Receive Posts via Email

Fill out my online form.

Craft vs Manufacturing

“I keep learning
the same lesson
over
and over
and over again.”
said the founder.

“I don’t know what
is wrong with me.”
she lamented.

“May I share a story?”
I asked.

“Yes, of course.”
said the founder.

“Before I went to art school,”
I began.

“I thought craft
was outdated.
After all,
craft
makes you repeat yourself
over
and over
and over again.

Why do craft,
when we have machines?’”
I explained.

“That makes sense.”
said the founder.

“Then I learned
that life
is a craft.

There is no machine
that can live
for us.

If it did,
it would no longer be
our lives.

Yes,
craft makes us
repeat ourselves
over
and over
and over again.

But that
is life.

What craft does
is it trains us
to learn
from the repetition.

Lacking Empathy

“Do you think
I lack
empathy?”
asked the founder.

“You’re not receiving
enough
support.”
I responded.

“What do you mean?”
asked the founder.

“You’re going to be stressed without support, because you feeel isolated, if you’re isolated, you ahve no room in your being to empathize.

Expectation

We tend to expect others
to know what they are doing “wrong” to you
then fix it
by themselves.

Sometimes
this expectation
is fulfilled.

Many times,
what you consider “wrong”
is not
from their perspective
especially not
to the same degree.

And even if it is
to fix it by themselves
not only leaves them isolated,
naturally,
but also to do something that doesnt
come naturally.

Be willing to support them
to change the context

Sacrifice vs Win-Win

As parents
can sacrifice themselves
in hopes to provide
a better home for their children,
a Founder
can sacrifice themselves
in hopes to provide
a better workplace for their employees.

While seemingly virtuous,
sacrifice
can also be a breeding ground
for resentment.

There are situations
when we have no choice
but to sacrifice,
but in many cases
there are ways
to achieve win-win
be it with children
or employees
by sharing the burden
with them.

The challenge
lies in our willingness
to be vulnerably honest
enough
to be able to ask
for their support.

Pause

Sometimes,
it’s better to pause
and look around
then to keep moving
forward.

There are things
we can only see
when we pause
to look around.

The things we see
may help us realize
that we’re headed
in the wrong
direction.

To Know

To know
right
and wrong
is to become aware
of the context
in which judge
right
or wrong.

When we work inside a company,
we think we know what is right
and what is wrong,
without awareness
that the company in which we work
makes our judgment
right or wrong.

We are then surprised
that when the context changes
what we once thorugh right
or wrong
is no longer.

Forward vs Retreat

There are days
when we move
forward.

There are also days
when we
retreat.

It can be easier to value
forward movement
than retreat.

The only thing preventing us
from valuing our retreat
is what comes of
the retreat.

New direction?

learning?