For most cutting activities, the safest method is to use a large, sharp blade and to keep your off-hand close to, or even touching, the knife blade. Which is the exact opposite of what you’d expect. A small paring knife doesn’t seem as scary as a 10″ chef’s knife. But when used properly, the tip …
Author: Brandon
When We’re Late
When we’re late, we have a choice. We can bust into the room, pale-faced and frazzled. We can let the frustration build from the coffee we spilled, the train we had to stop for, the alarm clock that didn’t go off, or whatever else caused us to be late. Or we can take a step …
The “New Guy”
When you first start, expectations are typically pretty low. A fresh person coming into a new environment without knowing anyone or really anything about how things operate – you aren’t typically expected to do much. So it’s not uncommon for the “new guy” to make some waves and make a name for himself. After a …
The problem with prescriptive advice
Some people swear by goal-setting and rigid calendars, while others insist that their success came because they took life a day at a time and were never constrained by a bigger plan. Some of the biggest authors write only after extensive market research, and they explicitly cater to their target audience. Others write in a …
Ideas vs. Execution
Uber didn’t get off the ground because of their idea. I’m sure countless other people had dreamt of someday calling a cab with a phone. Thomas Edison’s idea for a carbon-filament light bulb isn’t why we know his name. There were plenty of other people who had come up with essentially the same product at the …
Time to Breathe
There’s always something to stress about. It doesn’t matter if you’re going to school, working, maintaining a house, or doing just about anything else. If you truly care about what you’re doing, there’s always something that needs to be done. But that doesn’t mean you have to constantly stress about it. When it’s time, go …
Teaching
When coaching someone or teaching something new, there are three key things to get across: What you’re teaching How your student is supposed to do it Why it’s done that way All three aspects are critical, but more often than not we tend to forget the last one. -Brandon
Better with Age
A well-built mahogany piece of furniture will not only stand the test of the time if it’s well-maintained, but it will actually look better with age. Same thing with stone or brick. There’s no way to replicate the beauty of an old house that was built with quality materials and kept under good care. Yet when …
When to Guess
When playing ping pong, it’s not uncommon for me to blast back a weak serve for a winner. Often my opponent says something like, “wow you were ready for that one.” And they’re right. But it’s not that I happened to guess that he would have a bad serve at that exact moment. I guess …
The Fragility of Routines
I used to go to the bathroom minutes before every race. I’d dart off of the track right before I had to check-in so I could get rid of my nerves and make sure I was running on empty. It was my routine. It helped me clear my mind and make sure that I was …