Sometimes it pays to be insane
It’s been said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result. People use this definition to justify giving up one course of action in favor of another. Conventional wisdom would have us believe this is the intelligent choice. But conventional wisdom is often wrong.
Consider the following quote from Jacob Riis, a newspaper reporter who lived around the turn of the twentieth century:
“Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before.”
Imagine this stone cutter sitting down to do his job. He hammers and hammers and hammers to no avail. Friends and family encourage him to give up this “mad” endeavor. They point out how, despite his efforts, he has made no progress. And from all appearances, they are correct. He is, according to their definition, insane. But is this any reason to stop hammering? Not unless he was already looking for an excuse to quit. Otherwise, it is time to get back to work.
What is true for the stone cutter is true for us as well. Keep hammering. Sometimes it pays to be insane.
Posted on Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 05:36 PM
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What I’ve learned from Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson was one of my heroes and his passing has left me stunned. Like many others I’ve been glued to the television listening to his friends and colleagues share their thoughts on his life and legacy. While their stories are touching and revealing, one of their recurring observations has struck me as particularly important.
Many of them pointed out that Johnny Carson was at his best when things didn’t work out as planned. When a joke bombed he’d get a bigger laugh than if it had worked as expected. When an animal didn’t cooperate, Johnny could turn it into something hysterical. And when a guest fell flat, Johnny could slip in and save the day. A few of his friends even said that Johnny often preferred it when things didn’t go as planned. He actually enjoyed the opportunity to ad lib.
What an amazing talent. Most people, myself included, are often terrified to think that things may not work out as we want them to. We hesitate to do something because, well, what if it doesn’t work out? What if I screw up? What if others don’t like it? What if (you fill in the blank). And these fears stop us in our tracks.
The sad fact is our fears are, oftentimes, justified. Things rarely work out the way we expect them to. There are simply too many “unknowns” in the equation of life for us to be able to predict with much certainty how something is going play out. However, what if, rather than allowing this unpredictability to paralyze us, what if we could learn to embrace it? To play off of it? And maybe even learn to laugh at it? It can be done. Johnny Carson did it. Maybe we can, too.
Posted on Monday, January 24, 2005 at 04:28 PM
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Popularity doesn’t equal validity
Within the last few days I’ve encountered several examples of an incredibly stupid argument that somehow fools many, many people. Here it is in a nutshell:
If something is successful in the marketplace, its success is proof that it works.
If a book sells a gazillion copies, it’s because the information it contains is sound. If a marketing program stands the test of time, it’s because those who use it make money. And if a given diet becomes and stays popular, it’s because it helps people lose weight better than other plans do. Sounds logical, right? It isn’t.
These things may in fact work, but their popularity doesn’t provide any proof one way or the other. Here’s a true story that will illustrate my point:
Many years ago I met a man who claimed to have made millions selling a fishing lure that was, at one time, all the rage. Fishermen everywhere simply couldn’t get enough of this super-duper, fish-catchin’ bait. After listening to him talk about it for a while, I asked him point blank, “I know it’s popular, but did the lure actually work?” He looked me straight in the eye and said, “Absolutely. It caught fishermen like crazy.” And with that, he and his bulging wallet went on their merry way.
So you tell me - did his lure work? It depends on what you mean by the word “work.” Did it catch fish any better than other baits? Who knows. Did it make more money than other baits? You bet your sweet bippy. So the answer is yes. The bait did work - for him!
The truth is, the fact that something succeeds in the market place is not in and of itself proof that it “works.” It is, however, proof that its marketing works.
So the next time someone tries to convince you that something “works” simply because it has been successful in the marketplace, they may be right. It may, in fact, work great. But not necessarily in the way you think it does.
Posted on Friday, January 21, 2005 at 11:58 AM
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Back up and running
It took a few days longer than I expected but I’m back up and running with my new Powerbook. Luckily, I had made a complete system backup just a couple of hours before my crash so my data loss was minimal. The worst part of the ordeal was having to use my daughter’s Windows machine in the interim. No offense to Windows users, but I just can’t imagine life without my Mac.
Posted on Friday, January 21, 2005 at 08:10 AM
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Computer trouble
Just FYI…
This afternoon my beloved PowerBook finally bit the dust so I won’t be making any updates to this site until my new Mac arrives later this week. Till then, I’ll still be checking e-mail on a regular basis. Thanks for your patience.
Posted on Monday, January 10, 2005 at 11:21 PM
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