johnmaconline

I’ve been disqualified from many of the professional paths I tried to pursue.

Here’s a few: Disqualified from both Air Force and Navy flight school. Disqualified from being an astronaut. Disqualified from an expat assignment in the UK. Disqualified from a company-funded master’s program at the University of Colorado.

Disqualification comes from the external. It’s them deciding about you. It’s the opposite of being chosen (or maybe, it’s a negative choice). It’s a form of victimhood. You are a victim of somebody else’s choice.

Although you can work to meet the qualifications, look good on paper, and build the relationships that may lead to being chosen, ultimately, you don’t have control. They do. That’s not on you.

But you can still pursue.

When you pursue in earnest, you learn stuff. You learn stuff about yourself, about systems, and about people.

And you learn that maybe what you want to pursue is something where you can choose yourself.

Doing hard things is how you win.

I know this because motivational posters tell me so. Hustle-jock-SEAL-gym bros yell it at me. Fake-it-till-you-make-it solopreneurs cram my social media feeds with this message.

Dig in. Grunt louder. Work longer. Hate the enemy more intensely.

Others won’t do the hard things, so you will have to. That’s how you win.

OK, but what do you mean by hard?

Doing the wrong hard things is a way to give in to Resistance. The way you win isn’t just about doing the hard things. It’s about doing the right things. Some of those things will be hard for you (and easy for others).

Maybe the hard work you need to do is to figure out the right things you need to do.

Do the right hard things.

I’m a Bible guy. 

Not a thumper, but definitely a follower and believer (some would dispute that). Of course, the Bible isn’t a book. It’s a compilation of several texts written by over 40 authors spanning approximately 1500 years from about 1400 BC to 100 AD. 

• The original texts were written in a combination of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek based on the geography and community of the authors. 
• What we currently know as “The Bible” was compiled by various groups over a series of councils/gatherings starting in about 100 BC until the mid-1500’s.
• The core of the Hebrew Bible, also what we currently call the Old Testament, was largely established by about 400 BC. 
• The Council of Carthage (397 AD) and then the Council of Trent (1546 AD) are generally considered the solidifying moments of the current biblical canon for the Catholic Church, which is 73 books.
• The protestant reformation began in 1517, and the protestant Church of England outlined the current protestant biblical canon as 66 books in its Thirty-Nine Articles in 1563. 

Although well-established for a long time now, it’s been a bit of a moving target over the years. Even discrepancies. 

Today and certainly in the future, we’re generating more written words than at any time in history. AI is exponentially ramping that up. This trend will continue.

But the thing about this ancient text is that it has survived. One can read words written 3500 years ago by humans. Whatthey saw. What they feel. What they think.

And why is that?

Because it speaks to us. It includes fundamental wisdom about humans and humanity. 

Although everything about culture and the way we live has changed, maybe nothing has changed about us at our core as humans.

The thing about ancient texts is that they’ve survived for a reason. When we’re flailing around — Confused, questioning — maybe we should remember the ancient texts.

Sometimes you feel stuck (OK, sometimes I feel stuck).

First, that’s OK because if you feel stuck, that might be Resistance. Which means you’re on the right track. 

The key is movement. Physical and mental. 

Get up and walk around. Go outside. Look at it from over here. Then go look at it from over there. Watch others. Talk to others. Write some stuff down. Delete it and write it again. Watch the birds on the feeder. Do today’s Wordle or Bongo.  

Just don’t stand still.  

Stuckiness is a Universe thing. 

Keep moving. 

At 4TLAS, we build a platform that helps software developers build and test their code quickly and at scale.

The reason why quickly matters is the closer to the creation of a bug that you find it, the faster and easier it is to fix it. The reason why at scale matters is because running tests on a single device is good, but running those tests across many devices and over and over again is better.

The platform notifies our users of many things, especially problems.

You know the story of the little boy and the wolf. Of how he notified the town citizens one too many times about nothing in particular. And then, when there was a real problem, nobody cared, nobody came, nobody helped.

Our notifications are our currency, and we’re cautious and deliberate with them. We talk about it a lot. We experiment. We debate. We argue. We try new things.

