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In the field of ocular physiology, there’s a concept called adaptation, which is the ability of the eye to adjust to various levels of darkness and light.  It’s a complicated process that involves body parts like pupils and rods and cones and photopigments.  Let’s focus on one particular element of the vision process.  The fact that our eyes adapt to bright light over a period of five minutes, but total…

I heard a fascinating interview between a comedian and his manager.  Both agreed that although every artist wants his name in the title of the show, having top billing was a dangerous move.  Because it means you’re the single point of success and failure for the project. After all, you’re the star of the show, which means you have to carry the plot like an albatross from scene to…

Wikipedia editors experience something called a solution looking for a problem.  According to various contributors, this phenomenon occurs when an inexperienced writer submits a proposal that doesn’t address any issue in particular. Even if that person’s writingisstylistically accurate, it’s only proposed for the sake of change and doesn’t offer any practical advantages.  And so, that article gets deleted. Nothing personal, it’s just business.  It’s an efficient, practical and democratic system…

What if we delivered holy water to orphans?  What if we could create spontaneous dance parties?  What if magicians entertained customers while waiting in line?  What if we offered pancakes to homeless people who did jumping jacks? In this episode of Steal Scott’s Ideas, Natalie, Katie and Brittany gather in Brooklyn for some execution in public. # # # Execution Lesson 101:A sign that letting go may be in order…

Since the early eighties, parents, teachers, advertisers and television personalities have assured children that they were special. That they’re not like the others. And that the gifts they posses are unique and value and someday, somewhere, somebody is finally going to recognize just how amazing they really are, tap them on the shoulder and promptly reward them with the opportunity of a lifetime.  This message was pounded into my…

Macintosh users all dread the same moment.  It’s the spinning rainbow pinwheel of death.  If you’re not familiar with this icon, it’s a variation of the mouse pointer arrow that is used in the mac operating system to indicate that an application is busy.  It’s utterly infuriating. The entire system freezes up. Whatever you’re working on locks down. And you feel helpless because all you can do is sit…

I used to work for a boss who would tell the new hires: Never go into a meeting without an opinion. Sitting in silence doesn’t help the team or help your chances of getting hired. Speak up, argue and debate.  This is a critical balance in group dynamics. Because on one hand, we don’t want to take over the group and monopolize the conversation and bulldoze every idea in…

Csikszentmihalyi, the psychologist who pioneered the theory of flow, explains that every flow experience contributes to the growth of the self.  After each episode, we’re a little different from what we were before. Our consciousness inputs fresh information about what our selves are.  This is not an insignificant victory. Any effort to chase down and expand the authentic self is valuable. Because it proves that we’re making progress in…

Never walk into a meeting empty handed.  Show up with ideas. Physically written out on paper. And when the time is right, don’t just hand it over, deliver it.  This practice is not only fun, memorable, unexpected, engaging and creative, but it also speaks volumes about the kind of person you are.  Somebody who brings value. Somebody who invests personal preparation and perspiration into their appointments. Somebody who knows…

Gilbert’s memoir on creative living beyond fear makes an inspiring case against rejection.  She writes that when she used to get rejection letters from editors, she would permit her ego to say the following aloud.  You think you can scare me off? I’ve got another fifty years to wear you down. There are people who haven’t even been born yet who are going to reject me someday. That’s how…