Quiet Abundance: My Two-Word Brand

Finding your two-word “brand,” be it personal or business, is a great exercise for distilling what you want to create and keeping it front of mind.

This year my two words are: Quiet Abundance.

In his book, Unreasonable Hospitality, Will Guidara tells the story of when Eleven Madison Park received one of its first reviews after he took it over.

The critic said the restaurant could use more Miles Davis.What does that mean, Guidara mused.The answer led him to find the words commonly used to describe Davis such as “adventurous,” “fresh,” “spontaneous,” and “vibrant,” to help move his business forward.

Musical icons are an unexpected source of inspiration for a restaurant—but it shows that the best ideas can come from anywhere, and spur creativity and innovation in surprising ways.

What’s Your Two-Word Brand?

Riffing off the Miles Davis story, finding our brand, be it personal or business, within two words is a great exercise for distilling what you want to create and keeping it front of mind.

This year my two words are: Quiet Abundance.

They came to me while I was working in the garden and instantly it felt like the perfect phrase to describe not only the world in which I stand today, but also the world beyond me I want to create where there is enough time, enough resources, enough grace and compassion to be of value.

These two words often show up when I least expect. The other day I was walking past an open door with sun streaming in and my cat, Zoe, was taking it all in as if she were a great Zen master.

I was reminded once again that there is Quiet Abundance everywhere.

As Guidara and Zoe teach us, we don't always have to be different to stand out.

It's powerful to simply be the best version of who we are and stand with others.

To understand how they feel.

To quietly share the abundance.

It's not that unreasonable is it?