Author: alearningaday

We purchased an HP Officejet printer a couple years ago. The combination of the pandemic and young kids who needed stuff printed from time to time made it a necessary purchase.

It was definitely liberating to know we didn’t have to go to a store nearby for a quick print. However, the thought of all those ink cartridge refills made the whole business of owning a printer feel unsavory.

That was until I learnt about HP’s Instant Ink program. It is a simple idea – you pay a monthly fee between $1.5 and $7 depending on your usage. I’ve been on the $1.5 plan most months with occasional shifts up if I expect significant amounts of printing.

In return, HP mails you cartridges when they detect low ink levels.

It is a subscription that just takes away the hassle of owning a printer. The best kind of subscription.

Well played, HP team.

(1) The market and business model matter much more than our work. It is the equivalent of running uphill vs. downhill.

(2) Our ability to deliver results in our product/area/market matter lesser than timing. Being at the right place at the right time is the ultimate accelerant. Some part of this is building the right skills and some part of it is dumb luck.

(3) Facts don’t matter as much if you have the ability to distort them to tell the story you want. This is true in any large enough organization and is especially important if you want to pursue a career in political office.

(4) Complaining about recurring behavior is a lot like complaining about the weather. Either switch locations… or make peace with it.

(5) Who you know often matters a lot more than what you know and how well you know it.

(6) Show me the incentives and I’ll show you the behavior and the outcome.

(7) Karma often plays out on a timescale longer than we hope.

Belief is expressed in actions.

Words that are used to express belief, as George R R Martin would say, are wind.

“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.” | Haruki Murakami

This is a beautiful and truthful note about the storms – personal and professional – we face.

The person who walks in isn’t the person who walks out.

(H/T: James Clear’s newsletter)

A good friend shared an exchange with their therapist. The question, at hand, was a variant of – “What is the best way to say <some difficult thing>?”

To which, the therapist said – “How would you say it to me or to another friend?”

And once this friend responded, the therapist simply said – “Just say it like that.”

It resonated.

Often, the answers we seek come from the unexpected sources.

The key is to focus on the answer and ignore our feelings about the particular source or its unexpected nature.

There’s a folk tale about a fisherwoman* who goes to visit her friend. Her friend sold flowers for a living and lived in a home full of beautiful smells from flowers – a contrast to the strong smells (stink?) of fish.

However, the fisherwoman has difficulty sleeping at night. Eventually, she realizes that she just misses the smells of her home. She remembers that she brought her fish basket with her. So she brings the fish basket close to her head and finally falls off to sleep.

I’ve remembered this story many a time over the years. It reminds us of a simple idea – to each their own.

Someone’s discard pile might have the stuff of our dreams. And vice versa.

Self-awareness and an acceptance of what matters to us goes a long way in helping us shape the life we consider good.

The more we understand this and align ourselves with people who value similar things, the more peaceful our lives will be.

*PS: There’s another western folk tale about a town mouse and country mouse that also drives home a similar lesson.

Grasslands need to burn from time to time. That burning creates the opportunity for fresh grass to grow. That fresh grass, in turn, helps feed the many herbivores who rely on it for nutrients.

I think it has parallels in our lives as well. It is good to set fire to our routines and recurring meetings from time to time. That reset creates space for new ideas and systems.

What got us here won’t get us there.

We have to let go of what was and what could have been to have a shot at enjoying or making the most of what is.

A reminder for today – take a few minutes to turn off all the technology and smell the roses.