​In 2017, I journaled every day for a year.
 
I began my first journal when I was six years old. I only wrote in it for three days, but it was a start. Over the years, I would pick up the idea of journaling every so often and spend a few more days writing things out, never doing much with it though. Beginning in 2012, I started to journal more regularly. Sometimes I would go weeks journaling every day; and sometimes I would go months without a single entry. I always felt immediate benefits from journaling, though, and enjoyed reading entries from years past. So on January 1, 2017, I committed to journaling every day for the year. 
 
There were some days that I only wrote a few words and other days where I would write pages upon pages. But for each day in 2017, I documented what was going on in my life. 250 pages and over 100,000 words later, I now appreciate the many benefits from journaling, especially doing so on a consistent basis:

1. Game Filming – Journaling is a chance to reflect upon the past day (or week or month) and consider what went well and what could be done better. Just as athletes watch films of their performance to figure out how to improve in the game, journaling is a chance to watch one’s own life and figure out how to improve performance in this most important game. Should I have said something differently to him? Could I have done something better for her? Is that action a habit that is holding me back from being the best kind of person I can be?
2. Frees the Mind – I have a tendency to be consumed by my thoughts. Especially when I am worried, anxious, or unsure, I imagine worst case scenarios, fret over minutia, and replay things over and over. Yet this is almost never productive. Letting these thoughts take control only hinders my ability to think clearly, develop solutions, or make progress. Journaling is an opportunity to unburden my mind by moving these thoughts to my computer (like a Pensieve). I gain perspective by recognizing what matters and what does not. I can map out what options are available. And I can make more informed decisions that will produce better outcomes. All of this leads to a not only freer mind but also peace of mind.
3. Develops Ideas – When there is a tough idea that I want to work on, but can’t seem to wrap my head around, I have found that journaling about it will inspire me to think differently and more deeply. I can come up with new ideas or understand things more clearly.
4. Identify Patterns – When grappling with present situations, it’s easy to forget what happened in the past. You ignore the same situation you went through a month ago. You don’t remember the insight just a week before that could help you out now. Journaling is not just about documenting what happens, but also what you learn. With my journal, I am able to go back and recover analyses and solutions from before that can help me in my new situation. An added benefit is that I can see when the same challenge arises over and over and dedicate time to addressing the underlying issue instead of letting it continue to come up again and again in the future and being surprised by it.
5. Organize Personal Progression – While there are many ways to organize your thoughts, a single journal that tracks it in chronological order allows me to track my own progression and reflect better on who I am as a person.
6. Improved Communication Skills – Communication is an all-too-rare skill. The written word, in particular, is a challenging medium. Journaling every day forces one to focus on and improve that skill. It is a chance to be messy (no one else will ever read this). But it is also a chance to push yourself to be better though practice and reflection. (Thanks to this yearlong journaling project, I now hypothesize that 90% of the challenges we human beings face are communication challenges.)
7. Ability to Experience the Fullness of Emotion – Some might find this one odd if they consider writing to be a strictly intellectual or disembodied pursuit. Yet, words are as much a medium of art and means of preserving or conveying emotion as charcoal, the harmonica, or clay. As I journal, I understand how I feel so much more clearly. When I look back on past entries, I recall what it was like to go through them so much more viscerally than if I simply try to conjure up the distant memory. And with more age and experience, even just a few months, I can experience new emotions from better understanding what was going on before.

 
The great thing about journaling is that it is an opportunity to write without the fear of others’ opinions. But the written word has so much more potential. For 2018, my commitment to myself is to use this experience to begin writing more publicly. I do not know what form that will ultimately take just yet. But, it is time. 

Dear Conscious Capitalism Community,

Four years ago, I attended my first Conscious Capitalism conference in San Francisco. Fifteen months ago, I joined Conscious Capitalism, Inc. (CCI) as co-CEO. Today, I am honored and humbled to write this letter as CEO of this incredible organization.

We live in a world begging for Conscious Capitalism. We know of capitalism’s proven ability to raise billions out of poverty. But we also know that, like anything with great potential power, it can be abused. Only by being exemplary stewards of Conscious Capitalism can we, as a unified movement, prove free-enterprise capitalism to be inarguably the most powerful system for social cooperation and human progress ever conceived. In the face of mounting moral and ethical challenges presented by what some consider “business as usual,” we must remain steadfast in our determination to let the truth about Conscious Capitalism’s potential to elevate humanity through business win the narrative.

