“People who are driven by demons get shit done.” | Walter Isaacson, describing Elon Musk
This quote illustrates a fascinating paradox. Much of our path to happiness and peace is exorcising our demons and insecurities.
However, on the flip side, those very demons often provide the fuel for the drive toward our accomplishments.
Two sides of the same coin.
The highway closest to our place has been under construction over the past year. Large stretches of the highway are getting wider. This has meant periods of significant disruption and slower traffic in the past months.
And, while I hope this is all for the greater good, widening roads tend to have a fascinating side-effect.
While widened roads see lower traffic at first, they often go back to seeing just as much congestion as they did before. This is because people change behavior to take the “faster routes” and congestion is back on the table.
It is an illustration of supply and demand in real life. When you reduce the cost of driving (time is a big component), drivers will consume more of it.
It is also an example of how actions can sometimes have counter intuitive consequences. So, it helps to be clear about what our goals are. Widening roads are helpful if we want to increase the volume of road-usage.
But if we’re seeking to reduce traffic congestion, we’re better off pursuing a different strategy.
Share a lovely note of appreciation to someone who deserves it.
When you buy a good camera, you don’t just buy the camera. You buy lenses, a slew of accessories, a camera bag, and a subscription to Adobe Lightroom.
When you buy a home, you don’t just pay for the home. You pay for property taxes, maintenance and upkeep. The more the square footage, the more the maintenance.
Similarly, you don’t just pay for a car. You pay for the occasional nail in the tire, the service, and the insurance.
This doesn’t mean any of the above are bad purchases. Each of these could be a great purchase – depending on your circumstances.
It is just worth remembering that the true cost of something isn’t just on the price tag.
“Patience isn’t in the waiting, it’s in how you deal with having to wait.”
It resonated.
“Be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle. And if you really wanna see what people are, all you have to do is look.” | Auggie, Wonder
Canon conducted a fascinating experiment recently. They asked 6 photographers to shoot a portrait of one man. The twist was that each photographer was told something different about the man’s background – he was a fisherman, an alcoholic, a millionaire, a convict, a lifesaver, and a psychic.
Michael, of course, was none of these things. He was just an actor who played his part. These were the photos that the photographers took.
Fisherman
Alcoholic
Millionaire
Convict
Lifesaver
Psychic
“A photograph is shaped more by the person behind the camera than by what’s in front of it” was Canon’s note to creatives.
To me, it simply highlights the incredible power of perspective.
We bought the $10 Ikea toolbox 8 or so years ago. Its impact continues to amaze me. With the addition of an electric screwdriver, this toolbox has helped assemble and disassemble pieces of furniture and fix various issues around the home.
These tools don’t solve every issue around the home – the more challenging the problem, the more custom components are required.
But they are a good reminder of the fact that a set of simple tools can go a long to solve many of the problems we face.
It works the same way in other facets of our lives – understanding the core principles in any subject or art or problem area often helps us make the headway we need.
Once we dig deep enough on the why behind our actions, all answers that come back tend to be a result of a conscious or unconscious answer to two questions –
What game are you playing?
How will you measure your life?
If you aren’t actively spending time and energy optimizing toward an outcome, don’t be surprised when someone else is getting said outcome as a result of time they’ve spent optimizing toward it.
For the most part, outcomes – good and bad – are a result of our processes. Our processes, in turn, are a result of what we’re optimizing toward. And, if we’re thoughtful, what we’re optimizing toward is a combination of our awareness about the possibilities and of how we’ll measure our lives.
When we’re faced with a sense of FOMO or envy or surprise about a surprising outcome that someone else managed, that’s the place to start.
Are we aware that process is a possibility?
Would we want to do it / would doing it align with how we’d measure our lives?
A Learning a Day 