Because when we spot someone crying wolf, we tend to ignore them.

How much thought do you give to underwater cables?

• There are currently over 350 undersea cables around the world
• The first was laid in 1854, connecting Newfoundland and Ireland across the Atlantic
• 17 underwater cables connect the east coast of the US to Europe
• The “Far North Fiber” cable spans 8700 miles from Japan to Europe via the Arctic
• 2 cut through Lake Michigan
• Modern cables can transmit about 400 terabits per second, compared to about 260 gigabits per second with satellites. 

Over 95% of global internet traffic runs through these cables. They are the backbone of global communication. 

Yet most of us barely think about them. The global internet “just works” because people thought of, financed, designed, installed, and now maintain this vast network of infrastructure. 

What are the other undersea cables in your life?

My boys and I like to play the games Catan and Risk.

Now that they’re adults and we’re together less frequently, the game becomes central when we do get together. Epic battles that frequently cross calendar boundaries.

Both games require strategy. What’s your plan? What are you trying to do? Where are you trying to go?

Both games require tactics. How will you allocate the resources you just received? Who will you attack? What will you defend?

Both games include the luck of the dice.

Sometimes, you’ve made all the right strategic and tactical decisions, but luck thwarts your plan. How will you adjust?

Sometimes, you’ve made strategic and tactical mistakes, yet luck shines on you. How will you adjust?

Life. How will you adjust?

What can you contribute?
Who can you help?
How can you help?
What’s your idea?
What can you do?
Who can you connect?
What can you say?
What should you say “yes” to?
What should you say “no” to?
How can you show up today?
For whom can you show up today?
What are you holding back?
What can you share?

It’s not policy. It’s not government. It’s not media. It’s not institutions. It’s not corporate leadership. It’s not marginalized groups. It’s not justice.

It’s you. And me. That’s where it starts. Then, we can work on the systems.

How can we give more to each other than we get?

Bluetooth has helped me cover up one of my own embarrassing personal habits. 

I talk to myself. A lot.

If you see me in my car, there’s a good chance you’ll see me talking. The good news for me is that you’ll assume I’m talking on my phone to someone else. Not likely. 

I’m really just working stuff out. That’s how I do it. Driving, running, walking. Talking to myself. It’s a good thing I live in a sparsely populated area. 

Good news (for me)! As it turns out, talking to oneself is a) fairly common (let me see your hands, fellow self-talkers), and b) has a bunch of benefits (according to Time):

• Reduces anxiety and stress.
• Improves focus, problem-solving, and task performance.
• Helps process emotions and set goals.
• Provides motivation and performance improvement.

So stand proud self-talkers. It’s time to claim your territory. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Most of the time, we’re focused on what’s missing, what’s broken, or what still needs fixing. I’m no different. It’s heavy. 

The World likes it this way. The World cashes in on our feelings of inadequacy and less than whole. 

But you can turn that around. You can shield yourself and build up a tolerance and callous. You do it by intentionally practicing gratitude. The beauty of noticing what’s already good is that it’s the perfect way to make your life better without changing anything. Nothing changes, yet everything changes. 

You can start with a gratitude audit. Three simple questions.

What have I overlooked?

We often take the mundane for granted. Is your house warm (or cool)? Did you sleep good last night? Your partner’s smile. Does a colleague always say “good morning” to you?

Who has shown up for me?

Think of the friends who listen, the mentors who guide, or even the stranger who held the door open when your hands were full. Who cares? Who made today better? Who makes every day better?

What challenges have taught me?

Even the hard stuff has value. I’m not a believer in “never quit” and I give the “do hard things!” shouters the sideways glance, but yes, the hard stuff has a ton of value. You build confidence. You gain skills. You build resilience. You gain insight. Do the hard things and take the credit. 

Now write your answers down. Seeing them in black and white makes them real.

The act of listing what you’re thankful for reframes your mindset. It changes the way you think and see your life. You shift from scarcity to abundance, from frustration to appreciation. 

Gratitude isn’t just a feeling. It’s a discipline. The more you do it. The more you feel it. You’ll find that the blessings were always there — you just hadn’t noticed them yet.