CCI would not be where it is today without the incredible and dedicated work of trailblazers over the years.

It began when Muhammad Yunus first used the term “socially conscious capitalist enterprise” in a 1995 Atlantic Monthly article about Grameen Bank’s efforts to develop poor economies with innovative lending products. In 2006, a small nonprofit called Freedom Lights Our World, started by John Mackey, Michael Strong, and Phyllis Blees, began organizing “Conscious Capitalism” gatherings to articulate the philosophy. Over the following years, like-minded business leaders began to join the meetings and push the philosophy forward, such as The Container Store’s Kip Tindell, Stagen Academy’s Rand Stagen, Panera Bread’s Ron Shaich, Starbuck’s Howard Behar, Costco’s James Sinegal, Jamba Juice’s James White, and many others. By 2010, Conscious Capitalism, Inc. was its own 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Today, due to the support, energy, and commitment of countless executives, coaches, and chapter leaders, this community is vibrant, diverse, and poised to change the world.

In particular, I want to express my gratitude to Doug Rauch, the first CEO of CCI, and my co-CEO for the last 15 months. What Doug did for the movement and how he did it cannot be understated. When Doug took on the role of CEO in 2011 (originally presented to him as an “interim” role while the organization sought a full-time CEO), he set three principal goals for his tenure: (1) to unify the diverse Conscious Capitalism efforts under a single organization that would be stronger together than separated; (2) to create an organization that is “transpersonal,” i.e. it does not depend on any one individual or business to succeed; and (3) attract a viable, strong full time CEO.  Without question, he accomplished the first two. I hope to live up to his belief that he has done the third.
What’s more, Doug is the embodiment of Conscious Leadership. He honed his leadership philosophy and skills while president of Trader Joe’s, and brought forth warmth, humor, and wisdom that was a pleasure to experience as co-CEO. I am glad to know that he will remain an active member of the CCI Board, and I am encouraged to see that his other project, Daily Table, will be receiving more of his much deserved attention. I am reminded of when Thomas Jefferson became ambassador to France. When asked what it was like to replace the esteemed Benjamin Franklin, Jefferson would respond that Dr. Franklin could not be replaced; he was merely Franklin’s successor. I am no Jefferson, but Doug is certainly a modern day Dr. Franklin.

I recognize both that a great deal of trust has been vested in me and that a great deal of responsibility has been given to me. The most important thing I learned during my tenure at Students For Liberty, when the organization grew from a flicker of an idea to a global movement changing the world, was that it all came down to the people. An idea alone has no power. The right idea with the right people, though, can change the world. My commitment is to bring the right people together in this community to do just that, contributing what I can: a strong back to carry the load, an analytical mind to build the future, and an open heart to experience this journey with others.

So, what can you expect of CCI going forward?
​

1. New Initiatives – We realize that what got us here won’t sufficiently get us to where we want to go. To that end, we are currently exploring new offerings to roll out in the coming months and years. Some will succeed. And yes, some will fail. But we will keep trying new things to deliver the most support to our community that we can.
2. Investments in the Ecosystem – CCI is not the same thing as the Conscious Capitalism movement. Nor do we want it to be. The movement is larger than one organization. Instead, we will try to be the ecosystem in which the movement can thrive, the foundation upon which others can build, the nucleus that holds a myriad of energetic particles together.
3. Support for Conscious Business Practices – CCI will continue to provide thought leadership around the principles of Conscious Capitalism. In addition, we will begin to actively support the practical implementation of those principles in actual businesses.
4. Story-Telling of Business as a Force for Good – We are not just here to change the way business is practiced. We’re also here to change the way business is perceived. To that end, we’ll be launching new efforts to share more stories of how business elevates humanity through traditional media, social networks and CCI’s own communications channels.
5. Community Engagement – I want to work with you to fulfill the incredible potential of this community. That means more transparency about CCI’s activities and more requests for ideas and input from you on how to improve CCI. I want to invite you to help CCI grow the Conscious Capitalism movement. You can do so by one or more of the following:  Attending one of our conferences, joining a chapter, becoming a sponsor, or just letting me know what we can do to better help you.  As one step to that end, I will hold the first CCI CEO “Ask Me Anything” session. On Wednesday, July 26th at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time, I’ll be live on CCI’s Facebook page answering questions from the community. Please join me to give me your suggestions and ask any questions you may have about me, CCI, or anything else.

