Don’t Ask the Introvert About His T-Shirt
I was waiting for my food at Panera when I saw the t-shirt:
“Introverts Unite”
The shirt had a large turtle drawn underneath the letters.
“I like your t-shirt”, I said, then added: “But, you’re an introvert- so I probably shouldn’t bother you.”
If you wear an “introverts unite” t-shirt, you’re letting the world know who you are. Without an obvious sign, it’s tough to know who people are, or what they’ve been through.
For decades, I assumed that most of the people I met had their act together. In my mind, they were more successful and had less anxiety and baggage than I did. Worst of all, I never considered the challenges- unknown to me- that other people have overcome.
Think about an astronaut- they do nothing but succeed, right?
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Contents
The Botched Landing
Scott Kelly is a former fighter pilot, test pilot and astronaut, and set the record for most accumulated number of days in space while on the International Space Station.
I assumed that his life was a series of green lights on the road to success.
It turns out that Kelly hated school, and didn’t get on track until he read Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff in college (you may be familiar with the movie). Once motivated, he had to work much harder than others to achieve success.
Then there was the botched landing.
About 30 minutes into this podcast, Kelly explains how he damaged a fighter jet the first time he tried to land on an aircraft carrier. This video reveals just how difficult the process is.
He was sent home.
Eventually, he got another chance to land a jet, and succeeded. I figured this one mistake would keep him out of the astronaut program, but he showed how resilience helps you overcome a mistake.
But make no mistake: high achievement requires a huge amount of work
Find other humorous stories here.
400 nights on the road
Jeff Foxworthy is one of the most successful comedians over the last 25 years, and he’s made a living doing stand up, selling CDs (remember those?), writing books, and producing specials for streaming services.
So, how did he get started?
Foxworthy explains his story on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast. He started in the mid-80s, when the only way to get noticed was to go on the road and perform. In his first year as a full-time comic, Foxworthy did over 400 events- more than one per day.
He made about $8,200.
I dislike that word “hack”, because the term implies that hacks create shortcuts to accomplish success. The only “hack” is hard work- working smart, but also putting in the time. In fact, you need second chances, luck, and hard work.
How do you treat people along the way?
A dime on the bed
We have a cleaning service that comes to the house every two weeks. The owner is on time, does a great job, and works productively. Two people come in and get more work done in two hours than I get done all day.
But there’s something more.
A month ago, I walked into our bedroom shortly after the cleaning people left. I found a dime sitting on the bed. Someone was cleaning, found a dime on the floor, and left it where I could pick it up.
I would have never missed the dime, but they did the honest thing and left it for me.
They treat people well- and have so much business that they are turning people away. Not a surprise.
Last thing: every business needs an effective method to get attention and generate interest.
The slogan confused me
The contractor’s slogan on the size of his truck was:
“Experience Excellence”
Now, I get what he’s trying to say, but the two words are so similar that the line is difficult to read (both words start with “ex”). I may be the wrong guy to comment, since my website is Accounting Accidentally (both words start with “acc”), but you get the idea.
To succeed in business, sports, or entertainment, you need to communicate clearly. A good contractor is hard to find, so maybe the slogan doesn’t hurt him.
Food for thought.
Ken
Image: Alex Snaps, Hiding, (CC By 2.0)