Welcome to the Classy Problems weekly mash-up for Monday, October 14th – Sunday, October 20th, 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.
October 14 – Two Thoughts On The Toilet
It’s easy to take the solution of the toilet for granted. It’s easy to take the solution of planning, problem-solving, and creating for granted in design.
If you are attempting to design something, I would encourage you to contemplate on the toilet. To clarify, to actually contemplate the toilet.
All that needs to be known about design can be found in the toilet. Fortunately, in most places where this post will be read, the reliability and functionality are so common that we’re only surprised when they’re not.
Thought #1: Calibrate the design so that 100% satisfaction for the user is 80% utility for the design. Reliability differentiates overproduction from intentionality — hands-free vs manual flush.
Thought #2: Nest the design so that it is a part that seamlessly interacts with the system it resides. Functionality differentiates an efficient design from an effective design — porta-potty vs flush.
All good designs are easily taken for granted.
Are you designing something as elegant as a toilet or are you designing a dump?
October 15 – Paradox of Certainty
Certainty provides security AND restrains imagination.
October 16 – Navigating Urgency and Importance
Imagine being at sea. Urgency is the storm demanding a reaction moment to moment. It demands immediate attention to ensure survival.
In contrast, imagine importance as the North Star. It’s steady, constant, and guiding. Even in the middle of a storm, it remains a fixed point, guiding toward an destination. It doesn’t demand attention but it is crucial for successfully navigating storms. We refer to the North Star as your intentional impact.
Navigating life requires recognizing when to focus on the urgent storms without losing sight of the important. It’s about not losing sight of your North Star — your intentional impact — amidst the immediate demands of the inevitable storms.
Are you surviving a storm, or navigating towards your intentional impact?
Don’t have an intentional impact? Reply ‘I’m interested’ to receive the Intentional Impact Exercise. Email wehave@classyproblems.com
October 17 – Wishes Are For Birthday Candles
Coffee may be for closers, but wishes are for birthday candles.
October 18 – Inaction Is An Action
Inaction is an action — the effectiveness is a byproduct of intentionality.
October 19 – Do The Footwork And theboss Always Provides
When anything attempts to fit itself to the universe — or what we call theboss — you can count on two things.
- The effort will be imperfect.
- It will always be met with more than what’s required.
That effort — footwork, or work for short — is the most honorable act in the universe.
The only thing in question is our opinion on if it’s working or not.
When something isn’t working, are you focusing on what you require or fitting yourself to something larger than yourself?
October 20 – Paradox of Control
Control creates order AND eliminates spontaneity.
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.
SPIRITUAL GANGSTER: Welcome to the ‘Spiritual Gangster’ wing of The Sober Curator, a haven for those on a sober journey with a twist of spiritual sass. Here, we invite you to plunge headfirst into a world of meditation, astrology, intentionality, philosophy and spiritual reflection – all while keeping your feet (and sobriety) firmly on the ground.
A Disco Ball is Hundreds of Pieces of Broken Glass, Put Together to Make a Magical Ball of Light. You are NOT Broken, Friend. You are a DISCO BALL!
Resources Are Available
If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.
