“You get what you tolerate.” I read that somewhere once. One area of my life where I think that’s true is tidiness. I have a certain threshold for mess and disorder and once I reach the limit, I spend some time cleaning up the mess. I don’t do anything until it bothers me. If you …
Author Archives: Mitch
Slicing bread
If you slice a baguette from the top to make hors d’oeuvres, then it means that you can’t slice it sideways and make a long sandwich. If you want to do that, then you’ll need another baguette. Sometimes you can choose only one path. And there’s no going back. Choose carefully.
$500 to get to Hawaii
Many of us exchange our time for money. We’re paid by the hour, or by the year. There’s another way to be paid, which is by the piece, or by the outcome of the value. When you sell a painting, no one asks you how long it took you to paint it—they think about how …
As fast as you can
Roses don’t smell better when you smell them as fast as you can. Food doesn’t taste better when you eat it as fast as you can. You shouldn’t try to mull something over and make a big decision as fast as you can. You’re not more creative when you try to be creative as fast …
Give yourself some extra space.
If you follow the car driving in front of you too closely, it’s stressful and you have to spend all of your energy and attention watching the car in front of you in case it slows down suddenly and you have to react quickly. If you don’t do this, it frees you up to look …
Don’t believe everything you think.
One of the hardest places to see where things could be different is in our own head. Our thoughts. The story we tell ourselves. Sometimes there’s an uninvited narrator or commentator in there who we can disagree with if we like. The trick is to see that commentator. When someone suggested that I consider taking …
“I want something else.”
One day my toddler said to me as he was watching TV, “I want something else.” This wasn’t always an obvious thought to have for him. He learned quickly that there are different channels and episodes and now it’s obvious to him that there are other possibilities. It got me thinking. This is an extremely …
Things are the way they are for a reason.
Things are the way they are for a reason. This 30-day return policy, that 365-day return policy, that infuriating phone tree system, the carpool lane hours, the traffic light that protects left turns. Sometimes it’s a good reason, sometimes it’s a bad reason. Sometimes it’s just because no one has cared enough to change it …
Continue reading “Things are the way they are for a reason.”
Sing your song.
Ella Fitzgerald was so nervous at a talent contest that instead of dancing like she was scheduled to, she sang. Roy Orbison wore dark sunglasses to hide from the crowd during performances, and he wore them so often that people thought he was blind. Henry Fonda started his acting career at age 20. At age …
Find your voice.
Whenever a Tracy Chapman song is played, I recognize her voice immediately because it’s so distinct. The same is true of countless other singers and artists. They are readily recognizable, uniquely them. There are a lot of O-shaped cereals that taste nothing like Cheerios. What will you do that is as special as your signature?