"What are you gonna do?" Read this 97th issue of the Fundraising Writing Newsletter, I hope! Want to share? That'd be great. (Your peeps can ​subscribe here for free.)​

In this issue:

• "What are you gonna do?" I said. And then...
• Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge you
• Win It in a Minute

Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Hi Reader,

"What are you gonna do?" I said. And then...

shrug

I did nothing. Because life. Because sometimes it's just outta your control, and all you can do is recognize and accept your momentary powerlessness.

But...

Sometimes you actually can answer the question. Sometimes what happens is this:

"What are you gonna do?" I said. And then...

...I think of something to do. And I do it. And I feel better.

That's what happened to me last week after I watched videos about making videos, and then thought, "That seems too complicated."

Only ... then I thought some more — aloud, to myself: "What are you gonna do?" I said yet again. Then I further thought, "You're overthinking. Just try it."

Has this ever happened to you?

I'm guessing yes. And still, you know what's even worse than all that indecision, frustration, and self-doubt that comes from overthinking?

Regret.

In Daniel Pink's 2022 book The Power of Regret, he explores the idea that we are more likely to regret the risks we didn't take than the actions we did.

Pink presents the concept of the "actual," "ideal," and "ought" selves. Discrepancies between these selves, particularly between who we are and who we aspire to be (our ideal selves), can lead to regret.

Essentially, Pink suggests that NOT pursuing opportunities or risks can result in GREATER REGRET later in life. 😮

Therefore, embracing the opportunities we encounter can be a powerful way to mitigate potential future regret and fulfill our ideal selves.

So here I am, just trying it.

The result: I've made two short videos for you.

Also: I'm hoping to make this video making a habit. We'll see. If it falls through, oh well. (I mean, it happens. What are you gonna do? 🤷🏻‍♀️)

Here's my first just-trying-it video:

And here's my second:

This is what I wish for you too.

I.e., Many moments of finding good answers to that eternal question: "What are you gonna do?"

Aka,

Less thinking, more doing.

Less hesitating, more acting.

Less looking, more leaping.

And NO REGRETS!

In fundraising and in general...

So, I'll ask you — and I hope with all my heart it helps:

"What are you gonna do?"

Randomly yours: to inspire and recharge you

For your brain, heart, and funny bone...

• Fundraisingly Informative — 5 Effective Online Nonprofit Visual Storytelling Examples by Aly Sterling (a blog post featuring examples from various fundraising campaigns)​
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• Universally Applicable — Prompt and Process with Ethan Mollick via Possible (a 55-minute podcast episode featuring insights from a Wharton professor who requires his students use AI to do things that were never before possible; includes tips on how anyone can improve the results they get from using AI such as ChatGPT, for any purpose)
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• Historically Patriotic — GUINNESS WORLD RECORD Fourth Of July Drone Show! (1,000+ Drones) via Sky Elements Drone Show (a 3-minute YouTube video in which synchronized drones light up a night sky with spectacular images as fireworks explode all around)
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• Deceptively Promising — Beware the Digital Whiteboard via Wired (an article about the ways in which the promise of collaborative brainstorming can lead to wasted time and poor results)
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• Quickly Decompressing — This is how to calm down and power up when you’re nervous. via Daniel Pink (a 24-second how-to video useful for quickly calming yourself down; e.g., before giving a speech)

Until next time: May you helpfully habituate to asking yourself "What are you gonna do?" — and then hopefully helpfully do!

All our best,

PS: Both videos above are the latest in our weekly video series, Win It in a Minute. You can (and maybe want to?) subscribe here.

In case you missed this previously, here's our most popular video so far: "Add AI 'magic' to your images -- a demo of new generative AI tools"

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