I'm writing to think, learn, and remember in public. I'll be here everyday.
If you’re gonna start juggling chainsaws, you better already be proficient at juggling.
You don’t jump right into the art of juggling by starting with chainsaws. There’s a progression of skill development you can’t shortcut.
Now, for giggles, let’s give those chainsaws names like “budget” and “leadership” and “people.”
If you’re gonna start juggling chainsaws, you better already be proficient at juggling.
The big company. The government job. Tenure. A pension. Credentials.
Own your own business. Emergency savings. Sidearm. Pickup truck. Shed full of tools.
Relationship. Door locks. Church. Police patrols. Fire hydrant. Health insurance.
Survival bunker. Leadership. Internet access. Emergency room close by. Physical fitness.
Pets. Neighborhood. Good car. Health insurance. Multiple streams of income.
Some things here make me feel secure. Some make you feel secure.
Security is a feeling.
You control your feelings.
Clear some time in your schedule. You can’t be rushed. It doesn’t work if you’re rushed.
Grab your whetstone(s) and gather your good (or crummy) knives. Take a seat with a straight-backed chair at a table. Maybe a little music. Silence is also good. Is it nice out? Maybe set up outside.
Lay the knives out before you and then position the stones procedurally. Course to fine. Procedure matters. System matters.
Start with the knife in the worst shape. The one with the visible notches and dings on the cutting edge. This one will take the longest because it requires rough sharpening with a course stone to remove lots of metal. Patience required. You’re creating a new edge. You’ll want that edge somewhere between 15 and 22 degrees, depending on the style and metal. Your sushi knife? Closer to 15. Your do-everything kitchen knife? Closer to 22.
Once the notches are gone, start the fine sharpening process with your medium grit stone. This is where you establish the secondary bevel and make the edge even and sharp. Use your eyes. Does it look even? Scrape various points of the edge orthogonally (never parallel) on your fingernail. Is it sharp at all points down the blade?
When you’re satisfied, get the fine grit stone for the honing/polishing process. This stone evens out the imperceptible irregularities on the edge itself. You’re also removing the near-microscopic bits from the edge that impede the blade as it slices through the material.
Now you have something. When you started, your knives weren’t sharp. Now they are.
You applied skill and effort. Physical and mental. You applied procedure and thought about the system. Maybe modifed it along the way as you discovered what worked best. You focused on the task at hand. How much time passed? You probably don’t know. You shouldn’t care.
There’s something very human about pouring yourself into a task like this. It’s partially about being able to use sharp knives. It’s partially about making them sharp yourself. And it’s partially about the physical and mental activity of getting lost in the work.
You should sharpen your knives.
P.S. By the way, you can apply the above to servicing your lawn equipment, organizing your craft room or garage, cleaning your cookware, planting your garden, or giving your computer an enema.
What does smart mean?
I wrote this before:
We’ve outsourced our memory to the cloud. Why remember what you can look up? Ask Google, Wikipedia, Wolfram-Alpha, or ChatGPT.
We’ve outsourced our decision-making to media. Why risk being an outsider? Let’s make sure we think the same as our tribe.
We’ve outsourced attention to detail to our devices. Why not be more efficient? Just ask Alexa with our smartphones, smart TVs, and smart homes.
We have outsourced a lot of mental tasks to technology just like we’ve outsourced a lot of physical tasks to technology. Why walk when you can ride? When used properly, this outsourcing enhances us as contributors. Makes us more able, productive, and valuable?
However, probably not happier, healthier, or smarter.
AI is just the next step in the progression.
When used properly, AI enhances our abilities.
But it doesn’t make us smarter.
For some, Resistance invites them to change paths constantly.
“It’s better over there.”
“The path you’re on doesn’t go anywhere.”
“This path is not for you.”
“Look how shiny and smooth that other path is.”
So they do, and they don’t get anywhere.
For others, Resistance invites them to stay the course no matter what.
“Just a little longer.”
“You’re not committed enough.”
“You’ve already spent so much.”
“You know this path. The other path is scary/dumb/unknown.”
So they do, and they don’t get anywhere.
Resistance is a bugger. Resistance is specific, yet not personal.
See it. Acknowledge it. You can overcome it.
P.S. For me, Resistance shows up in the form of the latter.
Spouses want to feel heard.
Children want to feel heard.
Employees want to feel heard.
Customers want to feel heard.
Committee members want to feel heard.
Congregation members want to feel heard.
Constituents want to feel heard.
You want to feel heard.
If you can make people feel heard, you’ll win.
go birds
/ geow * berds /
greeting
interjection
exclamation
Natural selection is about adaptation. The species that survive are the ones that adapt.
People didn’t or don’t lose jobs to computers. They lose jobs by failing to adapt to a world that requires computer skills.
People won’t lose jobs to AI. They’ll lose jobs by failing to adapt to a world that requires working with AI.
The good news about AI is that of all the paradigm-shifting technologies, it’s probably the best at helping us adapt to it.
Hmmm…
On the one hand, there might be good reasons to keep doing it. Lessons learned through experience can help you. No need to waste brain cycles.
Safety resides inside the way we’ve always done it. Tried and true. No risk. Start in the mail room.
But safety and stagnation often look the same. The world moves forward, with or without you. New people. New technologies. New data. New methods. New culture.
We cling to past lessons and successes like a life raft, but sometimes, the raft is what’s keeping us from swimming. We might need to swim some more.
Occasionally, probably not every day, just ask yourself:
• Is this still the best way?
• What are we afraid of losing?
• What happens if we keep doing it this way?
Because the most dangerous thing isn’t change.
It’s refusing to.
You know what comes next.
Body language, tone, and inflection all shape the message. Deliberate or not.
But it also IS what you say.
You’ll be remembered for using the wrong word. You’ll be forgotten if you don’t choose the right word.
In engineering, the specificity of words is very important. Requirements and design specs, programming languages, and collaboration all require specific words. The words themselves matter.
I’ve spent the last several weeks working on messaging for 4TLAS. It’s hard to find the right words. Even when you’re being intentional and have all the time to do it.
Which makes me realize how important it is to give grace to those who don’t get it right in the heat of the moment.
We expect others to say exactly what they mean, yet we struggle to do it ourselves. We judge quickly, but words are tricky. Because words matter. And so does how we respond to them.
Your message is important, even if you’re just the messenger.
