The most common drawback of natural intelligence is: people who believe that intelligence is innate tend to give up much faster than those people who believe it can be developed.
It seems to comes down the subtle distinction between A or not A. Believing skill-intelligence-ability are innate qualities we perceive them as foreign, thus more easily discounted as "not A" rather than "A." Application means seeing this "not A" person is gifted i.e. different than I (A).
Alternatively, if we believe regardless of talent that hard work and diligence will gain us the same results as someone to whom things come "naturally" we view ourselves as "A" rather than "not A." This alternative perspective means no skill-intelligence-ability is remote nor alien; therefore can be developed.
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| the dilemma |
This weekend I had the pleasure of visiting Artisanal LA with my girlfriend. Dozens of booths lined he LA Mart on Broadway with local merchants generating new business and fostering new peer connections. Originally I aimed to only visit Le Pop Shop (http://www.lepopshop.com) since I have known that business since inception and and addicted to macaroons (particularly with coffee).
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| Drip Stand seen at Artisanal LA |
Cruising the aisles I saw a coffee drip stand for the Hario V60. The stand was $85, i.e. out of my ballpark. I like coffee, I do not think this is a secret. The process by which the taste and aroma of each blend is extracted is like Dexter's Laboratory to me. The strange thing is coffee calms me down. Most people enjoy a cup of joe for that extra pep in the morning, but for me its purely the taste. In the mornings I am pretty wacky and my mind races with random thoughts. The scent and taste of a cup of coffee settles me into a "home" feeling and I am better able to go about my day. Anyway, I saw V60 cone drip stand and thought…how clever. Noting the price I thought to myself, why would someone charge this much for a drip stand? A quick google search for "Hario V60 Stand" yielded shocking results: prices ranging from $30 - $124 for a stand!
I decided; why not make my own? It can't be that complicated. I opted to be "A" rather than "not A." I rarely have the ability to use my imagination and go from idea to reality. All of us are rushing from one place to another so creating something in our mind then applying it to life is luxury we do not have.
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| the process |
But, Saturday, my muse encouraged me to just do it. We were not busy and had no "plans" so why not try and create something? The result was a personal drip stand that looks great and works for my life costing around $20. At Home Depot, C and I spoke as if we were on a planning committee. What about 1/4" ? 1/2" ? Should it be taller since we use travel mugs a lot? Can it be adjustable? What the hell is a washer, finished wood or stain, etc. etc.?
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| Finished Product |
We engaged in "A" behavior. Rather than simply shelling out some cash for someone else's work we decided to make it personal and functional, why? Because it's fun to create and see ideas materialize. It is fun to accept that we can accomplish things that are not normally in us to do. Think about it…why are you so happy when you do something that you thought you couldn't do? Because you are A rather than not A; the little voice in your head that makes things unknown suddenly whispers…why not, go for it.
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