From the desk of Adam Thomas

That phrase “figure out” is tempting.

The siren call to let whatever divine action happen to get you to an understanding get us all off the hook.

You and I have used it before to fill the gaps.

“I’ll figure it out.”

This is often said with no plan – again, the divine is supposed to guide us.

You and I shouldn’t be surprised when this doesn’t work out.

I propose one change to that phrase.

“I’ll figure it out” -> “I’ll figure it out by doing X until Y.”

You’ve changed a hazy phrase into something much more falsifiable.

And, you’ve got a plan of action.

Set the direction – make a decision.

Seek alignment – communicate well.

Execute – set the pace.

What is your idea?

The outcomes we seek are lighting rods for what we ultimately are trying to accomplish.

It attracts everything.

Good or bad.

The important thing to remember is that rod acknowledges that you are in the game.

I’m 32 today.

I have some feelings – mostly, normal. Waking up to well wishes have made me happy, hearing people are in good spirits always raises my own. This has come to mean more than gifts to me.

I’m come into today with a healthy body and no crisis.

And for that much I am grateful. A great place to start the thirty second trip.

If you want to get me a gift, I appreciate it. Don’t.

Take some of that money and apply it to these causes, they need it more than I:

• The Human Utility
• Brooklyn Bail Fund
• Black Girls Code
• Left PoC Podcast
• New Story Charity
• UMES –  Enterprise Systems / Computer Science Alumni Donor 

This is an excerpt from Digital Minimalism from Cal Newport.

In this section of the book, he is talking about Henry David Thoreau’s assertion that for him, $1 made more sense than $60.

I agree.

What he was factoring into his decision is all the other work involved to get that extra $59. He reasoned that it would take over his life, as he watched others do back breaking labor to get that money. When he noticed what that extra $59 got them, slightly better transportation and a slightly better house, for him the choice was clear.

He rather live off the $1 and spend that time doing things that interested him. Better drapes be damned.

This all leads back into asking, what outcome do you even want? If you are clear there, maybe some of the things you are doing won’t make sense.

Get rid of them.

Doesn’t feel good in the moment. Our egos make us feel like we are right, and that by acting that they are right we’ve been defeated.

Our brains, at least at first, can’t tell the difference between a fight or a perception of lost status. 

Like a fighter gets better at managing their emotions prefight, you can get better at this.

And I keep saying perception because by listening to someone, you don’t lose status – you might find out where the gaps of information are in their head and proceed to try to fix that. That person, when not feeling compelled, will appreciate being listened to, you’ll help them get smarter, and we all win.

Do this enough times in an organization and you’ll know exactly what t’s to cross and I’s to dot to get things done. 

• Information – What do they need to know?
• Status – I’m this way, and I need you to do it.
• Self-worth – Look what I did.

And many other reasons.

When we make something, we ought to be CLEAR on what they want and what we want.

The same piece of information looks different based on the outcome you want.

Be clear.

There is a lot of bullshit – noise that gets in front of signal, when you don’t set outcomes.

It gets too easy to just “let it go” while at the same time, keep up with routine when things aren’t clear.

Sounds like those two things don’t jibe together, but they do.

Outcomes give you a signal to let you know to stay or to go.

Else, you are hanging in the wind.

April 4th 1968.

The world changed when one of our best were taken from us.

I get a lot out of reading Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

If you haven’t in a while, I invite you to read his last speech, given the night before.

Take a read: http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/speeches/mlk_promised_land.html

While visiting the Civil Rights Museum this year, it hit me in a different, more profound way.

We aren’t here for long, but damn it, we better make it count.