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Category: Thinking Clearly

Mechanic #1 vs Mechanic #2

Published on February 7, 2024

I asked two mechanics the same question today: “My check engine light came on for no apparent reason… everything seems to be working fine… could you do a diagnostic check to see what’s causing it?”

Mechanic #1 quickly said, “For $135 an hour I can. And it’s not as simple as just plugging in a diagnostic device—it could take one to four hours.”

Mechanic #2 said, “Sure. Can you bring it in Friday? It should only take us a few minutes to figure out what’s causing the light to turn on and we can decide how to proceed from there.”

…Guess which mechanic I’m choosing?

Not just for this time around… but for all my future time arounds?

And I bet if I wiped all of Mechanic #1’s car knowledge and he was in the same boat I was in… he’d choose Mechanic #2, too.

When you’re in business… you’re there to do business—I get it.

But, when you treat customers like numbers and not people who would like to be treated just like you would if you were in the same situation… I suspect it won’t be long until there won’t be too many “numbers” left for you to do business with.

What You See Is What You Look For

Published on February 4, 2024

Walking into Target today, I had a thought that I’d try to commit as many random acts of kindness as I could.

…Boy did that change the shopping experience from what it could’ve been/usually is.

P.s. In case you missed it, you can read the best of what I posted to MoveMe Quotes last week, here.

Binge Reel Watching

Published on February 3, 2024

I kind of beat myself up today after spending an hour and a half watching reels after a long work week.

Then I remembered how I’ve essentially eliminated binge-reel-watching altogether for every other day of my week—for over a month now.

And I reminded myself that, like with food, it’s okay to have a cheat day. The goal isn’t perfection… it’s healthy.

And one cheat day doesn’t offset six healthy days. In fact, it helps keep the mind balanced… sane… satiated.

And so, like with cheat days, maybe you can try aiming for a six-to-one ratio with mindless media.

…It’s the daily cheats that turn into habits that turn into huge time sucks and mind melting that really cause the big problems.

But, one cheat per week keeps time in your pocket, discipline built, and mental resources available for higher level priorities.

…Without sucking the joy and pleasure that comes from the occasional binge.

Making vs Copy-Pasting

Published on February 2, 2024

Being the manager of a business, a big part of what I do is sales.

Fortunately for me, I’m wholeheartedly in love with what I sell.

Also fortunately for me, I’ve been able to learn from great salesmen who are also wholeheartedly in love with what they sell.

Many years ago, however, when I was first moving into sales from a teaching role, I made the mistake of thinking salesmen had to look a certain way, talk a certain way, and had to have a certain personality flair about them that was… in my mind… largely innate.

And in my mind, if my identity didn’t match that identity type… I couldn’t do it. After all, they were great, they looked the part, they were able to walk that innate walk… Who was I in comparison? …And it was that self-limiting belief that made me lack major confidence.

But, after enough training, trial-and-error, and growth… I slowly started to settle into my own style. I took what I liked from the greats, discarded what I didn’t, added my own unique takes, mixed in thoughts from other greats, and eventually landed on a style that I’m super comfortable and confident with.

This is the learning curve when it comes to developing any new skill.

As I reflect on this, the big takeaway for me is to avoid at all costs trying to copy and paste exactly what you see in another. This will only drain precious life energy that you could otherwise be using to invest in the real game-changing task: making the thing your own.

Lighten Your Load

Published on January 31, 2024

We spend so much of our time collecting, gathering, purchasing… hoarding.

It’s no wonder life feels heavy at times.

…What might life look like if we spent more of our time donating, gifting, selling… detaching?

Lighter is a highly underrated, not talked about enough strategy for living.

What most of us are doing is rucking through life, exhausting ourselves, and rather than looking for ways to lighten our loads—we counterproductively and somewhat obsessively look for ways we can add more weight to what we’re already carrying.

…Often disguised as luxury goods, status upgrades, hyper convenience, even more comfortable, and retail therapy.

I’m convinced there’s a direct connection between the amount of stuff we have / are responsible for and the weight we feel on our shoulders.

Maybe if we shifted our focus from what we can add that’ll make our load feel lighter… to what we might remove from what we’re already carrying… we might actually get to ruck… lighter.

P.s. 12 Minimalist Quotes from Everything That Remains by The Minimalists

Your Life’s Light

Published on January 30, 2024

I found myself feeling really inspired by this apparent journal entry that I stumbled upon on Pinterest this morning:

…And not even because of anything written (although the “note to self” piece is pretty damn good)—but, because of the effort and aesthetic and how… human it is.

And the thought that immediately popped to mind when I saw it was… imagine journaling like this every day of your life…

Imagine the memories you’d have lifetime access to…

Imagine the feelings you’d be able to not only process faster, but get to revisit and reflect on…

Imagine the legacy of life you’d get to leave behind for those who come after…

The reality is… eventually… all of our memories will fade to black.

And only the ripples of our actions will survive.

A journal not only helps us understand our ripples by helping us understand ourselves (so we can deliberately create better or more aligned ripples)… but it leaves behind a small light for other people to find…

…A light into the mind, memories, and inner workings of a fellow life traveler.

…Where there otherwise would’ve only been black.

P.s. If you like picture quotes, I curate and publish fresh finds each day on MoveMe Quotes here and Pinterest here.

Honor System

Published on January 26, 2024

When I play pickup basketball, there are no refs. Which means the rules are enforced based on the honor system and are all up for debate.

This creates a type of character reveal environment.

When you’re driving to the rim and get whacked a few times by a defender and they don’t call a foul—you remember that.

When you see clearly who the ball went out of bounds by and see them clearly argue against it—you remember that.

When you’re trying to get open for a play, but get inconspicuously held, tripped, or otherwise played dirty—you remember that.

Worth mentioning here that in some situations, it actually makes sense to foul.

The point I want to make isn’t about the fouling per se—you can strategically and respectfully foul—it’s about the character reveal.

One of the guys I play with happens to be a real estate agent.

…Who also happens to be one of the most honest, clean players on the court. Even in situations where it’s unclear who’s at fault—he’ll take blame without hesitation.

And while this might not lead to more immediate points for his team… guess what it does lead to?

Trust in who he is as a person.

And if/when I’m looking to buy a house—guess who I’m going to remember as being an honest/ clean playing guy who also happens to sell houses?

That guy.

…Don’t miss the forest for the trees.

Sometimes we fight so hard to win the immediate game that we forget about the grander game being played.

P.s. Today is the 4 year anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s tragic death. Remember some of his legacy here.