Greg's Right FIT #478

Quick notes to help you grow your business in less time with less effort. . . sometime next week. 

In this issue: 

- Thoughts on Reading
- Being Human
- Random Stuff

Thoughts on Reading

• Great fiction gives excellent insight into being human. You can learn more about the business world from fiction than by reading a dozen best-selling business books.
• Though it's reported that people aren't reading as much anymore, we are. And we're good at it. Remember that when using slides. Your audience will read a slide faster than you can speak. Don't read text off slides.
• Tuning out is ok. If you're watching a movie that isn't meeting expectations, leave. Stop reading a book that isn't holding your attention. It's your time. Spend it wisely!
• The universe is expanding, not constricting. Since you're reading this, I'm guessing you're not locked in a battle of survival, wrestling a neighbor over who gets the last bag of rice off the truck. Think big! Just remember, no one makes it out alive, so be kind too.

Being Human - Pausing

“Thinking is the place where intelligent actions begin."
– Margaret J. Wheatley

Part of being human is having the ability to pause.

I used to work for a guy who loved saying, "Think a little bit. Gregory, the difference between you and a cat is that you can pause. A cat is all STIMULUS-RESPONSE, but not you. You can add a pause in there. You don't have to react."

Then he'd stomp the floor making a loud noise. He'd say, "a cat hears that and jumps. But you can pause for a sec and ask, 'why is he stomping?'" 

He said this around the office for years. Stomping around the second floor of his old building, making his point. 

Next week, consider your amazing ability to pause. Are there any areas in your work or home life where you've turned into a cat? Where you're just STIMULUS-RESPONSE? 

See if you can add a pause. A way to ask yourself, "Why am I reacting to this, in this way? Where did this come from?" 

S-P-R. Stimulus-Pause-Response. 

Random Stuff

“I've seen zero evidence of any nation on Earth other than Mexico even remotely having the slightest clue what Mexican food is about or even come close to reproducing it. It is perhaps the most misunderstood country and cuisine on Earth." –Anthony Bourdain

Direct flights are great. Our little airport has around 40 such connections. One of them is to LAX, Los Angeles International Airport. Our daughter lives there and being able to take a direct flight is nice.

We arrived last night. We did not take the direct flight. Instead, we flew through Phoenix, and into Burbank, which is a little closer to her apartment. 

During the two hours of layover, we stopped in a little canina and split a plate of nachos with some beers. It was surprisingly good, but near the end, I felt bloated. A few weeks ago, I was scrolling the socials and someone dressed like a doctor described intestinal gas. She mentioned flying causes some people to fart more because of the air pressure, or something. She also talked about what makes the sulfur smell of bad gas, but I skimmed that part. This made me a little anxious. Did she say anything about nachos? Was I about to be "that guy" on the next flight? The guy I read about with intestinal issues so bad the flight had to be turned around?

On the first leg of the flight I read about Bill Bradley. "A Sense of Where You Are," by John McPhee. It covers his college career at Princeton, before he headed to Oxofrd to study, before his 10-year NBA career, before his NBA Championship, and his 18 years in the Senate. He was really something in those days. Everybody's All-American. Among the best that ever played the game. He could do no wrong in most people's eyes.

I wonder if Mr. Everything had gas issues on any of his flights? 

In the second leg of the flight, my fears turned out to be unfounded. No tummy issues.

The lilac is in bloom in Los Angeles. You can smell its sweet perfume everywhere. The hotel is great. We had a drink and a nice visit with our daughter, and met her new boyfriend. Smiles all around. The perfect start to the trip. Except somehow, someone picked the smallest room in the entire complex.

When we checked in, the manager looked at our reservations and said, "Ooh. Do you really want the Snug room?"

I made these reservations 6 months ago, I didn't remember.

Do I want the Snug room, I ask her?

"I don't know," she said, "some people book it because it's cheap but ask for a new room after one night. It's really small."

My lovely bride starts busily digging for something in her purse. 

Um, yeah, I um don't want that. A regular room is good.

"Ok, we're fully booked tonight, but tomorrow we can move you."

The room lives up to its name. It's snug. Nowhere for the nachos to hide around here.