Seize the Night and Engage Your Creativity

To young leaders.

Carpe noctem.

We’ve all heard of Carpe Diem (“seize the day”) – but here’s a story about the late, great John Caldon that urges us to “seize the night”.

Once in late 1998, John called me into his office to express disappointment with a draft presentation he’d requested from a colleague.

“What’s the matter?” I asked. “Did he not do what you asked?”

“No, that’s the problem Adam, he did exactly what I asked. But that’s all he did.”

I waited for John to elaborate and got this zinger: “This guy is probably smarter than you and I, Adam, but he will never be as successful, because he goes home and switches on the TV.”

Eureka! What John was teaching me was that you can never do great work unless you engage the creative powers of your subconscious mind.

And TV is opium to the subconscious mind. It mutes and stultifies it.

For this reason, most highly creative / productive people either don’t own a TV or use it very sparingly.

Spend less time watching television, spend more time creating your own vision.
To young leaders.

Carpe noctem.

We’ve all heard of Carpe Diem (“seize the day”) – but here’s a story about the late, great John Caldon that urges us to “seize the night”.

Once in late 1998, John called me into his office to express disappointment with a draft presentation he’d requested from a colleague.

“What’s the matter?” I asked. “Did he not do what you asked?”

“No, that’s the problem Adam, he did exactly what I asked. But that’s all he did.”

I waited for John to elaborate and got this zinger: “This guy is probably smarter than you and I, Adam, but he will never be as successful, because he goes home and switches on the TV.”

Eureka! What John was teaching me was that you can never do great work unless you engage the creative powers of your subconscious mind.

And TV is opium to the subconscious mind. It mutes and stultifies it.

For this reason, most highly creative / productive people either don’t own a TV or use it very sparingly.

Spend less time watching television, spend more time creating your own vision.
To young leaders.

Carpe noctem.

We’ve all heard of Carpe Diem (“seize the day”) – but here’s a story about the late, great John Caldon that urges us to “seize the night”.

Once in late 1998, John called me into his office to express disappointment with a draft presentation he’d requested from a colleague.

“What’s the matter?” I asked. “Did he not do what you asked?”

“No, that’s the problem Adam, he did exactly what I asked. But that’s all he did.”

I waited for John to elaborate and got this zinger: “This guy is probably smarter than you and I, Adam, but he will never be as successful, because he goes home and switches on the TV.”

Eureka! What John was teaching me was that you can never do great work unless you engage the creative powers of your subconscious mind.

And TV is opium to the subconscious mind. It mutes and stultifies it.

For this reason, most highly creative / productive people either don’t own a TV or use it very sparingly.

Spend less time watching television, spend more time creating your own vision.