I don’t write about my personal life because strangers who read this blog wouldn’t like it. Let’s see: eat, poop, go out sometimes, and buy Bitcoin.
But I recently got into a relationship. And I can’t stop thinking about it. Her.*
So here’s an attempt at triple entendre — an exposé on the romantic, conventional, and entrepreneurial truth I call microwaves and ovens.
Romance
I find 3 components to getting to know someone:
- Facts (events, geography, people, stuff about your life)
- Principles (core beliefs about the world)
- Patterns (how you’re likely to respond given a scenario)
It’s easy to learn facts about someone. This takes wine and 6 hours.
Principles are trickier, but still they emerge during dinner parties and arguments and customer service experiences.
Patterns are the real challenge, and they take the longest to decipher. To read between the lines of one’s behaviors and value systems, relate them to past experiences, then finally predict (correctly) how they’ll respond to a situation… that is when you truly know someone.
Regarding microwaves and ovens, facts are microwaves and patterns are ovens.
Life
I’m tired of the backwards emphasis on life’s small stuff (grades) and thinking the rest (corporate ladder, success) will work itself out. It won’t.
We choose our own destiny and that makes us chefs. Life chefs.
Regarding microwaves and ovens, know when to nuke and know when to pre-heat.
Entrepreneurship
The fundamental definition of entrepreneurship is taking resources from areas of low yield and moving them into areas of high yield.
Every great company does this, through a platform or black box or… whatever.
So when you build something, it makes sense to focus on critical details first. Put them on the “Urgency vs. Important” axis (thanks Ed) and execute only those items which meet both criteria.
Regarding microwaves and ovens, know when to hack (boostrap) and when to bake (fundraise).