Linda Bonney

Many people believe that creativity is a result of some magical moment, where inspiration falls from the sky in a shower of glitter and unicorns. However, for most individuals, creativity is actually sparked when their conscious mind is occupied with mundane tasks, giving their subconscious freedom to wander and create. Dishes. Driving. Disinfecting doorknobs. No lightning strike. No magic red pill or blue pill. Mundane life bloody admin. The stuff I've resisted countless times in my life. The dull floors that never seem to stay clean no matter how many times they are scrubbed. "The best ideas come to me when I'm doing the most ordinary things," -- Elizabeth Gilbert

Online conversations sometimes feel like a seal practicing its freestyle swimming technique in a pool of olive oil...

Deflecting pain is like using emojis to respond to serious texts - sometimes useful, often inappropriate, and never addressing what actually needs to be said.

Remember, attention isn't enough... I must actively give my attention for meaningful interactions. I check my listening battery before important conversations. It ensures I'm fully engaged and present. How do you prepare for crucial conversations?

Sir Terry Pratchett lives on, even 10 years after his death. He sold more than 100 million books and was one of the UK's best-selling authors until the Harry Potter series came along. He was a master of satire, and I have dedicated countless hours to studying his techniques and learning from him. Here are 18 lessons from Pratchett that I relate to my life today (and will relate to yours too).

What does it feel like to really listen? (in one word)

@healingbelief Thank you! I appreciate these words very much today

@_lindabonney linda, you’ve captured the essence of creativity so beautifully. keep finding beauty in the ordinary.

Many people believe that creativity is a result of some magical moment, where inspiration falls from the sky in a shower of glitter and unicorns. However, for most individuals, creativity is actually sparked when their conscious mind is occupied with mundane tasks, giving their subconscious freedom to wander and create. Dishes. Driving. Disinfecting doorknobs. No lightning strike. No magic red pill or blue pill. Mundane life bloody admin. The stuff I've resisted countless times in my life. The dull floors that never seem to stay clean no matter how many times they are scrubbed. "The best ideas come to me when I'm doing the most ordinary things," -- Elizabeth Gilbert

Have you ever noticed how the most brilliant minds in history often walked a tightrope between what society calls "sane" and "insane"?

@AlisaCohn Congratulations! I saw that it was originally recorded in 2021 - I'm curious to know if there's anything there which you might say differently now or even better than before with a few more years experience?

Thrilled to hear that my conversation with John Lee Dumas on Entrepreneurs on Fire has been elevated to classic status! We covered some important topics that every founder and leader should consider to avoid common mistakes: 1️⃣ Setting directions instead of goals Build systems and take consistent action to create lasting success. 2️⃣ The importance of hiring and team management. Create clear 30-60-90 day plans for new hires. Check in with new people frequently. And set a benchmark to tell if you need to make a change. 3️⃣ Balancing product focus with team needs Leadership isn’t just about the business; it’s also about supporting and managing the people who make it thrive. All of that, and MAGA: Make Agendas Great Again! The conversation is packed with insights and practical advice. What common mistakes do you see leaders making, and how should they fix them? Check out the episode here: eofire.com/podcast/alisac…

I should start a podcast called This Guy Sucks and all I do is invite all my historian friends on to talk about their most hated historical figure

Podcast interviews require you to encourage deeper conversations. Many podcasters fall into the trap of asking surface-level questions that don’t elicit meaningful responses. Focus on asking follow-up questions that dig into the guest’s experiences and insights. For instance, if your guest shares a success story, don’t hesitate to ask something along the lines of, “What challenges did you face along the way, and how did you overcome them?” This often leads to wisdom that an audience craves and that cannot be replicated easily. Your role as a host is not just to facilitate a conversation but to create an environment where your guest feels comfortable sharing themselves.

There’s a huge difference between trying to change and changing. You see, “try” implies failure. “If at first you don’t succeed…?” No. Stop trying. Step into the change.

Worthiness is inherent, not contingent on achievements.

@rajeshmathur 🤣🤣🤣

Act with intention Love with intention Read with intention Write with intention Move with intention Listen with intention Behave with intention Consume with intention

@k_margherita_k Thank you for sharing too! Goes to show you hardly ever know the full story about why sometimes. You’re a true treasure.

@_lindabonney I love that you shared this soooo much bc I have 103k and similarly… it’s just not a priority to cut back!!! It’s the last 14 years of my life I’m grateful for these pics. My phone’s always with me so these photos have survived two floods.

I have a guilty confession. I have 83,303 pictures in my camera roll. And I have a feeling that I'm not alone. I'm afraid it's up there with more than a professional wedding photographer takes in their entire career. And what's my excuse? Multiple shots to get a good one. Undoubtedly, someone usually blinks or looks away or does a stupid face or needs to pee simultaneously. Right now there are other priorities besides clearing out my photo app on my phone. And I'm okay with that too.

@elibobadger Loved love seeing your face and connecting!

When you feel alone you can either complain or reach out to people to make a connection. If you don’t, the problem is probably more to do with you not accepting yourself, rather than others not accepting you.

There are many homely comforts that have supported and kept me company throughout the writing process. Coffee, chocolate, heated blanket over the lap, friends, dreams, and mostly music. Music, for me, can swing two ways. Complete distraction, or complete oomph in the right direction. Usually, it's the latter. Usually, I can get a gauge if the distraction barometer is high. If it’s distraction central, I become less prudent and misjudge the music.

@SaulInFlow I wonder if we'd get to a million if we gathered some people and added up all our totals 😂

@_lindabonney I'm at 15K on my phone alone not counting my other cameras like my GoPro, Osmo, and my older phones.

@MarcelBeFree Yup, absolutely agree 1000% While my photo bank might be overloading I will write a reminder to print some soon. Appreciate it!

@_lindabonney I dunno. There's something about grabbing the physical photo book from the shelf and actually turning the pages. Call me old fashioned.