I am here to serve this cause, this community, and this movement. To the extent that I am able to help this movement fulfill its potential, it will be because I am standing on the shoulders of giants who came before and working arm in arm with those who are here today. And because I am confident in the abilities of those who came before and are part of this movement now, I am confident in saying: You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

Consciously,
Alexander McCobin
alexander@consciouscapitalism.org

P.S.
What inspired me to join CCI in the first place is the foundation upon which this organization was founded. I believe that the words of the Conscious Capitalist Credo will continue to guide our way forward, and I encourage everyone to share it with those who wish to know more about why we are so passionate about the need for this movement.

Conscious Capitalist Credo

We believe that business is good because it creates value, it is ethical because it is based on voluntary exchange, it is noble because it can elevate our existence, and it is heroic because it lifts people out of poverty and creates prosperity. Free enterprise capitalism is the most powerful system for social cooperation and human progress ever conceived. It is one of the most compelling ideas we humans have ever had. But we can aspire to even more.

Conscious Capitalism is a way of thinking about capitalism and business that better reflects where we are in the human journey, the state of our world today, and the innate potential of business to make a positive impact on the world. Conscious businesses are galvanized by higher purposes that serve, align, and integrate the interests of all their major stakeholders. Their higher state of consciousness makes visible to them the interdependencies that exist across all stakeholders, allowing them to discover and harvest synergies from situations that otherwise seem replete with trade-offs. They have conscious leaders who are driven by service to the company’s purpose, all the people the business touches, and the planet we all share together. Conscious businesses have trusting, authentic, innovative and caring cultures that make working there a source of both personal growth and professional fulfillment. They endeavor to create financial, intellectual, social, cultural, emotional, spiritual, physical and ecological wealth for all their stakeholders.

Conscious businesses will help evolve our world so that billions of people can flourish, leading lives infused with passion, purpose, love and creativity; a world of freedom, harmony, prosperity, and compassion.

I was recently interviewed by Dawn Carpenter, a doctoral student at Georgetown University, for the launch of her new podcast: More Than Money. She dedicated an entire episode of the podcast to the Conscious Capitalism movement, which is now available on iTunes and online below. During the episode, I talk about the movement broadly and Seth Goldman, the founder of Honest Tea, talks about applying Conscious Capitalism's principles to everyday business. Check it out below and let me know what you think. 

For me, the Salty Dog Cruise, a 3 day Irish punk musical festival on a ship sailing in the Bahamas, was a life-changing experience. The past two years, I have gone with my wife and an ever-growing group of friends and family. Each time, I leave the cruise with a renewed appreciation of life, the importance of living in the present, and most especially, a deeper feeling of love and connection with others. 

Some may read this with skepticism. When I first signed up for the cruise two years ago, I did not expect this result. Sure, it looked like fun. And because my wife grew up with these bands, I knew she would enjoy it. But for someone who spends most of his time concerned with what's logical, dressing according to the surrounding norms, and concerned primarily with understanding and meeting the needs of others, the Flogging Molly Cruise was a radical departure from the norm, an opportunity to connect with another sense of meaning in the human experience. Sometimes, hyperbole turns out to be reality. 

PUNK IS HEART

​I never really went to concerts growing up; I never knew what to do with myself at them and always felt uncomfortable. Nor did I appreciate punk music; I listened to Green Day and The Offspring, but didn't think of them as part of a genre separate from other Top 40 I listened to. The 2016 Salty Dog Cruise was essentially my introduction to punk rock. 

What I discovered on the cruise and have come to appreciate since, is that punk is special. It's not about being angry. It's about expressing emotion and finding pleasure in them, no matter which one you feel, whether anger, love, sadness, or joy. Punk isn't about hiding any of them. Punk, at its finest, is about passion and the interconnection of every emotion. 

