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“What’s the trick?”
“The trick is not minding that it hurts.”
T.E. Lawrence in the 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia.

It’s Movie Matinee Monday and for this installment, I’m watching Lawrence of Arabia. In the titular character’s second scene of the film, we see him at work in his office. Lawrence lights a cigarette for a colleague with a match and then proceeds to extinguish the match with his fingertips without flinching or showing any signs of pain – a party trick of sorts that he is clearly in the habit of doing. The colleague proceeds to give this a try and when he puts out his match he is in obvious pain and says “Oh! It damn hurts!” before asking Lawrence: “What’s the trick?”

Lawrence smiles wryly and says: “The trick is not minding that it hurts.”

This brought to mind those ads you see online that have now become the butt of jokes – This One Weird Trick To [fill in the blank]. Instant weight loss. Fast and easy homeownership. Becoming an overnight billionaire. You get the idea. These are tropes at this point. No one loses 50 pounds or stumbles across $100,000 for a downpayment on a house while rummaging in their couch cushions.

What my limited life experience has taught me again and again: There is no shortcut. There is no trick. Whether in business, in creative or artistic pursuits, or just in life – you’ve got to put in the work. Do the reps. Log the miles. That is the only way that you can be ready to both succeed and be ready to endure what life throws at you.

A massive part of the reason why I’m working on this project – why I’m writing and sharing about my creative journey in public – is because I am applying this “there are no tricks” philosophy to my own work. I’m still not sure where this journey is going to take me, but I know I’m going to learn and grow along the way.

++ Brett ++

Hello. I’m Brett. Welcome to Pencil Pusher. This is the first post from my little corner of the internet.

As 2024 winds down and we find ourselves in “Rot Week” – I’m taking advantage of this slower time to launch this project.

What can you expect from this site? My philosophy is that this site will be a Work In Progress. I expect that this will grow and evolve as I get into a groove. To begin with, I’ll be sharing weekly posts on topics in the areas of marketing, creativity, leadership, and strategy.

I’m off to make a pie crust and finish a Lego set. Rot Week in full effect.

Happy New Year. Best wishes to you and yours for a healthy and prosperous 2025.

Brett