The #1 skill to master...

I tried to board a plane from Mexico City to Colombia yesterday. 

Attendant: Do you have a permanent address in Colombia? 

Me: Nope

Attendant: Do you have return flight confirmation? 

Me: Uhh nope

Attendant: You can’t fly without confirmation. Sorry can’t board plane. 

Hmm okay wasn’t expecting this. Problem solving mode time. First thought is there’s a long line and I probably could go through fine with the other attendant. Sooo I hop back in line. But when I get back up to the attendants, they tell me the same thing — and this time ask me to get out of line. 

Rats. No bueno. 

Okay next up, the ol' “I confirmed everything before and they said it’s fine.” But this wasn’t working and the language barrier is proving tricky.

Alright, well if they want a return flight, I’ll give them what they want. I start to book a (refundable) “return” flight on my phone. Bad service and weak wifi doesn’t help and everyone’s now on the plane and I don’t have much time. 

Finally get it purchased. Screenshot and boom. I assure them everything was all good (“todos bueno” paired with a thumbs up). And it worked!

Lesson: There’s always a solution. We just have to keep trying. 

Let’s dive in. 

(Est read time: 3 minutes 27 seconds)

💡 Problem Solving 101

Humans suck at problem solving. 

We’re wired to avoid problems, not to solve them. 

Problem solving is therefore the #1 skill to master. So I spent hours putting together a simple guide using the power of DISTANCING toward our problems.

Learn how to problem solve in 4 easy steps. 

(Note: I’m very excited about this, love your feedback)

🧠 Braintrusts

I was invited to a brainstorm sesh last week at work. Aftward, I recalled the “Pixar Braintrust” I always loved from the amazing book Creativity, Inc.

Braintrusts are groups of people with domain expertise that provide feedback. 

The Pixar Braintrust meets every few months to evaluate movies in-progress. Ed Catmull (co-founder of Pixar) says, “Premise is simple: Put smart, passionate people in a room together, charge them with identifying and solving problems, and encourage them to be candid. The Braintrust is not foolproof, but when we get it right, the results are phenomenal.”

At Reddit, they do Reddit “Guilds” which are topic-focused braintrusts that meet bi-weekly to get early feedback on ideas and share learnings. 

TLDR - Early feedback and ideas are invaluable. Should prioritize this more. 

🌎 Perspectiva

I saw a homeless Mexican man digging through the trash in CDMX until he found a used shampoo bottle. He was pleased with the find, as he tucked it in his bag and continued on his way. 

I instantly felt a combination of guilt, privilege, and gratitude. Then I realized we’re all looking for our own "shampoo bottles" or ways to improve our current situations. No one is better or worse. Each just facing a different set of problems along our journey.

In the end, everyone wants to be happy and free from suffering. 

💬 Quote

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” - Albert Einstein 

Mucho amor, 

Mitchell