This is the diversity of the punk movement. When I first joined the cruise, I wondered, "How in the world can a genre bring together The English Beat (ska), The Attack (hardcore punk), Brogue Wave (traditional Irish), and Flatfoot 56 (Irish punk) together?" The answer is simple: They all come from the heart. 

Here's another way of putting it (supposedly from the Bouncing Souls, but I can't find proper attribution): Heavy metal and punk are on opposite ends of the rock spectrum. Punk is all about heart and emotion. Heavy metal is all about the head and skill. Heavy metal is similar to classical music in its endeavor for melodic perfection, i.e. what is technically correct. Punk is far more concerned with free expression, i.e. what feels right. 

MOSH PITS ARE FILLED WITH LOVE

The mosh pit is a microcosm of everything that punk and the cruise represents. To the outside observer, a mosh pit is anger and hatred, violence and subordination. To those who engage in moshing, it is about love and respect, dancing and support for others.

My introduction to moshing was a Rancid concert. I saw my wife dive into the middle of the circle pit while I stayed on the fringes and began to absorb the customs. The first five minutes of feeling shoved, pushed around, and uncertain of my position were jarring. Was I getting in someone's way? Was I being rude? What is my proper place? But as time went on, I realized that people weren't pushing against me, they were pulling me in to join. Standing still will get you knocked down. Joining the dance, moving freely, and expressing yourself, keep you balanced. In the words of Frank Turner (who I moshed to later that night), you "fight for this four square feet of land like a mean old son of a bitch" to give yourself the room to do what you damn well please. 

Watch when someone falls down in a pit. They do not get trampled on. They do not get ignored. The exact opposite happens: everyone nearby circles around to protect them and lift them back to their feet. And as soon as they're up, they get shoved right back into the action. People care for each other in the mosh pit. 

Crowdsurfing is started just as often by a group of people lifting someone in the air to give them the ride of their night as by someone asking to be lifted up. No matter how it's started, everyone pitches in to carry and safeguard the person in the air. 

In many ways, the mosh pit is the embodiment of the abstraction of community. A group of people come together from many backgrounds and philosophies. They may not know each other. They may only have a few things in common. But they have chosen to come together to share the same space and dance with one another to the same music, creating a zone where people can fully express themselves. Do they run into each other? Yes, no person is an island. Does running into each other hurt sometimes? Yes, the best things in life come with pain, including, and especially, interacting with others. (At the end of the cruise, every member of our crew was covered in bruises and one person had to wear ankle braces for a week afterward.) Love involves pain. And the mosh pit, when done properly, is an expression of love. 

Note: I have been to many shows between and since the last 2 cruises. There are, indeed, mosh pits filled with people focused on inflicting pain rather than just enjoying themselves. However, these are the exceptions rather than the rule. There are bad apples in any genre, industry, or group. It is important to understand whether they are representative of the group or anomalies. In general, they are anomalies in punk. 

Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Jameson

So what's so special about the Salty Dog Cruise as opposed to a concert or festival? To be honest, it may not be. I have no doubt that the transformative experience people have at other festivals or Burning Man are just as meaningful. But, for me, here are a few reasons:

• The pirate theme is an explicit call for everyone to liberate themselves from the normal world, which you begin to feel as soon as the ship leaves port.
• Being stuck on the same boat with the same group of 2,000 people for a weekend, with nowhere to go, means you build a bond with your shipmates, even if you don't speak a word to each other. 
• The bands are  your shipmates. Last year, I moshed beside Frank Turner at the Rancid concert. This year, my brother-in-law played poker with Fat Mike from NOFX and I got to talk with Dave King from Flogging Molly. 
• People can dress however they want. Some come in full pirate regalia. Some wear next to nothing. Some wear the shirts of their favorite bands. And some look like they're from Connecticut. All are welcome to come and do whatever they please.
• While the nights are about dancing yourself to exhaustion, the days are about resting and relaxing, whether it's tanning on the boat or sipping a Guinness on the beach while Flogging Molly plays in the background. 
• For those of us with an Irish heritage, what better way could there be to celebrate St. Patrick's Day (and welcome everyone else to be Irish with us)?

CONCLUDING THOUGHT
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Everyone should find love, beauty, and free expression in their own way. I found mine on an Irish punk rock cruise through the Caribbean. The Salty Dog Cruise may not be for everyone. But it's well worth experiencing to find out.