johnmaconline

You want to be confident.
But you feel apprehensive.

The solution is presence.

I’ve never tried to skin a cat. I really don’t know. 

“The earliest alternate version appears in 1678, in John Ray’s collection of English proverbs as there are more ways to kill a dog than hanging, with the popular British version, there are more ways of killing a cat than choking it with cream.”

“Even Mark Twain got in on the action within his story A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court in 1889 when describing the Church: ‘she was wise, subtle, and knew more than one way to skin a cat'”

You can walk, ride a bike, or drive a car to get across town.

You can put the dish in the dishwasher or grab the scrub brush and fill the sink.

You can listen to the audio version, fire up your e-reader, or grab the book off the shelf.

There are multiple ways to skin the cat. Let’s reserve judgment. 

Merriam-Webster regularly updates its dictionary. Here’s a few for you.

Freestyle — an improvised performance especially of a rap.

Street corn — grilled corn on the cob that is coated with a creamy spread.

For You page — a social media feed that contains personalized content based on the user’s interests.

Breach read — a usually light work of escapist fiction.

Burrata — mozzarella formed into a ball-shaped casing that contains curds and cream.

Nepo baby — a person who gains success or opportunities through familial connections.

Touch grass — to participate in normal activities in the real world, especially as opposed to online experiences and interactions.

Cash grab — the greedy pursuit of an opportunity for making money, especially when done without regard for ethics, concerns, or consequences.

Shadow ban — to cause (a user or their content) to be hidden from some or all other users, usually without the user’sknowledge.

IDGAF — Well, you know.

Ever been called a Slick Willie?

Willie Sutton was a fascinating guy. The original Slick Willie — he robbed more than 20 banks from 1927 to 1952. Then, after being incarcerated, he escaped three times from three different prisons, including once from the famous Eastern State Penitentiary in Philly (a great place to spend an evening in the fall if you’re so inclined). 

He was a master of disguise, charming, and very clever — slick.

He also brought us “Sutton’s Law.”

Willie allegedly responded to a reporter’s question about why he robbed banks by saying, “Because that’s where the money is.” Duh.

Sutton’s Law is often referred to in medical contexts. For example, when diagnosing a patient, one should first consider the most obvious possibilities and conduct tests that are likely to confirm or rule out the most probable diagnosis. 

If you have a runny nose, first check for the common cold and allergies rather than immediately testing for cancer.

Sutton’s Law and Occam’s Razor are bedfellows, and although sometimes the more complex solution is required or the more dubious explanation is correct, they’re a great place to start. 

The World is a tricky place right now. AI is making it trickier. Sutton’s Law is a great little tool to help you think correctly about what The World is presenting to you. Start with simple, obvious, and most probable. 

You don’t have to end there, and to be fair, you shouldn’t end there. But definitely start there. 

It doesn’t take Mother Teresa-level compassion to make a dent.

A great mission statement for a company starts with “We help…”
A great mission statement for an organization starts with “We help…”
A great personal mission statement starts with “I help…”

Helping is a great path to making money, making a better world, and making a better community. Everybody needs help.

Always help.

When is good enough good enough?

Good enough depends on where you are in your history. If you’re at the beginning, then it’s good enough when:

• If you ship it, you’ll learn something
• If you ship it, it will make a difference
• If you ship it, you’ll have something to talk about

Good enough is likely sooner than your comfortable self will tell you it is.

Here are some interesting statistics for 5k times:

• World Record Men: 12:49
• PA High School State Championship Record Men: 15:02
• PA 40-49 Years “Competitive Time” Men: 18:13
• PA 50-59 Years “Competitive Time” Men: 19:31
• PA Typical Community Fundraiser First Place Time Men: 18:00-22:00

My personal best time in a 5k was around 20:15, which I ran in my 40’s. Today, I would probably be between 24:00 and 25:00. 

The day I ran the 20:15, I didn’t place. Went home with the banana and the same T-Shirt as the walkers.

One time, however, I ran a 22-something on a Thanksgiving morning and took first place in my age group and 9th overall. It was stupid cold. Snow on the ground. Lots of people stayed home. 

Who’s your competition?

If you’re not in the top 5% of the room you’re standing in, you could switch rooms. When looking for that new room, you might want to find the one that others shy away from.

Have you ever seen a keyboard on a UK computer? 

At first, you won’t notice a difference because it’s almost the same as a US keyboard, but not quite. There are a few more keys, and some of the symbols are in different spots. 

Of course, you’ll be able to use it, no problem. It’s English, 95%+ is the same, and you have eyes. But if you’re an accomplished typer, you’re gonna occasionally get it wrong. Will it make a difference? It depends on what you’re doing. 

DeWalt vs Milwakee vs Makita drill.
Ford vs Chevy vs Toyota truck.
Outlook vs Apple Mail vs Gmail.
Windows vs MacOS vs Linux. 

You probably have an opinion about which is “for you.”

It might be brand (i.e., tribe), or country, or privacy, or something else you identify with.

Or it might be a nuance of efficiency. “I know this one better. I understand it better. I’m faster and better when I use it.”

If you’re a leader, your people will have an opinion about the tools they use to do their work. That’s good. You want people with these opinions because you want craftsmen. Craftsmen care about their tools. 

But it’s your job to figure out which of those opinions matter for the personal and collective good of the organization and which are simply religion.