When you’re deciding if you’ll move or not, wait. Charlie Munger would tell you to identify all of the external forces at play, and realize that your bias may be leading you astray. Waiting and seeing could be the best course of action.If you’re wondering, I’m fighting an impulse to move the blog to a new provider. Seems silly, and meta, to write a blog post about that. But, how many times do we do things out of impulse? Better to sit and wait.

“‘Once you get into the desert, there’s no going back,’ said the camel driver. ‘And, when you can’t go back, you have to worry only about the best way of moving forward. The rest is up to Allah, including the danger.’” - The Camel Driver, The Alchemist, by Paulo Coehlo. The storm, the desert, the whirlwind, the sea - it’s all the same. A vastness of blended opportunity, stress, threats, and demands. Once you’re in it, your only move is forward. Fortune, your fickle friend, takes care of the rest.

A helpful post for job seekers:You’re hearing why, but the question is actually “what"Common interview question: “Why do you want to work here?“The question that’s really being asked (most often): “What about us played a major factor in your decision to apply to work here?“The two questions are substantially different.“Why” questions are “judgment questions.” They invite you, the interviewee to reflect on your judgments. They’re hard questions to answer because who likes to question themselves. They’re also hard because it’s easy to overshare.“What” questions are easier to answer. “Why is the sky blue” vs “What happens in our eye to cause us to perceive the sky as blue”.Here’s a framework you can use for prep’ing for that question.Demonstrate you know a bit about the company. Try to understand how they make money, their customer, and read reviews and news.Review the job description and look for VERBS. Why verbs? Because verbs are actions. “What do you want to do with your life?” is basically, “What are the verbs you want your life to be about?” So read the job description for verbs. Are these the verbs you want to be doing at work?Research the hiring manager if you can. Are these people you want to work for? Read their content if they post here. Does it appeal to you?Here’s a framework for answering the question.When I decided to apply for ____, it was important for me to consider these factors a, b, and c. After researching your company, it’s clear I can achieve “a” through _____ (insert relevant detail about company), “b” through ______ (insert relevant detail), and “c” through _____(you know what to put here).What’s the outcome you want?Give confidence to the person on the other end that you know what’s important to you, that you believe their company will help you do those things, and that you will create value for them.First posted on LinkedIn 1/5/2023

Tomorrow I need to learn 10-15 songs and be able to play them as I play them all the time. I’m not stressed about it because I have a system for learning.Learning songs is like learning anything - first principles.What is this song about? What is it supposed to do to the listener?How does this song fit into the big picture of the show? How do I contribute to this song? I have to answer those questions before I even touch the instrument. Then, I listen again and ask:What is the form of the song? Verse, chorus, verse? What can I recognize just by listening? Familiar chords? Familiar musical lines? Familiar sounds? What sounds different? Where will I need to focus my attention? What will stretch my skills?Then , I listen again and write.Write out the form.Write out the chords.Write out important notes.Then I learn and play my part.The framework I use helps me learn anything new - music or not. What is this business? How does it make money? How does I help this business generate revenue? How do I help its customers?… you get the picture.Preparing for a gig, for me, is like preparing for work and life. Start with first principles.Understand how things work.Learn and play my part.

In college, I wanted to be a music teacher. Part of the music education curriculum requires the student to learn instruments - like clarinet.As a piano player, learning clarinet felt like learning another language. You see, the clarinet has tone holes that the player’s fingers are required to cover in order for the pitch to change. If you don’t cover the holes adequately, the instrument squeaks. Do you know the sound of squeaky clarinets? Not fun. Like me, every student of music that picks up an instrument squeaks at first. What separates those we consider “professionals” and the “beginners” isn’t talent, but it’s sticking it out. Professionals stick it out. A professional works through the squeaks because they know it’s part of the journey. I am not a clarinet player, fortunately I had to only play the instrument for a semester. But I stuck it out, and I am proud I did. Don’t give up on things too soon. Squeak a bit.

When it’s raining, the tendency is to run towards shelter.David Bell, a Harvard mathematician with too much time on his hands, calculated that you only get 10% less wet running than walking. I advocate walking. Because walking slows you down and gives you opportunity to react. I prefer to get 10% more wet than risk a fall. I approach business at work the same way.

“The secret to happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never forget the drops of oil on the spoon.” - Paulo Coelho, The AlchemistIn that part of the story, a character recalls a story of a boy who visited a wise man to learn the secret to happiness. The wise man said he would tell the secret, but the boy first had to walk around the wise man’s castle holding a spoon filled with oil and not drop the oil. The boy did that, but failed to notice the beauty around him. When the wise man challenged him to go back and notice the beauty, the boy returned but spilled oil. Finding happiness and being effective is about a formula - Big > Small > Big. Big - Stop and notice what’s around you, the big picture, taking it all in.Small - Do focused work. Big - Stop and reflect. How far have you come? Where are you headed? What are the challenges?Small - Do focused work.… and so on, and so forth.Finding effectiveness and happiness is less about “doing these 5 things for a happier life” and more about stopping, focusing, working, reflecting, focusing, working, reflecting… without spilling a drop of oil.

In August I blogged about using a decision journal to navigate big moments. Now, I am telling you journalling your decisions will be the best thing you do. Period. Why?When you journal a potential decision you are moving out of the present and into the future - the Future You. As “Future You” you get to imagine what your world would be like, and determine if “Present You” screwed you over; Jerry Seinfeld best explains the concept here. You also get something else…After you have made your decision and you become “Future You”, you might feel anxiety. You may ask questions like, Did I do the right thing? What if I was wrong? This is too hard, did I set myself up to fail? What if I screwed up? When that moment strikes, thank “Past You”. “Past You” took the time to lay out the implications and ramifications of the decision. “Past You” considered what would happen if you fail. “Past You” gave you the plan. Review “Past You’s” work and thank them. They gave you something you desperately need - a reason to be confident in the face of doubt.A reason to be confident in the face of doubt is the single greatest benefit of journaling through your decisions. When the heat is on and the pressure high, the crippling doubt you experience quickly abates with a reason to be confident.

There are two oversimplified sides to alchemy - the transmutational side, and the story telling side. In the broadest sense, alchemists sought to turn metals into gold. To make something precious from nothing. We do that every day. Baking, music, cooking, making things are all forms taking raw materials and transmutating them into a new product. A basic sourdough bread is flour, water, salt. In another sense, we are alchemists in that we use allegory - stories - to impart wisdom. As a leader, coach, parent, teacher, or manager you use stories to help those you seek to serve solve a problem. In all respects, the work we do - making and sharing things - is work that helps others. Cheers to the alchemists in the world, cheers to you.

I took a look at our blog’s analytics to see posts have been most engaging - where you have spent the most time. 5. What is the Better Question?4. Another thought of “f”ailure3. Sourdough bread is a metaphor for life.2. Be Direct with Respect1. Rest and Waken Your Inner WarriorLast year you got 355 posts, the longest streak since I’ve started. Most of last year’s content centered around life, decisions, questions, and making sense of it all. It’s like you received a free 355 page book on life. What about this year? What’s changing? Nothing. I plan to continue writing daily. I will continue to write about life, doing life better, and lessons I pick up along the way. If you are a subscriber, I hope to give you no less than a 356 page book by the end of the year. Thank you for making the choice to opt-in and follow along. If there’s ever anything I can do to make this blog more useful, let me know.