I don’t like paying in cash for something that costs $7.12. Eighty-eight cents in change is not my idea of efficiency. If the total is $7.12 I’ll usually crack out the debit card instead of dealing with change.
So I was excited at the liquor store today when my purchase came to an even Continue reading “Perfect Change”
Another way to stay committed to continuous improvement: ask for feedback. Ask my employees. Ask my band mates and housemates and friends. I can even ask my kids. (You know I want to be the best Dad I can be, right?)
– What should I do more of?
– What should I stop doing?
– What should I start doing?
Then LISTEN to them. People aren’t accustomed to being asked this Continue reading “Ask For Feedback”
If leadership lacks humility, they will rarely admit when they make a mistake. If this happens, employees observe and the result is employees who don’t take risks. This subversively kills companies.
Some people take their storage spaces to extremes with ultra organized garages and intensely clean workshops. I respect the attention to detail, and it’s valuable to have every tool visible so it’s easy to spot when something is missing. Alas, I do not have the motivation for this level of order in my Continue reading “Basically Organized”
When my daughter was about 7 years old I told her something along the lines, “You don’t need to grow up too fast, okay?”
After she turned 10 I found out she wasn’t enjoying her birthdays. She had it in her mind that as she grew older I might start loving her less, either Continue reading “Careful What You Say”
I lose perspective now and again (and again and again) and take stuff far too seriously. But at night before sleep sometimes I remember to think about the stars, which are very, very far away. And I try to imagine the world from that distance. Then sort of zoom in to my speck of Earth and I start to see, “Look there this tiny little guy whose going to be there for the slightest blip of time who’s worrying about this thing.”
The difference between the kid who knows he’s cute and the one who doesn’t. Turns out the one who knows he’s cute, isn’t actually. This is the epitome of authenticity.
Making an impact in the world for the sake of getting attention rarely accomplishes either. Impact comes from first discerning what you love and then spending your precious resources – time and energy – doing it, even without anyone noticing.
Here’s a parable about a donkey. The donkey is standing midway between a pile of hay and a trough of water but it dies of hunger and thirst because it cannot make a decision.
Most decisions can be undone. Just because I try out this path doesn’t mean have to stay on it forever.
Make a decision and keep moving. I can do all the things I want, but not by standing here thinking about it.
Does it ever feel like the universe is speaking to you? Tomorrow I have a stressful all-day meeting. Due to circumstances I’m less prepared than I would normally be; for sure less prepared than I want to be. I’ll have to think on the fly among a group of peers and superiors who will see through bullshit. So it’s just what I have in my brain.
Is what’s in my brain enough? Do I know the material as well as I should? If Continue reading “Better Than You Think”
Lack of time is really lack of priorities. If I am “busy” it’s because I’ve made choices that put me in that position. So I’ve made a rule: I no longer get to answer the question, “How are you?” with “Busy.” I have no right to complain. Instead, if I start to feel I’m too busy, it’s a flag for me to re-examine my current priorities.
Derek Sivers told the story during a Tim Ferriss podcast about his daily bike ride. Every time he rode the route, he pushed to the max, arriving at the turn-around point red faced and panting and eventually arriving back home completely worn out. The round trip took 43 minutes.
He realized he was burning out on bike riding, losing interest and Continue reading “Two Minutes”
Here’s a fantastic non-word that makes perfect sense when you see it, and feels reasonable when you speak it, but does not actually exist.
Gription
grip · tion /ˈgripSH(ə)n/ noun The resistance that one surface or object encounters when moving over another.
Continue reading “Gription”
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