That Was Too Easy

I’m commuting back to the west coast. I just finished a short multi-day scouting trip in a gulf-coastal town in Florida (St. Pete and Gulfport) It seems like a good enough place as any to live as I sort out my grand designs.

To be honest, I’m a little disappointed I’m not more excited to be in a different part of the country in a different part of the world, where the atmosphere is thicker with heat and humidity, and the people are bigger and seemingly simpler.

Upon reflection, I understand why. The process to get here was terribly efficient. The whole commute, stay and scouting were uneventful and obvious. Everything went as expected and the conditions were sufficient. Where is the dramatic revelation? Where is the conflict? Where is the story?

“You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from.” - Cormac McCarthy

My friend, excitement is an illness. A disease whose fever you should recognize and catalog when it ravages your insides and mind. Let it go and let it pass once it has.

What I’m encouraging myself to remember today is that in business and management of the critical matters in life, excitement and the unexpected are a toxin. The ease of the process doesn’t reflect the value of the outcome. Don’t ask for trouble.