Welcome to the Classy Problems weekly mash-up for Monday, September 23rd – Sunday, September 29th, 2024.
Classy Problems is a daily post of thinking in motion by Dan T. Rogers. Each post stands alone as a thought-provoking piece, yet together, they create a puzzle of ideas. They invite you to see things from a different angle, rethink what you thought you knew, and explore what’s beyond your current understanding.
September 23 – Terminal Uniqueness
We can be so quick to over-inflate the number and importance of differences while ignoring or failing to recognize commonality or sameness. This results in us minimizing the overwhelming amount of similarities.
We have a habit of applying uniqueness to ourselves or some precious box we have drawn to create a false set of separateness from the whole.
A more useful practice is to ask: Why is something unique? Why am I unique? Is it because of my contribution or something that was provided by theboss?
Where are you focusing on what makes you different rather than embracing what makes you the same?
September 24 – The Spoiled Child’s Prayer
Mine.
September 25 – It’s All on Loan
Everything we possess, our so called stuff, is temporary. We forget that we can’t take it with us. If we can’t take with us, it was never ours to begin with. Think of everything we own as a loan, a gift from the universe, or what I call, ‘theboss’.
The essence of what we hold—whether it be knowledge, wisdom, physical health, or material wealth—is not meant to be hoarded but rather shared. These gifts come with the inherent responsibility to be passed on.
The idea of sharing our stuff challenges the two survival stories that deceive us into thinking these things are ours to keep—that we own them. It’s like the hoarder’s disregard of the truth, clutching onto ‘mine’ like a spoiled child.
Here’s the curious truth that even resonates with the hoarder in us: when we muster the courage to share, every gift we possess multiplies in value. Feeling happy? Pass that joy onto someone else. Watch what happens next—their happiness increases, so does yours. It’s a two-for-one deal, a perfect example of ‘thebossissupergenerous’.
What are the precious things you believe you own that you could courageously share today?
September 26 – Good Enuf
Good enuf’ is an approach to resolving a problem, challenge, or opportunity. Good enuf is effective when the use of our previous experience or common sense where we’re looking for good enough, not perfect.
Where are you focusing on perfect when good enough is good enuf?
September 27 – Point of View and Worldview
A point of view is specific. It represents a focused perspective on a particular aspect of the universe, informed by our individual opinions and experiences. As a slice, or portion of our broader worldview, it is one of many diverse positions we might hold, each providing a unique lens through which we interpret our daily interactions.
A worldview is a comprehensive concept, a foundational belief system that shapes our entire understanding of the universe and our individual relationship to it. It’s fundamentally binary—do we see the universe as a friendly place that supports our aspirations, or as an indifferent, hostile space? It’s a single all-inclusive position.
The scale at which we apply these concepts impacts our perception. Overemphasizing a single point of view can distort our interpretation and potentially misaligns our broader worldview.
What do your actions, today, inform you about your points of view and your overarching worldview?
September 28 – Obsession of An Artist
An artist is someone who is obsessed with the intersection of creativity and execution.
It’s not just vision or production. It’s getting both of those aligned.
Where could you be more obsessed with this intersection?
September 29 – When and Then
When and then is a story we tell about the order of things, mostly TO ourselves. With whens and thens, it’s easy to forget who’s really putting things in order.
When and then is a story. A story we make up, mostly about how we put things in order. A story we tell about the order of things, mostly TO ourselves.
When I do this, then I’ll get that.
When I do that, then I’ll get this.
When I do this, then I won’t get that.
When I do that, then I won’t get this.
Or told in reverse…
When I don’t do this, then I’ll get that.
When I don’t do that, then I’ll get this.
When I don’t do this, then I won’t get that.
When I don’t do that, then I won’t get this.
Same story, about you …
When you do this, then you’ll get that.
When you do that, then you’ll get this.
When you don’t do this, then you’ll get that.
When you don’t do that, then you’ll get this.
When you do this, then you won’t get that.
When you do that, then you won’t get this.
When you don’t do this, then you won’t get that.
When you don’t do that, then you won’t get this.
Or told about me and you …
When I do this, then you’ll get that.
When I do that, then you’ll get this.
When I don’t do this, then you’ll get that.
When I don’t do that, then you’ll get this.
When I do this, then you won’t get that.
When I do that, then you won’t get this.
When I don’t do this, then you won’t get that.
When I don’t do that, then you won’t get this.
Same story, about you and me …
When you do this, then I’ll get that.
When you do that, then I’ll get this.
When you don’t do this, then I’ll get that.
When you don’t do that, then I’ll get this.
When you do this, then I won’t get that.
When you do that, then I won’t get this.
When you don’t do this, then I won’t get that.
When you don’t do that, then I won’t get this.
Same story, looking back … when I did this, then I got that.
Same story, about us … when we do this, then we’ll get that.
Same story, about us looking back … when we did this, then we got that.
And we’re just getting started with the number of combinations and possibilities.
With all of these whens and thens, it’s easy to forget who’s really putting things in order.
Classy Problems is a daily post of thinking in motion by Dan T. Rogers. Each post stands alone as a thought-provoking piece, yet together, they create a puzzle of ideas. They invite you to see things from a different angle, rethink what you thought you knew, and explore what’s beyond your current understanding.
What is a classy problem? A classy problem is when we’ve been afforded the opportunity to figure out what to do. Time to figure it out. Time to practice. Time to discern. When faced with the time to figure out a classy problem, it is more effective to focus on what NOT to do than trying to figure out what to do. In a word: restraint. JOIN US in exploring the distinction between what to do and what not to do in the pursuit of clarity.
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