? 
 
The reality is this idea of hubris and originality can hold us back from creating the idea that unlocks the world for so many people. The minute we believe an idea is solely ours we covet it, and hold it close to our heart, scared that anyone might claim it as their own, and god forbid poke holes in it. That however is the genesis of how real innovation and originality is created. By sharing your ideas and experiences with others they can give you feedback that you haven’t been privy to. 
They make your idea stronger because they have different experiences than you do. Those ideas are then boosted by collaboration because you have engaged new ideas and thoughts that were never before thought of…all because you shared it, and weren’t worried about the credit. No idea is owned by you, but great ideas are born out of what is already in existence and then iterated upon. Remember that the next time you are worried about sharing a new thought in fear that it might be stolen or your bubble might be burst because of someone else.
 

Rick Rubin said in the Creative Act, “Doubt your work, but don’t doubt yourself.” Or something to that effect. The idea was that doubt might not be the worst thing in the world. Doubt is vilified in society. “Doubting Thomas” is even a saying that we use to describe people who are nervous or anxious about a plan, idea or themselves. Doubt can be detrimental though when it is tied to all or nothing statements. Those statements might include, “I can’t” “I could never” “I hate”. These statements are finite or concrete. There is no room for growth. Doubting your work on the other hand is another story. 
 
The language around your work could look like, “I can improve on that version”. You have made something, and you know there is room for growth. “I might not have given my all that time, I think I can try harder next time.” These phrases create room for growth, and they also indicate that work has already been done. When we doubt our work we scrutinize it and realize we can improve. When we doubt ourselves we never do any work to begin with. 
Doubt your work and not yourself. You are capable of doing whatever you set your mind to, but there will always be room for improvement. The only way that we will be able to start and gauge how we are doing is by starting and continuing. The language that we wrap our central nervous center with will undeniably become our reality. Speak growth into existence. Doubt your work. Never doubt yourself.