This is a special episode of Smart and Simple Matters for many reasons.
The first reason is the topic, namely the Continuous Creation Challenge.
This is our insane (and insanely beneficial) challenge where – for a period of time – you shift all your energy from many forms of consumption into channeled creation.
There's huge flexibility in your planning and doing of the Continuous Creation Challenge (CCC) – including how long, when, what consumption to eliminate, and what projects to create – but it's disruptive enough to the status quo to open your eyes to what could be possible.
You'll hear the full origin story of the CCC in this episode, but I never intended for anyone else to do one when I experimented with it in April 2012.
But now? I'm passionate about having 100,000 people create their own awesomeness during a CCC before the end of 2014.
Is this my most ambitious goal yet?
Probably. And I'll need your help to pull this off. By the time you're done listening to this episode, I bet you'll be interested and motivated enough to help not just me, but to help yourself achieve an experience that many people would only dream about.
What You'll Learn
I'm giving you the full who, what, when, where, and why in this show. Make sure to listen to the end for all the quirky, funny, and thoughtful commentary on this Continuous Creation Challenge business!
In this episode you'll learn about:
- How to stretch yourself to the point of discomfort … and liberation from the status quo.
- What the heck a Continuous Creation Challenge is (kind of important, no?).
- The best practices of planning and doing your CCC so you can rock it.
- Why I intentionally fast for 72 hours and have tried to go even longer.
- How you can (and may want to) help with my super-ambitious CCC goal.
- Some funky FAQs (like whether sex is allowed during your CCC).
- How to destroy your limiting beliefs and clarify what you're capable of.
- Major unexpected benefits of a CCC like enhanced self-awareness.
- Who knows the “right” way to do a Continuous Creation Challenge.
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Resources and Items Mentioned in This Episode Include:
- Resources:
- Articles:
Topics
- [02:18] Intro to the Continuous Creation Challenge
- [05:33] The origin story of the CCC
- [09:17] I tell you how this CCC dealio actually works
- [19:08] My previous CCC plans vs. what I actually experienced
- [24:54] What you can create in 72 hours or 120 hours with focused intention
- [31:50] What other people have created in their CCC
- [36:28] The planning process for a smooth and rewarding CCC
- [42:28] Basic troubleshooting and some FAQs
- [48:59] Recap and a request for help
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Transcript
The transcript will not be available until I find a new transcriptionist (if you know someone good, let me know).
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I really enjoyed this episode, Joel. I think it helped me get a better handle on what this whole crazy CCC thing is about. I’m looking forward to seeing the resource kit when it’s ready! I think having some solid tools to use in the planning process will help a lot. I’d love to do a CCC at some point and be one of those awesome 100,000 people, even though the one you’re doing this month won’t work with my travel schedule.
Resource kit…coming up! Don’t worry about how early of a pioneer you are in this Continuous Creation Challenge landscape, Erin. You’ll be and are a pioneer regardless. And I think the CCC has evolved enough already where I don’t need anyone to do theirs at the same time as me (in solidarity or for some other reason). I just want to see people unleash their awesomeness at some point soonish.
My favorite smart and simple matters podcast yet! I think you’ve touched on one of the biggest challenges of our time here Joel…the production consumption gap as I call it.
The challenge is making space and giving yourself permission to create, which the CCC handles perfectly.
I like how you gave a hat tip to being open to random unexpected things that can happen. This is what Nasim Taleb calls a black swan event in his classic book on fragility and robustness.
Cheers to all the makers out there.
People should be sending a cheer right back to you, Chris. You’re definitely a maker who’s using his creative talent to make the world a better and more enjoyable place. I know that you don’t feel like you need anyone else’s permission to do your own version of a CCC, but I didn’t consider that other people might need someone like me to tell them it was OK. So to all the people who are looking for permission to create more and consume less – CCC or no CCC – go do it!
By the way, is there a particularly useful item that I should put into the CCC resource kit for you? Something that would make you want to do it more, make it easier for you to display the awesomeness you create, or deconstruct the experience in a helpful way?
Thanks Joel! I think for the resource kit it’s nice to have a social element where makers can be in the company of other makers and share their experiences and creations and simply just be in the company of other makers who GET it. Being a creator can be incredibly isolating depending on the circumstances. Having a virtual camp fire would be cool, and I know from experience that valuable relationships evolve organically out of these types of things.
This could be done with a:
FB group or page
Ning site
BuddyPress install
Members area
etc.
Wow, that’s an intense method of production, Joel. I completed the NaNoWriMo a few years back, but it wasn’t as intense as your version of the CCC.
I think my personalized version would look different, and it’s great that the challenge is flexible enough for that.
I also haven’t thought about how much I read in a day. I’ve cut TV watching and video games quite a bit, but I consume lots of words online and in print form. This is a great reminder to get out there and produce instead of absorb all the time.
Hey Michael,
Sometimes I worry that this is too intense and too out there to expect that a bunch of folks will be willing to try it (and hopefully do it many times). It doesn’t help that I get sloppy with my language when I talk about it and use words like “insane” and “nutso,” but it’s just me acknowledging that I’m encouraging something that social norms don’t really allow for. I actually think that people who do NaNoWriMo are pretty nuts – in a good way – and if you can do that, you can absolutely rock a CCC! If you end up doing one, use the tools in the upcoming CCC resource kit. If not, keep the self-awareness on the incline and continue being intentional about what you consume vs. create. You always seem to be on a great path in that way.
Joel, I’m totally game.
I used to do this kind of thing on weekend retreats, to write a play or design a tool. I tend to pick one goal instead of a bunch. TO do a real CCC (ala VoS) I think maybe I need more than one goal so I can take a break from the main one. You got me thinking about that.
I’m now in the process of doing something like this for a year! It’s the most difficult thing I’ve tried. I have rules of things I’m not doing for a year, and the one thing I’m trying to kick ass on. http://pilotfire.com/plan-to-stop-sucking-and-kick-ass/
I’m ready to do the 72-120 CCC. I’m ready to dial it up a notch. I have an upcoming slot of time in which I can do this. April 15 is bookmarked. I’m ready buddy!
I left you a comment on Pilot Fire about your ass kicking and it’s freakin’ awesome, man! I’m grateful a fella like you is up to the Continuous Creation Challenge.
I just finished round 1 of the CCC resource kit, so before you start rocking yours, check it out here.