Welcome to the Classy Problems weekly mash-up for Monday, September 16th – Sunday, September 22nd, 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 16 – Finished and Complete
Complete isn’t finished, but complete is complete. It’s not perfect, but it’s good enuf and that’s all we need to progress.
Here’s the thing, all we ever really have is the beginning. With the infinite, there is no end—only progress. It’s all progress in the squiggly line.
We’re not looking for certainty. We’re in pursuit of clarity.
What’s something that you are looking to finish tomorrow that completing today would provide clarity?
September 17 – The Intersection of Community
Community exists when two or more meet at the intersection of intention and purpose.
PS…
If you’re ready to connect at that intersection, reply with — I’m interested. Email wehave@classyproblems.com
September 18 – Constraints Shape
Without those limits, the designer faces an infinite field of fabric AND possibilities. That’s the paradox of freedom without constraints—limitless potential, but no shape.
Constraints give form to the infinite. We aren’t just designing; we’re transforming limitless potential into something meaningful.
Are you shaping the infinite into something with purpose, or is too much, toomuchness overwhelming you?
September 19 – Picking and Serving
Time is a mental construct. More bluntly, it’s make-believe.
We shape time by imposing constraints with frames we call starts and stops.
But time dictates value. Another word for value is meaning. Time gives shape to value and meaning by either concentrating or diluting them.
So, at what level of awareness and intention are we framing time? Are we picking a timeframe, or are we serving one?
Either way, the choice is ours. It’s far more effective to intentionally choose a timeframe that serves our meaning. If we don’t, time—and the meaning attached to it—gets dictated to us.
Imagine any event or decision in your life. And dramatically shrink or expand the timeframe. Now, what happened to the value and meaning?
Like the change, don’t like the change –either way, which one will you choose?
September 20 – Symptoms and Synergy
When byproducts come with consequences that we like, we call them synergy.
When byproducts come with consequences that we don’t like, we call them symptoms.
September 21 – Lost in Translation
For the last 20 years, we’ve added somewhere between one to two thousand words and terms a year to the English language—20,000 to 40,000 in total. While we probably don’t need more acronyms, it’s good to have terms like chef’s kiss, prosocial, and rewild.
The vitality of language isn’t just in how it grows; it’s in how it develops to reflect the society it speaks for.
None of us can keep up with every new word and definition. And in that gap, something important gets lost. These terms often simplify complex issues. Worse, they help us feel better without necessarily helping us BE better.
Take quiet quitting or the unhoused. Easy to say, harder to understand, impossible to stomach. And that’s where these terms fail us. When we don’t fully comprehend, we minimize. When we minimize, we reduce the emotional weight, making it easier to digest—and in doing so, we often become indifferent.
We can’t care about everything. But did we intentionally choose to stop caring, or did we just learn a new term and move on?
Where is your language conveniently creating indifference when we need you to make a difference?
September 22 – Paradox of Time
Time determines value AND binds moments.
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. When faced with classy problems, 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.
