Hanlon’s razor

Hanlon’s razor asserts that we should not attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by incompetence or other means.

Most conspiracy theories are implausible, and turn out not to be an effective cover-up by an elaborate network of mustache-twirling psychopaths bent on world domination.  Most people who cut in line or are rude and offensive are not malicious and singling you out.  Neglect, self-absorption, and misunderstanding are more likely culprits.

Of course malevolent and cruel people exist, but Hanlon’s razor reminds us not to take things personally.  It’s almost never personal anyways.

Stacking skills

Scott Adams (Dilbert creator) probably isn’t the world’s best illustrator, and he certainly isn’t the best comic.  But combining or “stacking” these two skills gave him a unique mix of attributes.

The moment someone can ask “what’s the going rate for…?” you find yourself engaged in a race to the bottom (the kind of race you don’t want to win).  As an employee, consultant, business owner, or product maker, you can escape the lowest-price-wins race, and ship the best version of your product (or yourself) if you forget about being the best, and focus on being the only.

There’s no one on earth like you.

Why is this happening?

Famed Navy SEAL and leadership expert Jocko Willink has the habit of replying to colleagues or friends that approach him with major issues by saying: “Good!  A chance to grow.”

The following question is probably equal parts difficult, necessary, and profound: What if we could face adversity and ask ‘why is this happening for me’ rather than ‘why is this happening to me?’