Whose generosity would repay me for the entire day

My first brush with celebrity happened at a taqueria a few weeks after my debut book went viral. The woman behind the counter recognized me from my article in the local paper, so she kindly offered me a meal on the house. Anyone who wears a nametag every day gets free nachos, she laughed. Now, at that time in my life, having only been out of college about a year and working a minimum wage job at a furniture store,...

My nametag has become my social filter. It's the central lever that instantly puts a social magnifying glass on any situation. Show me your reaction to a sticker, and I’ll show you who you are. It's almost like an inkblot test. A shortcut to understanding. Based on how someone responds to my nametag, I know everything I need to know about them. Here's a sampling of responses somebody might give. Scott, do you have a memory problem or something? That...

The signature is one of my favorite artifacts. It's been a staple of individualism and personality in our society for thousands of years. Hancock, whose large and stylish signature first signed our nation's declaration of independence, has even become the generic term as a synonym for the word signature itself. Congratulations on buying your new portable heated outhouse, sir, just going to need your johnhancock at the bottom of the page. One cool expression of the signature is in the...

Decisiveness is the antidote to regret. If our organization wants to move forward on a committed path, then we need to stop micro optimizing ourselves into oblivion and take action. We need stop engaging in this neurotic battle with our transitory illusion of perfection and ship something out the goddamn door. We're not having another meeting. There will be no more touching base, circling back, syncing up or getting on the same page. We don't need another round of edits....

Starbucks once had a barista who posted an anonymous open letter to all of the company’s patrons. It’s honest, hilarious, and although it went viral many years ago, there’s still one section that resonates with me today. It’s the part about the bizarre relationship between coffee baristas and regular customers. Here’s what the letter says. We are not your friends. We are not your neighbors. In most cases, we absolutely loathe you, but we are outwardly friendly, because we are...