I noticed something this morning scrolling through our website.
When it comes to The Daily Clot, all three of Stephen’s posts have remained fun and lighthearted, whereas mine often tend to have a darker theme.
Oh well.
This is my time—deal with it.
I’ve been analyzing my relationships with other people over the past few days. I find it mesmerizing how differently I act around varying individuals.
When it comes to my brother and Co-Founder (and Part-Time Intern), Stephen (Beaven Bloodclot) Erickson, I feel 100% relaxed.
When it comes to anybody else, I feel 10 % relaxed, along with a solid 90% torment.
I have a gift. My exterior shell showcases nothing but calm and collected confidence. Only 1 person on this planet has the gift (or maybe “curse”) of seeing past my shell and into my steaming hot and creamy center. That gifted individual is none other than Stephen (Beaven Bloodclot) Erickson.
In social conventions, whatever they may be, I typically appear laser-focused and well-rested.
Inside, however, my thoughts are racing faster than the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, a long-range reconnaissance aircraft used by the United States Air Force. That should give you an idea of how fast my thoughts are racing (hint: pretty fast).
When having a conversation with me, you may think I’m enjoying our discussion (whether it be political, Tetris-related, fountain pen-related, etc.), but I’m actually incredibly tense, because at any given time I’m balancing our conversation on top of probably 4 or 5 continuously developing ideas in my mind.
In an earlier post, I mentioned that only Stephen (Beaven Bloodclot) Erickson is capable of handling 100% of my attention. I wasn’t joking.
To those who’ve spoken with me personally, you’ll be aware that I appear very invested in our conversations. I maintain strong eye contact, I add to the discussion, and I tend to recall even the smallest details of prior conversations months (or even years) later. Though I appear 100% present, I promise you, 80% of attention is entirely elsewhere. The 20% of my attention that you’re actually getting, which falsely appears as a strong 100%, is just the tip of an iceberg.
Where’s the remaining 80%? I’ll give you an example. Say I’m sharing a conversation with somebody about a book I recently read—we’ll say The Pianist. As we stand there, discussing in vivid detail the life and struggle of Władysław Szpilman, which is indeed an incredibly tragic and fascinating fight for survival, I will appear 100% invested in our conversation, but instinctually, 80% of my attention will be directed towards my most pressing matters at that moment (needing an idea for The Daily Clot, wondering where we will film a scene, how I can barter with a Hampton Inn for cheaper access to its conference room, how much ink is left in my fountain pen and if I need to fill it up soon or if I’m feeling a little adventurous and want to write with it until it’s completely empty). Again, I cannot stress the “simultaneous” aspect of this enough. I’m not jumping from thought to thought. Rather, it’s almost like I have a white-board inside my head with 5 different sections, one section for each thought running through my head, and notes are being added to each of the 5 sections simultaneously, all while I’m discussing The Pianist (or whatever topic) with incredibly detailed recollection.
I never had this problem when I was younger. I used to have incredible difficulty focusing on just 2 things at once, but now I have no choice but to focus on around 6 things simultaneously.
I feel like Tobey Maguire in Spiderman (2003), except instead of being bitten by a magic spider, I’ve been bitten by an incredibly disciplined workaholic mad-man with a photographic memory and affinity for Japanese Fountain Pens.
“How enduring love please- man energize.”
Until next time,
Michael J. Erickson, CEO & Co-Founder
